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Popular unpopular bands. I am always interested in those second division bands whose name you’d see in the music press twice a year, who toured all the time but never enjoyed big enough sales for chart success, but it was a guaranteed great gig.
One such band was Ace, Paul Carrack's band. They were actually the very first band I saw live. It was at Middlesbrough Town Hall, though I can barely remember it. I recall I was a bit intimidated by being out at night in the adult world. Of course they had one big hit single in ‘How Long’ a #3 in America and #20 in the UK. But aside from the follow up ‘Rock n Roll Runaway’ making #71 in America, that was it for single success. None of their albums charted in UK, though 5-A-Side, the debut, made #11 stateside on the back of How Long. Time for Another and No Strings made #153 and #170 but that was all. Yet they were a great band, playing a kind of melodic American-style soft rock and obviously had a great singer.
Another much-loved UK band that didn’t do any UK business was the Climax Blues Band, who had a #10 with ‘Couldn’t Get It Right’ and one charting album in 1976 with Gold Plated. America was more welcoming with 9 charting records, the best of which was also Gold Plated at #27. 1974’s Sense Of Direction made #37 but everything else made #197 to #69 for The Stamp Album. Yet, they were a fine blues / R&B band who started life as The Climax Chicago Blues Band. I love FM Live a double live album of a radio broadcast and Shine On 1978’s album
Bands that deserved to be hugely popular but somehow didn’t come classier than Badfinger who had two top ten singles and one top ten and a #73. They were in the top 10 in America too. Come And Get It written and produced by Paul McCartney could easily be a Beatles outtake but No Matter What was also Beatlesesque and was written by Pete Ham of the band. Day After Day was another classic played on and co-produced by George Harrison and Todd Rundgren. But album success eluded them in the UK and though they had 8 charting USA albums, only No Dice #28 went top 30. They produced fantastic, melodic music but were unable to make much impression in the UK beyond the hits.
Another stellar talent deprived of UK chart action, if not in America, is Joe Walsh. For such a high profile musician, it may surprise you to learn that only But Seriously, Folks… and You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind charted at #16 and #28, the former on the back of the #14 Life’s Been Good. It was the opposite in America where every album charted and The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get was a #6. The Rocky Mountain Way E.P. did make #39 in the UK but great albums like So What? And Barnstorm, were weirdly ignored.
One of the most influential groups in the UK, Fairport Convention, who can claim to be the folk-rock originators where only moderately successful in this country with top ten albums like Angel Delight which got to #8. Full House, Liege And Lief and Unhalfbricking also charted out of over 30 albums, but America didn’t want to know, despite embracing odd English folk-influenced music with Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant.
Finally, the Flying Burrito Brothers who, in some way mirror Fairport. The never sold a bean here, though were critically successful, in USA they had three hit albums in the 100’s, Flying Again being the most successful at #138. Loads of incarnations released records to no chart action. Yet they were so influential in the development of country rock in the same way Fairport was to folk-rock.
