This is a summary of 1978 in music in the United Kingdom.
Events 14 January – The Sex Pistols play their final show (until a reunion in 1996) at Winterland, San Francisco. 24 January – Wings' "Mull of Kintyre" is number one for a ninth and final week, becoming the biggest-selling single in UK history at that point. 25 January – Electric Light Orchestra kick off their Out of the Blue world tour in Honolulu, Hawaii. 11 March – Kate Bush becomes the first British 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 play their last show with Keith Moon before his death. 15 July – The Picnic at Blackbushe Aerodrome, Camberley, Surrey, a concert featuring Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Joan Armatrading, attracts some 200,000 people. 30 July – Thin Lizzy officially announce that Gary Moore has replaced Brian Robertson on guitar. 18 August – The Who release their eighth studio album Who Are You. It is the Who's last album with Keith Moon as the drummer; Moon dies twenty days after the release of the album. September – Second anti-racism event staged in Brockwell Park, South London, featuring Elvis Costello, Stiff Little Fingers and Aswad, with 150,000 people in attendance. 27 November – Def Leppard's permanent drummer Rick Allen joins the band at the age of 15. unknown dates The Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever becomes the biggest-selling album of all time (until overtaken in 1983). The first BBC Young Musician of the Year competition for classical players is won by trombonist Michael Hext. Operatic contralto Helen Watts is appointed a CBE. Multitone Records is founded by Pranil Gohil, specialising in bhangra music.
Charts
Number one singles DateSongArtist 1 January "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" Wings 8 January 15 January 22 January 29 January"Uptown Top Ranking" Althea & Donna 5 February"Figaro"Brotherhood of Man 12 February"Take a Chance on Me" ABBA 19 February 26 February 5 March "Wuthering Heights" Kate Bush 12 March 19 March 26 March 2 April "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" Brian and Michael 9 April 16 April 23 April "Night Fever" Bee Gees 30 April 7 May "Rivers of Babylon" Boney M 14 May 21 May 28 May 4 June 11 June "You're the One That I Want" John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 18 June 25 June 2 July 9 July 16 July 23 July 30 July 6 August 13 August "Three Times a Lady" The Commodores 20 August 27 August 3 September 10 September 17 September"Dreadlock Holiday" 10cc 24 September "Summer Nights" John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 1 October 8 October 15 October 22 October 29 October 5 November 12 November "Rat Trap" The Boomtown Rats 19 November 26 November"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Rod Stewart 3 December "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" Boney M 10 December 17 December 24 December 31 December"Y.M.C.A." The Village People
Number one albums DateAlbumArtistWeeks7 JanuaryDisco FeverVarious Artists214 January21 JanuaryThe Sound of BreadBread128 JanuaryRumoursFleetwood Mac14 FebruaryThe AlbumABBA711 February18 February25 February4 March11 March18 March25 March20 Golden GreatsBuddy Holly and The Crickets31 April8 April15 April20 Golden GreatsNat 'King' Cole322 April29 April6 MaySaturday Night FeverOriginal Soundtrack1813 May20 May27 May3 June10 June17 June24 June1 July8 July15 July22 July29 July5 August12 August19 August26 August2 September9 SeptemberNightflight to VenusBoney M416 September23 September30 September7 OctoberGreaseOriginal Soundtrack1314 October21 October28 October4 November11 November18 November25 November2 December9 December16 December23 December30 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
Title Artist Peakposition 1 "Rivers of Babylon"/"Brown Girl in the Ring" Boney M 1 2 "You're the One That I Want" and Olivia Newton-John 1 3 "Summer Nights" and Olivia Newton-John 1 4 "Three Times a Lady" 1 5 "The Smurf Song" and the Smurfs 2 6 "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" Boney M 1 7 "Night Fever" Bee Gees 1 8 "Rat Trap" 1 9 "Take a Chance on Me" ABBA 1 10 "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" Brian and Michael 1 11 "Dreadlock Holiday" 10cc 1 12 "Wuthering Heights" 1 13 "Sandy" 2 14 "Rasputin" Boney M 2 15 "Substitute" Clout 2 16 "Denis" Blondie 2 17 "Baker Street" 3 18 "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" 1 19 "Figaro" Brotherhood of Man 1 20 "Come Back My Love" Darts 2 21 "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" Rose Royce 2 22 "Mull of Kintyre"/"Girls' School" Wings 1 23 "It's Raining" Darts 2 24 "Wishing on a Star" Rose Royce 3 