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**Dalmatin** · Sun February 22, 2009, 13:03

wow, hello to fellow Saint-Petersburg citizen

privet

wish I could find these indie charts as well... but I think I was told it's not exactly possible...

**andrej** · Sun February 22, 2009, 13:22

Hello there, fellow-townsman!

Really not possible? Why?
In 1980 Record Week have been published it. Later licenced to Sounds.

**Robbie** · Wed February 25, 2009, 18:19

that book that covers the Indie charts from 1980 to 1989 is available in more or less its entirety at

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/index.htm

It's a Guinness style book, so its peak positions, weeks on chart etc (see the A-Z listings part on the main home page above) but does not contain weekly charts.

**andrej** · Wed February 25, 2009, 18:54

Hi, Robbie!

Thanks for the link. I've heard of this book.
I'm looking for the weekly charts. A Guinness style book won't help me. :(

Does anybode know which music papers published an official indie chart? I've got some numbers of "Smash Hits" from 1982. They were publishing Indie TOP30 Singles Charts too. I remember MM and NME were doing that as well.

**Robbie** · Wed February 25, 2009, 19:46

The history of the indie charts and who carried them is at that link I gave. Specifically:

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indieh ... yintro.htm

Based on that article and my own knowledge:

The indie chart from January 19, 1980 in your first post was compiled by the trade paper Record Business. It was carried (as an extended top 50) by Sounds from February 2, 1980 and in Record Mirror as a top 20 or 30 from December 6, 1980. When Record Business folded in January 1983 the chart began to be published in Music Week (which as that article says had been compiling its own indie chart for a while) until the latter began to compile and publish its own indie chart in 1985. Sounds then switched to this new chart while Record Mirror continued with the MRIB chart and eventually Melody Maker also eventually carried them. I think Record Mirror carried the MRIB indie chart to the end.

Music Week has continued with its own indie chart since 1985 to the present.

NME compiled its own indie chart which was at one time not only "indie" in both terms of independently produced and distributed records but also contained only records of the "indie" genre, which the MRIB / Music Week indie charts did not. I don't know the full history of the NME indie charts though.

**andrej** · Thu February 26, 2009, 03:56

Originally posted by Robbie

The history of the indie charts and who carried them is at that link I gave. Specifically:

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indieh ... yintro.htm

Based on that article and my own knowledge:

The indie chart from January 19, 1980 in your first post was compiled by the trade paper Record Business. It was carried (as an extended top 50) by Sounds from February 2, 1980 and in Record Mirror as a top 20 or 30 from December 6, 1980. When Record Business folded in January 1983 the chart began to be published in Music Week (which as that article says had been compiling its own indie chart for a while) until the latter began to compile and publish its own indie chart in 1985. Sounds then switched to this new chart while Record Mirror continued with the MRIB chart and eventually Melody Maker also eventually carried them. I think Record Mirror carried the MRIB indie chart to the end.

Music Week has continued with its own indie chart since 1985 to the present.

NME compiled its own indie chart which was at one time not only "indie" in both terms of independently produced and distributed records but also contained only records of the "indie" genre, which the MRIB / Music Week indie charts did not. I don't know the full history of the NME indie charts though.

Thanx for the info, Robbie

**harley12** · Mon May 13, 2013, 19:35

Hi. The link about the Guinness style book of Indie Hits does not work. Can someon eplease tell me the actual title and author so I can try to trace it from another source?

Thanks.

**Robbie** · Mon May 13, 2013, 21:47

Originally posted by harley12

Hi. The link about the Guinness style book of Indie Hits does not work. Can someon eplease tell me the actual title and author so I can try to trace it from another source?

Thanks.

The link hasn't worked for the past couple of years or so, sadly.

The book is "Indie Hits: The Complete UK Independent Charts: The Complete UK Singles and Album Independent Charts, 1980-89" by the late Barry Lazell. Lazell worked for Record Business (I think he was in charge of the chart department at the magazine which eventually became MRIB and went on to compile the Network Chart) and was the compiler of the Independent singles and album charts when they started in January 1980. A few months later he handed on the job of compiling the charts to Alan Jones, then of Record Mirror and now of Music Week.

