This is one that came in the year end chart at #97... but I think it's wonderful and sweet, and is catchy as hell, and deserved the #1 spot.... great composition by Van McCoy.
I have the McCoy-penned Brenda & The Tabulations tune in my collection. Would have had the Dramatics' too if there was a CBS Pitman pressing of that. But I much prefer the mono mix of that (in the intro no strings invading as on the stereo).
Another one that went to #15 in 1971, was by a group that was HUGE from 1967-73... but never had a #1 hit. 27 chart hits, but never reached #1. But SO MANY wonderful, great songs.
Haven't posted for a few days due to Christmas events -- need to get this in before the year-end discussion gets rolling. Shaft and Family Affair - both are songs I love. Both I'd list among my favorite #1s. Shaft - My favorite part of the song, is the last part of the long instrumental opening, from about 1:10 to 1:50. It wasn't until about 1980 that I figured out it was released in 1971, and that surprised me as I originally thought it was from about 1975, as I honestly thought it was from the disco era. Family Affair - Didn't hear this until the early '80s, but I love the funky sound. Due to the limited exposure I had to pop music at the time this was #1, I didn't realize things were that funky then (it should be noted that I wasn't hearing James Brown then either). ======================= WRT to LZ IV, I know that was released in November 1971. Asking since I don't remember that time very well -- was that more of a 1971 phenomenon or a 1972 one?
Great song, they had another McCoy penned song later in the year that didn't even make the Hot 100 (and barely top 40 R&B), but is just fantastic.
Great tune that had one of the more unusual runs of the year. It would gain and lose its star almost every other week, taking 15 weeks to finally reach its peak. I figure that probably indicates radio stations were picking this up at different times. Had everyone been playing it at the same time it probably would've easily been a Top Five hit. The follow up, Sooner Or Later seemed to ride Temptation's momentum with a fast trip into the top ten yet that one has failed to endure the way Eyes has with oldies radio.
My votes for number twos that deserved to be number one... Tom Jones - She's A Lady (Had Janis gone to one a week earlier and shortened The Osmonds reign everyone could've had a turn at the top) Marvin Gaye - What's Going On Jackson 5 - Never Can Say Goodbye (Again, this & Marvin could've had a turn had 3DN had a shorter run at the top) Aretha Franklin - Spanish Harlem (even Donny Osmond would agree his cover of GALG is slight compared to Aretha's tune or even Undisputed Truth's hit right behind her) Carpenters - Superstar (its one of the few Carpenters tunes radio will touch anymore thats non holiday and will likely replace CTY or WOJB with younger generations as their signature tune. Shortening Rod's run with Maggie May wouldve squeezed it in) Top twenties that deserved better... The Supremes - Nathan Jones Cashbox made this the Ross-less group's final top ten but it stalled out at sixteen in BB. Just a great production and love the flanging effects... Stevie Wonder - We Can Work It Out Great reinvention of a classic Beatles tune. I'd swap its chart run with its follow up "If You Really Love Me." Cat Stevens - Wild World Should've at least spent a week in the Top 10. Stalled at eleven...
Quality: My Sweet Lord / Isn't It a Pity Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey Maggie May / Reason to Believe Gypsies Tramps and Thieves Pretty decent: Just My Imagination You've Got a Friend It's Too Late Theme From Shaft : Joy to the World One Bad Apple Some favourite songs of the year offhand: Moody Blues - Story in Your Eyes Mike Curb Congregation - Burning Bridges Tin Tin - Toast and Marmalade for Tea [apparently released '70; Wiki says recorded '69] Mingles - I'm Gonna Miss You [well I heard it in '71, but I'm told it was a '70 release originally] R. Dean Taylor - Gotta See Jane [first released in '68 but became a hit in '71]
Really? Looks like another 45 i'll have to track down, as I don't have the second Stax boxed set. Most definately! Written by the great Paul Anka! I'm sure this ate at him to his dying day. Excellent ballad and a more mature sound. This was played so much on the radio back in 1971 and early 1972 that one would think it did go to #1! Top twenties that deserved better... Would you believe the first time I heard this song was by Bananarama? I much prefer the Chaka Khan version of "We Can Work It Out". Stevie's version is too clunky. I like the main parts of "If You Really Love Me.", but the slow parts ruin the flow of it. but, obviously, people liked it enough to get it into the top 10. Agreed. Another song that got immense airplay.
