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

Very true, but they also made very good albums and were amazing live!

Isn't that right @Andy Smith?

 

I should add (should I?) that I bought Puppy Love because of my neighbour!

Well, she had more money than me, and owned the Portrait Of Donny LP that was home to the aforementioned single. This would be in 1972 when my family didn’t even have a record player. She invited me round to listen to the new LP she’d bought (it may have been her first) and I thought it was fantastic. It was the first modern pop album I ever heard. Even though at least half of it is covers! T0 this day, I can remember every song and the order in which they appear on the record. I can’t do that with an album I bought 6 months ago now!

I’ve often wondered if my neighbour had played me something like Ziggy Stardust or Electric Warrior that day, I’d have taken a different path.

I saw my neighbour last year. She moved away in the 80s. Her mother had just died as had my father. We talked about the old days when she had a giant Donny Osmond poster on her bedroom wall. She said she could still see it as a clear as a bell in her mind. She’s thinking of retiring now.

It’s weird but when we spoke that day, it was like no time had passed at all.

 

And here are the corresponding U.S. singles and album charts for the same week. ( * ) also charted or would later chart in the UK, ( ** ) never did.

Week Ending 11 August 1973

- SINGLES -

08 - 01 - 01 - Maureen McGovern - THE MORNING AFTER**
06 - 03 - 02 - Wings - LIVE AND LET DIE*
08 - 08 - 03 - Stories - BROTHER LOUIE**
11 - 07 - 04 - Diana Ross - TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING*
17 - 02 - 05 - Jim Croce - BAD, BAD LEROY BROWN**
12 - 04 - 06 - Deep Purple - SMOKE ON THE WATER** (edited studio version)
05 - 17 - 07 - Marvin Gaye - LET'S GET IT ON*
11 - 05 - 08 - Carpenters - YESTERDAY ONCE MORE*
07 - 15 - 09 - Charlie Daniels - UNEASY RIDER**
18 - 12 - 10 - Bobby (Boris) Pickett And The Crypt-Kickers - MONSTER MASH*
08 - 11 - 11 - Chicago - FEELIN' STRONGER EVERY DAY**
08 - 13 - 12 - Johnnie Taylor - I BELIEVE IN YOU (YOU BELIEVE IN ME)**
08 - 14 - 13 - Gilbert O'Sullivan - GET DOWN*
13 - 10 - 14 - Three Dog Night - SHAMBALA**
08 - 22 - 15 - Helen Reddy - DELTA DAWN**
14 - 06 - 16 - Seals And Crofts - DIAMOND GIRL**
06 - 19 - 17 - Al Green - (HERE I AM) COME AND TAKE ME**
05 - 24 - 18 - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando - SAY, HAS ANYBODY SEEN MY SWEET GYPSY ROSE*
07 - 20 - 19 - Sly And The Family Stone - IF YOU WANT ME TO STAY**
20 - 09 - 20 - Billy Preston - WILL IT GO ROUND IN CIRCLES**
13 - 18 - 21 - Pink Floyd - MONEY**
08 - 30 - 22 - Four Tops - ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH**
17 - 23 - 23 - Bloodstone - NATURAL HIGH*
06 - 26 - 24 - Aretha Franklin - ANGEL*
08 - 27 - 25 - Lobo - HOW CAN I TELL HER**
15 - 25 - 26 - Tower Of Power - SO VERY HARD TO GO**
04 - 33 - 27 - War - GYPSY MAN**
09 - 28 - 28 - Gladys Knight And The Pips - WHERE PEACEFUL WATERS FLOW**
16 - 29 - 29 - Charlie Rich - BEHIND CLOSED DOORS*
14 - 16 - 30 - Bette Midler - BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE BOY**
05 - 36 - 31 - Donny Osmond - A MILLION TO ONE** / YOUNG LOVE*
06 - 52 - 32 - Don Covay - I WAS CHECKIN' OUT, SHE WAS CHECKIN' IN**
11 - 32 - 33 - Foster Sylvers - MISDEMEANOR**
02 - 74 - 34 - Elton John - SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING*
06 - 46 - 35 - Bobby Womack - NOBODY WANTS YOU WHEN YOU'RE DOWN AND OUT**
06 - 39 - 36 - Cat Stevens - THE HURT**
05 - 45 - 37 - Carole King - BELIEVE IN HUMANITY / YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE**
13 - 21 - 38 - Paul Simon - KODACHROME**
21 - 34 - 39 - Clint Holmes - PLAYGROUND IN MY MIND**
11 - 42 - 40 - The Intruders - I'LL ALWAYS LOVE MY MAMA*
18 - 38 - 41 - Dr. John - RIGHT PLACE WRONG TIME**
05 - 47 - 42 - Isley Brothers - THAT LADY*
17 - 37 - 43 - The Doobie Brothers - LONG TRAIN RUNNIN'**
02 - 60 - 44 - Paul Simon - LOVES ME LIKE A ROCK*
13 - 31 - 45 - George Harrison - GIVE ME LOVE (GIVE ME PEACE ON EARTH)*
08 - 35 - 46 - Manu Dibango - SOUL MAKOSSA**
13 - 75 - 47 - Tyrone Davis - THERE IT IS**
05 - 53 - 48 - David Gates - CLOUDS**
04 - 49 - 49 - Curtis Mayfield - FUTURE SHOCK**
06 - 51 - 50 - Donny Hathaway - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE**


