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

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

  1. Alf.

    Alf. Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    An October 45 that didn't chart, from a band who would become hugely influential re the post-punk landscape.

     
  2. The Police - MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
    Keep these classics coming. A great single from a great singles band.
    5/5
     
  3. Favs...

    Week Ending 29 September 1979

    1 - NEW - 07 - Blondie - DREAMING
    1 - NEW - 45 - The Skids - CHARADE
    1 - NEW - 58 - Siouxsie And The Banshees - MITTAGEISEN (METAL POSTCARD)
    1 - NEW - 59 - Stiff Little Fingers - STRAW DOGS

    Week Ending 06 October 1979
    1 - NEW - 53 - Fleetwood Mac - TUSK
    1 - NEW - 70 - New Musik - STRAIGHT LINES

    Week Ending 13 October 1979
    1 - NEW - 51 - Chic - MY FORBIDDEN LOVER
    1 - NEW - 64 - The Selecter - ON MY RADIO
     
    Randoms and Alf. like this.
  4. Silksashbash

    Silksashbash Forum Resident

    Location:
    Finland
    Message in a bottle - I like the unusual verse melody. What's it influenced by, some kind of tribal or religious music maybe?
     
    Randoms, LoveYourLife and Yam Graham like this.
  5. sotosound

    sotosound Forum Resident

    In the UK we finally said goodbye to Decca Records as an independent record company.

    It was huge in the 60s with the Rolling Stones, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck on their roster, but the Stones left and Jones and Humperdinck both declined in popularity in the 70s. They had Lulu, Dave Berry, Alan Price, The Zombies and others. They had The Moody Blues, but their star faded as the 70s progressed. In the early 70s they then had Gilbert O'Sullivan licensed through MAM, plus Marmalade, but their stars faded as well. John Miles came and went across a period of two years. They had Jonathan King with his UK Records label, but this lost 10CC to Mercury in the mid-70s and JK's novelty pop records faded away. They also had a fabulous classical back catalogue, but that wasn't really a big profit-making enterprise for them

    Decca had its own Selecta pressing plant, which produced high quality pressings, possibly the best in the UK.

    In the 60s, Decca had loads of pressing and distribution deals, including RCA and Atlantic, plus it had the London American label through which we got hits from Monument, Philles and others, but RCA and Monument went to CBS, Atlantic went to Polydor, and WB (!!) went to Pye.

    Decca also pioneered in the arena of recorded sound and vinyl playback.

    By the end of the 1970s, however, Decca was a loss-making shadow of its former self with no big artists on its roster, and as soon as its creator and owner Ted Lewis died, it was sold to Polygram.

    We also saw the changes with UA and ABC and we saw the slowly fading Motown finally leave EMI for a licensing, pressing and distribution deal with RCA.

    Also, EMI merged with Thorn Electrical Industries to form Thorn EMI.

    In the UK, however, there was also a burgeoning "indie" movement and soon we saw labels such as Stiff Records, Rough Trade, Factory and Mute making their mark. There were also two big indie distribution companies, Spartan and Pinnacle. Pinnacle had been around for a while but saw increased sales.

    So some the same and some different, but by the end of 1979 times were hard all over. I was made redundant twice from the same job at a music trade paper in late 1979 but survived this and moved to a different music trade paper straight away.

    We were all, however, unknowingly sitting on the threshold of big change, not only musically but also politically and technologically. The UK voted in a conservative government led by the iconic but not universally liked Margaret Thatcher, the New Romantics were just around the corner, rap was a-borning, synthesisers were taking hold and digital recording was starting to get established, with digital playback waiting in the wings.

    So, for this thread the 1970s aren't quite finished, but there is definitely change in the air.
     
    Randoms, LoveYourLife and Yam Graham like this.
  6. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    The PolyGram takeover of UK Decca, which also encompassed its US arm London, I.I.N.M., happened in 1980, but yeah, it was all but spent. Its once-bustling US offices at 539 West 25th Street in the Chelsea section of Manhattan had become practically a shell of its former self. I read somewhere that in 1976-77 they closed at least one of their distribution branches (either on the West Coast or Midwest) to save money, thus crippling the label even further. I passed by there in the mid-1980's after that place was long abandoned by the company, and the 'LONDON RECORDS' storefront was still there and posters of various acts were inside. Interesting that London in its last years as an indie concern had a label design . . .
    [​IMG]
    . . . reminiscent in a way of United Artists Records starting in late 1977/early 1978 before it too ceased to exist:
    [​IMG]
    . . . though with UA it unwittingly signified the label in its sunset years. If they used a different colour scheme for London than they did, it too would have been ironic in that sense. But the bright colours there belied what was going on.
     
