List of one-hit wonders on the UK Albums Chart
Encyclopedia
The UK Albums Chart
is a weekly record chart
based on album sales from Sunday to Saturday in the United Kingdom. It listed only physical
album sales until 2007, after which it also included albums sold digitally
. The chart is currently compiled by The Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the UK music industry, and each week's new number one is first announced on Sunday evenings by BBC Radio 1
on their weekly chart show
.
The definition of a "One-hit wonder", as given by the reference text British Hit Singles & Albums, is any act that achieves a number one on the UK Album Chart and no other Top 40 entry. Since the album chart was first published on 28 July 1956, fifteen different acts have reached number one and had no other Top 40 entries. Artists who have topped the album chart as solo artists but also charted as members of groups (such as Holly Johnson
and Brandon Flowers
) are exempted.
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
is a weekly record chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
based on album sales from Sunday to Saturday in the United Kingdom. It listed only physical
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
album sales until 2007, after which it also included albums sold digitally
Digital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
. The chart is currently compiled by The Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the UK music industry, and each week's new number one is first announced on Sunday evenings by BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
on their weekly chart show
The Radio 1 Chart Show
The Radio 1 Chart Show is a music radio programme broadcast by BBC Radio 1 on Sunday afternoons. It is Radio 1's long-running chart show and airs between 4:00pm and 7:00pm...
.
The definition of a "One-hit wonder", as given by the reference text British Hit Singles & Albums, is any act that achieves a number one on the UK Album Chart and no other Top 40 entry. Since the album chart was first published on 28 July 1956, fifteen different acts have reached number one and had no other Top 40 entries. Artists who have topped the album chart as solo artists but also charted as members of groups (such as Holly Johnson
Holly Johnson
Holly Johnson is an English artist, writer and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and former bassist for Big in Japan.- Big in Japan :...
and Brandon Flowers
Brandon Flowers
Brandon Richard Flowers is an American musician, best known as the frontman of the Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. He has also released a solo album titled Flamingo.-Early life:...
) are exempted.
One-hit wonders
| Artist | Album | Record label | Reached number one | Weeks at number one | Notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freddy Cannon Freddy Cannon Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr. , known as Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singer, whose biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans", and "Palisades Park".-Biography:... |
The Explosive Freddy Cannon The Explosive Freddy Cannon The Explosive! Freddy Cannon was the first and only number 1 album in the UK for Freddy Cannon. It spent one week at number 1 and was the first number 1 album in the UK of the 1960s.It became Freddy's only hit album in the UK.-Track listing:... |
Top Rank | 1 | The first rock and roll Rock and roll Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music... singer to top the UK Albums Chart |
||
| Neil Reid Neil Reid Neil Reid is a Scottish former child singing star, winner of ITV's Opportunity Knocks, and the holder of the title youngest person to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart.... |
Neil Reid Neil Reid (album) Neil Reid is the first album, only number 1 and only top 40 album for Scottish Opportunity Knocks winner, Neil Reid.-Tracklisting:#You're The Cream In My Coffee#On The Sunny Side Of The Street #Peg O' My Heart #Ye Banks And Braes #Happy Heart... |
Decca Decca Records Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades.... |
3 | Winner of the 1971 series of Opportunity Knocks. The youngest person ever to top the album chart. Follow-up album Smile peaked at number 47 | ||
| Johnny Hates Jazz Johnny Hates Jazz Johnny Hates Jazz is an Anglo-American Pop/Rock band, formed in 1986 by Clark Datchler , Mike Nocito , and Calvin Hayes... |
Turn Back the Clock | Virgin Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny... |
1 | Follow-up album Tall Stories failed to make the Top 75 | ||
| The Farm The Farm (band) The Farm were a British band from Liverpool, popular through the early 1990s. Their album Spartacus reached the top position on the UK Albums Chart when it was released in March, 1991.-History:They formed in early 1983.... |
Spartacus Spartacus (The Farm album) Spartacus is the 1991 debut album of Liverpool-based pop group The Farm, released in April 1991 in the height of Madchester. It reached number one in the UK album chart, staying there for a week... |
Produce | 1 | Follow-up albums failed to make the Top 75 | ||
| Chaka Demus & Pliers Chaka Demus & Pliers Chaka Demus & Pliers are a Jamaican reggae duo made up of deejay Chaka Demus and singer Pliers, best known for their hit "Tease Me".They had more commercial success with mainstream pop fans after their collaboration in the early 1990s, that either ever had in their solo careers.-Career:Both artists... |
Tease Me | Mango | 2 | Had originally peaked at number 26 in July 1993, before being rereleased and topping the chart in January 1994 | ||
| Steve Brookstein Steve Brookstein Steve Brookstein is an English jazz and soul singer, who rose to fame in the UK in 2004 after winning the first series of The X Factor... |
Heart and Soul Heart and Soul (Steve Brookstein album) Heart and Soul is the debut album from X Factor winner Steve Brookstein, released in May 2005. It was released only several months after his X Factor win and therefore he opted to produce a record of cover songs of classic soul and jazz songs, including "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and his debut... |
Syco | 1 | Winner of the 2004 series of The X Factor The X Factor (UK) The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date... . Follow-up album 40,000 Things failed to make the Top 75 |
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| Journey South Journey South Journey South are an English singing duo, consisting of brothers Andy and Carl Pemberton. They are originally from Middlesbrough, Teesside, and performed in pubs and clubs throughout the United Kingdom for over eight years, prior to achieving third place on the second UK series of television talent... |
Journey South Journey South (album) Journey South is the eponymous debut album from The X Factor UK series 2 finalists Journey South. It was released on 20 March 2006 and entered the UK Album Chart on 26 March 2006 at number one, selling 216,000 copies in its first week.... |
Syco | 1 | Third place in the 2005 series of The X Factor The X Factor (UK) The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date... . Follow-up album Home Home (Journey South album) Home is the second album from The X Factor UK series 2 finalists Journey South. It was released in 2007 .The album charted at number 42 on the UK albums chart with sales of 5,120.-Track listing:# "Gone One Day" - 3:35... peaked at number 43 |
