The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, which was based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Singles Chart were faring in Scotland has not been published since 20 November 2020.
Since 20 November 2020, only the Scottish Albums Chart has been published by the OCC, and it has been based on physical sales only, [1] with the OCC only publishing the albums chart on their website since 11 December 2020. [2]
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Radio & Record News and Record Business magazines compiled Scottish charts which were broadcast on Independent Local Radio stations such as Radio Clyde and Radio Forth; these showed particular favour for hard rock, punk and new wave while soul and other "black" styles would fare less well; for example, on 23 June 1978, Radio & Record News placed Heatwave at number 15 UK-wide but number 40 in Scotland, the O'Jays at number 21 UK-wide but not in the Scottish Top 40 and Bob Marley at number 26 UK-wide but not in the Scottish Top 40, but AC/DC at number 38 UK-wide and number 20 in Scotland, the Clash at number 62 UK-wide and number 22 in Scotland, and the Vibrators at number 65 UK-wide but number 39 in Scotland. [3]
In the late 1980s, as frustration in Scotland at perceived isolation from the Thatcher government grew, pressure was applied for the creation of an official Scottish chart; Brian Guthri of the Scottish Record Industry Association claimed that the official UK charts did not pick up many sales by Scottish acts as they were not polling enough shops in Scotland, citing Win's "You've Got the Power" (the theme song from McEwan's Lager adverts) as an example [4] and a month of research determined significant differences from the UK charts, with indie acts selling particularly well. [5] That autumn, the SRIA voted to set up its own chart, suggesting that the balance of 75 chart return shops in Greater London to 45 in Scotland was unfair. [6] Although a Scottish chart had been broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland beforehand, [7] the first official Scottish Gallup charts were published on 17 March 1991; notably, they placed Scottish band the Silencers at number 6 in the album chart (only number 39 UK-wide) and the Simpsons' album higher than the Inspector Morse soundtrack, which was 11 places higher UK-wide. [8] The launch of this chart was heralded by Neil Ross of the Scottish Record Industry Association, who again suggested that the UK charts were disproportionately slanted towards sales in London and the south of England, while music manager Bruce Findlay suggested that Scotland could potentially produce a music TV show with as much international appeal as the then-popular DEF II series Rapido . [9] From 20 September 1991, a short weekly TV programme based around the Scottish chart was broadcast by BBC1 Scotland on Friday nights, hosted by Nicky Campbell, then of Radio 1 [10] and the chart continued to be broadcast on Monday nights on BBC Radio Scotland [11] although it was dropped, along with other night-time music programmes on that station, during the last year of Gallup's contract. [12] Frankie Miller's song "Caledonia", also included in McEwan's adverts which were only shown in Scotland and Northern Ireland, topped the Scottish chart while only being a minor UK-wide hit. [13] An unofficial Scottish Network Chart was also taken by Scottish commercial stations, including Radio Tay, in the early 1990s. [14]
Archives on the Official Charts Company website go back to February 1994, when Millward Brown took over as chart compilers and the number of retailers sampled throughout the UK increased. [15] After this relaunch, Scottish Television launched a show based around the official Scottish chart, called Chart Bite. [16] Until 2000, the Scottish album chart included albums eligible only for the compilation album chart at a UK-wide level.[ citation needed ]
How the UK and Scottish charts were compiled diverged several times from 1994. Whereas digital downloads were incorporated into the UK singles chart from April 2005 and albums from April 2006, the Scottish charts remained physical sales only until the week ending 10 October 2009 when digital sales were included. This brought how the two charts were compiled in line for almost five years until the week ending 6 July 2014, when streaming was included in the UK singles chart and later in the UK album chart for the week ending 1 March 2015. The Scottish charts remained compiled of digital and physical sales only until the week ending 20 November 2020, when the singles chart was discontinued and only physical sales are counted for the album chart. [17] The final number one single was "Always" by Scottish band the Snuts. [18]
