Every UK #1 Single Of 1975 Discussion Thread

The first UK #1 single of 1975 was Mud with Lonely This Christmas. The '74 Christmas number one remained there for a total of four weeks up to January 11th.

Rather than repeat posts, anyone interested can look and comment here:

Every UK #1 Single Of 1974 Discussion Thread

 

Down Down is a song by English rock band Status Quo. Written by Francis Rossi and Bob Young and produced by Status Quo, "Down Down" was Status Quo's only number one single on the UK Singles Chart. The single spent a week at the top of the chart in January 1975. It was released on 29 November 1974 on the Vertigo label, paired with the B-side song "Nightride". Both songs came from the album On the Level, which had yet to be released. The album version lasts 5 minutes and 24 seconds and the single version 3 minutes and 49 seconds.

Originally it was titled "Get Down", but this was changed before release, possibly to avoid confusion with the Gilbert O'Sullivan song of the same name.

Towards the end of his life, DJ John Peel was known for playing "Down Down" as part of his eclectic DJ sets.

In 1986 co-writer Bob Young recorded a country style version of "Down Down" to open his solo album In Quo Country.

In July 2012, Status Quo reworked the lyrics to create a three-minute promotional song for the Australian supermarket chain Coles. The chorus chants, "down, down, prices are down". This was released on television and YouTube, the most notable of which depicted a mince rally.

The song was reprised, in 2014, for the band's thirty-first studio album Aquostic (Stripped Bare). It was featured in the ninety-minute launch performance of the album at London's Roundhouse on 22 October and recorded and broadcast live by BBC Radio 2 as part of their In Concert series.


The UK single.



The B-side.



The German picture sleeve.



To avoid any confusion with Status Quo, Down Down, the single from Norway used the original Get Down title.

 

No Record Mirror scan for this week, so here is a link to the official chart.

Official Singles Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company

 

I bought the Down Down single, only to swap it a month later! It was a few months later that I became a big Quo fan.

Love this performance and shows them all happy, with even Spud smiling!

 

Quo - Down Down. Ace. They had some great early-mid '70s singles/albums. Not long after this, though, they turned into a boogie parody of themselves.

 

Welcome to 1975! My favourite year of the 70s. I love cheese, I love cheesy songs, I love horrible novelty songs, and that year had a lot to be told. So, I will be all the time commenting on the number 1 singles and other songs in the charts.

So... where to start...? Oh yeah, the Quo. They were having the peak on 1975, after releasing wonderful albums and singles (from Piledriver until Blue For You, they were invincible), and this single was the recognition of great singles. They kept on booging until '77 or so, when small cracks started to appear. Down Down is pure Status Quo at its best. The A and Z of boogie-woogie. And, would you believe it, the only solo hit which reached number one.

It looked a promising start to procedings, but.... well... you will see.

Oh, and the 1974 Christmas charts will not be continued, mainly because I have too much things to do. Maybe with 1975, which includes a lot of WTF moments (Laurel and Hardy anyone? Ken Dood? Renta Santa?)

 

And, while we are on the Quo topic... let's go to something completely hideous...



Watch at your own discretion. It involves hand shaped guitars and horrible lyrics.

 

Question: do we get to talk about Squeeze Box?

 

The charts have everything for everyone: reggae (including the first dub single, made by Rupie Edwards), soul, proto-disco, a few Christmas songs, country, two Elvis songs (1975 was a weak year for him, with not a lot of chart action) and two future number ones.

Creeping up in the bottom 20, Carpenters rendition of Please Mister Postman, the story of Cassius Clay, a number one in the US by Helen Reddy and the Glitter Band's swansong. Oh, and something for the girl by Sparks. And something for the Northern Soul fans.

 

Afraid not, only peaked at number 10 in the UK in 1976. They were more occupied with The Four Seasons or Tina Charles...

 

Well, that's disappointing since I never heard of Mud.

 

Mud will have one number one hit, but six (yes, 6!) chart entries in 1975. Equalled the record by the Beatles.

 

Wasn't released as a single until Jan '76 in the UK. I'm sure that I'll mention it then, so if you stick around, or look in then, yes!

Until then, how about some Quo?

 

The UK Singles Chart for the week ending 18 January 1975, when 'Down Down' reached number one:

