1978 in British music
1970s in music in the UK |
Events |
---|
|
←1960s 1980s→ |
By location |
---|
|
By genre |
|
By topic |
|
Overview of the events of 1978 in British music
| |||
---|---|---|---|
+... |
This is a summary of 1978 in music in the United Kingdom.
Events
- 14 January – The Sex Pistols play their final show (until a reunion in 1996) at Winterland, San Francisco.
- 24 January – Wings' "Mull of Kintyre" is number one for a ninth and final week, becoming the biggest-selling single in UK history at that point.
- 25 January – Electric Light Orchestra kick off their Out of the Blue world tour in Honolulu, Hawaii.
- 11 March – Kate Bush became the first female solo artist to reach number one in the UK charts with a self-written song, "Wuthering Heights".
- 30 April – The Clash, Tom Robinson Band, Steel Pulse, X-Ray Spex, the Ruts, Misty in Roots and Generation X all play live in Victoria Park, Hackney at the Anti-Nazi League/Rock Against Racism festival, following a march from Trafalgar Square.
- 25 May – The Who play their last show with Keith Moon.
- 15 July – The Picnic at Blackbushe Aerodrome, Camberley, Surrey, a concert featuring Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Joan Armatrading, attracts some 200,000 people.[1]
- 30 July – Thin Lizzy officially announce that Gary Moore has replaced Brian Robertson on guitar.
- 18 August – The Who release their eighth studio album Who Are You. It is the Who's last album with Keith Moon as the drummer; Moon dies twenty days after the release of the album.
- September – Second anti-racism event staged in Brockwell Park, South London, featuring Elvis Costello, Stiff Little Fingers and Aswad, with 150,000 people in attendance.[citation needed]
- 27 November – Def Leppard's permanent drummer Rick Allen joins the band at the age of 15.
- December – UB40 formed.
- The Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever becomes the biggest-selling album of all time (until overtaken in 1983).
- The first BBC Young Musician of the Year competition for classical players is won by trombonist Michael Hext.
- Operatic contralto Helen Watts is appointed a CBE.
- Multitone Records is founded by Pranil Gohil, specialising in bhangra music.
Charts
Number one singles
Date | Song | Artist |
---|---|---|
1 January | "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" | Wings |
8 January | ||
15 January | ||
22 January | ||
29 January | "Uptown Top Ranking" | Althea & Donna |
5 February | "Figaro" | Brotherhood of Man |
12 February | "Take a Chance on Me" | ABBA |
19 February | ||
26 February | ||
5 March | "Wuthering Heights" | Kate Bush |
12 March | ||
19 March | ||
26 April | ||
2 April | "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" | Brian and Michael |
9 April | ||
16 April | ||
23 April | "Night Fever" | Bee Gees |
30 April | ||
7 May | "Rivers of Babylon" | Boney M |
14 May | ||
21 May | ||
28 May | ||
4 June | ||
11 June | "You're the One That I Want" | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John |
18 June | ||
25 June | ||
2 July | ||
9 July | ||
16 July | ||
23 July | ||
30 July | ||
6 August | ||
13 August | "Three Times a Lady" | The Commodores |
20 August | ||
27 August | ||
3 September | ||
10 September | ||
17 September | "Dreadlock Holiday" | 10cc |
24 September | "Summer Nights" | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John |
1 October | ||
8 October | ||
15 October | ||
22 October | ||
29 October | ||
5 November | ||
12 November | "Rat Trap" | The Boomtown Rats |
19 November | ||
26 November | "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" | Rod Stewart |
3 December | "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" | Boney M |
10 December | ||
17 December | ||
24 December | ||
31 December | "Y.M.C.A." | The Village People |
Number one albums
Date | Album | Artist | Weeks |
---|---|---|---|
7 January | Disco Fever | Various Artists | 2 |
14 January | |||
21 January | The Sound of Bread | Bread | 1 |
28 January | Rumours | Fleetwood Mac | 1 |
4 February | The Album | ABBA | 7 |
11 February | |||
18 February | |||
25 February | |||
4 March | |||
11 March | |||
18 March | |||
25 March | 20 Golden Greats | Buddy Holly and The Crickets | 3 |
1 April | |||
8 April | |||
15 April | 20 Golden Greats | Nat 'King' Cole | 3 |
22 April | |||
29 April | |||
6 May | Saturday Night Fever | Original Soundtrack | 18 |
13 May | |||
20 May | |||
27 May | |||
3 June | |||
10 June | |||
17 June | |||
24 June | |||
1 July | |||
8 July | |||
15 July | |||
22 July | |||
29 July | |||
5 August | |||
12 August | |||
19 August | |||
26 August | |||
2 September | |||
9 September | Nightflight to Venus | Boney M | 4 |
16 September | |||
23 September | |||
30 September | |||
7 October | Grease | Original Soundtrack | 13 |
14 October | |||
21 October | |||
28 October | |||
4 November | |||
11 November | |||
18 November | |||
25 November | |||
2 December | |||
9 December | |||
16 December | |||
23 December | |||
30 December |
Year-end charts
The tables below include sales between 31 December 1977 and 30 December 1978: the year-end charts reproduced in the issue of Music Week dated 23 December 1978 and played on Radio 1 on 31 December 1978 only include sales figures up until 16 December 1978.
