Mr Big by Free (1970)

This six-minute tour de force was created for the band’s début album ‘Fire And Water’. It culminates with a bass, drums and guitar interplay that ought to be a candidate for the best outro in rock history. Like Cream before them, Free were unable to achieve longevity due to clashes of personality. If only someone could have supervised the talented youngsters in this quartet. In the event, they peaked way too soon.

Paul Kossoff was an insecure young man but a virtuoso guitarist. Very few can equal his killer vibrato. [3Kmartin]

Andy Fraser’s bass work is fantastic! [musikfanat]

incredible track and that bass!!??! wow! just amazing! [MrAdammassacre]

Just an incredible group with an amazing amount of feeling in everything they play [Phatomrunner]

this bass line is all over the place its epic [deejjet787]

Andy Fraser was absolutely one of the most innovative bassists in his day. This solo showcased his tight, stoccato finger style with some vibrato, string bending, and other slips and slides thrown in. Certainly ahead of his time with his unique bass playing style but terribly, terribly underrated. [IGY5758]

Two band members…Kossoff and Fraser….were still teenagers when this song/album was recorded. [Blkojo]

author: Fraser was only seventeen. What an infant prodigy. Kossoff was nineteen years young.

We need a Free revival. The youngsters probs don’t know this track or indeed others. I’m spreading the word… can’t let them pass into obscurity. [averilleX]

I rate this as the best guitar solo ever. [Bucketheadhead]

author: It certainly deserves to be short-listed.

Paul Rogers,simply the best male rock voice, EVER. Period. [4skinmasseure]

Friday 7^th October

The President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, gave a particularly bullish interview to John Simpson of the BBC (‘the liberator of Kabul’). Karzai was however despondent about the security situation in his beloved country. He correctly feels that the Taliban are far from defeated. It is probably ominous for the Afghan people that the American and British forces have committed themselves to withdrawing by the end of 2014. The problem is that the Taliban have not made any such undertaking and are likely to survive any enemy departure from the region.

Karzai has acknowledged that his state has come a long way since the dark ages of Taliban totalitarianism. Afghanistan’s peoples have much more freedom and a relative sense of normality, but the spectre of Taliban-sponsored terrorism still threatens to undermine this fragile democracy.

Back in Little Britain, the ‘Prime Minister-in-waiting’ Ed Miliband announced his new ‘cabinet-in-waiting’. Eddie had rightly obtained the opportunity to select his own shadow cabinet without the age-old constraints of elections to the shadow cabinet limiting the leader’s choice of desirable personnel. In the event, Mr M recruited a couple of thirty-two year-olds and several others who are relatively new to the Westminster scene. This is a bold step from Ted as he is emphasising that talent and potential are at least as important as experience. I agree. Time will tell whether his new team will be able to deliver an effective opposition to the coalition government.

One member of the ConDem coalition who appears to be batting on a sticky wicket at the moment is the Defence Secretary, Liam Fox. Mr Fox appears to have a close male friend who has been making numerous visits to the Ministry of Defence, even though he is not on the payroll. The same gent is carrying around business cards describing himself as an adviser to the Defence Secretary. It sounds like Liam Fox urgently needs to rein his associate in.

It was good to hear today that a 39-year-old man from Greater Manchester was not going to be prosecuted for manslaughter or murder, after he killed a burglar in self-defence. If the intruder hadn’t been carrying a knife whilst on an evil mission, he would still be alive today. The home owner didn’t ask to be broken into or have his family’s lives put at risk.

Born on this date: Heinrich Himmler (1900); Vladimir Putin (1952)

Died on this date: Clarence Birdseye (1956); Smiley Lewis (1966)

Tomorrow morning I shall be having breakfast at a friend’s house and watching the rugby union matches. I’m almost counting the hours.

Saturday 8^th October

This morning as promised, I watched the two quarter-finals of the rugby union World Cup. Here follows my tuppence worth of analysis.

In the first match, the Welsh hit the ground running with a try inside the first few minutes for Shane Williams, the flying wing wizard. When the fly half slotted the conversion from the touchline, one couldn’t help but feel that this Wales team meant business, and so it proved. Predictably, the Irish came storming back at their opponents, but though they huffed and puffed, they could not blow the Welsh house down. There was a series of near-misses, but the Welsh defending was formidable and uncompromising.

Bewilderingly, Ireland faced an interval deficit of ten points to three in spite of a superiority of territory and a surplus of possession. Eventually, soon after the re-start, the Welsh defences were breached. Even then, the men in green made exceptionally hard work of it, as Earls squeezed over in the corner. When Ronan O’ Gara emulated Priestland by converting the try from the touchline, the momentum was with Ireland, but not for long.

In an act of burglary, Mike Phillips stole down the blindside and just about contrived to touch down in the corner. Then, when one might have expected an Irish riposte, the Welsh centres broke through Ireland’s less solid defence as Jonathan Davies scored the match-clinching try.

If Ireland can claim to have been cheated out of a victory in Cardiff six months ago, then this time the Irish cheated themselves by failing to hit the heights. Their execution of attacking moves was abysmal. As for Wales, nobody expected them to reach the semi-finals, but they are there on merit. It would be a fool who underestimates them now.

In the other contest, England committed the cardinal sin of granting France a sixteen points to nil half-time head start. The French are liable to get ragged and rattled, but this is only achieved if their opponents make a dynamic start. England, like Ireland before them, conceded the lead, and if there was a lesson from today’s encounters, it was that the teams that fell behind increasingly lost composure and played with a progressive and pernicious desperation. True, England rallied in the second half to score two tries which threatened an improbable comeback, but it would have been a travesty if they had pulled the rabbit out of the hat. England have had a knack of winning close matches against Argentina and Scotland. This is commendable, but today they met their match and they had no answer. It was a painful reminder that this England team are still on a learning curve.

Born on this date: Neil Harvey (1928); Fred Stolle (1938)

Died on this date: Clement Attlee (1967); Willy Brandt (1992)

Sunday 9^th October

Oh I must re-visit the coroner’s inquest into yesterday’s rugby union burial of the English and the Oirish.

There is a lot of hot air blown about how this was Ireland’s golden generation, never to return, which had its big opportunity, but which then proceeded to fluff its lines. I don’t agree. True, Brian O’Driscoll is a one-off and Paul O’Connell will be extremely hard to replace, but the four Irish provinces continue to excel in the Magners League and the Heineken Cup. There has been a revolving door in which a few old-timers have been eased out whilst new blood has entered the fray over the last decade. The Irish team will not be retiring en masse. The valuable stock can and will be replenished. Sexton will blossom into the role vacated by O’Gara. O’Brien is a major find for the back row. There are many good young backs to choose from. Murray has the potential to be a great scrum half. The nucleus of a great team remains in place. To state that the golden generation has come and will soon depart is very wide of the mark.

As for England, I think that the beleaguered Martin Johnson would dearly love to have many of the talented Irish players at his disposal. Quite frankly, how many of the England team would be selected for the Irish team? I would say half a dozen, maximum. As for Johnson, well I see no point in England replacing him. As Arse-nil are perhaps recognising with Arsene Wenger, there is no logic in replacing a coach or manager unless there is someone available who has superior credentials. Johnson has done little wrong. It’s not his fault that he is not blessed with a squad full of superstars. He has been entrusted with the task of transforming average players into world-beaters. This challenge may even be too much for big Martin to overcome.

Unfortunately for Team England, they have shot themselves in the foot on a few occasions during their stay in New Zealand, attracting adverse publicity and conforming to the rugby club on tour stereotype. One such berk is Manu Tuilagi. This young gent is probably the biggest England success story of the last couple of months. It is such a pity that he then undermined his growing reputation by branching out into the infinitely more difficult sport of jumping off a ferry as it was reversing into harbour. For his silly jape, he was detained by the local police. He can count himself lucky that he was merely spending time in a police cell and not in the local mortuary. It seems that rugger buggers are as ‘intelligent’ as footballers.

Born on this date: John Entwistle (1944); David Cameron (1966)

Died on this date: Pope Pius XII (1958); Paul Hunter (2006)

Monday 10^th October

Oh let’s mention the rugby union World Cup for a third consecutive day, shall we? Actually, I just wanted to point out a couple of interesting facts which illustrate the little ironies of life. Irony one is that Ireland beat Australia in their group, but the Oirish are gone and Australia are in the semi-finals, while South Africa beat Wales, yet the Springboks have had to exit the tournament, and the Welsh dragon is still alive and kicking. Irony number two is that no fewer than three of this weekend’s semi-finalists had finished as runners-up in their group. How weird is that? It just goes to confirm yet again that early form in a tournament is neither here nor there. It is how teams stand up to the scrutiny of a one-off knock-out match at the business end of a competition that the unlikely heroes appear and the more hyped teams sometimes vanish. This is frequently a recurring pattern in many a World Cup, be it rugby union, soccer, or cricket. Form is temporary and a team is only as good or as bad as their last result.

Apparently Sebastian Vettel became the Formula One World Champion yesterday. I guess that it has been a case of ‘vorsprung durch technik’.

Elsewhere, Andy Murray maintained his annoying habit of excelling at a non-Grand Slam event when he comprehensively outplayed Rafael Nadal in the final of the Japan Open. If only it was Wimbledon, eh Andy?

Tonight I’ve just learnt that Nigel Worthington is stepping down from his role as Northern Ireland’s soccer manager. Poor Nigel was a likeable loser. It wasn’t his fault that a number of northern Roman Catholics deserted their ‘wee country’ in favour of the foreign state of the Republic of Ireland. I would apply for the position of Northern Ireland’s team boss, but I’m ambitious and have aspirations of being a dynamic, high-flier. Trying to manage a squad of mediocrities in the bull ring of international soccer would not be my idea of a good time.

A completely different sport is taking place at Westminster village: Fox-hunting. The poor besieged Fox trying to elude the pack of hounds is none other than Doctor Liam, the foolish Defence Secretary who has been way too generous with a pushy, self-important friend who has muscled his way into meetings and affairs that are not remotely his business. Or are they? Labour is adamant that Foxy has violated the ministerial code. David ‘Tammy Wynette’ Cameron is standing by his man, but one cannot help but wonder if the Conservatives would be so forgiving if a Labour minister was guilty of Foxy’s indiscretions? Hypocrisy? Double standards?

Born on this date: Tony Adams (1966); Matthew Pinsent (1970)

Died on this date: Jack Daniel (1911); Christopher Reeve (2004)

Tuesday 11^th October

It’s quite ironic how Dr Liam Fox is the Defence Secretary because he needs all the defence that he can muster at the moment. Mind you, it has already been observed that the Labour opposition have been relatively muted on the developing controversy. Instead, it is left to the papers, who else, to vigorously prosecute the Defence defendant, and boy when the press sniff blood, they certainly tear after the Fox.

One of the growing concerns about Foxy’s shenanigans is whether or not his associate Adam Werritty was enjoying business trips paid for by public funds. If the taxpayer has had to cough up for Werritty poking his nose into matters that are not his domain, then the hounds will surely catch their fox. Furthermore, while Werritty is being questioned about the extent of his involvement in Defence meetings and while a report is being compiled, the government would do well to note that there is only one thing worse than a controversy and that is any cack-handed attempt to cover up a potential scandal. In this day and age, one cannot er sneeze without the event ending up on Twitter or YouTube, so concealing anything in this era is nigh impossible.

Ultimately, what concerns me most about Foxy, the darling of the Right of the Conservative camp is that he is entrusted with a department while Britain is engaged in military action in Afghanistan and Libya. Allowing seemingly unlimited access to the Ministry of Defence to your best buddy raises issues of national security and undermines the Defence Secretary’s standing as the custodian of a department that oversees the equipping and supervision of our armed forces. Fox’s behaviour borders on recklessness and suggests either an arrogant man or someone who has taken leave of his senses. Labour should be hounding the Fox, instead of leaving it to the media to act as the official opposition by proxy. Gone are the days when Labour had bruisers and orators in parliament who could confront the government. The modern version is middle class, polite, and neutered.

It has been revealed that West Ham United’s attempts to inherit the Olympic Stadium are hanging by a thread. Barry Hearn gave a typically frank interview on TheWorldAtOne whereupon he hammered West Ham’s hackneyed efforts at an acquisition. Leyton Orient would be extinct, claims Bazza, if Wet Sham were successful, but their proposed ‘purchase’ is so flawed that it is a case of back to the drawing board. Oh this saga wouldn’t be out of place on an Eastenders script.

Born on this date: Sir Bobby Charlton (1937); Rodney Marsh (1944)

Died on this date: Edith Piaf (1963); Donald Dewar (2000)

Wednesday 12^th October

Poor old Foxy is still knee deep in the brown, smelly stuff. For every answer that he gives, more questions arise. Frankly, Liam Fox is becoming an embarrassment to the government. To think that a few years ago he was a ‘credible’ candidate and rival to David Cameron in the contest to succeed Michael Howard is itself incredible. One shudders to think how we would have coped with the loose cannon that is Dr Fox as the Prime Minister. He now is on the receiving end of innuendo about the extent of his relationship with Mr Werritty. The plot thickens. If the heat gets any hotter, the Defence Secretary could do worse than to fall on his sword.

At Prime Minister’s Questions where David Cameron has to field many questions about economy, education, health, law and order, but precious little on geography, history, music or sport, he was confronted about the new depressing figures about escalating unemployment. In this weird Westminster general knowledge quiz, the quizmaster, young Ed Miliband demanded to know why the Prime Minister was much more keen to preserve the job of his Defence Secretary than he was to protect the jobs of us citizens out there. Great question, Ted. No conferring, Dave. Fingers on the buzzers. Oh why not blame Eurozone or the previous government’s “mess” or global warming or Adolf Hitler? In fact, Mr Prime Minister, let’s not accept responsibility for anything. Not good enough, Dave. In fact, if your team doesn’t get its act together, you will all be joining the jobless millions in four years’ time. Still, you’ve been a lovely contestant.

