Top 100 British acts that are/were more famous in the USA than in the UK

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Starting off with:

1. Herman's Hermits
2. Bush
3. A Flock Of Seagulls
4. Foreigner
5. Wang Chung
6. EMF
7. Jesus Jones
8. Fleetwood Mac
9. Robyn Hitchcock
10.The Cure
11.Depeche Mode
12.Manfred Mann's Earth Band
13.Ringo Starr
14.Led Zeppelin
15.Def Leppard

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:55 (twenty years ago)

Depeche Mode, Cure, Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard??? What are you smoking Geir?

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:01 (twenty years ago)

Those four may be popular in the UK, but they certainly have (or had, in the case of Led Zep) a much larger and more dedicated fanbase in the US.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:03 (twenty years ago)

16. The Outfield

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

EMF had a no1 uk single didnt they? and i'm sure Jesus Jones had top 10 hits too.
And peter greens fleetwood mac had a no1 singles. Maybe Led Zep, Fleetwood Mac, The Cure, Def leppard etc were bigger in the us than uk but hardly unknown in their homelands.
Which is what the thread title suggests.

― FranklinT, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:05 (twenty years ago)

17. M.I.A.

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:06 (twenty years ago)

18. The Fixx

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:07 (twenty years ago)

19. Whitesnake

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:07 (twenty years ago)

Is there a US version of everyhit.com we could test these claims with? Because I'm calling shennanigans on half of this list.

Anyway:

20. BBMak
21. Slick Rick

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)

allmusic.com, Dom (though it's not perfect--a lot of artists' chart info are strangely incomplete)

M.I.A. and Robyn Hitchcock have done absolute shit over here, if nothing else.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:11 (twenty years ago)

Those four may be popular in the UK, but they certainly have (or had, in the case of Led Zep) a much larger and more dedicated fanbase in the US

Led Zep had eight number one albums in the UK in the 70's, for better or worse they absolutely dominated the rock landscape. At the height of punk they played to 400,000 at Knebworth. I fail to see how you can imply they were less famous than in the US.

The audience for Cure and Depeche Mode is probably much the same on a pro rata basis i.e sizable cult acts. I'd concede Def Leppard were picked up in the US earlier but after Hysteria there' nothing between the two countries.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:18 (twenty years ago)

Anyway...

22. Chad and Jeremy

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:20 (twenty years ago)

Oh, and so we don't clog up server space with a "Top 100 American acts that are/were more famous in the UK than in the USA", let's do that thread in here, except counting down from 200 to 101:

200. Scissor Sisters
199. Eels
198. Fun Lovin' Criminals
197. MOP

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:21 (twenty years ago)

Until relatively recently, Elton John had FAR better chart success in the US than the UK.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:49 (twenty years ago)

What about Manowar, Motorhead, Venom, Cradle of Filth?

― Siegbran (eofor), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 07:23 (twenty years ago)

22. The Zombies

― zeus, Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:23 (twenty years ago)

Haha, Geir's original post, full of howlers as usual.

23. Humble Pie
24. Foghat
25. Dave Mason

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:27 (twenty years ago)

I'd be suprised if The Zombies had more hits in the US than they did in the UK

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:27 (twenty years ago)

... in fact, they only had one hit in the UK! Weird!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:30 (twenty years ago)

27. Donna Allen

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:31 (twenty years ago)

emf never had a uk number one single. unbelievable peaked at 3.

jesus jones had two uk top ten singles - international bright young thing and the devil you know.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:33 (twenty years ago)

26. PETER FRAMPTON, PEOPLE

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:34 (twenty years ago)

28. Sheena Easton?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:34 (twenty years ago)

yes please

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:35 (twenty years ago)

That open air gig she did in George Square! "Hi GLAAS-GAUU! It's SEW gooo-hoood to be baick in maa howum-TOWEN!"

She got bottled off.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:35 (twenty years ago)

Meanwhile Lulu has more sense than to even attempt an open air gig in Glasgow

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:37 (twenty years ago)

29. Chad & Jeremy

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:38 (twenty years ago)

Already been mentioned.

