Engelbert's claims

[flipnflap]

Last night I watched a programme about The Doors in which it was said that they sold 80 million records worldwide. Their lead singer died in 1971 but they had masses of hits and are still big today. Engelbert Humperdinck oinly had a few hits yet claims to have sold 150 million records and to have the biggest fan club in the World. How true do you think that is?

[gingejbee]

I don't know - but your "E.H. only had a few hits" isn't true.

[rojash]

Well, EH doesn't appear anywhere on the best-selling albums page in Wikipedia, and he appears once (for 5 Million - Release Me) on the best-selling singles page.

Of course, those lists aren't definitive, but I would think that they are reasonably indicative that maybe there's a bit of wishful thinking there (or maybe he counts free/promotional CDs given out at his cabaret act).

[Zeuhl]

Pinch of salt required here i think

But EH is no doubt counting singles as well as albums and he did have a lot of single hits here and in USA, Japan and europe.

Also, he may well have continued to release (budget) albums over the past 40 years and that adds up but i would have thought sales would be modest

[VHG]

The Wikipedia web site below does say the Doors have 80 million record sales.

http://en.wikipedia.o...selling_music_artists

No mention of Engelbert on the list.

But note that the Doors career as a band virtually ended when lead singer Jim Morrison died and their only decent records were released while he was alive.

They only released 7 albums between 1966 and 1971 when Morrison died. These albums will account for most of the groups sales.

While the group (minus Morrison) have made albums and done tours without him the sales of records have been low.

However Engelbert has been performing since the mid 60s and is still alive producing records, so my guess is he has released dozens and dozens of albums, so his sales will have been spread over the last 50 years.

However 150 million record sales does seem a bit "generous".

p.s. I am old enough to remember when the Doors first came out and I remember buying their first two albums. At that time they were an "underground" band (as we called it at the time) and did not have much "main stream" support amongst general record buyers and were rarely played on the radio.

The song "Light My Fire" became a huge hit worldwide and got their name known, but Jim Morrison's problems with drink and drugs and the police harmed their career and they soon lost their reputation as a quality band.

I was walking through my local park a few months ago and saw a guy in his 30s I guess with a "Doors" T shirt on, which I found rather strange after me listening to them in the mid 1960s.

I still love "Light My Fire" and "Riders on the Storm".

[rojash]

Yeah, "Riders on the Storm" was a great tune to trip to.

[dotty.]

when I left school in 1972 I went to work in a record shop, I worked there for 5 years, I think it was an album called LA Doors that sold several copies most weeks, very popular with the local teacher training college.

[andy-hughes]

That would be 'L.A. Woman' - it's their best selling album.