Speaking as a member of the great unwashed, I would like to see an overhaul of the procedures involved in job hunting. For example, a firm should by law be required to state how many applicants there has been for a vacancy. Those statistics should be verifiable. If the figure is less than one hundred, a company should be legally compelled to issue an email to all applicants who provide an email address and by this means, the rejected jobseekers can be quickly made aware that they were unsuccessful. If we cannot find everyone a job, can we at least make a start and treat job hunters with a smidgeon of courtesy? It costs nothing to issue an email to rejected applicants rather than treat them like they never existed.

Employers should also be legally compelled to trim the number of nonsense questions that they insert on application forms. Intimidating would-be applicants with a booklet of questions is not clever. It’s a bloody disgrace. Making applicants jump through hoops is downright wicked.

Born on this date: Dave Vanian (1956); Bryn Merrick (1958)

Died on this date: Edith Cavell (1915); John Denver (1997)

Thursday 13^th October

Let us commence with a brief trip through planet sport. Young Rhys Priestland is unfit to play in Wales’ mammoth match on Saturday against formidable France. However, forward steps young James Hook to fill the breach. I have always rated Mr Hook, so he should prove to be more than a capable understudy. Having said that, for all the hyperbole that is attending the Welsh team this week, I hope and expect France to be a bridge too far.

In the world of soccer, Wayward Looney has been slapped with a three-match ban which rules him out of England’s group matches in next year’s European Championship finals tournament. Oh well, Mr Looney should be back in the team just in time for England’s customary quarter-finals penalty shoot-out and defeat.

Of course, Scotland can’t laugh too much at England’s misfortunes, as the Tartan Army will spend next summer watching the matches, instead of competing in them. A narrow failure to qualify for next summer’s festival of football is just so Scottish. Let’s face it, you wouldn’t want the Scots to fight your corner for you. Yes they would put up a gallant fight, but they would lose. This sums up Scotland in sport: good, but not good enough.

Elsewhere, a Nigerian nutcase pleaded guilty in the USA yesterday to trying to blow up an airborne aeroplane. In his er defence, he claimed that he was forced to take this drastic action on account of the many Muslims killed by Americans. Could someone start educating the silly bugger and others besides that the biggest perpetrators of deaths on followers of Islam are indeed fellow followers of Islam. Nobody has killed more Muslims and tortured them too than fellow Muslims. Yet again it’s a case of not allowing the truth to get in the way of one’s perverse prejudices and blind hatred.

As a Christian, I do confess to struggling with the concept of praying to God. Of course our Heavenly Father wishes for His creation to relate with Him and communicate to Him. However, I am told that if one wants something, one should ask God in prayer. Well, if you saw someone lying in the road, rather like the victim in the story of the Good Samaritan, would you walk by and ignore this person? In all probability, you would help. You wouldn’t need to be asked. Well, I am that person lying face down in the road. Does God really need to be asked to intervene? Is it not obvious to Him that I need help? Do I really need to ask? Answers on a postcard!

Born on this date: Lenny Bruce (1925); Margaret Thatcher (1925)

Died on this date: Peter Doyle (2001); Al Martino (2009)

Oh well, let us pray: Heavenly Father, I’m going nowhere slowly. Is there any chance that you might intervene? Amen to that.

                        December extract from the book ‘The Song For Today’ by Jimmie Oliver [£9.99]

                        DECEMBER 1ST
                        Riders On The Storm by The Doors (1971)
                        from the album L.A. Woman
‘L.A. Woman’ was the last project that Jim Morrison and his Doors completed before the lizard king’s mysterious death in Paris several months later. The album has many items that deserve attention. The title track is clearly a highlight of the group’s entire catalogue, while the blues of ‘Been Down So Long’ is equally impressive. However, the show is stolen by the final two items: ‘The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)’ and the marvel that is ‘Riders On The Storm’. The latter includes the lashing of rainfall as a sound effect along with thunder to complement the awesome music. It was entirely fitting that the final piece on the last product of the brief but eventful career of Jim Morrison should be ‘Riders On The Storm’. One witness and willing accomplice in the storm that was Morrison was an LA man, John Densmore, who drummed for one of the west coast’s greatest acts. Densmore was born this day back in 1944.
{Also on this day, the people of Ukraine vote for independence from the USSR in 1991}

                                                 DECEMBER 2ND
                        Night Fever by The Bee Gees (1977)
                  from the album Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Soundtrack
I have just been privileged enough to hear this song on the radio a few hours prior to writing this. The Gibb brothers emerged from a relatively barren spell with the hits, ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ and ‘Jive Talkin’, and it was their presence on the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ soundtrack that catapulted them to new heights. ‘Night Fever’ is one of the outstanding dance-floor tunes of pop history. Reinforced by an excellent orchestral accompaniment, this single occupied the highest perch on the Billboard chart for a mere eight weeks. British record buyers were no less impressed and helped the group return to Number One for the first time in ten years. It is the kind of item that ought to be played alone behind closed doors, whereupon the listener takes to the living room floor and moves their body accordingly. On this day in 1976, the Bee Gees played a gig at Madison Square Garden and then donated the proceeds to a fund for New York police officers.
{Also on this date, in 1988 Benazir Bhutto takes office as Pakistan’s Prime Minister}

                                                 DECEMBER 3RD
                        Running Away by Bob Marley And The Wailers (1978)
                        from the album Kaya
On this date in 1976, gunmen entered the home of Bob Marley at 56 Hope Road, Kingston, in Jamaica and attempted to assassinate the reggae superstar. The singer’s apparent allegiance to one of the two rival political parties may have resulted in representatives from the other warring faction trying to silence him. Rumours persisted thereafter about the identity of the culprits and their motives, but Marley escaped with minor injuries and soon appeared defiantly at the Smile Jamaica concert. Nevertheless, Marley was obliged to flee into temporary exile in London and Miami until the ‘heat’ of the Jamaican political climate had cooled down. Whilst abroad, the legend recorded the popular ‘Exodus’ and ‘Kaya’ albums. The latter yielded the track ‘Running Away’ in which the composer mocks himself for abandoning his native land. The words of this song remain powerful for any listener who is running away instead of confronting personal demons. Marley eventually returned in April 1978 in triumph, when he united Jamaica’s two rival political leaders at the One Love peace concert.
{Also on this day, war erupts as India invades East Pakistan in 1971}

                                                 DECEMBER 4TH
                        Please Let Me Wonder by The Beach Boys (1965)
                        from the album The Beach Boys Today
Born this day in 1944, Dennis Wilson was the only genuine ‘beach boy’ in that he was the only member of America’s most famous singing family who actually negotiated the waves as a surfer. 20 years later and the group were starting to slowly withdraw from their surfing sound in favour of more moody and sensitive pop songs. One example is the superb ‘Please Let Me Wonder’, which could have sat very comfortably amongst the assembled brilliance that was the ‘Pet Sounds’ album of the following year. The oldest of the Wilson brothers was Brian. He was socially gauche but musically gifted, the polar opposite of Dennis. The gift that was Brian’s voice is a major blessing on this obscure gem.
{Also on this date, in 1991 the US hostage Terry Anderson is freed after 7 years in Beirut}

                                                 DECEMBER 5TH
                        Seven O’ Clock News/Silent Night by Simon And Garfunkel (1966)
                        from the album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Few recordings in popular music can attain jaw-dropping status, but this powerful piece does precisely that. Whilst the duo plough through a semi-silent version of ‘Silent Night’, a news announcer reveals the bad happenings that afflicted that particular day (believed to be August 3rd 1966). Mention is made of the death of the comedian Lenny Bruce from an overdose of narcotics, whilst the listener’s attention is drawn to the running sore of the Vietnam War, with the yet to be disgraced Richard Nixon reportedly claiming that opposition to the conflict was the greatest single weapon working against the United States. The standout news item refers to the indictment of the serial nurse killer, Richard Speck in Chicago. Whilst Simon and Garfunkel sing “sleep in heavenly peace”, the contrast with the turbulent news bulletin is very noticeable. On this day in 1991, the notorious Speck died, one day shy of his fiftieth birthday.
[Also on this day, the Argentinian military junta is dissolved in 1983}

                                                 DECEMBER 6TH
                        It’s Over by Roy Orbison (1964)
                        from the album More Of Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits
Today’s tune is highly appropriate, given that the life of the Big O, Roy Orbison, ended on this date in 1988 in Tennessee after a massive heart attack. ‘It’s Over’ was the second and arguably the best of Orbison’s three British Number Ones of the ‘sixties. The song’s theme of the end of a love affair was characteristic of Orbison’s subject matter from other such sad tunes as ‘Crying’ and ‘Only The Lonely’. Orbison had been previously engaged in the Traveling Wilburys supergroup, but now at the age of fifty-two, it was indeed over for this particular Wilbury.
{Also on this date, the Altamont music festival descends into chaos in 1969]

                                                 DECEMBER 7TH
                        Time by Tom Waits (1985)
                        from the album Raindogs
The singer and songwriter Tom Waits is very much an acquired taste. Take for instance one of his major albums, ‘Raindogs’. The items are an exercise in gritty realism, based on low-life characters for whom there is no happy ending. Such was the lack of sunshine in his output that he would never be regarded as ‘easy listening’. For a man whose commercial appeal appeared to rest between nil and zero, Waits reaped the royalties when Rod Stewart converted ‘Downtown Train’ into a smash hit. A particular favourite of mine from the aforementioned long player is ‘Time’. I recently chanced upon another cover of a Waits tune when the blonde chanteuse Xanda Howe completed a decent attempt at ‘Time’. This day in 1949 was the ‘time’ when young Thomas Alan Waits appeared on planet earth for the first time, in California.
{Also on this day, in 1997 the Scottish footballer Billy Bremner dies, aged 54}

                                                 DECEMBER 8TH
                        Love by John Lennon (1970)
                        from the album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
If December 7th is a date of infamy in American history, then December 8th 1980 has a notoriety of its own. Late on that winter’s evening when John and Yoko Lennon returned to the Dakota building in New York from the recording studio, Mark Chapman stepped forth and shot dead his hero from whom he had obtained an autograph earlier in the day. Although Lennon was no saint by any stretch of the imagination, it was incredibly ironic that the author of such anthems as ‘All You Need Is Love’ and ‘Give Peace A Chance’ should be violently gunned down. A decade earlier, John’s solo debut album with his Plastic Ono Band contained memorable pieces, such as ‘Working Class Hero’, ‘Mother’, and ‘God’. It is the project in which the ex-Beatle, under the influence of primal therapy, bares his soul to the world. The long player also yielded the supremely beautiful ‘Love’. Armed merely with a piano and simple but effective lyrics, Lennon touches the soul. Sometimes the best songs are simple ones. Ten years later and one of the greatest icons of the 20th century was dead at the age of forty.
{Also on this date, Greek voters in 1974 choose to abolish their monarchy}

                                                 DECEMBER 9TH
                        I’m The Urban Spaceman by The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (1968)
                        from the album Tadpoles
Their oddball repertoire and explorations of English eccentricity meant that it was always going to be an uphill struggle to take the Bonzos too seriously, but the outfit did have the last laugh when the Paul McCartney-produced ‘I’m The Urban Spaceman’ landed in the Top Five towards the end of the ‘sixties. One such urban spaceman, Neil Innes, was born on this date in 1944 in Essex. Innes went on to deliver musical contributions for his buddies in Monty Python’s Flying Circus, culminating in the establishment of a mock Beatles group, called the Rutles, in which Innes and Eric Idle offered their own take on Beatlemania (with George Harrison’s blessing), producing such spoof efforts as ‘All You Need Is Cash’. Cash was temporarily plentiful after the success of the ‘urban spaceman’ one-hit wonder.
{Also on this day, in 1990 Lech Walesa won the Polish Presidential election}

                                                 DECEMBER 10TH
                        (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding (1968)
                        from the album The Dock Of The Bay
Here is another dark day in which ‘the music died’, this time for the premier soul artist, Otis Redding. Redding followed the likes of Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline, and Jim Reeves in having his life terminated by an aeroplane catastrophe, when he crashed into Lake Monona in Wisconsin, aged only 26. For those who subscribe to the theory that death can be a very good career move, evidence is apparent from this tale, as Redding’s posthumous single, ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’ sat on the summit of the American hit parade for four weeks, a feat that Redding could not achieve whilst alive, in spite of many admirable recordings.
{Also on this date, Raul Alfonsin becomes Argentina’s President in 1983}

                                                 DECEMBER 11TH
                        Wonderful World by Sam Cooke (1960)
                        available on the album The Best Of Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke was yet another rock ‘n’ roll fatality, when he was shot dead on this day in 1964, at the age of thirty-three, in Los Angeles. Cooke’s violent death is a grim reminder of the shadowy undercurrent that lurks beyond the silky songs and glitter of the music business. Whatever the soul singer’s private life amounted to, he at least bequeathed music listeners with the simple love song, ‘Wonderful World’, which was later covered by Otis Redding on ‘Otis Blue’. Cooke’s version made a belated appearance in the British Top Three in early 1986.
{Also on this day, in 1994 Boris Yeltsin orders Russian troops into Chechnya}

