Every UK #1 Single of the 1970's Discussion Thread (REVISITED)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by W.B., Mar 30, 2020.

  1. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
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    Another major (and iconic) hit for the legendary outfit, their fourth U.S. #1 (Cash Box and Record World - both 1 week, 23 April 1977; Billboard - 1 week, 07 May 1977; and Radio & Records - 3 weeks, 01 April-15 April 1977). The last two lines of the last verse always reminded me, in its feel, of the ad campaign for Roach Motel, a US brand of roach trap - "Roaches check in, but they don't check out."
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    Could only get as high as #69 in US Billboard, #75 in Cash Box, and #76 (?) in Record World.

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    Managed a small comeback with this number, peaking at #15 in both US Billboard and Cash Box, #13 in Record World and #20 in Radio & Records - and a #1 country hit in the States. That this charted here contrasted with fellow Gordon Mills client Engelbert Humperdinck's "After The Lovin' " which was Top 10 in the US but didn't do a bit of business in the UK. Would be a forerunner to the country direction Mr. Jones will take on disc for the next decade.
     
  2. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    [​IMG]
    Was #41 in US Billboard, #42 in Cash Box, and #54 in Record World.
     
  3. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

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    In the U.S., this was the single issued after "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" but before "Keep It Comin' Love"; was their fourth #1 in the States, making the top of all but one chart: Billboard (Hot 100 #426) and Record World (both 1 week - June 11, 1977), and Cash Box (1 week - 04 June 1977); the exception was Radio & Records where it could only get to #3.
     
  4. Bulsara

    Bulsara His Majesty

    Location:
    Sydney
    Quite a few landmarks in popular music hit the charts in April 1977 e.g. Hotel California, Smoke on the Water, Don’t Stop, Solsbury Hill, White Riot, Sir Duke.

    This was also new to the charts in this period and while it would ‘only’ reach #30 it would become one of the most enduring and influential songs in alternative rock history.

     
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  5. Mulderre

    Mulderre 60s and 70s Music Lover

    Knowing Me Knowing You. If ABBA ended 1976 with something which didn't make number one (although their year was the best any band could get), 1977 started with all the big guns ready. And their first single is something which once more broke the quality threshold. Pop at its best with the band touching a bit of rock and roll to create 4 minutes of pure magic. Up to this point, everyhting they were doing was gold, and they rightly deserved this position for almost a month.

    6/5. Magic.
     
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  6. Mulderre

    Mulderre 60s and 70s Music Lover

    All the new entries are here: a bit for everyone. New wave, punk, disco, soul and everything in between.

    T. Rex - Bolan continues with experimenting for his new album. This is another of those strange singles he was making around this time. Predating the new age music by a year or so? Quite strange... not one of his best attempts, but nice try.

    Barclay James Harvest - A 7-inch played at 33 rpm was something uncommon, but you have to do it to make way for 5 minutes of slow rock by a band whose success in the singles charts was limited (not so in the albums chart, where they were having great albums). It's not your average rock and roll song, going more for the slow and smooth route, but after 2 years of much nothingness, it's a welcome appearance (albeit only peaking at number 49).

    Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes - Melvin and the boys continued with being classy and didn't change anything from the smooth soul they were doing until then. Not the hit it deserved, but it is great to hear a pure soul with a touch of disco beat.

    Rose Royce - We discovered the funky-disco side of the band. What we have here is the softer side, a side which they developed in the future and was also a great source of success. A lovely song which shows the versatility of the Whitfield band and a top 20 hit which reinstated them to fame after the apparent flop of their last single.

    The Clash - Yet another pivotal moment of 1977. Clash's first single is another shout of anger, of frustration and a desire to riot. It's much more savage than the prefabricated (or artificial) Sex Pistols, and one which will be marked as one of the best debuts in musical history. It only crept around the bottom Top 50, but slowly, more of them will come.

    Judge Dread - 1977 also had the ever malignant Judge Dread. His fame still was there, despite making ever lamer singles everytime. This EP is no exception: great instrumentals, horrible smutty lyrics. And we will have to stand another of his unfunnies... 1977 wasn't all that great, and an insult to Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

    Elkie Brooks - A song of two halves. The first proves that Elkie is more than a decent female singer, with a touch of class and guitar (the sort you expect in a nightclub). Not bad, but then... he changes completely to deliver a pseudo gospelian (?) performance with chorus and all. In all, a great single.

