Never Number One

Never Number One: A Whole Bunch of…

Never Number One:…

Never Number One

Never Number One: “Led Zeppelin IV”

Led Zeppeling IV (Atlantic, 1971)

By J.A. Bartlett | February 15, 2012

It seems impossible that one of the most popular albums of all time, one that is discovered by every new generation, one that will probably still be heard in 100 years, never made it to #1 on the American charts. But that was its fate 40 years ago… Read more »

Never Number One

Never Number One: Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street”

From the Cover of Gerry Rafferty's 1978 Album "City to City"

By J.A. Bartlett | February 8, 2012

This might be the greatest Never Number One single of them all. Unique, unforgettable, still listened to today -- but never the single most popular song in America. What is it? Read more »

Never Number One

Never Number One: Van Morrison

(Getty Images/Scott Gries)

By J.A. Bartlett | February 1, 2012

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Celtic poet, noted curmudgeon -- Van Morrison is all of these things. His career is now in its sixth decade, and in all that time, he's never reached #1. How can this be? Read more »

Never Number One

Never Number One: “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen

Detail from the Original 45 Release of "Louie Louie"

By J.A. Bartlett | January 25, 2012

From the '50s to the '80s, radio stations across the country published charts by the thousands, so a single week atop a chart in Boise or Boston theoretically gave you the right to call your record a #1 hit. Today, dozens of national charts are… Read more »