The Bands - Michael to Searchers

Michael Jackson

One of the biggest of pop's superstars, Michael Jackson started by fronting the family band, the Jackson Five, into the UK charts of 1970 aged only 11. He had a successful run of solo singles in 1972 with four top ten records the biggest of which was "Rockin' Robin". However, his adult career really began in 1979 with a number three, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - and he hasn't stopped since. Based in the UK this web site has everything a fan could want to know and find out about the man himself and all aspects of his work both for himself and the humanitarian work he does for others.

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Middle of the Road

The aptly named Middle of the Road were a Scottish band with no aspirations other than to entertain. Their sound made them a success throughout Europe and their hits for 1971 included number one "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" and number two song "Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum" followed by top five hit "Soley Soley". In 1972 they managed a couple of lower top thirty singles and then disappeared.

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Monkees

The Monkees burst onto the scene in 1967 to be third biggest act of the year through their immensely successful TV series. Their first hit "I'm A Believer" was actually their only UK number one but they followed it up with a series of big selling singles including "A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You", "Alternate Title" and "Daydream Believer". They also had big selling albums with "The Monkees" and "More of the Monkees". However, by 1969 they had all but disappeared.

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The Moody Blues have had a long and very successful chart career as makers of albums since 1968. Their first hit single was also their only number one, "Go Now" in 1964. They then re-invented themselves in 1966, having lost lead singer Denny Laine, and moved onto their run of hit albums including three number ones: "On The Threshold Of A Dream", in 1969; "A Question of Balance", in 1970; and "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour", in 1971. One album track, "Question", reached number two in the singles charts, but their best known track, "Nights In White Satin", was a top twenty hit three times (1967, 1972 and 1979).

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Move were as well known for the influence they had on later bands like Wizzard and ELO - for which they provided the key personnel - as for their own output. However, they had a purple patch from 1967 - 72 that included a run of five top five hits up to their only number one single, "Blackberry Way", in 1968.

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Mud

Glam rockers Mud enjoyed a run of top twenty hits from 1973 - 76 including chart toppers "Tiger Feet" and "Lonely This Christmas" in 1974, then "Oh Boy" in 1975. They also had top ten albums with "Mud Rock" and "Mud Rock 2" in 1974 and 1975. However, like many others Mud were no overnight success - their first single was released in 1967.

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Mud Hits

Mungo Jerry

One of the biggest hits of 1970, not just in the UK but around the world, was "In The Summertime" by Mungo Jerry. Their jug band sound gave them another number one in 1971, "Baby Jump", and a number of other top twenty records until 1974 when their hits stopped.

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Nancy Sinatra

Frank's daughter had her golden period from 1966 - when she hit the top spot with "These Boots are Made for Walking" - until 1971. In 1967 she shared the top spot with dad on "Somethin' Stupid". The official website is colourful and fun - those boots are still her trademark.

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New Seekers

Formed by ex-Seeker Keith Polger, the New Seekers were consistent chart entrants from 1971 - when they released their first number one with "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" (the theme to a Coca-Cola advertisement, which went on to be the biggest seller of 1972) - to 1978. Their other big single was actually released late in 1973 but "You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me" went on to be the top song of 1974.

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Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta

It would be hard to break them up, so Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta are together as the top artists of 1978. As an actor John Travolta was in the two huge pop hit films of the year: "Saturday Night Fever" (the original film soundtrack was the biggest album of the year) and "Grease" (whose soundtrack was the second biggest album). The two dueted two of the biggest singles of 1978, respectively "You're The One That I Want" and "Summer Nights". Travolta also had top ten solo hits with "Sandy" (a number two) and "Greased Lightnin" while Olivia Newton-John managed a number two spot with "Hopelessly Devoted to You". Unlike Travolta she had a big singing career outside of "Grease", enjoying top ten UK singles hits from 1971 - 81.

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Osmonds

The Osmonds were able to launch hit singles either as a complete family band or as soloists. They were dominant in the UK charts from 1972 - 75. As a family group their biggest hit was "Love Me For A Reason" which reached number one in 1974. However, 14 year-old Donny Osmond had already topped the chart with "Puppy Love" the third biggest hit for 1972. Later in the year an even younger brother, Little Jimmy Osmond, topped the charts and Sister Marie Osmond managed a number two hit single with "Paper Roses" in 1973 while she and Donny later sang together on 4 hits.

Otis Redding was one of the most influential soul singers of the Sixties, even after his death in a plane crash in 1967, aged 26. However, few of his singles reached better than a top forty position until "The Dock of the Bay" a number three released in 1968 just after his death. His albums faired better with his "Dock of the Bay" compilation a number one in 1968.

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Paper Lace

Paper Lace made only a short impression on the UK charts. 1974 was their year. Their first chart entry was a number one hit, one of the biggest of the year, "Billy Don't Be a Hero". They followed this with "The Night Chicago Died", a top three single, and ended the year with a top ten record, "The Black Eyed Boys". With that they bowed out of the charts.

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Paul McCartney & Wings

Former Beatle Paul McCartney has had a long and hugely successful pop career as a songwriter and singer, both as a soloist and with the Beatles and - during the Seventies - his band Wings. The chart topping years for Wings started in 1972 and ran through to 1979. Their huge number one single, "Mull of Kintyre" was not only 1977's biggest hit but it was also the first ever two million seller in the UK beating the previous record holder which was, ironically, the Beatles' "She Loves You", co-penned by McCartney.