    Andrew Gold - Pop-rock at its greatest, this is what Gold is giving us in his first UK hit. One of those guilty pleasures (not in the CD, but another of his hits was) that I love to listen from time to time. A great cover letter for mister Gold (and yes, in the album there are a lot of things wrong)


    David Dundas - Dundas tries hard to repeat the success of Jeans On... however, times have changed and this weak effort only got to number 29. Not one of this best songs and his magic was lost. Better stick to Channel 4, Lord.

    Van McCoy - The Hustle 2.0. What we find here is the same of the 1975 hit, albeit a bit more sedate. It is another of those lovely songs which made people dance during the early spring. McCoy scored another hit with this one, which is nice.

    Barbra Streisand - From the third installment (of 4) of A Star Is Born, we find of the biggest hits worldwide in 1977. Barbra is back with some of her usual light pop, with a marvellous voice which helps to lift even more a marvellous instrumental. A number one in the US, and totally deserved.

    The Jacksons - They changed Motown for Philadelphia International and they were no longer The Jackson 5. A great year for them started with a small hit: a very great danceable song which didn't make a lot of noise at the time, but I feel that it is as enthusastic and great as it should be. But things will change very soon.

    Leo Sayer - The last single of the Endless Flight album (a success in the UK) is another great example of fun pop which can raise a smile. Sayer had three singles in the Top 10 and soon, his fame was inevitable. His biggest success so far.

    Peter Gabriel - Fresh after leaving Genesis a year or two before, this is his first single. A great way to start his chart career: a folky pop single which is too adorable to listen and, dare I say, one of the best singles of this big bunch.

    Stevie Wonder - Ditto for this one. Wonder's homage to Duke Ellington (and by extension, Louis Armstrong and Basie among others) is one of his most beautiful songs, another of those cheery songs which Wonder sometimes treated us. A great hit on both shores and boy, check out the instrumentals!

    Tavares - There has been a mystery... who has done it? This is the question Tavares makes. A bit more pop than the rest of his output, but despite that, its very competent and danceable. Why bother? It was another Top 10 hit by the band, who were in heaven.


    Deep Purple - A strange EP by the band, which had live performances of Smoke on the Water, Woman from Tokyo and Child in Time. It has A LOT of keyboards, and it's the only chance until then to see the masterpiece of Purple in the charts (it wasn't released as such in the UK).

    Tom Jones - As with Engelbert, he had a hit song in the US after a time without hits. Here it wasn't as big as in America, but at leats he had something to cheer after 2 years without any action. What can we find here? Country rock which was obviously more enjoyed by Americans than Brits (maybe a year earlier...)

    10cc - 10cc wasn't having the best of times, suffering from the departure of two of their members. But chartwise, they were on a roll, despite this single being a little bit of a dissapointment. Sure, it has the "witty" lyrics and more upbeat instrumentals... but it somehow fails to deliver much. A good pop single, nothing much.

    Eagles - The signature song for the band, at least in the UK, and a song that has been burnt by classic rock radios (even here in Spain). It's a great song, although a bit long in the end, which shows the great potential of the Californian. Great soft rock, and the greatest hit in the UK.

    Television - One of the albums of the year and one of the songs of the year. In a time when punk and new wave was starting to take off, all the way from America we have the great opus of mister Tom Verlaine. Divided into two parts, this long song is the first of two hit singles and the moment in which British audience knew that in the US change was also starting to creep.


    Barry Biggs - From sadness to happiness. From being mellow to even more mellow. It's more pop than reggae and it's a song which it's a dose of saccharine we all need. Otherwise... pure lovers reggae for hugging your partner.

    Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Among the myriad of funky singles we have been seeing during this time, this is one of the most compellings. Meaningful lyrics, a great use of the keyboards and a very nice groove (check out the instrumental, as well!). Johnny's secodn hit which almost broke into the Top 40 in US.

    Delegation - British soul, as we know, was mostly bland and meaningless. Nothing to compare against the US counterparts. Here is more blandness by some unknown guys from Brum which is as insipid as it gets. Second rate British soul, at best.

