Righting a wrong: Singles Chart

[Mike_F]

I was born in 1981. It was the year that Joe Dolce kept Vienna off the number one spot.

Anyone who has ever entered a pub quiz knows that. Not the bit about me being born but the music bit.

Anyway, in the days of the digital download I thought about setting up a campaign for everyone to buy a copy of Vienna and finally get it to number one.

I've tried google but can't find what weekend the lowest single sales typically lands on. I reckon about 25k downloads should do it. Anyone got any ideas?

Ta.

[The Red Baron]

I would guess that the weekend falls some time during the school summer holidays. Maybe first or second week in August.

Was Vienna the best No. 2 ever? I dare say there have been better, although a poll in 2013 thought it was.

http://www.nme.com/news/ultravox/67950

[The Red Baron]

PS. As well as Wonderwall and Common People being kept off no. 1 by Robson  & Jerome, I'm reminded that Clive Dunn and "Grandad" kept Ride a White Swan off the top. Now that really was unfair!

[LongbridgeMGRover]

....and wasn't the Sex Pistols 'Anarchy in the UK' pegged at number 2, not that I'd ever suspect any foul play on behalf of the establishment wanting Queenie to have a nice Silver Jubilee in '77.

[Mike_F]

Cheers. Many an injustice mentioned there but as the survey said, Vienna is the one that always gets the vote for best song never to reach number one so I thought I'd try to go with the best chance of success. I reckon it's well doable.

[afro goal machine]

Mike F I think your showing a no respect !

[RTID75]

I'm sure this was tried in the past. I think I even bought the track as a download (even though I have loads of Ultravox stuff - including Vienna) to try to help. Don't think it got anywhere close to No.1.

It certainly deserved to make No.1 at the time. Sad that the British public did, and still do, buy novelty shite over classy music by proper musicians.

Ultravox, btw, are the best band I have ever seen live, and if you ever liked them and they tour again I'd certainly recommend seeing them.

[knockers]

Animal f#ck like a beast by W.A.S.P would have been #1 if it wasn't for that naughty word. The bbc would not even acknowledge it so let's get in touch with Blackie Lawless to re-release it and put our weight behind that one.

[jucyberry]

Sad but proud to say, I'm old enough to have done the right thing years ago..  lol

[BillyStubbsTears]

Best Single not to get to No1?

Sensoria by Cabaret Voltaire.

But if we're talking No2s (apart from TRB's excellent examples)

My Generation (The Who) - kept off by The Seekers: The Carnival is Over

Jean Genie (Bowie) - kept off by Little Jimmy Osmond: Long Haired Lover from Liverpool

This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us (Sparks) - kept off by The Rubettes: Sugar Baby Love

You See The Trouble With Me (Barry White) - kept off by Brotherhood of Man: Save All Your Kisses For Me

Happy Birthday (Altered Images) - kept off by Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin: It's My Party (Vienna wasn't even the best No2 of 1981!)

Golden Brown (Stranglers) - kept off by The Jam: Town Called Malice (they don't do pop charts like THAT any more - Kraftwerk The a Model was No3)

Only You (Yazoo) - kept off by Nicole: A Little Peace

Temptation (Heaven 17) - kept off by Spandau Ballet: True

Groove Is In The Heart (DeeLite - possibly THE finest dance track of all time) - kept off by Bomballurina: Itsy Witsy Teeny Weeny Yellow f***ing Dot Bikini

Love Spreads (Stone Roses) - kept off by Baby D: Let Me Be Your Fantasy

Slight Return (The Bluetones) - kept off by George Michael: Jesus to a Child

Design For Life (Manic Street Preachers) -kept off by Mark Morrisson: Return of the Mack

Song 2 (Blur) - kept off by R Kelly: I Believe I Can Fly

And bedtime...

[jucyberry]

All but the dreadful Timmy Mallet's itsy bitsy and Jimmy Osmond's Long haired lover are great tunes though... I believe I can fly is a bit puke inducing but not terrible...

[BillyStubbsTears]

Debs

All miscarriages of justice mind, apart from Stranglers/Jam which was a toss up

[wilts rover]

Woooh hold on their big boy, it would have been a travesty if Altered Images had kept Stewart/Gaskin off the top. Happy Birthday is so irritating and Stewart is a brilliant and vastly underated keyboardist, check out his work with Hatfield and the North & Bruford among others, drifts off in a world of jazzy, prog noodles...

[Draytonian III]

Happy Birthday by Altered Images is not the best song in the world, but it is sung by Claire Grogan is total M.I.L.F

[wilts rover]

and you wouldn't go to a party with Barbara Gaskin, c'mon.

[Filo]

There's no one quite like Grandma- St Winnifreds School Choir kept John Lennon off the No 1 spot with Starting Over

[BillyStubbsTears]

Wilts

Richard Clayderman is a brilliant keyboardist but I wouldn't want him at No1. Plus, a la Draytonian, I was 14 years old at the time and there were rather more important things to consider that a bloke's fingers on the ivories when...ahhh... shall we say, expressing my preference for a particular band.

So: Sexed-up Louby-Lou on whizz?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6t1vaF50Ks0

Or your aunty with her posh slacks on?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vERQfc2nw6M

Case dismissed.

[BobG]

I have the extreme misfortune to report that the aforementioned Timmy Mallett was not only in the year below me at Uni but the t**t was a good friend of my then girlfriend. He was into music big, big time, he was loud, he was stupid looking and he was absolutely bloody everywhere. You couldn't avoid him. I think he did sociology or somesuch - though I'm not 100% about that. As he's likely to be only a year younger than me. I don't reckon there's much chance you'll have to suffer him much more.

BobG

[IDM]

Apologies for going off track (sic) but here's a couple some of you may appreciate, especially BST:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InQxghlWMWM

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DftUXY3BPoc

I remember the second one being broadcast - the original UK show, that is...

And from the same era

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RlAVhP0dE0