# BEST british rock band from the 60s never heard in the U.S. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553 "2017-10-22T16:10:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![4d3fect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/4d3fect/32/9728_2.png) [@4d3fect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4d3fect)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/41 "2017-10-25T03:16:22Z")
Gentle Giant. Criminally overlooked if you ask me. More Early 70s I guess ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/42 "2017-10-25T03:47:37Z")
England’s skiffle craze missed the USA completely. I remember Lonnie Donegan’s _Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It’s Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight_ getting AM radio airplay before the British Invasion but I don’t know if it was a skiffle style Lonnie was famous for. Here the song was considered just a novelty tune. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/43 "2017-10-25T13:25:16Z")
Beatles aficionado Ian McDonald thought that the **Incredible String Band** were very influential, on folk-rock (of the “minstrel” variety) and progressive rock. I wouldn’t call them a rock band, and I don’t really like their music much, but they probably deserve mention in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/44 "2017-10-25T13:30:04Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Beatles aficionado Ian McDonald thought that the **Incredible String Band** were very influential, on folk-rock (of the “minstrel” variety) and progressive rock. I wouldn’t call them a rock band, and I don’t really like their music much, but they probably deserve mention in this thread. ISB were not unknown in the states, in fact their records could be found in the collections of many college-age hippie-type young ladies. I even went to see them once, at Paul’s Mall in Boston (RIP). ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/45 "2017-10-25T14:04:50Z")
**Slade** were the biggest (in terms of UK chart success) band of their time and I feel they are chronically underrated. However their time was the early 1970s. Sure their roots trace back to the 1960s but the success, and even the name date from the start of the 1970s. Although as noted they had a “Heavy Metal” comeback in the 80s. If you include **Slade** then you might as well include **The Jam** who were about as big as **Slade** but in the late 70s. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/46 "2017-10-25T14:46:26Z")
Apart from one US tour, The Nice didn’t make much of an impression in the states, even with their roundhouse version of Bernstein’s “America”. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/47 "2017-10-25T15:52:40Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Apart from one US tour, The Nice didn’t make much of an impression in the states, even with their roundhouse version of Bernstein’s “America”. “Only 3,000 people saw them play, but every single one who did went out and bought a Hammond organ and a knife.” (Paraphrased from Brian Eno) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/48 "2017-10-26T02:56:13Z")
Both Traffic and Renaissance\* were very successful in the US, though with albums rather than singles. Traffic had three gold and one platinum albums. Renaissance albums generally did better in the US is the UK. \*The Annie Haslam version, not the Keith Relf one. The group had a complete turnover of personnel by the time Haslam joined. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/49 "2017-10-26T16:42:50Z")
Just for grins, here’s a list of all #1 hits by year in the UK in the rock era. > **[List of best-selling singles by year in the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles_by_year_in_the_United_Kingdom)** > > This is a list of the best-selling singles on the UK Singles Chart for each year. Note that the Number sold section denotes the number sold within the year, not in total, as very often the single continues to sell more in later years (and sometimes other singles released within a particular year will go on to outsell the year-end winner (e.g. Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan's "Especially for You" (from 1988) ultimately outsold "Mistletoe and Wine")). > The best-selling UK single of all time is "... In how many cases can I look at the biggest hit of the year in Britain and say, “I’ve never heard of that act or that song”? A few. 1. The #1 hit of 1965 was “Tears” by Ken Dodd. Never heard of him or the song. 2. The #1 hit of 1974 was “Tiger Feet” by Mud. Never heard of the act or the song. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/50 "2017-10-26T16:48:19Z")
Ken Dodd was an old school comedian who also sang a bit and got lucky with a big ballad number. Mud were kind of fun and didn’t take themselves too seriously - upbeat pop/glam sort of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/51 "2017-10-26T16:53:30Z")
More songs that hit #1 on the British Charts by Acts That I’ve Never Heard of: 1. “Concrete and Clay” by Unit Four Plus One 2. “Where Are You Now” by Jackie Trent 3. “Puppet on a String” and “Long Live Love” by Sandie Shaw 4. “Cinderella Rockafella” by Esther and Abi Ofarim 5. “The Legend of Xanadu” by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich 6. “Baby Come Back” by the Equals 7. “I Pretend” by Des O’Connor 8. " Lily the Pink" by Scaffold 9. “Half as Nice” by Amen Corner 10. “Where Do You Go to, My Lovely” by Peter Sarstedt There are also several #1 hits by acts I have of heard of but who never hit it big in America. Long John Baldry was a fixture on the British blues scene for years, and his proteges (like Rod Stewart and Elton John) have been big stars here. But Baldry himself never had any success in America. There are also a lot of big hits that I’ve never heard by acts who are, nonetheless, very famous in America. EVERYBODY knows Paul McCartney, but hardly anyone here knows “Mull of Kintyre.” ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/52 "2017-10-26T16:57:36Z")