25 "Lucky Stars" 3 26 "Dancing in the City" Marshall Hain 3 27 "Boogie Oogie Oogie" 3 28 "Oh What a Circus" 3 29 "Grease" 3 30 "Jilted John" Jilted John 4 31 "Y.M.C.A." Village People 2 32 "Annie's Song" 3 33 "Stayin' Alive" Bee Gees 4 34 "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" and Deniece Williams 3 35 "The Boy from New York City" Darts 2 36 "Hopelessly Devoted to You" 2 37 "Blame It on the Boogie" 8 38 "Darlin'" 6 39 "Never Let Her Slip Away" 5 40 "Sweet Talkin' Woman" Electric Light Orchestra 6 41 "If I Had Words" and Yvonne Keeley with the St Thomas More School Choir 3 42 "I Can't Stand the Rain"Eruption featuring Precious Wilson 5 43 "Mr. Blue Sky" Electric Light Orchestra 6 44 "Uptown Top Ranking" Althea and Donna 1 45 "MacArthur Park" 5 46 "I Wonder Why" Showaddywaddy 2 47 "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" Sylvester 8 48 "If You Can't Give Me Love" 4 49 "A Taste of Aggro" 3 50 "Forever Autumn" 5
Best-selling albums Scaping (1979). "Top 200 LPs in 1978". pp. 182–85. Title Artist Peakposition 1 Saturday Night Fever Original Soundtrack 1 2 Grease Original Soundtrack 1 3 The Album ABBA 1 4 Nightflight to Venus Boney M 1 5 20 Golden Greats 1 6 Rumours Fleetwood Mac 1 7 Out of the Blue Electric Light Orchestra 5 8 Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds 5 9 Images 2 10 20 Golden Greats & the Crickets 1 11 The Kick Inside 3 12 And Then There Were Three Genesis 3 13 Classic Rock London Symphony Orchestra 3 14 New Boots and Panties!! 8 15 Live and Dangerous Thin Lizzy 2 16 Reflections 2 17 The Sound of Bread Bread 1 18 The Singles: 1974–1978 2 19 Street-Legal 2 20 A Tonic for the Troops 8 21 20 Golden Greats 2 22 The Stud Original Soundtrack 2 23 City to City 6 24 The Big Wheels of Motown Various Artists 2 25 You Light Up My Life 3 26 Greatest Hits (1976-1978) Showaddywaddy 4 27 20 Golden Greats 2 28 Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf 11 29 London Town Wings 4 30 Emotions Various Artists 2 31 Midnight Hustle Various Artists 5 32 Some Girls 2 33 Variations 2 34 Pastiche 10 35 Greatest Hits ABBA 12 36 Kaya and the Wailers 4 37 Blondes Have More Fun 3 38 Parallel Lines Blondie 7 39 Foot Loose & Fancy Free 4 40 Plastic Letters Blondie 10 41 Arrival ABBA 12 42 Black and White 2 43 20 Giant Hits 3 44 The Greatest Hits of Donna Summer 4 45 Natural High 8 46 This Year's Model and the Attractions 4 47 Anytime...Anywhere 6 48 Octave 6 49 A Single Man 8 50 Bloody Tourists 10cc 3
Notes:
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 13 January – Shelley Nash, singer (Girls@Play) 15 January – Sandi Lee Hughes, singer (allSTARS*) 19 January – Wayne Williams, singer (Another Level) 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) 16 April – Terry Daly, Irish singer (Mytown) 23 April – Tom Lowe, singer and keyboardist (North and South) 25 April – Luke Bedford, composer 28 April – Lauren Laverne, singer, radio DJ and TV presenter 4 May – Matthew Rose, bass 22 May – Jordan, model and would-be singer 29 May Adam Rickitt, singer and actor Daniel Pearce, singer (One True Voice) 6 June – Sophie Solomon, violinist 16 June – Elisa Cariera, American-born singer (Solid HarmoniE) 4 July – Stephen McNally, English singer-songwriter (BBMak) 1 August – Jonathan Wilkes, singer and entertainer 21 August – John Paul "J-Rock" Horsley, American-born singer (Big Brovaz) 3 September – Johnny Shentall, singer (Boom!) 15 September – David Sneddon, singer-songwriter 27 September – Jamie Benson, singer (Hepburn) 7 October – Alesha Dixon, singer (Mis-Teeq) 9 October Nicky Byrne, Irish singer (Westlife) Beverley Fullen, drummer (Hepburn) 26 October – Rachael Carr, singer (Boom!) 27 October – Sabrina Washington, singer (Mis-Teeq) 29 October – Sam Chapman, singer and keyboardist (North and South) 1 November – Bobak Kianovsh, singer (Another Level) 7 November – Mark Read, singer (A1) 23 November – Randy Brown, Jamaican-born singer (Big Brovaz) 27 November – Mike Skinner, rapper, musician and record producer 12 December – Paul Walker, Irish singer (Mytown) 18 December – Lindsay Armaou, Greek-born Irish-based singer (B*Witched) date unknown – Oliver Weeks, composer, arranger and guitarist
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; heart attack) 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 of The Who (b. 1946) (Clomethiazole overdose) Charles Williams, composer (b. 1893) 15 September – Robert Bruce Montgomery, writer and composer (b. 1921) 13 December – Jack Doyle, Irish-born boxer and singer (b. 1913; cirrhosis of liver)
See also 1978 in British radio 1978 in British television 1978 in the United Kingdom List of British films of 1978
References