1973
Week 52
WEEK ENDING 29TH DECEMBER 1973
TOP 30 SINGLES
A top 30 only was compiled for this week
This chart was repeated from the previous week as no chart was compiled this week
1973
Week 52
WEEK ENDING 29TH DECEMBER 1973
TOP 30 SINGLES
A top 30 only was compiled for this week
This chart was repeated from the previous week as no chart was
compiled this week
| TW | ..... | LW | ...... | ...... | ||
| 1 | 1 | Slade | Merry Xmas Everybody | |||
| 2 | 2 | Gary Glitter | I Love You Love Me Love | |||
| 3 | 3 | New Seekers | You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me | |||
| 4 | 4 | Wizzard | I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday | |||
| 5 | 5 | Alvin Stardust | My Coo Ca Choo | |||
| 6 | 6 | Marie Osmond | Paper Roses | |||
| 7 | 7 | Leo Sayer | The Show Must Go On | |||
| 8 | 8 | David Essex | Lamplight | |||
| 9 | 9 | Mott The Hoople | Roll Away The Stone | |||
| 10 | 10 | Roxy Music | Street Life | |||
| 11 | 11 | Roy Wood | Forever | |||
| 12 | 12 | T.Rex | Truck On (Tyke) | |||
| 13 | 13 | Gilbert O'Sullivan | Why Oh Why Oh Why | |||
| 14 | 14 | Steeleye Span | Gaudette | |||
| 15 | 15 | Donny Osmond | When I Fall In Love | |||
| 16 | 16 | Robert Knight | Love On A Mountain Top | |||
| 17 | 17 | Cozy Powell | Dance With The Devil | |||
| 18 | 18 | Kiki Dee | Amoureuse | |||
| 19 | 19 | Osmonds | Let Me In | |||
| 20 | 20 | Faces | Pool Hall Richard / I Wish It Would Rain | |||
| 21 | 21 | Drupi | Vado Via | |||
| 22 | 22 | Mud | Dyna-Mite | |||
| 23 | 23 | Millican & Nesbitt | Vaya Con Dios | |||
| 24 | 24 | Wings | Helen Wheels | |||
| 25 | 25 | Golden Earring | Radar Love | |||
| 26 | 26 | Elton John | Step Into Christmas | |||
| 27 | 27 | Carpenters | Top Of The World | |||
| 28 | 28 | Barry Blue | Do You Wanna Dance | |||
| 29 | 29 | Perry Como | For The Good Times | |||
| 30 | 30 | David Cassidy | Daydreamer / Puppy Song |
| 1 | Slade |
Merry Xmas Everybody |
| Thursday evening, Top Of The Pops was nearing the end of the show, but before the number one, there was just time for a new release to be featured. That new release was "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade. The following morning, almost everyone was singing it on the school bus. That immediate familiarity is one of the reasons why as far as the UK is concerned, this is 'THE' classic Christmas single. It entered the chart at number one and stayed on top for five weeks. In fact, it was the week ending 19th January when it finally vacated the top spot, and 16th February before it completely fell out of the 40. It's been re-issued just about every year since then, but didn't re-enter the 40 until 1981 when it reached number 32. Two years later Slade were having their biggest hit in ten years with "My Oh My" and their renewed popularity guaranteed that their ode to Christmas would chart again, and it reached number 20. It's come close a couple of times since, but has not managed to become a top 40 hit for a fourth time. Another significant fact about this single is that on it's original release it was the final single to enter at number one for six years and four months (only great singles by very popular bands entered at the top in those days). It was also Slade's last number one single. |
| 2 | Gary Glitter |
I Love You Love Me Love |
| This was Gary's second number one of the year, and entered at the top for a four week stay before Slade pushed it off. It was the first single in chart history to debut at number one and then get knocked off by another new entry at the top. That particular feat wouldn't be repeated until 'Jason Donovan' took over from 'Scouse Aid' in June of 1989. Of course that happens with almost every number one in today's 'cheap' chart. Gary totalled 14 weeks in the 40. |
| 3 | New Seekers |
You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me |
| This single finally reached number one for it's single week at the top in it's ninth chart week. This was after it had already dropped down the chart once, spent three weeks at number three, and two weeks at number two. After that, it dropped to number five before moving back up to number three. It then proceeded to drop in an orderly fashion, but not too fast to ensure a total of 16 weeks in the 40. |
| 4 | Wizzard |
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day |
| This
was the first of the year's Christmas singles to enter
the chart. They were released nice and early in those
days as there was none of this 'everybody buys it in the
first week of release' nonsense. It was one of the
favourites to make it to the top by Christmas, but it
wasn't strong enough to move higher than number four in
the face of such high quality opposition. It managed to
