The U.K. 70s Singles & Albums Chart General Discussion Thread.

'It's Getting Better' is on quite a few various artist comps, mainly 60s comps.

 

Quite a bit of good stuff. Blimey. Must be a world record for me:

The Sweet - HELL RAISER (Best single they ever released IMO)
Suzi Quatro - CAN THE CAN
Gary Glitter - HELLO! HELLO! I'M BACK AGAIN (I always regard them as Mike Leander singles; with a bacofoil puppet singing.)
Hot Chocolate - BROTHER LOUIE
Paul McCartney And Wings - MY LOVE (Sappy, but I really liked all of Macca's early 45s; so very eclectic.)
Alice Cooper - NO MORE MR. NICE GUY
David Bowie - DRIVE-IN SATURDAY
New York City - I'M DOING FINE NOW (For me, one of the best ever disco 45s.)
Lou Reed - WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
Status Quo - MEAN GIRL (I love early '70s Quo before they morphed into Chas & Dave.)
10C.C. - RUBBER BULLETS
Fleetwood Mac - ALBATROSS
David Cassidy - SOME KIND OF A SUMMER (Yes. Really. Cassidy had some great 45s IMO.)
O'Jays - LOVE TRAIN
Gladys Knight And The Pips - NEITHER ONE OF US & DADDY COULD SWEAR (Gladys & The Pips were always seriously underrated.)
The Edgar Winter Group - FRANKENSTEIN
Roxy Music - PYJAMARAMA (Early Roxy were the musical bee's knees. Before Mr Ferrari turned into a crooning clothes horse.)
Elton John - DANIEL
The Sweet - LITTLE WILLY
The Rolling Stones - YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT (Fab song but hardly single material!)

Anyway, here's I'm Doing Fine Now. Love the hats!

 

Over the past few years I've culled my album collection down from well over 1,000 to around 250 now. Here's what I still have left from 1970:

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath & Paranoid
Alice Cooper - Easy Action
MC5 - Back In The USA
Jeannie C Riley - Country Girl & The Generation Gap
Various - Motown Chartbusters Volume 4
Deep Purple - In Rock
Elton John - Elton John
Stooges - Fun House
Marmalade - Reflections Of
Led Zep - III
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
John & Yoko - Plastic Ono Band (both albums)
Lulu - New Routes & Melody Fair

 

My albums from 1973 (UK)...

10cc - 10cc
Ring Ring - ABBA
Pipedream - Alan Hull
Billion Dollar Babies - Alice Cooper
Headroom - Allan Clarke
Hat Trick - America
Sing A Song For You (Unreleased Until 1996) - Anne Briggs
In Deep - Argent
Moonshine - Bert Jansch
Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack
Facts Of Life - Bobby Womack
Greetings From Asbury Park N.J. - Bruce Springsteen
These Foolish Things - Bryan Ferry
Don't Call Me Mama Anymore - Cass Elliot
The Human Menagerie - Cockney Rebel
Aladdin Sane - David Bowie
Pin-Ups - David Bowie
In The Right Place - Dr. John
E.L.O. 2 - Electric Light Orchestra
On The Third Day - Electric Light Orchestra
Brain Salad Surgery - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Rosie - Fairport Convention
Mystery To Me - Fleetwood Mac
Heartbreaker - Free
Selling England By The Pound - Genesis
Living In The Material World - George Harrison
Really - J.J. Cale
A Passion Play - Jethro Tull
Inside Out - John Martyn
Solid Air - John Martyn
Still Alive And Well - Johnny Winter
Heart Food - Judee Sill
True Stories And Other Dreams - Judy Collins
Loving And Free - Kiki Dee
Larks' Tongues In Aspic - King Crimson
For The Children - Labi Siffre
Houses Of The Holy - Led Zeppelin
Dixie Chicken - Little Feat
Berlin - Lou Reed
Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
Mott - Mott The Hoople
Band On The Run - Paul McCartney & Wings
There Goes Rhymin' Simon - Paul Simon
Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd
Grand Hotel - Procol Harum
Queen - Queen
Ashes Are Burning - Renaissance
The Six Wives Of Henry VIII - Rick Wakeman
Killing Me Softly - Roberta Flack
Goats Head Soup - Rolling Stones
For Your Pleasure - Roxy Music
Stranded - Roxy Music
Boulders - Roy Wood
Next… - Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Hello! - Status Quo
Ferguslie Park - Stealers Wheel
Stealers Wheel - Stealers Wheel
Parcel Of Rogues - Steeleye Span
Countdown To Ecstasy - Steely Dan
Innervisions - Stevie Wonder
Talking Book - Stevie Wonder
Tanx - T. Rex
Vagabonds Of The Western World - Thin Lizzy
Closing Time - Tom Waits
Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory - Traffic
Hard Nose The Highway - Van Morrison
Six Star General - Vinegar Joe
Quadrophenia - Who
Wizzard Brew - Wizzard
Tales From Topographic Oceans - Yes
Tres Hombres - ZZ Top

