1975
WEEK 19
WEEK ENDING 10TH MAY1975

TOP 40 SINGLES

Last weeks position in Brackets

1-(-1) Mud-------------------------Oh Boy
2-(-2) Minnie Riperton-----------Loving You
3-(23) Tammy Wynette----------Stand By Your Man
4-(-4) Susan Cadogan-----------Hurt So Good
5-(-3) Bobby Goldsboro-----------Honey
6-(17) Tammy Jones-------------Let Me Try Again
7-(16) Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons----------The Night
8-(-5) Bay City Rollers------------Bye Bye Baby
9-(-9) Three Degrees-------------Take Good Care Of Yourself
10(12) Gilbert Becaud------------A Little Love And Understanding
11(-8)Glitter Band---------------The Tears I Cried
12(21) Disco Tex And The Sex-O-Lettes----I Wanna Dance Wit Choo
13(25) Gary Glitter---------------Love Like You And Me
14(18) Carpenters---------------Only Yesterday
15(-7) 10CC-----------------Life Is A Minestrone
16(-6) Peter Shelley--------------------Love Me Love My Dog
17(20) Stephanie De Sykes------We'll Find Our Day
18(11) Jim Gilstrap---------------------Swing Your Daddy
19(13) Teach In-----------------Ding-A-Dong
20(14) Peter Skellern--------------Hold On To Love
21(10) Sweet---------------------------Fox On The Run
22(32) Gladys Knight And The Pips-----Try To Remember/The Way We Were
23(27) Diana Ross - - - - - - - - - - - - Sorry Doesn't Always Make It Right
24(24) K.C. And The Sunshine Band----Get Down Tonight
25(28) Betty Wright--------------Where Is The Love
26(29) Sharonettes--------------Papa Ooh Mow Mow
27(---) Mac And Katie Kissoon-----Don't Do It Baby
28 (---) Ian Hunter--------------Once Bitten Twice Shy
29(19) Wigans Ovation--------------Skiing In The Snow
30(30) Silver Convention----------Save Me
31(---) West Ham United 1st Team Squad--------I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
32(26) Labelle----------------------------Lady Marmalade
33(---) Jackie Wilson--------I Get The Sweetest Feeling
34(15) Goodies------------------------The Funky Gibbon
35(---) Wombles------------Wombling White Tie And Tails
36(---) Stylistics-------------Sing Baby Sing
37(---) John Lennon---------Stand By Me
38(---) Kraftwerk-----------Autobahn
39(38) Sylvia-----------------------Hasta La Vista
40(---) Desmond Dekker------Israelites

1-(-1) Mud - - - - - - - - - - - - Oh Boy
This was Mud's third number one in 15 months. They had been there for 2 weeks with their almost accapella rendition of "Oh Boy". This was also the last of a total of ten weeks that Mud had spent at the top of the UK chart. This track wasn't even intended for release as a single, as the band had already signed a new contract with 'Private Stock' records. But as 'RAK' had quite a few Mud tracks in reserve, they decided to release a few. There were a further two releases, but the band were about to embark on their two year slide to oblivion.

2-(-2) Minnie Riperton - - - -Loving You
The late Minnie Riperton was spending the second of two weeks at number two with her only hit "Loving You". There was an excellent release from her a few years later called 'Stick Together', but it didn't get a sniff of the charts. Unfortunately, Minnie died of Cancer in 1979.

3-(23) Tammy Wynette - - - Stand By Your Man
This week saw Tammy Wynette make a massive climb with a single that she originally released sometime around 1968. Why it was suddenly a hit now I don't know, but as had happened so often before, the charts were appearing to conspire against me. My parents were going through a divorce at this time, just as they were when Tammy's next hit "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." was in the charts. After making such a climb this week, she naturally went to number one the following week, where she reigned for three weeks. Unfortunately, Tammy passed away in April 1998.

4-(-4) Susan Cadogan - - - - Hurt So Good
Susan Cadogan spent three weeks at number four with the reggae-ish."Hurt So Good". Lovely echo to Susan's vocals on this one. Susan was a bald Librarian with a glass eye until Pete Waterman discovered her in Kingston Jamaica. He paid just 80 dollars for the rights to release it in the UK and it was the first of his many successes.
Jimmy Somerville had a hit with this in 1995 and took it to number 15.

5-(-3) Bobby Goldsboro - - - Honey
Bobby Goldsboro had taken "Honey" to number two for the second time in seven years, but was now on his way down with his last ever hit. This song is one that you either love or hate. Personally, I love it, it's one of my earliest musical memories and I remember my Mum buying it back in 1968. I hi-jacked her copy sometime during the mid 70s.

