1978 in British music
This is a summary of 1978 in music in the United Kingdom.
| 1970s in music in the UK |
| Events |
|---|
| By location |
|---|
| By genre |
| By topic |
|
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
Events
- 14 January - The Sex Pistols played their final show (until a reunion in 1996).
- 24 January - Wings' "Mull of Kintyre" made No.1 for its ninth (and final) week - becoming the biggest-selling single in UK history at that point.
- 25 January - Electric Light Orchestra kicked off their Out of the Blue world tour in Honolulu, Hawaii.
- 11 March - Kate Bush became the first female solo artist to reach number one in the UK charts with a self-written song ("Wuthering Heights").
- 30 April - The Clash, Tom Robinson Band, Steel Pulse, X-Ray Spex, the Ruts, Misty in Roots and Generation X all play live in Victoria Park, Hackney at the Anti-Nazi League/Rock Against Racism festival, following a march from Trafalgar Square.
- 25 May - The Who played their last show with Keith Moon.
- 30 July – Thin Lizzy officially announced that Gary Moore had replaced Brian Robertson on guitar.
- 18 August - The Who released their eighth studio Who Are You. It is The Who's last album with Keith Moon as the drummer; Moon died twenty days after the release of this album.
- September - Second anti-racism event staged in Brockwell Park, South London, featuring Elvis Costello, Stiff Little Fingers & Aswad, with 150,000 attending.
- 27 November - Def Leppard's permanent drummer Rick Allen joined the band at the age of 15.
- The Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever became the biggest-selling album of all time (until overtaken in 1983).
- First BBC Young Musician of the Year competition for classical players won by trombonist Michael Hext.
- Operatic contralto Helen Watts is appointed a CBE.
- Multitone Records is founded by Pranil Gohil and specializing in bhangra style music.
Charts
Number one singles
| Date | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 7 January | "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" | Wings |
| 14 January | ||
| 21 January | ||
| 28 January | ||
| 4 February | "Uptown Top Ranking" | Althea & Donna |
| 11 February | "Figaro" | Brotherhood of Man |
| 18 February | "Take a Chance on Me" | ABBA |
| 25 February | ||
| 4 March | ||
| 11 March | "Wuthering Heights" | Kate Bush |
| 18 March | ||
| 25 March | ||
| 1 April | ||
| 8 April | "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" | Brian and Michael |
| 15 April | ||
| 22 April | ||
| 29 April | "Night Fever" | Bee Gees |
| 6 May | ||
| 13 May | "Rivers of Babylon" | Boney M |
| 20 May | ||
| 27 May | ||
| 3 June | ||
| 10 June | ||
| 17 June | "You're the One That I Want" | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John |
| 24 June | ||
| 1 July | ||
| 8 July | ||
| 15 July | ||
| 22 July | ||
| 29 July | ||
| 5 August | ||
| 12 August | ||
| 19 August | "Three Times a Lady" | The Commodores |
| 26 August | ||
| 2 September | ||
| 9 September | ||
| 16 September | ||
| 23 September | "Dreadlock Holiday" | 10cc |
| 30 September | "Summer Nights" | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John |
| 7 October | ||
| 14 October | ||
| 21 October | ||
| 28 October | ||
| 4 November | ||
| 11 November | ||
| 18 November | "Rat Trap" | The Boomtown Rats |
| 25 November | ||
| 2 December | "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" | Rod Stewart |
| 9 December | "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" | Boney M |
| 16 December | ||
| 23 December | ||
| 30 December | ||
Number one albums
| Date | Album | Artist | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 January | Disco Fever | Various Artists | 2 |
| 14 January | |||
| 21 January | The Sound of Bread | Bread | 1 |
| 28 January | Rumours | Fleetwood Mac | 1 |
| 4 February | The Album | ABBA | 7 |
| 11 February | |||
| 18 February | |||
| 25 February | |||
| 4 March | |||
| 11 March | |||
| 18 March | |||
| 25 March | 20 Golden Greats | Buddy Holly and The Crickets | 3 |
| 1 April | |||
| 8 April | |||
| 15 April | 20 Golden Greats | Nat 'King' Cole | 3 |
| 22 April | |||
| 29 April | |||
| 6 May | Saturday Night Fever | Original Soundtrack | 18 |
| 13 May | |||
| 20 May | |||
| 27 May | |||
| 3 June | |||
| 10 June | |||
| 17 June | |||
| 24 June | |||
| 1 July | |||
| 8 July | |||
| 15 July | |||
| 22 July | |||
| 29 July | |||
| 5 August | |||
| 12 August | |||
| 19 August | |||
| 26 August | |||
| 2 September | |||
| 9 September | Nightflight to Venus | Boney M | 4 |
| 16 September | |||
| 23 September | |||
| 30 September | |||
| 7 October | Grease | Original Soundtrack | 13 |
| 14 October | |||
| 21 October | |||
| 28 October | |||
| 4 November | |||
| 11 November | |||
| 18 November | |||
| 25 November | |||
| 2 December | |||
| 9 December | |||
| 16 December | |||
| 23 December | |||
| 30 December | |||
Year-end charts
The tables below include sales between 31 December 1977 and 30 December 1978: the year-end charts reproduced in the issue of Music Week dated 23 December 1978 and played on Radio 1 on 31 December 1978 only include sales figures up until 16 December 1978.
