Music Chronicle

The sixth book in The Music Chronicle series is now available. The cheapest way to buy The Music Chronicle 1984, for £9.99 plus £2.70 p+p (UK), is by sending an e-mail to musicchronicle@yahoo.com. We will then send you our bank account details so you can make a direct transfer. We will dispatch the book as soon as the payment is received. Alternatively, the book is available on eBay for £11.99 plus postage. Follow this link. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133938581613 Buyers outside the UK are strongly recommended to purchase the book directly by sending an e-mail to musicchronicle@yahoo.com, because we will charge postage at cost, unlike eBay. During the summer we ordered re-prints of all of the previous Music Chronicles, and there are a few still available. For those who missed any of them, and wish to catch up or complete the set, please send an e-mail to musicchronicle@yahoo.com. There are editions covering 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and Christmas singles and albums since 1939.

Here are some of the comments I have received about the Music Chronicle 1983. “Your wonderful book arrived yesterday and I’ve been devouring it ever since. I love it! “ “What a feast for chart data fans.” “The Music Chronicle 1983 - absolutely wonderful !” “Got my copy of the latest volume of this excellent series.” “I can clearly see that your work is wide-ranging - lots of info to digest.”

British artists account for exactly half of 2022’s year end chart – one slot less than 2021 and two less than 2020. It must be said that British acts dominated the tracks chart in 2022, so the home market still seems to be in good health. The number of albums accumulating more than 100,000 chart sales in 2022 climbed again, from 44 to 45. It remains to be seen whether 2020 will represent a long term trough. The thresholds for making the Year End Top 20, Top 50 and Top 100 all rose slightly in 2022, suggesting the overall rise in streaming consumption is counteracting the relentless decline in physical sales. Long term forecasting is fraught with problems. Whilst the live scene, which undoubtedly stimulates sales, is prospering again after the pandemic shutdown, the cost-of-living crisis will surely hit physical sales. The number of artists whose new releases create a major fuss has now dwindled to a very small number, as demonstrated by the comparatively modest appearances of Beyonce at #35 and Drake at #67 on the 2022 list. It remains to be seen whether any artists manage to score 100,000 sales in a week during 2023. Of those whose names currently appear on the forthcoming releases schedule, perhaps only Lewis Capaldi has six-figure potential for week one. This points towards another year with greatest hits by established superstars again populating the upper reaches of the year end lists, unless the OCC adjusts its double-counting rules for track streams. It is notable that today’s BBC report on the year end best sellers lists described this as a “quirk” and a “bug”. Thus it isn’t just chart watchers like the contributors to this forum who are wondering whether the current policy is either an accurate reflection of popularity or of help to the music industry’s long term prospects. (Note that all of this analysis has stripped various artists soundtracks out of the 2018 year end list, to ensure like-for-like comparisions with 2019-2022).

A trend which should cause alarm within the industry is the steep decline in the number of new releases within the Top 100. In 2018, exactly half of the year end list was filled by new product. In 2022 this crashed to just 20%. As the chart below shows, this void has been filled by albums which are more than 3 years old. The next chart may shed some light on this phenomenon. The largest chunk of the 2022 year end list was filled with albums originally released between 2015 and 2019. This possibly corresponds to streaming activity being dominated by people aged between 15 and 24 who are continuing to enjoy music from their younger teenage years. But it begs the question of what material will prosper in the late 2020s if so few brand new albums are now having an impact upon release. The oldest studio album to enter the year end Top 100 in 2022 is 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ (2002), making its first annual chart appearance in 19 years. The oldest drop-out is Jess Glynne’s I Cry When I Laugh (2015). It is hard to pick out any trends from a plot of the 11 most popular “classic” studio albums. To a certain extent, performance ebbs and flows with new releases by the same artists – hence Ed Sheeran and Adele sliding compared 2021, and Arctic Monkeys rising. The latter enjoyed an 11 place climb for AM, a 14 spot improvement for Whatever People Say…, and a re-entry for Favourite Worst Nightmare, alongside the third highest new entry of 2022 for The Car. Despite hitting number one on the weekly chart for the third year (after 2011 and 2020), Michael Buble’s Christmas is clearly on a downward trajectory.

