tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85728722011-12-14T03:57:23.042ZIn January 2005 I embarked on a quest to collect the first 1000 UK Number One singles. This is what happened.Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.comBlogger441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-9510810626365453622007-11-01T19:38:00.000Z2007-11-01T19:39:34.642Z

Wow, it's been nearly a year since I even posted here.Really hoping to get back to this soon...

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1163678983117563072006-11-16T12:06:00.000Z2007-01-16T23:02:31.700Z

Just a quick post to apologise for the lack of updates recently. Various personal circumstances have prevented me from keeping up the Number One activity over the last few months. Rest assured, however, that the quest continues, and I'm hoping to make some further progress at some point before Christmas.

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1157916431150621462006-09-10T20:23:00.000+01:002006-09-24T21:56:16.180+01:00

Seb from the Resplendents had given me Afroman’s Because I Got High as a birthday present, and I had picked up a copy of Sailor by Petula Clark at the world’s smallest car boot sale, but my quest was progressing slowly because of other commitments.My cousin Carolyn’s wedding provided an opportunity to put things right. I was in Elgin with a couple of hours to kill between breakfast and the

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1154546501015862032006-08-02T20:11:00.000+01:002006-09-02T11:20:53.513+01:00

Jo from the Resplendents had raided her Mum’s record collection for potential additions to the collection and come up with a 7” of In The Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus) by Zager & Evans. This kind gift inspired me to take a walk to Headingley on a sunny day to see what the old favourites had to offer.Before the old, however, came the new. My first stop was the recently-opened RSPCA shop. I

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1150034184383405522006-06-11T14:52:00.000+01:002006-07-28T16:41:52.690+01:00

For a couple of days I was in the midst of a media frenzy. My quest had attracted the attention of BBC Radio Leeds, where I was interviewed by Bob Walmsley for the afternoon show. The following day it was the turn of the Yorkshire Evening Post, who ran an article alongside a typically posed photograph, depicting me surrounded by a number of 7” and CD singles.The picture was taken in my flat by

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1147720968485888622006-05-15T20:19:00.000+01:002006-06-01T19:30:16.726+01:00

I needed a pair of shoes to complete my stage outfit, so another trip into town was on the cards. After accomplishing my primary mission I decided to try a couple of shops whose chart-topper potential I had not yet tested.My first stop was Soul Alley. I had always thought this was a specialist dance shop, but I had been tipped off about the bargain bin by the cash desk, which would, I was told,

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1145985848687197072006-04-25T17:46:00.000+01:002006-05-09T17:34:14.396+01:00

I had never used Ebay before, though I had browsed the myriad goods on offer. It seemed like a good time to sign up and hunt for some of the older records on my list. I explored the appropriate section, pulled up a long list of 78s and began to investigate.It wasn’t long before I had identified a number of targets. I spent a little time trying to work out the complexities of the bidding system

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The Resplendents needed six matching suits on a tight budget, so I met Alex and Paul in town in order to investigate potential stage-wear. We visited every shop we could think of that might be able to cater for us and came away with a few suggestions to put to the rest of the band.After completing our research I persuaded the others to join me on the charity shop trail. We began with the

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1143228513969747052006-03-24T19:22:00.000Z2007-01-31T04:45:35.933Z

I had arranged a meeting at Leeds University and decided to follow it with some shopping. I boarded a bus to find myself surrounded by teenagers, and realised that it was the week of the half-term break, which somewhat put me off. The weather didn’t help matters. I emerged from my meeting into the cold wind and rain, and engaged in an internal dialogue about whether I should abandon my plans

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I had been with my bandmate Seb to Garforth to collect my Roland XP-10 keyboard, which had been in for repair. Having completed our Official Band Business, Seb suggested we visit his friend Clem to take a look at his keyboard.It is rare that I pass up an opportunity to tinkle on someone’s ivories, so I agreed and we drove to Clem’s flat. We arrived to find the place in utter chaos, as Clem was

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1141147412870696902006-02-28T17:19:00.000Z2006-03-01T10:33:39.266Z

It had taken me three and a half years to get round to registering with my local doctor, but the half hour I had to spend in the waiting room before my three minute appointment with the practice nurse was nevertheless irritating. There are few more depressing places to spend one’s time, even if, as in this case, there are no other patients sharing the experience.In order to cheer myself up I

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1140447472592693682006-02-20T14:55:00.000Z2006-02-28T12:55:28.463Z

I woke to find myself lying under my coat on a hard wooden floor. This was the accommodation provided by my friend Chris, in his Manchester flat, which I had gladly accepted the previous evening, in the knowledge that I would most likely be drunk enough not to care.My journey across the Pennines had been primarily because of Steven, an Australia-based ex-pat who I had not seen for several years.

