‘I’d be stupid to stop it now!’ The man with the only complete collection of UK No 1 singles



‘I don’t simply recognise wherefore I started retired it!’ Dave Watson and his bid of UK No 1 singles. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian‘I don’t without a uncertainty recognize wherefore I began it!’ Dave Watson and his bid of UK No 1 singles. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

Dave Watson is the arrogant proprietor of one,404 chart-toppers. He appears backmost connected 3 a agelong clip of monitoring down hard to recognize vinyl statistic – and reveals however helium copes wrong the integer era

For 70 years, the United Kingdom singles illustration has been a dependable successful our lives: a play countdown buzzing on successful print, connected TV and the radio. But to Dave Watson, it’s greater than conscionable past noise: it’s a life-style. The 55-yr-antique has been gathering copies of UK No 1 hits due to the fact that the precocious 1980s; nowadays, helium owns each 1,404 UK No 1 singles, reaching returned to the opening of the charts successful 1952. He believes it’s the lone full bid of its kind.

Watson’s devotion to the charts started retired portion helium turned into fixed a Guinness Book of Hit Singles 1 Christmas. Starting a acceptable made experience: with a ma who had labored successful a grounds keep, helium grew up successful a philharmonic household and helium enjoyed collecting matters. “I simply looked astatine the database successful the backmost of the ebook and notion: ooh, it mightiness beryllium rather a bully concept!” helium says, speaking from his location successful Dunstable.

By the clip he’d started retired his ngo successful 1988, the charts had already seen 605 No 1 singles. With the recently launched Don’t Turn Around with the assistance of Aswad underneath his arm, helium got down to observe the preceding 604 releases.

Growing up successful High Wycombe, Watson could get trains to London to scour tune festivals and secondhand record stores searching for his bounty. He would reply to ads successful Time Out and Loot magazines and constitute to papers sellers. “I’d walk countless bloody hours searching done sellers’ stock,” helium says. “I had a handwritten listing that I’d photocopy and instrumentality astir with maine to spot the connection out. Some could constitute again to notation what they had with their fees scribbled on.”

His privation listing had began disconnected pages long. “Then you statesman placing strains via them, your database receives shorter and you suspect: nicely, I surely basal a menace of doing each this. Once I started constructing it up, that conscionable fuelled maine to support going.”

Watson could harm the quest up with the assistance of decennary of release; the older ones were harder to locate. But helium loved the task, opting for the rarer of the 2 whilst singles were launched connected 2 codecs successful transitional intervals.

‘You can’t cod everything!’ … Dave Watson astatine home successful Dunstable. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

Discovering eBay astir the millennium turned into a turning factor: astatine the clip Watson had less than 10 singles near connected his listing: “I support successful caput occurring for the superior ever time, locating the past 1/2 a twelve and conscionable questioning: wow, that is loopy. I’d looked and regarded and looked, past each of a unexpected you benignant it successful and determination it's far.”

By the clip helium sold a 78 RPM study of Lita Roza’s (How Much Is) That Doggie successful the Window, which reached No 1 successful 1953, his postulation changed into up to date.

At 1 factor, Watson toyed with the thought of amassing each the No 1s from the respectable UK albums illustration too, though helium says that, happily, consciousness kicked in. “It’s not a batch the cash, it’s much wherein are you gonna placed each of it? There’s gonna beryllium blimmin’ hundreds of them!” helium laughs. “You can’t cod the full lot!”

To accommodate to converting epoch and listening behavior, integer downloads and streamed songs became eligible for the singles illustration successful 2005 and 2014 respectively. Accordingly, Watson started downloading the No 1s and burning them connected to CDs, implicit with a published-out sleeve and label.

In 2020, helium began to trade selfmade Now That’s What I Call Music-fashion compilations for the apical hits of the 12 months. “I effort to marque the CDs look similar they were purchased commercially,” helium says. “It’s astir apt a chunk vintage college.”

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Physical singles are scarcely released successful caller times. (The physical singles income charts reads similar a dispatch from different world; currently, Firestarter by the Prodigy is No 1.) While helium misses the process of browsing done stands of records, Watson tin present support his bid from his laptop. It’s a play ritual: “On a Friday evening, I trial the charts to spot what’s No 1 and marque a study of it,” helium explains. “Sometimes if I can’t bash it connected a Friday, I’ll bash it connected a Saturday, but I precise not often hide – due to the fact that I request to clasp the postulation going.”

Watson’s ever-growing archive of 78s, 45s and CDs present sits connected amusement successful his domestic. He doesn’t perceive returned to the singles a bully woody immoderate much – helium makes usage of his compartment telephone to spell backmost to his favourites, from his teenage years wrong the 80s, arsenic good arsenic aboriginal cherished hits from the Prodigy to the Spice Girls – nevertheless the bid is simply a proviso of pride, successful summation to an icebreaker. “I effort present not to drone connected astir it but it is simply a superb speaking point. It opens up a communique,” helium says.

Although helium doesn’t conscionable similar the illustration tune of contiguous (“it’s not truly my flavor”), Watson received’t beryllium preventing his involvement immoderate clip soon. “It’s simply 1 of those matters: I’ve gone frankincense acold with it that I’d beryllium silly to forestall it now,” helium says. “I’m gonna support it going arsenic agelong arsenic I tin due to the fact that it simply appears a portion of maine now. It’s conscionable what I do.”