"The
Bachelors with eighteen
hit records in the UK charts throughout the 1960s and selling
millions of records around the world, became one of the top
acts, both in recording and stage entertainment.
In 1964, The Bachelors put more records into the UK top ten than
The Beatles. They were probably the biggest record sellers,
showing for an amazing 77 weeks in the UK charts, compared to
"The Beatles" 50 weeks, plus reaching number one, with
titles "Diane" and "I Believe."
Many hits
followed throughout the world, especially in the Far East and
Australia, plus having hit singles in the US billboard charts
with "Diane" and "Charmaine" reaching No2,
and many successful albums.
The
UK market was very demanding on The Bachelors time, with the
long seasons booked in the top theatres in London and around the
country, which left little time for promotion in the US, apart
from a couple of appearances on the Ed Sullivan show and the
Johnny Carson show, plus some of the other top TV shows there.
The
Bachelors enjoyed great success through the seventies to
mid eighties, but opinions within the group were conflicting.
The choice was to continue or to update with modern ideas.
Founder
members Con & Dec Cluskey, the progressive ones, dismissed
John Stokes in 1984.
The successful result of this is now obvious, as