                                                 DECEMBER 12TH
                        Nutbush City Limits by Ike & Tina Turner (1973)
                        from the album Nutbush City Limits
On this day in 2007 it was Ike Turner’s ‘turn’ to breathe his last, at the ripe old age of seventy-six. Ike was himself no stranger to controversy, and it would be a diplomatic understatement to record that Ike and Tina Turner had a tempestuous and turbulent love affair. However, there were a couple of notable occasions when their chemistry in the recording studio produced musical fireworks. Firstly in the mid-‘sixties, the couple recorded ‘River Deep - Mountain High’ which its producer Phil Spector regarded as his ultimate ‘wall of sound’ effort. From the spectre of Spector, the Turners bounced back in 1973 with the majestic rocker, ‘Nutbush City Limits’, written by Tina about her home town. It is clearly one of the highlights of the 1970s and if you don’t yet own a copy, it’s time that you did.
{Also on this date, Rhodesia is to be re-named as Zimbabwe in 1979}

                                                 DECEMBER 13TH
                        Marquee Moon by Television (1977)
                        from the album Marquee Moon
We remain on the other side of the ‘big pond’ for the fourth successive day and pay homage to one of the great punk (or ‘new wave’) classics, ‘Marquee Moon’. Assisted by a fine introduction, this track appears rather repetitive, but when you have a good riff, then why wander off on another direction? The composer of this work of art was Tom Verlaine, who was born on this date back in 1949 in the state of New Jersey. Originally called Thomas Miller, the guitarist and singer re-named himself in honour of the French poet, Paul Verlaine.
{Also on this day, in 1981 General Jaruzelski declares martial law in Poland}

                                                 DECEMBER 14TH
                   Je T’Aime…Moi Non Plus by Jane Birkin And Serge Gainsbourg (1969)
                        from the album Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg 
1969 had its fair share of novelty records, with the success of ‘Sugar Sugar’ by the Archies (a non-existent group), ‘In The Year 2525’ by Zager And Evans, ‘Two Little Boys’ by that ultimate rock ‘n’ roller Rolf Harris which was the Christmas chart-topper, and not forgetting the brilliant one-hit wonder, ‘Something In The Air’ by Thunderclap Newman. However, surpassing all of these offerings was the autumnal smash, ‘Je T’Aime…Moi Non Plus’, written by Serge Gainsbourg. For the liberated ‘yoof’, this song with its heavy breathing (which left little to the imagination) was an amusing giggle, whilst to the older generation (and particularly the broadcasting censors) this tune was an outrage, incurring the wrath of the Vatican! Few recordings appeared to create such a generation gap as this hugely listenable declaration of love. One of the two love birds (or culprits) Jane Birkin (an actress by profession) was born this day in 1946 in London.
{Also on this date, 12 states, including fascist Spain, join the United Nations in 1955}

                                                 DECEMBER 15TH
                        Guns Of Brixton by The Clash (1979)
                        from the album London Calling
Johnny Rotten may have scorned the Clash for attempting reggae tunes, but many others admired arguably the greatest punk and new wave band for demonstrating that reggae was something which not only could be appreciated by whites, but which could be performed by young white men. The rebellious Clash after all empathised with the Jamaican ‘rude boys’ who were defying the system, and the feeling was mutual. One such Clash composition was bass player Paul Simonon’s ‘Guns Of Brixton’ from the highly regarded ‘London Calling’ double album. Simonon himself a gun (or should I say son) of Brixton was born on this date in 1955. It is Simonon’s on-stage histrionics which are captured on photograph for the famous front cover of ‘London Calling’.
{Also on this day, in 1961 Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death in Jerusalem}

                                                 DECEMBER 16TH
                        I Have A Dream by Abba (1979)
                        available on the album The Singles: The First Ten Years
Abba could scarcely be further removed from the outlaws of the Clash, yet Sweden’s greatest quartet achieved some semblance of street credibility when they invited their apparent polar opposites Led Zeppelin to record their new album, ‘In Through The Out Door’, at their Polar Studios in Scandinavia in 1978. Abba meanwhile could do no wrong in the British charts even if a few of their releases in 1979 stalled just short of the coveted top position. One of these was ‘I Have A Dream’ which brought the curtain down on the 1970s. This Christmas hit is a beautiful composition from the ‘Voulez-Vous’ album, and one of its authors, the bearded pianist Benny Andersson, was born on this day in 1946 in Stockholm. In tandem with Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny was a master at creating a commercial tune without compromising on quality. Perhaps the word genius should spring to mind.
{Also on this date, British and American air forces bomb Iraq in 1998}

                                                 DECEMBER 17TH
                        Cruel Summer by Bananarama (1983)
                        from the album Bananarama
The eye-catching trio of Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward first made a name for themselves with their collaborations with the Funboy Three which yielded hit singles, based on cover versions scarcely worthy of mention. They then deteriorated by joining the Stock/Aitken/Waterman assembly line of hits which guaranteed regular forays into the charts with even more fairly forgettable releases. However, there was one absolute treasure item in their time together, namely ‘Cruel Summer’, which appeared in ‘The Karate Kid’ movie. Blessed with a delicious jangling guitar, half-decent lyrics, and a magnificent rhythm, I would be bold enough to state here and now that ‘Cruel Summer’ ought to be short-listed for the accolade of the best pop song of all time, narrowly ahead of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘All Through The Night’. One of the banana ladies, Sara Dallin, came to life in Bristol on this date in 1961.
{Also on this day, in 1989 the first episode of The Simpsons is broadcast}

                                                 DECEMBER 18TH
                        Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones (1969)
                        from the album Let It Bleed
The opening track of ‘Let It Bleed’ is a truly stunning piece of work. ‘Gimme Shelter’ emerges with a menacing guitar intro from Keith Richards that can lay claim to be the greatest intro in popular music. Keef’s opening contribution sets the tone for this brooding composition, during which Jagger sings that “rape is just a kiss away.” The rest of ‘Let It Bleed’ is largely dark too, as the bad boys of pop unveil a sense of cynicism and negativity that demonstrates their disillusionment with the love and peace ideals of ‘flower power’. Richards, who was born this day in 1943 in Dartford, was certainly not full of the joys of spring, having learned of his best friend’s sexual conquest of his lover, Anita Pallenberg. Richards and Jagger recovered from this, as well as absorbing such blows as the death of Brian Jones, the near-fatal overdose of Marianne Faithfull, and the disastrous Altamont concert to confront the ‘seventies with their defiant swagger. ‘Let It Bleed’ may not have many happy memories for the group, but with the likes of ‘Gimme Shelter’, it was a landmark album.
{Also on this date, the UK parliament votes in 1969 to permanently ban the death penalty}

                                                 DECEMBER 19TH
                        Draft Morning by The Byrds (1968)
                        from the album The Notorious Byrd Brothers
‘The Notorious Byrd Brothers’ is one of the very best long players of the 1960s. Its thirty-minute duration contains a box of delights, such as ‘Tribal Gathering’, ‘Dolphin Smile’, and ‘Get To You’. Another fairly obscure track from the album is ‘Draft Morning’, which ought to be regarded as arguably the greatest anti-war song in pop history. Against the sound effects of machine gunfire, the Byrds sing of a reluctant soldier who is obliged to leave his “bed to kill instead/ Why should it happen?” The composition is simple but effective. You will not find it on the playlist of any recruiting officer. Before you naively fall for dreams of pretty uniforms and seeing the world, take a listen to this slice of brutal honesty. One of the Byrds, the drummer Michael Clarke, died of liver failure in Florida on this date in 1993, at the age of forty-seven.
{Also on this day, in 1983 the soccer Jules Rimet Trophy is stolen in Rio de Janeiro}

                                                 DECEMBER 20TH
                        Mack The Knife by Bobby Darin (1959)
                        available on the album Darin: 1936-1973 
‘Mack The Knife’ was one of two British Number Ones for the American cabaret singer, Bobby Darin. This fabulous recording also received its just desserts from Uncle Sam, who appointed it to the top of the United States chart for a staggering nine weeks. It is easy to hear why, as this murderous tale is unquestionably one of the finest tunes from the 1950s. Bobby Darin (whose other UK chart-topper was the admirable ‘Dream Lover’) died at the age of only 37, on this day in 1973 in Los Angeles, after health problems arising out of a bad heart condition. Darin had no funeral as his body was donated to medical research.
{Also on this date, Spain’s Prime Minister, Luis Carrero Blanco, is murdered by ETA in 1973}

                                                 DECEMBER 21ST
                        I Can Hear Music by The Beach Boys (1969)
                        from the album 20/20 
Today is the anniversary of the birth in 1946 of the late Carl Dean Wilson. Carl was the youngest and almost certainly the most sensible of the three Wilson brothers, who were the very heartbeat of the Beach Boys. Carl (like oldest brother Brian) possessed the gift of a beautiful voice. He was after all entrusted with the lead vocal on the unforgettable ‘God Only Knows’ hit single from the ‘Pet Sounds’ album. As the wayward genius Brian became more erratic, Carl was required to fill this considerable void. One such impressive result was Carl’s vocals on the Beach Boys’ version of ‘I Can Hear Music’. Needless to say but Carl and the rest of the ‘boys’ do tremendous justice to this Phil Spector pop song, which had been previously recorded by the Ronettes and later covered by a young Freddie Mercury.
{Also on this day, in 1988 a bomb on board a Pan Am flight explodes over Lockerbie}

                                                 DECEMBER 22ND
                        Bankrobber by The Clash (1980)
                        from the album Sandinista
‘Bankrobber’ was another reggae effort from the Clash. This hit single was one of the highlights of the group’s triple album, ‘Sandinista’. Joe Strummer and the gang were no lovers of what they perceived as a capitalist-dominated legal system, so it came as little surprise that the band should sing “Daddy was a bankrobber who never hurt nobody.” After the Clash called time on their rebel rock, Strummer went on to have an association with the Pogues. However, this is a black day in the history of rock and pop, because Joe Strummer, the likeable rogue, died at the age of fifty, on this date in 2002, in Somerset, as a consequence of heart complications. Strummer’s partner in crime, Mick Jones, once appropriately described Joe as the “salt of the earth.”
{Also on this date, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate re-opens in 1989}

                                                 DECEMBER 23RD
                        Bring Your Daughter…To The Slaughter by Iron Maiden (1990)
                        from the album No Prayer For The Dying
The notorious heavy metal outfit Iron Maiden proved unlikely chart-toppers when their charming piece, ‘Bring Your Daughter…To The Slaughter’ hit Number One in the British chart in early 1991. It can hardly be regarded as the world’s most commercial pop song, but these senior citizens of hard rock richly deserved their success after a plethora of recordings that spanned more than a decade. One of the combo, Dave Murray (the guitarist and songwriter), was born on this day back in 1958 in Edmonton, north-east London.
{Also on this day, the first human kidney transplant is performed in 1954 in the USA}

                                                 DECEMBER 24TH
              Fairytale Of New York by The Pogues (featuring Kirsty MacColl) (1987)
                        from the album If I Should Fall From Grace With God
On this special day in the calendar, it is hard to ignore the memorable Christmas tune that opens with the line: “It was Christmas Eve, babe, in the drunk tank.” The vocalist Shane MacGowan was no stranger to drunk tanks. Whilst his merry men offer their customary musical excellence, MacGowan stays sufficiently sober to swap lines with Kirsty MacColl, as the two take on the role of young lovers hoping for “a better time when all our dreams come true.” Regrettably, the song had no fairytale ending, as Kirsty MacColl was killed in a boating accident thirteen years later, at the age of only forty-one.
{Also on this date, in 1951 Libya achieves its independence from Italy}

                                                 DECEMBER 25TH
                        Do They Know It’s Christmas? by Band Aid (1984)
              available on the album The Best Christmas Album In The World…Ever!
Until the death of Princess Diana in August 1997, this colossus of a single was the United Kingdom’s biggest-ever selling 45. I have to raise my hat to the celtic composers, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. The song actually sounds quite festive, yet the lyrics are arguably the most thought-provoking words to be translated into music. Assembling a cast of current pop favourites, including Bono, Boy George, Duran Duran, Sting, Wham, and Paul Young was also a masterstroke. Forget all the forgettable stuff about Santa Claus is coming to town. Here is the ultimate Christmas track in which the world of pop reminds the listener of a less fortunate world where Santa Claus was most certainly not coming. There is a legion of legends, myths, and true stories about the excesses and downright shameful behaviour of the agents of rock and pop, but ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ was one glorious occasion when the artists of pop world did themselves proud. For Christians, today is the Saviour’s Day. Not even the Messiah, Jesus Christ, could fail to be impressed by Band Aid’s well-intentioned response to the famine catastrophe in east Africa.
{Also on this day, the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu is executed in 1989}

                                                 DECEMBER 26TH
                        The Fool On The Hill by The Beatles (1967)
                        available on the album The Beatles’ Ballads
On this day in 1967 a new Beatles hour-long film was screened for the first time on television. Entitled ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, the movie was certainly something of a mystery, even if the music remained magical. The reception to this premiere was so critical that Paul McCartney appeared on the box the following day to defend this apparent flop. One item that was totally devoid of criticism was McCartney’s composition, ’ The Fool On The Hill’. Has Macca ever penned anything better than this highlight from the ‘Magical Mystery Tour EP’? Well, possibly ‘The Long And Winding Road’ is a close second. Ironically, Sir Paul loathed the fact that the famed American producer Phil Spector gave this acoustic number a wall of sound makeover, featuring an orchestra and a ‘heavenly choir’. Paul may have resented the end product, but the rest of us beg to differ. Today also happens to be the date of birth of Spector in 1939 in New York.
{Also on this date, in 1999 soul singer Curtis Mayfield dies, aged fifty-seven}

