Back In The Day: The Billboard Modern Rock Charts From 35 Years Ago

jamieanderson1968 said:
Weird that Tom Petty is relegated to minor leagues
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We all know he won’t be there long…
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Once all the dad’s everywhere pop Full Moon Fever into the family station wagon tape deck for the ride home after pick up their kids from college. It fell off the Modern Rock Chart pretty fast. Looks like it dominated the mainstream rock charts for the rest of the decade though. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200.
 
The Mainstream Rock Charts are “Compiled from national album rock airplay reports”.

While the Modern Rock Charts are comipiled from commercial and college-radio airplay reports”

I assume that the “College-Radio” portion is a bit more weighted in the Modern Rock charts.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
The Mainstream Rock Charts are “Compiled from national album rock airplay reports”.

While the Modern Rock Charts are comipiled from commercial and college-radio airplay reports”

I assume that the “College-Radio” portion is a bit more weighted in the Modern Rock charts.
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So Basically Petty was number one on rock stations and just entering the charts in indie stuff. Weird.
 
TrainFan73 said:
So Basically Petty was number one on rock stations and just entering the charts in indie stuff. Weird.
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Looks like R.E.M., The Cult, Replacements, Julian Lennon, The Fixx, Edie Brickell, Joe Jackson, XTC, Love & Rockets, and Lou Reed are all in the mainstream charts and were currently or previously on the modern rock charts as well.

I assume that there is some overlap between the mainstream and the underground. I just always kinda assumed it’s the underground bubbling up into the mainstream but it appears that the mainstream will occasionally seep into the underground as well.
 
imtheocean said:
That seems right, from memory this album in particular got him good crossover with different generations and I think pushed him out of being a 70's classic rock act.
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He was one of the “legacy” artist that I remember having videos on MTV throughout the 90s. Tom Petty, Ozzy Osbourne, Meat Loaf, and Aerosmith were some of the few 70s artists still making new albums that kids my age actually listened to.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
He was one of the “legacy” artist that I remember having videos on MTV throughout the 90s. Tom Petty, Ozzy Osbourne, Meat Loaf, and Aerosmith were some of the few 70s artists still making new albums that kids my age actually listened to.
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Yep. His videos were pretty distinct compared to the others though, starting with "Don't Come Around Here No More" which really leant to his quirky / indie appeal.
 
Bohnjaggs said:
I don't even feel that Tom Petty falls under the category of "modern rock" at the time so it's interesting to see him here but I'm sure he'll only climb the chart with that song.

It's fun to see these charts because I've mentioned before that my first 3 CDs I got with my first CD player in '89 were Tom Petty, Fine Young Cannibals, and B-52's (Love Shack and Roam should be showing up on this chart at some point).
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I got a cd player Christmas of 89. Only cd i remember getting with it was Sting - The Soul Cages.

Summer of 90, I was in Alexandria Va with my grandfather while my family moved to Durham. He had me do some chores and I went to the record store and bought Full Moon Fever, Wilson Phillips and John Bon Jovi - Blaze of Glory.

I still have my copies of Sting and Petty. Petty, I also have on vinyl.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Yeah there is a Mainstream Rock Chart too…
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Open Letter To A Landlord is my favorite Living Colour song. I would assume they would have been on the modern rock chart at some point.

Same with Epic by Faith No More. I wonder if they were considered more metal than alternative.
 
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