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Petula Clark was a child star of the Forties who went on to a successful career on film, radio and TV making a steady stream of hit singles in the Fifties. She re-invented herself in the Sixties beginning with her first number one, "Sailor", in 1961. In 1964 she released "Downtown", a UK number two that was a much bigger hit in America where she went from success to success. Her last big hit was "This Is My Song", a British chart topper in 1967.

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Petula Clark Hits

Pink Floyd

Having enjoyed their first top twenty single success in 1967, Pink Floyd concentrated on a regular output of album material for their entry to the charts. But they released a rare single in 1979, "Another Brick in the Wall". It reached number one over Christmas and was one of the biggest singles of the year. Not only was it a UK million seller but it also reached the USA number one spot. Their LPs were regularly in the top ten from their first, "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" in 1967. They had number ones in the Seventies with "Atom Heart Mother", "Wish You Were Here" and "The Final Cut" - although, curiously, their album "The Dark Side of the Moon" peaked at number two in 1973 yet had a six year run in the charts and sold a reputed 20 million copies world-wide.

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Police

Police enjoyed hits in 1979 with both singles and albums. Their singles included number ones with "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon" as well as a number two for "Can't Stand Losing You" and their albums included a number one position for "Reggatta de Blanc". The 1980s were even more successful for the band until their leader - Sting - went solo from 1983.

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Police Hits

Procol Harum

Procol Harum are famed mainly for  their anthem of the Sixties "Whiter Shade of Pale" -  a number one hit of 1967. They followed this up with top ten hit "Homburg". However, they were never able to match the impact of their debut single.

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Queen

The long and exceptional chart career of Queen began in 1974 with "Seven Seas of Rhye" and has not stopped yet. They hit the number two spot in 1974 with "Killer Queen" and then took the top spot with the biggest single of 1975 with "Bohemian Rhapsody" - a million seller in 1975 that went on to repeat the performance in 1991 and eventually sell over two million in the UK. Their album "A Night at the Opera" was also a number one in 1975 and they were a powerful influence from 1974 onwards, despite the death of lead singer and songwriter Freddie Mercury in 1991.

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Real Thing

The Real Thing were a British band who managed to capture the contemporary American sound of the time and were at their top in their debut year of 1976. They followed their number one single "You to Me Are Everything" with a number two, "Can't Get by Without You". They continued to have top ten hits to 1979.

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Real Thing Hits

Rod Stewart

This is the official Rod Stewart fan club website, built around the Rod Stewart Magazine. Following a Sixties career with bands like the Faces, Rod emerged as a terrific soloist in the Seventies. With five number ones (from "Maggie May" in 1971 to "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" in 1978) and a string of chart hits with both singles and albums he was ever-present. And he's still at the top of the tree.

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Rolf Harris

The third biggest hit of 1969 was "Two Little Boys" by Rolf Harris, based on an original by Harry Lauder from the early 1900s. The song was the last number one of the Sixties and an improbable hit from a man who had a series of unlikely chart records. The Australian's first UK top ten record was "Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport" in 1960 and he had a number three single with "Sun Arise" in 1962.

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Rolf Harris Hits

Rolling Stones

This is the Rolling Stones on the web. Including a Stones discography, tour information, chat and downloads. Londoners, the Rolling Stones, emerged in 1963 and have been in the charts ever since. They finally made the top spot with both "It's All Over Now" and then "Little Red Rooster". Neither of these number ones was penned by Jagger and Richard. Their first two singles had been written by Chuck Berry ("Come On") and Lennon/McCartney ("I Wanna Be Your Man"). However, by the end of 1964, only the Stones had the kind of presence and fan-appeal to rival the Beatles and Jagger and Richard now had the confidence to write the band's main material.

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Roy Orbison

Known as the "Big O", Texan Roy Orbison emerged from the same stable as Elvis, recording for the Sun label from 1956 before hitting the UK charts in 1960. Although his hits extended to the Nineties, his biggest years were the Sixties and he died in 1988.

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Rubettes

The Rubettes revived the sound of Fifties rock and roll with Glam style for a string of hits from 1974 - 77. Their first and biggest hit was "Sugar Baby Love", which reached number one in 1974. They followed this with a top twenty single, "Tonight" and finished the year with a top three record "Juke Box Jive".

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Rubettes Hits

Sandie Shaw, originally Essex girl Sandra Goodrich, was as famous for her fashionable Sixties look and bare feet as for her songs. Yet she managed a run of excellent top ten records from 1964 - 69 including three number ones: "Always Something There To Remind Me", in 1964; "Long Live Love", in 1965; and the UK's first Eurovision Song Contest winner, "Puppet On A String", in 1967.

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Sandie Shaw Hits

Searchers

One of the biggest successes of the Merseybeat era, the Searchers typically covered earlier US hits rather than new material. Their first hit, in 1963, was the Drifters' "Sweets For My Sweet". They hit the top spot and then completed a trio of British number one's with "Needles And Pins" and "Don't Throw Your Love Away".

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Searchers Hits