  7. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    The Police - Message In A Bottle

    Bought this only to find some slime green vinyl in the sleeve:

    [​IMG]

    It got played a few times before being upgraded to a more traditional black LP of The Police - Reggatta De Blanc
     
    Alf. and LoveYourLife like this.
  8. LoveYourLife

    LoveYourLife Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Week Ending 15 September 1979

    06 - 04 - 06 - Roxy Music - ANGEL EYES
    Give me the non-discofied original album version any day

    08 - 06 - 11 - The Special A.K.A. - GANGSTERS
    Oh to have been old enough to have seen them live at this time

    05 - 14 - 14 - The Stranglers - DUCHESS
    Love it; one of those tracks that sounds like you've known it all your life even on first listen

    09 - 08 - 16 - The Boomtown Rats - I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS
    I always thought the urgency in Geldof's voice went majestically hand-in-hand with the soon dying embers of one of the most interesting decades in music

    06 - 24 - 17 - Sister Sledge - LOST IN MUSIC
    From their 'big 3' of the period, the best in my book

    07 - 22 - 34 - Sham 69 - HERSHAM BOYS
    Doing for Hersham what East 17 did for Walthamstow; one of the Sham's slightly more non-descript hits

    03 - 52 - 37 - Madness - THE PRINCE
    A cover yes but a damn good one and the beginning of something uniquely brilliant

    14 - 39 - 53 - The Dooleys - WANTED
    I like this; there's no shame in it

    16 - 48 - 72 - Police - CAN'T STAND LOSING YOU
    Never been more than a passing Police fan but I'll give them this, they made a bunch of fantastic singles
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2020
    Alf. and Randoms like this.
  9. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    Blondie - Just missed out on the top spot, but Dreaming is still Poptastic: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TU3-lS_Gryk


    Siouxsie And The Banshees - Mittageisen




    Love Mittageisen, Siouxsie perfecting her desafinado!


    Sex Pistols And Ten Pole Tudor - The Great Rock N' Roll Swindle sums it up very well...
     
  10. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    #14 of 1979 (#444 in total) - "Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles
    (#1 for 1 week - 20 October 1979)

    The UK single:
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    The US single:
    [​IMG]
    Wikipedia entry - also NME #483 and Melody Maker #423 (both 2 weeks - 20 October-27 October 1979); in U.S., this in-a-way prophetic number could only reach #40 in both Billboard and Cash Box, and #59 in Record World. It had the distinction of being the first video ever shown on the U.S. Music Television (MTV) channel, on 01 August 1981 at 12:01 A.M. (0001 hours).
     
  11. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Week Ending 20 October 1979

