This Week's Top 10 Chart

Ed,

Certainly, Dave's (actually Billboard's) weekly charts are fun, and I like them. Anytime he wants to give it up, i'll take it over. But you are exactly correct in that it doesn't represent all of what was around. For that one would have to go to the top 40 songs, but that would be a mess for the purposes of the forum. And, I have always felt that the top R&B/soul/black charts should be included as well. and both those , the pop charts, and even the adult contemporary all cross-pollenated.

I'm glad we both can agree on the latter portion of 1974 as being great! It's very hard to find another time in the whole 70s decade that matches, but *I* can find parts that come very close.

As I have stated before, I think pop music took a nosedive somewhere in 1980 and didn't come back until the end of 1982. I guess it all depends on one's perspective and musical taste. Looking through my sister's late 70s soul LP's, I would say that a LOT of soul records of the period *stank* more than any disco! The O'Jays were particularly painful for me to listen to after 1976. But there was a lot of great stuff there as well, take artists like Rick James, Prince, The Whispers, George Benson, Teena Marie, and Raydio/Ray Parker Jr., as well as Parliament/Funkadelic and Bar-Kays. Let's not forget Lou Rawls' brilliant comeback, and Johnnie Taylor, excellent "Eargasm" album. Oh, there I go with talking about soul/funk music again! You guys don't want to read about that again!

But, I happen to be one of those Barry Manilow fans! Again, it has a lot to do with perspective. Around where I grew up, and around the musicians I played with, Barry was cool. We loved his song arrangements! They had power! But I think his image is what people objected to more than his music. It's most of the 80s I cannot get nostalgic about. I have negative things to say about a lot of 80s music, but I would never say them in front of Jimbo!