[Music] Top Bands who never had a hit song

[chip]

I just checked and Rock the Casbah was a top 10 hit in the US in real time.

I watched Saturday's match with a Spanish stream and the commentators did an interesting version of London Calling for spurs first goal. It won't be a hit.

 

[Randy McNob]

This is the issue. I mean, look at Led Zeppelin. Not many singles as such and when they did I'm not sure they troubled the scorekeepers.

I'm not sure I would count LED Z, stairway is a classic and considered one of, if not, the greatest rock track of all time. Whether it was released as a single is not the barometer of hit song imo

 

[SeagullsoverLondon]

TOTP used the cover version by CCS.

I was being ironic

Many bands in the 1970s and 1980s stopped worrying about singles, the money was in touring and albums. For many bands, e.g Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin etc, the album was all important, not the individual tracks. And of course, the prog rock bands rarely released singles, as their album tracks were too long.
I think we are now seeing the same thing today with streaming. It doesn't matter for most artists whether their singles are hits anymore.

 

[BrianB]

Toots and the Maytals , made well known records but never had a hit afaik .

 

[The Fits]

Portishead.
Three albums all getting to number 2 in the charts and selling gazillions.
Just one top ten single, think it was All Mine.

 

[GT49er]

I was being ironic

It still wasn't Led Zep though!

TBH, it would probably been better if the OP had specified top twenty - which is probably the criterion most of us were thinking of. It might have saved the odd argument!
Agree your point about prog rock bands only doing LPs though.

 

[studio150]

The Clash (greatest band in the history of music) never had a top 10.

That's already been covered, they had 17 Top 40 singles, and not forgetting that Bankrobber made the top 30 on import sales only

 

[studio150]

Grateful Dead?
Velvet Underground?
Led Zeppelin never had a top 20 single in the UK.
Genesis (only had hits after Gabriel left, and they switched to playing MOR).

I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) peaked at 21and spent 4 weeks in the top 30.

 

[studio150]

Wow! I wouldn't have thought that - but you're absolutely right. Eight UK number one albums in a row, but no top single.

Given they never issued singles in the UK it's not surprising.

 

[GT49er]

I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) peaked at 21and spent 4 weeks in the top 30.

See my post #46 - top twenty or nothing!

 

[SeagullsoverLondon]

Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits?

 

[Seagull58]

Machine Gun Fellatio.
Their greatest song, I'm a mutha fucka on a motorcycle, only reached number 67 on the Aussie charts.

 

[studio150]

Wishbone Ash10 top 40 albums, but all 41 singles never reached the top 100.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Yes, for a time, TOTP insisted on bands re-recording their songs (before miming to them!) Something to do with not playing the records, I suppose? Copyright, record company royalties or something?

Anyway, it wasn't Led Zep introducing TOTP every week...............................

As far as the theme music was concerned, I'm pretty sure that must have been down to not paying royalties to the record company.

I know that in the 60s there was a rule about not playing more than x hours of recorded music on the radio, which is why they did "live" sessions that were actually prerecorded, but I don't know if that rule covered TOTP or television more generally.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

King Crimson

And of course, the prog rock bands rarely released singles, as their album tracks were too long.

Agree your point about prog rock bands only doing LPs though.

There are of course, exceptions to all these generalisations. King Crimson did get on TOTP:

 

[GT49er]

As far as the theme music was concerned, I'm pretty sure that must have been down to not paying royalties to the record company.

I know that in the 60s there was a rule about not playing more than x hours of recorded music on the radio, which is why they did "live" sessions that were actually prerecorded, but I don't know if that rule covered TOTP or television more generally.

Yep, strange times - 'Needle time' agreement prevented the Beeb playing many records on the radio - that's why they employed people like Elvis Costello's dad to sing cover versions. I'm pretty sure it covered TV too - some of the 'Pop' programmes featured Pinky and Perky singing the latest chart hits.........
For those who couldn't afford hit singles, Woollies used to sell cheaper singles on their own label which were cover versions of whatever was in the charts at the time!

 

[maltaseagull]

Grateful Dead?
Velvet Underground?
Led Zeppelin never had a top 20 single in the UK.
Genesis (only had hits after Gabriel left, and they switched to playing MOR).

I would hardly call Wind and Wuthering MOR!

​

 

[GT49er]

I would hardly call Wind and Wuthering MOR!

​

I would! Turned to mush pretty fast after Gabriel left.

IMHO, like ....................................

 

[The Grockle]

The levellers were pretty popular in the 1990's but never had a top 10 single

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I assume you have never listened to Absolute Radio 90s?

I haven’t. Do they feature ?