stay at number four until the middle of January (four
weeks). Someone I used to know once told me (actually, he told me a few times) that he spoke to Roy Wood a few months after Christmas and offered sympathy for Wizzard's failure to get a hat trick of number ones. Roy said that he knew Slade would get it as soon as he heard the song. |
| 5 | Alvin Stardust |
My Coo Ca Choo |
| On
November 3rd 1973 I went to the public swimming baths in
Wrexham town centre, five miles away from my home village
of Ruabon. It was the first time that I'd been into the
town without an adult and I had my younger sister with
me. On our way back to the railway station for the
journey home my sister wanted some sweets (candy for US
readers) so we called at a newsagents (Newstand for US).
There was a copy of Record Mirror on one of the racks, so
after checking my money, I bought it and started to read
it in the station waiting room. Just inside the cover it
contained the full top 50 singles and album charts, I was
fascinated to see all of those chart positions and to
discover that there was more than just a top 30 (as was
featured on Top Of The Pops). This was the first issue of
over 800 (maybe 900) that I would buy before it's demise.
At number 50 that week was a new entry titled "My
Coo Ca Choo" by someone with the strange name of
'Alvin Stardust'. As I sat in that waiting room, I
wondered whether I would ever hear that particular song. Sure enough, two weeks later I did hear it when it stood at number 27 in the chart. Two weeks later it was at number two, but then dropped to number four, climbed back to three, before spending five weeks at number five. It spent it's 18th and last week on the chart in the same week that his next single "Jealous Mind" made number one. I should mention here that Alvin (real name Bernard Jewry) had achieved four minor hits between 1961 and 1962 under the name of Shane Fenton. He is originally from Mansfield, the town where my wife was born and raised (only about 15 miles from where I now live), and my Mother In Law claims that she used to go out with him (As does almost every other Mansfield woman over the age of fifty !). |
| 6 | Marie Osmond |
Paper Roses |
| Not to be left out, it was now Marie's turn to have a hit single. Originally a hit for Anita Bryant over the water, there had been three hit versions of this song in the UK in 1960, the biggest being the number seven placing for the 'Kaye Sisters'. Marie beat them all with her version and went all the way to number two. It spent a total of 14 weeks in the chart, but was to prove to be her only solo hit as her follow up "My Little Corner Of The World" sank without trace. She did however have four hits while dueting with her brother 'Donny'. |
| 7 | Leo Sayer |
The Show Must Go On |
| A new name to the chart, and after entering at number 24 it shot up to number 7, and eventually become the first of Leo's four number two peaking singles. Leo had a gimmick at this time, in that he would appear on TV as a Pierrot (a clown type thing), so we didn't actually know what he looked like. My Father liked this song a lot, and that is probably the reason why it became the first single in my sister's record collection (later passed on to me when she took a dislike to anything that wasn't Abba). For anyone who's wondering, No it has nothing to do with the 'Queen song of the same title, and Yes, it is the song that 'Three Dog Night' covered (very well). |
| 8 | David Essex |
Lamplight |
| I like this one, the flip "We All Insane" was pretty good too. It spent two weeks at number seven, but stayed around for quite a while to complete 15 weeks in the chart. It was the follow up to his number three debut "Rock On". |
| 9 | Mott The Hoople |
Roll Away The Stone |
| After spending two weeks at number eight, this spent three weeks at number nine. This was their fourth hit, and the first single without 'Mick Ralphs' who'd been replaced by 'Ariel Bender'. It wasn't their highest charting single, but it's 12 weeks in the 40 was longer than any of their other five hits could manage. I remember this single with a lot of affection as it was another milestone in my record collecting. While Gary Glitter's "Leader Of The Gang" was my very first record, my Mother had bought it while I had paid her back at the rate of 5p a week (it cost 45p). I had received other records as gifts this particular Christmas, but this single was the very first one that I actually bought myself without borrowing the money from anyone. I 'think' that Thunderthighs did the talking bit near the end of this song, but the Ladybirds did it on TOTP. |
| 10 | Roxy Music | Street Life |
