Official UK Charts - Diana Ross

[jobeterob]

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/14097/diana-ross/

[jobeterob]

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/11282/supremes/

[jobeterob]

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/11683/temptations/

[RobertZ]

Cool charts; thanks for finding them. That Ross gal posts some serious numbers!

[jobeterob]

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/5543/stevie-wonder/

[RobertZ]

... and Stevie W nearly doubles the Tempts - a surprise there.

[jobeterob]

The Tops were hotter than the Tempts in the UK.

[jobeterob]

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/11856/four-tops/

[jobeterob]

http://www.officialcharts.com/search/artists/mary%20wilson/

Results for Mary Wilson

[theboyfromxtown]

The Tops were hotter than the Tempts in the UK.

By a LONG way.

[RobertZ]

The Tops were hotter than the Tempts in the UK.

Really interesting; perhaps the Northern Soul community thought the Tops were more R&B than the Temptations? I'm sure the groups were marked equally -

[florence]

Although they now list the tracks credited to Diana Ross & The Supremes [[as opposed to just The Supremes) as part of Diana's solo output the last time they updated the biggest selling singles acts in the UK these were not included in Diana's totals.

The albums are a bit of a mess - they haven't realised that Diana had several with the same title.

Thus they have only one entry for the 1971 Diana! Soundtrack and the Chic-produced 1980 Diana album and they have assumed the 1970 and 1976 Diana Ross albums were the same release.

[Ollie9]

http://www.officialcharts.com/search/artists/mary%20wilson/

Results for Mary Wilson
You are naughty lol.

[roger]

Really interesting; perhaps the Northern Soul community thought the Tops were more R&B than the Temptations? I'm sure the groups were marked equally -

I'd say that it was because the FOUR TOPS were usually composed/produced by H-D-H. Those uptempo H-D-H productions in the 1964-67 period did a whole lot better in The UK than most Motown recordings by other production teams.

Though funnily the very first major Motown hit in The UK [["My Guy" by MARY WELLS) was produced by Smokey!!

Roger

[RobertZ]

I'd say that it was because the FOUR TOPS were usually composed/produced by H-D-H. Those uptempo H-D-H productions in the 1964-67 period did a whole lot better in The UK than most Motown recordings by other production teams.

Though funnily the very first major Motown hit in The UK [["My Guy" by MARY WELLS) was produced by Smokey!!

Roger

Interesting take; I think you are probably on the right track.

[westgrandboulevard]

In comparison, The Temptations' records were, with some exceptions, generally more funky, R&B in composition and production.

The Four Tops records, despite Levi's impassioned, gruff lead vocals, were generally smoother. The addition of the Andantes created more of a dramatic, chorale effect...and the choruses on their records were more melodic than many Temptations records. Four Tops audiences would sing along to their songs.

In performance, the Four Tops had more of a genial, easy going stage manner than The Temptations, who were cool, urban and very sophisticated.

Finally, the British public took the Four Tops to their hearts, because they had regular hits, and visited the UK more regularly, so simply were more familiar than The Temptations.

[jobeterob]

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/11567/marvin-gaye/

[jobeterob]

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/11124/mary-wells/

[jobeterob]

The Tops were more popular in Canada than the Tempts as well. I think they were more pop oriented - like HDH were and at that time, it helped them be more popular when R & B was just awakening in Canada. And perhaps the UK.

[theboyfromxtown]

Back to 1960 for Marv Johnson

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/7998/marv-johnson/

[roger]

One Motown performer who became much more popular in The UK than in The US was JIMMY RUFFIN .... in 1970 when he was a spent force in The US he managed to have three Top 10 singles in Britain ....

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/12754/jimmy-ruffin/

Roger

[jobeterob]

You are naughty lol.

I deserve a kick in the ass for that.

If the odd "person" didn't pick on Miss Ross, I wouldn't have put that up. I like Mary and her songs and her work ethic of later in life.

[Ollie9]

Mary really is a very talented lady.... Me thinks, that real success cannot necessarily be measured by chart performance alone...

[westgrandboulevard]

Agreed. Berry Gordy was in the business of selling records, but also encouraged his artists towards long careers, while knowing that many would not, for many reasons, achieve that goal.

Selling units is an indication of popularity, but a short-term one for most in the recording industry.

A long career.... is success.;)

[jobeterob]

Agreed. Berry Gordy was in the business of selling records, but also encouraged his artists towards long careers, while knowing that many would not, for many reasons, achieve that goal.

Selling units is an indication of popularity, but a short-term one for most in the recording industry.