6-(17) Tammy Jones - - - - - -Let Me Try Again
Another Tammy in the chart, this one was the Welsh singer Tammy Jones, who had been a winner on the talent show 'Opportunity Knocks'. This was her only hit and went on to peak at number five.

7-(16) Four Seasons - - - - - -The Night
The big comeback single from Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons was peaking at number seven. This single had been recorded a few years previous for the Motown subsidiary label 'Mowest', and had been re-released due to demand from disco regulars. For a while this was my favourite song of all time (well it was until a certain big hit from Queen right at the end of 1975). Frankie and the boys would be back later this year.

8-(-5) Bay City Rollers------------Bye Bye Baby
This had just spent 6 weeks at number one. It was the Roller's first number one and became the biggest selling single of the year. It was a cover of a song that was a complete flop in the UK when recorded by the Four Seasons ten years earlier.

9-(-9) Three Degrees - - - - - - -Take Good Care Of Yourself
The Three Degrees were spending their last week in the top ten hit for four years and peaking with "Take Good Care Of Yourself ". To be totally honest, after the girls had failed to have a major hit with "Get Your Love Back", they seem to have recorded an almost identical copy of "When Will I See You Again" for this release. Tut Tut girls.

10(12) Gilbert Becaud - - - - - - A Little Love And Understanding
Gilbert Becaud was a strange man from France who was peaking this week with "A Little Love And Understanding". He certainly enjoyed the gaze of the camera when he appeared on Top Of The Pops, especially as he turned to it to utter "OK" at the end of every verse. He was one of the strangest sights I ever saw on the show, still, if it made him happy !

11(-8) Glitter Band - - - - - - -- - The Tears I Cried
The Glitter Band had surprisingly dropped out of the top ten after peaking at number 8 the previous week with their fifth consecutive top ten hit "The Tears I Cried" . Unfortunately they didn't extend the run, and their decline almost mirrored that of their leader, Gary.

12(21) Disco Tex And The Sex-O-Lettes - - - I Wanna Dance Wit Choo
Disco Tex and the Sex -O-Lettes were having the biggest of their two hits with "I Wanna Dance Wit Choo" eventually peaking at number six. I remember a third single failing to chart later in the year (A ballad, I think), but no more was heard from them after that.

13(25) Gary Glitter- - - - - - - - -Love Like You And Me
Gary Glitter surprisingly peaked at number ten with "Love Like You And Me". It was his first single to peak lower than number four in three years (ten releases). It was in fact the beginning of the end for Gary's chart fortunes. Does anyone remember his Top Of The Pops appearance for this one with him sitting on a moon like object ? (cue the sarcasm)

14(18) Carpenters - - - - - - - - Only Yesterday
The Carpenters were on their way to number seven with "Only Yesterday". They would have to wait until the Autumn of 1977 for their next (and final) top ten hit. I do hope that the fatality rate of the acts in this particular chart isn't something that the other acts should bear in mind.

15(-7) 10CC - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Life Is A Minestrone
10CC had just peaked at number seven with "Life Is A Minestrone". This was the first single from them since their change of record company from Jonathan King's 'UK' to 'Mercury'. This change also seemed to indicate a change in their music too, as their real classics were starting to happen beginning with the latest album 'The Original Soundtrack'. I must admit that some of the lyrics to this song seemed somewhat vague to me at the time. For instance, I didn't have a clue what Parmison cheese was, I'd never heard of Spaggetti bolognase and most of us Brits didn't have a clue what a Pizza was.

16(-6) Peter Shelley--------------------Love Me Love My Dog
Peter Shelley had been to number two with "Love Me Love My Dog". Not to be confused with the Buzzcocks singer, this Peter Shelley had also been responsible for writing Alvin Stardust's big hits over the previous 18 months. This was Peter's last solo hit though.

17(20) Stephanie De Sykes - - - -We'll Find Our Day
Stephanie De Sykes was peaking at number 17 with her second hit to come from the soap 'Crossroads'. In the soap, "We'll Find Our Day" was sung by Stephanie at the wedding of Hugh Mortimor and Meg Richardson (but that doesn't prove I ever watched the show ! ).

18(11) Jim Gilstrap---------------------Swing Your Daddy
Jim Gilstrap was on his way down from number four with his only hit. He sang about having "Your love Jones out of control", and I still don't have any idea what the poor fella was on about. Jim later covered the '5000 Volts' hit "I'm On Fire".