    Eddie and The Hot Rods - They began the underground movement (at least in the charts), and they were now falling behind. They wanted a coup, and this almost gave something to cheer. It's more of the same, admitely, but it sounds very fresh even today. They were capable of everything, but needed a greater coup to have chart chances. Don't forget to CRANK IT UP.

    Manhattans - Their 1976 was over, and 1977 wasn't as good as the last year: this is the only chart action we see of them. It's more upbeat than the two hits, but somehow it failed to ignite the charts. Sadly, it's the last we see from them...

    Joe Tex - Delegation and all the UK funky bands should take note of an old face in American charts. Joe Tex's second lease of life came because of one of those 100% disco songs which made bounce and bump all the discotheques. Perhaps not the eight marvel of the world, but a very competent song and, would you believe, the only UK hit of his career.


    KC - I'm surprised this didn't chart higher: it's quintaessentially Miami sound from the beginning to the end and it's something so danceable that should have been a bigger hit. A number one in the US, which was starting to be engulfed by the disco revolution.

    Blue - From some guys of Marmalade, we find some inoffensive pop. A decent effort which, while not being something stellar, it can be listened and enjoyed.

    Fleetwood Mac - Another great FM single, another flop... The UK wasn't as Mac-crazy than the US. It's another of the great rock singles of the band, which should have been bigger than what it achieved in the end. The great run continued here, and would be even better.

    Billy Paul - With Let 'em In still ringing in the ears of many people, Billy Paul had a small hit with his own cover. This time, there's not so many "sensual" voice. Instead, we find much more of an upbeat song with black power lyrics (references to MLK, Louis Armstrong and even Malcolm X). It's an audacious choice of a single, and a small hit. Well done, Billy!

    Piero Umiliani - The oddity of the year is a then unknown song from an Italian "sexploitation" movie (Sweden: Heaven and Hell) which was used in, of all places, The Muppets. The TV series was of course a success and the song was a hit. Musicwise? It's pure nonsense. And I love it.
     
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  7. Mulderre

    Mulderre 60s and 70s Music Lover

    Non-hits shown on Top of the Pops during the time ABBA were at the top (there are quite a few). First, The Brothers want to replicate the success of Sing Me with a bit of pop with a touch of Spanish guitar. Here's Beautiful.

     
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  8. Mulderre

    Mulderre 60s and 70s Music Lover

    Number two: Cleo Laine had a bit of success in the 60s. Now she's trying his luck with John Williams. No, not the composer: the guitarist (we will see more of him in the future). A lovely cover of Feelings which did nothing more than bore some youngsters in the studio.

     
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  9. Mulderre

    Mulderre 60s and 70s Music Lover

    The last week ABBA were at the top, the show had no less than four non charting hits. And, because I love my audience... the first was a band called Rags. They entered A Song For Europe show, for the Eurovision Song Contest. They lost to dePaul-Moran. Here's Promises Promises.

     
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  10. Mulderre

    Mulderre 60s and 70s Music Lover

    The second band was Contempt, which tried their luck talking about money. Money Is A Girl's Best Friend.

     
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  11. Mulderre

    Mulderre 60s and 70s Music Lover

    And one of the most unexpected groups to appear this year was Uriah Heep, promoting his newest single, Wise Man. It flopped.



    (The other act to perform that week was Kiki Dee with Night Hours, but I haven't find any footage).
     
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  12. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Now, for the first and last weeks all three charts had this, one of ABBA's first numbers to deal with the subject of divorce, at the top, courtesy the "other" charts:

