How Will TLOS Chart? - UK And US

[Shady]

I'm hoping, well praying for top 15 UK and US..

If that doesn't happen I will be slightly taken a back, but not devastated.


Thoughts? Be optimistic 

[shelter]

My guess: somewhere around #50 in the US and between #15 and #20 in the UK.

[Shady]

My guess: somewhere around #50 in the US and between #15 and #20 in the UK.

That low..

After this promotion, that can't be an option.

[Ron]

I think I agree with Shelter.  No big deal, though. 

[shelter]

That low..

After this promotion, that can't be an option.

Apart from Smile, no Brian Wilson solo album ever charted higher than #54 in the US (BW88) and #30 in the UK (Imagination). So #50 in the US and #15-20 in the UK would actually be pretty darn good.

[Andrew G. Doe]

My guess is about #40 US and maybe #20 UK.  Remember, it's not had 37-odd years of free advance publicity. Also, the year between UK live debut and studio release.

[Chris Brown]

What shelter said sounds pretty reasonable...Brian unfortunately just isn't one of those artists who can expect to have a huge hit at this late stage of his career, no matter how good the record is.

The promotion should help to some degree though.

[shelter]

For an album without any major hit singles, made by a guy who's old enough to be the grandfather of most people you see on MTV nowadays, reaching the US top 50 would be a great accomplishment.

[brother john]

BW has a certain amount of celebrity status in the US, but none in the UK, and I'd be seriously surprised if TLOS charted at all. The only reason Smile and Wonderful got on the charts was due to desperate (though perfectly legal) chart manipulation from Camp Melinda.

[Wirestone]

Actually, haven't all of Brian's solo albums, not just Smile, done better in the UK?

I always thought he was more of a celebrity there.

[shelter]

Actually, haven't all of Brian's solo albums, not just Smile, done better in the UK?

I always thought he was more of a celebrity there.

Brian Wilson: US #54, UK did not chart
I Just Wasn't Made for These Times: US did not chart, UK #59
Orange Crate Art: US did not chart, UK did not chart
Imagination: US #88, UK #30
Live at the Roxy Theatre: US did not chart, UK did not chart
Pet Sounds Live: US did not chart, UK did not chart
Gettin' In Over My Head: US #100, UK #53
Smile: US #13, UK #7
What I Really Want for Christmas: US #200, UK did not chart

[Andrew G. Doe]

BW has a certain amount of celebrity status in the US, but none in the UK, and I'd be seriously surprised if TLOS charted at all. The only reason Smile and Wonderful got on the charts was due to desperate (though perfectly legal) chart manipulation from Camp Melinda.

Funny - I was under the impression that BWPS charted in the UK because it sold enough copies to do just that. Certified gold over here, y'know, and that's an independant audit.

[Wrightfan]

You can call me crazy...

It's going to go Top 10 in either the UK or US (most likely UK.)

[Chris Brown]

You can call me crazy...

It's going to go Top 10 in either the UK or US (most likely UK.)

I certainly hope you're right...that would be a huge morale booster for Brian.  He may downplay it, but you know in the back of his mind he still wants everything he puts out to be a hit.  That 60's mentality ("go write a #1!) has to still be in there somewhere.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

My guess is #37 in the US, #12 in the UK, and #3 in Lithuania

[Shady]

BW has a certain amount of celebrity status in the US, but none in the UK, and I'd be seriously surprised if TLOS charted at all. The only reason Smile and Wonderful got on the charts was due to desperate (though perfectly legal) chart manipulation from Camp Melinda.

Brian is actually quite famous in the UK.

But I still think TLOS is gong to chart better in the US.

But that's just a shot in the dark.

[shelter]

Brian is actually quite famous in the UK.

Yeah, Mojo for instance hardly ever seems to bring out in issue without any input from Brian... Whenever they have a special on any subject or another 'best of' list, it's almost a given that Brian is one of the celebrities that they've asked for an opinion or his favorite song by this or that artist...

[Bill Barnyard]

I'm a little pessimistic. Amazon UK has the standard TLOS CD currently at 251 in it's bestseller list and the CD/DVD combo version at 57. Presumbably folk here are pre ordering the latter first as it's a limited edition.

I would be surprised if it got into the Top 100 in the US but I expect it at least to get into the Top 40 in the UK. That's not great but not bad either.

 

[Pretty Funky]

For no reason I have had a look at what Frank Sinatra was doing at 66. He came up with this album.

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/frank_sinatra/she_shot_me_down/

I have no idea how it charted in 81 but I would think the target age group would be the same for Brian in 2008. Should be interesting to compare.

[SG7]

I have that album. It blows chunks 

[joe_blow]

I am predicting US #39, just slipping into the top 40. Being on Capitol may help with sales and promotion...you would think.

[Sheriff John Stone]

For no reason I have had a look at what Frank Sinatra was doing at 66. He came up with this album.

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/frank_sinatra/she_shot_me_down/

I have no idea how it charted in 81 but I would think the target age group would be the same for Brian in 2008. Should be interesting to compare.

She Shot Me Down is a great album. This was not a collection of swinging, big band tunes. Frank Sinatra wanted to do an entire album of saloon songs, songs of lost love and forgotten dreams, a concept album if you will. Frank brought back Gordon Jenkins for some of the arrangements, and Don Costa produced it. For me, the highlights are the title track, "Long Night", and "The Gal That Got Away". Sinatra's voice was slightly frayed, but effective. These were his types of songs; he loved performing them. I don't think the album was a commercial success, but it was a critical success. For some reason (I don't know the story behind it), the album was only avilable on CD for a short period of time, then pulled. It now goes on sale on Ebay for big bucks.

Frank Sinatra recorded one more album, L.A. Is My Lady, in 1984, then called it a day as a recording artist. OK, back to TLOS's charting potential...

Edit: Frank Sinatra also recorded the song, "That Lucky Old Sun" - 59 years ago!

[Jonathan Blum]

Basically it was a fan favorite, but didn't perform nearly as well with the general public as his immediately previous late-career-peak album Trilogy, which featured a little ditty called "New York, New York".  Looks like possibly a good parallel to me...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Pretty Funky]

I thought the same when a review mentioned Sinatras voice at 66 but thanks for pointing out a few more similarities. Will follow the charts with interest.

[absinthe_boy]

BW has a certain amount of celebrity status in the US, but none in the UK, and I'd be seriously surprised if TLOS charted at all. The only reason Smile and Wonderful got on the charts was due to desperate (though perfectly legal) chart manipulation from Camp Melinda.

I am wondering what planet you are from, and if you visit earth often......LOL...

Being something of a transatlantic person, I am under the impression that Brian's celebrity is bigger in the UK than the US.

And the notion that SMiLE charted in the UK due to manipulation is absurd. SMiLE was a huge mainstream deal over here in the UK, the CD was even featured in supermarkets for a while. Not to mention it was advertised on TV and in print.

as for the Wonderful 7" single, you only need to sell a couple of thousand singles in a week to get into the top 40 in the UK. IIRC Wonderful was a limited edition of 3000 or 4000, and most sold out in that first week. it was ALWAYS going to make the top 40, for a week at least. Independant analysis showed it to be the best selling 7" in the UK for over a decade....no doubt helped by the fact that I bought two copies of all three versions (there were three different coloured discs)...and I am sure I was not alone in doing that!

Brian had a bona fide UK singles chart hit....and he just about repeated it with Good Vibrations in December '04...though I think that only got to #39. I bought five of those, gave four away as Christmas pressies.


my guess is that TLOS will fare better in the UK than the US, but probably won't crack the top 20 in either country. I hope I am wrong, and that it is a major chart success.