- ALBUMS -

05 - 01 - 01 - Chicago - CHICAGO VI**
22 - 02 - 02 - Pink Floyd - THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON*
11 - 03 - 03 - Carpenters - NOW AND THEN*
04 - 12 - 04 - Jethro Tull - A PASSION PLAY*
17 - 05 - 05 - Seals And Crofts - DIAMOND GIRL**
17 - 11 - 06 - Deep Purple - MADE IN JAPAN*
63 - 08 - 07 - Deep Purple - MACHINE HEAD*
07 - 09 - 08 - Sly And The Family Stone - FRESH**
06 - 10 - 09 - Leon Russell - LEON LIVE**
03 - 23 - 10 - Cat Stevens - FOREIGNER*
08 - 06 - 11 - Carole King - FANTASY**
05 - 20 - 12 - Diana Ross - TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING*
12 - 07 - 13 - Paul Simon - THERE GOES RHYMIN' SIMON*
09 - 04 - 14 - George Harrison - LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD*
06 - 15 - 15 - Carlos Santana And Mahavishnu John McLaughlin - LOVE DEVOTION SURRENDER*
20 - 18 - 16 - The Doobie Brothers - THE CAPTAIN AND ME**
18 - 13 - 17 - Led Zeppelin - HOUSES OF THE HOLY*
13 - 14 - 18 - Al Green - CALL ME**
10 - 16 - 19 - Curtis Mayfield - BACK TO THE WORLD**
09 - 17 - 20 - John Denver - FAREWELL ANDROMEDA**
14 - 19 - 21 - Paul McCartney And Wings - RED ROSE SPEEDWAY*
11 - 29 - 22 - Tower Of Power - TOWER OF POWER**
36 - 27 - 23 - Bette Midler - THE DIVINE MISS M**
18 - 21 - 24 - The Beatles - 1967-1970*
20 - 25 - 25 - Bread - THE BEST OF BREAD*
36 - 22 - 26 - The Edgar Winter Group - THEY ONLY COME OUT AT NIGHT**
03 - 62 - 27 - Original Soundtrack - LIVE AND LET DIE**
10 - 28 - 28 - Earth, Wind And Fire - HEAD TO THE SKY**
18 - 24 - 29 - The Beatles - 1962-1966*
26 - 32 - 30 - Jim Croce - LIFE AND TIMES**
22 - 30 - 31 - Alice Cooper - BILLION DOLLAR BABIES*
27 - 26 - 32 - Elton John - DON'T SHOOT ME I'M ONLY THE PIANO PLAYER*
05 - 41 - 33 - Aretha Franklin - HEY NOW HEY (THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY)**
16 - 31 - 34 - J. Geils Band - BLOODSHOT**
06 - 44 - 35 - Rod Stewart - SING IT AGAIN ROD*
13 - 34 - 36 - Isaac Hayes - LIVE AT THE SAHARA TAHOE**
21 - 33 - 37 - Rick Wakeman - THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII*
05 - 39 - 38 - Dick Clark - 20 YEARS OF ROCK N' ROLL**
18 - 37 - 39 - Bloodstone - NATURAL HIGH**
07 - 57 - 40 - Original Soundtrack - JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR*
05 - 52 - 41 - Janis Joplin - GREATEST HITS**
08 - 43 - 42 - Joe Walsh - THE SMOKER YOU DRINK, THE PLAYER YOU GET**
06 - 47 - 43 - Bobby Womack - FACTS OF LIFE**
17 - 36 - 44 - Barry White - I'VE GOT SO MUCH TO GIVE**
08 - 39 - 45 - Ten Years After - RECORDED LIVE*
50 - 50 - 46 - Seals And Crofts - SUMMER BREEZE**
16 - 45 - 47 - Donald Byrd - BLACK BYRD**
12 - 35 - 48 - Yes - YESSONGS*
36 - 51 - 49 - Helen Reddy - I AM WOMAN**
39 - 42 - 50 - Stevie Wonder - TALKING BOOK*

 

Did you get that poster six months ago too?