19(13) Teach In - - - - - - - - - - - Ding - A - Dong
The Eurovision song contest winner was on it's way down from number 13. Who could forget the immortal lines "When you're feeling allright, everyone is uptight, Try to sing a song that goes Ding Ding A Dong" ?
I recently heard an interesting tale about this song from a friend of Teach In's vocalist. That band were actually taking the p**s out of Eurovision and the rest of us with this apparently innocent song. If I mention a certain arrest by the L.A. PD in a public convenience, then you should guess what the song was really all about.

20(14) Peter Skellern - - - - - - - -Hold On To Love
Peter Skellern was at last having a follow up hit to his 1972 number one "You're A Lady" with "Hold On To Love", which had peakied at number 14. After this Peter started recording with Brass bands and the like, and didn't bother the chart compilers anymore.

21(10) Sweet---------------------------Fox On The Run
The Sweet were back on the hit trail after the disappointment of their previous single's failure to reach the top 40. "Turn It Down" had not been playlisted by the BBC, apparently due to it's use of the word 'bum', and so had stalled at number 41. But this new single had became the fifth hit by the band to peak at number two. It was not a cover of Manfred Mann's 1969 number 5 hit of the same title.

22(32) Gladys Knight - - - - - - The Way We Were
Gladys Knight was on her way to number four with the song that had relatively failed for Barbra Streisand a year previous. At this point in time, it didn't seem as though Gladys was going to have a major hit on her hands either. This was already it's fifth week in the top 40. It was Gladys' first hit for two years, but was the start of a run of regular hit singles for her.

23(27) Diana Ross - - - - - - - - - - - - Sorry Doesn't Always Make It Right
Diana was going through a short lean spell where she couldn't make it into the top 20. This single became a bigger hit than the previous three and was peaking at number 23 this week.

24(24) K.C. And The Sunshine Band----Get Down Tonight
Having peaked at 21 two weeks previous, K.C.'s third hit was spending it's last week on the chart. But, this fairly minor hit would not be forgotten. It has since been used on TV commercials for some particulary disgusting beer, and has also been sampled on a top ten hit (Bamboogie).

25(28) Betty Wright - - - - - - - - -Where Is The Love
Betty Wright was having her second minor hit of the year with "Where Is The Love". This was the biggest of the two, reaching number 25 this week. Despite Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway having the original hit version of this song back in 1972, it was indeed Betty who wrote the song. She had no more hits despite a couple of near misses in the late 80's.

26(29) Sharonettes - - - - - - - - - - Papa Ooh Mow Mow
The Sharonettes were having their only top 40 hit with "Papa Ooh Mow Mow" and were peaking at number 26. Gary Glitter revived this song for a single just six months later and only reached number 38. There's a little story behind the Gary Glitter version. While he was promoting it on a TV show called 'Supersonic', he burnt his backside on the fire spewing forth from the mouth of a dragon being used for effects. With a bit of luck, British readers may catch that incident if they tune into Granada Plus at 8:30am weekends from the middle of May (2000).

27(---) Mac And Katie Kisson- - - Don't Do It Baby
Mac And Katie Kissoon were having their second hit (the first being "Sugar Candy Kisses" earlier in this year). "Don't Do It Baby" was to peak at number nine 2 weeks later. The Brother/Sister duo had already had their sole US hit back in 1971 with "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep". Katie later joined 'Roger Waters Bleeding Heart Band' singing backing vocals. Strange thing is, in the very week that this single debuted in the top 40, the Rubettes spent their first and only week in the Album chart with their second (and only charting) album 'We Can Do It'. The album included their rendition of "Don't Do It Baby". By pure coincidence, as I update this commentary on May 2nd 2000, I am listening to Roger's 'Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking', including of course Katie's contribution.

28(---) Ian Hunter - - - - - - - - - -Once Bitten Twice Shy
Ex 'Mott The Hoople' vocalist Ian Hunter was having his first and only solo hit with the eventual number 14 peaking "Once Bitten Twice Shy". Just goes to show what a hell of a mistake he made in leaving the band (even though this was a very good single).

29(19) Wigans Ovation--------------Skiing In The Snow
This was the year that the Northern Soul sound of Wigan Casino became popular in the singles chart, at least for a few months anyway. Skiing In The Snow was a song with vocals, and if it wasn't for the inclusion of the word 'Wigan' in the name of the band, you'd be hard pressed to identify it as 'Northern Soul'. It had peaked at number 12. As I type this in April 2000, I have recently been copying some Northern Soul singles onto CD for a neighbour. And, after listening to over 25 of them, I will go so far as to say that this particular genre is the most over-rated pre-90s music. It's so bloody boring and repetetive.

30(30) Silver Convention - - - - - -Save Me
Silver Convention were having their very first hit, but it was peaking this week.