2022 Top 100 Albums Analysis Several commentators have drawn attention to the presence of six greatest hits albums in the Year End Top 10. But this trend hasn’t been observed throughout the year end chart. Across the Top 100, greatest hits albums increased their share by just 2%, to 28%. This total has climbed slowly and steadily over the past five years. 3 greatest hits albums dropped out of the Top 100 from 2021 to 2022, with 2 re-entries and 3 new entries:- - Elvis Presley’s Elv1s – 30 #1 Hits (2002) replaced The 50 Greatest Hits (2000), as streaming allocation shifted from one set to the other; - Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (2021) and the Bee Gees (2017) compilations also departed. In came:- - 50 Cent’s 2017 Best Of, making its first appearance in a year end Top 100; - Whitney Houston’s 2012 I Will Always Love You, also the beneficiary of an allocation switch and also making its year end debut; - Nirvana, back into the year end Top 100 for the first time since its release in 2002; and - The Script’s 2021 Tales From The Script, making its year end bow. The chart below plots the year end chart positions of 11 strongly performing perennials. Ten of the eleven finished higher in 2022 than 2021, and the same ten also increased their chart sales. The biggest uplift was for Eminem’s Curtain Call, with a sales increase of almost 50% thanks in part to the release of a sequel. Oasis (+18%) and ABBA (+12%) had the next biggest consumption increases. The others all grew by between 5% and 8%, with the sole exception of Queen’s Greatest Hits, with sales down 16% as the impact of the Bohemian Rhapsody film continued to diminish.

413 pages Available on eBay. Or directly from the publisher, which is recommended for buyers outside the UK, because eBay's fees are high for international shipping. Contact musicchronicle@yahoo.com Now down to the last 3 copies.

As per page 359 of The Music Chronicle Christmas:- Paul McCartney has 16 Christmas number ones, comprising 7 singles, 1 EP and 8 albums, including his contributions as a member of The Beatles, Wings, Band Aid 20 and Justice Collective. Melanie C and Ladbaby are 6th= on the list, with 5 Christmas number ones. Just four copies of The Music Chronicle Christmas left:- The Music Chronicle Christmas

The Music Chronicle 1983 The latest book in the highly acclaimed series looks in detail at 1983, documenting the best sellers, the major festivals and tours, the award winners, the films and television shows, the technological developments, the industry’s financials, the headline news stories and the unlikely trivia which go together to create the vibrant and diverse British music scene. Across 275 pages, The Music Chronicle 1983 presents over 200 lists, graphics and short articles collecting everything you need to know about the British music scene and its place in music history. In time for the 40th anniversary, The Music Chronicle 1983 shines a spotlight on Culture Club, Thriller, Paul Young, Tracey Ullman, Blue Monday, David Bowie, British reggae, Now That’s What I Call Music, Richard Clayderman, goth rock, Spandau Ballet, Halloween hits, Joan Armatrading, Toto, Duran Duran, musicians from New Zealand, Steve Lillywhite, Eurythmics, Gallup compiling the charts, John Peel’s wit, Arthur Baker, the British invasion of America, Winifred Atwell, Kool & The Gang, 12” singles, The Brixton Academy, 10cc, The Flying Pickets, Muddy Waters, the first Icelandic hits, and much more, in this entertaining, informative and detailed book. Who were the biggest selling songwriters and producers of 1983 ? Which tours and festivals attracted the most attention ? What were the critics’ favourite albums of the year ? What were the biggest American hits that failed to chart in the UK ? What were the biggest British hits abroad ? Which artists sold more records in 1983 than they did in any other year ? Which future superstars flopped in 1983 ? Which single sold 100,000 copies without ever reaching the Top 60 ? What are the nine best selling ninth albums of all-time ? Did 1983 have a lost number one single ? What is a pinkillu ? And what exactly is a fried-out Kombi ? Why was Now That’s What I Call Music so successful ? Why did the Portuguese government cancel a Julio Iglesias concert ? What did John Peel think was delicious with white wine ? Which chart topper sampled Star Wars without permission ? Whose music career only happened because of a chance encounter in a hairdresser’s ? How did an anthropology graduate manage to demonstrate his knowledge in a hit single ? Which British group won the Seoul Song Festival in 1983 ? All of these questions are answered amongst the wealth of information that builds to tell the complete story of popular music in 1983.

The fifth book in The Music Chronicle series is now available. The cheapest way to buy The Music Chronicle 1983, for £8.99 plus £2.70 p+p (UK), is by sending an e-mail to musicchronicle@yahoo.com. We will then send you our bank account details so you can make a direct transfer. We will dispatch the book as soon as the payment is received. Alternatively, the book is available on eBay for £9.99 plus postage. Follow this link. The Music Chronicle 1983 Buyers outside the UK are strongly recommended to purchase the book directly by sending an e-mail to musicchronicle@yahoo.com, because we will charge postage at cost, unlike eBay. For those who missed it, there are a few copies of The Music Chronicle Christmas left, at the same price as The Music Chronicle 1983. Here is the eBay link. The Music Chronicle Christmas There is also a free 12 page print-at-home supplement to The Music Chronicle Christmas available, covering 2021. Simply send an e-mail to musicchronicle@yahoo.com and we’ll send you a pdf file.

