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Topic: Last UK No1s on 78rpm

4th Jul 2020, 8:17 PM
	mister_tmg Also on 78rpm Member since Apr 2012 1118 Points	You can see my list of the UK No1s from 1960 issued on 78rpm format here. The Official Charts Company (OCC) uses the NME chart until March that year, and then the Record Retailer one. Of course, there were records which were listed at no1 in other magazines, but not in the retrospective 'official' charts, and these are accounted for here. There were only three of those anyway. I've long been interested in finding out what the last UK no1 issued on 78rpm was. 1960 was the year when the major labels phased them out. Only Embassy is known to have issued 78s in 1961, with a suggestion that Oriole also did. But neither of these labels had no1 hits. The following 'official' UK no1s from 1960 were definitely issued on 78, and most have label images on this site: Michael Holliday - Starry Eyed (Columbia) Anthony Newley - Why (Decca) Adam Faith - Poor Me (Parlophone) Lonnie Donegan - My Old Man's A Dustman (Ballad Of A Refuse Disposal Officer) (Pye) Anthony Newley - Do You Mind (Decca) The Everly Brothers - Cathy's Clown (Warner Bros.) And from other charts, add these: Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires - Stuck On You (RCA) Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires - A Mess Of Blues / The Girl Of My Best Friend (RCA) However, other no1s from 1960 have been listed on 78 in various publications over the years, yet their existence is unconfirmed, and in fact, doubtful: Johnny Preston - Running Bear (Mercury) 78 listed in the Mercury label catalogue by Paul Pelletier and Rare Record Price Guide. However, it is 45-only in the contemporary EMI catalogue, and when I asked Paul last year, he said he would not be surprised if it had been 45-only in the UK, but issued elsewhere by EMI with the same catalogue number. It was in fact issued in India with the same catalogue number, and South Africa with a different number. Eddie Cochran - Three Steps To Heaven (London) This has been a source of speculation on the 45worlds 78rpm entry. Pelletier's original London catalogue lists it on 78, and so does the RRPG. However, Pelletier published a revised London listing recently, and has acknowledged there is no evidence this was issued on 78. The contemporary Decca Catalogue lists it on 45 only. The 78 was issued in South Africa with a different catalogue number. Jimmy Jones - Good Timin' (MGM) 78 issued according to Pelletier's MGM listing, but like the Johnny Preston 78, he has suggested it was possibly just issued with the same number by EMI overseas. The RRPG has also listed this, though Pelletier has suggested that the publishers at Record Collector would take his word for it if he said a 78 existed. The contemporary EMI catalogue lists this as 45-only. It was issued on 78 in South Africa with a different catalogue number. Roy Orbison - Only The Lonely (Know How I Feel) (London) The holy grail, which probably doesn't exist (although some claim otherwise). It has been listed on 78 in the RRPG, and was in Pelletier's original London label catalogue. However, like the Eddie Cochran single, Pelletier's revised London listing casts doubt on this, and his website's corrections section acknowledges no evidence for their existence. He notes that these London singles "were assumed to have also been made available at 78 rpm on the basis of their UK Chart success, but the complete lack of evidence from various contemporary sources, including Decca Group trade release sheets and catalogues, clearly shows that other factors were required for a 78 rpm issue at this time, quite likely a demand from another country to which London releases could be exported." The annual Decca Group Catalogue published whilst this single was climbing the charts lists it as 45-only. There is some confusion in the next edition of the Catalogue, published after the single's chart run, which lists Only The Lonely as available on 78 in the Title Index. However, the B-side, Here Comes That Song Again, is listed as 45-only, and the Artist Index indicates no 78 issue under Roy Orbison. It was issued on 78 in South Africa with a different catalogue number. I don't think the New Records or Gramophone Popular Record Catalogue lists these as 78 issues - am I right?