Chart Manipulations

[mfr]

That's right. Although Fast Car had dropped from 6 to 7 it was perhaps unlucky not to be bulleted, having increased its sales points quite significantly, but its airplay points only slightly. It was indicated that it was not under much threat from below and likely to benefit from higher singles dropping below it.

In the following week's chart it duly climbed back up to 6, but it was declining at radio and this paved the way for the steep drop the next week.

[lasvegaskid]

I always questioned Lennon getting to #1 then falling to #12 after only three weeks in the top 10. To me, that seemed like a way to create a historical event of having each Beatle collect a solo #1. And then a couple week's later during a free fall, didn't Whatever... mysteriously pause at #40 so each Beatle could have a solo hit in the top 40 at the same time creating another history making moment?

[pb]

BTO also fell 1 to 12 around the same time though.

[mga707]

Nov 19, 2015 19:10:34 GMT -5 pb said:

BTO also fell 1 to 12 around the same time though.

Fall of '74 was full of songs hitting #1 and then falling out of the top 10 the following week. Besides the two already noted, Barry White, Andy Kim, and Stevie Wonder also fell from 1 to 12, while Billy Preston and Dionne Warwicke/Spinners did even better: From #1 to #15. However, none of the other big droppers only had three weeks in the top 10 like John Lennon did.

[jlthorpe]

I was reading about "Ready 'n' Steady" recently and am glad to know they found the song. It's a shame it wasn't in time to make the current Top Pop Singles book, but I'm happy it will be added for the next edition.

Here's the Wikipedia page about the song: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_%27n%27_Steady

By the way, Paul Haney from that show is on this board (he's been posting about upcoming Record Research releases in the General Music Discussion forum).

[djjoe1960]

Actually, any song (single) that made it to #1 on only one chart (Billboard, Cash Box, Record World, Radio & Records, Variety) makes you wonder about chart manipulations. Although, every chart may have had different criteria for coming up with the chart (airplay only, sales only or the relationship between sales and airplay)--one most always question the validity of any song that makes it to #1; that failed to do so on any other chart. Of course, most of think that Billboard is the most accurate (since it is still around today)--but when you look back at the 1960's & 1970's and see that many songs made it to #1 on both Cash Box and Record World,but those same songs did not make #1 in Billboard, it does make you wonder which chart was really the most accurate.

One other thing: I guess it depends on how you define #1. Is is supposed to be a song or a single or nowadays a track? I mean just because everybody goes to youtube and watches a video (of a song) I guess that makes it #1 but will that #1 be as long lasting as say a #1 from the '60's or 70's. Hmm, something to think about.

[dth1971]

Jul 11, 2016 18:48:55 GMT -5 jlthorpe said:

I was reading about "Ready 'n' Steady" recently and am glad to know they found the song. It's a shame it wasn't in time to make the current Top Pop Singles book, but I'm happy it will be added for the next edition.

Here's the Wikipedia page about the song: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_%27n%27_Steady

By the way, Paul Haney from that show is on this board (he's been posting about upcoming Record Research releases in the General Music Discussion forum).

Now let's hope this lost "Ready 'n Steady" shows up on iTunes/Apple Music and/or Google Play for download sometime soon!

[mkarns]

Jul 11, 2016 18:48:55 GMT -5 jlthorpe said:

I was reading about "Ready 'n' Steady" recently and am glad to know they found the song. It's a shame it wasn't in time to make the current Top Pop Singles book, but I'm happy it will be added for the next edition.

Here's the Wikipedia page about the song: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_%27n%27_Steady

By the way, Paul Haney from that show is on this board (he's been posting about upcoming Record Research releases in the General Music Discussion forum).

So now they believe that "Ready 'n' Steady" was recorded on tape but never actually offered for sale or played on the radio (until now)? Then how could it even have "bubbled under"? Was someone at the label in 1979 simply lying to Billboard about its alleged release?

[jlthorpe]

Jul 13, 2016 8:29:43 GMT -5 dth1971 said:

Jul 11, 2016 18:48:55 GMT -5 jlthorpe said:

I was reading about "Ready 'n' Steady" recently and am glad to know they found the song. It's a shame it wasn't in time to make the current Top Pop Singles book, but I'm happy it will be added for the next edition.

Here's the Wikipedia page about the song: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_%27n%27_Steady

By the way, Paul Haney from that show is on this board (he's been posting about upcoming Record Research releases in the General Music Discussion forum).

Now let's hope this lost "Ready 'n Steady" shows up on iTunes/Apple Music and/or Google Play for download sometime soon!

Someone posted it as a YouTube video:

[jlthorpe]

Jul 13, 2016 11:11:46 GMT -5 mkarns said:

Jul 11, 2016 18:48:55 GMT -5 jlthorpe said:

I was reading about "Ready 'n' Steady" recently and am glad to know they found the song. It's a shame it wasn't in time to make the current Top Pop Singles book, but I'm happy it will be added for the next edition.

Here's the Wikipedia page about the song: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_%27n%27_Steady

By the way, Paul Haney from that show is on this board (he's been posting about upcoming Record Research releases in the General Music Discussion forum).

So now they believe that "Ready 'n' Steady" was recorded on tape but never actually offered for sale or played on the radio (until now)? Then how could it even have "bubbled under"? Was someone at the label in 1979 simply lying to Billboard about its alleged release?

Apparently. The label itself, Rascal, didn't even exist as a real label until the mid '80s, according to Haney.

[davewollenberg]

Another example comes to mind. 'Stomp' by the Brothers Johnson, jumped from #16 to #7 for 2 weeks, then plummeted back down to #17.

[dukelightning]

^Don't think so. That kind of thing happens too frequently. The Who's "See Me Feel Me" went 24-12-12-25 for example.

[artsmusic]

Thanks for the D.A. story. I had thought the only record Whitburn never had was Shamus M'Cool. Then I heard he got that one. Another "phantom hit".

[paulhaney]

"Ready 'N' Steady" was simply a case of a record promoter reporting the song to Billboard and actually getting someone there to put the song on the Bubbling Under chart, despite there being no physical product. I verified all of the details before appearing on the radio show...here's the link: archive.org/details/cftp-2016-07-08 (the D.A. segment starts at the 44 minute mark).

[matt]

^Paul (and others), thanks for the info. Fascinating story, and I wonder what Whitburn's reaction was when he finally head the record after 35+ years of assuming it may never have existed. Funny that there are actually things out there called phantom records...