In the same Music Week report, Alan Jones stated that Toto's "Africa" was the 114th track to pass 2 million sales in the 21st century. Here is a full list. The dates signify the year each track passed 2 million. Note there are 115 tracks on the list. Either "Halo" or "See You Again" hasn't quite yet reached this milestone.

Yesterday's Music Week sales report, penned by Alan Jones, noted that Bastille's "Pompeii" was the 22nd most popular track of the 21st century, with sales of 2,940,258. The table below shows the probable 21st Century Top 40 Tracks.

Thank you very much. From such an informed and interesting contributor to this forum, your comments are especially appreciated. Have a great Christmas.

An extract from page 51 of The Music Chronicle Christmas, which tells the controversial and record-breaking story of Jingle Bell Rock. The Music Chronicle Christmas

Page 378 of The Music Chronicle Christmas lists the best selling Christmas songs in the UK. Here is an extract from that list.

The Music Chronicle Christmas lists all of the Christmas-, New Year- and Winter-themed best sellers. It shows original sales and digital sales separately, and together. For recurring hits, it shows their chart position and sales for each year. And it lists all hits, not just #1s. However, it doesn't cover Christmas #1s which weren't seasonal, such as Bohemian Rhapsody and I Want To Hold Your Hand. The Music Chronicle Christmas

The Music Chronicle 1982 devotes two pages to telling the story of the launch of the compact disc. Given how lucrative the format turned out to be in the 1990s and 2000s, it is perhaps surprising to read of the industry hostility which initially greeted Philips and Sony's efforts. And if you've ever wondered how a compact disc is manufactured, then look to page 155 which provides a step-by-step summary. The Music Chronicle 1982

Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy the two new ones as much as the 1980 and 1981 books.

The Music Chronicle 1981 explains, over two pages, with a year-by-year breakdown, how Queen's Greatest Hits has sold anything between 5,375,000 copies and 8,475,000 in the UK, depending on what you include and what you don't.

The encouragement that you, and many others, have given me will keep me going ! Thanks very much for your comments Gambo.

Very kind of you to say this Scazzman. But I'm sorry I've stymied your own Christmas book, I'm sure it would have been excellent.

Note to anyone who might want to buy any of the Music Chronicles, but lives outside the UK and Ireland. The international postage rates are set by eBay and not by me. I've just learnt, from a comment on another forum, that the price quoted to the USA looks really high. If the postage rate looks exorbitant to you, please send me an e-mail at musicchronicle@yahoo.com and I will propose an alternative.

Hi Steve, The sources and credits in the book list over 80 different publications, including music papers and magazines written at the time, reference books printed over the past 40 years, and websites. BuzzJack is credited as follows:- "...especially strong on British popular music, contains a wealth of fascinating information and hosts some healthy conversations." A number of posters here at BuzzJack are thanked by name. Despite drawing from a wealth of sources, every word of the books is written by me, and all of the hundreds of tables, charts and graphs have been prepared by me, exclusively for The Music Chronicles. The 1980, 1981 and 1982 books are a labour of love, take many months to write, and aim to present the most accurate, detailed and expansive summary of each year ever compiled. I believe The Music Chronicle Christmas book is unique, in the way it examines every single seasonal-themed hit single and album there has ever been, and tells the story of each alongside a rigorously researched set of facts. I'd like to think that even the most knowlegeable pop music enthusiastics might say to themselves "I never knew that", or "I didn't realise they were linked", or "I've never seen this data analysed and presented that way".

