1991 in British music

This is a summary of 1991 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

Summary[edit]

Like 1990, this year saw 17 songs at number 1. The first number 1 of the year surprisingly came from heavy metal band Iron Maiden, scoring their first and only number one "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" which stayed at the top for 2 weeks. The next number one was a track right at the opposite end of the musical spectrum – Enigma, with the calm and hypnotic "Sadness Part 1". Known as "Sadeness Part 1" almost everywhere else with its strong references to Marquis De Sade, Enigma redefined the new age, chill out genre. Romanian-German producer Michael Cretu mixed repeated trance-like dance beats with gregorian chants and whispered, erotic vocals provided by his wife, Sandra, who was also a popular artist in her own right at the same time throughout most of Europe, but never managed to crack the UK market. Enigma's debut concept album MCMXC ad also went straight to the top of the UK Album Chart in January.

In the album charts Simply Red entered with Stars which would prove to be the second best-selling album of the 90s and the best of 1991 and 1992. Although none of its singles reached no.1, title track "Stars" did make the top ten.

February saw The Simpsons (specifically Bart) reach No. 1 with "Do the Bartman",^[1] from the album The Simpsons Sing the Blues which reached #6. The show had premiered on UK screens on the satellite channel Sky One in 1990, though it wouldn't premiere on terrestrial TV until 1996, on BBC One. The family became the first cartoon characters to hit No. 1 since The Archies did so in 1969, with "Sugar Sugar", and the follow-up ("Deep, Deep Trouble") also did well, peaking at No. 7 in April.

In March, The Clash received their first number 1 with "Should I Stay or Should I Go", after being used in a commercial for Levi's. A month later, Cher scored her first UK solo No. 1 with "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)", taken from the film Mermaids.

Bryan Adams also reached No. 1 for the first time in July with "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", from the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Breaking the record held since 1955, it stayed there for sixteen consecutive weeks, a record that remains to this day. It also became the biggest selling single of the year, selling over a million copies.

The Christmas number one single this year was Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", re-issued after the death of Freddie Mercury in November, coupled with "These Are the Days of Our Lives". As "Bohemian Rhapsody" had previously hit the top in 1975 (also becoming the Christmas number one) it became the first song ever, not counting re-entries, to hit number 1 twice.

The death of Joy Finzi, who had founded the Finzi Trust in 1969 to commemorate her husband Gerald, was one of the most notable events on the classical music scene. Harrison Birtwistle's opera, Gawain, with a libretto by David Harsent, received its premiere at the Royal Opera House in May. Symphony Hall, Birmingham, with a big emphasis on acoustic flexibility, opened in April, with the official opening by the Queen in June.

Events[edit]

• 14 January – Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine's single "Bloodsport for All" is released on the day the Gulf War officially starts, and is banned by the BBC due to its lyrics about racism and bullying in the army.
• 15 January – A new all-star rendition of the John Lennon song "Give Peace a Chance" is released, featuring Yoko Ono, Lenny Kravitz, Peter Gabriel, Alannah Myles, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt and many more, billed as "The Peace Choir". The single is rushed to market in response to the imminent Gulf War.
• 11 February – Massive Attack release their single "Unfinished Sympathy" but have to temporarily shorten their name to "Massive" to avoid a radio ban of the word "attack" during the Gulf War.
• 24 February – The Chamber Symphony for 15 players by Thomas Adès is performed for the first time, in West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, directed by the composer.
• 15 May – The 2,262-seat concert venue Symphony Hall, Birmingham, home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is opened for its first concerts, although the official opening by the Queen takes place on 12 June.
• 15 May – Richey Edwards of Manic Street Preachers carves the words "4 Real" into his arm with a razor blade during an interview with NME journalist Steve Lamacq, after Lamacq questions the band's authenticity. The incident results in Edwards requiring 18 stitches.
• 17 May – The first performance of Timon of Athens, a two act opera by Stephen Oliver, takes place at the London Coliseum by the English National Opera.
• 30 May – The opening night of Harrison Birtwistle’s opera Gawain takes place in London at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden) with Elgar Howarth conducting.
• 25 June – The first performance of James MacMillan’s Tuireadh (Lament) for clarinet and string quartet, is given by James Campbell and the Allegri Quartet at St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall (Orkney Islands).
• 28 June – Paul McCartney's classical composition, the Liverpool Oratorio, receives its premiere at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.
• 7 July – The world premiere of John Casken’s Cello Concerto takes place at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, with soloist Heinrich Schiff and the Northern Sinfonia.
• 14 August - Oasis play their first ever gig at the Boardwalk Club in Manchester. Noel Gallagher, who was at the time roadie for Inspiral Carpets, went with them to watch his brother's band play.
• 19 September - Summer Music: Concertino No.5 op.74 for oboe, clarinet, and string quartet by Robin Holloway is performed for the first time, at the Purcell Room.
• 27 October – Fruitbat of Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine rugby tackles presenter Phillip Schofield at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party after the group performs their single "After the Watershed".
• 9 November – The first performance of the Symphony No 3 by William Mathias takes place at St David's Hall, Cardiff, performed by the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra, conductor Grant Llewellyn.
• November – The Rolling Stones sign a new contract with Virgin Records.^[2]
• 1 December – George Harrison plays Yokohama, Japan. The brief Japanese tour with Eric Clapton marks his first set of formal concert performances since 1974.
• 11 December – The Strathclyde Concerto No 5 for violin, viola and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies, is performed for the first time in Glasgow.

