Monday, June 24, 2024

PEAK MUSIC 1978 - Saturday Night Fever vs. Grease

 The evolution on how Americans consumed music

 

1964-1970

AM Radio, Vinyl Records, Ed Sullivan, American Bandstand, Concerts

1971-1980

FM Radio, Vinyl Records, Midnight Special, Don Kirshner Rock Concerts, AM Radio, 8 track cassettes

1981-1990

FM Radio, 8 track cassettes, MTV, Concerts, AM Radio, VH1, Vinyl Records,  Solid Gold

1991-2000

Total Request Live (MTV),  FM Radio, CD, VH1, Concerts, Late Night Shows. 

2001-2010

CD, VH1, You Tube,  MP3 player (I don't even know what this is), Apple, IPhone, IPod, FM Radio

2011 on Streaming, Apple, IPhone, Youtube, FM Radio

Some Thoughts: Music videos on MTV died by the early 2000s………Appearing on Ed Sullivan in the 1960s was the crème de la crème…..talks shows, news etc took over AM Radio by the early 1980s…..I think MTV and downloading Apple music were the 2 biggest cultural changes in the last 60 years……In 2003, Concerts were a dying industry but what eventually saved them was the IPhone, so that anyone who went to a Concert could record their experience.


1978 – Saturday Night Fever vs. Grease

Bee Gees – 3 top 10 hits with two number ones including "Stayin Alive"

Olivia Newton John – 4 top 5 hits including 2 duets with John Trovolta

Andy Gibb – 3 top ten hits. Including No 1 "Shadow Dancing"

Rolling Stones – 2 Top ten hits. Including No 1 "Miss You"

Billy Joel – 3 top 20 hits but surprisingly one of them was not "Only the Good Die Young" which peaked at 24 (but it seems like that is his signature hit that is still played a lot on the radio today.

 

 

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles

5th Dimension

4 Seasons

Supremes

Rolling Stones

Monkees

Gary Pucket

3 Dog Night

Supremes

Rolling Stones

Frank Sinatra

Supremes

Simon & Garfunkel

Elvis Presley

Bobby Vinton

Herman Hermits

Beach Boys

Rascals

Aretha Franklin

The Beatles

Johnny Rivers

Byrds

Monkees

The Doors

Supremes

Rolling Stones

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

Jackson 5

Osmonds

3 Dog Night

Stevie Wonder

Elton John

John Denver

The Beatles

Marvin Gaye

Micheal Jackson

Elton John

John Denver

Elton John

Simon & Garfunkel

Temptations

5th Dimension

Paul Simon

Newton John

Eagles

3 Dog Night

Jackson 5

Don McLean

Wings

Wings

Sunshine Band

Guess Who

3 Dog Night

Moody Blues

Rolling Stones

Chicago

Starship

1976

1977

1978

 

1980

1981

Captain Tennille

Fleetwood Mac

Bee Gees

 

 

 

Elton John

Eagles

Newton John

 

 

 

Aerosmith

Foreigner

Andy Gibb

 

 

 

Wings

Sunshine Band

Rolling Stones

 

 

 

4 Seasons

B. Manilow

Billy Joel

 

 

 

1 comment:

  1. I'm sure that the chart fortunes of "Only The Good Die Young" were hampered by the perception that its lyrics were controversial, either that they might have hinted too strongly at sex or might be perceived as anti-Catholic.

    No arguments here. The Bee Gees had a mind-blowing year, topped up to this point only by the Beatles and Elvis.

    ReplyDelete