Just over a year ago I put up a chart facetiously titled "The 40 biggest bands in the world", based on Last.fm listening figures. Since Mr Google is still sending people towards it I thought I'd update it to see how things have changed.
With a reasonably healthy 15 out of 40 being British artists, why the hell don't they make any impact in the US charts?
Last year's positions are in brackets, or if you're a posho, parentheses.
1 (11) Red Hot Chili Peppers 2 (4) The Beatles 3 (2) Radiohead 4 (1) Coldplay 5 (13) The Killers 6 (26) Muse 7 (5) Death Cab for Cutie 8 (14) Metallica 9 (3) Green Day 10 (12) Nirvana 11 (new) My Chemical Romance 12 (6) System of a Down 13 (15) Pink Floyd 14 (16) Beck 15 (20) Led Zeppelin 16 (new) Snow Patrol 17 (17) U2 18 (19) Oasis 19 (25) Queen 20 (23) blink-182 21 (9) The White Stripes 22 (new) Placebo 23 (7) Foo Fighters 24 (24) The Cure 25 (new) Evanescence 26 (new) The Strokes 27 (8) Gorillaz 28 (new) PANIC! at the disco 29 (18) Franz Ferdinand 30 (22) The Smashing Pumpkins 31 (31) David Bowie 32 (10) Weezer 33 (new) Justin Timberlake 34 (28) The Postal Service 35 (39) Linkin Park 36 (40) The Shins 37 (33) Incubus 38 (new) Johnny Cash 39 (new) Bob Dylan 40 (new) Depeche Mode
Bands on it last year but not on it this year:
(21) Nine Inch Nails (27) Kanye West (29) Bloc Party (30) Modest Mouse (32) Bright Eyes (34) Pixies (35) REM (36) Jimmy Eat World
My own chart, which after the top 20 or so is quite pointless as I have iTunes on random most of the time, so it's invariably weighted towards which tracks I have the most of, is as follows:
1 (35) The Divine Comedy 2 (new) Long Blondes 3 (4) Radiohead 3 (1) Sultans of Ping F.C. 5 (15) The Cardigans 6 (new) MJ Hibbett & the Validators 7 (6) Art Brut 7 (new) The Others 9 (5) A 9 (3) Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine 11 (new) The Sugarcubes 11 (new) Thousand Yard Stare 13 (2) Blur 13 (new) Chris T-T 13 (new) Kaiser Chiefs 16 (7) Franz Ferdinand 17 (7) Kate Bush 18 (new) Supergrass 19 (15) Coldplay 19 (new) Fighting Cocks 19 (new) The Chemical Brothers 19 (27) The Clash 19 (12) They Might Be Giants 24 (new) Jim's Super Stereoworld 24 (new) Ned's Atomic Dustbin 24 (new) Pizzicato Five 27 (22) Stereolab 28 (new) Mystery Jets 28 (new) Travis 30 (21) Pulp 30 (new) The Rakes 32 (new) Genesis 32 (new) I'm from Barcelona 32 (new) Jarvis 32 (13) XTC 36 (22) Kenickie 36 (35) Pop Will Eat Itself 36 (19) Salad 39 (15) Bloc Party 39 (15) British Sea Power 39 (new) Keane 39 (new) Mama Shamone 39 (new) Paddy McAloon 39 (new) The Chalets 39 (new) The Charlatans 39 (new) The Stone Roses
