This Week's Top 10 Chart

Last week our friend Grant requested something from the late seventies. Always eager to oblige my fellow Hoffmanites, I present you with this little piece or pop nostalgia.

I was living in Germany at the time this chart posted serving my country, not to mention serving myself to more than a few biers, but most of these tunes where big enough to be played on both the German stations and on Armed Forces Radio.

Normally, I say little about the songs I post but song 9 is a particular favorite and the LP it's on has got to be one of my all time favorites of the seventies. I have copies of LP with both covers and recently I found a Japanese import CD in the Used section at Media Play. I would love for Steve to redo this one. Unfortunately, I doubt there is any chance of this being reissued in any form.
Oh well, off my soap box.

Grant, I hope you enjoy this one.

This week's chart is from September 17, 1977

Code:

 1. I Just Want To Be Your Everything...[B]Andy Gibb[/B]
 2. Float On............................[B]The Floaters[/B]
 3. Best Of My Love.....................[B]Emotions[/B]
 4. Handy Man...........................[B]James Taylor[/B]
 5. Don't Stop..........................[B]Fleetwood Mac[/B]
 6. Keep It Comin' Love.................[B]KC & The Sunshine Band[/B] 	
 7. Strawberry Letter...................[B]The Brothers Johnson[/B]
 8. Telephone Line......................[B]Electric Light Orchestra[/B]
 9. Smoke From A Distant Fire...........[B]The Sanford/Townsend Band[/B]
10. Star Wars (Main Title)..............[B]The London Symphony Orchestra[/B]

 

This isn't the official UK Top 10 of the same date - but I think it is quite close

Baccara..................Yes Sir I Can Boogie
La Belle Epoque..........Black Is Black 
Emotions.................Best Of My Love 
Danny Mirror.............Remember Elvis Presley (The King Is Dead)
Patsy Gallant............From New York To L.A.
Ram Jam..................Black Betty 
Yes......................Wonderous Stories 
Stranglers...............No More Heroes
Donna Summer.............I Remember Yesterday 
Nazareth.................Hot Tracks EP

No More Heroes was the first single I ever bought with my own money (I think it was the first time I ever spent all the money I had on one thing) - I listened to it every morning four or five times before I went to school (loved the B side as well )

happy memories - Andrew

 

Yuk! All I can eek out is #9.

 

Wow Andrerw, what a devergance. As far as I know, with the exception of numbers 3 and 6, none of these songs ever made the U.S. Top 40 let alone Top 10. It seems like in ten years the taste of Yanks and Brits had become very different or was it the work of record execs trying to keep a larger chunk of the local pie? I can't say.

 

Dave & Friends,

Ah...1977! I was 26 years old and very full of energy, drive and passion! The music from this time period was great. Top 40 Radio still played a wide variety of music and Top 40 was fast becoming a FM format. The AM stations were dropping Top 40 for the a new format (News/Talk...sound familar?) Look at the variety here! Pop, Soul-inspied Pop, Rock, Dance-oriented Pop, Funk-inspired Pop and a movie sountrack cut. Like Dave, my favorite is #9--Smoke From A Distant Fire. Thankfully, I have it on CD (Rhino 70's box) and I never grow tired of the song. This chart is a winner!

Bob

 

Would anyone know the corresponding lp charts for the same week? I do remember this as the era when AM radio was ditching Top 40 for talk, and the "free-form" FM radio that I loved was losing out to the stricter playlists of AOR and the the immigration of Top 40 to the higher quality stereo broadcasts.

I guess my love of of pop tunes was always rooted in my love of rock n' roll, and there really isn't a rock tune on this list (apologies to Mac fans - I was more of a fan in the Peter Green era). I remember spending most of my time listening to an import copy of Elvis Costello's lp, wondering why Allison wasn't number 1.....

 

Uncle Al,

Long time, no talk...

In most markets, FM Top 40 Radio evolved seperately from the album rock stations who, in 77', were still album track oriented and playing all those long album versions and lessor known tracks. Certainly, this was true in the Chicago and Milwaukee markets. In fact, many of the FM Top 40 outlets were owned by the former AM Top 40 station that simply shifted personnel from the AM to the FM side. Some simulcasted on both AM & FM with a TOP 40 format. Allison was played in this area on the Top 40 stations where it was a moderate hit.

Bob

 

it's funny, I remember vividly where I was when I heard all the 1966 songs from the last list, but 1977, i'm not sure I was even on this planet! I only remember the James Taylor and Fleetwood Mac songs.

That was when all the record stores started carrying all the import singles from the UK, and all the US independent stuff started popping up.
I remember the english import of Elvis Sun Sessions being a big deal that year, and the Sex Pistols and Clash put out albums.

 

Re: Re: This Week's Top 10 Chart

Your mileage may vary. I was 23 (gosh, was I ever that young??), stuck in Indianapolis without a car, and depressed.

What I remember is that all the pop stations in town played exactly the same very small playlist, right down to the same oldie of the week. All of which got played over, and over, and over, and over... I even came to detest Sir Duke!

But I don't want to spoil the party, so I'll go....