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A year had passed since I embarked on my quest, and in that time I had almost made it to the halfway point, owning 435 Number One singles, 603 when including albums or re-releases. Meanwhile 26 more records had made it to the top of the charts.I was working on a song of my own and searching for lyrical inspiration, so I decided to take a stroll down to Headingley and take in the usual charity

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1137619561459232032006-01-18T21:21:00.000Z2006-02-20T16:16:09.026Z

I was back in Hexham for Christmas, and was doing some last minute shopping when I discovered the Relate shop, hidden away off the main drag where I had never noticed it before. I postponed my search for presents in order to investigate.This was a good choice, as in a dusty corner I found two dusty boxes full of dusty 7” singles, at a mere 20p apiece. They were, in the main, in poor shape, many

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1136748363635778422006-01-08T19:21:00.000Z2006-01-10T02:29:04.346Z

I was in Hexham to celebrate my niece Rosie’s birthday, and decided it was time to launch another assault on the town’s charity outlets. My mother was driving to the supermarket so I went with her and she accompanied me on my shopping trip.We started in the Cancer Research shop, where we found a handful of CD singles. The awful Bring It All Back completed my collection of S Club 7 Number Ones,

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1134930657289812872005-12-18T18:25:00.000Z2007-02-08T04:45:58.306Z

I had a guest in the shape of my friend Steve, visiting from London. He is rarely seen in Leeds, and as a result we woke on Saturday morning feeling less than healthy. Steve picked up my guitar and attempted to cure our hangovers with music, choosing to play House Of The Rising Sun. Sadly neither of us could remember the lyrics past the first verse, so we sang this repeatedly until we felt

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1133722970590519962005-12-04T18:59:00.000Z2006-03-21T00:59:57.490Z

My brother was having a clearout and found three Number Ones to donate to the cause. I was particularly pleased to lay my hands on Stan, Eminem’s finest moment, good enough that I can even bear to listen to Dido on it. Three Lions 98 by Baddiel & Skinner & The Lightning Seeds only brings back bad memories of penalty shootouts. Why did they have to include Jonathan Pearce’s commentary reminding

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1131907790390087002005-11-13T18:42:00.000Z2006-09-01T03:46:45.170+01:00

I was going to spend a weekend in the North East in order to celebrate my brother-in-law’s 40th birthday, which presented an ideal opportunity to do some shopping in Newcastle. As the train passed over the Tyne I looked at the famous bridges and considered my planned route.It had been some years since I had done any shopping in Newcastle, but I knew exactly where to go. The area around Clayton

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1130173737966994982005-10-24T18:05:00.000+01:002006-07-20T03:21:55.563+01:00

I was working on some Christmas music and needed to go into town to buy a set of sleigh bells, so decided to fit in some Number One hunting at the same time. I had my eye on a couple of charity shops I hadn’t yet visited, but on the way I thought about the Merrion Market and decided to go there first.The Merrion Market is a strange place, but if you ever find yourself in Leeds and needing, as

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1128903658894915192005-10-10T01:16:00.000+01:002005-11-06T16:22:51.066Z

I had hoped to be going to watch Guiseley AFC defeat Radcliffe Borough in the Unibond Premier League, but my companions were unable to make it to the match and I was left at a loose end. I found myself humming Japanese Boy, and realised that it was to be a Number Ones day.For some time I had been planning a journey to the East, to the various suburbs along the way, and I decided to set off on

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I read in the Yorkshire Evening Post that a jumble sale (plus cake stall) was to be held at the Headingley St Columba United Reformed Church the following Saturday. I am not, you will be surprised to hear, a religious man, and usually restrict my appearances in church to the occasional wedding, but this sale provided a compelling reason to visit a house of God.I knew little about the nature of

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1127076615941932522005-09-18T21:40:00.000+01:002005-09-18T21:55:56.150+01:00

The realisation was sudden, unexpected and unprovoked. I was absently reading through a few e-mails, unrelated to Number Ones, when I recalled the fact that I owned Aaliyah’s self-titled album, which includes More Than A Woman, the 917th record to reach the top, but had not yet transferred this track into the collection.It was the second small boost I had received in the space of a week, as a

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1126470037977106222005-09-11T21:15:00.000+01:002005-09-11T21:21:46.366+01:00

