Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Blog
    Blog 4 Mins Read

    The Singles Boom

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    There were always more differences between albums and singles than just the price and size. Singles, by tradition, carried the vital new ideas of music, while albums collated the successes and consolidated the ideas.

    Up until The Beatles‘ Sergeant Peppers LP in 1967, albums were rarely more than a means of assembling an artists most recent two or three singles along with some (usually sub-standard) filler.

    Their price and lack of immediate impact rendered them suitable for birthday gifts and parties (in houses without an automatic changer!). After all, who really cared what album House of the Rising Sun was on? Living In A Child’s Dream was never on any album.

    Pepper gave the 12 inch vinyl form a new credibility. It stood as a creative entity in itself, with flow, structure and concept. With this lead (and a new economic situation) artists began stretching their talents to twelve tracks instead of one.

    In the case of The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Who and certain others, it was a freedom well used. But for many lesser talents it was an excuse to unleash rivers of self-indulgent garbage.

    singles2Gradually and inevitably, the succinct art of the perfectly-crafted three minute power punch dissipated, and singles became little more than a trailer for an album. Not surprisingly, pop radio at this point was at its lowest, dullest ebb. Gone was the exhilarating ‘song’ – made as a single and intended as a single.

    Record companies now took a six minute cut from an album, edited it down to three minutes and were moderately pleased if radio played it.

    The advent of the New Music in 1976 challenged the state of the industry by returning artistic focus to the 45. Anarchy In The UK was, like My Generation, an anthem single, a song, a brief statement of anger.

    The British singles boom was a reaction against three things – the moving of albums out of the financial reach of the working class, the forsaking of excitement and imagination for formula and slick production, and the refusal of major labels to sign radical ‘new wave’ acts.

    Small independent labels began to appear in Britain. The two initial leaders were Chiswick (formed by Rock On oldies record-store proprietor Ted Carroll), and Stiff (founded by rock managers Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera, with a loan from Dr Feelgood).

    Without the distribution might of the major labels, these brash beginners joined in the establishment of an efficient store-supply system throughout a good part of the British Isles.

    ‘Indie’ distributors such as Rough Trade and Bizarre, and mail-order specialists such as Small Wonder, were soon able to ensure sales of up to 30,000 for quality new wave singles – without the aid of chart placing or airplay. By comparison, American indie singles were lucky to move 7,000 units in a country with four times the population.

    Like a poison ivy rash, indie labels spread throughout England; Beggars Banquet, Spy, 2-Tone, Criminal, Enigma, Fast, Mute, Bent and literally hundreds of other tiny labels rose to meet the demand for inexpensive records of the thousands of new bands running rampage throughout the country.

    Other established (but imaginative) labels such as Virgin, Island and Chrysalis swung the thrust of their operations into the singles area as well.

    The result was without precedent. Thousands upon thousands of singles by relatively unknown acts flooded into selected shops, and they were often a little more than just 7 inches of black vinyl in a plain paper sleeve.

    In order to stimulate the market, record companies (big and small) introduced every gimmick imaginable.

    singles

    Suddenly there were coloured vinyl, speckled vinyl, 6 inch discs, 5 inch flexidiscs, concert giveaway-only discs, triangle shaped discs, one-sided 12 inch singles, 12 inch picture disc singles, singles released in five different colours, singles with rare live tracks on the flip side, singles deliberately pressed in quantities of no more than 100, demo tracks pressed to disc for reviewers only, 12 inch live versions of 7 inch studio singles, picture sleeves and whatever else the ingenious labels could dream up.

    Radio and the charts could not ignore the singles phenomena forever, and around 1978 there were regular hits by indie singles. Stiff’s Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick(by Ian Dury) actually sold a million copies and, as if in proud affirmation of the supremacy of singles, was never issued on an album.

    Within a few years, Stiff had evolved from a cheapo enthusiasts operation to a label that easily rivalled the major corporations.

    Having risen from virtual extinction in the early 70s to a position of supreme power in the late 70s, the single boom was to be short-lived, its demise hastened by the advent of the compact disc in the 1980s.