Date | Single | Artist | Album | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|
27 February | "Without You" | Mariah Carey | Music Box | Mariah Carey |
6 March | ||||
13 March | "Doop" | Doop | Hit the Highway | The Proclaimers |
20 March | Vauxhall and I | Morrissey | ||
27 March | Energy Rush: 7th Heaven | Various artists | ||
3 April | "Everything Changes" | Take That | Our Town – The Greatest Hits | Deacon Blue |
10 April [A] | ||||
17 April | "The Real Thing" | Tony Di Bart | ||
24 April | "Love Is All Around" | Wet Wet Wet | I Say I Say I Say | Erasure |
1 May [B] | ||||
8 May | ||||
15 May | ||||
22 May | ||||
29 May | Top Gear | Various artists | ||
5 June [C] | ||||
12 June | ||||
19 June | ||||
26 June | ||||
3 July | ||||
10 July | Dance Zone - Level Two | |||
17 July | End of Part One: Their Greatest Hits | Wet Wet Wet | ||
24 July | ||||
31 July | ||||
7 August | Now That's What I Call Music! 28 | Various artists | ||
14 August | ||||
21 August | ||||
28 August | ||||
4 September | Definitely Maybe | Oasis | ||
11 September | "Saturday Night" | Whigfield | The Best Rock Album in the World... Ever! | Various artists |
18 September | ||||
25 September | ||||
2 October | Monster | R.E.M. | ||
9 October | "Sure" | Take That | ||
16 October | Cross Road | Bon Jovi | ||
23 October | "Saturday Night" | Whigfield | ||
30 October | "Baby Come Back" | Pato Banton featuring Ali and Robin Campbell | ||
6 November | The Greatest Hits | INXS | ||
13 November | Cross Road | Bon Jovi | ||
20 November | "Another Night" | (MC Sar &) The Real McCoy | Now That's What I Call Music! 29 | Various artists |
27 November | "Love Spreads" | The Stone Roses | ||
4 December | "Stay Another Day" | East 17 | ||
11 December | ||||
18 December | Carry On up the Charts: The Best of The Beautiful South | The Beautiful South | ||
25 December |
Date | Single | Artist | Album | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 January | "Cotton Eye Joe" | Rednex | Carry On up the Charts: The Best of The Beautiful South | The Beautiful South |
8 January | ||||
15 January | ||||
22 January | ||||
29 January | The Best Punk Album in the World...Ever! | Various artists | ||
5 February | "Think Twice" | Celine Dion | Good News from the Next World | Simple Minds |
12 February | The Colour of My Love | Celine Dion | ||
19 February | ||||
26 February | ||||
5 March | Greatest Hits | Bruce Springsteen | ||
12 March | Medusa | Annie Lennox | ||
19 March | "Love Can Build a Bridge" | Cher, Chrissie Hynde & Neneh Cherry with Eric Clapton | Elastica | Elastica |
26 March | "Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)" | The Outhere Brothers | The Colour of My Love | Celine Dion |
2 April | "Back for Good" | Take That | Greatest Hits | Bruce Springsteen |
9 April | ||||
16 April | Picture This | Wet Wet Wet | ||
23 April | Now That's What I Call Music! 30 | Various artists | ||
30 April | "Some Might Say" | Oasis | ||
7 May | Nobody Else | Take That | ||
14 May | "Unchained Melody" / "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" | Robson & Jerome | ||
21 May | Stanley Road | Paul Weller | ||
28 May | On a Dance Tip 2 | Various artists | ||
4 June | Pulse | Pink Floyd | ||
11 June | "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" | U2 | ||
18 June | "Unchained Melody" / "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" | Robson & Jerome | HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | Michael Jackson |
25 June | These Days | Bon Jovi | ||
2 July | Pride: The Very Best of Scotland | Various artists | ||
9 July | "Boom Boom Boom" | The Outhere Brothers | ||
16 July | ||||
23 July | ||||
30 July | "Never Forget" | Take That | ||
6 August | Now That's What I Call Music! 31 | |||
13 August | ||||
20 August | "Roll with It" | Oasis | ||
27 August | "Country House" | Blur | ||
3 September | "I'll Be There for You" | The Rembrandts | The Charlatans | The Charlatans |
10 September | "Stayin' Alive" | N-Trance featuring Ricardo da Force | Help | Various artists |
17 September | The Great Escape | Blur | ||
24 September | "Fairground" | Simply Red | ||
1 October | Heartbeat: Forever Yours | Various artists | ||
8 October | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis | ||
15 October | Life | Simply Red | ||
22 October | "I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth)" | Meat Loaf | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis |
29 October | "Gangsta's Paradise" | Coolio featuring L.V. | ||
5 November | "I Believe" / "Up on the Roof" | Robson & Jerome | Different Class | Pulp |
12 November | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis | ||
19 November | Robson & Jerome | Robson & Jerome | ||
26 November | ||||
3 December | ||||
10 December | "Free as a Bird" | The Beatles | ||
17 December | "Earth Song" | Michael Jackson | ||
24 December | "Wonderwall" | The Mike Flowers Pops | ||
31 December | "Earth Song" | Michael Jackson | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis |
Date | Single | Artist | Album | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 January | "Earth Song" | Michael Jackson | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis |
14 January | "Jesus to a Child" | George Michael | ||
21 January | "Spaceman" | Babylon Zoo | ||
28 January | ||||
4 February | ||||
11 February | ||||
18 February | "Children" | Robert Miles | Expecting to Fly | The Bluetones |
25 February | "Don't Look Back in Anger" | Oasis | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis |
3 March | "How Deep Is Your Love" | Take That | ||
10 March | ||||
17 March | "Children" | Robert Miles | Falling into You | Celine Dion |
24 March | Now That's What I Call Music! 33 | Various artists | ||
31 March | "The X-Files" | Mark Snow | Greatest Hits | Take That |
7 April | "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" | Gina G | ||
14 April | ||||
21 April | ||||
28 April | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | ||
5 May | ||||
12 May | Older | George Michael | ||
19 May [D] | ||||
26 May | ||||
2 June | "Killing Me Softly" | Fugees | ||
9 June | Load | Metallica | ||
16 June | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | ||
23 June | ||||
30 June | Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House | Crowded House | ||
7 July | ||||
14 July | ||||
21 July | "Wannabe" | Spice Girls | ||
28 July | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | ||
4 August | "Freedom" | Robbie Williams | ||
11 August | "Wannabe" | Spice Girls | ||
18 August | Now That's What I Call Music! 34 | Various artists | ||
25 August | ||||
1 September | "One to Another" | The Charlatans | ||
8 September | "Flava" | Peter Andre | ||
15 September | "Breakfast at Tiffany's" | Deep Blue Something | New Adventures in Hi-Fi | R.E.M. |
22 September | K | Kula Shaker | ||
29 September | ||||
6 October | ||||
13 October | "Words" | Boyzone | Long Distance | Runrig |
20 October | "Say You'll Be There" | Spice Girls | ||
27 October | Blue Is the Colour | The Beautiful South | ||
3 November | "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" / "Saturday Night at the Movies" / "You'll Never Walk Alone" | Robson & Jerome | A Different Beat | Boyzone |
10 November | Spice | Spice Girls | ||
17 November | "Breathe" | The Prodigy | Take Two | Robson & Jerome |
24 November | ||||
1 December | "One and One" | Robert Miles featuring Maria Nayler | Now That's What I Call Music! 35 | Various artists |
8 December | "A Different Beat" | Boyzone | Spice | Spice Girls |
15 December | "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" / "Throw These Guns Away" | Dunblane | ||
22 December | "2 Become 1" | Spice Girls | ||
29 December |
Date | Single | Artist | Album | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 January | "2 Become 1" | Spice Girls | Spice | Spice Girls |
12 January | "Freedom 2" | QFX | ||
19 January | "Say What You Want" | Texas | ||
26 January | "Beetlebum" | Blur | Evita | Original Cast Recording |
2 February | "Where Do You Go" | No Mercy | Glow | Reef |
9 February | "Discothèque" | U2 | White on Blonde | Texas |
16 February | "Don't Speak" | No Doubt | ||
23 February | ||||
2 March | The Journey | 911 | ||
9 March | "Mama/Who Do You Think You Are" | Spice Girls | Pop | U2 |
16 March | Spice | Spice Girls | ||
23 March | ||||
30 March | "North Country Boy" | The Charlatans | Now That's What I Call Music! 36 | Various artists |
6 April | "Bellissima" | DJ Quicksilver | ||
13 April | "Song 2" | Blur | ||
20 April | "Old Before I Die" | Robbie Williams | Mother Nature Calls | Cast |
27 April | "Bodyshakin'" | 911 | Tellin' Stories | The Charlatans |
4 May | "Love Is the Law" | The Seahorses | White on Blonde | Texas |
11 May | "Lovefool" | The Cardigans | ||
18 May | "You're Not Alone" | Olive | ||
25 May | "I Wanna Be the Only One" | Eternal featuring BeBe Winans | ||
1 June | "MMMBop" | Hanson | Do It Yourself | The Seahorses |
