Surprises but few real shocks in new Ultimate British Group list

I know, it’s a contradictory title. But when I explain more about a new list of great music groups, it will make sense. It’s all based on the British public as hundreds of thousands of listeners to BBC Radio 2 have been casting their votes for their Ultimate British Group.

The poll was held as part of the events to mark National Album Day in the UK on October 19. In terms of who was eligible to receive a listener vote, it was pretty straightforward. Votes could be made for groups with two or more people where the majority were born, live, or hold British citizenship.

The other main point that anyone outside the UK might find helpful here is about BBC Radio 2. All the national BBC Radio stations have a particular focus, niche, or target audience. The BBC refers to Radio 2 as a distinctive, mixed music and speech network, broadcasting to a broad audience which aims to appeal to all age groups over 35”. That does inevitably shade the poll results a little. Let's take a look and see what the effect of that is.

BBC Top 30 Ultimate British Groups

The Beatles
Queen
The Rolling Stones
Pink Floyd
Fleetwood Mac
Led Zeppelin
Take That
Coldplay
Oasis
Electric Light Orchestra
The Who
Depeche Mode
The Jam
Radiohead
The Smiths
Genesis
Pet Shop Boys
The Cure
Duran Duran
Madness
Girls Aloud
The Beautiful South
The Kinks
Bee Gees
Wham!
The Clash
Blur
Spice Girls
The Police
Manic Street Preachers

All groups, all great ones too. All are British, or predominantly so. The criteria boxes are all fully ticked, as you'd expect from the BBC. The majority of the 30 groups listed will be well known worldwide, even if one or two didn't quite hit it as big as others in the likes of North America.

There are perhaps some surprises on the list. The absence of heavier groups like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, or Iron Maiden is notable. Others like Cream, New Order, and Wings all miss out, too. However, Paul McCartney is at least represented with the rest of the Fab Four at the very top. The list could be described as a bit bland and predictable but still full of good music. That, to be fair, is very Radio 2.

The absences are probably very much related to the profile of the voting listeners. Combine that with the more regular airplay the top 30 groups listed get in comparison, and it makes sense. The absences are a surprise but not a real shock when you consider the audience of listeners.

One that does stand out as an astonishing miss is Dire Straits. It’s hard to think why they didn't feature as they do get plenty of mentions and plays on the radio station. I’d rank them far higher than many of those listed. I'm sure there will be others that come to mind as people see the results.

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