Just kidding, but it is so easy to link any piece of music you own to any point of time in your life and the memories soon come flooding back.

Whilst your fabulous The U.K. 80s Singles & Albums Chart General Discussion Thread. is flying, the more select seventies group lived through a very special tine, when in all honesty (apart from the girl next door), there wasn't much else apart from music to entertain us.

 

The 80s thread is out of control now!

I love a lot of 8os music, but my heart will always be in the 70s.

 

Mine too, nothing much new happened music wise after 1979!!

Obviously there was loads of fabulous music and artists after 1979......

 

In terms of Kate Bush and as this is the Steve Hoffman, in my opinion the best sounding Kate albums are first Lionheart and a close second, The Kick Inside. I do wonder if those of us who grew up listening to music in the seventies and obviously listened to fifties and sixties music too, simply prefer the analogue sound of this era, even subconsciously?

I'm sure it's no coincidence that another fabulous album, musically and sonically, Supertramp, Crime Of The Century, comes from this era too.

Of course for me the music always comes first, but if the sound quality draws you in, like the Joan Armatrading albums, it literally adds another dimension to the listening pleasure.

 

For those of you frequenting this thread, of the singles and albums charts from both sides o' the pond, which of one chart from 11 August 1973 would you swap for the other? I reckon some would characterize Foster Sylvers' "squeaky" voice on "Misdeameanor" as "getting on my wick" or words to that effect (ditto for the kid in Clint Holmes' "Playground In My Mind"), but other than that . . .

Speaking of Foster Sylvers . . .

 

And for comparison and contrast, the U.S. Top 40 for the same week (what I have is likewise in bold, no doubt some stinkers in that bunch):


1. "Alone Again (Naturally)" by Gilbert O'Sullivan
2. "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" by Looking Glass
3. "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right" by Luther Ingram
4. "Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast" by Wayne Newton
5. "Too Late To Turn Back Now" by Cornelius Brothers And Sister Rose
6. "Where Is The Love" by Roberta Flack And Donny Hathaway
7. "School's Out" by Alice Cooper
8. "How Do You Do" by Mouth And MacNeal
9. "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)" by The Hollies
10. "Layla" by Derek And The Dominos
11. "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers
12. "Coconut" by Nilsson
13. "Day By Day" by Godspell
14. "Hold Her Tight" by The Osmonds
15. "I'm Still In Love With You" by Al Green
16. "The Happiest Girl In The Whole U.S.A." by Donna Fargo
17. "Conquistador" by Procol Harum
18. "Rocket Man" by Elton John
19. "Take It Easy" by the Eagles
20. "Hold Your Head Up" by Argent
21. "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" by Jim Croce
22. "Goodbye To Love" by the Carpenters
23. "Sealed With A Kiss" by Bobby Vinton
24. "Motorcycle Mama" by Sailor
25. "Gone" by Joey Heatherton
26. "Too Young" by Donny Osmond
27. "Outa-Space" by Billy Preston
28. "Happy" by The Rolling Stones
29. "Lookin' Through The Windows" by The Jackson 5
30. "People Make The World Go Round" by The Stylistics
31. "Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)" by the Detroit Emeralds
32. "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by The Partridge Family Starring Shirley Jones And Featuring David Cassidy
33. "Small Beginnings" by Flash
34. "Rock And Roll Part 2" by Gary Glitter
35. "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" by Mac Davis
36. "When You Say Love" by Sonny And Chér
37. "I Wanna Be Where You Are" by Michael Jackson
38. "Join Together" by The Who
39. "The Guitar Man" by Bread
40. "Beautiful Sunday" by Daniel Boone

Mott The Hoople, alas, could only get to #39 in the U.S. with that soon-to-be-iconic glam anthem. First pressings of the U.S. 45 ish had the re-recorded "unlocked cars" line, believe it or not.

 

For other music lovers, whilst the close mic eighties recordings of Suzanne Vega sound stunning, there is a beauty to the sound of several albums from this era, such as one which I think @Jarleboy appreciates, Janis Ian, Between The Lines (Stars is also excellent and sounds fabulous too ) that is seldom bettered.

I don't know if @Classicrock agrees about the beauty of sound of albums from this era, but that is a small, but significant part of why I revisit them regularly. I don't know, or care if they are more or less accurate, simply that they really draw you in when you listen.

 

Agreed. Great recordings and arrangements were almost the norm. Between The lines is a favourite.

 

Flash were an offshoot of Yes, I believe. I did a double take at Sailor, since I couldn't think how the rather parochial UK band would be having a US hit in 1972. Turns out it's Sailcat, not Sailor! Never heard that song before, nor Gone by actress Joey Heatherton. Just YouTubed the latter; it's truly hideous.

Let's return to the UK chart from 50 years ago, and Sweet's Little Willy. Another great singles band.