| This third hit for Roxy Music peaked at number nine. The thing about Roxy at this point in their career is that they were unlike anyone else around at that time, totally original. This song was also included on an awful album called 12 Tops (an album of current hits recorded by session musicians) that a very thoughtful Aunt gave my sister for Christmas. I'm only glad that she wasn't as thoughtful where I was concerned that year. |
| 11 | Roy Wood |
Forever |
| This is my personal favourite of all the songs that Roy has been involved with. After three weeks at number eleven, it fell to number twelve before climbing to nine and then peaking at number eight in it's eighth chart week. This single had a peculiar B.Side titled "Music To Commit Suicide By". Strange how this solo single from Roy entered the top forty in the same week that his Christmas single with Wizzard entered, and it peaked in the week that "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" was spending it's last week in the chart. |
| 12 | T.Rex |
Truck On (Tyke) |
| After a run of eleven consecutive top ten hits (nine of which had gone top three), this failed to climb any higher than number 12 and they didn't even get that high in the chart again. This was the first T.Rex single to feature 'Gloria Jones' (the original performer of "Tainted Love"), who would later become Marc Bolan's partner. |
| 13 | Gilbert O'Sullivan | Why Oh Why Oh Why |
| After the relative failure of "Ooh Baby" when compared to the previous five singles, Gilbert was pleased to get back into the top ten with this number six peaking single. What he didn't know at the time, was that this was his ever visit to the top ten. It was a slow faller though and managed a total of 12 weeks in the 40. |
| 14 | Steeleye Span |
Gaudette |
| Something of an oddity this one. It was an a capella song performed entirely in Latin, and despite it's fast charge up the chart to number 14, it didn't move any further up the chart. On the first few listens to it I was convinced that 'Marie Osmond' and 'Alvin Stardust' were mentioned in there somewhere, but I was wrong. I liked it anyway. A version was recorded by the 'Medieval Babes' in the late '90s. |
| 15 | Donny Osmond |
When I Fall In Love |
| Donny was hoping to have his third consecutive number one, but he stalled at number four with this cover of the 'Nat King Cole' classic. It was also the last of his six solo top five hits, and he didn't even get into the top ten with later solo singles. |
| 16 | Robert Knight |
Love On A Mountain Top |
| Robert had managed a single week at number 40 in January of 1968 with "Everlasting Love", and now almost six years later was finally following it and having better luck. This track had originally been recorded some years earlier, I think around the same time as "Everlasting Love". It was a slow climber and finally reached number ten in it's ninth week. Pans People danced to it on Top Of The Pops and it racked up 13 weeks on the chart. |
| 17 | Cozy Powell |
Dance With The Devil |
| A
bit of movement up and down the top five for this one, it
eventually peaked at number three. This single was
blatantly ripped off by 'Boney M' on the title track of
their 'Nightflight To Venus' album, and was again used on
part of the 'Right Said Fred' hit "I'm Too
Sexy". If you didn't realise the 'Right Said Fred'
connection, take a listen to it again (it had me puzzled
for weeks before I finally realised where they got it
from). I was later informed by Steve Fraser that the riff
was originally from a Jimi Hendrix song titled
"Third Stone From The Sun". Cozy had actually been working with CCS when approached by Mickie Most about doing a single (which became "Dance Withn The Devil"). He later played with many bands including Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, and Brian May's band. Sadly Cozy was killed in a car crash in April 1998, Brian May and his band played a tribute to him during their late 1998 'Another World' tour, and appeared on stage to the strains of "Dance With The Devil". |
| 18 | Kiki Dee | Amoureuse |
| Kiki's first UK hit wasn't as big as many seem to think, but it was still her biggest solo hit (Loving And Free & Star matched it's number 13 peak, but both spent less time in the chart). A great singer, who never had the success that looked so promising, and a great song. Helen Reddy had a US hit with a song that sounded remarkably similar to this, 'Emotion' in 1974. |
| 19 | Osmonds | Let Me In |
| One
of the finest from the Osmonds. I've said it before and
I'll say it again, forget the thing about teenage girls
screaming at them, because when the actual band released
singles (rather than solo efforts), they were superb.
