1978 in British music

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This is a summary of 1978 in music in the United Kingdom.

Contents

Events

Charts

Number one singles

DateSongArtist
7 January"Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" Wings
14 January
21 January
28 January
4 February"Uptown Top Ranking" Althea & Donna
11 February"Figaro" Brotherhood of Man
18 February"Take a Chance on Me" ABBA
25 February
4 March
11 March"Wuthering Heights" Kate Bush
18 March
25 March
1 April
8 April"Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" Brian and Michael
15 April
22 April
29 April"Night Fever" Bee Gees
6 May
13 May"Rivers of Babylon" Boney M
20 May
27 May
3 June
10 June
17 June"You're the One That I Want" John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
24 June
1 July
8 July
15 July
22 July
29 July
5 August
12 August
19 August"Three Times a Lady" The Commodores
26 August
2 September
9 September
16 September
23 September"Dreadlock Holiday" 10cc
30 September"Summer Nights"John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
7 October
14 October
21 October
28 October
4 November
11 November
18 November"Rat Trap" The Boomtown Rats
25 November
2 December"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Rod Stewart
9 December"Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord"Boney M
16 December
23 December
30 December

Number one albums

DateAlbumArtistWeeks
7 JanuaryDisco FeverVarious Artists2
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 Soundtrack18
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 Soundtrack13
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]

No.TitleArtistPeak
position
1"Rivers of Babylon"/"Brown Girl in the Ring" Boney M 1
2"You're the One That I Want" John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 1
3"Summer Nights" John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 1
4"Three Times a Lady" The Commodores 1
5"The Smurf Song" Father Abraham and the Smurfs 2
6"Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord"Boney M1
7"Night Fever" Bee Gees 1
8"Rat Trap" The Boomtown Rats 1
9"Take a Chance on Me" ABBA 1
10"Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" Brian and Michael 1
11"Dreadlock Holiday" 10cc 1
12"Wuthering Heights" Kate Bush 1
13"Sandy" John Travolta 2
14"Rasputin"Boney M2
15"Substitute" Clout 2
16"Denis" Blondie 2
17"Baker Street" Gerry Rafferty 3
18"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Rod Stewart 1
19"Figaro" Brotherhood of Man 1
20"Come Back My Love" Darts 2
21"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" Rose Royce 2
22"Mull of Kintyre"/"Girls' School" Wings 1
23"It's Raining"Darts2
24"Wishing on a Star"Rose Royce3
25"Lucky Stars" Dean Friedman 3
26"Dancing in the City" Marshall Hain 3
27"Boogie Oogie Oogie" A Taste of Honey 3
28"Oh What a Circus" David Essex 3
29"Grease" Frankie Valli 3
30"Jilted John" Jilted John 4
31"Y.M.C.A." Village People 1
32"Annie's Song" James Galway 3
33"Stayin' Alive"Bee Gees4
34"Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams 3
35"The Boy from New York City"Darts2
36"Hopelessly Devoted to You" Olivia Newton-John 2
37"Blame It on the Boogie" The Jacksons 8
38"Darlin'" Frankie Miller 6
39"Never Let Her Slip Away" Andrew Gold 5
40"Sweet Talkin' Woman" Electric Light Orchestra 6
41"If I Had Words" Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley with the St Thomas More School Choir3
42"I Can't Stand the Rain" Eruption featuring Precious Wilson 5
43"Mr. Blue Sky"Electric Light Orchestra6
44"Uptown Top Ranking" Althea and Donna 1
45"MacArthur Park" Donna Summer 5
46"I Wonder Why" Showaddywaddy 2
47"You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" Sylvester 8
48"If You Can't Give Me Love" Suzi Quatro 4
49"A Taste of Aggro" The Barron Knights 3
50"Forever Autumn" Justin Hayward 5

Best-selling albums

[3]

No.TitleArtistPeak
position
1 Saturday Night Fever Original Soundtrack1
2 Grease Original Soundtrack1
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 [lower-alpha 1]
8 Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds Jeff Wayne 5
9Images Don Williams 2
10 20 Golden Greats Buddy Holly & the Crickets1
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 [lower-alpha 2]
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 Soundtrack2
23 City to City Gerry Rafferty 6
24The Big Wheels of MotownVarious Artists2
25 You Light Up My Life Johnny Mathis 3
26Greatest Hits (1976-1978) Showaddywaddy 4 [lower-alpha 3]
2720 Golden Greats Neil Diamond 2
28 Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf 11 [lower-alpha 4]
29 London Town Wings 4
30EmotionsVarious Artists2
31Midnight HustleVarious Artists5
32 Some Girls The Rolling Stones 2
33 Variations Andrew Lloyd Webber 2
34 Pastiche The Manhattan Transfer 10
35 Greatest Hits ABBA12 [lower-alpha 5]
36 Kaya Bob Marley and the Wailers 4
37 Blondes Have More Fun Rod Stewart 3
38 Parallel Lines Blondie 7 [lower-alpha 6]
39 Foot Loose & Fancy Free Rod Stewart 4 [lower-alpha 7]
40 Plastic Letters Blondie10
41 Arrival ABBA12 [lower-alpha 8]
42 Black and White The Stranglers 2
4320 Giant Hits The Nolan Sisters 3
44The Greatest Hits of Donna Summer Donna Summer 4
45 Natural High The Commodores 8
46 This Year's Model Elvis Costello and the Attractions4
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:

  1. Reached number 4 in 1977
  2. Reached number 5 in 1979
  3. Reached number 1 in 1979
  4. Reached number 9 in 1981
  5. Reached number 1 in 1976
  6. Reached number 1 in 1979
  7. Reached number 3 in 1977
  8. Reached number 1 in 1976

Classical music: new works

Film and Incidental music

Births

Deaths

See also

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References

  1. "The Picnic at Blackbushe Aerodrome 1978". www.ukrockfestivals.com. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  2. 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.
  3. Scaping (1979). "Top 200 LPs in 1978". pp. 182–85.