  Chumbawamba formed in England in
1984 and started out as an anarchist group
performing more for making statements and
theatrics than for music. It wasn't until a
single "Tubthumping" helped get the
group's message out to a wider audience.
 # 28
Singles Artist of the Year
 Chumbawamba released Tubthumper.
"Tubthumping" topped the UK
Singles chart for a week.
Chumbawamba hit the Top 40 with
"Tubthumping."
Tubthumper was certified gold.
Chumbawamba hit the Top 10 and then #1 for 3 weeks with
"Tubthumping."
"Tubthumping" topped the
Billboard Hot 100 Singles Airplay chart for 9
weeks and the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks
chart for 7 weeks.
Tubthumper was certified
platinum.
 Tubthumper was certified 2x
platinum.
 # 67
Singles Artist of the Year
On an airing of
Politically Incorrect, Chumbawamba's
Alice Nutter stated that fans who can't
afford their music may want to steal their
CDs from large retail chains. The band's website also has the following
statement: "...stealing from chain
stores involves fewer moral dilemmas... we've
no sympathy for the bigger stores.... quite
often shops have huge profits and they cover
it in the insurance. I know that the consumer
pays more. But people who can afford it pay
more." As a result, Virgin Megastore has
removed their music from their retail and
display racks to behind the counter. A Virgin
spokesperson MTV, "We were an early
supporter of this group and this record, and
it's like a slap in the face to us."
Chumbawamba's Danbert Nobacon
took the opportunity of the Brit Awards to
display how he and his band members feel
about the ruling Labor Party of Britain by
dumping "a bucket of icewater" on
the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott,
while he was watching the awards. Nobacon did
the deed while screaming "That's for the
Liverpool dockers". Prescott's office
responded later: "It now appears that it
was a publicity stunt designed to draw
attention to the group's act. (Prescott)
thinks it utterly contemptible that his wife
and other womenfolk should have been
subjected to such cowardly, terrifying
behavior simply because they were
accompanying a public figure at an event
designed to support the British music
industry." Nobacon was later arrested
and released with no charges filed. A
statement by the band the next day stated:
"If John Prescott, as a representative
of the government, has the nerve to turn up
at events such as the Brit awards in a vain
attempt to make Labor seem cool and trendy,
then he deserves all we can throw at
him."
Tubthumper was certified 3x
platinum.
The president and CEO of EMI
Europe, Rupert Perry, apologized publicly for
the incident stating: "No music company
can control the political views of its
artists, but we wish to sincerely apologize
to the Deputy Prime Minister, Mrs. Prescott,
and the other guests for the anguish
caused." He further called the incident
a "personal political protest" that
was "offensive and unacceptable."
The band hit the Top 40 with
"Amnesia."
Nutter, missed several tour
dates of the group's European tour due to
injuries suffered after a protest-turned-riot
in Italy. A spokesperson said Nutter was hit
in the head during the riot and later injured
her face.
Chumbawamba were nominated for a
MTV Video Music
Award for Best New Artist ("Tubthumping").
 Chumbawamba
stirred up some controversy when their song
"Passenger List For Doomed Flight
#1721" was described by Boff as
"...a list of people we'd most like to
see disappear from our lives." The song
includes Bono, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, and
even TV's Ally McBeal. The song will be the
b-side to their single "She's Got All
The Friends."
Chumbawamba released What
You See Is What You Get.
Chumbawamba released Readymades.
|
Tubthumper
Released: September, 1997
US: 3x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 3
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Tubthumping" - "Amnesia" - "Drip
Drip Drip" - "Big Issue" -
"Good Hip Lifestyle" -
"One By One" -
"Outsider" - "Creepy
Crawling" - "Mary Mary" -
"Small Town" - "I Want
More" - "Scapegoat" |
|
What You See Is What You
Get
Released: April, 2000
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "I'm With
Stupid" - "Shake Baby
Shake" - "Pass It Along" -
"Hey Hey We're The Junkies" -
"Health And Happiness Show" -
"I'm Coming Out" - "I'm In
Trouble Again" - "Social
Dogma" - "WWW Dot" -
"New York Mining Disaster 1941"
- "I'm Not Sorry, I Was Having
Fun" - "Jesus In Vegas" -
"Standing Still" - "She's
Got All The Friends" - "Ladies
For Compassionate Lynching" -
"Celebration, Florida" -
"Moses With A Gun" -
"Physical Impossibility Of Death In
The Mind Of Jerry Springer" -
"Smart Bomb" -
"Knickers" - "Lie Lie Lie
Lie" - "Dumbing Down" |
 |
Readymades
Released: June, 2002
Tracks: "Salt Fare,
North Sea" - "Jacob's
Ladder" - "All In Vain" -
"Home With Me" - "If It Is
To Be, It Is Up To Me" - "Don't
Try This At Home" - "Song For
Len Shackleton" - "Without
Reason Or Rhyme (The Killing Of Harry
Stanley)" - "Don't Pass
Go" - "One Way Or The
Other" - "When I'm Bad" -
"Sewing Up Crap" - "After
Shelley" |
| Note: Song title and
position links lead you to the song's Top
40 chart run (from the ARC Weekly Top
40)
and LP links take you to Amazon.com for that LP (often
including track listings and sound
samples). |
|
|