The book is available to buy at amazon for �9.59 which is �5.40 cheaper than the normal price. If you want to buy the book you'll have to be quick as there's only 1 copy left in stock.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Indie-Hits-Comp ... 329&sr=1-1

**harley12** · Tue May 14, 2013, 18:25

thank you very much. Have now ordered that. Will be interesting to see any of the obscure records I probably haven't heard of!

**mjgm84** · Sun July 5, 2020, 19:43

There is an article in an issue of Melody Maker from 1992 that says that Nirvana's Blew EP (released Dec 1989) went straight to the top of the UK Indie Charts. Melody Maker published the Indie charts that were compiled by MRIB and I don't think that Blew was number 1 on this chart, firstly because it is not listed as such on Wikipedia's list of number 1 Indie hits, which uses a book source containing the MRIB Indie charts.

I have checked the following Melody Maker magazines: Dec 2 1989, Dec 14 1989, Jan 6 1990, Jan 13 1990 and Jan 27 1990 and it is not listed in the Indie charts at all. Music Week used to publish its own Indie chart (possibly compiled by Gallup ?) and I have checked issues: 9 Dec 1989, 16 Dec 1989, 23 Dec 1989 and 6 Jan 1990, and there is again no mention of Nirvana's Blew EP on the Indie charts.

I still have some issues of Melody Maker and Music Week to check. NME also apparently had its own different Indie chart. If anyone knows of Nirvana's December 1989 Blew EP on the UK Indie chart then please let me know

Cheers.

**BobPatience** · Sun July 5, 2020, 20:24

Try the November issues

**mjgm84** · Sun July 5, 2020, 20:52

Originally posted by BobPatience View Post

Try the November issues

Wait, how can you be so sure ? and do you mean the November issues of Melody Maker or Music Week ?

Cheers,

Mike.

**BobPatience** · Sun July 5, 2020, 21:51

Originally posted by mjgm84 View Post

Wait, how can you be so sure ? and do you mean the November issues of Melody Maker or Music Week ?

Cheers,

Mike.

Sorry, I should have elaborated.

The 1980s Indie Hits compilation by Barry Lazell lists Nirvana's 'BLEW (Tupelo TUPEP 8)' with a peak of 15, WoC of 2 and entry date of 11/11/1989.
This should correspond with the MRIB charts. Though it probably charted on the Music Week chart too.

**mjgm84** · Mon July 6, 2020, 15:42

Originally posted by BobPatience View Post

Sorry, I should have elaborated.

The 1980s Indie Hits compilation by Barry Lazell lists Nirvana's 'BLEW (Tupelo TUPEP 8)' with a peak of 15, WoC of 2 and entry date of 11/11/1989.
This should correspond with the MRIB charts. Though it probably charted on the Music Week chart too.

Thank you so much for your help. I guess as it was limited to 3000 copies in the UK only it was never going to make much of an impact even on the Indie chart. Cheers. Mike.

**mjgm84** · Mon July 6, 2020, 17:39

BobPatience

I just wanted to ask you about two or three other releases, but only one of which is 1980's and so should be in Barry Lazell's book: Nirvana's debut album Bleach was released in June 1989 in the US and I have heard that it made the UK Indie chart. If you could confirm peak and date of peak on the Indie chart that would be great.

The next was not 1980's so won't be in the book: Nirvana's single "Sliver" (often mis-spelt Silver) charted on the official UK Singles charts at number 90 on 2 Feb 1991 and number 77 on 5 Dec 1992. It was released on an Independent label and so I was wondering if that made it onto the Indie charts as well ? I guess I will have to check Melody Maker and Music Week for those dates. Cheers.

**navi** · Sun July 26, 2020, 21:16

mjgm84

From NME (probably compiled by MRIB)
Blew chart run
11th nov 16-8-12-17-29-22-25(23/30th dec) -???- no chart for 6th jan, i don't possess 13th jan issue, don't appear on 20th jan chart
Sliver chart run
2nd feb 5-4-6-15-12-22-30-6 (23rd mar) - ???, don't appear on 6th apr chart

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Indie Charts 1980-1989

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UK Indie charts

UK Indie charts

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