 

Albums I have from 1971:
Alice Cooper - Love It To Death & Killer
Sly & Family Stone - Riot Going On
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
Who - Who's Next & Meaty Beaty.....
Deep Purple - Fireball
Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Don Mclean - American Pie
Various - Motown Chartbusters Volume 5
Temptations - Sky's The Limit

Here's Is It My Body from Alice Cooper's Love It To Death:


Fab promo poster. Alice spouts his usual made-up stuff for maximum effect:

 

1972 albums I have:
Alice Cooper - School's Out
Deep Purple - Machine Head & Made In Japan
Various - Nuggets
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
Temptations - Solid Rock
Various - Motown Chartbusters Volume 5
Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street
Velvet Underground - Live At Max's Kansas City
John & Yoko - Sometime In New York City
Gladys Knight & The Pips - If I Were Your Woman
Various - Invictus Greatest Hits

Here's Shake Your Hips from Exile:

 

Another fascinating selection! I share the following:

Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans
Steeleye Span - Parcel Of Rogues
Status Quo - Hello
America - Hat Trick
Rick Wakeman - The Six Wives Of Henry VIII
Renaissance - Ashes Are Burning
Queen - S/T
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
Little Feat - Dixie Chicken
Jethro Tull - A Passion Play
Genesis - Selling England By The Pound
Fairport Convention - Rosie
ELP - Brain Salad Surgery
ELO - On The Third Day & 2
Alan Hull - Pipedream
10cc - S/T

The rest of my '73 collection consists of:

Gryphon - S/T
Clannad - S/T
Gong - Flying Teapot
Nicky Hopkins - The Tin Man Was A Dreamer
Jim Croce - I Got A Name & Life & Times
Eagles - Desperado
Jack The Lad - It's Jack The Lad
Loggins & Messina - Full Sail
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced....
Poco - Crazy Eyes
Leo Sayer - Siverbird
Cat Stevens - Foreigner
Caravan - For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night
Loudon Wainwright III - Attempted Mustache
Clifford T Ward - Home Thoughts & Mantle Pieces
Manassas - Down The Road
Graham Nash - Wild Tales
Styx - II & The Serpent Is Rising
Lindisfarne - Roll On, Ruby
The Byrds - S/T
Roger McGuinn - S/T
Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
REO Speedwagon - Ridin' The Storm Out
Camel - S/T
Rick Roberts - She Is A Song
PFM - Photos Of Ghosts
Greenslade - Bedside Manners Are Extra
Bob Pegg & Nick Strutt - S/T
Planxty - S/T
Donovan - Cosmic Wheels
The Faces - Ooh La La
Marshall Tucker Band - S/T
Gene Clark - Roadmaster
The Dillards - Tribute To The American Duck
Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - Closer To It
Froggie Beaver - From The Pond
New Riders Of The Purple Sage - The Adventures Of Panama Red
Hudson Ford - Nickleodeon
Dr Hook - Belly Up
Gram Parsons - G. P.
Sea Train - Watch
String Driven Thing - The Machne That Cried
The Strawbs - Bursting At The Seams
Country Gazette - Don't Give Up Your Day Job
The Earl Scruggs Review - S/T
Rick Springfield - Comic Book Heroes
Pamela Polland - Have You Heard The One About The Gas Station Attendant?

 

I'm definitely curious about Judee Sill & Anne Briggs. I've heard maybe a couple of track from both but I've never managed to find albums. Worth adding to the list?

 

Exile has a great feel, and a great atmosphere.

 

Never knew Clannad went back that far. I have Attempted Mustache too, but it's down as 1974. Depends what discography you use, I suppose. I saw Loudon at the 1999 Cambridge Folk Festival. Look at me... Loudon... As if I know him well.

Very impressive selection, carlwm!

 

"It's Getting Better" is a groovy song, sounds basically like the Mama's & the Papa's. Mama Cass was an underrated singer

 

Oh, definitely. Judge Sill has a slight country feel; she sings with a bit of a twang and uses a fair amount of pedal-steel, but there's a bit of a Joni Mitchell feel too. I came to her through The Hollies' version of 'Jesus Was A Crossmaker', which I've always liked (funnily enough, it's on one of those Cass Elliot albums too).

The s/t Anne Briggs album is mostly unaccompanied, like the Martin Carthy albums of the period. If you like UK folk music, you'll like the Anne Briggs albums. The one that came out in the 90s has more of a band feel to it, but it's still folk rather than folk rock. It was recorded in 1973, so I file it there because it's not a 90s album.

 

That's made my morning!!!
Very funny!!!!

 

It probably sounds like the Mamas And Papas because of her voice and the musicians. I'm guessing that it was the Wrecking Crew on that track.

The writers (Mann and Weil), arranger and producer are, however, different, hence the happier, poppier feel.

The more downbeat B-side was written by her sister, Leah Kunkel, and on drums was her brother-in-law, Russ Kunkel, who has a very distinctive drum sound.

Both tracks benefit from having mono single mixes.

Now, back to the 70s.....

 

Cheers!

I tend to catalogue my records by what it says on the sleeve but I might easily have put Attempted Mustache in the wrong year. I saw Loudon perform two consecutive nights at the Oxford Playhouse, with two entirely different set-lists for each show, which impressed me mightily.

 

Thanks for the info. Both sound right up my street!

I'll be going away for the bank holiday weekend but if you're going to carry on through the decade, I'll catch up when I'm back home on Tuesday!

 

Yes, I'll carry on over the weekend. Don't know whatever made me put "Judge" Sill...

 

Sometimes they're released in America first, like Stevie Wonder's Talking Book, which was '72 over there and '73 here. I think it's the same with Attempted Mustache.

 

I listened to this box set a few weeks ago, and, like you, I was moderately delighted that "The Smurf Song" was on here. Just for completion, of course. I was astounded at how bad it sounded. Technically, the production is all over the place. The Norwegian version is actually smoother, if that's the right word. An oddity, sure, but nice to have it in my collection.

 

Sounds about right!

 

Cliff Richard, The Smurfs... You're moving in the right direction...

Plenty of good disco stuff on there, though. Just think, the weekend is here... Polyester time... Mirror ball time... Campari and soda awaits... I'll put on me best disco shirt.

 

And the '73 albums I have:
Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies & Muscle Of Love
Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
SAHB - Next
Budgie - Never Turn Your Back On A Friend
Who - Quadrophenia
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Lou Reed - Berlin
New York Dolls - s/t
Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny & Mutation
Dolly Parton - My Tennessee Mountain Home

Here's Search And Destroy from Raw Power:

 

I´m moving in the right direction, am I? So, according to you, my next move would be to adopt some admiration for the Swedish band Vikingarna ('The Vikings')? I don´t even want to include a track from them - here´s a sample of their brethren (in arms), Thorleifs. Same kind of garbage, IMO. Apologies in advance...

Perhaps good for you to know that even I draw the line somewhere.



I love many Swedish bands, but not Swedish dance bands. They are a genre unto themselves, closely connected to German schlager music, and with hints of (very) polished country, rock´n´roll and... Very polite saxophones and polished vocals drenched in reverb. Well, the genre is popular in Sweden and Norway. One of the few genres I can´t stand. I chose the trace above because it´s a "perfect" example of this genre, and it´s from the 70s. A huge hit in Scandinavia. This makes me shudder as much as Cliff & Baccara make you shudder... I don´t mind that others like them it´s good that people find music that they like. As long as I don´t have to listen to them.

By the way, I don´t mind real country music, and I do have a fondness for good disco records. Let´s get the party started!

 

Wa-hey! I'll bring the Guinness...

 

You´re on!