But I mentioned #5 & #9 in my post #7 up thread, so you’ve very vaguely heard of two of them! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/53 "2017-10-26T17:02:11Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > But I mentioned #5 & #9 in my post #7 up thread, so you’ve very vaguely heard of two of them! True enough- I was just giving some documentation of how big some of those acts are. Sandie Shaw had at last two #1 hits in Britain, but her name doesn’t ring a bell at all. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/54 "2017-10-26T17:05:57Z")
Her [Puppet on a String](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhLlXvkm65Y) won the Eurovision song Contest. You probably don’t want to play that link! Bubblegum pop, although she did a lot more than that. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/55 "2017-10-26T17:13:18Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > There are also a lot of big hits that I’ve never heard by acts who are, nonetheless, very famous in America. EVERYBODY knows Paul McCartney, but hardly anyone here knows “Mull of Kintyre.” What makes you think that? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/56 "2017-10-26T17:21:47Z")
> [@BeeGee](#): > > What makes you think that? Because I know most of Mac’s songs, and that one NEVER got any radio airplay in America. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/57 "2017-10-26T17:44:57Z")
Another one: if Monty Python had not devoted a big chunk of one episode to a loony (played by Terry Jones) who imagines he’s Clodagh Rogers, I would have no idea who Clodagh Rogers was. I have never heard “Jack In The Box” except on _ **Monty Python’s Flying Circus.** _ Come to think of it, Monty Python indtoduced me to Leapy Lee and “Little Arrows.” I have never heard of him or the song anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/58 "2017-10-27T01:57:40Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Just for grins, here’s a list of all #1 hits by year in the UK in the rock era. > > [List of best-selling singles by year in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles_by_year_in_the_United_Kingdom) > > In how many cases can I look at the biggest hit of the year in Britain and say, “I’ve never heard of that act or that song”? A few. > > 1. The #1 hit of 1965 was “Tears” by Ken Dodd. Never heard of him or the song. > > 2. The #1 hit of 1974 was “Tiger Feet” by Mud. Never heard of the act or the song. Mud were glam-lite, similar to Sweet, and [Tiger Feet was a great song which probably ought to be on a Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack backing the “preparing to rob the vault” montage.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQfidTOTsLo) ---
**Author:** ![Cumbrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@Cumbrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumbrian)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/59 "2017-10-27T08:50:45Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > More songs that hit #1 on the British Charts by Acts That I’ve Never Heard of: > > 1. “Concrete and Clay” by Unit Four Plus One > > 2. “Where Are You Now” by Jackie Trent > > 3. “Puppet on a String” and “Long Live Love” by Sandie Shaw > > 4. “Cinderella Rockafella” by Esther and Abi Ofarim > > 5. “The Legend of Xanadu” by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich > > 6. “Baby Come Back” by the Equals > > 7. “I Pretend” by Des O’Connor > > 8. " Lily the Pink" by Scaffold > > 9. “Half as Nice” by Amen Corner > > 10. “Where Do You Go to, My Lovely” by Peter Sarstedt Of these, I’d be hard pushed to describe any of them as “rock” with the possible exception of Dave Dee, Dozy, et al. Most of them are pop - and some of them are terrible - Des O’Connor in particular was the butt of many jokes regarding his signing career (he was a “light entertainer” with singing being only one of the things he turned his hand to). The only one I would personally recommend of this list is The Equals - a better than decent 60’s Ska band. Baby Come Back is pretty poppy but bounces along amiably. If you’re at all interested in this, there is a long running blog called Popular by British music critic Tom Ewing, where he is attempting to review and rate every British number 1 of all time. The comments sections are also good, with journos from both sides of the Atlantic, plus enthusiastic amateurs chipping in with facts and opinion. He’s up to the middle of 2002 and has been going for over 10 years, though his review rate has slowed appreciably. Nevertheless there’s nearly 1000 #1s covered in that period. You may not always agree with his opinions but it’s a good project and may alert you to some songs big in the UK that you’ve never heard of. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553/60 "2017-10-27T10:01:10Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > More songs that hit #1 on the British Charts by Acts That I’ve Never Heard of: > […] > 10. “Where Do You Go to, My Lovely” by Peter Sarstedt Not a big Wes Anderson fan, I take it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-british-rock-band-from-the-60s-never-heard-in-the-u-s/799553.md?page=4)