    05 - 02 - 01 - The Buggles - VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR
    05 - 01 - 02 - The Police - MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
    06 - 04 - 03 - Michael Jackson - DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH
    04 - 03 - 04 - Blondie - DREAMING
    04 - 09 - 05 - Lena Martell - ONE DAY AT A TIME
    05 - 11 - 06 - Sad Café - EVERY DAY HURTS
    06 - 06 - 07 - Rainbow - SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE
    05 - 05 - 08 - Status Quo - WHATEVER YOU WANT
    05 - 26 - 09 - Dr. Hook - WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN
    05 - 16 - 10 - The Dooleys - THE CHOSEN FEW
    05 - 18 - 11 - Dave Edmunds - QUEEN OF HEARTS
    05 - 23 - 12 - Errol Dunkley - O.K. FRED
    06 - 10 - 13 - Kate Bush - KATE BUSH ON STAGE (EP)
    08 - 07 - 14 - Gary Numan - CARS
    06 - 15 - 15 - Al Hudson And The Partners - YOU CAN DO IT
    11 - 08 - 16 - Bellamy Brothers - IF I SAID YOU HAD A BEAUTIFUL BODY WOULD YOU HOLD IT AGAINST ME
    07 - 28 - 17 - The Jags - BACK OF MY HAND
    03 - 30 - 18 - Fleetwood Mac - TUSK
    09 - 14 - 19 - Nick Lowe - CRUEL TO BE KIND
    05 - 27 - 20 - The Charlie Daniels Band - THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA
    02 - 36 - 21 - Sex Pistols And Ten Pole Tudor - THE GREAT ROCK N' ROLL SWINDLE / ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK
    08 - 19 - 22 - Madness - THE PRINCE
    02 - 51 - 23 - Chic - MY FORBIDDEN LOVER
    08 - 21 - 24 - Secret Affair - TIME FOR ACTION
    03 - 34 - 25 - Earth, Wind And Fire - STAR
    10 - 12 - 26 - Dollar - LOVE'S GOTTA HOLD ON ME
    03 - 47 - 27 - Viola Wills - GONNA GET ALONG WITHOUT YOU NOW
    05 - 37 - 28 - XTC - MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL
    03 - 54 - 29 - Cats U.K. - LUTON AIRPORT
    1 - NEW - 30 - ABBA - GIMME, GIMME, GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT)
    04 - 42 - 31 - The Skids - CHARADE
    07 - 25 - 32 - Squeeze - SLAP AND TICKLE
    1 - NEW - 33 - Queen - CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE
    11 - 17 - 34 - Frantique - STRUT YOUR FUNKY STUFF
    03 - 40 - 35 - Nolan Sisters - SPIRIT, BODY AND SOUL
    08 - 20 - 36 - Electric Light Orchestra - DON'T BRING ME DOWN
    03 - 41 - 37 - Gloria Gaynor - LET ME KNOW (I HAVE A RIGHT)
    09 - 13 - 38 - Commodores - SAIL ON
    04 - 39 - 39 - The O'Jays - SING A HAPPY SONG
    1 - NEW - 40 - The Stranglers - NUCLEAR DEVICE (THE WIZARD OF AUS)
    08 - 29 - 41 - Donna Summer - DIM ALL THE LIGHTS
    05 - 33 - 42 - John Du Cann - DON'T BE A DUMMY
    1 - NEW - 43 - The Damned - SMASH IT UP
    02 - 63 - 44 - Dynasty - I DON'T WANT TO BE A FREAK (BUT I CAN'T HELP MYSELF)
    05 - 52 - 45 - Headboys - THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
    1 - NEW - 46 - Suzi Quatro - SHE'S IN LOVE WITH YOU
    02 - 64 - 47 - The Selecter - ON MY RADIO
    04 - 35 - 48 - Matumbi - POINT OF VIEW (SQUEEZE A LITTLE LOVIN')
    10 - 24 - 49 - Crusaders - STREET LIFE
    02 - 58 - 50 - Eagles - HEARTACHE TONIGHT
    02 - 73 - 51 - The Ramblers (From The Abbey Hey Junior School) - THE SPARROW
    02 - 66 - 52 - Herb Alpert - RISE
    07 - 32 - 53 - The Tourists - THE LONELIEST MAN IN THE WORLD
    10 - 31 - 54 - Bill Lovelady - REGGAE FOR IT NOW
    04 - 48 - 55 - The Three Degrees - JUMP THE GUN
    04 - 45 - 56 - The Beach Boys - SUMAHAMA
    04 - 44 - 57 - Stiff Little Fingers - STRAW DOGS
    1 - NEW - 58 - Thin Lizzy - SARAH
    14 - 22 - 59 - Cliff Richard - WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE
    1 - NEW - 60 - Public Image Ltd - MEMORIES
    03 - 67 - 61 - New Musik - STRAIGHT LINES
    1 - NEW - 62 - Bob Marley And The Wailers - SO MUCH TROUBLE IN THE WORLD
    02 - 60 - 63 - The Slits - TYPICAL GIRLS / I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
    1 - NEW - 64 - The Undertones - YOU'VE GOT MY NUMBER (WHY DON'T YOU USE IT!)
    11 - 38 - 65 - Boney M - GOTTA GO HOME / EL LUTE
    02 - 72 - 66 - The Knack - GOOD GIRLS DON'T
    1 - NEW - 67 - Lene Lovich - BIRD SONG
    03 - 57 - 68 - Addrisi Brothers - GHOST DANCER
    1 - NEW - 69 - Dusty Springfield - BABY BLUE
    1 - NEW - 70 - Steve Harley - FREEDOM'S PRISONER
    1 - NEW - 71 - Darts - CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOUR LOVE
    03 - 59 - 72 - Diana Ross - NO ONE GETS THE PRIZE
    1 - NEW - 73 - Van Morrison - BRIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD
    1 - NEW - 74 - Robert John - SAD EYES
    11 - 50 - 75 - Roxy Music - ANGEL EYES
     
  12. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    And now for the 45's that'd be part of my vast collection . . .
    [​IMG]
    The first "official" (read: Billboard) U.S. Number One for Freddie, Brian, John and Roger, spending 4 weeks (23 February-15 March 1980) atop Billboard's Hot 100 (#483), 3 weeks (23 February-08 March 1980) at the summit of Cash Box' Top 100, 2 weeks (16 February-23 February 1980) on Record World's Singles Chart, and 3 weeks (15 February-29 February 1980) at #1 on Radio & Records' National Airplay / 30.

    [​IMG]
    The sole U.S. Number One for this veteran of some two decades in the music business, topping Billboard (Hot 100 #471) for 1 week (06 October 1979), Cash Box for 2 weeks (29 September-06 October 1979) and Record World for 5 weeks (15 September-13 October 1979; on all charts, this replaced The Knack's megasuccessful "My Sharona" as the #1 song of the land), but had to settle for #2 in Radio & Records. A real "slow burner," having been originally released in the States in April. While I've enjoyed it, and the 45 edit is the way to go, I'm sure @Alf. would judge this either "wooden spoon" caliber or "zzzzzzzzzz." Whichever way you slice it, this type of music (along with the kind of music as epitomised by The Charlie Daniels Band's number) will also be predominant on the US pop charts for up to the next 3 years.
     
