June 1977. Earlier in the month, Britain celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. She had been the sovereign for 25 years. Forty years later, she's still ruling. I'm sure Charles is pleased with that. Let's see if the hit songs of the day have held up as well.
40 - "Dreamin'," Liverpool Express
This band emerged from the ashes of 60s band The Merseybeats, and had a mere three Top 40s in this incarnation, the last being this soft rock ballad about pining for someone. Nice enough radio pop for the time. I'm not saying Brazil had it right when they made it a #1, but it certainly could have been bigger than a mere #40.
39 - "Calendar Song," Trinidad Oil Company
Don't know much about these guys except they were a steel band from Trinidad, and they had a hit with this calypso number on which the lyrics are just the names of the months of the Gregorian calendar. If that's what you're looking for, you'll get it here. And steelpans (the proper name for steel drums) were originally made from oil barrels, which explains the band name.
38 - "Come With Me," Jesse Green
The third of three hits for this Jamaican was this disco come-on. Above average. Sounds like a Barry White production without Barry White.
37 - "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance)," Elton John
Sir Elton's dance rock call for a worldwide boogie festival. Not bad, but Martha and the Vandellas did the same thing so much better.
36 - "Mah Na Mah Na," Pietro Umiliani
This odd little scat number by Italian composer Umiliani, who spent most of his career scoring B-movies, was created for Sweden: Heaven and Hell, a titillating documentary about sex and drugs in Scandinavia. It was catchy enough to get some attention upon release, but it would really become popular after Jim Henson had some of his Muppet characters perform it both on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. Eventually, the original returned to the charts here and made the Top Ten. You definitely know it. If you're not sure, read the title out loud real fast then say, "Dee Dee, da Dee Dee." Yep, that's it. Did you know it was written to accompany a scene of women clad only in towels enjoying a sauna? Well now you do. You're welcome and/or I'm sorry.
35 - "We Can Do It," Liverpool Football Team
Another chart, another football song. This one's by the team that had just won both the First Division and the European Cup. Singing's not terrible, and the song is decent pop rock based on a Rubettes song called "I Can Do It." Very good, as these things go.
34 - "Gonna Capture Your Heart," Blue
This Scottish band signed to Elton John's Rocket label had their only hit with this soft rock romantic pursuit mission statement. My heart managed to elude it.
33 - "Sheena is a Punk Rocker," Ramones
And now the tale of the four guys from Queens, New York who started playing as loud and fast as they could and in the process pretty much invented punk. They're 1976 debut album didn't do much at home, but when they toured Britain behind it they became sensations and inspirations. The first of their four Top 40s was this song that imagines the comic book character Sheena, Queen of the Jungle finding herself in New York and instead of being drawn to the fashionable discotheques decides to check out the more savage sounds of punk. Catchy, silly, life-affirming. The Ramones aren't just a band, they are one of the great things in life.
32 - "Don't Let Go," Manhattan Transfer
The third hit for these jazzbos was this cover of a Roy Hamilton hit from 1958 that Isaac Hayes would chart with in America three years later. This one has kind ofor a shuffling quality that I find really cool.
31 - "I Can Prove It," Tony Etoria
The only hit for this Welsh soul singer was this bit o' disco in which Mr. Etoria claims that his love is the one thing that’s missing from the wealthy object of his affection's life. I like his voice and the guitar parts. It's all right.
30 - "Nature Boy," George Benson
The second version we've encountered of this Nat King Cole classic is a slow funk groover from the jazz guitar stalwart. I like it, partially because whether he intended to or not, he sounds like Stevie Wonder.
29 - "Be Good to Yourself," Frankie Miller
Born in postwar Glasgow, Miller became a journeyman singer and songwriter who seemed to have a lot of fans in the industry, but that never translated to stardom. He did manage two hits though, the first being this hopeful soul rocker. His voice on this reminds me of Paul Rodgers, only with more character. I'm definitely curious about his other output now.
28 - "Join the Party," Honky
This British funk band's only hit is an energetic and effective call to celebration. Not an original idea, but still irresistible. Track it down and play it as a less clichéd alternative to that Kool and the Gang song.
27 - "Oh Lori," The Alessi Brothers
The biggest success for Long Island twins Billy and Bobby Alessi was this lite-jazz number about idyllic summer romance, complete with bike rides and romps in the meadow. I started out not liking it, but it grew on me with its cheesy charms.
26 - "Disco Inferno," The Trammps
Who knew such beauty could come from combining dance and disaster.
25 - "Hotel California," The Eagles
Their only British Top Ten. Before I went back to this, I wondered if I'd miss it if I never heard it again. Apparently, I would. Surprising.
24 - "Tokyo Joe," Bryan Ferry
The last of eight solo hits the Ferryman had while still in Roxy Music was this slick rocker about intrigue with an Asian lady. A little rawer than you'd expect, but the sophistication is still intact.
23 - "Sam," Olivia Newton-John
One of ONJ's last hits of her classic MOR period before she developed her post-Grease edge. She's just a sweet lonely girl offering comfort to a friend. You can go deeper if you like, but it's all plausibly innocent on the surface.
22 - "You're Gonna Get Next to Me," Bo Kirkland and Ruth Davis
Don't know much about these two except they were American, their record label matched them up, and they had a hit with this smooth slice of disco soul about two people who have no interest in falling in love but may be powerless not to do so with each other. Another wonderful discovery.
21 - "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy," Queen
A Britain-only hit from Freddie and the gang, this is a theatrical declaration of intent to court someone in a traditional style. Although asking someone to "sit on my hot seat of love" might give someone the vapors, my word. It's Queen being Queen, and it's fantastic.
In Part Two: fruit metaphors, bird watching, and an anthem that isn't quite the national one.
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