This was a really solid year, in my opinion. Yeah a few duds made it to the top of the charts, but even some of the cheezier #1s (like "Joy To The World" or "Knock Three Times") are such wonderful little earworms I can't begrudge their success. Of course, then there were the Osmonds and their Jackson 5-esque sludge (and I didn't care much for The Jackson 5, either). I wasn't a huge fan of Honey Cone or a few of the other more annoying denizens of the charts this year (like The Partridge Family for example - pretty much anything designed for teenage girls I detested seemingly from birth). But George Harrison established himself as a major solo star, Rod Stewart and Carole King became superstars, the Bee Gees proved there was life beyond the '60s, and a bunch of acts embarked on successful chart careers (John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Helen Reddy). This is the first year worth of hits where I can actually remember songs as they charted, so for me personally this was the first time in my life where a song was not just new to me but actually new, and you could begin to chart the evolution of pop on your own as it happened. I assume much of my taste in pop music was set by what I'd hear on the radio and from my uncle's record collection over this and the next couple of years, and I think I was pretty damn lucky because this was a great period for pop and for country (which my dad and grandmother listened to). There are a slew of songs on the year-end chart that had an outsized impact on radio, both at the time and especially over the next decade or two as album rock radio really took off. I'd have never guessed that those two Doors singles languishing at the bottom of the chart hadn't made the Top 10, for example - in fact, I'd have assumed they were both Top 5 hits, possibly even Top 3's. Whereas a lot of Top 10 hits from this year quickly vanished down the memory hole, and were seldom if ever spotted on the radio by 1980 or so. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1971 - Wikipedia My list of the best non-#1s is ridiculously long this year, easily rivaling the finest years of the '60s. They typically aren't quite as boldly experimental, but they're frequently more solid examples of songwriting: Riders On The Storm & Love Her Madly by The Doors One Less Bell To Answer by the 5th Dimension Lonely Days by The Bee Gees Amazing Grace by Judy Collins Mercy Mercy Me by Marvin Gaye Another Day by Paul McCartney - I know this one isn't popular in these parts, but I've adored it since I was three Me And You And A Dog Named Boo by Lobo - Another absolute favorite from when I was a tyke Sweet City Woman by The Stampeders - Aural crack Color My World by Chicago Proud Mary by Ike & Tina Turner - More aural crack, my uncle was a huge Tina fan and this got heavy play for years at our house Draggin The Line by Tommy James If You Really Love Me by Stevie Wonder - The last big hit in his traditional "60's" style That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be by Carly Simon- If it wasn't clear already, this solidified the arrival of the singer/songwriter and far more literate pop Mr. Bojangles by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band It Don't Come Easy by Ringo Starr - Hard to believe this wasn't a #1 - it sure sounds like one Don't Pull Your Love by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds - Another cut that sure sounds like a #1 Rose Garden by Lynn Anderson - I got a double dose of this one on pop and country radio. Only made it to #3, but bests many #1 records from this year, just a perfect little tune If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot - In my opinion, one of the best cuts of the decade. Again, got a double dose of it, because it was a pop and country hit. Very lucky to have grown up in a time before country went to crap Rainy Days & Mondays by The Carpenters - A signature tune, one of several for the duo For All We Know by The Carpenters - I used to find this one horribly dated, but now I think it's perfectly dated, a real piece of Americana Superstar by The Carpenters (b/w Bless The Beasts And The Children - quite a single!) - Maybe the greatest thing they ever recorded, arguably Karen's finest performance, definitely deserved to top the charts She's A Lady by Tom Jones - Another record that just sounds like a chart topper Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers - Another of the greatest singles of the decade, loved this song since I was a tyke, shoulda gone to the top What's Goin' On? by Marvin Gaye - And yet another top single of the decade. Shoulda been a #1 America, not garbage like The Osmonds Smiling Faces Sometimes by The Undisputed Truth - My favorite of the non-#1s this year, and there's some steep competition. One of my favorite songs of all time, really deserved to top the charts Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver - Didn't quite make it to #1 but was the #8 song for the year anyway and made Denver a superstar. I got a double dose of it on pop and country radio. I'm a bit over it now, but hearing it always takes me back to riding thru the Arizona mountain countryside in my dad's blue Chrysler pickup truck as a tot in the fall of '71. Also, more tracks that were far better-remembered than their chart placements would suggest: Wild World by Cat Stevens One Toke Over The Line by Brewer & Shipley If by Bread, which might as well have been a #1 because it dominated light rock radio for over a decade Black Magic Woman by Santana Tired Of Being Alone by Al Green - You'd think this was a #1, but it only got to #11 - was a huge seller anyhow and almost made the Top 10 for 1971, became a perennial on pop and R&B radio