8 June | The Best of Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan | ||
15 June | Best Scottish Album in the World...Ever! | Various artists | ||
22 June | "Bitter Sweet Symphony" | The Verve | OK Computer | Radiohead |
29 June | "Ecuador" | Sash! featuring Rodriguez | Best Scottish Album in the World...Ever! | Various artists |
6 July | "I'll Be Missing You" | Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112 | The Fat of the Land | The Prodigy |
13 July | "D'You Know What I Mean?" | Oasis | ||
20 July | Now That's What I Call Music! 37 | Various artists | ||
27 July | "Picture of You" | Boyzone | ||
3 August | "I'll Be Missing You" | Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112 | ||
10 August | "Men in Black" | Will Smith | White on Blonde | Texas |
17 August | ||||
24 August | "Tubthumping" | Chumbawamba | Be Here Now | Oasis |
31 August | ||||
7 September | "The Drugs Don't Work" | The Verve | ||
14 September | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight/Candle in the Wind 1997" | Elton John | ||
21 September | Marchin' Already | Ocean Colour Scene | ||
28 September | Be Here Now | Oasis | ||
5 October | Urban Hymns | The Verve | ||
12 October | ||||
19 October | "Spice Up Your Life" | Spice Girls | ||
26 October | "Barbie Girl" | Aqua | ||
2 November | ||||
9 November | Spiceworld | Spice Girls | ||
16 November | ||||
23 November | "Perfect Day" | Various artists | Now That's What I Call Music! 38 | Various artists |
30 November | ||||
7 December | "Teletubbies say 'Eh-oh!'" | Teletubbies | ||
14 December | ||||
21 December | Urban Hymns | The Verve | ||
28 December | "Too Much" | Spice Girls |
Date | Single | Artist | Album | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 January | "Perfect" | Ed Sheeran | ÷ | Ed Sheeran |
12 January | ||||
19 January | "River" | Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran | The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Various artists |
26 January | "Strangers" | Sigrid | Ruins | First Aid Kit |
2 February | The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Various artists | ||
9 February | "These Days" | Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore and Dan Caplen | ||
16 February | ||||
23 February | ||||
2 March | ||||
9 March | ||||
16 March | ||||
23 March | "Paradise" | George Ezra | ||
30 March | Staying at Tamara's | George Ezra | ||
6 April | The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Various artists | ||
13 April | "One Kiss" | Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa | Golden | Kylie Minogue |
20 April | Resistance Is Futile | Manic Street Preachers | ||
27 April | The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Various artists | ||
4 May | ||||
11 May | ||||
18 May | Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino | Arctic Monkeys | ||
25 May | The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Various artists | ||
1 June | "I'll Be There" | Jess Glynne | Wildness | Snow Patrol |
8 June | "Shotgun" | George Ezra | The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Various artists |
15 June | Staying at Tamara's | George Ezra | ||
22 June | ||||
29 June | ||||
6 July | High as Hope | Florence and the Machine | ||
13 July | Staying at Tamara's | George Ezra | ||
20 July | Night & Day | The Vamps | ||
27 July | Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again: The Movie Soundtrack | Various artists | ||
3 August | ||||
10 August | ||||
17 August | ||||
24 August | "Promises" | Calvin Harris and Sam Smith | Sweetener | Ariana Grande |
31 August | Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again: The Movie Soundtrack | Various artists | ||
7 September | Kamikaze | Eminem | ||
14 September | Egypt Station | Paul McCartney | ||
21 September | True Meanings | Paul Weller | ||
28 September | Living the Dream | Slash | ||
5 October | Blood Red Roses | Rod Stewart | ||
12 October | "Shallow" | Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper | A Star Is Born | Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper |
19 October | ||||
26 October | ||||
2 November | Sì | Andrea Bocelli | ||
9 November | A Star Is Born | Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper | ||
16 November | Simulation Theory | Muse | ||
23 November | "Thursday" | Jess Glynne | Love | Michael Bublé |
30 November | "Sweet but Psycho" | Ava Max | Odyssey | Take That |
7 December | "The Power of Love" | Dalton Harris featuring James Arthur | A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships | The 1975 |