32(26) Labelle----------------------------Lady Marmalade
We heard a lot of this song during 1998, but not this original version. It was one track from a double A Side by All Saints that became their second consecutive number one. If you didn't buy it, but are still thinking of doing so, do me a favour, don't bother if the only reason you're planning on doing so is for this song. Don't get me wrong, I quite like All Saints and do like their cover of "Under The Bridge", but find their cover of "Lady Marmalade" the pits. Hunt down this original, I'm sure you'll like it much more, and it's fairly easy to find on 70's compilations. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't even say that this original was an outstanding single and it got no higher than number 17 (though it did top the Billboard chart, and spent 8 weeks in the UK Top 40), but compared to much of the current chart, it's a gem. The chorus bit was later 'stolen' by the Happy Mondays for their 1990 number five hit "Kinky Afro".

33(---) Jackie Wilson - - - - - - - I Get The Sweetest Feeling
"I Get The Sweetest Feeling" had been a number nine hit in 1972 for Jackie Wilson and here it was again, just three years later. It would only reach number 25 this time around, but 12 years later would go all the way to number three. In August of 1975, Jackie suffered a stroke on stage and lay in a coma until his death in 1984.

34(15) Goodies------------------------The Funky Gibbon
It was the second of five hits for the Goodies in 1975. It was the biggest, had reached number four, and was the one I least liked.

35(---) Wombles - - - - - - - - - - Wombling White Tie And Tails
The Wombles were to peak at number 22 with their sixth hit in less than 18 months. I'll say this for them, all of their hits sounded different.

36(---) Stylistics - - - - - - - - - - Sing Baby Sing
The Stylistics were debuting with their ninth top 40 hit. It went on to reach number three, three weeks later. One of the best offerings from one of the best pop/soul acts of the decade.

37(---) John Lennon - - - - - - - - - Stand By Me
John Lennon would peak at number 30 with his second hit of the year, his fantastic version of "Stand By Me" taken from his 'Rock And Roll' album. If you don't have the album, GET IT, it's a great buy. This would be the last 'new' song to chart for John Lennon for over 5 years. I've always wondered why this track wasn't included on his Shaved Fish compilation released in late 1975. Incidentally, as far as I'm aware, John is the last deceased person that I have to mention in this chart of the dead..

38(---) Kraftwerk - - - - - - - - - - Autobahn
One of the pioneers of Synth 'Kraftwerk' were making their UK chart debut and on their way to number 11 with a brilliant piece of music called "Autobahn". I remember someone telling me a few years later how he used to go to a pub which had this on the jukebox. He said that there were speakers all along one wall, and when this track was played, the sounds of the car travelling along the Autobahn would go from one speaker to the next all along the wall. I must have been naive at the time, because I believed every word he said. However, I would recommend listening to it on headphones. One day, I will get around to buying the album with the full length version. Even though they influenced a generation, Kraftwerk would have to wait almost seven years before they got into the top 20 again, with the number one single "The Model".

39(38) Sylvia-----------------------Hasta La Vista
These days, Brits returning from drunken mediteranian holidays return with no memory of their stay apart from a few dodgy dance songs (which they promptly go out and purchase, thereby inflicting their hangovers on the rest of us). But back in the seventies, the lager louts and wine wenches (no offence ladies, I couldn't think of another word beginning with W) apparently settled for weekends in Cleethorpes and Margate. So, it was your older generation taking up most of the plane seats to Spain. Then they came back and bought things like this, and Sylvia's previous hit "Y Viva Espania". Luckily for the rest of us, this was far too early in the year and it didn't rise any higher than number 38. Also lucky for us, at that time the powers that be in the industry had not yet bagan the practice of re-releasing a single every few months until it became a hit. If it died, it was dead, get on with the next one !
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40(---) Desmond Dekker - - - - - Israelites
Desmond Dekker was debuting and about to speed up the chart towards his number ten peak with a song that he had taken to number one back in 1969 (what is it with that era and this weeks chart ?). To be quite honest, I wouldn't say I dislike the song, but I find it's popularity confusing.

Disclaimer All comments concerning the quality of the songs in this and any other chart, are purely my opinion and not a statement of fact. I believe that we are all equal when it comes to deciding what makes a good song. I do not believe that good songs have to be serious or dull. I am of the opinion that if a single sells many copies, then many people like it, so it must be good whether I like it or not. Good music is everything YOU like, and it's also everything I like.

ON TO THE FOLLOWING WEEK
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BACK TO THE 1975 INDEX
THE REMEMBER WHEN ARCHIVES
GOLDEN DAYS INDEX

Email: nige@innotts.co.uk