(weeks on the chart - chart position the week before - chart position)
07 - 03 - 01 - Status Quo - DOWN DOWN
07 - 02 - 02 - Ralph McTell - STREETS OF LONDON
07 - 04 - 03 - Kenny - THE BUMP
07 - 06 - 04 - Gloria Gaynor - NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE
05 - 07 - 05 - Tymes - MS GRACE
06 - 09 - 06 - Billy Swan - I CAN HELP
06 - 16 - 07 - David Essex - STARDUST
08 - 01 - 08 - Mud - LONELY THIS CHRISTMAS
09 - 08 - 09 - Disco Tex And The Sex-O-Lettes - GET DANCING
05 - 15 - 10 - Wizzard - ARE YOU READY TO ROCK
06 - 19 - 11 - Ken Boothe - CRYING OVER YOU
06 - 18 - 12 - John Holt - HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT
07 - 11 - 13 - Goodies - THE IN BETWEENIES / FATHER CHRISTMAS DO NOT TOUCH ME
10 - 13 - 14 - Elvis Presley - MY BOY
06 - 26 - 15 - Donny And Marie Osmond - MORNING SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN
10 - 12 - 16 - Bachman-Turner Overdrive - YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET
09 - 20 - 17 - Wayne Gibson - UNDER MY THUMB
10 - 10 - 18 - Rubettes - JUKE BOX JIVE
09 - 17 - 19 - Elton John - LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS
07 - 05 - 20 - Wombles - WOMBLING MERRY CHRISTMAS
07 - 14 - 21 - Faces And Rod Stewart - YOU CAN MAKE ME DANCE, SING OR ANYTHING
1 - NEW - 22 - Elvis Presley - PROMISED LAND
06 - 33 - 23 - George McCrae - YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL
02 - 40 - 24 - Stevie Wonder - BOOGIE ON REGGAE WOMAN
12 - 25 - 25 - Barry White - YOU'RE THE FIRST, THE LAST, MY EVERYTHING
09 - 23 - 26 - Gary Glitter - OH YES YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL
1 - NEW - 27 - Pilot - JANUARY
08 - 28 - 28 - Ringo Starr - ONLY YOU
02 - 50 - 29 - Kevin Johnson - ROCK AND ROLL (I GAVE YOU THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE)
06 - 24 - 30 - Gilbert O'Sullivan - CHRISTMAS SONG
15 - 32 - 31 - David Essex - GONNA MAKE YOU A STAR
10 - 30 - 32 - Al Green - SHA-LA-LA (MAKE ME HAPPY)
09 - 29 - 33 - Rupie Edwards - IRE FEELINGS (SKANGA)
07 - 34 - 34 - Jane Birkin And Serge Gainsbourg - JE T'AIME...MOI NON PLUS
22 - 43 - 35 - Sylvia - Y VIVA ESPANA
11 - 22 - 36 - Hello - TELL HIM
09 - 31 - 37 - KC And The Sunshine Band - SOUND YOUR FUNKY HORN
05 - 38 - 38 - George Harrison - DING DONG DING DONG
1 - NEW - 39 - Carpenters - PLEASE MR POSTMAN
08 - 35 - 40 - Hot Chocolate - CHERI BABE
08 - 27 - 41 - Showaddywaddy - HEY MISTER CHRISTMAS
1 - NEW - 42 - Mac And Katie Kissoon - SUGAR CANDY KISSES
09 - 37 - 43 - Tramps - ZING WENT THE STRINGS OF MY HEART
1 - NEW - 44 - Sparks - SOMETHING FOR THE GIRL WITH EVERYTHING
1 - NEW - 45 - Wigan's Chosen Few - FOOTSEE
08 - 21 - 46 - Alvin Stardust - TELL ME WHY
1 - NEW - 47 - Glitter Band - GOODBYE MY LOVE
1 - NEW - 48 - Johnny Wakelin And The Kinshasa Band - BLACK SUPERMAN (MUHAMMAD ALI)
1 - NEW - 49 - Sweet Sensation - PURELY BY COINCIDENCE
1 - NEW - 50 - Helen Reddy - ANGIE BABY

 

In the U.S., "Down Down" was issued on Capitol single #4039. While the colors don't exactly match what I have researched about what they were (Portland orange PMS 171 and tan PMS 465), nonetheless here's how Winchester, VA pressings of the States ish of this 45 looked like:

 

In the case of L&H, with the same record (which we'll get to at the apropos time) it was crickets chirping in the U.S. Other than that hint, I'll otherwise hold my piece (or peace, or whatever).

 

Of this lot, the 45's I have (U.S. pressings of course) are #4, 6, 9, 16, 19, 24, 25, 27, 32, 34, 43 and 50.

As for the Trammps (that's two 'm's' now, whoever did those charts then obviously did a typo) single, it was originally released in the U.S. in 1972. To show how old it was, the "psychedelic" Buddah label design with the "shiva" was still in effect:

 

Down Down is just classic ... Possibly my favourite Quo song and I still love it

 

And so begins 1975! The year I became truly musically sentient!

I'd never heard "Down Down". It's flipping fantastic and rocks harder than most of the #1s from '75 on both sides of the pond combined!

Wonder if the FM DJs over here picked up on it. They should have. I wouldn't know - where I lived I was lucky to get bloody AM at night.

 

Do you know any other Status Quo? Their singles and albums from this period are brilliant. Move forward a couple of months after Down Down, and the mighty Quo replaced Showaddywaddy as my favourite band: 12 year olds can be be so fickle!

 

I don't, actually, beyond the ubiquitous "Pictures of Matchstick Men". These threads are giving me plentiful unexplored avenues!

 

From 1973, Caroline.



The follow up single to Down Down I will post when it shows in the singles chart.