    NME SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 02 April 1977

    01 (01) - ABBA - KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU
    02 (08) - David Soul - GOING IN WITH MY EYES OPEN
    03 (02) - The Manhattan Transfer - CHANSON D'AMOUR
    04 (03) - Showaddywaddy - WHEN
    05 (04) - David Bowie - SOUND AND VISION
    06 (13) - Berni Flint - I DON'T WANT TO PUT A HOLD ON YOU
    07 (07) - Mary MacGregor - TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS
    08 (05) - Elvis Presley - MOODY BLUE
    09 (12) - Boney M - SUNNY
    10 (18) - Brotherhood Of Man - OH BOY (THE MOOD I'M IN)
    11 (06) - Heatwave - BOOGIE NIGHTS
    12 (19) - Billy Ocean - RED LIGHT SPELLS DANGER
    13 (09) - Electric Light Orchestra - ROCKARIA!
    14 (27) - Marilyn McCoo And Billy Davis, Jr. - YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STAR (TO BE IN MY SHOW)
    15 (15) - Maxine Nightingale - LOVE HIT ME
    16 (24) - Smokie - LAY BACK IN THE ARMS OF SOMEONE
    17 (29) - Graham Parker And The Rumour - HOLD BACK THE NIGHT / (LET ME GET) SWEET ON YOU
    18 (10) - Mr. Big - ROMEO
    19 (14) - Rubettes - BABY I KNOW
    20 (RE) - Leo Sayer - WHEN I NEED YOU
    21 (RE) - Real Thing - YOU'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING
    22 (11) - Cliff Richard - MY KINDA LIFE
    23 (NEW) - Brendon - GIMME SOME
    24 (NEW) - O. C. Smith - TOGETHER
    25 (RE) - Barbara Dickson - ANOTHER SUITCASE IN ANOTHER HALL
    26 (NEW) - Dead End Kids - HAVE I THE RIGHT
    27 (30) - Bonnie Tyler - MORE THAN A LOVER
    28 (NEW) - Michael Nesmith - RIO
    29 (20) - Earth, Wind And Fire - SATURDAY NITE
    30 (26) - Elton John - CRAZY WATER


    MELODY MAKER SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 02 April 1977

    01 (02) - ABBA - KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU
    02 (01) - The Manhattan Transfer - CHANSON D'AMOUR
    03 (16) - David Soul - GOING IN WITH MY EYES OPEN
    04 (03) - Showaddywaddy - WHEN
    05 (04) - David Bowie - SOUND AND VISION
    06 (06) - Mary MacGregor - TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS
    07 (18) - Brotherhood Of Man - OH BOY (THE MOOD I'M IN)
    08 (08) - Elvis Presley - MOODY BLUE
    09 (10) - Boney M - SUNNY
    10 (19) - Berni Flint - I DON'T WANT TO PUT A HOLD ON YOU
    11 (05) - Heatwave - BOOGIE NIGHTS
    12 (09) - Mr. Big - ROMEO
    13 (NEW) - Billy Ocean - RED LIGHT SPELLS DANGER
    14 (07) - Electric Light Orchestra - ROCKARIA!
    15 (29) - Graham Parker And The Rumour - HOLD BACK THE NIGHT / (LET ME GET) SWEET ON YOU
    16 (11) - Leo Sayer - WHEN I NEED YOU
    17 (12) - Rubettes - BABY I KNOW
    18 (20) - Maxine Nightingale - LOVE HIT ME
    19 (NEW) - Smokie - LAY BACK IN THE ARMS OF SOMEONE
    20 (NEW) - Marilyn McCoo And Billy Davis, Jr. - YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STAR (TO BE IN MY SHOW)
    21 (13) - Cliff Richard - MY KINDA LIFE
    22 (30) - Real Thing - YOU'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING
    23 (27) - Barbara Dickson - ANOTHER SUITCASE IN ANOTHER HALL
    24 (17) - Bryan Ferry - THIS IS TOMORROW
    25 (NEW) - Brendon - GIMME SOME
    26 (14) - Earth, Wind And Fire - SATURDAY NITE
    27 (NEW) - O. C. Smith - TOGETHER
    28 (23) - Cerrone - LOVE IN 'C' MINOR
    29 (NEW) - Lynsey De Paul And Mike Moran - ROCK BOTTOM
    30 (NEW) - Michael Nesmith - RIO