Best-selling singles
[2]
Best-selling albums
[3]
No. | Title | Artist | Peak position |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Saturday Night Fever | Original Soundtrack | 1 |
2 | Grease | Original Soundtrack | 1 |
3 | The Album | ABBA | 1 |
4 | Nightflight to Venus | Boney M | 1 |
5 | 20 Golden Greats | Nat 'King' Cole | 1 |
6 | Rumours | Fleetwood Mac | 1 |
7 | Out of the Blue | Electric Light Orchestra | 5[b] |
8 | Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds | Jeff Wayne | 5 |
9 | Images | Don Williams | 2 |
10 | 20 Golden Greats | Buddy Holly & the Crickets | 1 |
11 | The Kick Inside | Kate Bush | 3 |
12 | And Then There Were Three | Genesis | 3 |
13 | Classic Rock | London Symphony Orchestra | 3 |
14 | New Boots and Panties!! | Ian Dury | 8[c] |
15 | Live and Dangerous | Thin Lizzy | 2 |
16 | Reflections | Andy Williams | 2 |
17 | The Sound of Bread | Bread | 1 |
18 | The Singles: 1974–1978 | The Carpenters | 2 |
19 | Street-Legal | Bob Dylan | 2 |
20 | A Tonic for the Troops | The Boomtown Rats | 8 |
21 | 20 Golden Greats | The Hollies | 2 |
22 | The Stud | Original Soundtrack | 2 |
23 | City to City | Gerry Rafferty | 6 |
24 | The Big Wheels of Motown | Various Artists | 2 |
25 | You Light Up My Life | Johnny Mathis | 3 |
26 | Greatest Hits (1976-1978) | Showaddywaddy | 4[d] |
27 | 20 Golden Greats | Neil Diamond | 2 |
28 | Bat Out of Hell | Meat Loaf | 11[e] |
29 | London Town | Wings | 4 |
30 | Emotions | Various Artists | 2 |
31 | Midnight Hustle | Various Artists | 5 |
32 | Some Girls | The Rolling Stones | 2 |
33 | Variations | Andrew Lloyd Webber | 2 |
34 | Pastiche | The Manhattan Transfer | 10 |
35 | Greatest Hits | ABBA | 12[f] |
36 | Kaya | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 4 |
37 | Blondes Have More Fun | Rod Stewart | 3 |
38 | Parallel Lines | Blondie | 7[g] |
39 | Foot Loose & Fancy Free | Rod Stewart | 4[h] |
40 | Plastic Letters | Blondie | 10 |
41 | Arrival | ABBA | 12[i] |
42 | Black and White | The Stranglers | 2 |
43 | 20 Giant Hits | The Nolan Sisters | 3 |
44 | The Greatest Hits of Donna Summer | Donna Summer | 4 |
45 | Natural High | The Commodores | 8 |
46 | This Year's Model | Elvis Costello and the Attractions | 4 |
47 | Anytime...Anywhere | Rita Coolidge | 6 |
48 | Octave | The Moody Blues | 6 |
49 | A Single Man | Elton John | 8 |
50 | Bloody Tourists | 10cc | 3 |
Notes:
Classical music: new works
- Malcolm Arnold – Symphony No. 8
- Peter Maxwell Davies – Symphony no. 1
- Daniel Jones – String Quartet No 4
- Malcolm Williamson
- Azure
- Fiesta
Film and Incidental music
- Tony Banks – The Shout, starring Alan Bates, Susannah York and John Hurt.
- Roy Budd – The Wild Geese.