Best-selling singles
Best-selling albums
Notes:
- Reached number 1 in 1979
- Reached number 4 in 1977
- Reached number 5 in 1979
- Reached number 1 in 1979
- Reached number 9 in 1981
- Reached number 1 in 1976
- Reached number 1 in 1979
- Reached number 3 in 1977
- Reached number 1 in 1976
Classical music: new works
- Malcolm Arnold - Symphony No. 8
- Peter Maxwell Davies - Symphony no. 1
- Daniel Jones - String Quartet No 4
- Malcolm Williamson
- Azure
- Fiesta
Film and Incidental music
- Tony Banks - The Shout, starring Alan Bates, Susannah York and John Hurt.
- Roy Budd - The Wild Geese.
- Ron Goodwin - Force 10 from Navarone directed by Guy Hamilton, starring Robert Shaw and Edward Fox.
- Ed Welch - The Thirty Nine Steps, starring Robert Powell.
Births
- 1 January - Tarik O'Regan, composer
- 3 January - Luke Manning, co-founder of Mostar Records
- 15 January - Sandi Lee Hughes, singer (allSTARS*)
- 13 February - Hamish Glencross, Scottish guitarist
- 14 February - Ryan Griffiths (The Vines)
- 22 February - Jenny Frost, singer (Atomic Kitten)
- 6 April - Myleene Klass, singer (Hear'Say), radio and TV presenter
- 7 April - Duncan James, singer (Blue)
- 9 April - Rachel Stevens, singer (S Club 7)
- 28 April - Lauren Laverne, singer, radio DJ and TV presenter
- 4 May - Matthew Rose, bass
- 22 May - Jordan, model and would-be singer
- 6 June - Sophie Solomon, violinist
- 27 June - Lolly, singer
- 4 July - Stephen McNally, English singer-songwriter (BBMak)
- 15 September - David Sneddon, singer-songwriter
- 9 October - Nicky Byrne, Irish singer (Westlife)
- 27 November - Mike Skinner, rapper, musician and record producer
- 18 December - Lindsay Armaou, Greek-born Irish-based singer (B*Witched)
Deaths
- 11 January - William John Edwards, Cerdd Dant singer (b. 1898)
- 15 January - Jack Jackson, trumpeter, bandleader and radio disc jockey (b. 1906)
- 24 February - Mrs Mills, pianist (b. 1918)
- 9 March - L. Radley Flynn, singer and actor (b. 1902)
- 12 March - Tolchard Evans, songwriter, composer, pianist and bandleader (b. 1901)
- 3 April - Ray Noble, composer and bandleader (b. 1903)
- 21 April - Sandy Denny, singer (Fairport Convention) (b. 1947) (cerebral haemorrhage)
- 14 August - Victor Silvester, dance band leader (b. 1900)
- 7 September
- Keith Moon, drummer for The Who (b. 1946) (Clomethiazole overdose)
- Charles Williams, composer (b. 1893)
- 15 September - Robert Bruce Montgomery, composer (b. 1921)
- 13 November - W. S. Gwynn Williams, musician and composer (b. 1896)
See also
References
- Scaping, Peter, ed. (1979). "Top 200 Singles in 1978". BPI Year Book 1979 (4th ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 186–89. ISBN 0-906154-02-2.
- Scaping (1979). "Top 200 LPs in 1978". pp. 182–85.
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