14 December | "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" | Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus | Staying at Tamara's | George Ezra |
21 December | "We Built This City" | LadBaby | ||
28 December | "Sweet but Psycho" | Ava Max | The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Various artists |
Date | Album | Artist |
---|---|---|
3 January | Short n' Sweet | Sabrina Carpenter |
10 January | Diamonds | Elton John |
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on Fridays. It is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and found on the OCC website as a Top 100 or on UKChartsPlus as a Top 200, with positions continuing until all sales have been tracked in data only available to industry insiders. However, even though number 100 was classed as a hit album in the 1980s until January 1989, since the compilations were removed, this definition was changed to Top 75 with follow-up books such as The Virgin Book of British Hit Albums only including this data. As of 2021, Since 1983, the OCC generally provides a public charts for hits and weeks up to the Top 100. Business customers can require additional chart placings.
The Official UK Charts Company Limited, trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts, is a British inter-professional organisation that compiles various official record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.
UKChartsPlus is an independent weekly newsletter about the UK music charts. It was first published in September 2001 as ChartsPlus in order to authoritatively record the official music chart information in the UK, as compiled by the Official Charts Company. It began after Hit Music, a sister publication of Music Week, ceased publication in May 2001. The new newsletter was established totally independent of Music Week, licensing the chart data directly from Official Charts Company and other chart providers.
The UK singles chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-selling singles in the United Kingdom, based upon physical sales, paid-for downloads and streaming. The Official Chart, broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and formerly MTV, is the UK music industry's recognised official measure of singles and albums popularity because it is the most comprehensive research panel of its kind, today surveying over 15,000 retailers and digital services daily, capturing 99.9% of all singles consumed in Britain across the week, and over 98% of albums. To be eligible for the chart, a single is currently defined by the OCC as either a "single bundle" having no more than four tracks and not lasting longer than 25 minutes or one digital audio track not longer than 15 minutes with a minimum sale price of 40 pence. The rules have changed many times as technology has developed, with digital downloads being incorporated in 2005 and streaming in July 2014.
The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the relevance of the chart dwindled in the 1990s as major-label ownership blurred the boundary between independent and major labels.
The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart are 40-position R&B and hip hop music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry in the United Kingdom.
The UK music charts are a collection of charts that reflect the music-buying habits of people within the United Kingdom. Most of them are produced by the Official Charts Company.
The UK Compilation Chart is a record chart based on sales of multi artist compilation albums in the United Kingdom. It is compiled weekly by the Official Charts Company (OCC), and each week's Top 40 is published online on the official websites of the OCC, BBC Radio 1 and MTV, and in the magazines Music Week and UKChartsPlus.
The UK Album Downloads Chart is compiled by the Official Charts on behalf of the British music industry. Since July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the chart date given as the following Thursday. The chart was introduced in April 2006 to coincide with the OCC's decision to include sales of album downloads in the UK Albums Chart. The first album to top the download chart was This New Day by Embrace.
The Media Research Information Bureau (MRIB) was a music chart research company that operated in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 2008. It was best known for compiling the chart data for The Network Chart Show which was broadcast by many TV and radio shows, as well as being published in many music newspapers and magazines. MRIB also compiled other genre charts for the United Kingdom.