                                                 DECEMBER 27TH
                        I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner (1984)
                        from the album Agent Provocateur
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Foreigner’s frontman Mick Jones in 1944 in Surrey. Not to be confused with the guitarist from the Clash, Jones and his group had made some ripples with the singles, ‘Cold As Ice’ and ‘Waiting For A Girl Like You’, but their biggest splash came courtesy of the marvellous ballad, ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’. Undoubtedly one of the greatest sad songs in pop history, this 45 deservedly occupied No.1 in the British hit parade in early 1985.
{Also on this day, the Ulster loyalist Billy Wright is killed by the INLA in 1997}

                                                 DECEMBER 28TH
                        Surf’s Up by The Beach Boys (1971)
                        from the album Surf’s Up
‘Surf’s Up’ was originally recorded for inclusion on the ill-fated ‘Smile’ project, but it was one of the few items that was salvaged from the wreckage of that aborted venture and placed in the public domain several years later. Back in the fall of 1966 when Brian Wilson seemingly had the world at his feet, he performed a solo version of this opus for American television, with sand from the beach at his feet. The eventual release possesses a stunning outro of harmonies that brings the curtain down on this Van Dyke Parks collaboration with Brian. The end result is a  clear candidate for the best album track in popular music. Meanwhile on this day in 1983, the group’s wayward drummer, Dennis Wilson, dived off his boat at the Marina del Rey in California. He never surfaced again. He was only 39.
{Also on this date, in 1950 the Peak District is named as Britain’s first National Park}

                                                 DECEMBER 29TH
                        Dance With The Devil by Cozy Powell (1973)
                        available on the album The Best Of Cozy Powell
Colin Flooks was born on this date back in 1947 in Gloucestershire. Colin who? Alternatively known as Cozy Powell, Mr.Flooks scored a most unlikely smash with the instrumental, ‘Dance With The Devil’. Featuring a typically virtuoso drums performance from Powell, this Mickie Most-produced single contains a riff that sounds remarkably similar to Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Third Stone From The Sun’. Nevertheless, Cozy Powell gave service to a whole host of rock acts such as Rainbow, which confirmed that this Top Three single was no ‘fluke’ for Mr. Flooks.
{Also on this day, Vaclav Havel is elected as President of Czechoslovakia in 1989}

                                                 DECEMBER 30TH
                        Mr.Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra (1977)
                        from the album Out Of The Blue
The hugely talented Jeff Lynne was born in Birmingham a day after Cozy Powell. Lynne was the main songwriter for the Electric Light Orchestra. The group’s greatest song, even surpassing ‘Telephone Line’, is almost certainly ‘Mr.Blue Sky’, a Jeff Lynne composition. This is one of those rare tunes that can prompt the listener to stop in their tracks and drink in this wondrous recording. It is quite remarkable that the mundane subject of the weather could form the background to this grandiose effort. I cannot help but feel that this item would have sat comfortably in the midst of the ‘Sergeant Pepper’ album, given this impressive fusion of rock group and orchestra. Lynne went on to ‘travel’ a decade later with the Wilburys: Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. He was also hired to act as a producer when the three remaining Beatles re-convened in the mid-1990s. Having cultivated one of the finest pieces from the 1970s, Jeff Lynne was very much in demand. ‘Mr.Blue Sky’ was the integral part of a suite entitled, ‘Concerto For A Rainy Day’.
{Also on this date, in 1965 Ferdinand Marcos becomes the President of the Philippines}

                                                 DECEMBER 31ST
                        I Feel Love by Donna Summer (1977)
                        from the album I Remember Yesterday
Of all the romantic songs and syrupy tunes that have populated pop world, the greatest love anthem is perhaps Donna Summer’s chart-topper from the summer of 1977. Ably assisted by the Euro-disco dance rhythms generated by Giorgio Moroder’s rumbling synthesizer sound, Summer (born on New Year’s Eve in 1948) produces a near-orgasmic vocal performance. Without any doubt, this single represents not only one of the best disco tracks of all time, but it is one of the great British Number Ones of the much-maligned ‘seventies. 
{Also on this day, Boris Yeltsin resigns as the President of Russia in 1999}                                         

                           WHO GIVES A TOSS?
         Who gives a toss about the toss of a coin at the start of the proceedings? Just how crucial is the flip of the coin in determining the subsequent proceedings? Let’s take a look at the Ashes test matches from 1945 to 2005 then. Well, the first obvious statistic to record is that Australia have won 85 tosses, while the England captains have only guessed correctly on 78 occasions, thereby reinforcing the Australian belief that the English are useless tossers. However, what is more noteworthy is the conversion rate of calling the coin correctly and then winning the ensuing test. Here one will find that the apparent advantage of choosing either to bat or field first isn’t all it is cracked up to be, or at least if it is of supreme importance, then the team that decides whether or not to bowl first hasn’t always made a sound judgement. Australia, for example, have won only 34 of their test matches after enjoying the luxury of choice at the outset. This represents only a forty per cent chance that an Australian success at the toss will be followed by triumph in the match itself. England cricket fans, grasping at all the comfort that they can muster, can thus console themselves that should Australia win the toss, post-war history has indicated that there is a 60% chance that they will not then win the match itself. However, the picture then looks bleak for England when one observes their success at converting successes at the toss into triumph in the ensuing test match. Perversely, England have won only 19 of the 78 Ashes test matches between 1945 and 2005 when their captain correctly envisaged how the coin would be flipped. This means that there is a 75 per cent likelihood that England will not actually derive any advantage from the coin ritual! In summary, I can only conclude that anyone who jumps to conclusions that a winning toss will lead to a winning test, all I can state from the evidence presented to me is that all Ashes observers need not get too excited about this flipping coin! 

The Ashes, 1945-2005, A Complete Record [£9.99] by Tony Wagtar

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ashes-1945-2005-Complete-Record/dp/0955575699

The book is a statistical history of the Ashes conflicts from the 1946 tour
to Australia through to the 2005 series, though there is also a page
dedicated to the 2006-7 whitewash, as well as pages on non-Ashes test
matches; and the County Championship and Sheffield Shield winners from
1945-2005.
The book ends with a fascinating piece on the importance or otherwise
of winning the toss in Ashes test matches.
However the bulk of the book concerns itself with the 160+ test
matches and merely records all the scorecards. No such volume contains
all Ashes scorecards in chronological order in such an accessible way.
Whilst the fielders change ends between overs and during other momentary
pauses in play, this reference book is ideal for leafing through. Although it
is 90% facts and figures, there are brief comments which accompany each
test match. Interesting facts include the following:
Don Bradman’s last-ever innings in test cricket in 1948
Graham Gooch’s baptism of fire in 1975
The test in 1989 when Australia batted all day without conceding a wicket
The peculiar batting partnership of Botham and Tavare at Old Trafford in
1981
The test in 1981 when Australia slid from 56-1 to 75-8
The ‘sixties test when debutant Tom Cartwright had to bowl 77 overs
The finely balanced test in 1975 that was ended by a vandalised pitch
The ‘fifties test when Australia were reduced to 32 for 7
The Melbourne nailbiters of 1974 and 1982
The Edgbaston and Old Trafford nailbiters of 2005

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Guide-Music-1970s/dp/0955575656
 

     The song of the month for January 1977

     Isn’t She Lovely by David Parton (peak chart position: No.4)

Not to be confused with Dolly Parton, Mr. David Parton took hold of a Stevie Wonder composition and promptly escorted it into a lofty position in the British singles lists. Wonder had originally recorded the track for his highly acclaimed 1976 album ‘Songs In The Key Of Life’. The item was written to celebrate the birth of his daughter, Aisha. Meanwhile David Parton (real name Des Parton) was enjoying his brief flirtation with fame, courtesy of this one-hit wonder. Having said that, he had previously written Sweet Sensation’s ‘Sad Sweet Dreamer’.

     The song of the month for February 1977

    Sound And Vision by David Bowie (peak chart position: No.3)

David Bowie made a welcome return to the UK Top Three, thanks to the repetitive, yet highly infectious ‘Sound And Vision’, which was a product of his ‘Low’ project. Bowie at this time had been laid low by substance abuse which had threatened to undermine his renowned creativity. Hence, the Thin White Duke found himself ensconced in Berlin, rather strung out and waiting for the gifts of sound and vision to return to his consciousness. They clearly did, judging by the popularity of this single, decorated by the guitar of Carlos Alomar.

     The song of the month for March 1977

    Nightclubbing by Iggy Pop (album track)

Iggy Pop was yet another artist to benefit from the assistance of David Bowie. The artist formerly known as Ziggy Stardust took on the role of producer for Iggy Pop’s album, ‘The Idiot’, which was released in March 1977. The wacky Mr.Pop proved himself no idiot with the cool yet delightfully sleazy ‘Nightclubbing’ recording. The item would later be used in the opening sequence of the film ‘D.O.A.’ which recounted the Sex Pistols’ ill-fated tour of North America. Iggy and Bowie were very much a mutual appreciation society and the latter would later cover the former’s ‘China Girl’ with considerable success in 1983 as well as produce his next long player, ‘Lust For Life’.

     The song of the month for April 1977

    Police And Thieves by The Clash (album track)

Whenever the Sex Pistols kicked down the door of rock and pop, their fellow west London punk rockers, the Clash were among the first to rush in. This formidable foursome were acknowledged as arguably the most talented of the new wave of working class three minute heroes. Their first album surfaced in April 1977, having been recorded with much haste and little expense. The frantic material with an anti-capitalist agenda contained a decent reggae cover version of Junior Murvin’s ‘Police And Thieves’, sang by the late Joe Strummer.

     The song of the month for May 1977

    Peaches by The Stranglers (peak chart position: No.8)

The Stranglers were another new wave act that were able to successfully cash in on the punk explosion. They were denounced by that nice Johnny Rotten as “short-haired hippies”, but the Stranglers found favour with the teenage punk audience when their single ‘Peaches’ ventured into the British Top Ten. Hugh Cornwell and the gang had a sound that was reminiscent of the Doors and they were able to enjoy chart success much longer than their peers and contemporaries. The quirky ‘Peaches’ was responsible for laying such foundations.

     The song of the month for June 1977

    God Save The Queen by The Sex Pistols (peak chart position: No.2)

The mischievous Malcolm McLaren always had a nose for publicity and he jumped at the opportunity to seize upon the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II to issue what would be regarded as the most controversial single to hit the airwaves. Johnny Rotten had originally intended for this raucous composition to be entitled ‘No Future’ (a summation of his view of life in Britain for the disenfranchised youth), but he acquiesced in the change of song title. This recording did have a future in the hit parade though it is commonly believed that it was denied a place at Number One in a deliberate attempt to spare her Royal Lowness (or “moron”) any embarrassment.

     The song of the month for July 1977

    I Feel Love by Donna Summer (peak chart position: No.1)

The disco genre was now fighting off the challenge of punk rock for the attentions of the teenage pop market. However, one new release soon towered over all its competitors when Donna Summer finally sailed to the top of the British singles list with the dancefloor favourite, ‘I Feel Love’. This smash hit showcased the synthesizer sound as Giorgio Moroder supervised the creation of this modern pop classic. Summer’s semi-orgasmic vocals are a key component in an item which must be a candidate for the best chart-topper of the decade.

     The song of the month for August 1977

    Nobody Does It Better by Carly Simon (peak chart position: No.7)

American songbird, Carly Simon, had previously tasted chart-topping success in the United States with the excellent ‘You’re So Vain’. She eventually stepped forth with another commendable single when ‘Nobody Does It Better’ journeyed into the UK Top Ten in the late summer of 1977. This release was the signature tune for the latest James Bond movie, ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (starring Roger Moore and Barbara Bach). Carly Simon was not a regular visitor to the hit parade but when she did appear, the song was worth writing about.

     The song of the month for September 1977

    Yes Sir I Can Boogie by Baccara (peak chart position: No.1)

Baccara scored another notable success for disco music with the hugely likeable ‘Yes Sir I Can Boogie’. The artists in question hailed from Spain and were a female duo called Mayte Mateos and Maria Mendiola. This eye-catching pair eventually evicted David Soul from the British chart summit in late October, but their triumph proved to be short-lived and they failed to find anything to match this smash hit, although their follow-up single, ‘Sorry I’m A Lady’ did sneak into the UK Top Ten in early 1978.

     The song of the month for October 1977

    You Make Loving Fun by Fleetwood Mac (peak chart position: No.45)

Singer-songwriter and keyboardist Christine McVie was responsible for arguably the best track of 1977, yet when ‘You Make Loving Fun’ was issued as a single in the autumn of this year, it failed to make a splash in the UK. McVie’s soft rock masterpiece features a fine guitar contribution from Lindsey Buckingham as Christine pays tribute to a current boyfriend. The harmonies are of the highest quality, as indeed is the magnificent rhythm. Why this release did not achieve more airplay and subsequent sales is beyond all understanding.

     The song of the month for November 1977

    White Punks On Dope by The Tubes (peak chart position: No.28)

This remarkably eccentric recording is described as a punk song, by virtue of the word punk in the title, but quite frankly this gem of a single simply occupies its very own planet. The Tubes sing of poor little Californian rich kids desperately in search of street credibility, and if the fusion of guitars and piano seldom works better than here, the social comment lyrics are equally worthy of note, with such pearls as “Sounds real classy living in a chateau/ So lonely all the other kids will never know.” This is one of pop music’s finest five minutes.

     The song of the month for December 1977

    Jamming by Bob Marley And The Wailers (peak chart position: No.9)

Bob Marley had been a regular on the Caribbean music scene since the mid-sixties but he eventually began to conquer Babylon when the ‘Exodus’ album enjoyed critical acclaim and decent record sales in 1977. One of the tracks from the album would yield Marley his first British Top Ten single when ‘Jamming’ coupled with ‘Punky Reggae Party’ was released towards the end of the year. Although this third item to be issued as a single from ‘Exodus’ has its merits, it is a bit peculiar that it proved more popular than its predecessor, ‘Waiting In Vain’, which seemed more likely chart material. Anyhow, British audiences were now beginning to warm to the charming Robert Nesta.

