Apropos of the recent VH-1 special 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders, what are some “great” rock acts that have had few or no chart-topping singles?
The show itself mentioned The Grateful Dead: Touch of Gray; Jimmi Hendrix: Foxy Lady; and a couple of others that I don’t remember now.
I’m also thinking of Led Zeppelin. Though Stairway to Heaven is wildly popular on “Classic Rock” radio, it was never released as a single.
"Weird Al" Yankovic has a devoted following and plenty of MTV play (particularly in the '80’s), but IIRC his only Top-40 Singles have been Eat It and The Saga Begins.
Zappa’s “Valley Girl” reached #32 on the Billboard charts (the album "Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowing Witch reached #23), and garnered a few Grammy nominations. A hit? Not exactly, but some commercial recognition.
Of course, “Truckin’,” by the Dead “rose straight to the top of the charts in Turlock, California, numero uno, and stayed there for a week or two. They love us in Turlock and we love them for that.” Extra credit points if you can identify the quote.
“Valley Girl” reached #32 and did spawn a fad.
Zappa was too advanced to be popular; I especially like the fact that his one other “hit” – “Dancing Fool” – was a dancing song you couldn’t dance to.
Anyway, I’ll add: Traffic – Some great albums and terrific songs, that are often played on classic rock stations, but their only successful single was “Paper Sun.” Their best songs tended to be too long for singles, anyway. Blind Faith – Only one album, of course, but they deserve a footnote as being the first group to have a number #1 album without having a hit single on it. Bonzo Dog Band – Of course I had to mention then. Had a small hit in England, but not in the U.S. Captain Beefheart – not for everyone, but he did some great stuff over his career, and never stood a chance of having a hit. Soft Machine – great jazz-based rock, but much too avant-garde for single airplay.
Well, if you define “hit” purely as a single that cracks the Billboard top 40, I can think of a LOT of very popular bands, bands that sold tens of millions of albums, but rarely or never reached the top 40 with singles.
Rush had one top 40 single- “New World Man.”
Black Sabbath never reached the top 40 with any single, as far as I know. MOST real heavy metal bands never do (a few 80s hair bands did, and occasionally a metal band will release a “power ballad” that makes the top 40).
I don’t believe King Crimson ever had a hit single in America.
For a band that contained phenomenal talent, and never broke into the American Top 40, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers have to be considered. The band featured, at various times: Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce of Cream; John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac; Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones; and Aynsley Dunbar of Journey, Jefferson Starship, and Whitesnake.
Another artist whose talent never really translated into wild commercial success is Joni Mitchell – at least not on the singles chart. I’m not sure how her albums sold.
At one point in my misspent youth, a local Detriot AM radio station used to put out a local Top 10 (mind you how long ago THAT was) and Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow off ofApostrophe made it.
Frank has allways been Only in for the Money
** Happliy Hums…"Evelyn a modified dog viewed the quivering edge…**
Have to toss in Jethro Tull. They sold millions and millions of albums for two decades or more. They never had a monster hit. I don’t think they ever had anything close to a hit. Thick as a Brick was one of their most popular, but sheer length kept that from topping the charts.
I take this to be sort of “Who has a song or two that’s easily recognizable but not a chartbuster.”
NRBQ: Lots of songs you’d recognize, but not any major hits that I can think of. Course, Bonnie Raitt had a hit with “Just me and the boys”.
maybe
Dave Edmonds
Nick Drake (though, thanks to the VW commercial, getting more popoular)
perhaps Iron Butterfly: everyone recognizes The Drum Solo from Inna Gadda Da Vida
What about Strawberry Alarmclock? Again, most people have heard Incence and Peppermints.
Status-quo - Pictures of Matchstick men.
The Velvet Underground practically defined this question. I believe The Velvet Underground and Nico cracked Billboard’s top 200 at a big 199 (mostly due to Andy Warhol’s influence), and “Rock ‘n’ Roll” was a minor hit, but their influence on any kind of left-of-center rock act is incalculable. I’d say even moreso than Zappa, but that might just be because I love VU so much…
Oh, and Rubicon, Jane’s Addiction had another hit with “Jane Says.” In fact, that was kind of their breakout hit…
Nope, the whole thing is still on the CD (which makes listening to Truckin’>Prelude>Epilogue>Morning Dew a much, much nicer experience - it really does hang together much better if you don’t have to get up and change the record).
The Ramones never cracked the US Top 40. “Rockaway Beach” peaked at #66, I believe, and was their biggest chart success.
The Replacements didn’t have much chart success, but were cited as an influence by many 90s alt-rockers.
The Kinks are my favorite British invasion band, but despite an impressive collection of albums, they’ve hit the US Top 10 only twice since the 60s. (“Lola” in 1970 and “Come Dancing” in 1983). Still, they were filling arenas in the late 70s- early 80s.
Warren Zevon is a very talented musician and songwriter, and is respected by his peers, followed by many fans…but he has never had much commercial success aside from ‘Werewolves of London,’ a fun song which really does not begin to demonstrate the depth of Zevon’s genius.
Although he’s regarded as influencial, Elvis Costello had only a couple songs (“Every Day I Write the Book” and “Veronica”) make it into the American Top 40–and even those just barely made it in.