  13. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    And now the rest of the 'newies':
    [​IMG]
    Absolutely, positively failed to chart in the States, although at one point in '80 this was deemed "Chart Bound" in US Billboard's Hot 100. As if.
    [​IMG]
    Managed peaks of #41 in US Billboard, #51 in Cash Box, and #54 in Record World.
    [​IMG]
     
  14. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    We now bring up some U.S. hits, major or minor, of this period that failed to make any chart presence in Britain. We start with a Brit, Ian Gomm, former member of Brinsley Schwarz and co-writer of Nick Lowe's big hit "Cruel To Be Kind." Round this time, he had his best-known solo hit in the States with "Hold On":

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    Hearing this, I had some vague memory especially of the chorus but little else. Even so, this peaked in the States at #18 in Billboard, #25 in Cash Box, #26 in Record World, and #16 in Radio & Records.
     
  15. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Now for another record from Kenny Rogers, where it seemed every other UK United Artists single of his charted, and the other half didn't. Here's one of the latter, "You Decorated My Life":

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    Here, Mr. Rogers got to #7 in both Billboard and Cash Box, #5 in Record World, and #3 in Radio & Records. He would be ubiquitous on the US pop charts for the next couple years.
     
  16. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    The first major Top 40 U.S. hit for this band who would become one of the biggest names in the 1980's, Journey, with "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' ":

    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    Notice when you go from one chart to the next, the higher the position from the other: #16 in Billboard, #15 in Cash Box, #12 in Record World, #6 in Radio & Records.
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2020
  17. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    And finally (for now), this French-Canadian singer, then a teenager, France Joli, with this dance-orientated number that absolutely failed to chart in the UK, "Come To Me":

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    Reached #15 in both Billboard and Cash Box, and #38 in Record World. 'Tis the white label on the very top I have. Ironic that the UK ish was distributed by Pye - the abandonment of which American branch back in late '76 led to the creation of the US Prelude label which released this in the States. (It would have been even more ironic if Pye itself had put this out in Britain.)
     
  18. jimjim

    jimjim Forum Resident

    1979 was such a great year for pop that even Cliff could come up with a great single beyond any expectations of him at that time! Classic single!
     
    Randoms, bob60 and Silksashbash like this.
  19. Silksashbash

    Silksashbash Forum Resident

    Location:
    Finland
    Does this mean we can watch the "He's a sports PA" video again? Yes!!
     
    Mulderre and Randoms like this.
  20. The Buggles - VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR
    I was indifferent to this back in'79 but can appreciate its charms better these days.
    Clever, interesting single.
    4/5
     
  21. Favs...

    Week Ending 20 October 1979

    1 - NEW - 30 - ABBA - GIMME, GIMME, GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT)
    1 - NEW - 33 - Queen - CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE
    1 - NEW - 43 - The Damned - SMASH IT UP
    1 - NEW - 46 - Suzi Quatro - SHE'S IN LOVE WITH YOU
    1 - NEW - 58 - Thin Lizzy - SARAH
    1 - NEW - 64 - The Undertones - YOU'VE GOT MY NUMBER (WHY DON'T YOU USE IT!)
     
  22. Silksashbash

    Silksashbash Forum Resident

    Location:
    Finland
    Video killed the radio star - might not be the most exciting composition, but a most interesting execution with all the little studio tricks and details.
     
  23. Alf.

    Alf. Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    A great slice of futuristic mock-pop. Fab.
    [​IMG]
    The Damned were always cartoonesque, and Smash It Up sounds like The Bash Street Kids having fun with ink wells and mortar boards. Great.

    If Rotten resembled an anarchic Steptoe, then Lydon was more apocalyptic soothsayer. Memories flails & wails like the onset of Armageddon.
    [​IMG]
    Nuclear Device takes its cue from Wire’s spiky electro dabblings. Interesting.
    [​IMG]
    Permanent curmudgeon, Van The Man, opts for a surprisingly jaunty soul-meets-folk ‘tribute’ to James Carr’s Dark End Of The Street. It’s rather good. As is Lene Lovich's Bird Song. She tones down the Betty Boop voice, and plugs into Siouxsie for some gothic mystique.
    [​IMG]
    Abba and The Undertones turn out a couple of good 45s. Disco suits The Swedes.
    [​IMG]
     
    Dave Decadent, Yam Graham and Randoms like this.
  24. MikaelaArsenault

    MikaelaArsenault Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire
  25. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Has anyone noticed that pic of ABBA on the picture sleeve shown is 'flipped' (i.e. reversed)? Mr. Andersson never parted his hair to his left.
     

Share This Page

molar-endocrine