Guinness Book of British Hit Singles
Encyclopedia
British Hit Singles & Albums was a music reference book
published in the United Kingdom by HiT Entertainment
's "Guinness World Records". It listed all the singles and albums featured in the Top 75 Charts in UK, as compiled by the editors of British Hit Singles & Albums. In 2004 the book became an amalgamation of two earlier Guinness publications, originally known as British Hit Singles and British Hit Albums and publication of this amalgamation ceased in 2008. A new version of the book published by Virgin, was entitled The Virgin Book of British Hit Singles
. The first edition of The Virgin Book of British Hit Singles was published in November 2008.
(since its inception in 1952) and the UK Albums Chart
. It listed all the singles and albums ever to have been in UK Top 75 Charts, listing them in alphabetical order and by both artist and song title. The entries also included the date of chart entry, highest position, catalogue number and number of weeks in the chart. Short biographical notes accompanied many of the artists' chart details.
The book's sources are the New Musical Express (NME) chart from November 1952 to March 1960, and the Record Retailer (later Music Week) chart thereafter. It could be said that this division is misleading, since the Record Retailer chart was little known until it was adopted by the BBC in 1969 and that by adopting this chart as its standard, the editors had a non consensual view. An example often given is the case of The Beatles
' second single Please Please Me
which was recognised as a number one hit by every other publicly available chart of the time, but not by Record Retailer and therefore not by British Hit Singles. Other records to which this applies include "19th Nervous Breakdown
" by The Rolling Stones
, "Stranger On The Shore
" Acker Bilk and the Eurovision Song Contest
entry "Are You Sure" by The Allisons
. Co-founder Jo Rice has defended the book's choice of source material on the grounds that Record Retailer was the only chart to consistently publish a Top 50 from 1960 onwards. This can be substantiated by the fact that charts published in the NME were of a shorter format and other chart listings such as those in Melody Maker
, became less and less informative although they were probably more accurate. Subsequent research has shown that during the "disputed" period of the 1960s, the samples sizes of the Record Retailer chart were considerably inferior to those of the other charts: around 30 shops in 1963 in comparison to more than 100 used by Melody Maker, and later around 80 in comparison to NME's 150 and Melody Maker's 200. As a result the placings in that chart were more open to error and manipulation – a situation further worsened by the larger number of records listed in the chart.
, Tim Rice
, Jonathan Rice, and Mike Read
. Read left the team in the mid-1980s and the other editors resigned in 1996.
Throughout this period British pop-music fans bought each edition to maintain a check on the career of their favoured band or soloist in particular the final position in the all-time charts in terms of singles and albums. Thus any apparent errors by the three original co-authors in the aggregation processes behind these charts went unchallenged and became fact by default until the 18th edition when some apparent errors were uncovered, called into question for the attention of the editor, David Roberts.
from Al Martino
's "Here in My Heart
" on 14 November 1952 to Elvis Presley
's "One Night / I Got Stung" (Limited Edition Collector's re-issue), 22 January 2005.
The eighteenth edition drew a very heavy postbag of bad-tempered mail to its editor David Roberts in the wake of a retrospective reappraisal of the career of Cliff Richard's former backing group, The Shadows. The Shadows had previously been ignored in terms of their obvious support towards Cliff Richard's success in both singles and albums charts during 1958–1968 and beyond. However, following a well intentioned appeal for a belated re-appraisal, by a committed Shadows fan, for a retrospective and long overdue error correction to benefit the Shadows in all subsequent lifetime charts resulted in the Shadows being dramatically promoted in the all-time career charts from a lowly 30th to a 3rd position just behind Elvis Presley(1st) and Cliff Richard(2nd) both in terms of singles and albums. Coincidentally, the career of The Supremes and Diana Ross also received a similar retrospective reappraisal and promotion along with the Shadows but did not attract anything like the kind of fierce anger generated by British pop-music lovers.
and its chart consultant was Dave McAleer
.
products have been launched under the same branding. These include compilation albums, annual trivia calendars and a DVD TV game – British Hit Singles & Albums No.1 Music Quiz, editions of which were released in both 2005 and 2006. The 2006 edition features over 1,200 questions and stars comedian Steve Furst
as the host.