This spent three weeks at number two during November, and
spent thirteen weeks on the chart. It also boasted a
great B. Side titled "One Way Ticket To
Anywhere". This song became a hit over all over again in 1997 when covered by 'OTT'. |
| 20 | Faces |
Pool Hall Richard |
| The last top ten hit for Rod and the boys was my first experience of the band. Essentially a live and album act, they released few singles (usually about one a year), and so when this reached number eight it became their third successive top ten hit. The hat trick had taken two years to complete. |
| 21 | Drupi |
Vado Via |
| Another
foreign language hit (Latin or Italian, I'm not sure),
and it took eight weeks to reach number 17 (it was gone
three weeks later). During that miserable couple of weeks
after Christmas (you know, when all the excitement was
over and you were back at school), friends of my parents
had invited us all for tea (it was Sunday 12th January).
As kids we all hated that kind of thing, but we had no
choice but to go, right ? Anyway, the day wasn't a total bore, as at 6.00pm Ken switched on the radio for the top twenty (Yippee), and this song was at number 19 that week. |
| 22 | Mud |
Dyna-Mite |
| Mud were on the verge of big time success. After two top twenty hits, this one went all the way to number four and spent two weeks there. It went on to complete 12 weeks in the chart and only disappeared in the week that their follow up "Tiger Feet" shot in at number ten. Their following seven singles all went into the top ten, as did three later singles. |
| 23 | Millican & Nesbitt |
Vaya Con Dios |
| A pair of coalminers (from Yorkshire, I think) who'd been successful on the talent show 'Opportunity Knocks' were now having a hit single with a cover of a 1953 hit for 'Les Paul & Marty Ford'. They reached number twenty and then had one minor hit the following year, but there seems to be some confusion about this hit in certain quarters. I have noticed a few compilations of '50's hits that includes this recording, and I don't understand why. |
| 24 | Wings |
Helen Wheels |
| This follow up to the top ten hit "Live And Let Die" reached number 12, and was credited to 'Paul McCartney And Wings' instead of the previously used 'Wings'. Around this time, in place of a fan club (or was it as well as a fan club ?), Wings had a 'Fun Club'. I sent for the details but didn't bother joining. |
| 25 | Golden Earring |
Radar Love |
| Throughout the 45 years of UK charts the Dutch have been throwing their rubbish at us. They have given us some of the worst records ever. But sometimes (very seldom actually) they give us a gem like this. It eventually reached number seven where it spent three weeks and a total of 11 weeks in the chart. The band had been together and recording for many years before the 'Who' asked them to join them on tour in 72/73. This led to them being signed to the Who's 'Track' record company, and the success of this single. Surprisingly despite recording into the 90's (interrupted by a short break up), they didn't have any further UK hits, while Holland carried on bombarding us with MC Miker G etc. |
| 26 | Elton John |
Step Into Christmas |
| Quite
shocking that a Christmas single would fall in the chart
before Christmas had arrived, and even more shocking that
it was Elton who hadn't at least made the top ten. It did
make a slight move back up the chart in January to peak
at number 24, but it was still a disappointment for
Elton. That year Elton played a concert at Hammersmith
Odeon on Christmas Eve that was broadcast live on BBC2
Television. My Grandmother was baby sitting for us and
she'd been given strict instructions that I was to go to
bed as soon as the show ended. So my Grandmother had to
endure Elton, but she didn't complain about it for a good
while. Then suddenly Elton broke into one of his rockers
and she said "Well, I thought Elton John was a nice
