Ah the rock band t-shirt. We all know someone who’s partial to them. Usually the part-time bass guitarist of a local tribute band; shoulder-length hair casually greasing up the sleeves, maybe a tobacco-stain or two just above a logo which is being slightly but noticeably distorted by an ever-expanding mid-riff.
Anyway enough stereotyping, Black Sabbath have come top of HMV’s Classic Rock T-Shirt chart of 2012 thanks to a re-issue of their US Tour 1978 edition. The shirt was sported by a more svelte looking Robert Downey Jr. than that described above in the film Avengers Assemble, which went along way in boosting interest in the item.
“This year over half the top 30 best-selling T-shirts at HMV were made up of vintage artists and, even though many of them have not been active with new material, they continue to sell in large quantities as many of these acts are revered, and with that comes a level of cool-ness and style that money or promotion can’t always buy,” HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo has said.
“Some performers can quickly come and go with the trends, but one genre that has an enduring appeal and seems to remain eternally popular with fans is classic rock and metal.”
Top 10 Best Selling T-Shirts:
1/ Black Sabbath – US Tour 78
2/ Led Zeppelin – USA 77
3/ Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day
4/ David Bowie – Smoking
5/ Bruce Springsteen – Sand Tour
= Foo Fighters – Gold logo
6/ AC/DC – Angus And Brian
7/ Metallica – Skull Explosion
8/ The Rolling Stones – Union Jack Tongue
9/ The Beatles – Sgt Pepper
10/ Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction