The records from that list which I'd have would be . . . A bit more than with the UK charts, on average.
And let's look at some of the U.S. hits that didn't make the cut of the UK charts. (One which I will look at, however, did make it to the UK charts - after the period covered in this look.) We start off with, surprisingly, a British act . . . This was the peak it would reach in Billboard; it also made #30 in Cash Box, #28 in Record World, and #25 in Radio & Records. Incredible that they hardly made any impact on the British charts, and the few times they did would be in the next decade.
And another act that originated from the UK . . . This one ultimately peaked in Billboard at #23, Cash Box #19, Record World #20 and Radio & Records #14. Their other big hit in the States aside from "Slow Ride" (which I thought was a follow-up to The Edgar Winter Group's "Free Ride").
Around this time was another hit from an American act that I thought had something to do with the last one up, and had lurked at least twice on the UK charts in the decade about to pass . . . Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, with "Don't Do Me Like That": Their first US Top 10, making #10 in Billboard, #7 in Cash Box, #8 in Record World, and #4 in Radio & Records.
The last time Kenny Loggins (ex Loggins And Messina) had made the Top 10 he had Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac aid him vocally. Here, both in the vocal and songwriting department, he is accompanied by Doobie Brother Michael McDonald with this powerful number which failed to chart in the UK, "This Is It": Reached #11 in Billboard, #7 in Cash Box, #8 in Record World, and #9 in Radio & Records.
Another Brick - Po-faced plodder. I'll stick with School's Out. After faffing about with a handful of ropey 45s, The Clash finally strike back with an iconic, throbbing mantra of paranoia. Madness were purveyors of pure pop. Suggs ladles on the requisite lamentations for My Girl. I Have A Dream is Abba’s worst single, by a country mile. More milquetoast, than Martin Luther. In South America, the excellent As Good As New was an A-side, with Dream relegated to the flip. Day Trip To Bangor - folk for five year old. With You I’m Born Again - gloop for grown-ups. 1979 was a rubbish year for Bowie. He rounded it off with a pointless faux-funk – Young Americans outtake - of John I’m Only Dancing. Wooden spoons all round.
The man who brought us "Theme From Shaft" eight years before had a minor comeback with this discofied cover of the aforementioned 1958 hit for the late Roy Hamilton: In the end, it peaked at #18 in Billboard, #17 in Cash Box, and #23 in both Record World and Radio & Records. Crickets chirping in the UK.
This got shanghaied in the UK if its absence on their charts are any indication; in the States, it was another minor Top 10 hit for him: #9 in Billboard and Record World, #11 in Cash Box, and #5 in Radio & Records. And to think ex-Mott The Hoople frontman, Ian Hunter, wrote this . . . ?
Now for another track on that US chart, that did make the UK Singles Chart - but just outside the scope of this thread: Which would be their last US Top 40 hit, reaching Number One in Billboard (Hot 100 #482) for 1 week (16 February 1980); elsewhere it topped Cash Box (1 week - 02 February 1980), and Record World (1 week - 09 February 1980); however, on Radio & Records' chart it could only get to #4 (but then again, that publication did have the duo's 1976 "Muskrat Love" at Number One, so . . . ). Notice different copies have a different LP title; originally planned to be Messages, it ultimately came out as Make Your Move. They further beat a dead horse by putting out a Spanish language version, "Amame Una Vez Mas." The week it peaked in Billboard was the week it entered the UK charts, ultimately peaking there at #7.
And now, the last 1970's charts from both NME and Melody Maker, to make this complete: NME SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 22 December 1979 01 (01) - Pink Floyd - ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART II) 02 (06) - Sugarhill Gang - RAPPER'S DELIGHT 03 (04) - The Tourists - I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU 04 (02) - The Police - WALKING ON THE MOON 05 (15) - Michael Jackson - OFF THE WALL 06 (05) - Donna Summer / Barbra Streisand - NO MORE TEARS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH) 07 (23) - ABBA - I HAVE A DREAM 08 (20) - Fiddler's Dram - DAYTRIP TO BANGOR (DIDN'T WE HAVE A LOVELY TIME) 09 (03) - Gibson Brothers - QUE SERA MI VIDA 10 (19) - The Three Degrees - MY SIMPLE HEART 11 (13) - Madness - ONE STEP BEYOND... 12 (09) - The Moody Blues - NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN 13 (11) - Blondie - UNION CITY BLUE 14 (08) - Electric Light Orchestra - CONFUSION / LAST TRAIN TO LONDON 15 (07) - Dr. Hook - WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN 16 (NEW) - David Bowie - JOHN I'M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) 17 (27) - Status Quo - LIVING ON AN ISLAND 18 (24) - Paul McCartney - WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME 19 (12) - Queen - CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE 20 (22) - Matchbox - ROCKABILLY REBEL 21 (30) - Rose Royce - IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER 22 (18) - The Boomtown Rats - DIAMOND SMILES 23 (10) - Gary Numan - COMPLEX 24 (14) - Commodores - STILL 25 (NEW) - The Beat - TEARS OF A CLOWN 26 (29) - Chic - MY FEET KEEP DANCING 27 (16) - The Isley Brothers - IT'S A DISCO NIGHT (ROCK DON'T STOP) 28 (NEW) - The Clash - LONDON CALLING 29 (NEW) - Mike Oldfield - BLUE PETER 30 (NEW) - Kurtis Blow - CHRISTMAS RAPPIN' MELODY MAKER SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 22 December 1979 01 (02) - Pink Floyd - ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART II) 02 (01) - The Police - WALKING ON THE MOON 03 (03) - The Tourists - I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU 04 (06) - Sugarhill Gang - RAPPER'S DELIGHT 05 (07) - Michael Jackson - OFF THE WALL 06 (05) - Gibson Brothers - QUE SERA MI VIDA 07 (28) - ABBA - I HAVE A DREAM 08 (08) - Madness - ONE STEP BEYOND... 09 (30) - Fiddler's Dram - DAYTRIP TO BANGOR (DIDN'T WE HAVE A LOVELY TIME) 10 (04) - Donna Summer / Barbra Streisand - NO MORE TEARS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH) 11 (16) - The Three Degrees - MY SIMPLE HEART 12 (15) - Blondie - UNION CITY BLUE 13 (18) - Paul McCartney - WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME 14 (21) - The Beat - TEARS OF A CLOWN 15 (NEW) - David Bowie - JOHN I'M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) 16 (NEW) - The Clash - LONDON CALLING 17 (11) - The Moody Blues - NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN 18 (10) - Electric Light Orchestra - CONFUSION / LAST TRAIN TO LONDON 19 (09) - Dr. Hook - WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN 20 (RE) - Status Quo - LIVING ON AN ISLAND 21 (22) - Pretenders - BRASS IN POCKET 22 (12) - Queen - CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE 23 (14) - Commodores - STILL 24 (NEW) - Chic - MY FEET KEEP DANCING 25 (24) - The Boomtown Rats - DIAMOND SMILES 26 (23) - Matchbox - ROCKABILLY REBEL 27 (25) - Rose Royce - IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER 27 (NEW) - K.C. And The Sunshine Band - PLEASE DON'T GO 29 (NEW) - Boney M - I'M BORN AGAIN 30 (13) - Gary Numan - COMPLEX
Another great year for chart 45s. My Top Fifteen: Nick Lowe – Cruel To Be Kind Boomtown Rats – I Don’t Like Mondays Ruts – Babylon’s Burning Angelic Upstarts – I’m An Upstart Buzzcocks – Harmony In My Head Jam – Eton Rifles Buggles – Video Killed The Radio Star Blondie – Union City Blue Elvis C – Oliver’s Army Siouxsie & The Banshees – Metal Postcard Gary Numan – Cars Specials – Message To You Rudy Clash – London Calling Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive Pretenders – Brass In Pocket From Australia's Countdown (their TOTPs). It was a big hit there as well........
And so we come to the end of the look at the Wild and Crazy Seventies. In this decade, 168 Number Ones passed through BMRB's "official" chart. Meanwhile, NME had 207 toppers, and Melody Maker had 201. 68 of the Number Ones were "unofficial," with 20 of them unique to NME and another 20 to Melody Maker, with the remaining 28 topping both "other" charts. (This does not count Top Pops / Music Now, which in the one year left of its existence, had Number Ones corresponding to BMRB, NME and/or Melody Maker, never repeating the unique toppers they had in 1969.) The total Number Ones, counting both official and unofficial, in the 1970's thus tallied up to 236. Meanwhile, five of the BMRB's Number Ones only topped their chart, never coming close in NME, Melody Maker or, in its dying days, Top Pops / Music Now. This was just part of a statistic where, of the 168 "official" Number Ones, 9 did not top NME's chart, and 14 likewise didn't make the summit of Melody Maker's.
Oh, and we mustn't forget the "other" Number Ones of 1979. In this year, a total of seven were accrued - of which two were unique to NME and exactly one to Melody Maker. We thus start with . . . NME #467: "Chiquitita" by ABBA (#1 for 1 week - 17 February 1979) The UK single: The US single: Wikipedia entry - #2 on both Official Charts and Melody Maker; in U.S., early the next year, would get up to #29 in Billboard, #36 in Cash Box, and #47 in Record World. (Given when US Atlantic ish'd this, you suppose they delayed this release until they could find a way to avoid putting out "I Have A Dream," given @Alf.'s comments thereabouts?)
NME #469 / MM #410: "Oliver's Army" by Elvis Costello And The Attractions (#1 on MM for 1 week - 10 March 1979; and on NME for 1 week - 17 March 1979) The UK single (no US release): Wikipedia entry - #2 on Official Charts; its B side, "My Funny Valentine," was the only track from this to be ish'd as a single in the States, and even then as a promo-only release.
NME #471: "In The Navy" by the Village People (#1 for 1 week - 07 April 1979) The UK single (regular and US export pressings): The US single: Wikipedia entry - #2 on both Official Charts and Melody Maker; in U.S., would be their last-ever Top 10 hit, peaking at #3 in Billboard and Cash Box, #2 in Record World, and #14 in Radio & Records. But really . . . "Forethcoming"?
NME #473 / MM #413: "Pop Muzik" by M (#1 for 1 week - 19 May 1979) The UK single: The US single: Wikipedia entry - #2 on Official Charts; in U.S., was pretty much the reverse, only making #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 (#474) for 1 week (03 November 1979), whilst shut out of the top of the other charts: #4 in both Cash Box and Record World, and #3 in Radio & Records. No matter how you slice it, their biggest and best-known hit.
NME #475 / MM #414: "Dance Away" by Roxy Music (#1 on MM for 1 week - 26 May 1979; and on NME for 1 week - 09 June 1979) The UK single: The US single: Wikipedia entry - #2 on Official Charts; in U.S., reached #44 in Billboard, #51 in Cash Box, and #57 in Record World.
NME #478 / MM #418: "Silly Games" by Janet Kay (#1 for 1 week - 21 July 1979) The UK single (no US release): Wikipedia entry - #2 on Official Charts; the first example of the misnomered "lover's rock" genre to be performed on BBC's Top Of The Pops.
And now for the 68th and final "other" Number One of the 1970's . . . MM #425: "The Eton Rifles" by The Jam (#1 for 3 weeks - 17 November-01 December 1979) The UK single: The US single: Wikipedia entry - #3 on Official Charts and #2 in NME; like all their singles that saw U.S. release, did not chart in Billboard, Cash Box or Record World - never mind Radio & Records. Hereby, all Number Ones from the establishment of the first UK charts in 1952 up to 1999 have been accounted for.
And now, for a look at the ratio of U.S. to U.K. Number Ones for 1979, only highlighting those that topped both charts, and which topped one side but did not appear on the other's charts . . . Songs That Were Both UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100 Number Ones in 1979 - "Heart Of Glass" by Blondie (BMRB #433 / Hot 100 #463) - "Tragedy" by the Bee Gees (BMRB #434 / Hot 100 #460) - "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor (BMRB #435 / Hot 100 #459) - "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward (BMRB #438 / Hot 100 #467) NOTE: "Another Brick In The Wall" by Pink Floyd (BMRB #448) reached Number One in Billboard (Hot 100 #484) in 1980. Number Ones on UK Singles Chart That Did Not Chart in Billboard in 1979 (including those not released in U.S. - indicated by asterisk * ; 'Bubbling Under' entries don't count): - #432: "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" by Ian Dury And The Blockheads - #436: "Bright Eyes" by Art Garfunkel - #437: "Sunday Girl" by Blondie* - #439: "Are 'Friends' Electric?" by Tubeway Army - #445: "One Day At A Time" by Lena Martell* - #447: "Walking On The Moon" by The Police* Number Ones on Billboard Hot 100 That Did Not Make UK Singles Chart in 1979 (also, not released in UK ** ): - ??? Yep, you guessed it: Every U.S. Number One in '79, in whichever way, did have representation on the UK charts in this year. The first major interruption of the 'yin - yang' principle between the two sides o' the pond since 1975 when no song made the top in both countries, and you had a plethora that reached the top in one country and was completely shut out of the other's charts.
Now we saw the BMRB, NME, Melody Maker and US Billboard charts for the final 'new' chart of 1979. For contrast's sake let us go back to the first charts of the 1970's from these entities to compare and contrast (this isn't to beat a dead horse, mind you; simply to tie loose ends that hadn't been examined the first time 'round): This set will have what all future "other" chart snapshots do not have - a look at how many weeks such numbers were on the chart, courtesy threads about the 1960's charts. NME SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 03 January 1970 06 - 01 - 01 - Rolf Harris - TWO LITTLE BOYS 09 - 02 - 02 - Kenny Rogers And The First Edition - RUBY, DON'T TAKE YOUR LOVE TO TOWN 07 - 03 - 03 - Blue Mink - MELTING POT 13 - 04 - 04 - The Archies - SUGAR, SUGAR 08 - 05 - 05 - Stevie Wonder - YESTER-ME, YESTER-YOU, YESTERDAY 06 - 06 - 06 - Elvis Presley - SUSPICIOUS MINDS 04 - 07 - 07 - Bobbie Gentry And Glen Campbell - ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM 07 - 08 - 08 - Engelbert Humperdinck - WINTER WORLD OF LOVE 05 - 09 - 09 - The Cuff Links - TRACY 05 - 10 - 09 - Tom Jones - WITHOUT LOVE 07 - 10 - 11 - Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell - THE ONION SONG 04 - 16 - 12 - The Dave Clark Five - GOOD OLD ROCK 'N' ROLL 09 - 12 - 13 - The Tremeloes - (CALL ME) NUMBER ONE 06 - 13 - 14 - Malcolm Roberts - LOVE IS ALL 06 - 14 - 15 - Roger Whittaker - DURHAM TOWN (THE LEAVIN') 10 - 22 - 16 - Harry J. All Stars - LIQUIDATOR 11 - 16 - 17 - Creedence Clearwater Revival - GREEN RIVER 06 - 15 - 18 - Des O'Connor - LONELINESS (NON SONO MADDALENA) 04 - 18 - 19 - Cliff Richard - WITH THE EYES OF A CHILD 09 - 21 - 20 - The Beatles - SOMETHING / COME TOGETHER 04 - 20 - 21 - Nancy Sinatra - THE HIGHWAY SONG 03 - 25 - 22 - Diana Ross And The Supremes - SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER 02 - 27 - 23 - Jim Reeves With Steve Moore - BUT YOU LOVE ME, DADDY 10 - 19 - 24 - Jimmy Cliff - WONDERFUL WORLD, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE 02 - 28 - 25 - Delaney And Bonnie And Friends Featuring Eric Clapton - COMIN' HOME 10 - 26 - 26 - Jethro Tull - SWEET DREAM 12 - RE - 27 - Frank Sinatra - LOVE'S BEEN GOOD TO ME 1 - NEW - 28 - The Marmalade - REFLECTIONS OF MY LIFE 03 - 24 - 29 - Karen Young - NOBODY'S CHILD 02 - 29 - 30 - Cilla Black - IF I THOUGHT YOU'D CHANGE YOUR MIND MELODY MAKER SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 03 January 1970 07 - 01 - 01 - Rolf Harris - TWO LITTLE BOYS 14 - 03 - 02 - The Archies - SUGAR, SUGAR 11 - 02 - 03 - Kenny Rogers And The First Edition - RUBY, DON'T TAKE YOUR LOVE TO TOWN 07 - 05 - 03 - Blue Mink - MELTING POT 08 - 03 - 05 - Stevie Wonder - YESTER-ME, YESTER-YOU, YESTERDAY 06 - 06 - 06 - Elvis Presley - SUSPICIOUS MINDS 05 - 10 - 07 - Bobbie Gentry And Glen Campbell - ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM 08 - 07 - 08 - Engelbert Humperdinck - WINTER WORLD OF LOVE 08 - 09 - 09 - Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell - THE ONION SONG 06 - 12 - 10 - The Cuff Links - TRACY 10 - 08 - 11 - The Tremeloes - (CALL ME) NUMBER ONE 05 - 20 - 12 - Tom Jones - WITHOUT LOVE 13 - 15 - 13 - Harry J. All Stars - LIQUIDATOR 09 - 11 - 14 - The Beatles - SOMETHING / COME TOGETHER 07 - 14 - 15 - Malcolm Roberts - LOVE IS ALL 08 - 13 - 16 - Roger Whittaker - DURHAM TOWN (THE LEAVIN') 05 - 23 - 17 - The Dave Clark Five - GOOD OLD ROCK 'N' ROLL 08 - 19 - 18 - Creedence Clearwater Revival - GREEN RIVER 12 - 17 - 19 - Jimmy Cliff - WONDERFUL WORLD, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE 07 - 24 - 20 - Des O'Connor - LONELINESS (NON SONO MADDALENA) 15 - 22 - 21 - Upsetters - RETURN OF DJANGO 14 - 16 - 22 - Fleetwood Mac - OH WELL 10 - 18 - 23 - Jethro Tull - SWEET DREAM 06 - 25 - 24 - Nancy Sinatra - THE HIGHWAY SONG 03 - 29 - 25 - Jim Reeves With Steve Moore - BUT YOU LOVE ME, DADDY 13 - 26 - 26 - Frank Sinatra - LOVE'S BEEN GOOD TO ME 16 - 21 - 27 - Karen Young - NOBODY'S CHILD 1 - NEW - 28 - Diana Ross And The Supremes - SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER 12 - 27 - 29 - Jr. Walker And The All Stars - WHAT DOES IT TAKE (TO WIN YOUR LOVE) 1 - NEW - 30 - Delaney And Bonnie And Friends Featuring Eric Clapton - COMIN' HOME And over in the U.S., the Top 30 within Billboard's Hot 100. For this and a few others, the indicators are the same: * Indicates a record that passed through or would later pass through the UK charts. ** Indicates a record that also saw UK release but did not appear on the UK charts. † Indicates a record that briefly saw UK release but was then quickly withdrawn. ‡ Indicates a record that did not see UK single release. § Indicates a record that charted in UK decades later. So with that in mind . . . Week Ending 03 January 1970 10 - 03 - 01 - B.J. Thomas - RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD* 11 - 02 - 02 - Peter, Paul And Mary - LEAVING ON A JET PLANE* 09 - 01 - 03 - Diana Ross And The Supremes - SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER* 10 - 04 - 04 - Creedence Clearwater Revival - DOWN ON THE CORNER* / FORTUNATE SON** 12 - 05 - 05 - Steam - NA NA HEY HEY KISS HIM GOODBYE* 21 - 09 - 06 - Led Zeppelin - WHOLE LOTTA LOVE† 08 - 08 - 07 - The Jackson 5 - I WANT YOU BACK* 03 - 19 - 08 - The Shocking Blue - VENUS* 10 - 06 - 09 - Neil Diamond - HOLLY HOLY** 07 - 14 - 10 - Bobby Sherman - LA LA LA (IF I HAD YOU)** 10 - 11 - 11 - Ferrante And Teicher - MIDNIGHT COWBOY** 12 - 07 - 12 - The Beatles - COME TOGETHER / SOMETHING* 07 - 20 - 13 - Tommy Roe - JAM UP JELLY TIGHT** 11 - 12 - 14 - Three Dog Night - ELI'S COMING** 05 - 23 - 15 - Elvis Presley - DON'T CRY DADDY* / RUBBERNECKIN'** 12 - 10 - 16 - R.B. Greaves - TAKE A LETTER MARIA** 05 - 22 - 17 - The Archies - JINGLE JANGLE** 06 - 30 - 18 - Vanity Fare - EARLY IN THE MORNING* 11 - 18 - 19 - Mel And Tim - BACKFIELD IN MOTION** 12 - 15 - 20 - Blood, Sweat And Tears - AND WHEN I DIE** 10 - 16 - 21 - Jr. Walker And The All Stars - THESE EYES** 10 - 28 - 22 - Crow - EVIL WOMAN, DON'T PLAY YOUR GAMES WITH ME** 11 - 13 - 23 - Stevie Wonder - YESTER-ME, YESTER-YOU, YESTERDAY* 10 - 17 - 24 - Gladys Knight And The Pips - FRIENDSHIP TRAIN** 09 - 26 - 25 - The Band - UP ON CRIPPLE CREEK** 13 - 24 - 26 - The Flying Machine - SMILE A LITTLE SMILE FOR ME** 08 - 27 - 27 - Dusty Springfield - A BRAND NEW ME** 03 - 34 - 28 - Tommy James And The Shondells - SHE** 02 - 50 - 29 - Tom Jones - WITHOUT LOVE (THERE IS NOTHING)* 15 - 25 - 30 - The Originals - BABY I'M FOR REAL** A few interesting observations: At this point in time, Mr. Harris' number was the 280th in both the "official" timeline as kept up by the BMRB at the time, and NME's chart history. This would be the last time they would synchronise in this way; with the next toppers to come, NME would pull out way ahead to the point where, by decade's end, they had 39 more #1's in the '70's than did BMRB. (He, however, couldn't even sell a can o' beans in the States, where this was a non-factor on the charts.) "Two Little Boys" was also the 226th Number One in the history of the Melody Maker charts. In one of the wildest coincidences, the last U.S. Number One of the 1960's - "Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross And The Supremes - was the 226th of Billboard's Hot 100. What're the odds? Also notice the singular cross for the Zep number. As noted in the 1960's UK #1's thread, this had a very brief UK single release but was promptly withdrawn on orders from their manager Peter Grant. And The Flying Machine's "Smile A Little Smile For Me," despite being a massive U.S. hit for this British group, surprisingly failed to make the UK singles charts (just as Jefferson's "Baby Take Me In Your Arms" had). In the next post I will spotlight what singles from the US chart I have . . .
Then we turn to 04 April 1970, which was the last week Simon And Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was the Number One song in the States - but was in the midst of its UK top run. NME SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 04 April 1970 01 (01) - Simon And Garfunkel - BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER 02 (04) - Andy Williams - CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE 03 (14) - Mary Hopkin - KNOCK KNOCK WHO'S THERE 04 (02) - Lee Marvin - WAND'RIN' STAR 05 (05) - Pickettywitch - THAT SAME OLD FEELING 06 (06) - Bob And Marcia - YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK 07 (03) - The Beatles - LET IT BE 08 (08) - Steam - NA NA HEY HEY KISS HIM GOODBYE 09 (07) - Elvis Presley - DON'T CRY DADDY 10 (10) - Kenny Rogers And The First Edition - SOMETHING'S BURNING 11 (13) - The Dave Clark Five - EVERYBODY GET TOGETHER 12 (09) - The Jackson 5 - I WANT YOU BACK 13 (17) - Jimmy Ruffin - FAREWELL IS A LONELY SOUND 14 (29) - Norman Greenbaum - SPIRIT IN THE SKY 15 (19) - Joe Dolan - YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD LOOKING WOMAN 16 (20) - Four Tops - I CAN'T HELP MYSELF 17 (11) - Herman's Hermits - YEARS MAY COME, YEARS MAY GO 18 (NEW) - Dana - ALL KINDS OF EVERYTHING 19 (27) - Juicy Lucy - WHO DO YOU LOVE 20 (12) - Canned Heat - LET'S WORK TOGETHER 21 (NEW) - The Pipkins - GIMME DAT DING 22 (15) - Lennon / Ono With The Plastic Ono Band - INSTANT KARMA! 23 (26) - Jim Reeves - NOBODY'S FOOL 24 (28) - Blue Mink - GOOD MORNING FREEDOM 25 (18) - The Brotherhood Of Man - UNITED WE STAND 26 (22) - Diana Ross And The Supremes With The Temptations - WHY (MUST WE FALL IN LOVE) 27 (NEW) - The Cuff Links - WHEN JULIE COMES AROUND 28 (NEW) - Creedence Clearwater Revival - TRAVELIN' BAND 29 (NEW) - Stevie Wonder - NEVER HAD A DREAM COME TRUE 30 (RE) - Des O'Connor - I'LL GO ON HOPING MELODY MAKER SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 04 April 1970 01 (01) - Simon And Garfunkel - BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER 02 (04) - Andy Williams - CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE 03 (02) - Lee Marvin - WAND'RIN' STAR 04 (07) - Bob And Marcia - YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK 05 (22) - Mary Hopkin - KNOCK KNOCK WHO'S THERE 06 (03) - The Beatles - LET IT BE 07 (05) - Pickettywitch - THAT SAME OLD FEELING 08 (06) - Steam - NA NA HEY HEY KISS HIM GOODBYE 09 (10) - The Dave Clark Five - EVERYBODY GET TOGETHER 10 (08) - Elvis Presley - DON'T CRY DADDY 11 (14) - Kenny Rogers And The First Edition - SOMETHING'S BURNING 12 (09) - The Jackson 5 - I WANT YOU BACK 13 (12) - Herman's Hermits - YEARS MAY COME, YEARS MAY GO 14 (17) - Jimmy Ruffin - FAREWELL IS A LONELY SOUND 15 (11) - Lennon / Ono With The Plastic Ono Band - INSTANT KARMA! 16 (13) - Canned Heat - LET'S WORK TOGETHER 17 (23) - Joe Dolan - YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD LOOKING WOMAN 18 (25) - Norman Greenbaum - SPIRIT IN THE SKY 19 (30) - Four Tops - I CAN'T HELP MYSELF 20 (15) - Sacha Distel - RAIN DROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD 21 (NEW) - Dana - ALL KINDS OF EVERYTHING 22 (16) - The Brotherhood Of Man - UNITED WE STAND 23 (29) - Juicy Lucy - WHO DO YOU LOVE 24 (NEW) - The Pipkins - GIMME DAT DING 25 (19) - Edison Lighthouse - LOVE GROWS (WHERE MY ROSEMARY GOES) 26 (NEW) - The Cuff Links - WHEN JULIE COMES AROUND 27 (26) - Rare Bird - SYMPATHY 28 (18) - Peter, Paul And Mary - LEAVING ON A JET PLANE 29 (NEW) - Stevie Wonder - NEVER HAD A DREAM COME TRUE 30 (NEW) - Blue Mink - GOOD MORNING FREEDOM 30 (21) - Boris Gardiner - ELIZABETHAN REGGAE And from US Billboard . . . Week Ending 04 April 1970 09 - 01 - 01 - Simon And Garfunkel - BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER* 03 - 02 - 02 - The Beatles - LET IT BE* 06 - 03 - 03 - John Ono Lennon - INSTANT KARMA (WE ALL SHINE ON)* 04 - 06 - 04 - The Jackson 5 - ABC* 07 - 05 - 05 - Edison Lighthouse - LOVE GROWS (WHERE MY ROSEMARY GOES)* 06 - 08 - 06 - Norman Greenbaum - SPIRIT IN THE SKY* 09 - 11 - 07 - Frijid Pink - HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN* 10 - 04 - 08 - The Jaggerz - THE RAPPER** 09 - 10 - 09 - Badfinger - COME AND GET IT* 09 - 12 - 10 - Bobby Sherman - EASY COME, EASY GO** 16 - 07 - 11 - Hollies - HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY BROTHER* 12 - 09 - 12 - Chairmen Of The Board - GIVE ME JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME* 13 - 14 - 14 - Brook Benton - RAINY NIGHT IN GEORGIA** 06 - 15 - 15 - Three Dog Night - CELEBRATE‡ 05 - 22 - 16 - The Supremes - UP THE LADDER TO THE ROOF* 03 - 34 - 17 - The Guess Who - AMERICAN WOMAN / NO SUGAR TONIGHT* 11 - 17 - 18 - Santana - EVIL WAYS** 11 - 13 - 19 - The Tee Set - MA BELLE AMIE** 05 - 29 - 20 - The Friends Of Distinction - LOVE OR LET ME BE LONELY** 07 - 21 - 21 - Jr. Walker And The All Stars - GOTTA HOLD ON TO THIS FEELING** 13 - 18 - 22 - The Delfonics - DIDN'T I (BLOW YOUR MIND THIS TIME)* 09 - 25 - 23 - The Originals - THE BELLS‡ 08 - 26 - 24 - Kenny Rogers And The First Edition - SOMETHING'S BURNING* 08 - 16 - 25 - Elvis Presley - KENTUCKY RAIN* 10 - 20 - 26 - Creedence Clearwater Revival - TRAVELIN' BAND* / WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN** 08 - 28 - 27 - Bobbie Gentry And Glen Campbell - ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM* 06 - 35 - 28 - Michael Parks - LONG LONESOME HIGHWAY‡ 06 - 32 - 29 - Jack Blanchard And Misty Morgan - TENNESSEE BIRD WALK** 09 - 33 - 30 - Neil Diamond - SHILO‡ Notable is the major difference in how the Lennon single was presented - in the U.S., there was a subtitle. In both this and the earlier U.S. chart, we see CCR had double-sided hit singles, of which only the A sides charted in Britain. And there seemed a delay between UK and US in when the Campbell / Gentry duet charted. The US got the benefit of The Delfonics' single before the UK did. Notice the four U.S. singles that didn't even get ish'd in the UK, let alone chart . . .
Then we go to another date where the same record was Number One on both sides of the Atlantic: the double-sided "Maggie May" / "Reason To Believe" by Rod Stewart. Cue up 23 October 1971: The other two UK charts that week had their deck chairs rearranged a la the Titanic thus: NME SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 23 October 1971 01 (01) - Rod Stewart - MAGGIE MAY / REASON TO BELIEVE 02 (07) - Redbone - THE WITCH QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS 03 (13) - Four Tops - A SIMPLE GAME 04 (04) - James Taylor - YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND 05 (03) - Middle Of The Road - TWEEDLE DEE TWEEDLE DUM 06 (08) - Shirley Bassey - FOR ALL WE KNOW 07 (11) - Titanic - SULTANA 08 (05) - Nancy Sinatra And Lee Hazelwood - DID YOU EVER 09 (10) - The Fortunes - FREEDOM COME, FREEDOM GO 10 (06) - C.C.S. - TAP TURNS ON THE WATER 11 (02) - The Tams - HEY GIRL DON'T BOTHER ME 12 (16) - Danyel Gerard - BUTTERFLY 13 (09) - The Marmalade - COUSIN NORMAN 14 (22) - Aretha Franklin - SPANISH HARLEM 15 (11) - Jethro Tull - LIFE IS A LONG SONG 16 (26) - Joan Baez - THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN 17 (18) - Bay City Rollers - KEEP ON DANCING 18 (30) - Tom Jones - TILL 19 (14) - Hot Chocolate - I BELIEVE (IN LOVE) 20 (17) - Engelbert Humperdinck - ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE 21 (NEW) - Al Green - TIRED OF BEING ALONE 22 (18) - Mungo Jerry - YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE IN THE ARMY TO FIGHT IN THE WAR 23 (24) - Carpenters - SUPERSTAR / FOR ALL WE KNOW 24 (15) - The Supremes - NATHAN JONES 25 (20) - Daniel Boone - DADDY DON'T YOU WALK SO FAST 26 (21) - Cat Stevens - MOON SHADOW 27 (NEW) - Burundi Steiphenson Black - BURUNDI BLACK 28 (28) - Scott English - BRANDY 29 (27) - Los Pop-Tops - MAMMY BLUE 30 (23) - Buffy Sainte-Marie - SOLDIER BLUE MELODY MAKER SINGLES CHART - Week Ending 23 October 1971 01 (01) - Rod Stewart - MAGGIE MAY / REASON TO BELIEVE 02 (09) - Redbone - THE WITCH QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS 03 (06) - Middle Of The Road - TWEEDLE DEE TWEEDLE DUM 04 (05) - James Taylor - YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND 05 (04) - Nancy Sinatra And Lee Hazelwood - DID YOU EVER 06 (07) - Shirley Bassey - FOR ALL WE KNOW 07 (14) - Four Tops - A SIMPLE GAME 08 (02) - C.C.S. - TAP TURNS ON THE WATER 09 (12) - Titanic - SULTANA 10 (03) - The Tams - HEY GIRL DON'T BOTHER ME 11 (10) - The Fortunes - FREEDOM COME, FREEDOM GO 12 (08) - The Marmalade - COUSIN NORMAN 13 (11) - Jethro Tull - LIFE IS A LONG SONG 14 (24) - Joan Baez - THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN 15 (20) - Danyel Gerard - BUTTERFLY 16 (13) - Hot Chocolate - I BELIEVE (IN LOVE) 17 (21) - Aretha Franklin - SPANISH HARLEM 18 (17) - Bay City Rollers - KEEP ON DANCING 19 (18) - Engelbert Humperdinck - ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE 20 (15) - The Supremes - NATHAN JONES 21 (22) - Cat Stevens - MOON SHADOW 22 (29) - Carpenters - SUPERSTAR / FOR ALL WE KNOW 23 (16) - Mungo Jerry - YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE IN THE ARMY TO FIGHT IN THE WAR 24 (19) - Daniel Boone - DADDY DON'T YOU WALK SO FAST 25 (NEW) - Al Green - TIRED OF BEING ALONE 26 (30) - Elvis Presley - I'M LEAVIN' 27 (NEW) - Tom Jones - TILL 28 (26) - Buffy Sainte-Marie - SOLDIER BLUE 29 (NEW) - Scott English - BRANDY 30 (23) - Curved Air - BACK STREET LUV The US, in a way, was a whole 'nother animal that week: Week Ending 23 October 1971 15 - 01 - 01 - Rod Stewart - MAGGIE MAY / REASON TO BELIEVE* 08 - 02 - 02 - Carpenters - SUPERSTAR* 07 - 