Fiera's 60s Thread Strikes Back. Again.

[finbar]

Here's possibly the most arcane music trivia question possible: "Name the instances of consecutive record catalogue numbers making #1 on the British charts?".

So arcane I won't even ask it.

In fact, we should have a contest to find the most arcane question. Can you beat the above, Snappy?

Of course, we would need a judge. Who better than Fiera? If he can drag himself back from a Spanish beach on one of his myriad holidays?

[Fiera]

Originally posted by finbar

This one's intriguing.

I also find it extremely intriguing. I can only make another wild guess: "Happy XMas (War is Over)". I know it's not a 80s song, though it charted both in 1980 and 1981. This one was a big seller but never hit the top spot.

And I'll be honoured to be the judge, but I find finbar's last question so arcane that I can't even understand what he's asking...

[Fiera]

Oh, and yes, the holidays are over now. So that means no 5 am posts for me...

[Buck Birdseed]

Actually, two out of the three are Christmas songs. Not war is over, though.

[Fiera]

Hmm, I reckon that Wham's "Last Xmas" is a serious contender then.

[Buck Birdseed]

There we go. Correct, overshadowed by Do They Know It's Christmas but still easily #1 any other week.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Fiera

And I'll be honoured to be the judge, but I find finbar's last question so arcane that I can't even understand what he's asking...

Every record has its recording company catalogue number. Like a file number. The reference - usually a combination of letters and numbers, and, for the most part, made up of the recording company's name followed by numbers - appears somewhere on the record's label. "Hey Jude", for example, had the catalogue number Apple R 5722.

These days, record company's catalogue numbers are incredibly idiosyncratic, so consecutive releases often don't even have consecutive numbers. But in the old days they did.

So a couple of answers to the question would be:

RCA 1226 Elvis Presley - "Wooden Heart"
RCA 1227 Elvis Presley - "Surrender"

CBS 3124 Georgie Fame - "Ballad of Bonnie & Clyde"
CBS 3125 Love Affair - "Everlasting Love"

Make sense now?

[finbar]

Have we cleaned up all the outstanding questions? If so, here's one to go on with. If not, here's one to go on with anyway.

Again, it's the British charts. In the 1960s, there were 10 cases of records making #1, slipping for at least one week, then returning to #1. Can you name them?

[Buck Birdseed]

Curse me for only having computer-based sources! With a book that question would be considerably easier.

Not a clue.

Here's a counter-question meanwhile:

Parents and Children: Of the combinations Father-Son, Father-Daughter, Mother-Son and Mother-Daughter, one is unique in that that type of parent and that type of offspring in one family has never had a #1 hit either separately in their own right or together. Which one? Can you name instances of parents and offspring topping the chart either separately or together for the remaining three entries?

[Fiera]

Originally posted by finbar
Again, it's the British charts. In the 1960s, there were 10 cases of records making #1, slipping for at least one week, then returning to #1. Can you name them?

I can only think of seven singles to do it (you're talkin' about singles, right?):

1960 Cliff Richard & The Shadows "Please Don't Tease"
1961 John Leyton "Johnny Remember Me"
1963 Cliff Richard & The Shadows "Summer Holiday"
1963 The Beatles "She Loves You"
1964 Roy Orbison "Oh Pretty Woman"
1968/1969 Scaffold "Lily The Pink"
1969 Marmalade "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da"

[finbar]

Originally posted by Fiera


I can only think of seven singles to do it (you're talkin' about singles, right?):

'Natch!

1960 Cliff Richard & The Shadows "Please Don't Tease"

1961 John Leyton "Johnny Remember Me"

1963 Cliff Richard & The Shadows "Summer Holiday"

1963 The Beatles "She Loves You"

1964 Roy Orbison "Oh Pretty Woman"

1968/1969 Scaffold "Lily The Pink"

1969 Marmalade "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da"

Good going, Fiera! You're only missing two from 1965 and one from 1968.

PS. "She Loves You" was away from #1 for the longest - 7 weeks.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Snapcase
Curse me for only having computer-based sources! With a book that question would be considerably easier.

Invest in books! Hours and hours of endless fun. Wake up in the middle of the night? Can't get back to sleep? Pick up the "Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music".

[finbar]

Originally posted by Snapcase
Parents and Children: Of the combinations Father-Son, Father-Daughter, Mother-Son and Mother-Daughter, one is unique in that that type of parent and that type of offspring in one family has never had a #1 hit either separately in their own right or together. Which one? Can you name instances of parents and offspring topping the chart either separately or together for the remaining three entries?

Are we talking British charts? Or everywhere? If we're talking British -

Natalie and Nat King Cole fit the first bill.

The Sinatras - Frank and Nancy - obviously fit the second bill.

[Buck Birdseed]

I've finally found an on-line source with every #1 listed in order, and there are definately not two more in 65 and one in 68. All the ones Fiera named are present and correct, though, so I'm slightly suspicious of your source, finbar!

Yes, British Charts. Niether of the coles had #1 hits, unfortunately.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Snapcase
I've finally found an on-line source with every #1 listed in order, and there are definately not two more in 65 and one in 68. All the ones Fiera named are present and correct, though, so I'm slightly suspicious of your source, finbar!

The outstanding ones according to my source are:

1965 : Elvis Presley - "Crying In The Chapel"
1965: Hollies - "I'm Alive"
1968: Tommy James & The Shondells - "Mony Mony"

I'd be very surprised if my source is wrong, but I can cross-check and I will.

Yes, British Charts. Niether of the coles had #1 hits, unfortunately.

Wasn't that the first half of your question? Which parent/sibling relationship DIDN'T have a #1? Or did I misread the question?