man !" I found it amusing anyway ! Something that entertained me even more was waking up the following morning. I woke up excited at about 2:30am, as my parents were going to bed. I lay still for around 20 minutes and then got out of bed and switched the light on. Sure enough, my sack (bolster case/big pillow case thing) was full of goodies, as was my brother's next to his bed. I had a quick look through. My singles were there unwrapped as was my very first LP, the Suzi Quatro one. I woke my brother and we made our way down to my sister's bedroom, woke her, and then all three of us took our sacks downstairs. It was probably freezing cold down there, but we wouldn't have noticed that. We then began to do what we'd been waiting to do for weeks, open our presents. I remember my sister getting some kind of perfume that made me feel sick when combined with the taste and smell of the salted peanuts in the glass bowl that we'd been helping ourselves to. My best present was a small square red radio that was about the size of a twenty cigarette packet. It only had medium wave on it, but I had it for years and listened to Luxembourg on it under the covers on a regular basis. One thing I didn't have was my own record player, so I had to wait until my Mum and Dad got up before I could hear my new records. They eventually did, looking the worse for wear, about 8.00am. I also remember watching the Christmas Day TOTP while eating Christmas Pudding. For the record, the singles I received were, Dawn - Tie A Yellow Ribbon Dawn - Gypsy Rose Wizzard - Angel Fingers Gary Glitter - I Love You Love Me Love Barry Blue - Do You Wanna Dance David Bowie - Laughing Gnome Suzi Quatro - Daytona Demon David Cassidy - Daydreamer |
| 27 | Carpenters |
Top Of The World |
| This
number five peaking hit for the Carpenters totalled 16
weeks in the chart. This was another single that I
noticed being advertised in a national newspaper along
with a phone number to dial in order to listen to it. One
night when my Nana was babysitting, I persuaded her to
phone it so that I could listen to it. She probably got
into trouble with my Mum for that. I also remember a
promo of Kittens playing with balls of wool being shown
on Top Of The Pops to accompany it. Strangely, this folllow up to "Yesterday Once More" was not taken from their current 'Now And Then' album, but from their 1972 album 'A Song For You'. |
| 28 | Barry Blue |
Do You Wanna Dance |
| This second hit for Barry reached number seven and was also his last top ten hit. I've got a fair idea that I heard a sample of this in another song sometime during the late '90s, but I can't remember what it was. |
| 29 | Perry Como | For The Good Times |
| In the week that Perry's "And I Love You So" left the top 40 after 18 consecutive weeks in the chart, this follow up entered and stayed for 25 weeks. But for all those weeks, it rose no higher than number seven. These two singles obviously had lasting appeal, and even though I wasn't over-keen on them at the time, I now think you'd be hard pressed to find an act that released two singles in 1973 that were as good as these two. |
| 30 | David Cassidy |
Daydreamer / Puppy Song |
| A massive new entry at number eight for David, now permanently solo after the break up of the 'Partridge Family'. It became his second (and biggest) number one when it naturally hit the top for three weeks. "Puppy Song" had previously been recorded by 'Mary Hopkin', but the song that deservedly had all the attention was "Daydreamer", which was David at his best. The melody of this song has been stolen quite a few times. The guilty ones that I know of are, Barry Manilow/Carpenters with "Can't Smile Without You", Kool And The Gang with "Joanna" and Wham with "Last Christmas. The similarities between the four songs are very apparent when David sings a medley of all four on his album 'Greatest Hits Live'. The funny thing is 'Kool And The Gang' kicked up a bit of a fuss over 'Wham' using their melody ! |
A 1973
MP3
Handley Family- Wam Bam
Some More MP3s
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.
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Email: nige@innotts.co.uk
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