    ————

    NME SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 30 April 1977

    01 (01) - ABBA - KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU
    02 (04) - Deniece Williams - FREE
    03 (05) - Billy Ocean - RED LIGHT SPELLS DANGER
    04 (21) - Dead End Kids - HAVE I THE RIGHT
    05 (08) - Berni Flint - I DON'T WANT TO PUT A HOLD ON YOU
    06 (06) - Stevie Wonder - SIR DUKE
    07 (14) - Elkie Brooks - PEARL'S A SINGER
    08 (04) - Showaddywaddy - WHEN
    09 (02) - David Soul - GOING IN WITH MY EYES OPEN
    10 (16) - Tavares - WHODUNIT
    11 (11) - Leo Sayer - HOW MUCH LOVE
    12 (03) - Boney M - SUNNY
    13 (09) - Marilyn McCoo And Billy Davis, Jr. - YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STAR (TO BE IN MY SHOW)
    14 (15) - Andrew Gold - LONELY BOY
    15 (10) - Brotherhood Of Man - OH BOY (THE MOOD I'M IN)
    16 (NEW) - Joe Tex - AIN'T GONNA BUMP NO MORE (WITH NO BIG FAT WOMAN)
    17 (12) - Smokie - LAY BACK IN THE ARMS OF SOMEONE
    18 (18) - Peter Gabriel - SOLSBURY HILL
    19 (24) - Eagles - HOTEL CALIFORNIA
    20 (NEW) - Rod Stewart - I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT / FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST
    21 (25) - Van McCoy - THE SHUFFLE
    22 (17) - David Bowie - SOUND AND VISION
    23 (22) - Brendon - GIMME SOME
    24 (30) - O. C. Smith - TOGETHER
    25 (29) - Barbra Streisand - LOVE THEME FROM "A STAR IS BORN" (EVERGREEN)
    26 (27) - Deep Purple - SMOKE ON THE WATER
    27 (NEW) - David Dundas - ANOTHER FUNNY HONEYMOON
    28 (NEW) - 10CC - GOOD MORNING JUDGE
    29 (RE) - Glen Campbell - SOUTHERN NIGHTS
    30 (RE) - Lynsey De Paul And Mike Moran - ROCK BOTTOM


    MELODY MAKER SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 30 April 1977

    01 (01) - ABBA - KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU
    02 (02) - Billy Ocean - RED LIGHT SPELLS DANGER
    03 (06) - Deniece Williams - FREE
    04 (07) - Stevie Wonder - SIR DUKE
    05 (14) - Dead End Kids - HAVE I THE RIGHT
    06 (17) - Tavares - WHODUNIT
    07 (04) - Boney M - SUNNY
    08 (03) - Showaddywaddy - WHEN
    09 (08) - Berni Flint - I DON'T WANT TO PUT A HOLD ON YOU
    10 (20) - Leo Sayer - HOW MUCH LOVE
    11 (02) - David Soul - GOING IN WITH MY EYES OPEN
    12 (15) - Elkie Brooks - PEARL'S A SINGER
    13 (10) - Marilyn McCoo And Billy Davis, Jr. - YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STAR (TO BE IN MY SHOW)
    14 (18) - Andrew Gold - LONELY BOY
    15 (09) - Brotherhood Of Man - OH BOY (THE MOOD I'M IN)
    16 (11) - David Bowie - SOUND AND VISION
    17 (19) - Brendon - GIMME SOME
    18 (11) - Smokie - LAY BACK IN THE ARMS OF SOMEONE
    19 (NEW) - Van McCoy - THE SHUFFLE
    20 (23) - Peter Gabriel - SOLSBURY HILL
    21 (NEW) - Joe Tex - AIN'T GONNA BUMP NO MORE (WITH NO BIG FAT WOMAN)
    22 (29) - Eagles - HOTEL CALIFORNIA
    23 (30) - Barbra Streisand - LOVE THEME FROM "A STAR IS BORN" (EVERGREEN)
    24 (27) - O. C. Smith - TOGETHER
    25 (24) - Lynsey De Paul And Mike Moran - ROCK BOTTOM
    26 (NEW) - Rod Stewart - I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT / FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST
    27 (21) - The Manhattan Transfer - CHANSON D'AMOUR
    28 (13) - Elvis Presley - MOODY BLUE
    29 (16) - Maxine Nightingale - LOVE HIT ME
    30 (NEW) - Deep Purple - SMOKE ON THE WATER
     