A long career.... is success.;)

You are both right of course

[jobeterob]

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/12754/jimmy-ruffin/

[marybrewster]

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/11282/supremes/

It's interesting to see that, as a general rule, the Ross-lead Supremes singles charted lower in the UK than in the US; by contrast, the Jean-lead Supremes singles charted higher in the UK than in the US.

One easy explanation, one would assume, is that you had the Beatles, Herman's Hermits, The Stones, The Animals/Hollies/Byrds/Zombies, Dave Clark 5, etc. clogging up the charts in the 60's, leaving little room for three girls from Detroit.

Or maybe y'all just didn't like Diana's voice? LOL.

[RossHolloway]

It's interesting to see that, as a general rule, the Ross-lead Supremes singles charted lower in the UK than in the US; by contrast, the Jean-lead Supremes singles charted higher in the UK than in the US.

One easy explanation, one would assume, is that you had the Beatles, Herman's Hermits, The Stones, The Animals/Hollies/Byrds/Zombies, Dave Clark 5, etc. clogging up the charts in the 60's, leaving little room for three girls from Detroit.

Or maybe y'all just didn't like Diana's voice? LOL.

Isn't it true that British radio stations were restricted in how much or how often they could play foreign [[ie Motown) records. I wonder how much that impacted chart positions.

[jobeterob]

I think it took a little time from R & B Music to take a hold and then the UK fell in love with everything Motown.

In Canada, it really took until Stop in the Name of Love for Motown to reach the masses. Baby Love started it. But even by 1970, it was hard to get much beyond My Girl from the Temptations on radio.

[florence]

It's interesting to see that, as a general rule, the Ross-lead Supremes singles charted lower in the UK than in the US; by contrast, the Jean-lead Supremes singles charted higher in the UK than in the US.

One easy explanation, one would assume, is that you had the Beatles, Herman's Hermits, The Stones, The Animals/Hollies/Byrds/Zombies, Dave Clark 5, etc. clogging up the charts in the 60's, leaving little room for three girls from Detroit.

Or maybe y'all just didn't like Diana's voice? LOL.

We must have had an epiphany then for in the first few years of the 70s in the UK Diana was regarded as the world's leading female singer!

[florence]

Although almost all Diana's studio albums charted in the UK many of them were quite small hits although she was an artist who sold very well in the Music Clubs which did big business in the UK in the 70s and especially 80s.

In the 70s and 80s any Diana Ross compilation sold by the bucketload culminating in the 4 times platinum One Woman: The Ultimate Collection in 1993 which didn't leave much scope for many more although those that were released generally reached at least Silver level.

Maybe surprisingly her biggest studio album in the UK was The Force Behind The Power which sold well over 500k twice as much as any other.

We are probably the only country in the world where it outsold 1980's Diana.

It's hard to understand why it didn't do better here considering it included three big singles - Upside Down which was agonisingly pipped to #1 at the last minute, My Old Piano which went top 5 and achieved Silver status and I'm Coming Out which made #13 but was in the charts over the christmas period and sold over 130k which was a good sale for the UK.

[florence]

Diana's singles which made the year end top 100 UK charts

1964
25 Baby Love
32 Where Did Our Love Go

1965
95 Stop! In The Name Of Love

1966
57 You Can't Hurry Love

1967
44 Reflections
55 The Happening

1969
55 I'm Gonna Make You Love Me [[with The Temptations)

1970
72 Ain't No Mountain High Enough

1971
8 I'm Still Waiting
79 Remember Me

1973
70 Touch Me In The Morning

1974
46 You Are Everything [[with Marvin Gaye)
85 All Of My Life

1976
70 Do You Know Where You're Going To
98 Love Hangover

1980
22 Upside Down
86 My Old Piano

1981
48 Endless Love [[with Lionel Richie)
54 Why Do Fools Fall In Love

1982
95 Work That Body

1985
5 Chain Reaction

1991
17 When Yu Tell Me That You Love Me

1992
93 If We Hold On Together

[florence]

The ones that just missed: i.e. Breakers

The UK charts were a top 50 then

26 May 66 Love Is Like An Iching In My Heart 1wk

17 Nov 73 You're A Special Part Of Me [[with Marvin Gaye) 3wks

02 Nov 74 My Mistake [[Was To Love You) with Marvin Gaye 1wk

30 Oct 76 One Love In My Lifetime 5 wks

wks of 06 Nov and 13 Nov #1 Breaker

Supremes post-Diana

27 May 72 Without The One You Love [[with The Four Tops) 1wk

18 Nov 72 Your Wonderful Sweet Sweet Love #1 Breaker 1wk