Listed Below are the Top 10 Best Selling UK Singles of 1977

1     Mull of Kintyre                       Wings

2     Don’t Give Up On Us                 David Soul

3     Don’t Cry For Me Argentina        Julie Covington

4     When I Need You                       Leo Sayer

5     Silver Lady                     David Soul

6     Knowing Me Knowing You              Abba

7     I Feel Love                           Donna Summer

8     Way Down                                Elvis Presley

9     So You Win Again                     Hot Chocolate

10    Angelo                                  Brotherhood of Man

                        1977’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR

Now firmly established as Public Enemy Number One, the loveable Sex Pistols found their concert ambitions curtailed by numerous local councils who all got stage fright at the prospect of entertaining the fearsome foursome in their town centres. This didn’t stop the likes of the Clash, Joy Division, and the Stranglers acting as punk missionaries, bringing their anthems of doomed youth to youngsters throughout the UK. Speaking of missionaries, Bob Marley was back in London town, enchanting the assembled masses at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park. Marley and his Wailers were displaying new tracks from the aptly-titled ‘Exodus’ album, including ‘Jamming’ and an awesome rendition of ‘The Heathen’. On the subject of jamming heathen, Led Zeppelin were conquering the United States for an eleventh time. A record-breaking seventy-six thousand attended their treat at the Pontiac Silverdome on the 30th of April; yet three months later their performance at Oakland would prove to be their last on American soil, as personal tragedies took centre stage instead. Back in London, the River Thames was the unlikely host of the decade’s most peculiar public performance, when those oh so patriotic Pistols performed their very own ‘God Save The Queen’ to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of her Royal Lowness.

                        1977’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

                        (released in February; reached No.1 in the UK)

By the mid-seventies Fleetwood Mac had become more renowned for changes in personnel than for their music. However, the recruitment of Lindsey Buckingham and his partner, Stevie Nicks, transformed the fortunes of the group. The new Anglo-American quintet made an impressive start with their first album together in 1975, but it was the follow-up, ‘Rumours’, which launched the band into the superstardom stratosphere. Ironically, the new project (or at least some of its material) was a product of emotional strife amongst the five protagonists. Amongst other things, the love affairs between Christine and John McVie, and between Buckingham and Nicks came to an end, as the behind-the-scenes ‘proceedings’ ressembled a soap opera. For all the apparent tension, the music was of the highest quality. ‘Go Your Own Way’ is the obvious example of the angst that circulated both inside and outside the recording studio. Nevertheless, with such foundations as the under-rated guitar work of Lindsey, the splendid vocals and songwriting of Christine and Stevie, underpinned by the tried and trusted rhythm section of John and Mick, the recipe for a tremendously durable commercial success was in existence. That said, it is almost inconceivable that the resulting long player should sit in the UK album charts for the best part of the ensuing decade! There again, just listen to ‘Dreams’, ‘The Chain’, ‘Songbird’, and ‘Gold Dust Woman’, and suddenly the record’s phenomenal triumph makes perfect sense.

                        SPORT IN 1977

English Division One football champions: Liverpool; runners-up: Manchester City

English FA Cup final: Manchester United 2 Liverpool 1

English League Cup Final: Aston Villa 3 Everton 2 (after extra time, in a replay)

Scottish Premier Division football champions: Glasgow Celtic; runners-up: Glasgow Rangers

Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Celtic 1 Glasgow Rangers 0

Scottish League Cup final: Aberdeen 2 Glasgow Celtic 1

Irish League football champions: Glentoran; Irish Cup final: Coleraine 4 Linfield 1

League Of Ireland football champions: Sligo Rovers; cup winners: Dundalk

European Cup final: Liverpool 3 Borussia Moenchengladbach 1

European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: Hamburg 2 Anderlecht 0

UEFA Cup final: Juventus beat Athletico Bilbao on away goals rule (2-2 on aggregate)

English county cricket champions: Kent shared with Middlesex

Five Nations’ rugby union champions: France (the Grand Slam); runners-up: Wales

Formula One world drivers’ champion: Niki Lauda (Austria) in a Ferrari car

Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Dublin; runners-up: Armagh                     

British Open golf champion: Tom Watson (at Turnberry)

US Masters golf champion: Tom Watson

US Open golf champion: Hubert Green

USPGA golf champion: Lanny Wadkins

Rugby league Challenge Cup final: Leeds 16 Widnes 7

Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: B Borg beat J Connors 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4

Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final: V Wade beat B Stove 4-6, 6-3, 6-1

World snooker final: John Spencer (England) beat Cliff Thorburn (Canada) 25-21

The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: Red Rum; price 9-1

The Epsom Derby winner: The Minstrel; jockey - Lester Piggott; price 5-1

The Ryder Cup golf contest: Great Britain And Ireland 7.5 United States 12.5

                        1977’s DEATHS

January 14th: Robert Anthony Eden (ex-British Prime Minister), aged 79

January 14th: Peter Finch (British actor), aged 60

January 14th: Anais Nin (US author), aged 69

January 17th: Gary Gilmore (US murderer), aged 36

February 19th: Charles Anthony Raven Crosland (British Foreign Secretary), aged 58

March 20th: Peter Houseman (British footballer), aged 31

April 11th: Jacques Prevert (French poet), aged 77

May 10th: Joan Crawford (US actress), aged 69

June 3rd: Roberto Rossellini (Italian film director), aged 71

June 16th: Wernher von Braun (German scientist), aged 65

July 2nd: Vladimir Nabokov (Russian writer), aged 78

August 3rd: Archbishop Makarios (Cypriot President), aged 63

August 16th: Elvis Aaron Presley (US singer), aged 42

August 19th: Julius ‘Groucho’ Marx (US actor), aged 86

September 4th: Ernst Friedrich Schumacher (German economist), aged 65

September 12th: Steve Biko (South African political activist), aged 30

September 13th: Leopold Stokowski (British conductor), aged 95

September 16th: Marc Bolan (British musician), aged 29

September 16th: Maria Callas (Greek soprano), aged 53

October 14th: Harry ‘Bing’ Crosby (US actor), aged 73

October 20th: Ronnie Van Zant (US musician), aged 29

November 18th: Kurt von Schuschnigg (ex-Austrian Chancellor), aged 79

November 30th: Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (British playwright), aged 66

December 12th: Clementine Ogilvy Spencer Churchill (Winston Churchill’s wife), aged 92

December 25th: Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (British actor), aged 88

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Guide-Music-1970s/dp/0955575656

                        The song of the month for January 1976
         Forever And Ever by Slik (peak chart position: No.1)
Slik were perhaps guilty of attempting to imitate the highly-successful Bay City Rollers, but they did record a single which was superior to much of the teenage pop that had been unleashed in the previous couple of years. ‘Forever And Ever’ (with lead vocals by a young chap called Midge Ure) surrounds the vows taken at a wedding ceremony. Slik however soon vanished when the next single (‘Requiem’) failed to sell many copies.
 

                        The song of the month for February 1976
         Convoy by C.W. McCall (peak chart position: No.2)
Every now and then a box office success would yield smash hits and the latest film to inspire a foray into the pop charts was the American ‘road movie’, ‘Convoy’, starring the bearded country and western singer Kris Kristofferson. The artist responsible was C.W. McCall who provided a spoken role throughout the tune. The song found favour with a public that was keen on American chase movies such as ‘Smokey And The Bandit’. It also inspired a spoof cover version from Laurie Lingo And The Dipsticks, entitled ‘Convoy GB’.

                        The song of the month for March 1976
         Music by John Miles (peak chart position: No.3)
John Miles was the spokesperson for millions of people when he sang that “music is my first love and it will be my last”. This single spent three weeks at its peak position of Number 3. The song was quite a grandiose recording, assisted by an orchestral accompaniment. It even found its way deservedly on to a subsequent compilation, entitled ‘Milestones - 20 Rock Operas’, taking its place alongside many other classic recordings.

                        The song of the month for April 1976
         No Charge by J.J. Barrie (peak chart position: No.1)
This country and western flavoured novelty release sneaked into the Top Fifty at the end of April before ‘charging’ its way up the singles chart. J.J. Barrie actually talks his way through this emotional little number in which a small child runs through a bill of chores completed for his mother, after which the mother makes her son aware of her ‘services’, all performed with no charge. The British public certainly took it to their hearts, whilst Billy Connolly was inspired to perform a spoof entitled ‘No Chance’.

                        The song of the month for May 1976
    Midnight Train To Georgia by Gladys Knight And The Pips (peak chart position: No.10)
This sad composition had previously climbed to the summit of the American singles list three years earlier for Gladys Knight and her Pips. In the British charts, their effort was ‘pipped’ to the top of the charts but it remains one of the greatest soul singles in the history of popular music. This fabulous story was to provide the act with the third of four UK Top Ten hits in the 1970s, though its peak position of No.10 was an injustice.

                        The song of the month for June 1976
         Let’s Stick Together by Bryan Ferry (peak chart position: No.4)
Geordie crooner Bryan Ferry continued to cultivate a solo career alongside his association with Roxy Music. In between band projects, Ferry did a commendable re-working of Canned Heat’s ‘Let’s Work Together’ which provided the singer with his first Top Ten hit since ‘A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall’. Ferry’s other half, Jerry Hall, made a contribution to the song’s video, before she decided to go off and stick together with Mick Jagger.

                        The song of the month for July 1976
         Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John And Kiki Dee (peak chart position: No.1)
Elton John was no stranger to the top of the Billboard Number One position, but it took a collaboration with Kiki Dee to earn the popular singer his first UK chart-topper. Not content with reaching the pop summit, Elton and Kiki promptly stayed there for a further five weeks. This excellent pop song would end the year as the second biggest-selling single in the British charts. For four August heatwave weeks, this duet would sit at the top of the pop music lists in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
 

                        The song of the month for August 1976
         The Killing Of Georgie by Rod Stewart (peak chart position: No.2)
This outstanding item lived in the shadow of the million-selling ‘Sailing’ which is quite unjust, considering that it is arguably the better song. Here Rod branches out into a ballad about the murder of a gay friend in New York. Not only does the tragic end of Georgie make for an interesting story but the second half of the song’s extended version is most poignant. This tune must surely be a strong contender for the best track of the year.
 

                        The song of the month for September 1976
         Girl Of My Best Friend by Elvis Presley (peak chart position: No.9)
His health may have been in terminal decline, but for all the personal turmoil, Elvis Presley still enjoyed regular incursions into the British Top Ten. This ‘latest’ success story was actually a recording that dated back to 1960. The ‘Girl Of My Best Friend’ was born around the same time as the smash hits ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’ and ‘It’s Now Or Never’. This slice of nostalgia was a reminder of the majesty of the King.

                        The song of the month for October 1976
         If You Leave Me Now by Chicago (peak chart position: No.1)
Peter Cetera and his Chicago outfit had already enjoyed a two-week stint at the top of the Billboard chart when they emulated this success by securing a three-week sojourn at the summit of the UK singles listings. Here was yet another of those sensitive songs that the British public took a liking to. Chicago hadn’t visited the Top Ten for six years and it would be a further 6 years before they returned.

                        The song of the month for November 1976
         Money Money Money by Abba (peak chart position: No.3)
The all-conquering Abba experienced relative failure when ‘Money Money Money’ could ‘only’ manage a Number 3 peak position after a hat-trick of chart-toppers in the previous twelve months. This new smash hit still remained one of the most memorable tunes from the quartet’s esteemed repertoire. It is after all the kind of lyrics which many gold-digging females could relate to. The single spent four weeks in the Top Three, but was eclipsed by Abba’s next three releases which also topped the UK charts.

                        The song of the month for December 1976
         The Last Resort by The Eagles (album track)
This seven and a half minute epic brought the curtain down on the highly acclaimed ‘Hotel California’ long player. The song is a critique of the white man’s colonisation of North America in the name of God. It is a powerful, thought-provoking grandiose recording which never seemed to acquire the recognition it has merited. Perhaps it has been overshadowed by the album’s hit singles, but ‘The Last Resort’ is a giant album track.

Listed Below are the Top 10 Best Selling UK Singles of 1976
1     Save Your Kisses For Me                        Brotherhood of Man
2     Don’t Go Breaking My Heart          Elton John and Kiki Dee
3     Mississippi                                Pussycat
4     Dancing Queen                        Abba
5     A Little Bit More                         Dr. Hook
6     If You Leave Me Now                Chicago
7     Fernando                              Abba
8     I Love To Love                        Tina Charles
9     The Roussos Phenonemon (EP)       Demis Roussos
10    Under The Moon Of Love                      Showaddywaddy

                        1976’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
The runaway train, otherwise known as the Sex Pistols, took off around England’s green and pleasant land, as the ‘Anarchy Tour’ caused merry mayhem. The Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester was one such venue that enjoyed the peculiar pleasures of a Pistols’ performance. From this happening began the great Manchester music scene that dominated the new wave and indie genres for the subsequent dozen years. Other punk acts such as the Clash and the Damned were treating the disenfranchised youth to their own particular rocky horror shows. Meanwhile, one slightly less punk outfit, the Brotherhood of Man, were triumphing at the Eurovision Song Contest with the twee ‘Save Your Kisses For me’. The reclusive Brian Wilson also stepped out of his bedroom and joined the Beach Boys back on stage for the first time in several years as the group continued to entertain their fans with their ‘sixties ‘surfin’ repertoire. Speaking of ‘sixties legends, the Rolling Stones were strutting their stuff at the Knebworth summer festival. Out in the Carribbean, Bob Marley made an astonishing appearance at the Smile Jamaica concert, a few hours after being shot in an assassination attempt at his home. It would be Marley’s last outing in Jamaica for 16 months. 
 
