Billboard Magazine initiated the Rock Albums and Top Tracks chart in 1981 to rank albums and songs that received the most airplay on album rock radio stations in the US. In 1984, Billboard stopped the Album charts and renamed Top Tracks to Top Rock Tracks to focus on songs from albums. The chart continues today …
14 Songs by The Fixx That Charted on Billboard’s Top Rock Tracks Read More »
4AD was formed in 1980 as a division of the Beggars Banquet record label. The label became a force in the independent label scene in the 1980s with artists such as Birthday Party, Modern English and Bauhaus. Later, the label would other well known bands such as Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance and This Mortal …
Beginning with their first release in 1979, SST Records became the premier underground alternative record label of the 1980s. Started by Black Flag founding member Greg Ginn, the label was home to many upstart punk and indie bands in the 1980s including The Meat Puppets, Minuteman and Bad Brains. Many of the bands – such …
Although Hugh Jones started working in studios in the early 1970s, he was relatively unknown until the early 80s. Beginning with engineering work for bands such as Teardrop Explodes and Echo & the Bunnymen, Jones became a popular choice of emerging bands for production. The list below is a sampling of some of his most …
I started looking at the net worth of rock stars thinking most of my searches would reveal hundreds of millions each. To my surprise, the number of rock stars with a net worth of more than $100 million is much smaller than I expected. In fact, I would have lost money betting that Brian Wilson, …
Sire Records is one of the iconic record labels of the 1980s. Formed in 1966 by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, the label released albums in the 1960s by British rock bands such as Tomorrow, Climax Blues Band and Focus. By the mid-1970s, Sire began signing punk and new wave acts and entered into a …
The 1970s were the commercial peak for live albums in rock history. Many of the best known and loved live albums were recorded and released in the 70s – from Kiss’ Alive II to Thin Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous. In addition, some artists had career moments with live albums such as Cheap Trick At Budokan …
80s Live Albums That Made the US Billboard Top 10 Read More »
The 1980s was a mixed bag of music beginning with the final stages of Disco and ending with the beginning of the end for Hair Metal. Below is a list of the first ten and last ten #1 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the decade. Take note of the difference in the …
Just because an artist is big in New York and L.A., doesn’t mean they are big in London and Liverpool. Below is a list of albums that were #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 that did not chart in the UK. You Don’t Mess Around With Jim (1974) by Jim Croce – Did Not …
#1 US Albums in the 1970s that Flopped in the UK Read More »
Throughout chart history, there are many examples of bands that sold big in the US and flopped in the US and vice versa. Below is a list of albums that hit #1 in the UK during the 1970’s that either sold poorly or did not chart in the Billboard 200. There are many other #1’s …
#1 UK Albums in the 1970s That Flopped in the US Read More »