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| Ray Quinn Ray Quinn Raymond Arthur "Ray" Quinn is an English actor, singer, and dancer. He finished second in talent show The X Factor in 2006, and won the 2009 series of Dancing on Ice. He also appeared as victimised teenager Anthony Murray in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside... |
Doing It My Way | Syco | 1 | Runner-up in the 2006 series of The X Factor The X Factor (UK) The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date... |
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| The Ting Tings The Ting Tings The Ting Tings are an English music duo comprising Jules de Martino and Katie White . They formed in December 2007 while based at Islington Mill Studios in Salford... |
We Started Nothing We Started Nothing We Started Nothing is the debut album by the English New Wave duo The Ting Tings. It was released by the Columbia Label Group on 19 May 2008 in the United Kingdom. The US edition has a different cover image in several background colours.... |
Columbia Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... |
1 | |||
| Alexandra Burke Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008... |
Overcome Overcome (Alexandra Burke album) Overcome is the debut studio album by British pop/R&B singer Alexandra Burke, released October 19, 2009 on Syco Music. The release of the album came a year after Burke won the British talent show, The X Factor, with the recording process taking place between 2008 and 2009... |
Syco | 1 | Winner of the 2008 series The X Factor (UK series 5) The fifth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in 2008. The series started on 16 August and was won by Alexandra Burke on 13 December, with new judge Cheryl Cole emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April/May, with callbacks in front of the judges... of The X Factor The X Factor (UK) The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date... |
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| Ellie Goulding Ellie Goulding Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding is an English singer-songwriter. In 2010 she became only the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of... poll, and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008... |
Lights Lights (Ellie Goulding album) Lights is the debut studio album by English recording artist Ellie Goulding. It was released in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2010 by Polydor Records. Produced by Starsmith, Frankmusik, Fraser T. Smith and Richard Stannard, the album received mostly positive reviews from music critics... |
Polydor Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... |
1 | |||
| Diana Vickers Diana Vickers Diana Vickers is an English singer-songwriter, stage actress and fashion designer who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on the fifth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2008... |
Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Upon its release, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree generated mixed reviews from music critics. Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy awarded the album five out of five stars, stating that Vickers and her collaborators "have crafted an album that's drenched in accessible pop melodies while never sacrificing... |
RCA RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
1 | Fourth place in the 2008 series The X Factor (UK series 5) The fifth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in 2008. The series started on 16 August and was won by Alexandra Burke on 13 December, with new judge Cheryl Cole emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April/May, with callbacks in front of the judges... of The X Factor The X Factor (UK) The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date... |
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| Tinie Tempah Tinie Tempah Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu , better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He made his first mixtape in 2007 with 28 songs, freestyles and remixes, the album features Mz Bratt, Chipmunk and G-Unit... |
Disc-Overy Disc-Overy Upon its release, Disc-Overy received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, based on 16 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".-Track... |
Parlophone Parlophone Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which... |
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| Bruno Mars Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age... |
Doo-Wops & Hooligans Doo-Wops & Hooligans Doo-Wops & Hooligans is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, released on October 4, 2010. Mars' writing and production team The Smeezingtons were credited with writing all songs and serve as the album's executive producers... |
Elektra Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |
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| Nero Nero (band) Nero are an electronic music act from London, England consisting of Daniel Stephens and Joe Ray. Alana Watson provides vocals on many of the duo's songs, though she is not officially a band member. On 6 December 2010, Nero were announced as nominees for the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll.-History:Nero... |
Welcome Reality Welcome Reality Welcome Reality is the first album by UK dubstep act Nero. A concept album, it was released in Ireland on 12 August 2011 and the rest of the world on 15 August 2011 except Australia and New Zealand which was released on 19 August 2011 on Chase & Status's MTA Records.-Singles:*"Innocence" was the... |
MTA | 1 | |||
| Ed Sheeran Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter who is currently signed to Asylum / Atlantic Records. Sheeran broke through commercially in June 2011, when his debut single "The A Team" debuted at number 3 on the UK chart.-Early life:Sheeran was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire to... |
+ | Asylum Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen, and partner Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked as agents at the William Morris Agency. Founded specifically to provide a record contract for Jackson Browne, the label signed Tom Waits, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell... |
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See also
- List of best-selling albums in the United Kingdom
- List of Christmas number one albums (UK)
- List of number-one albums (UK)
- List of one-hit wonders on the UK Official Download Chart
- List of one-hit wonders on the UK Singles Chart
External links
- Official UK Albums Top 100 at The Official UK Charts CompanyThe Official UK Charts CompanyThe Official Charts Company , previously called the Chart Information Network and then The Official UK Charts Company, compiles various "official" UK record charts, including the UK Singles Chart, the UK Albums Chart, and the UK Official Download Chart, as well as genre-specific and music video...
- The Official UK Top 40 Albums Chart at BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
- The Official UK Top 75 albums at Yahoo! Music Radio