03 - 03 - The Osmonds - YO-YO** 06 - 10 - 04 - Chér - GYPSYS, TRAMPS AND THIEVES* 11 - 04 - 05 - Joan Baez - THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN* 13 - 06 - 06 - Lee Michaels - DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN** 12 - 05 - 07 - Donny Osmond - GO AWAY LITTLE GIRL** 11 - 09 - 08 - Stampeders - SWEET CITY WOMAN** 02 - 50 - 09 - Isaac Hayes - THEME FROM SHAFT* 11 - 08 - 10 - Stevie Wonder - IF YOU REALLY LOVE ME* 21 - 15 - 11 - The Free Movement - I'VE FOUND SOMEONE OF MY OWN** 14 - 13 - 12 - Al Green - TIRED OF BEING ALONE* 11 - 07 - 13 - Paul And Linda McCartney - UNCLE ALBERT / ADMIRAL HALSEY‡ 10 - 16 - 14 - Denise LaSalle - TRAPPED BY A THING CALLED LOVE** 05 - 20 - 15 - Cat Stevens - PEACE TRAIN‡ 09 - 14 - 16 - Carole King - SO FAR AWAY / SMACKWATER JACK** 09 - 18 - 17 - The Persuaders - THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE** 15 - 11 - 18 - Bill Withers - AIN'T NO SUNSHINE** 06 - 26 - 19 - The 5th Dimension - NEVER MY LOVE** 1 - NEW - 20 - John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band - IMAGINE* 03 - 35 - 21 - Marvin Gaye - INNER CITY BLUES (MAKE ME WANNA HOLLER)** 12 - 19 - 22 - Honey Cone - STICK-UP** 07 - 28 - 23 - Raiders - BIRDS OF A FEATHER** 14 - 22 - 24 - Mac And Katie Kissoon - CHIRPY CHIRPY CHEEP CHEEP* 10 - 25 - 25 - Tommy Roe - STAGGER LEE** 10 - 27 - 26 - Kris Kristofferson - LOVING HER WAS EASIER (THAN ANYTHING I'LL EVER DO AGAIN)** 05 - 34 - 27 - Delaney And Bonnie - ONLY YOU KNOW AND I KNOW** 07 - 32 - 28 - Lighthouse - ONE FINE MORNING** 10 - 31 - 29 - Freddie Hart - EASY LOVING** 18 - 12 - 30 - The Undisputed Truth - SMILING FACES SOMETIMES** Osmondmania had swept the U.S. before Britain succumbed to their particular aura, given the two charted numbers (one by the group, the other by Donny). The only debut on any of the U.S. charts cited thus far (and two more after this), something that wouldn't appear on the UK chart until 1975 and again in 1980-81. Mac And Katie Kissoon had already peaked and were going down with this number whose version by Middle Of The Road didn't even penetrate the Hot 100. Amazing all the US R&B crossovers (i.e. Denise LaSalle, The Persuaders, Honey Cone) that failed to make the UK charts in spite of the "Northern soul" crowd. And two different charted singles on either side for Cat Stevens. And "Birds Of A Feather" would be the last Top 40 hit for the Raiders, coming as it did after their hard-earned #1 - a cover of "Indian Reservation" which the year before hit in the UK for Don Fardon. Tommy Roe likewise faded after his cover of Lloyd Price's "Stagger Lee." Which reminds me: In response to The Tams' "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" ultimately making the top o' the UK charts, US ABC decided to do their own reissue - on their Dunhill (!) subsidiary: In the U.S., alas, lightning would not strike twice. It should be noted that Billboard had owned Record Retailer since 1966, and a year from this the latter would be "relaunched" as Music Week (which I don't think was coincidental, given that the U.S. publication from 09 January 1961 to 29 December 1962 was known as Billboard Music Week). Wonder if that's why Guinness decided on RR as "canonical" in the March 1960-February 1969 period - given that the reason Billboard's considered the "official" chart in the States is because of Joel Whitburn and his continuous books of "Top Pop Singles" published since 1969 which exclusively cited Billboard as a source, totally bypassing Cash Box and Music Vendor / Record World (never mind Variety which for a time had their own singles chart in the U.S.)?