                        1976’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Hotel California by The Eagles
                        (released in December; reached No.2 in the UK)
The Eagles were the biggest success story to emerge from North America in the ‘seventies. They were loosely described as a rock band, but their own brand of laid back, west coast ‘rock’ was considerably more accessible than heavy metal whilst their material refreshingly swerved the standard alpha male, macho posturing of the likes of the Rolling Stones and the Who. The group’s creative peak was almost certainly ‘Hotel California’. Whilst the record is best remembered for its trio of hit singles, ‘Life In The Fast Lane’, ‘The New Kid In Town’,and the epic title track, the rest of the long player is anything but ‘album filler’. The band’s sensitive side was much in evidence on such items as  the majestic ‘Wasted Time’ and the beautiful ‘Pretty Maids All In A Row’. ‘Try And Love Again’ is another impressive ‘soft rock’ composition, but pride of place must go to ‘The Last Resort’. This concluding piece is surely one of the most under-rated tracks in the history of popular music. With such an armoury of quality songs, it is small wonder that ‘Hotel California’ thrived in the UK and US charts.

                        SPORT IN 1976
English Division One football champions: Liverpool; runners-up: Queen’s Park Rangers
English FA Cup final: Southampton 1 Manchester United 0 
English League Cup Final: Manchester City 2 Newcastle United 1
Scottish Premier Division football champions: Glasgow Rangers; runners-up: Glasgow Celtic
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Rangers 3 Hearts 1 
Scottish League Cup final: Glasgow Rangers 1 Glasgow Celtic 0
Irish League football champions: Crusaders; Irish Cup final: Carrick Rangers 2 Linfield 1 
League Of Ireland football champions: Dundalk; cup winners: Bohemians
European Cup final: Bayern Munich 1 St Etienne 0 
European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: Anderlecht 4 West Ham United 2
UEFA Cup final: Liverpool beat Bruges 4-3 on aggregate
English county cricket champions: Middlesex
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: Wales (the Grand Slam); runners-up: France
Formula One world drivers’ champion: James Hunt (United Kingdom) in a McLaren car
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Dublin; runners-up: Kerry                       
British Open golf champion: Johnny Miller (at Royal Birkdale)
US Masters golf champion: Ray Floyd
US Open golf champion: Jerry Pate
USPGA golf champion: Dave Stockton
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: St Helens 20 Widnes 5
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: B Borg beat I Nastase 6-4, 6-2, 9-7
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final: C Evert beat E Cawley 6-3, 4-6, 8-6
World snooker final: Ray Reardon (Wales) beat Alex Higgins (Northern Ireland) 27-16
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: Rag Trade; price 14-1
The Epsom Derby winner: Empery; jockey - Lester Piggott; price 10-1
European Championship final: Czechoslovakia beat West Germany on penalties (2-2 after full time)

                        1976’s DEATHS
January 5th: John Aloysius Costello (Irish ex-Taoiseach), aged 84
January 8th: Chou En-lai (Chinese statesman), aged 77
January 12th: Dame Agatha Christie (British author), aged 85
January 23rd: Paul Robeson (US singer), aged 77
February 22nd: Florence Glenda Ballard Chapman (US singer), aged 32
February 23rd: Laurence Stephen Lowry (British artist), aged 78
March 14th: Busby Berkeley (US choreographer), aged 80
March 19th: Paul Francis Kossoff (British musician), aged 25
March 24th: Field Marshal Montgomery (British soldier), aged 88
April 1st: Max Ernst (French artist), aged 84
April 5th: Howard Hughes (US tycoon), aged 70
April 25th: Sir Carol Reed (British film director), aged 69
April 26th: Sidney James (British actor), aged 62
May 26th: Dame Maggie Teyte (British soprano), aged 88
June 6th: John Paul Getty (US oil tycoon), aged 83
June 9th: Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike (British actress), aged 93
June 25th: Johnny Mercer (US singer), aged 66
July 22nd: Sir Robert Wheeler (British archaeologist), aged 85
August 2nd: Fritz Lang (German film director), aged 85
August 4th: Baron Thomson of Fleet (British newspaper owner), aged 82
August 19th: Alastair George Bell Sim (British actor), aged 75
August 29th: Jimmy Reed (US musician), aged 50
September 9th: Mao Tse-tung (Chinese dictator), aged 82
September 21st: Sir William Alexander Roy Collins (British publisher), aged 76
October 14th: Dame Edith Evans (British actress), aged 88
October 22nd: Edward John Burra (British artist), aged 71
November 18th: Man Ray (US artist), aged 86
November 19th: Sir Basil Urwin Spence (British architect), aged 69
November 23rd: Andre Malraux (French author), aged 75
December 4th: Tommy Bolin (US musician), aged 25
December 4th: Edward Benjamin Britten (British composer), aged 63

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/johnny+zero/an+essential+guide+to+music+in+the+1970s/6586813/

              The song of the month for January 1975
         January by Pilot (peak chart position: No.1)
It was wholly appropriate that this song should be released in January and find itself in the upper echelons of the UK singles list before the month’s end. Before long it was at the pop summit, which is not surprising as this radio-friendly light rocker couldn’t fail to arouse the interest of pop aficionados. Unfortunately for Pilot, they could not navigate their next 2 singles into the British Top Thirty and thus any hopes of a durable pop career crash landed when January ‘disappeared’ in March. 
    
              The song of the month for February 1975
         Number Nine Dream by John Lennon (peak chart position: No.23)
Released a few months previously on his ‘Walls And Bridges’ album, John Lennon’s under-rated masterpiece made an all-too-brief appearance in the British singles chart in early 1975. With the help of Phil Spector, Lennon draws attention to the significance of the number 9 in his life. He was born on the ninth of October 1940 in the midst of a Luftwaffe air raid upon Liverpool. Fortunately the Luftwaffe missed Julia Lennon, or we would never have been treated to this piece which surely surpasses the hyped ‘Imagine’. 

               The song of the month for March 1975
         Honey by Bobby Goldsboro (peak chart position: No.2)
‘Honey’ had previously made its sweet presence felt back in the spring of 1968 when it fell agonisingly short of the Number One position. History actually repeated itself when this beautiful item again came close to the coveted top spot. As a consequence of these two chart runs, this popular single spent a total of 27 weeks in the British singles lists. It was clearly Bobby Goldsboro’s most successful release. Regrettably, the folks ‘back then’ had a stronger preference for ‘Bye Bye Baby’ by the Bay City Rollers. Dear oh dear.
 
                   The song of the month for April 1975
         Lovin’ You by Minnie Riperton (peak chart position: No.2)
Loving this is easy ‘cos it’s beautiful. Minnie Riperton excels here with a vocal performance that takes the breath away. Aside from the notable singing, the song is remembered for the bird constantly chirping in the background. For all the incurable romantics for whom flowers and chocolates are the order of the day, this American chart-topper would have been essential listening. Tragically, Minnie Riperton passed away in July of 1979 at the age of 31, a victim of breast cancer. What a waste.
 
                 The song of the month for May 1975
         I’m Not In Love by 10CC (peak chart position: No.1)
10CC had been among the most consistent hit-makers in the last few years, having previously climbed onto the UK singles summit with ‘Rubber Bullets’ in 1973. It therefore came as little surprise when they reached the pop heights again, though the material this time was radically different. ‘I’m Not In Love’ is a deliciously mellow recording which would have found favour with both young and old. It sounded considerably more mature and sophisticated than their previous Number One and it is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the 1970s.

                The song of the month for June 1975
         Tears On My Pillow by Johnny Nash (peak chart position: No.1)
American singer Johnny Nash had previously had an association with Bob Marley so it was hardly surprising that he should flirt with reggae music. Yet again the British singles-buyers were clearly feeling sorry for themselves as they took a shine to this tearjerker which enjoyed one week at the ‘top of the pops’. This was the sixth time that a Nash release had invaded the UK Top Ten but hereafter the absence of any further successes would have been reason enough for more tears on his pillow.

              The song of the month for July 1975
         Barbados by Typically Tropical (peak chart position: No.1)
British music lovers engaged in a flight of fancy as they warmed on that hot summer to the sounds of ‘Barbados’ which nudged the Bay City Rollers off the Number One perch. The artists responsible were Typically Tropical who can lay a credible claim to having provided one of the best tunes from a ‘one hit wonder’. The song includes a mock address from the aeroplane pilot at the start of the ‘flight’ as the singer shares his excitement at the prospect of travelling to the attractive island in the Caribbean. 
 
               The song of the month for August 1975
         Sailing by Rod Stewart (peak chart position: No.1)
Not a year seemed to go by without Rod Stewart making his presence felt in the world of pop. This time he stepped forth with a song whose popularity probably eclipses his ‘Maggie May’ offering. This smash hit demonstrated his knack of sourcing a good song from elsewhere - in this instance from the Sutherland brothers. The musical accompaniment is first class as Rod sings from the heart. This is one of the few records that emerge in any era which retains its appeal through the march of time. Its sales figures speak for themselves.

            The song of the month for September 1975
         Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts 1 to 5 by Pink Floyd (album track)
The album opener to the newly-released ‘Wish You Were Here’ represents the very best of the Floyd. It evolves in characteristically languid style with a fine contribution from Dave Gilmour’s guitar. The ‘hero’ of the song, one Roger ‘Syd’ Barrett just happened to venture into the Abbey Road recording studios during its creation for a brief and typically bizarre reunion with his former ‘colleagues’. Barrett explained to his horrified (former) friends that his overweight condition was due to the large pork chops that he had in his fridge - a crazy diamond indeed. 

              The song of the month for October 1975
         Space Oddity by David Bowie (peak chart position: No.1)
It was indeed something of an oddity that David Bowie’s first hit single from six years ago should land once more on planet pop and then soar into orbit - or to Number One to be precise. Such a success for the ever-changing Bowie was overdue, though this ‘sixties artefact was a surprise package. Bowie had also previously tasted American charts glory in collaboration with John Lennon on ‘Fame’ and Bowie’s own fame was enhanced by this ‘new’ success. Bowie remained a chart regular over the next few years in spite of a spiralling drug habit. 

             The song of the month for November 1975
         Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (peak chart position: No.1)
Freddie Mercury and his troops took the British charts by storm at the end of 1975 when ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ took up a phenomenal nine-week residence at the top of the pop tree. Not since the 1950s had any single monopolised the lists to such an extent. It was widely accepted that the exposure of the song’s video was a major factor in its success. The tune itself typified the eccentric brand of rock that Queen represented, with piano one moment and electric guitar the next, culminating in a gong being hit at the tune’s conclusion. This was predictably the lead single from the ‘A Night At The Opera’ project which is only narrowly defeated by ‘Wish You Were Here’ for album of the year.
  
             The song of the month for December 1975
         Mamma Mia by Abba (peak chart position: No.1)
After the triumph of ‘Waterloo’, Sweden’s finest foursome experienced a couple of false starts before their pop career resumed in earnest. It took the success of ‘S.O.S’ to indicate that Abba had more to offer than merely a ‘one-hit wonder’. The next item in the Abba assembly line of smash hits was ‘Mamma Mia’. This single mercifully relieved ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ of its occupation of the British pop summit whilst laying the foundations for a year of world domination. The song (or at least its title) has since inspired both a musical and a popular film. 

Listed Below are the Top 10 Best Selling UK Singles of 1975
1  Bye Bye Baby                 The Bay City Rollers
2  Sailing                         Rod Stewart
3  Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love)The Stylistics
4  Whispering Grass                 Windsor Davies and Don Estelle
5  Stand By Your Man                 Tammy Wynette
6  Give A Little Love                 The Bay City Rollers
7  Hold Me Close                 David Essex
8  I Only Have Eyes For You         Art Garfunkel
9  The Last Farewell                 Roger Whittaker
10 I’m Not In Love              10CC

                        1975’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
A new rock group called the Sex Pistols shocked audiences in London with an unprecedented display of amateurism and aggression that kick started punk rock in the United Kingdom. Punk was held aloft as the yoof generation’s challenge to the rock dinosaurs who had taken live shows away from the intimacy of clubs and concert halls in favour of stadium venues. The biggest culprits were perhaps the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Both outfits were ‘back by popular demand’ in the United States as the former introduced their new team member, Ronnie Wood, whilst the latter were trying to market their acclaimed double album, ‘Physical Graffiti’. After completing their tenth invasion of Uncle Sam’s home, Zeppelin took Earls Court in west London by storm, with five gigs there in the spring. Punk rock and the new wave may have just been around the corner, but they would have to wait until the Zeppelin exited the stage. Meanwhile, Bob Marley and the Wailers entertained the assembled mass at the Lyceum in London, thereby confirming them as one of the hottest acts on planet pop. The accompanying live album provided Robert Nesta with another incursion into the UK album charts, whilst ‘No Woman No Cry’ (performed live) would be his first British hit single.

                        1975’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
                         (released in September; reached No.1 in the UK)
After ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ began to accumulate record sales that were beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, the Floyd became victims of their own success. Just how, after all, were they supposed to match or improve upon their ‘dark moon’ project? Indeed in many quarters, ‘Wish You Were Here’ was indeed viewed as a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’, but it is held in high regard by most Pink Floyd aficionados. Once again the group (and Roger Waters in particular) were expressing their negative outlook of how society was evolving, or indeed deteriorating. ‘Welcome To The Machine’ was the obvious example of a band that was both world-weary and bored with the trappings of ‘stardom’. ‘Meanwhile ‘Have A Cigar’ (with lead vocals from Roy Harper) is a more amusing but ironic swipe at the music industry. The title track is simply an exquisite acoustic guitar track. The centre piece of the album is ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, which is characteristically divided into nine ‘parts’. It isn’t so much a case of the foursome pining for the impossible return of the unhinged Syd Barrett, but more a case of the quartet offloading their guilt at jettisoning their former friend several years previously when he became something of an ‘acid casualty’. ‘Wish You Were Here’ is not instantly likeable, but it grows in appeal with every listen.