Publications[edit]

• Moura Lympany (with Margot Strickland) – Moura – Her Autobiography^[3]

Charts[edit]

Number-one singles[edit]

Number-one albums[edit]

Year-end charts[edit]

Best-selling singles[edit]

^[4]

Best-selling albums[edit]

^[5]

Classical music[edit]

• Roy Douglas – Festivities and A Nowell Sequence for strings
• Michael Tippett – String Quartet No. 5^[6]

Music awards[edit]

BRIT Awards[edit]

The 1991 BRIT Awards winners were:

• Best British producer: Chris Thomas
• Best classical recording: José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti – In Concert
• Best soundtrack: Twin Peaks
• British album: George Michael – Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
• British breakthrough act: Betty Boo
• British female solo artist: Lisa Stansfield
• British group: The Cure
• British male solo artist: Elton John
• British single: Depeche Mode "Enjoy the Silence"
• British video: The Beautiful South "A Little Time"
• International breakthrough act: MC Hammer
• International female: Sinéad O'Connor
• International group: INXS
• International male: Michael Hutchence
• Outstanding contribution: Status Quo

Births[edit]

• 12 January – Pixie Lott, singer
• 17 February – Ed Sheeran, singer-songwriter
• 16 June – Joe McElderry, singer
• 17 June – Shura, singer, songwriter and producer
• 30 July – Diana Vickers, singer
• 11 November – Emma Blackery, singer
• 19 December – Declan Galbraith, singer
• 24 December – Louis Tomlinson, singer (One Direction)

Deaths[edit]

• 8 January – Steve Clark, guitarist (Def Leppard), 30 (alcohol poisoning)
• 21 February – Margot Fonteyn, ballerina, 71
• 9 March – Denise Tolkowsky, pianist and composer, 72
• 24 March – Maudie Edwards, actress and singer, 84
• 27 March – Alfredo Campoli, Italian-born violinist, 84
• 10 April – Martin Hannett (aka Martin Zero), record producer, 42 (heart failure)
• 20 April – Steve Marriott, singer, songwriter and guitarist (Small Faces and Humble Pie), 44 (killed in house fire)
• 11 June – John Vallier, pianist and composer, 70
• 14 June – Joy Finzi, founder of the Finzi Trust, 84
• 30 July – Max Jaffa, violinist and bandleader, 79
• 6 August – Max Rostal, Austrian-born violinist and viola player, 86
• 28 August – Vince Taylor, singer (Vince Taylor and the Playboys), 52
• 25 September – Sydney MacEwan, singer of traditional Scottish and Irish songs, 82
• 27 October – Sir Andrzej Panufnik, Polish-born composer and conductor, 77
• 8 November – Dave Rowbotham, musician, guitarist, (The Durutti Column, the Mothmen), 33 (murdered by unknown hand)
• 14 November – Bryden Thomson, conductor, 63
• 24 November – Freddie Mercury, singer and songwriter, 45 (pneumonia brought on by AIDS)
• 12 December – Ronnie Ross, jazz saxophonist, 58
• 31 December – Christopher Steel, composer, 53

See also[edit]

• 1991 in British radio
• 1991 in British television
• 1991 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1991

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• BBC Radio 1's Chart Show
• The Official Charts Company