The shadows - unpublished chart positions

[iefje]

Ah, Arty's Party and Over in a flash are missing from Shadstrax. Probably omitted due to the running time of the CD. You Rescue Me is also missing.

That's correct. In addition, "Look Back On Love", "Johnny Staccato", "Our Albert", "Pulaski" and "Captain Haddock Is Missing" have also been omitted.

[jfenn78]

The final missing position until the info from 1969-1982 turns up, which I have no doubt has been eagerly awaited -

'Mountains Of The Moon' peaked at 108. As already mentioned, the final single (Shadowmix) did provide one last top 100 near-'hit' at no. 81. I would imagine this was due to having a promo video and being bought by DJs as part of the Jive Bunny medley revival fad which it was probably cynically created for in the first place! Also, clearly issued to promote the 'At Their Very Best' LP but strangely included on the subsequent studio album.

[Fenderman]

Seems odd that none their 45's after 1981 charted as all the albums (except Guardian Angel) sold well. Album sales can usually boost a singles sales, or vice versa. Maybe the singles weren't promoted as well.

[jfenn78]

Do you have sales figures of the early Shadows albums/singles?

I'll see what I can find

[JimN]

I would suggest that chart positions are only one measure of success and not a consistent one. ... Actual sales could stretch at a lower level over weeks, months, even years but the charts would give you no clue to that happening.

Perhaps "the charts" should list (at No 1), the single (78 / 45 / CD-single / cassingle / mp3 download) which has sold the most to date, with the following positions calculated on the same basis omitting all those already listed?

That would possibly mean that Bing Crosby would be number 1 every week until another record outsells White Christmas.

[jfenn78]

Not an actual chart position, as the BMRB charts 1969-82 have yet to surface, but 'Mozart Forte' was the 111th best seller of October 1980. with sales in the region of 8500.

[jfenn78]

I would suggest that chart positions are only one measure of success and not a consistent one. ... Actual sales could stretch at a lower level over weeks, months, even years but the charts would give you no clue to that happening.

This is true, but the newly surfaced top 200s do go a little way towards shedding more light on the true public life of a single, as they include all weekly sales (estimated of course) until the record falls off the chart, including weeks where the record was excluded from the charts due to falling sales. Unfortunately there will never be a way to establish the actual sales!

[jfenn78]

Anyone who is still tuned in to this most edifying of topics might find it of interest that 'Riders In The Sky' was the 100th best selling single (c.250,000 sales) of 1980.

'Equinoxe Part V' was the 461st biggest seller (c. 33,738), 'Mozart Forte' was no. 865 (c. 7950).

'Heart of Glass' was not among the top 1000 for the year, but it did have at least one week in the top 200 at no. 173 in June - the exact peak and weeks are unknown.

[Moderne]

Anyone who is still tuned in to this most edifying of topics ...

I do find this quite interesting actually, as this was the period when, as a teenager, I was just 'getting into' The Shadows and I can clearly remember all these singles when they came out. Sometimes I'd hear them on the radio, sometimes I'd see them performed on telly, sometimes I'd just see them appear in the 'New Singles' box in Sounds Around in Burnt Oak... It would be good to know what hopes Hank, Bruce and Brian had for each one (or not...!) Were they just shots in the dark...or did they think that each one might be a top 10 single...like Argentina, Deerhunter and Riders had been...? I remember stopping at our local library (at the halfway point of my paper round) to peruse the review sections of the Music magazines that they had there, so see if the latest Shads (or anyone else I was interested in) single had been reviewed. I remember being quite shocked at a particularly nasty review when the Going Home single came out... "Can they sue for libel?" I remember thinking!

[iefje]

I remember being quite shocked at a particularly nasty review when the Going Home single came out... "Can they sue for libel?" I remember thinking!

Ridiculous. "Going Home" is just The Shadows' cover (a very good one I think) of Mark Knopfler's original version. Did that reviewer give the same review to anyone who made a new version of an existing song? Then he would have a hell of a job!