Actually Lulu was more successful in America than here - "To Sir With Love" was a number one there and only a B-side here, and she only got a UK #1 on the backs of Take That.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:39 (twenty years ago)

That open air gig she did in George Square! "Hi GLAAS-GAUU! It's SEW gooo-hoood to be baick in maa howum-TOWEN!"

She got bottled off.

I was at that, but it was Glasgow green. 1990 IIRC. Two highlights Associates in George Square and Michael Stipe singing a solo version of Disturbance at the heron house in some disused bandstand. Amazingly I think Hue and Cry were pretty good too.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:45 (twenty years ago)

29. Robin Trower

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:46 (twenty years ago)

30. Moody Blues

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:51 (twenty years ago)

31. The Alan Parsons Project

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:56 (twenty years ago)

32. Traffic

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:58 (twenty years ago)

... hmmmmmm, not sure about that one

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 08:58 (twenty years ago)

their records from '70 onwards sold tons more in america than they did here. ditto solo winwood.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 09:02 (twenty years ago)

33. The Clancy Boys & Tommy Makem

... who aren't British at all (at all)

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 09:23 (twenty years ago)

no but they used to be on STV every Tuesday teatime between 7 and 7:30, until their remit was superseded by Thingummyjig starring ex-Mahavishnu guitarist Jack McLaughlin.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 09:24 (twenty years ago)

Ha ha, Jack McLaughlin, I'd totally forgotten about him, he was a strange man wasn't he?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 09:25 (twenty years ago)

Hullo lads and lassies...here's a nice wee stoater from Peter Morrison with Company Policy!

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 09:28 (twenty years ago)

34. Naked Eyes
35. Dirty Vegas

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 09:38 (twenty years ago)

36. Spacehog

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 09:39 (twenty years ago)

37. If we're talking comparatively, then I guess we have to say Sade.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 09:40 (twenty years ago)

38. ELO

― JohnFoxxsJuno, Wednesday, 29 June 2005 11:28 (twenty years ago)

... not exactly unknowns in the UK

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 11:30 (twenty years ago)

39. Asia

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 11:48 (twenty years ago)

40. Yes (the reformed 80s version)

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 11:49 (twenty years ago)

200. Scissor Sisters
199. Eels
198. Fun Lovin' Criminals
197. MOP

196. The Dandy Warhols

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 12:31 (twenty years ago)

41. Radiohead (Back when "Creep" hit it big, an article from the Evening Standard was headlined "British Nobodies Rock the USA". Ha!)

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

Depeche Mode??? The Cure???

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 14:14 (twenty years ago)

Thousands? Clock?

― Ian Riese-Moraine has been xeroxed into a conduit! (Eastern Mantra), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 14:16 (twenty years ago)

The Cure: 4 top 10 singles, 11 top 10 albums
Depeche Mode: 13 top 10 singles, 13 top 10 albums

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 14:16 (twenty years ago)

XTC!

― Dominique (dleone), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 14:17 (twenty years ago)

XTC? Did they have any hits in US? At least one (maybe two) Top 10 hits in the UK.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 14:19 (twenty years ago)

XTC = 6 Top 40 hits in the UK, one Top 10

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 14:20 (twenty years ago)

Well, I'm really going by their fandom now, which seems much more die hard in the US than the UK.

― Dominique (dleone), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 14:22 (twenty years ago)

Possibly, but they were more famous in Britain in late 70s/ early 80s than they are in either country now

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 14:24 (twenty years ago)

yeah, but I bet they're more popular here since Skylarking

― Dominique (dleone), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 14:39 (twenty years ago)

(here being the US...)

― Dominique (dleone), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 14:40 (twenty years ago)

But XTC had hits in the UK back in the late 70s/early 80s. They never really did in the US.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 19:48 (twenty years ago)

42. Dire Straits (?)

― JohnFoxxsJuno, Thursday, 30 June 2005 06:53 (twenty years ago)

Well.. "Brothers In Arms" is one of the all-time bestselling albums in the UK.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 30 June 2005 09:10 (twenty years ago)

Good point. I'm just thinking of the heavy rotation they had in the early days of MTV (Money For Nothing/Walk Of Life w/American sports bloopers etc.)

― JohnFoxxsJuno, Thursday, 30 June 2005 11:53 (twenty years ago)

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