Fiera's 60s Thread Strikes Back. Again.

[finbar]

Althia & Donna's "Up Town Top Ranking" from 1977 must be anothery. Jeez, talk about obscure. Luckily, A is the first letter in the alphabet and my books of British chart listings are all alphabetical.

[finbar]

Luckily, B is the second letter in the alphabet. Ken Boothe did it in 1974 with "Everything I Own". This is, of course, assuming that Jamaican artists - which these all are - equate with the term "Jamaican music".

A couple of others went close, too. Barry Biggs got to #3 in 1976 with "Sideshow" and Bob & Marcia reached #5 in 1970 with "Young Gifted and Black".

Along the way, I was surprised to learn that Blood Sweat & Tears only charted once in Britain - in 1969, with "You've Made Me So Very Happy". And it only made #35. They were much bigger than that elsewhere, including here.

Here's a really, really obscure one for you, Fiera. Slightly out of the thread's timeframe, but anyway. A male vocalist hailing from Montserrat charted twice in Britain in 1984 and 1985. Who was it? I have to assume he has been Montserrat's only claim to British chart fame.

Edit. In fact, Fiera, not so. One of Boney M hailed from Montserrat!

[finbar]

Mmmmm. This is interesting. Dave and Ansil Collins also did it in 1971 with "Double Barrel". That's four. I suspect it's going to boil down to a distinction between Jamaican artists and "Jamaican music".

Not to mention Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting" in 1974. Which never struck me as terribly Jamaican.

Then there's Boris Gardiner in 1986 with "I Want To Wake Up With You", which doesn't, immediately, scream Jamaican music at me. He had a later hit with "The Meaning of Christmas", which gives me cause for doubt. On the other hand, his first hit was "Elizabethan Reggae". Who knows?

So there you are, Snappy, a whole list of contenders. As to the two most famous #2s - I can only imagine that Millie's "My Boy Lollipop" is one of them?

[Buck Birdseed]

Surely Uptown Top Ranking never reached #1? Oh well, my bad in that case. I was thinking Desmond Dekker, Ken Boothe, and Dave & Ansell Collins.

The other #2 hit would be "You Can Get it if you really want" by Desmond Dekker. Which I've heard a million times on the radio.

[Buck Birdseed]

Oh well, onto questions I've stolen from elsewhere.Still UK Charts.

What is the longest song title to ever have made it into the top 40? What's the longest album title?

And a second one thrown in for fun:

One artist has reached the #1 spot as a solo artist, as part of a duo, a trio, a quartet, a quintet, a sextet, a group of nine and a unbelievably big group that's practically uncountable. Who? Can you name the constellations?

[finbar]

Originally posted by Snapcase
Oh well, onto questions I've stolen from elsewhere.Still UK Charts.

What is the longest song title to ever have made it into the top 40?

Good grief! Off the top of my head, 1966's "They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!" - courtesy of Napoleon XIV, psudonym for a US DJ - must be somewhere up there. I'll get onto the case.

What's the longest album title?

Ditto.

And a second one thrown in for fun:

One artist has reached the #1 spot as a solo artist, as part of a duo, a trio, a quartet, a quintet, a sextet, a group of nine and a unbelievably big group that's practically uncountable. Who? Can you name the constellations?

You are testing both my patience and research skills, Snappy!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Snapcase
Surely Uptown Top Ranking never reached #1? Oh well, my bad in that case. I was thinking Desmond Dekker, Ken Boothe, and Dave & Ansell Collins.

So all the others only qualify as being born in Jamaica?

The other #2 hit would be "You Can Get it if you really want" by Desmond Dekker. Which I've heard a million times on the radio.

Quite right too. I missed that one!

[Buck Birdseed]

Originally posted by finbar
So all the others only qualify as being born in Jamaica?

So does ****gy, really. Like I say, Ill-researched late at night.

[Buck Birdseed]

Originally posted by finbar
Good grief! Off the top of my head, 1966's "They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!" - courtesy of Napoleon XIV, psudonym for a US DJ - must be somewhere up there. I'll get onto the case.

"They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" only has 30 letters and doesn't even come close to the unbracketed record (54 letters, held by The Charlatans' "I Never Want An Easy Life If Me And He Were Ever To Get There"), let alone the longest title one. The hit in question has 115 letters, not counting punctuation. Early seventies.

The labum is by a different artist. The album is famous for being the album that reached #1 the slowest, taking 119 weeks to reach the top spot after release.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Snapcase




The labum is by a different artist. The album is famous for being the album that reached #1 the slowest, taking 119 weeks to reach the top spot after release.

Presumably because it took people so long to ask for it at the record store.

[Fiera]

Originally posted by finbar
Here's a really, really obscure one for you, Fiera. Slightly out of the thread's timeframe, but anyway. A male vocalist hailing from Montserrat charted twice in Britain in 1984 and 1985. Who was it? I have to assume he has been Montserrat's only claim to British chart fame.

Edit. In fact, Fiera, not so. One of Boney M hailed from Montserrat!

You're wrong again! As a matter of a fact, the only thing I've been able to find is a 1982 #1 hit by Goombay Dance Band, a German/Montserrat collaboration effort according to my references.

But your question was mean, anyway.

[Buck Birdseed]

Originally posted by Snapcase
One artist has reached the #1 spot as a solo artist, as part of a duo, a trio, a quartet, a quintet, a sextet, a group of nine and a unbelievably big group that's practically uncountable. Who? Can you name the constellations?

The first part of this question is really easy. Think about it.

[Fiera]

It has to be one of the USA for Africa stars, most likely Michael Jackson. I can think of various solo hits, a duet hit ("I just can't stop loving you" with Siedah Garret), and the Jacksons were a group of 4, 5 and 6 in different stages, if I'm not wrong. I don't know about the group of 9.

Oh and Finbar, it's 1st of May, Workers Day, I think it's a holiday in all Europe.

[Buck Birdseed]

Michael Jackson? Unfortunately not. The Jacksons only had one #1 hit, and michael never had any duet hits.*

*Except one. At #8. Which isn't quite relevant here.

[Fiera]

Originally posted by Snapcase
and michael never had any duet hits.*

*Except one. At #8. Which isn't quite relevant here.

Are you sure? My list says he had a duet #1 hit with Siedah Garrett for two consecutive weeks (15 Aug and 22 Aug) in 1987.