 

I believe that @Yam Graham believe them to be a very decent album band too - sadly I didn't ever see them live, but.....

Just in case anyone missed the recommendation from the other thread, this compilation is an excellent way of hearing the progression on both the A-sides and the self-penned B sides.

The Sweet - Hit-Singles

 

It is like that. Whenever I see one of the two best mates I had at the school I left in the summer of '77, it's like I only saw him last week. He hasn't changed at all in his character, just a grown-up version of who he was back then. I only knew him for less than two years (he was a new kid in '75 and I'd been there since '71), but as you know, time goes by slowly when you're a kid and it seems like I knew him for much longer than that.

 

There were some great singles out in the early-90s, like 'Suicide Blonde', 'Weather With You', 'Sleeping Satellite', 'To Be With You', those Annie Lennox singles from Diva... I quite liked a lot of the Britpop stuff, which was very retro. I quite liked that Shanice record, the version without the rap. Also, the veterans were coming out of their midlife crises and getting back to doing something real. It's sometimes easy to forget that the 90s were mostly dominated by modern dance crap.

 

You're right about preferring that analogue sound. That's the main reason I never really took to post-1983 stuff. Even the synth stuff of the early-80s sounded warmer than it would later on. 1977-78 had a great run of albums, like The Stranger, Aja, Stranger In Town, Parallel Lines, The Kick Inside, Jeff Wayne's 'War Of The Worlds'... to name just a few. I didn't have some of them at the time because pocket money and others' generosity could only stretch so far, but I did very nicely, considering. I had a lot of singles, which is why I never developed a snobby attitude toward the top 40 until many years later. They still sound great, and they have the added bonus of taking you back to a safer and happier time (even the LPs you didn't hear back then), or what seemed like a safer and happier time. I think it was. I've rambled a bit here - terribly sorry.

 

Dang Billboard . . .

Point is, naffness was not unique to Britain. And there was some Transatlantic crossover. But Ms. Heatherton - yet another MGM act in the Mike Curb era.

 

Which took a year from then to become their biggest U.S. hit. And on Bell, yet . . .

 

I had Desolation Boulevard, Give Us A Wink and Level Headed on vinyl. The latter was a big change of direction and there are some great songs and sounds on it. It's my favourite Sweet album. My CD copy of Level Headed came in a 4-album box set with the 3 post-Connolly albums, of which Cut Above The Rest has its moments (I already had the 'Call Me' single back in 1979). I was more familiar with the singles, though. Even the flops, like 'Stairway To The Stars' (which I've always found quite charming).

I was too young to see Sweet live in their heyday (and I would rather have seen Slade any day), but I did see Brian Connolly and New Sweet at the Tower nightclub in my hometown in 1984. It was a bit of a rip-off because it was advertised as The Sweet and sold as a sort of reunion tour. Brian Connolly's voice had gone - you couldn't hear him at all. You know that infamous clip of Marianne Faithfull on Saturday Night Live? Well, it was a bit like that. Not quite as bad, but close. He didn't look any different, though. It was dark in there, however...

 

Hawkwind were always a musical square peg in a round hole. A bit prog; early space rock; proto punk; mostly bonkers. It's what kept them so interesting. Silver Machine made a great single, yet 1973's Urban Guerilla betters it IMO. Banned from the airwaves, and subsequently withdrawn by the record company after just a few weeks - beating The Pistols by three years - it somehow managed to make #39 on the UK chart. (The band had definitely been listening to Iggy & The Stooges Raw Power album.)

 

You are so perfectly right on the money there, Randoms. As usual.

 

I could never understand why Roadhawks had never had a CD release, but somewhat belatedly it has: Hawkwind: Roadhawks, Remastered CD Edition - Cherry Red Records

This was a cracking vinyl comp, finally available in the digital age.

No, I don't work for Cherry Red or Hawkwind!

 

Don't get me started on Sweet.....

One of the most underrated yet influential Bands of the 70's.
They remain an all time fav of mine and I still play their albums to this day.
I think their run from 74 to 77 is as good as any, album wise....even compared with the so called greats of the era.

 

Yam, I really wanted to get you started on Sweet!

If anyone reading hasn't had a listen to any of their albums, sell them to the world - now!

Another really unlucky band for having singles that stalled at two. The Bay City Rollers six week stint with The Bye Baby, being the guilty party (pooper) for Fox On The Run.




However big they were in the UK, as you can see above, their chart succcess in Germany was in a different league.

 

@Bobby Morrow You are with friends here, please don’t feel that you have to somehow justify or feel embarrassed about buying Puppy Love by Donny Osmond.
Now if it was Long Haired Lover From Liverpool by Little Jimmy Osmond, well then that would be another matter…