                        SPORT IN 1975
English Division One football champions: Derby County; runners-up: Liverpool
English FA Cup final: West Ham United 2 Fulham 0 
English League Cup Final: Aston Villa 1 Norwich City 0
Scottish Division One football champions: Glasgow Rangers; runners-up: Hibernian
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Celtic 3 Airdrieonians 1 
Scottish League Cup final: Glasgow Celtic 6 Hibernian 3
Irish League football champions: Linfield; Irish Cup final: Coleraine 1 Linfield 0 (in a replay)
League Of Ireland football champions: Bohemians; cup winners: Home Farm
European Cup final: Bayern Munich 2 Leeds United 0 
European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: Dynamo Kiev 3 Ferencvaros 0
UEFA Cup final: Borussia Moenchengladbach beat Twente Enschede 5-1 on aggregate
English county cricket champions: Leicestershire
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: Wales (six points)
Formula One world drivers’ champion: Niki Lauda (Austria) in a Ferrari car
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Kerry; runners-up: Dublin                         
British Open golf champion: Tom Watson (at Carnoustie)
US Masters golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
US Open golf champion: Lou Graham
USPGA golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: Widnes 14 Warrington 7
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: A Ashe beat J Connors 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final: B-J King beat E Cawley 6-0, 6-1
World snooker final: Ray Reardon (Wales) beat Eddie Charlton (Australia) 31-30
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: L’Escargot; price 13-2
The Epsom Derby winner: Grundy; jockey - Pat Eddery; price 5-1
The Ryder Cup golf contest: United States 21 Great Britain And Ireland 11

                        1975’s DEATHS
February 4th: Louis Jordan (US musician), aged 66
February 14th: Sir Julian Sorell Huxley (British scientist), aged 87
February 14th: Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (British author), aged 93
February 24th: Nikolai Bulganin (Soviet statesman), aged 79
February 28th: Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus (British writer), aged 85
March 14th: Susan Hayward (US actress), aged 56
March 15th: Aristotle Onassis (Greek tycoon), aged 69
March 16th: T-Bone Walker (US musician), aged 64
March 28th: Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss (British composer), aged 83
April 5th: Chiang Kai-shek (Chinese statesman), aged 87
April 12th: Josephine Baker (US entertainer), aged 68
April 15th: Michael Henry Flanders (British actor), aged 53
April 24th: Pete Ham (British musician), aged 27
May 6th: Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty (from Hungary), aged 83
May 20th: Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (British sculptor), aged 72
July 2nd: James Robertson Justice (British actor), aged 70
August 9th: Dmitri Shostakovich (Soviet composer), aged 68
August 15th: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bangladesh’s President), aged 55
August 27th: Emperor Haile Selassie (of Ethiopia), aged 83
August 29th: Eamon de Valera (ex-Irish Taoiseach), aged 92
October 1st: Al Jackson (US musician), aged 39
October 22nd: Arnold Joseph Toynbee (British historian), aged 86
November 7th: Cardinal Heenan (ex-Archbishop of Westminster), aged 70
November 20th: General Francisco Franco (Spain’s dictator), aged 82
November 27th: Ross McWhirter (British journalist), aged 50
November 29th: Norman Graham Hill (British Formula 1 driver), aged 46
December 7th: Thornton Wilder (US author), aged 78

   

                       The song of the month for January 1974
         All Of My Life by Diana Ross (peak chart position: No.9)
Diana Ross was proving to be as consistently successful as a solo artist as she had been in tandem with the Supremes. ‘All Of My Life’ may have only scraped into the British Top Ten, but it still ranks as one of her very finest love songs. Miss Ross then proceeded on to a couple of heavyweight collaborations with another American icon, Marvin Gaye, which yielded the excellent ‘You Are Everything’. Regardless of the trends and fads which surfaced and then vanished, the recordings of Diana Ross remained constantly popular.

                     The song of the month for February 1974
         Billy, Don’t Be A Hero by Paper Lace (peak chart position: No.1)
This sad tale about a young soldier who ignored his fiancee’s plea to keep his “pretty head low” also reached the American pop summit, but it was covered by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods, who gave it an American Civil War setting. Even more strange was the fact that Paper Lace actually topped the Billboard singles chart later in the year with ‘The Night Chicago Died’. This track will always be remembered for its military sound of a marching drum and an accompanying flute.
  
              The song of the month for March 1974
         Seasons In The Sun by Terry Jacks (peak chart position: No.1)
Following shortly after the tearjerker that was ‘Billy Don’t Be A Hero’ was perhaps the saddest song of them all. Yes, in spite of the title, ‘Seasons In The Sun’ was far from sunny. Instead it is sung from the point of view of a person contemplating an imminent death who recalls past times when he had joy and fun and seasons in the sun. Tissue paper manufacturers must surely have been doing a good trade in the spring of this year. ‘Seasons In The Sun’ was so popular that it became the second biggest-selling single of the year. 

             The song of the month for April 1974
         Waterloo by Abba (peak chart position: No.1)
Continental Europe had never provided artists who could enjoy a durable chart career in Britain or the United States, but all that was to change with the Abba invasion from Sweden, which began with the glorious ‘Waterloo’. The two men and two women singing act had been a well-worn formula, but this time the two guys were highly capable composers, so the group simply stuck to their own admirable material. What was remarkable was that after the success of ‘Waterloo’, Abba struggled to find a decent follow-up for eighteen months until their flagging fortunes were rescued by an ‘S.O.S.’.

                 The song of the month for May 1974
    This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us by Sparks (peak chart position: No.2)
One of the great injustices in human history was the fact that the Rubettes kept this charming rocker off the Number One position in the British singles listing. Nevertheless, the Sparks had delivered one of the biggest music thrills of the year with this eccentric piece, underpinned by the sound of gunfire, a falsetto singing voice, not to mention the ‘Hitler moustache’ of the keyboardist Ron Mael. Any ‘seventies compilation that overlooks this magnificent museum piece deserves itself to be overlooked.

             The song of the month for June 1974
         Rock Your Baby by George McCrae (peak chart position: No.1)
The British record-buyers were mercifully beginning to tire of glam rock and turned instead in increasing numbers to the genre of disco. The only drawback was that for a few years anything with the word ‘disco’ in the song title found its way onto the charts, regardless of its dubious quality. Nevertheless, there were clearly a number of giant dancefloor classics, of which ‘Rock Your Baby’ is most certainly one. George McCrae reaches the high notes here and is deservedly rewarded with a Number One on both sides of the Atlantic.

                  The song of the month for July 1974
         Band On The Run by Wings (peak chart position: No.3)
The fertile imagination of Paul McCartney hit upon the crazy idea of fleeing to Africa to record an album there. The ensuing result of Macca’s ‘band on the run’ was a long player that even the once scornful John Lennon approved of. Wings may have gone on to dwell at Number One for a staggering nine weeks with ‘Mull Of Kintyre’, but McCartney’s jailbreak song represents his post-Beatles creative peak. The item switches cleverly between a wonderful acoustic guitar and electric guitar. Such is popular taste that McCartney has reached singles summits with songs that don’t compare with the quality of this tune.

               The song of the month for August 1974
         Annie’s Song by John Denver (peak chart position: No.1)
John Denver was no stranger to lofty chart positions in the United States, courtesy of the likes of ‘Thank God I’m A Country Boy’ but his only major British success story was the hugely listenable ‘Annie’s Song’. Here was one of those occasions when the adults closed ranks and purchased something which all the teenage record-buyers would not have warmed to. This delightful piece benefited from harmonies and a fine strings arrangement and re-appeared in the UK chart in 1978 when Irish flautist James Galway delivered his own version.

              The song of the month for September 1974
         Sad Sweet Dreamer by Sweet Sensation (peak chart position: No.1)
ITV’s hugely popular ‘Opportunity Knocks’ was the breeding ground for many new acts in the world of showbusiness. One such instance was the emergence of the Sweet Sensation who were regarded as Britain’s very own answer to the Jacksons. This young group never fulfilled the high expectations, which is all the more surprising since they made a majestic splash with the beautiful ‘Sad Sweet Dreamer’. Here is another candidate for one of the best-ever pop songs. Yet again record-buyers were seduced by a sad, sweet composition.
 
         The song of the month for October 1974
         Killer Queen by Queen (peak chart position: No.2)
Queen carved out their very own niche on planet pop by shrewdly offering material that was more accessible than heavy metal and yet they were correctly labelled as a ‘rock band’. They made an impressive start with the ‘Seven Seas Of Rhye’ and it was becoming apparent that they would be a prolific act when they then issued ‘Killer Queen’. Failing narrowly to hit the Number One spot, this is an entertaining tale of a femme fatale, decorated with tongue-in-cheek lyrics while Brian May’s guitar weighs in with its customary excellence. 
 
              The song of the month for November 1974 
    You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet by Bachman-Turner Overdrive (peak chart position: No.2)
This monumental rock song was one of Canadian music’s finest moments. Taking its cue from ‘All Right Now’, the recording has amusing seduction lyrics. It certainly struck a chord with music aficionados on both sides of the ‘big pond’. The item was later popularized by spoof disc jockeys ‘Smashy’ and ‘Nicey’ who were rather fond of it. The trouble for Randy Bachman and his team were that they will forever be remembered for this one song, but then when you record one of the great rock anthems, you only have yourself to blame.

                  The song of the month for December 1974
         Help Me Make It Through The Night by John Holt (peak chart position: No.6)
Bob Marley was slowly beginning to emerge as one of the world’s most important performers, but in the mean time a plethora of acts still took turns to fly the flag for Jamaican music. Stepping up to the mark for his four minutes of fame this time was John Holt, a renowned exponent of love songs in Caribbean circles. Holt expertly covered Kris Kristofferson’s delightful song of seduction and eventually helped himself to a British Top Five position in early 1975. Both the vocals and the musical accompaniment were of the highest order.

Listed Below are the Top 10 Best Selling UK Singles of 1974
1  Tiger Feet                         Mud
2  Seasons In The Sun                 Terry Jacks
3  Billy, Don’t Be A Hero         Paper Lace
4  When Will I See You Again         The Three Degrees
5  Rock Your Baby                 George McCrae
6  Gonna Make You A Star         David Essex
7  Kung Fu Fighting                 Carl Douglas
8  She                                 Charles Aznavour
9  Sugar Baby Love                 The Rubettes
10 Everything I Own                 Ken Boothe

                        1974’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
The Beatles once insisted that they would not tour the United States until they had achieved a Stateside Number One. ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ resolved that potential impasse. Eleven years later, John Lennon made a similar pronouncement to his new buddy, Elton John. Lennon stated that he would not take to the stage unless his new disco release, ‘Whatever Gets You Through The Night’, should reach the top of the Billboard charts. To Lennon’s astonishment, his new single did indeed climb to the American pop summit, whereupon he kept his word and joined Elton John on stage at Madison Square Garden in November where the two Johns (Elton and Lennon) performed versions of ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ and ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, as well as Lennon’s current US chart-topper. It would be the last time that one of the icons of popular music would sing live. Meanwhile, back in the spring, a different musical gathering at Brighton, on England’s south coast, witnessed the birth of pop world’s next ‘big thing’ when Sweden’s Abba conquered the Eurovision Song Contest, en route to global domination in the ensuing seven years. 
 
         1974’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Natty Dread by Bob                                     
                        (released in October; reached No.43 in the UK)
Robert Nesta Marley was entering new territory with his ‘Natty Dread’ recording, as his act was now billed as Bob Marley And The Wailers. The recent departure of his closest collaborators Bunny Livingstone and Peter Tosh to pursue their own solo paths had necessitated this new state of affairs.  Bob recruited his wife Rita as well as singers Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths to form the backing band, the I-Threes, whilst American blues guitarist Al Anderson was hired to assist the Barrett brothers who comprised the Wailers’ rhythm section. The result was Marley’s first breakthrough into the British album charts. The long player visited Marley’s main concerns of inequality (‘Them Belly Full’) and oppression (‘Rebel Music’). It also possessed the first outing of ‘No Woman, No Cry’, as well as a fans’ favourite, ‘Lively Up Yourself’. On the road to becoming reggae’s first superstar and an ambassador for the Third World, Bob Marley was already setting out his stall with his musical anxieties about ‘Babylon’. This isn’t by any means his best album, but it was a signpost of what was to follow from Jamaica’s most famous son who quickly became one of the most important recording stars of the 1970s.