    Related Posts

    • Jim Keays of Oz rock legends Masters Apprentices has died
      Jim Keays of Oz rock legends Masters Apprentices has died
      13 June 2014 Jim Keays, who helped kick off garage rock in Australia and then helped transform the Masters Apprentices…
    • Easybeats guitarist George Young dead at 70
      Easybeats guitarist George Young dead at 70
      23 October 2017 George Young, guitarist in the Sixties band The Easybeats and co-producer on AC/DC's first five albums, has…
    • Punk Rock: Its Day Will Come
      Punk Rock: Its Day Will Come
      If you thought Jefferson Airplane was a weird name, let some of these drop off your tongue. Talking Heads. Tuff…
    • The Beatles US Tour 1964
      The Beatles US Tour 1964
      "We want The Beatles, we want The Beatles" was the cry that drowned out the noise of the jet airliners…
    • The Beatles Rooftop Concert (1969)
      The Beatles Rooftop Concert (1969)
      30 January 1969 The Beatles made their last ever live appearance together on 30 January 1969, putting on a free…
    • 40 Things That Only Happen in Movies
      40 Things That Only Happen in Movies
      01. It is always possible to find a parking spot directly outside or opposite the building you are visiting. 02.…
    • The Sherbet Seventies
      The Sherbet Seventies
      1 9 6 8 The original Sherbet lineup emerged from the ashes of two Sydney bands, The Downtown Roll Band…
    • Dapto Leagues Club in the 60s, 70s and 80s
      Dapto Leagues Club in the 60s, 70s and 80s
      Dapto Leagues Club was formed on 12 July 1955 at a public meeting in Mr Jim Timbs' Billiard Rooms in…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleHammer Horror – A House in the Country
    Next Article Ruth Rendell Mysteries

    Comments are closed.

    A Labour of Love

    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love for me since 1998.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small – to help me with the running costs of the site and ensure I can keep Nostalgia Central running for your entertainment and education.

    Thank you so much, and please enjoy your trip in the time machine!
    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Reluctant Dragon & Mr Toad Show, The
      1 9 7 0 – 1 9 7 2 (USA) 17 x 30 minute episodes This […]
    • Cars in the 1990s
      With sales of new cars down in 1990 by over 5%, the time seemed […]
    • Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
      Rubber-faced comedian Jim Carrey returned to the screen as the […]
    • Prince
      His name was Prince, then it wasn’t, then it was again. […]
    • Bonny!
      1 9 7 4 (UK) 10 x 25 minute episodes BBC Scotland produced this […]
    • Bobby Vinton
      After US Army service, band leader’s son Bobby Vinton put […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-65006801 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Terry Hall: Coventry scooter ride-out pays tribute to singer

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Hundreds of people ride through Coventry on what would have been the singer's 64th birthday.
    21 hours ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 11
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    metro.co.uk/2023/03/13/the-whos-roger-daltrey-thinks-theres-no-point-releasing-an-album-18434779/ ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    The Who's Roger Daltrey thinks there's 'no point' releasing another album

    metro.co.uk

    Bad luck.
    1 day ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64963359 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Sir Michael Caine's first Rolls Royce sells at Duxford for £120K

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The Italian Job actor hired a chauffeur to drive the 1968 Silver Shadow, with its doors still intact.
    5 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 2
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64900348 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mystic Meg: Astrologer dies aged 80

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The TV star, whose real name was Margaret Lake, was a well-known TV figure in the 1990s.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Do you think she know it eas going to happen

    PlayTalk Teletext (1976) | BFI Replay

    Talk Teletext (1976) | BFI Replay ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 7
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Gary Rossington: Lynyrd Skynyrd's last founding member dies aged 71.
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Gary Rossington: Lynyrd Skynyrd's last founding member dies aged 71

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Guitarist Gary Rossington had survived a 1977 air crash that killed several of his bandmates.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 2
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    What a talented man. Lucky enough to see original band in concert. BRILLIANT.

    Rest in peace Dickie Davies. An absolute giant of British sports broadcasting.

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Dickie Davies, World of Sport presenter, dies at 94

    www.theguardian.com

    The broadcaster became something of a cult figure after fronting the ITV show for 20 years
    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Yes, one of the great presenters. R.I.P.

    For fans of the radio series Round The Horne (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. Some of the humour is still pretty close to the edge, even by modern standards. Bona! 

https://open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA

    For fans of the radio series "Round The Horne" (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. Some of the humour is still pretty "close to the edge", even by modern standards. Bona!

    open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA
    ... See MoreSee Less

    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 12
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    For those interested, the complete “Jules and Sandy” is available on Audible…

    Bona to vada your jolly old eek. Lovely riah....

    RIP the beautiful Stella Stevens, who has died at the age of 84.

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Stella Stevens: Nutty Professor and Poseidon Adventure star dies at 84

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The co-star of Elvis Presley also worked in TV on series such as Murder She Wrote and Magnum, P.I.
    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    A very young Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison and friends. 

If they only knew what lay ahead . . .

    A very young Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison and friends.

    If they only knew what lay ahead . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 18
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    I always hated the Beatles, and as it happens I still do.

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Tag Cloud
    1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games British Invasion Britpop Bubblegum music Canada Civil rights Cold War Computer games Crime Disc Jockeys Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Folk rock Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen James Bond JFK Kraütrock Labels Madchester Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave New Zealand Nixon Northern Soul NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Politics Power Pop Prog rock Pub rock Punk Radio Reggae Rolling Stones Scotland Ska Ska revival Skiffle Soul music Space Race Sport Surf music Video games Vietnam war
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.