  13. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    And speaking of non-charting UK records . . . in the U.S., the song that preceded ABBA's "Dancing Queen" at the top was this number by Daryl Hall And John Oates of "She's Gone" fame. One of the shortest singles to come along in that particular era, here's "Rich Girl":

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

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    Was the 418th Number One of US Billboard's Hot 100 (2 weeks - 26 March-02 April 1977); also topped Cash Box (2 non-consecutive weeks - 26 March and 09 April 1977), Record World (2 weeks - 02 April-09 April 1977), and Radio & Records (2 weeks - 18 March-25 March 1977). And again, did not chart in the UK - the first US Number One of this year not to do so (all those from this year, up to this point, had reached some position on the UK charts, a few also reaching the top).
     
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  14. Bulsara

    Bulsara His Majesty

    Location:
    Sydney
    Again - such a great song and has stood the test of time - hard to imagine how this was never a hit in the UK.
     
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  15. Bulsara

    Bulsara His Majesty

    Location:
    Sydney
    Didn't realise this was a live version that charted in 1977. Given that it was such a big hit elsewhere - do you know why it was never released in the UK as a single back in 73?
     
  16. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Possible the thought was, it was available on an LP, why put it out on 45? The U.S., of course, begged to differ . . .
     
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  17. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    I think a Bernie Grundman 12" cut of God Save The Queen would sound rather stunning.
     
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  18. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    Deniece: vapid, slow-ish soul with light, jazzy arrangement and too much over-vocalizing, especially on the title word

    Andrew: fairly quick, piano-based pop with rock guitar riffs, the lyrics sound autobiographical but little-developed and ultimately pointless

    Elkie: mostly light and jazzy, with slightly husky-voiced vocals, although there's a livelier section about halfway through. Overall, I just found it tedious

    Dread: four tracks including Elton John's Jamaica Jerk Off (can't imagine how he settled on that one) and a surprisingly passable and straight-up version of Skeeter Davis's End of the World, done in early-'60s style except ska (and which is the one track I settled on listening to)

    Clash: energetic and noisy punk rock that clocks in at under two minutes

    Rose: sparsely-arranged R & B / soul that borders on pleasant

    Harold: moderately uptempo soul, it has the same mellow organ that all the soul tracks suddenly do but it's not too intrusive here

    BJH: three tracks, two of which are Medicine Man done live (and split in two on the EP) in a harshly rockin' way that removes practically everything I found enjoyable about the song (one of my BJH faves). Guitar solo apparently a fan favourite

    T Rex: chugging rhythm, droning organ and unmistakable vocals, most enjoyable new entry of this block

    Tavares: another nicely-arranged soul track from this group

    Stevie: exuberant soul track but those horn riffs get old very quickly

    Peter: early iconic track out while he was recently ex-Genesis, noted for bars in 7/4 time. Sprightly and highly rhythmic, a bit folky until the rock guitar riffs show up

    Leo: slightly faster than mid-tempo Elton-alike, it's alright

    Jacksons: kinda funky R & B, unfortunately I never enjoyed the group a whole lot but at least it doesn't have the helium vocals because Michael's voice was changing, and it's not awful or anything, in fact it borders on catchy ...

    Barbra: slow, quiet, nicely produced and a decent song but it doesn't really hit the spot for me

    Van: pleasant disco / soul instrumental with flute lead and fairly full production, mostly. The popcorn percussion is off-putting in the intro and one other place where the music receded, but ultimately isn't a distraction

    David: mid-tempo pop track with Mungo Jerry overtones; alright

    Television: guitar-workout 10-minute-plus track from punky US rock band that settles into a groove and mines it for all it's worth. Probably not far off prog

    Eagles: iconic, probably signature track, and one that some classic rock aficionados love to hate for overexposure. Me, I haven't heard it a bazillion times because I don't listen to the radio, I was just pleased at being able to teach myself the chords way back when

    10 cc: they demonstrate their versatility but the track is showoffish and on the novelty side, and not one where I'd care for for repeated listening

    Tom: bog-standard countryish pop with his recognizable vocals. Echoes of a Bee Gees song, Sweetheart I think

    Purple: iconic several-years-old classic rock track that needs no introduction

    Joe: disco / soul with a good groove, reminiscent of Rock Your Baby by George McCrae in some aspects. He was previously known for Skinny Legs and All, and I would have sworn he had a greasy mouth one after that