- Ron Goodwin – Force 10 from Navarone directed by Guy Hamilton, starring Robert Shaw and Edward Fox.
- Ed Welch – The Thirty Nine Steps, starring Robert Powell.
Births
- 1 January – Tarik O'Regan, composer
- 13 January – Shelley Nash, singer (Girls@Play)
- 15 January – Sandi Lee Hughes, singer (allSTARS*)
- 19 January – Wayne Williams, singer (Another Level)
- 13 February – Hamish Glencross, Scottish guitarist
- 14 February – Ryan Griffiths (The Vines)
- 22 February – Jenny Frost, singer (Atomic Kitten)
- 6 April – Myleene Klass, singer (Hear'Say), radio and TV presenter
- 7 April – Duncan James, singer (Blue)
- 9 April – Rachel Stevens, singer (S Club 7)
- 16 April – Terry Daly, Irish singer (Mytown)
- 23 April – Tom Lowe, singer and keyboardist (North and South)
- 25 April – Luke Bedford, composer
- 28 April – Lauren Laverne, singer, radio DJ and TV presenter
- 4 May – Matthew Rose, bass
- 22 May – Jordan, model and would-be singer
- 29 May – Adam Rickitt, singer
- 6 June – Sophie Solomon, violinist
- 16 June – Elisa Cariera, American-born singer (Solid HarmoniE)
- 4 July – Stephen McNally, English singer-songwriter (BBMak)
- 1 August – Jonathan Wilkes, singer and entertainer
- 3 September – Johnny Shentall, singer (Boom!)
- 15 September – David Sneddon, singer-songwriter
- 27 September – Jamie Benson, singer (Hepburn)
- 7 October – Alesha Dixon, singer (Mis-Teeq)
- 9 October
- Nicky Byrne, Irish singer (Westlife)
- Beverley Fullen, drummer (Hepburn)
- 26 October – Rachael Carr, singer (Boom!)
- 27 October – Sabrina Washington, singer (Mis-Teeq)
- 29 October – Sam Chapman, singer and keyboardist (North and South)
- 1 November – Bobak Kianovsh, singer (Another Level)
- 7 November – Mark Read, singer (A1)
- 27 November – Mike Skinner, rapper, musician and record producer
- 12 December – Paul Walker, Irish singer (Mytown)
- 18 December – Lindsay Armaou, Greek-born Irish-based singer (B*Witched)
- date unknown – Oliver Weeks, composer, arranger and guitarist
Deaths
- 11 January – William John Edwards, Cerdd Dant singer (b. 1898)
- 15 January – Jack Jackson, trumpeter, bandleader and radio disc jockey (b. 1906)
- 24 February – Mrs Mills, pianist (b. 1918)
- 9 March – L. Radley Flynn, singer and actor (b. 1902)
- 12 March – Tolchard Evans, songwriter, composer, pianist and bandleader (b. 1901)
- 3 April – Ray Noble, composer and bandleader (b. 1903)
- 21 April – Sandy Denny, singer (Fairport Convention) (b. 1947) (cerebral haemorrhage)
- 14 August – Victor Silvester, dance band leader (b. 1900)
- 7 September
- Keith Moon, drummer for The Who (b. 1946) (Clomethiazole overdose)
- Charles Williams, composer (b. 1893)
- 15 September – Robert Bruce Montgomery, composer (b. 1921)
- 13 November – W. S. Gwynn Williams, musician and composer (b. 1896)
See also
- 1978 in British radio
- 1978 in British television
- 1978 in the United Kingdom
- List of British films of 1978
References
- ^ "The Picnic at Blackbushe Aerodrome 1978". www.ukrockfestivals.com. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
- ^ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1979). "Top 200 Singles in 1978". BPI Year Book 1979 (4th ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 186–89. ISBN 0-906154-02-2.
- ^ Scaping (1979). "Top 200 LPs in 1978". pp. 182–85.
- v
- t
- e
- Early popular music
- 1950s
- 1960s
- 1970s
- 1980s
- 1990s
- 2000s and 2010s
- British folk revival
- Ballad
- Carol
- Children's song
- Hornpipe
- Jig
- Morris dance
- Protest song
- Reel
- Sea shanty
- Strathspey
- War song
- Work song
popular genres
performance
Music awards | |
---|---|
Music charts | |
Music festivals |
|
Music media |
|
National anthem |
British Isles | |
---|---|
Overseas |