                        SPORT IN 1974
English Division One football champions: Leeds United; runners-up: Liverpool
English FA Cup final: Liverpool 3 Newcastle United 0 
English League Cup Final: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Manchester City 1
Scottish Division One football champions: Glasgow Celtic; runners-up: Hibernian
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Celtic 3 Dundee United 0 
Scottish League Cup final: Dundee 1 Glasgow Celtic 0
Irish League football champions: Coleraine; Irish Cup final: Ards 2 Ballymena United 1 
League Of Ireland football champions: Cork Celtic; cup winners: Finn Harps
European Cup final: Bayern Munich 4 Atletico Madrid 0 (in a replay)
European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: FC Magdeburg 2 AC Milan 0
UEFA Cup final: Feyenoord beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 on aggregate
English county cricket champions: Worcestershire
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: Ireland (five points)
Formula One world drivers’ champion: Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil) in a McLaren car
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Dublin; runners-up: Galway                         
British Open golf champion: Gary Player (at Royal Lytham & St Annes)
US Masters golf champion: Gary Player
US Open golf champion: Hale Irwin
USPGA golf champion: Lee Trevino
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: Warrington 24 Featherstone Rovers 9
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: J Connors beat K Rosewall 6-1, 6-1, 6-4
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final: C Evert beat O Morozova 6-0, 6-4
World snooker final: Ray Reardon (Wales) beat Graham Miles (England) 22-12
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: Red Rum; price 11-1
The Epsom Derby winner: Snow Knight; jockey - Brian Taylor; price 50-1
World Cup final: West Germany 2 Holland 1

                        1974’s DEATHS
January 6th: David Siqueiros (Mexican painter), aged 77
January 25th: James Pope-Hennessy (British author), aged 57
January 31st: Samuel Goldwyn (US film producer), aged 91
April 2nd: Georges Pompidou (France’s President), aged 62
April 5th: Richard Crossman (British politician), aged 66
May 24th: Duke Ellington (US musician), aged 75
June 10th: Duke of Gloucester, aged 74
June 18th: Marshal Georgi Zhukov (Soviet soldier), aged 77
July 1st: Juan Domingo Peron (Argentina’s President), aged 78
July 5th: Georgette Heyer (British novelist), aged 71
July 9th: Earl Warren (US judge), aged 83
July 29th: Mama Cass Elliot (US singer), aged 32
August 13th: Kate O’Brien (Irish novelist), aged 76
August 22nd: Dr. Jacob Bronowski (Polish biologist), aged 66
September 23rd: Robbie McIntosh (British musician), aged 24
October 24th: David Oistrakh (Soviet violinist), aged 66
November 7th: Eric Linklater (British novelist), aged 75
November 13th: Vittorio de Sica (Italian film director), aged 72
November 24th: Cornelius Ryan (Irish writer), aged 54
November 25th: Nick Drake (British singer), aged 26
November 25th: U Thant (Burmese UN Secretary-General), aged 65
December 14th: Walter Lippman (US journalist), aged 75


 

                       The song of the month for January 1972
         Let’s Stay Together by Al Green (peak chart position: No.7)
Perhaps immortalised from its inclusion on the ‘Pulp Fiction’ movie, Al Green’s magnificent love song, decorated by an excellent horns section, deservedly climbed to the top of the tree in the Billboard singles list. British record-buyers were slightly less appreciative, but few observers and listeners three decades later can argue that this is perhaps the greatest soul recording to emerge from North America in the 1970s.
      
                    The song of the month for February 1972
         Without You by Nilsson (peak chart position: No.1)
This tearjerker is steeped in tragedy.The composer, Pete Ham (from the group Badfinger) took his own life a few years later, whilst the singer Harry Nilsson also died rather prematurely in the mid-1990s after his hard living caught up with him. Nevertheless, this ‘bad luck charm’ proved to be one of the most successful sad songs of all time, as it proceeded to sit on the top perch of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
 
                 The song of the month for March 1972
         Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple (peak chart position: No.21 in 1977)
This album track from the newly-released ‘Machine Head’ never featured prominently in the hit parade, but it unquestionably rates as one of the great rock songs of the twentieth century. Recounting the story of their appearance at Montreux where the casino was wrecked by a fire, Deep Purple treat the listener to one of the greatest instrumental breaks in popular music as well as a memorable intro. Some songs are just too good for the charts, and this rock milestone was clearly one of them.

                  The song of the month for April 1972
    Amazing Grace by The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (peak chart position: No.1)
It was certainly one of the most unexpected of chart-toppers, but an instrumental version of the Christian hymn, ‘Amazing Grace’, dominated the British hit parade throughout the spring of 1972. Five weeks at Number One and a mere 27 weeks on the singles chart tells its own story. Long before the likes of the Bay City Rollers and Rod Stewart popularized tartan fashion, the Pipes And Drums Of The Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards got there first!

    The song of the month for May 1972
         Happy by The Rolling Stones (album track)
After the critical success of ‘Sticky Fingers’, the Fab Five delivered an hour of music in a similarly murky vein that would comprise the ‘Exile On Main St.’ album. Whilst many of the songs were a bit seedy, there were a few rays of light. One such item was ‘Happy’ in which Keef has another bash at lead vocals, having previously sang ‘You Got The Silver’ on the ‘Let It Bleed’ project. Richards was singing “I need your love to keep me happy”, but if this was directed at his partner, Anita Pallenberg, it would be closer to the truth to suggest that they had a mutual suicide pact, given their dangerous flirtation with hard drugs.
 
        The song of the month for June 1972
         American Trilogy by Elvis Presley (peak chart position: No.8)
As the 1970s unfolded, the behaviour and performances of Elvis Presley became increasingly erratic. However, what was good was exceptionally good. The King’s rendition of an ‘American Trilogy’ simply takes the breath away and helps to explain why this ‘has-been’ remained one of the greatest live attractions. Sourcing ‘Dixieland’, ‘All My Trials’, and ‘The Battle Hymn Of The Republic’, Elvis sings straight from the depths of his soul. Only the coldest heart could fail to be moved or impressed by four and a half minutes of this emotional piece.

        The song of the month for July 1972
         All The Young Dudes by Mott The Hoople (peak chart position: No.3)
Flavour of the month David Bowie stepped in to rescue the flagging career of Mott The Hoople by offering a composition of his own which he then produced for the combo. Not content with this, he weighed in with backing vocals. The group for their part rose to the challenge with a landmark rock song which opens wonderfully and goes from strength to strength, culminating in a formidable arms-swaying outro, during which Ian Hunter ad-libs “Hey you with the glasses/ I want you/ I want you up at the front.” They just don’t make them like this anymore.
 
        The song of the month for August 1972
         Virginia Plain by Roxy Music (peak chart position: No.4)
Former teacher Bryan Ferry joined forces all too briefly with Brian Eno as their new combo Roxy Music were at the forefront of art rock. The new act hit the ground running with the marvel that was ‘Virginia Plain’ which ought to be short-listed for the best debut single of all time. The song possesses a plethora of amusing lyrics featuring “you’re so chic/teenage rebel of the week” with references to flamingoes, a studebaker, and a rollercoaster ride. What a pity that Eno subsequently jumped ship, but the rest of the crew coped more than adequately in his subsequent absence.

          The song of the month for September 1972
         Mouldy Old Dough by Lieutenant Pigeon (peak chart position: No.1)
British record-purchasers have always been logic-defying suckers for novelty records, and good old Lieutenant Pigeon stepped forth with the mother of all novelty singles. Featuring a marching drum,a flute, and a fabulous piano contribution, this home-made recording stomped to the top of the UK charts. It was the kind of record that would have driven music critics to distraction, but I do confess to a liking for this bizarre smash hit.
 
         The song of the month for October 1972
         Clair by Gilbert O’Sullivan (peak chart position: No.1)
Gilbert O’Sullivan was a prolific hit-maker in the early ‘seventies. His finest four minutes are almost certainly ‘Clair’. I have an ambiguous attitude to this chart-topper. On a purely naive level, this is a sweet piece with beautiful strings music, but in the changed times of the twenty-first century it is doubtful whether O’Sullivan would get away with a song in which his intense affection for his niece Clair is perhaps questionable: “Nothing means more to me than hearing you say I’m going to marry you/ Will you marry me, Uncle Ray?”
 
              The song of the month for November 1972
Long Haired Lover From Liverpool by Little Jimmy Osmond (peak chart position: No.1)
Having allowed the likes of Rolf Harris, Clive Dunn, and Benny Hill to reach Number One, it was hardly surprising that Britain’s record-buyers were bowled over by Little Jimmy Osmond’s delightful little ditty. It was perhaps fitting that the year of Osmond mania should finish with the youngest of their clan sitting on the top chart perch. In one crazy December week, the Osmonds and their rivals in the Jackson family were responsible for no fewer than five of the UK Top Ten singles. Little Jimmy himself was only nine years of age and thus made history as the youngest act to perform a British chart-topper!
 

      The song of the month for December 1972
         The Jean Genie by David Bowie (peak chart position: No.2)
David Bowie followed his friend Marc Bolan down the path of re-inventing himself from previous mod and then hippie into a fictional glam rock star, Ziggy Stardust. Bowie’s very own version of glam rock was critically better received than the less arty offerings from the likes of Slade and the Sweet. Ironically, Bowie’s great rocker, ‘The Jean Genie’ contained a fabulous riff from the great Mick Ronson which appeared to re-surface shortly afterwards on the Sweet’s ‘Block Buster’. Although ‘The Jean Genie’ didn’t quite match the heights of the Sweet’s effort, it remains one of the very best recordings from arguably the decade’s most important act.

             1972’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
Whilst Ziggy Stardust and his Spiders From Mars were thrilling British concert-goers, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones resumed their sonic onslaught of North America. Back in the United Kingdom, teenage audiences were in near hysteria at Marc Bolan and T. Rex, while Mr.Paul McCartney took his new band Wings out on the road as they traversed the university circuit, a far cry from Shea Stadium and Candlestick Park. McCartney’s estranged musical partner, John Lennon, also took to the stage in his adopted home of New York, performing live for the first time in six years (an Apple rooftop appearance aside). Meanwhile in London an altogether different rock group, Pink Floyd, were introducing the assembled mass at Earl’s Court to some new sounds which would later form the bedrock of ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’, released a year later. The rest is history. 
 
          1972’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Harvest by Neil Young
                        (released in February; reached No.1 in the UK)
Canada’s Neil Young had emerged in recent years as one of the most respected singer-songwriters, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with Crosby, Stills, and Nash. His reputation was cemented by his appearance at Woodstock and further enhanced by the success of the ‘After The Goldrush’ album. Young’s ‘Harvest’ project drew upon the assistance of his Stray Gators backing band as the singer veered off in the direction of country music as he attempted to follow the path of Gram Parsons in bringing country music to a rock audience. This big-selling long player is characterised by mellow music, though the theme is frequently one of loneliness, as illustrated on ‘A Man Needs A Maid’, ‘Out On The Weekend’, and ‘Old Man’. Young actually recorded this cycle of songs from a wheelchair, as a result of a car accident. Whatever physical pain he was in perhaps doesn’t compare with the emotional anguish he lays bare on ‘The Needle And The Damage Done’ as he sings of his departed guitarist Danny Whitten who was fighting a losing battle against heroin addiction. Harvest’s massive commercial success was due in no small part to the fact that it contained ‘Heart Of Gold’ which provided Young with a rare presence amongst the higher echelons of the singles charts on both sides of the ‘big pond’.

                        SPORT IN 1972
English Division One football champions: Derby County; runners-up: Leeds United
English FA Cup final: Leeds United 1 Arsenal 0 
English League Cup Final: Stoke City 2 Chelsea 1
Scottish Division One football champions: Glasgow Celtic; runners-up: Aberdeen
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Celtic 6 Hibernian 1 
Scottish League Cup final: Partick Thistle 4 Glasgow Celtic 1
Irish League football champions: Glentoran; Irish Cup final: Coleraine 2 Portadown 1
League Of Ireland football champions: Waterford; cup winners: Cork Hibernians
European Cup final: Ajax Amsterdam 2 Inter Milan 0
European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: Glasgow Rangers 3 Dynamo Moscow 2
UEFA Cup final: Tottenham Hotspur beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 on aggregate
English county cricket champions: Warwickshire
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: none, due to the troubles in Ireland
Formula One world drivers’ champion: Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil) in a Lotus car
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Offaly; runners-up: Kerry                         
British Open golf champion: Lee Trevino (at Muirfield)
US Masters golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
US Open golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
USPGA golf champion: Gary Player
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: St Helens 16 Leeds 13
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: S Smith beat I Nastase 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final: B-J King beat E Goolagong 6-3, 6-3
World snooker final: Alex Higgins (Northern Ireland) beat John Spencer (England) 37-32
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: Well To Do; price 14-1
The Epsom Derby winner: Roberto; jockey - Lester Piggott; price 3-1F
European Championship final: West Germany 3 USSR 0

                        1972’s DEATHS
January 1st: Maurice Chevalier (French singer), aged 83
January 14th: King Frederik IX of Denmark, aged 72
February 5th: Marianne Moore (US poet), aged 84
February 15th: Edgar Snow (US writer), aged 66
April 9th: James Byrne (US judge), aged 92
April 27th: Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana’s ex-President), aged 62
May 2nd: John Edgar Hoover (US FBI chief), aged 77
May 22nd: Cecil Day Lewis (British poet laureate), aged 68
May 22nd: Dame Margaret Rutherford (British actress), aged 80
May 28th: Duke of Windsor, aged 77
June 8th: Jimmy Rushing (US singer), aged 69
June 13th: Clyde McPhatter (US singer), aged 39
August 26th: Sir Francis Chichester (British yachtsman), aged 70
August 28th: Prince William of Gloucester, aged 30
August 29th: Lale Andersen (German singer), aged 67
September 14th: Geoffrey Fisher (Archbishop of Canterbury), aged 85
October 1st: Dr Louis Leakey (British anthropologist), aged 69
October 26th: Igor Sikorsky (Russian aviation pioneer), aged 83
November 1st: Ezra Pound (US poet), aged 86
November 11th: Berry Oakley (US musician), aged 24
November 18th: Danny Whitten (US musician), aged 29
November 30th: Sir Compton Mackenzie (British author), aged 89
December 23rd: Andrei Tupolev (Soviet aviation pioneer), aged 84
December 26th: Harry S. Truman (ex-US President), aged 88