So, has The Manual: How to Have a Number One the Easy Way inspired any hits?

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Inspired by Tom's post about the current #1 UK single: "Jay: the crazy frog is a cartoon frog, who makes a crazy noise, and performs a crazy version of "Axel F" by Harold Faltermeyer. I blame The Manual."

I'm half-serious about this question (since I read it on Sunday and absolutely loved it) and half-not. Has one made a try/succeeded at getting a #1 after reading it? Less seriously, what hits do you think might've been spawned after perusing this gem?

― Ian Riese-Moraine's Plateau Rouge! (Eastern Mantra), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, "Give Me Eidelweiss" by Eidelweiss, #1 in Switzerland I believe and top 5 in the UK.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 17:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Bingo Boys as well, I think?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 17:39 (twenty-one years ago)

eidelweiss was a hit over here too though you (sadly) never hear it anymore

― j blount (papa la bas), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 17:42 (twenty-one years ago)

(Bring Me) Edelweiss was great, and I also heartily endorse (I Can't Get No) Edelweiss, the follow-up.

― emil.y (emil.y), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm sure there are others, too.

Which records, COULD HAVE BEEN?

I'm thinking Cotton Eye Joe.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

didn't that eidelweiss song only go to nuber 2 in the UK, prompting a full refund of the price of the book?

― john'n'chicago, Wednesday, 25 May 2005 13:57 (twenty-one years ago)

It apparently went to number 5, but they never refunded it. Edelweiss were good sports.

― Ian Riese-Moraine's Plateau Rouge! (Eastern Mantra), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought that Eidelweiss song preceded The Manual?

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Arnie & The Terminators "I'll Be Back"

― Siegbran (eofor), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 15:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Which records, COULD HAVE BEEN?

Groove Is in the Heart?

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 16:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Tell me more about this Manual.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Nope, the Edelweiss song came afterward.

jaymc, The Manual is here for your viewing pleasure.

― Ian Riese-Moraine's Plateau Rouge! (Eastern Mantra), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 16:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Which records, COULD HAVE BEEN?

Hollaback Girl

― Brian Miller (Brian Miller), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 16:46 (twenty-one years ago)

If you were to follow the instructions today what would the result sound like? Despite what Tom said, I can't imagine it sounding like the crazy frog.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 16:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"could've been" by tiffany

― radio romancer, Wednesday, 25 May 2005 16:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, up until hearing Crazy Frog, I didn't think Drummond and Cauty's methods would work as well nowadays as I haven't heard of many songs lately that were hits and didn't really have any lyrics in the verses (although admittedly my exposure to the Top 40 even here in the States is limited). In the mid-Nineties there were a ton of songs like that in the charts. The technology of course is different now and so I'm sure it's even easier to record something with slick(er) production values without having to go into a proper studio for five days and used a 48-track. Tom's pretty OTM, though -- sample something with a sense of familiarity, add a dance beat, tinker with the arrangement a bit, don't play a single note of actual music, and in the case of Crazy Frog make up some gibberish on top of it and BAM! Get the proper distribution/promotion and an "interesting" video and you have a #1 hit pretty much like The Manual says.

― Ian Riese-Moraine's Plateau Rouge! (Eastern Mantra), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I really need to hear this "Crazy Frog" song.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 17:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Arnie & The Terminators "I'll Be Back"

It's Arnold & the Gropinators "I Think We Should Make a Carla Sandwich"

― Harry Klam, Wednesday, 25 May 2005 17:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Eiffel 65?

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

That's what I first thought, Sterling!

― Ian Riese-Moraine's Plateau Rouge! (Eastern Mantra), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 18:42 (twenty-one years ago)

jaymc, The Manual is here for your viewing pleasure.

that's a bit cunty since the book is in print and capable of earning royalties for Drummond & Cauty (unlike the rest of their work together)

― kit brash (kit brash), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Jimmy Cauty released I Wanna 1-2-1 With You under the Solid Gold Chartbusters name in 1999. That followed his own Manual rules to the letter, and might have been the first novelty single to be based on a ringtone too (that awful nokia-standard-as-used-by-Maureen-from-driving-school one which was everywhere at the time). But it didn't even chart as far as I know. Not top 40 anyway. To be fair, it was fucking awful.

― JimD (JimD), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Scooter's whole career is based on The Manual and the "Doctorin' The Tardis" template. Every single song of theirs is pasted together from choruses of old pop classics and basslines of current club hits.

― Siegbran (eofor), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 23:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Or samples of What Time Is Love?

― JimD (JimD), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 23:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Mylo?

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 26 May 2005 06:40 (twenty-one years ago)

"I'll Be Back" by Arnee (note spelling for copyright reasons) and the Terminaters (ditto) was Steve "Scab" Wright In The Afternoon.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 26 May 2005 07:06 (twenty-one years ago)

The book is quite expensive for its size. I'm very pleased to have the 'cunty' version, and hope to print it out when no one's looking.

Crazy Frog looks more like a turd than a frog.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Thursday, 26 May 2005 08:16 (twenty-one years ago)

in case anyone else is interested:

http://www.ellipsis.com/catalogue/unpopular/1899858652.html
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1899858652/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1899858652/

and while I'm at it
http://www.ellipsis.com/catalogue/unpopular/1899858377.html

― kit brash (kit brash), Thursday, 26 May 2005 08:36 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah copyright protection is a MUST

― MC5, motherfuckers, Thursday, 26 May 2005 09:05 (twenty-one years ago)

haha!

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Thursday, 26 May 2005 10:18 (twenty-one years ago)

The Solid Gold Chartbusters single made Number 62, if anyone cares about such things.

― edward o (edwardo), Thursday, 26 May 2005 11:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I was curious. Thanks!

― Ian Riese-Moraine's Plateau Rouge! (Eastern Mantra), Thursday, 26 May 2005 12:10 (twenty-one years ago)

it's not like they were knocking out gold CD-Rs of Back In The USA on a market stall y'know

― kit brash (kit brash), Thursday, 26 May 2005 22:55 (twenty-one years ago)

that's a bit cunty since the book is in print and capable of earning royalties for Drummond & Cauty (unlike the rest of their work together)

I read this online in like 1997 or something. So I'd imagine if they had a problem with it they would have done something by now. I think it was even the same site.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 27 May 2005 00:41 (twenty-one years ago)

well, they reissued the book...

― kit brash (kit brash), Friday, 27 May 2005 01:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Um, Kopyright Liberation Front? It seems slightly contradictory to me that they'd care about someone posting the entirety of it on the Internet.

― Ian Riese-Moraine's Plateau Rouge! (Eastern Mantra), Friday, 27 May 2005 09:46 (twenty-one years ago)

And they set fire to some money once.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Friday, 27 May 2005 09:53 (twenty-one years ago)

three years pass...

'Only three weeks ago,' revealed Drummond, 'I was confronted by a bloke who told me he was responsible for the Bob the Builder record. He based it all on the manual.'

― Joris Stereo, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 19:10 (seventeen years ago)

two years pass...

Tested by science.

― naked hdsl (sic), Tuesday, 26 July 2011 05:22 (fourteen years ago)

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