40 - "Satin Soul," Love Unlimited Orchestra
39 -"Fire," The Ohio Players
38 - "Walking in Rhythm," The Blackbyrds
37 - "The South is Gonna Do It," The Charlie Daniels Band
36 - "Butter Boy," Fanny
35 - "Philadelphia Freedom," Elton John
34 - "Never Let Her Go," David Gates
33 - "Movin' On," Bad Company
32 - "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," Freddy Fender
31- "Part of the Plan," Dan Fogelberg
R&B holds down the first three spots. Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra had their only other hit besides the monster "Love's Theme" with this one, a funkier and more uptempo instrumental that has some real butt-movin' bass parts. The Ohio Players return again with their soulful smash about flames. Not bad at all, but among songs from this decade with that title, the Pointer ladies' take on The Boss wins in a walk. And the Blackbyrds, a group made up of then-students at Howard University in Washington. D.C., had their biggest success with this smooth midtempo number about a guy slowly making his way back home to his woman. Very nice.
Country is represented twice here. Charlie Daniels makes his second Top 40 appearance after the famous (at least around these parts) "Uneasy Rider" with a fun boogie that's fortunately not about re-fighting the Civil War, but rather a tribute to Southern rockers of the time like Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers Band, and ZZ Top. And Freddy Fender is here with the song that gave him a second chance at stardom after his first try in the early sixties was derailed by a drug arrest. It's a ballad about a guy who says he's happy for his beloved's apparent contentment with another man, but who promises to jump right in to comfort her if that guy ever leaves her. Okay, it sounds a little less creepy when Freddy sings it. Especially in Spanish.
Of course there's rock. Fanny are best remembered as the first major American all-female band (as opposed to the many all-girl vocal groups that had come before). They didn't have a huge career, but they did manage three Top 40 singles, the last of which was the one here, in which the singer makes her sexual desires known in the most explicit terms that 1975 pop radio would allow. It's a catchy little ditty, and I'm giving it the Uneasy Rider Award not for the gender makeup of the band (whose lineup at this time included the sister of Suzi "Leather Tuscadero" Quatro), but because of the way the carnal frankness of the lyric combines with the song's title. Just what does she want this boy to do with that butter? Elton John is present yet again with one of my favorites of his, a bouncy, string-drenched ode to liberation whose title was inspired by the name of his friend Billie Jean King's team in the World Team Tennis league. I used to have a digital watch whose alarm tone always reminded of me of this song, because it sounded like the two-note violin motif heard throughout "Philadelphia Freedom." And Bad Company are back with a song about a ramblin' man. I'd much rather hear...um..."Ramblin' Man."
And there will always be MOR. Once and future Bread man David Gates returns with one of his solo hits that really weren't that different from the stuff he did with the band. He's just musical wallpaper. And Dan Fogelberg, future balladeer of New Year's Eve and the Kentucky Derby, had his very first hit single with a folky, uptempo tune about living and learning. Eventually, he'd get all sappy with that "Longer" song. Of course, that was his biggest hit, so I guess he had the right idea. Still hate it, though. But this one's okay.
30 - "Supernatural Thing, Part I," Ben E. King
29 - "Emma," Hot Chocolate
28 - "I'm a Woman," Maria Muldaur27 - "Harry Truman," Chicago
26 - "Roll On Down the Highway," Bachman-Turner Overdrive
25 - "Emotion," Helen Reddy
24 - "Chevy Van," Sammy Johns
23 - "Once You Get Started," Rufus
22 - "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," B.J. Thomas
21 - "Pick Up the Pieces," The Average White Band
We start with soul/funk. Ben E. King, a hitmaker of the late 50s and early 60s, had his first hit in twelve years by updating his sound and singing about "interplanetary, extraordinary love." He wouldn't have another first-time hit, but in another 11 years, he was back on the charts when his classic "Stand by Me" was re-released in conjunction with the hit movie of the same name. Britain's Hot Chocolate had their first taste of American success with this tale of a woman who dreams of movie stardom, but fails to find success and eventually commits suicide. I didn't remember this too well, but now I have to say I like it better than their other hits. Kind of reminds me of Dr. Hook's version of Shel Silverstein's "Queen of the Silver Dollar." Chaka Khan and Rufus moved into disco territory with a song that I was surprised to learn contained the phrase "party hearty." And the Average White Band are here once again with their signature instrumental. Funky Scotland represent.
Lots of easy listening type stuff by solo artists. Maria Muldaur returns to brag about her cooking and loving skills. Helen Reddy, one of the patron saints of BGC, has an just-okay-for-her song here about a woman trying to hang on to a guy who's losing interest. Sammy Johns had his only hit with this gentle song about no-strings-attached sex with a hitchhiker. Hitchhiking has lost a lot of its appeal over the years. Casual sex, on the other hand... And B.J. Thomas, who'd had some major successes with "Hooked on a Feeling" and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," had his first and only #1 with this country number about a guy whose romantic woes put him in the mood to hear "a real hurtin' song." At the time, this was the longest-titled charttopper ever. Don't ask me if that record still stands.
A couple non-funk bands play us out. Chicago were at their jazziest with a song decrying the politcal corruption of the Nixon era and asking for help from the man who upset Thomas Dewey. And BTO show up again. singing about the road and rockin' Canadian style.
Tomorrow: We've got smoke, poetry, and a prostitute. You know that's a party you want to go to.
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