    Manhattans: pleasant disco / soul leaning toward the style of Barry White

    Eddie: more fast-paced rock from the group, it's not regarded as punk so far as I know but surely it's not far off stylistically

    Delegation: disco / soul with a decent groove, and the strings unusually deep in the mix. Not the Hathaway / Flack hit from earlier in the decade

    Rod: are either or both of these songs considered standards by now? (i) pleasant cover of the Crazy Horse song written by Danny Whitten, which was later covered by Everything But the Girl, which nobody seems to be able to do badly. Rock guitar riffs, strings and sax all make appearances (ii) pleasant cover of the Cat Stevens song. In both cases the pace seems well-judged

    Johnny: low-key funk

    Barry: quite pleasant, rather subdued pop track (not reggae this time round), with less reverb than previous releases

    Piero: exceedingly annoying novelty with nonsense lyrics comprising a mere couple of syllables. One of the few songs that could make Tommy James and the Shondells's Hanky Panky seem like Beethoven's 5th. Garbage

    Billy: soul cover of the Paul McCartney song, not much better or worse but different, probably having a little more to the arrangement. Quite a few spoken word vocals

    F Mac: fairly jaunty pop / rock, it's alright but it's hard to understand how they became huge on the strength of material like this that doesn't rise above mundane

    Blue: decent mid-tempo pop with pleasant harmonies, not a fraction as boring as their band name

    Kenny: subdued country tearjerker, with That Organ sound popping up as it does in half of all releases in the past few months

    K C: pretty much in the same boat as everything they've done to date, but not as appealing as That's the Way I Like It, et al

    Single of the Week: Peter Gabriel, Solsbury Hill, by a decent margin. The major competition comes from T Rex, Tavares, the Jacksons, Van McCoy, Television, and the Manhattans
     
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  19. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    ABBA - Knowing Me, Knowing You

    Brilliant, beautiful and classy.

    Happy ABBA were great, sad ABBA at times stunning - just an amazingly good Pop band. Despite listening to a large amount of Rock and Punk in 1977, I never lost my appreciation for the Swedish superstars.
     
  20. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    One of Mr. Tex' biggest U.S. hits on the "pop" side in the years leading up to this was his late 1971 release "I Gotcha":

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    In Spring 1972, this had reached #2 in US Billboard and Record World, and #3 in Cash Box - but made no imprint on the UK charts.
     
  21. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Nor did a future Sex Pistol, speaking of Punk . . .
     
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  22. bob60

    bob60 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    And so we bid farewell to Marc Bolan and T.Rex with their final chart single (in his lifetime) and this unusually understated TOTP appearance. This single certainly deserved to do better than it did, and it was great to see Marc looking noticeably slimmer, clean and sober.


     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2020
  23. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    I'm not going to waste my time adding all my faves as this pretty much matches mine, but I'll just add two more from established artists.

    1 - NEW - 49 - Barclay James Harvest - LIVE (EP)
    1 - NEW - 50 - T. Rex - THE SOUL OF MY SUIT


    I'm not sure what happened after an at tines bland fest in 1976, but you have a number of genuinely good to excellent songs from a wide genre range - happy days!

    There are several songs you could focus on but I'll go with:

    Andrew Gold - Lonely Boy




    Just a brilliant song and just what is wrong with this picture? A really good album.

    [​IMG]

    No cheating, BUT List of What's Wrong With This Picture?


    Another fantastic album was released in this time time on 15th April 1977: The Stranglers - Stranglers IV (Rattus Norvegicus)

    Sadly I didn't get the limited edition bonus single, but the album received a lot of play and i've revisited it many times over the years.
     
  24. bob60

    bob60 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    What an absolute horror, this looks like someone trying to jump on the glam bandwagon 5 years too late.
    If I was a member of the studio audience that day I would have been thrown out for pointing and laughing loudly..
     
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  25. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Ironically, given UK A&M's having the Sex Pistols on their roster for all of 15 minutes, US A&M was the label that put this LP out in "the States," per here. The only place in North America where the label was conformed to the UK was Canada, as here.
     
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