to the present day Finally, special shotouts to some sadly-forgotten tracks that deserve to be remembered better than they seem to be: Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again by The Fortunes If I Were Your Woman by Gladys Knight & The Pips Funky Nassau by The Beginning of the End Liar by Three Dog Night Help Me Make It Through The Night by Sammi Smith Put Your Hand In The Hand by Ocean Superstar by Murray Head - Not that I'm a huge Andrew Lloyd Webber fan, but this made quite a splash at the time and vanished without a trace within 5 years Treat Her Like A Lady by Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose - I loved this one as a kid - my uncle had the single and it got to #3 - but it disappeared by 1980 And then there's the prime, ripe cheeze: Chick-A-Boom by Daddy Dewdrop Amos Moses by Jerry Reed - I liked Jerry as a kid, but Christ this tripe is annoying As for my favorite #1 singles of the year, if I had to rank my very favorites, in order starting with my favorite, it would be: Theme From Shaft Me And Bobby McGee It's Too Late / I Feel The Earth Move My Sweet Lord Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey How Can You Mend A Broken Heart The first two were my favorite songs in the world when I was very little, and I'm still partial to them today. And I'm sure our resident McCartney fanatics will approve of me listing Macca's fist #1 here. It is interesting to me that even in '71 The Beatles were still casting a lengthy shadow over the pop charts - Paul, George and Ringo are all represented, and The Bee Gees topped the charts with a cut that sounds like The Beatles meet The Carpenters. I guess I was primed for my later Beatles addiction early on. And now we turn the brand new key and unlock the door to 1972...
Disco owes a huge debt of gratitude to Isaac Hayes and particularly to "Shaft's" high-drama orchestral arrangements overlaid atop a funk backing. I question whether disco would have ever evolved if Hayes hadn't made such a huge splash with his improbable, chocolate and peanut butter combo. The theme from Shaft has been one of my favorite songs since I was just three, but I think it's also one of the most important big hits of the past 50 years. I think Isaac Hayes altered the course of pop history with that one.
I wasn't there at the time(well I was but I was 10)but it was a whole other world going on musically.
It was during this period I think when we saw album rock start to decouple from the singles charts. I think this served rock very well in the short to midterm . . . and sent it down the path of destruction in the longterm.
At least it did better than the B side, "Bless The Beasts And Children" - which didn't even make the Top 50.
FM radio did indeed make it feel like their was a whole different world of music going on. I had older brothers so I was aware of the hard, heavy and psychedelic forms of rock that seldom got played on the radio. Still, to have stations devoted to the outliers of popular music was a wild thing to hear after years of AM radio.
Only for many of them to become top 40 stations just a year later. I'd sure like to hear from all of those "older brothers" who preferred top 40 music. We have some on this forum, so I know they are out there.
And here are all the songs that peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 in 1971. 1. The Jackson 5 - Mama's Pearl 2. Tom Jones - She's A Lady 3. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On 4. Ocean - Put Your Hand In The Hand 5. Test Jackson 5 - Never Can Say Goodbye 6. The Carpenters - Rainy Days And Mondays 7. Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff 8. John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads 9. Aretha Franklin - Spanish Harlem 10. The Carpenters - Superstar 10 total #2 hits that year, 2 each for The Jackson 5 and The Carpenters. For a group who took it's first 4 songs to #1 consecutively it must've been very frustrating for The J5 to see all their biggest hits blocked the following year.
Favorite #1s: My Sweet Lord/Isn't It A Pity - George Harrison Just My Imagination - The Temptations Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones It's Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King Indian Reservation - The Raiders You've Got A Friend - James Taylor How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Bee Gees Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Paul and Linda McCartney Maggie May/Reason To Believe - Rod Stewart Theme From Shaft - Isaac Hays Can take it or leave it #1s: Knock Three Times - Dawn Joy To The World - Three Dog Night Want Ads - Honey Cone Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves - Cher Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone Want to snap the 45 in half #1s: One Bad Apple - The Osmonds Me and Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond Looking back, a pretty good year. As others have said, Superstar by the Carpenters and Cat Stevens' Wild World both should have gone to the top. Wild World remains popular to this day on radio stations that focus on the 70's. And What's Going On by Marvin Gaye is a flat out masterpiece. Billboard's Hot 100 is a strange animal, indeed. When did American Top 40 start? Wasn't it on the air by this point? I kind of remember Casey talking about Uncle Albert, as I was a devoted listener to AT40 once I discovered it.
I'm still in disbelief that Aretha's "Rock Steady" only got to #9. Once that unstoppable groove locks in and the force of nature we call Lady Soul unleashes, it's ON.
For those unfamiliar with the story, this excerpt is from THE SINGLES 1969-1973 booklet included with the album, regarding Karen's vocal take on "Superstar" (emphasis mine).