Reference work
A reference work is a compendium of information, usually of a specific type, compiled in a book for ease of reference. That is, the information is intended to be quickly found when needed. Reference works are usually referred to for particular pieces of information, rather than read beginning to end...
published in the United Kingdom by HiT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment
Hit Entertainment is a British-American entertainment distribution company established in 1989, and originally the international distribution arm of Jim Henson Productions called Henson International Television...
's "Guinness World Records". It listed all the singles and albums featured in the Top 75 Charts in UK, as compiled by the editors of British Hit Singles & Albums. In 2004 the book became an amalgamation of two earlier Guinness publications, originally known as British Hit Singles and British Hit Albums and publication of this amalgamation ceased in 2008. A new version of the book published by Virgin, was entitled The Virgin Book of British Hit Singles
The Virgin Book of British Hit Singles
The Virgin Book of British Hit Singles is a charts reference book published in October 2008. It replaces the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, after the Guinness company withdrew interest in chart reference books at the same time their contract was due to expire. The last edition was...
. The first edition of The Virgin Book of British Hit Singles was published in November 2008.
Content
British Hit Singles & Albums was generally considered to be the authoritative reference source for both the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
(since its inception in 1952) and the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. It listed all the singles and albums ever to have been in UK Top 75 Charts, listing them in alphabetical order and by both artist and song title. The entries also included the date of chart entry, highest position, catalogue number and number of weeks in the chart. Short biographical notes accompanied many of the artists' chart details.
The book's sources are the New Musical Express (NME) chart from November 1952 to March 1960, and the Record Retailer (later Music Week) chart thereafter. It could be said that this division is misleading, since the Record Retailer chart was little known until it was adopted by the BBC in 1969 and that by adopting this chart as its standard, the editors had a non consensual view. An example often given is the case of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' second single Please Please Me
Please Please Me (song)
"Please Please Me" is a song and the second single released by The Beatles in the United Kingdom, and the first to be issued in the United States. It was also the title track of their first LP, which was recorded to capitalise on the success of the single...
which was recognised as a number one hit by every other publicly available chart of the time, but not by Record Retailer and therefore not by British Hit Singles. Other records to which this applies include "19th Nervous Breakdown
19th Nervous Breakdown
"19th Nervous Breakdown" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones.The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards during their 1965 tour of the United States. The song was recorded during the Aftermath sessions between 3 and 8 December 1965 at RCA Recording Studios in Hollywood,...
" by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, "Stranger On The Shore
Stranger on the Shore
"Stranger on the Shore" is a piece for clarinet written by Acker Bilk for his young daughter and originally named Jenny after her. It was subsequently used as the theme tune of a BBC TV drama serial for young people that was also called Stranger on the Shore.The track, performed by Bilk "Stranger...
" Acker Bilk and the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
entry "Are You Sure" by The Allisons
Allisons
The Allisons were an English pop duo consisting of:*Bob Day *John Alford...
. Co-founder Jo Rice has defended the book's choice of source material on the grounds that Record Retailer was the only chart to consistently publish a Top 50 from 1960 onwards. This can be substantiated by the fact that charts published in the NME were of a shorter format and other chart listings such as those in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, became less and less informative although they were probably more accurate. Subsequent research has shown that during the "disputed" period of the 1960s, the samples sizes of the Record Retailer chart were considerably inferior to those of the other charts: around 30 shops in 1963 in comparison to more than 100 used by Melody Maker, and later around 80 in comparison to NME's 150 and Melody Maker's 200. As a result the placings in that chart were more open to error and manipulation – a situation further worsened by the larger number of records listed in the chart.
1977–1996 original editors
The first edition was published as The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles in July 1977. The founding editors were Paul GambacciniPaul Gambaccini
Paul Matthew Gambaccini is a radio and television presenter in the United Kingdom...
, Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
, Jonathan Rice, and Mike Read
Mike Read
Michael David Kenneth Read is an English radio disc jockey, writer, journalist and television presenter.-Early life:...
. Read left the team in the mid-1980s and the other editors resigned in 1996.
Throughout this period British pop-music fans bought each edition to maintain a check on the career of their favoured band or soloist in particular the final position in the all-time charts in terms of singles and albums. Thus any apparent errors by the three original co-authors in the aggregation processes behind these charts went unchallenged and became fact by default until the 18th edition when some apparent errors were uncovered, called into question for the attention of the editor, David Roberts.
1997–2005 merger and collectors edition
This title was merged with its sister publication The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums in 2004 to form The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums. The eighteenth edition of the book (2005) was billed as a "Special Collector's Edition" as it featured detailed information on the 1,000 Number Ones in the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
from Al Martino
Al Martino
Al Martino was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid 1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop crooners", and also became well known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The...
's "Here in My Heart
Here in My Heart
"Here in My Heart" is a popular song, written by Pat Genaro, Lou Levinson, and Bill Borrelli, and published in 1952.A recording of the song by Al Martino was a #1 hit single on the United States pop chart. The Martino version also made history as the first number one on the UK Singles Chart, on 14...
" on 14 November 1952 to Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's "One Night / I Got Stung" (Limited Edition Collector's re-issue), 22 January 2005.
The eighteenth edition drew a very heavy postbag of bad-tempered mail to its editor David Roberts in the wake of a retrospective reappraisal of the career of Cliff Richard's former backing group, The Shadows. The Shadows had previously been ignored in terms of their obvious support towards Cliff Richard's success in both singles and albums charts during 1958–1968 and beyond. However, following a well intentioned appeal for a belated re-appraisal, by a committed Shadows fan, for a retrospective and long overdue error correction to benefit the Shadows in all subsequent lifetime charts resulted in the Shadows being dramatically promoted in the all-time career charts from a lowly 30th to a 3rd position just behind Elvis Presley(1st) and Cliff Richard(2nd) both in terms of singles and albums. Coincidentally, the career of The Supremes and Diana Ross also received a similar retrospective reappraisal and promotion along with the Shadows but did not attract anything like the kind of fierce anger generated by British pop-music lovers.
2006 19th edition
The nineteenth edition was published in June 2006. A series of compilation albums, with editorial notes based on the book, were released in association with Sony BMG three days later. The 19th edition included a list of the top 100 songwriters in British chart history. The book's last editor was David RobertsDavid Roberts
-Politics:* David Roberts , mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S. American Entrepreneur-Sports:* Dave Roberts , college football coach in the United States...
and its chart consultant was Dave McAleer
Dave McAleer
Dave McAleer is the main contributor for the Virgin Book of British Hit Albums and the Virgin Book of Top 40 Charts. He has also been the sole Music Consultant for the Guinness World Records book since 1998, and is the Official Charts Company Quizmaster...
.
2007 aborted 20th edition
Before June 2007, many followers of the book questioned on chart forums why Guinness have not announced a then forthcoming edition. Due to the event of adding any digital download to the chart compilation regardless if there is a physical format released or not, has seen a long list of download-only hits. As a result Guinness then changed plans to release the book later in the year so these could be included in the book as soon as possible. However, the organisation later lost interest with chart reference books after their contract with the OCC expired, which saw that organisation sell the contract to Virgin.Associated merchandise
In recent years a number of spin-offSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
products have been launched under the same branding. These include compilation albums, annual trivia calendars and a DVD TV game – British Hit Singles & Albums No.1 Music Quiz, editions of which were released in both 2005 and 2006. The 2006 edition features over 1,200 questions and stars comedian Steve Furst
Steve Furst
Steven Larry Furst is a comedian, actor and writer. Furst says his father told him that he arrived as an immigrant from Hungary with "nothing but a violin under my arm"...
as the host.
External links
- Everyhit.com
- Chart Stats
- Charts Plus Official Top 200 Singles & Album charts