Here are some of the comments we received about The Music Chronicle 1980 and The Music Chronicle 1981, on this forum and others:- “The Music Chronicles for 1980 and 1981 are brilliant.” “Received today and they really are superb.” “Well researched and well worth the price! It's full of good facts” “You've done great work with those Sean, a real labour of love. I've learnt a lot.” “…genuine social history matters inside… causing me to take a fresh look at things.” “A great addition to my music book library. The content is outstanding. I'll happily recommend it to people.” “I just thought I would get in touch to say how much I enjoyed the music chronicle from 1980 and 1981. They are both fantastic books I keep returning to, time and again, and I find something new every time I do!” “Sean seems to have covered all the important and interesting musical facts and events of the year very well. I get the feeling I may be referring to this book often in the future and look forward to seeing other years in the series.” “It's great for browsing through, and it's the little things that make you go wtf?” “I’m very impressed with the detail and work that has gone into these books.” “I think what I like best about it is not the pure stats. The book eschews what you can find on the internet. The joy is in the value added. So some rather intriguing lists.” “I study the UK Charts avidly, but there were many details in the book that I was unaware of. I cannot praise the book enough.” “Well done Sean on such well constructed books.” “It really is a fantastic source of information for the price.” “Amazing value and hours of reading and digesting! Couldn't even begin to imagine how much work went into this!” “Keep up the fantastic work and look forward to hopefully more of these books being published which I will certainly buy.” “The 1980 Book is excellent. I highly recommend it, as it is well worth its price. I urge every UK chart fan to buy the 1980 book. It is a great addition to any chart books collection.”

The Music Chronicle 1982 The third book in the highly acclaimed series looks in detail at 1982, documenting the best sellers, the major festivals and tours, the award winners, the films and television shows, the industry’s financials, the headline news stories and the unlikely trivia which go together to create the vibrant and diverse British music scene. With 26 more pages than The Music Chronicle 1981, the latest edition in the series presents over 200 lists, graphics and short articles collecting everything you need to know about the British music scene and its place in music history. In time for the 40th anniversary, The Music Chronicle 1982 shines a spotlight on Dexys Midnight Runners, ABC, Yazoo, The Kids From Fame, Elkie Brooks, WOMAD, Iron Maiden, The Tube, Madness, Duran Duran’s videos, Survivor, Eddy Grant, Shalamar, Pigbag, German music, Discline, The Jam’s split, legal disputes, Haircut One Hundred, Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley, ZE Records, the launch of the compact disc, The Young Ones, pioneer rappers, Our Price, chart manipulation, The Falklands War, fitness records, Julien Temple and much more, in this entertaining, informative and detailed book. Who were the biggest selling songwriters and producers of 1982 ? Which tours and festivals attracted the most attention ? What were the critics’ favourite albums of the year ? What were the biggest American hits that failed to chart in the UK ? What were the biggest British hits abroad ? Which artists sold more records in 1982 than they did in any other year ? What breakthrough technologies were launched that year ? Who was involved in legal disputes in 1982 ? Which Greatest Hits album contained the most hits ? Which big rock hit was a recycled sitcom theme tune ? Which chart topping performer had to be tracked down to a north London sweet shop ? Who scored their first hit single with their 23rd release ? Which former chart topper issued a single to welcome the Pope to Britain ? Which German cities have produced the most chart stars ? What proportion of the first 20 rappers to appear on a British hit came from New York ? Who links Starship and Heart to A Song For Europe ? What mishaps occurred while Duran Duran were shooting their exotic videos ? Which music star is the most successful motor racer ? Who bit the head off Ozzy Osbourne ? All of these questions are answered amongst the wealth of information that builds to tell the complete story of popular music in 1982.

The Music Chronicle Christmas The British public adores Christmas music. In the past 80 years there have been over 400 seasonal singles and 200 festive albums, and The Music Chronicle Christmas tells the story of every one of them. It presents the background, the facts and the trivia behind the songs you know well, and unearths those records that have long been consigned to history. From Vera Lynn and Bing Crosby to Jess Glynne and Justin Bieber, chronologically, and from Wham! and Mariah Carey to the most obscure one-hit wonders, every Christmas-, New Year- and winter-themed hit is here. This informative, entertaining and meticulously researched 412 page book is illustrated with over 100 specially prepared lists, charts and graphics. It sets out the best sellers, the oldest songs and the multiple hit makers, identifies historic trends and passing fads, and tells heart-breaking and heart-warming stories. Which million selling Christmas single was first issued as a B-side ? Which popular favourite had to be released six times before it became a hit ? What alternative names were considered for Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer ? Which popular carol’s lyricist is the model in a Tate Gallery painting ? Which number one started life in a musical performed above a London pub ? Who came up with one of the catchiest lyrics while having a shower in Memphis ? Which was the most star-studded Band Aid line-up ? Which big hit was written by a former radar engineer ? Whose first release was as an uncredited singer on R2D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas ? Who grew up on a Christmas tree farm ? Which Christmas hit makers were born on Christmas Day ? Which 1970s hit was supposedly composed by dancing angels ? Which hits were created by the people who also wrote the themes for Grandstand, Gladiators and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire ?