I made it before Christmas..Yay. And I have a ring on my finger. Double yay. So now, here's what I'm sure you've been salivating for, the rest of a British pop chart from 1976. Hope it's worth it.
20 - "Love and Affection," Joan Armatrading
Born in St. Kitts in 1950, Armatrading moved to England at age 3, and began performing seriously in the late 60s. Her first and biggest U.K. hit was this ballad about longing for companionship and romance. Slickly produced, but still passionate. It's sad that the first I really heard of her was when Tracy Chapman debuted and writers automatically made comparisons. Well, they're both black women with acoustic guitars. Not sure how much more similar they are, but music journalists would never make lazy correlations like that, would they?
19 - "Can't Get By Without You," Real Thing
An R&B group from Liverpool, these guys had broken through earlier this year with a #1 called "You to Me are Everything." This follow-up went to #2. It's a disco number about needing someone. The backing track reminds me of a cross between "Love's Theme" and the theme from Hill Street Blues. So if that sound good to you, you're set. Also, one of their later hits was called "Can You Feel the Force." For some reason, I think that one might be due for a revival right about now.
18 - "Jaws," Lalo Schiffrin
This Argentinian, whose real first name is Boris, started making his name composing for jazz stars like Dizzy Gillespie and Xavier Cugat, then began composing scores for film and television (his most familiar work is the iconic theme from Mission: Impossible. Here, he takes another well known theme, the one from a certain sharkcentric blockbuster, and turns it into boilerplate disco. The precursor to Meco and his boogie-ready Star Wars.
17 - "Couldn't Get it Right," Climax Blues Band
We encountered this cool groove rocker in America. It hit #3 there, but only #10 at home. It was the Brits who "couldn't get it right" in my opinion.
16 - "The Rubberband Man," The Spinners
The funk-soul classic about a guy who makes music with small pieces of elastic. Only got this far here, #2 in the States. 2-0 to the USA.
15 - "Play That Funky Music," Wild Cherry
The one-hit wonder about a white boy getting his funk on. #1 U.S., #7 here. Gonna give it to the Yanks. They pull one back.
14 - "The Best Disco in Town," The Ritchie Family
A medley of disco and soul hits by a faceless group masterminded by the guy who came up with the Village People. Went Top Ten here, fell short of that in America. And the U.S has drawn level!
13 - "Disco Duck," Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots
Far-from-timeless novelty about dancing like a waterfowl. Only made it to #7 here, while topping the charts across the pond. Britain regains the lead.
12 - "Girl of My Best Friend," Elvis Presley
The King recorded this shortly after he got out of the Army in 1960. Wasn't released as a single, but we encountered a cover by Presley soundalike Ral Donner during our 60s sojourn. The original got a British re-release this year, and went Top Ten. Sorry Ral, but the genuine article blows you away.
11 - "I'll Meet You at Midnight," Smokie
From Bradford in West Yorkshire, these guys were prolific hitmakers in their homeland, with thirteen Top 40s and six Top Tens. This bit of drama rock about a doomed romance between young Parisians Jean-Claude and Louise-Marie fell just short of the Top Ten. Gotta say, I like this better than their most enduring (and only American) hit, "Living Next Door to Alice.'
10 - "Sailing," Rod Stewart
Originally written and performed by Scottish folk duo The Sutherland Brothers, Rod the Mod took this ballad about crossing the water to reunite with a lover to the top spot in the U.K. Didn't even make Top 40 in America. To me, that's game over. Britain wins the match.
9 - "Dancing with the Captain," Paul Nicholas
From Peterborough, Nicholas spent most of his singing career performing in stage musicals, but he had a brief pop heyday in the late 70s. His biggest U.K hit was this dance-popper about a ship whose chief officer likes to bust moves. Disposable but fun. Weirdly, his only American hit, the Top Ten "Heaven on the 7th Floor," only hit #40 at home. Can't say that's wrong though
8 - "Dancing Queen," ABBA
The disco classic was a #1 here, in the States, and in 13 other countries. Not much more I can say about it. Pop perfection.
7 - "The Summer of My Life," Simon May
May is best known for composing music for the British soaps Crossroads and EastEnders. One of his creations for the former was this mushy love ballad that became his only major pop hit as a performer. Makes one long for the understated nuance of "Feelings."
6 - "Don't Take Away the Music," Tavares
This disco plea to hang on to one's tunes by these funk brothers was a Top Five here, but only hit #34 at home. Don't hear much special in it.
5 - "Hurt," The Manhattans
Before they even cracked the American Top 40, this New Jersey vocal group had a British Top five with this ballad about promising not to reciprocate the pain a lover has caused. Slick, smooth, sublime.
4 - "Howzat," Sherbet
This band had many hits in their native Australia, but their biggest success outside came with this pop-rocker about catching a lover cheating. Kinda catchy. Wouldn't have minded if it had made the radio in my neck of the woods. I do think it's kind of odd that they later changed their name to "The Sherbs." Don't get that at all
3 - "If You Leave Me Now," Chicago
Number One here, Number One in America, terrible everywhere. Please do go.
2 - "When Forever Has Gone," Demis Roussos
Roussos was born in Egypt in 1946, but he and his parents relocated to Greece, the land of their ancestry, after the 1956 Suez Canal crisis. In the late 60s he saw success in Europe with the prog-rock band Aphrodite's Child, which also featured future Chariots of Fire composer Vangelis. Upon going solo, he would score three U.K. Top Fives, including a #1 "Forever and Ever," and this #2, a waltzy ballad about long-lasting love that showcases his high, operatic voice. That voice is unique enough to grab an Uneasy Rider. Nine years after this, he was on board a flight that was hijacked by terrorists, but he was released safely, and would go on to live until January of this year. RIP.
And a long time ago, in a country kind of far away, the top song was...
1 - "Mississippi," Pussycat
The phrase "Dutch country band," seems odd, but that's exactly what Pussycat were. They were three female singers and four male musicians, and their first and biggest hit topped charts in eight countries. It's exactly what you'd expect from a European attempt at the genre; they get the lyrical motifs right, but they just can't come close to sounding authentic. It's okay, but I'm not sure why it was so massively successful.
So there's another one. Thanks for your patience. I don't know when I'll be back, or what I'll be writing about, but I can tell you there will be more...someday. Glove on heart.
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