Record Shops

[Garth Cartwright]

Adding Duran Duran means you win, John. I try not to think of them so quite forgot. The Human League sold zillions with Dare but I guess never came near repeating that triumph while the Duranies sold huge quantities over several albums. So does that mean we have a list that goes:

1) London
2) Birmingham
3) Sheffield
4) Manchester
5) Liverpool
then? Belfast - Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher - or Glasgow - Simple Minds and surely others - or maybe Bristol - Portishead, Massive Attack.

[john poole]

Liverpool, with the most successful UK group of all time together with other Merseybeat acts, looks too low to me down in 5th place even if recent years have been a little less productive (biggest group Frankie Goes to Hollywood? or OMD?)

[AndyM]

Liverpool, with the most successful UK group of all time together with other Merseybeat acts, looks too low to me down in 5th place even if recent years have been a little less productive (biggest group Frankie Goes to Hollywood? or OMD?)

Atomic Kitten.

(I'll get me coat......)

[Hugh Weldon]

I haven't got time to check the facts and figures at the moment, but Liverpool in fifth place is something I find difficult to live with!

Andy

Atomic Kitten

I'm sure Ken Dodd sold more records.

I may (and probably will) return. Meanwhile, just to add that the great Rory Gallagher was from Cork, not Belfast.

[Garth Cartwright]

Frankie Goes To Hollywood were briefly superstars in the UK but I doubt they did much business anywhere else - I know they never cracked the US and were little more than a novelty in NZ/Oz.

Rory is both from Cork and somewhere in the north he spent his childhood that also claims him (and have the statue to prove it!). But Belfast is where Taste took shape and won attention - so I think it's fair to say he's part of that city's rock history.

Ken, Cilla, AK, Gerry, Searchers and such aren't helping poor old Liverpool rise above 5th. Def Leppard were the biggest selling British band in the US since the Beatles so Sheffield holds fast to 3rd.

Oddly, Leeds - with 800,000 - has produced little of note beyond Soft Cell.

[NormanD]

Lita Roza was the first Scouser to top the UK charts in the early 50s, and The Vernons Girls put the Mersey on the map before The Beatles. But neither set the world alight.

[Adam Blake]

The Vernons Girls

One of the first records I ever owned (and I still have it too!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyYCFCnJ6xU

[AndyM]

Andy

Atomic Kitten

I'm sure Ken Dodd sold more records.

Undoubtedly. But the call went out earlier In the thread for big-selling Scouse groups from the 80s to the present, and Doddy's pop career was a 60s thing, as we all know.

[john poole]

Belated thought - Cilla is certainly not the second biggest Scouse act as far as UK hits, that would be Billy Fury. Not sure how much success he had outside the UK.

[Garth Cartwright]

Have to disagree, John - Billy never had a No 1 while Cilla had two of 'em, a No 2, two No 3's and many other Top Ten entries. He was more talented but she was the bigger star. I doubt he meant anything internationally - I never saw any of his records in NZ or heard mention of him. Those early British rockers tended to have only local appeal. Cliff was mildly popular in NZ but nothing like what he was/is over here.

[Hugh Weldon]

I didn't particularly want to don the anorak and get into a statistical argument but a fairly quick glance at what appears to be a reliable source (everyhit.com) indicates no Birmingham or Sheffield acts in the top 50 selling British albums.

The singles picture is even more interesting. The top 50 best sellers include the following Liverpool origin acts:

4. Wings - Mull of Kintyre - 2.03M
7. FGTH - Relax - 1.91M
8. The Beatles - She Loves You - 1.89M
14. Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand - 1.75M
19. Ken Dodd - Tears - 1.52M
22. FGTH - Two Tribes - 1.51M
23. John Lennon - Imagine - 1.49M
28. Beatles - I Feel Fine - 1.41M
32. Beatles - Day Tripper - 1.38M

Sheffield and Birmingham have one appearance each with The Human League's 'Don't You Want Me' at 26 (1.43M) and Dexy's 'Come on Eileen' at 48 (1.20M).

Andy

But the call went out earlier In the thread for big-selling Scouse groups from the 80s to the present

I didn't notice Andy. Garth certainly seemed focused on the 80s onwards, but hadn't specified it in his original question or subsequent posts.

So Liverpool 9, others 2, or in terms of sales, 14.89M to 2.6M.

[john poole]

Have to disagree, John - Billy never had a No 1 while Cilla had two of 'em, a No 2, two No 3's and many other Top Ten entries

My Guinness Book of British Hit Singles indicates that Billy had 27 UK hits; 19 of them in the Top Twenty (Cilla 19 hits; 14 Top Twenty), so Billy wins I think, except on number one hits.

"Def Leppard were the biggest selling British band in the US since the Beatles"

Bigger than Led Zeppelin? Pink Floyd?

[john poole]

The singles picture is even more interesting. The top 50 best sellers include the following Liverpool origin acts:

4. Wings - Mull of Kintyre - 2.03M

One third of Liverpool origin; one third Birmingham ....

[Rob Hall]

I didn't particularly want to don the anorak and get into a statistical argument but a fairly quick glance at what appears to be a reliable source (everyhit.com) indicates no Birmingham or Sheffield acts in the top 50 selling British albums.

Were you filtering on any particular period Hugh? The Moodies have 3 number 1 albums listed on that site - 69, 70 & 71 - with a number 2 again in 69.

[Garth Cartwright]

John, using the same Guinness book but relying only on Top Ten singles both Cilla & Billy had ten of 'em. But I bet she sold a shedload more in terms of quantity (not quality).

When Def Lep were at their sales peak in the 80s it was announced that they had sold more albums in the US than any act since the B's. A glance at Wikipedia notes "They are one of only five rock bands with two original studio albums selling over 10 million copies in the U.S" Ironically, I doubt any of the B's albums have sold over ten million copies in the US! The biggest selling rock album of all time is Back In Black - produced, as was the DL efforts, by Mutt Lange. He manages to conjure up a specific radio friendly rock sound that Americans buy in huge quantities (I think he produced the new Muse album that is currently No 1 in many territories). Obviously, new albums in the 80s and 90s had a chance to sell far more product than at any time before or since. That Def Lep sold over 100 million worldwide at this time will have future historians scratching their heads!