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| GENE VINCENT UNITED
KINGDOM CHART POSITIONS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sources: Guinness Book Of Hit Singles", "NME" Top 30 until 26/2/60 "Record Retailer/Music Week" Top 50 from 10/3/60 | |||
| SINGLES | |||
| Date of Entry | TITLE | Highest Position | Weeks on the Chart |
| 13/07/56 | Be-Bop-A-Lula | 30 | 2 |
| 24/08/56 | Be-Bop-A-Lula | 16 | 3 (Re-Entry) |
| 28/09/56 | Be-Bop-A-Lula | 23 | 2 (Re-Entry) |
| 12/10/56 | Race With The Devil | 28 | 1 |
| 19/10/56 | Bluejean Bop | 16 | 5 |
| 08/01/60 | Wild Cat | 21 | 3 |
| 10/03/60 | Wild Cat | 39 | 3 (Re-Entry)* |
| 10/03/60 | My Heart | 16 | 6 |
| 19/05/60 | My Heart | 47 | 1 (Re-Entry) |
| 16/06/60 | Pistol Packin' Mama | 15 | 9 |
| 01/06/61 | She She Little Sheila | 22 | 10 |
| 17/08/61 | She She Little Sheila | 44 | 1 (Re-Entry) |
| 31/08/61 | I'm Going Home | 36 | 4 |
| POINTS TO
NOTE: a) Be-Bop-A-Lula. This was still available in 1961 and selling in 1961! A friend I both bought copies in 1959. b) * Wild Cat. Not really a re-entry, the chart was lengthened to a Top 50 that week. Wild Cat was probably just below the Top 30 29/01/60 -03/03/60. c) 1956-60. Many Gene Vincent records sold very well during this period, notably Baby Blue, Say Mama, Over The Rainbow and Summertime. Had there been a Top 50 then quite probably some or all of these would have featured. Record Mirror had it's own Top 20 prior to adopting Record Retailer/Music Week Top 50 in 1960/61. It published Top 10 charts from various individual record dealers in different parts of the UK. Early in 1960 when Wild Cat was in the national chart, it featured in several Top 10's. It reached No. 4 in one and No. 7 in two others. In April 1959 Over The Rainbow was at No. 10 in a Top 10 from a dealer in St. Helens, Lancashire. Walkin' Home From School/I Got A Baby had a good sale when released in 1958 and became popular again in 1959. It was listed in EMI's list of steady sellers in Sept/Oct 1959 along with The Night Is So Lonely (Gene's current release) and Summertime. The Gene Vincent Fan Club gave copies of Sounds Like Gene Vincent LP to two members for getting Walkin' Home From School played on the radio. d)1960-1963 Be-Bop-A-Lula, Say Mama and Over The Rainbow were popular essentials on stage - All these were ONLY available in the UK on 45's - not LP or EP - Thus new fans had to buy the 45's if they wanted these numbers! | |||
| LONG
PLAYING ALBUMS UNITED KINGDOM | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Entry | TITLE | Highest Position | Weeks on the Chart |
| June 1960 | "CRAZY TIMES" | 12 | 2 |
| (source; "Guinness Book of Hit Albums" - "Record
Retailer/Music Week" Top 20). NOTES: All Gene's previous five Albums were released in the UK and sold well; as Gene gained new fans so his back catalogue sales grew. His first three albums were released with the old style cyan label with silver lettering, when I bought "BLUEJEAN BOP" and "GENE VINCENT AND THE BLUE CAPS" in March 1960 they had the new style black label with a rainbow outer band. The copy of "GENE VINCENT ROCKS AND THE BLUE CAPS ROLL" purchased in June 1959 had the old label but a friend who bought a copy in 1961 got the new style. This shows that all these albums outsold their original pressing. Most of Gene's Albums, even later on, sold well in the UK. "I'M BACK AND I'M PROUD" sold over 5,000 copies on it's initial release. | |||
| EXTENDED
PLAY ALBUM CHART UNITED KINGDOM | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Entry | TITLE | Highest Position | Weeks on the Chart |
| August, 1962 | "RACE WITH THE DEVIL" | 19 | 1 |
| (Source;
"Guinness Book of Hit EP's". Chart "Record Retailer/Music Week
Top20). "HOT ROD GANG" EP sold well in the UK over a long period. Gene sold many EP's in Europe, where EP's were relatively more popular than in the UK or USA, particularly in France. For example the "BIRD DOGGIN" EP an London sold over 25,000 copies in France in a few months and was still available two years later. | |||
| AUSTRALIA CHART POSITIONS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: The Book Top 40 | |||||
| SINGLES | |||||
| Date of Entry | Entry Position | Highest Position |
Weeks on the Chart | TITLE | Label/No. |
| 20/04/57 | 19 | 17 | 2 | Buejean Bop | Capitol CP-1136 |
| 26/10/57 | 17 | 8 | 10 | Lotta Lovin' | Capitol CP-1249 |
| CANADA CHART POSITIONS No National charts In late 1950's but details are as follows for regional charts. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Radio CKY (Winnipeg) Southern Manitoba, including Brandon, Top 50 | Year | Highest Position | TITLE | - |
| 1956 | 1 | Be-Bop-A-Lula | - |
| 1957 | 7 | Lotta Lovin' | - |
| 1957 | 28 | Dance To The Bop | - |
| Radio CHUM (Toronto) Top 50 weekly | Date | Highest Position | Weeks on Chart | TITLE |
| Sept. '57 | 2 | 11 | Lotta Lovin' |
| Jan. '58 | 6 | 6 | Dance to The Bop |
| (No charts prior to 1957 so Be-Bop-A-Lula and others not listed.) | |||
| EATON'S OF
CANADA Based on sales at this chain of stores.A Top 40 Monthly | |||
| Date | Highest Position | Weeks on Chart | TITLE |
| Nov. '57 | 26 | 1 | Lotta Lovin' |
| This is the only chart my informant has - could have been/gone higher, also other discs could have been listed. | |||
| CHART
POSITIONS: OTHER COUNTRIES | |
|---|---|
| SWEDEN | "BE-BOP-A-LULA '62" featured in
the National Top 10 in 1962-63, reaching Number 2. I was also informed that "LOTTA LOVIN" reached Number 2 "On EP". |
| FINLAND | "BE-BOP-A-LULA '62" reached
Number 7 in a Finnish Top Ten Chart reproduced in "BILLBOARD" in October 1963. (Could have been/gonehigher?). |
| FRANCE | There were Charts in the early
1960's in both "JUKEBOX" Magazine ("Best Sellers Top Ten") and "DISCO REVUE" ("Le Gout des Rockers"- EP Tracksand Singles, also a "TOP FIFTY" Long Playing Album Chart). We have reliably been informed that a number of Gene's records charted, but have no further details. |
| BELGIUM AND WEST GERMANY | No Gene Vincent records charted though quite a number were released and sold well. |
| NETHERLANDS | No chart until 1957; ditto as
Belgium/West Germany. Prior to 1957 there was a list of "HIT" records for the year and in 1956 "BE-BOP-A- LULA" was listed. |
| JAPAN | A
reliable source informed me that Gene had two hits-
"BE-BOP-A-LULA" and "MISTER LONELINESS". Also that "SAY MAMA", which came out around the record breaking Tour in 1959, sold well. |
| SOUTH AFRICA | There was a Chart and "BE-BOP-A-LULA" featured; no other details. |