ok, simple challenge:
anyone ever bought a single that only troubled the UK charts for a solitary week? and how badly did it do?
i bought
Grand Prix - Keep On Believing (one week no75)
and
praying mantis - cheated (two weeks no69)
although in fairness, on today's sales figures - they'd probably both have made the top30
I also bought Praying Mantis - Cheated. The 'Time Tells No Lies' album was great! I used to buy loads of stuff that never charted, but I didn't pay much attention at the time. One I was listening to again the other day, was Weapon - Set The Stage Alight, which was the far superior b-side to their one and only single, It's A Mad Mad World. STSA is a great anthem from the NWOBHM era: link
only reason i realised the chart placings was i once went thru a load of old vinyl deciding what to throw out, and looked at what the songs actually "achieved"...was surprised
for example...how unlucky were grand prix?
lowest place you can achieve is no75...and they did it ...and only managed that ONE WEEK in the chart
as for mantis - have loads of their stuff, but cheated managed TWO weeks on chart but peaked at no69? that is weird
As you say, it would be different today. I never really expected much of the stuff I bought to chart, and I bought a lot without even hearing it, because you had to order it from the record shop, and they wouldn't take it back if you simply didn't like it. Acquired a lot of shit that way, but also stumbled across some gems, such as the above. I discovered Iron Maiden by buying their first single, before it charted. :)