Christian had arranged the trip, I provided the soundtrack. We were on our way to Brighton, and in honour of our destination’s reputation as the gay capital of Britain, I had compiled a CD of some of the gayest Number Ones. It wasn’t difficult to fill the disc.After a short crawl along a particularly static part of the M25, we made a detour to Leatherhead to pick up Mike and headed off to the

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I had not seen Nik for several years, it having been difficult for us to catch up for a drink and a chat ever since he took it upon himself to move to Australia. So when he recently came back to the Northern hemisphere for a few weeks, I and several others took the opportunity to make up for lost time by spending several days in the pub with him.He had arranged this 20,000-mile round trip in

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After my stroll in the sun, my next shopping trip coincided with an unexpected downpour. I was only a minute or so from my destination when it began, but the rain was so heavy that by the time I arrived I was soaked to the skin.Fortunately the destination in question was Oxfam Music, so I knew there were enough records for me to shelter inside for some time if necessary, in the hope that the

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I took advantage of a sunny Saturday to take a leisurely stroll over to Horsforth, knowing that the fickle British summer might not provide another equally pleasant opportunity. My chosen route took me first to my local supermarket, the Co-op on Butcher Hill. I visit this emporium several times each week, largely to purchase booze and fags, but had never before ventured any further up this

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1121629153149236242005-07-17T20:37:00.000+01:002005-12-09T03:46:33.666Z

Since there is a branch of Oxfam specialising in records just 20 minutes walk from my home, it may have been sensible to make this my first port of call. Until recently, however, I have shied away from this potential mecca.The reason for this was fear. My mind was filled with images of the shop’s chaotic interior, littered with boxes of records all over the floor and, occasionally, shelves, in

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1121016566985782352005-07-10T18:23:00.000+01:002005-07-10T18:35:45.280+01:00

My old and dear friends Anthony and Lindsay have cemented their reputation by bolstering my collection to the tune of 13 Number Ones. Ant, who is himself an anal record boy (specialist subject: jangly indie pop) and probably secretly wishes he’d had this idea before I did, discovered in his record collection an old compilation album entitled ’20 Number 1’s’ (their misplaced apostrophe, not mine)

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1120410661210909062005-07-03T18:09:00.000+01:002005-07-03T18:13:29.593+01:00

Another day, another charity shop. This time my continuing exploration of Leeds city centre took me to the British Heart Foundation store, where I was disappointed to find only a handful of 7” singles. On closer investigation, however, it turned out that most of these were Number Ones.Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart by Marc Almond featuring special guest Gene Pitney was the odd one out,

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1119819992493974962005-06-26T22:02:00.000+01:002006-01-16T12:47:38.906Z

It seems that the charity shops in the centre of Leeds are a different beast. Of the 20 7” singles I picked out in the RSPCA shop, 10 were Number One hits of the 1970s. In my near-total clearance of Headingley and Hexham, I had found just 6 45s from that decade.Sadly time has taken its toll on many of these relics. Tellingly, the classic Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas is now ruined by noise

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Living in Headingley, with its wide selection of charity shops and population of bleeding-heart liberals eager to donate to them, is certainly an advantage. When I recently popped in to the Cancer Research shop, I was delighted to discover several Number Ones, despite the fact that just a few weeks beforehand I had bought their entire collection of chart-toppers (totalling one CD single).

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A search through the bargain bin of Crash Records in Leeds dug up Brian McFadden’s Real To Me and a reminder of how incomprehensible my quest is to the uninformed.Joe: Hi, do you know if this is the one that got to Number One?Crash: Don’t know. He’s had a few Number Ones hasn’t he?J: No, just one, but I can’t remember if it was this one.C: Oh. Don’t know.J: I’m collecting Number Ones, you

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1116785552776775332005-05-22T19:02:00.000+01:002006-01-09T23:05:23.410Z

I only entered the Relics record shop in Leeds because I happened to be passing by, and didn’t hold out much hope of discovering anything useful in what is essentially a serious collector’s shop, specialising in rarities. But tucked away in a corner I found the holy grail that is the 7” bargain bin, and when I left some time later I was the proud new owner of over 30 Number One singles, and made

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1116186711729970932005-05-15T20:49:00.000+01:002005-05-22T17:03:54.166+01:00

The ‘Now That’s What I Call Music!’ series came up trumps when I recently stumbled across a 3-CD set entitled ‘Now Decades’, composed of 60 Number One hits from the first 20 years of the series. From the 513th chart-topper, You Can’t Hurry Love by Phil Collins, to the 952nd, Busted’s You Said No, this compilation provides a snapshot of the way the ‘Now’ albums have documented the pop charts

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1115654377693114692005-05-09T16:54:00.000+01:002005-05-09T16:59:37.700+01:00

A recent trip to my local PDSA charity shop proved unexpectedly fruitful. Not only did I do my bit to help save the cute little bunny rabbits, but my contribution of £13.89 bought me 11 CD singles, three 7”s and a couple of old newspaper covermount CDs which included a healthy number of chart-toppers.The best among these were a trio of classic pop singles from 1999 – …Baby One More Time by

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1114367837280447992005-04-24T19:34:00.000+01:002006-01-15T19:06:45.306Z

A couple of weeks ago I got chatting, via e-mail, to a man named Jon Kutner, who has proved to be extremely helpful. In fact he’d already helped before I spoke to him by writing, with Spencer Leigh, a book entitled ‘1000 UK Number One Hits’, which tells the story of every one of the records I am meant to be gathering*.Jon is himself an obsessive record collector, and not only owns all of the

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1113172483092895502005-04-10T23:31:00.000+01:002005-04-10T23:37:30.410+01:00

This week has been the most profitable yet, as I have added 58 Number Ones to the collection, bringing the total to 178. This is thanks to two compilations which I discovered on Amazon with the cleverly constructed search term “Number Ones”.The first to arrive was ‘Number Ones of Dance’, a selection of chart-toppers from the late 80s and early 90s. It’s questionable whether I Wanna Sex You Up

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Having exhausted the Number Ones offered by my existing record collection, the time has now come to begin the serious business of record-hunting, in an attempt to track down the 890 chart-toppers that remain so far unclaimed. I have also been forced to start spending money in order to continue my ludicrous quest.So far I have spent the princely sum of £8.49 and have thus acquired 10 more Number

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1110744480161342922005-03-13T20:00:00.000Z2005-04-25T17:21:52.390+01:00

When it comes to UK Number Ones, there are two acts that stand above the rest. They are, of course, Elvis Presley and the Beatles, respectively the biggest ever solo artist and the biggest ever group. Cliff Richard isn’t too far behind but really he’s no competition at all. Elvis lays claim to 20 of the first 1000 Number Ones (and a few more afterwards), while the Beatles stand on 17.In the

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1109534044172459652005-02-27T19:46:00.000Z2005-07-12T17:12:08.436+01:00

A few years back my Dad decided he’d had enough of vinyl, and invested in a sleek and modern stereo system, which, as usual with such systems these days, was purely digital and did not include anything as quaint as a turntable. He therefore spent several months recording his LPs onto MiniDisc, with the eventual aim of banishing the vinyl to a distant corner where it wouldn’t get in the way, and

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1108930459448098362005-02-20T20:10:00.000Z2005-05-22T19:02:14.240+01:00

Following my failure to update you on my progress last weekend, you probably imagined I had been too busy scouring second-hand record shops and car boot sales to fit you in. Sadly this was not the case, and while I spent a relaxing and enjoyable weekend visiting family, I made little headway in my single-collecting mission.I did, however, do a small favour for my brother-in-law* which resulted in

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1107719975732060102005-02-06T19:56:00.000Z2005-07-12T17:08:09.260+01:00

This week I’ve been digging around in my singles collection to see what that would turn up. The large box of CD singles proved to be something of a disappointment, yielding only 6 chart-toppers.One of these was Brimful of Asha by Cornershop, which I already had from the album. I now had a difficult decision to make. Should I stick with the album version, or replace it with the Norman Cook remix?

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As I begin to write, I am just a couple of minutes from discovering the identity of 1002nd Number One. Actually I already know what it’s going to be. It’s Elvis again. This week it’s the turn of It’s Now Or Never, which was also the 109th Number One back in 1960.I was a little disappointed to discover last week that A Fool Such As I had failed to increase Elvis’s record as the most prolific

Joe Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00514640245375265882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572872.post-1106402342085504282005-01-22T13:49:00.000Z2005-12-04T19:10:24.623Z

I have a new mission. Or at least a new hobby.This week Elvis Presley’s re-released single One Night became the 1000th UK Number One Single, a little over 52 years after Here In My Heart by Al Martino made history as the first. They and 998 others plot the history of popular music in Britain since 1952*. I’m going to get them all.It’s not going to be easy. 1000 singles is a lot of music. Guessing

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