1972 in Britain began with a seven-week coal miners' strike. It was considered a victory for the workers over the Conservative party. There would be a rematch twelve years later, with a much different result. Meanwhile, in lighter news, this is what popular music looked like.
40 - "For All We Know," Shirley Bassey
The Tigress From Tiger Bay's tenth Top Ten was this ballad that the Carpenters had hit in the States with the previous year. This performance is brassy where Karen's is understated, yet both approaches work well.
39 - "Family Affair," Sly and the Family Stone
This was the Sylvester Stewart clan's third U.S. #1, but this funky rumination on blood relations only hit #15 here. That's all kinds of wrong.
38 - "(Find a) Reason to Believe," Rod Stewart
Roddy covers a tune by American folksinger Tim Hardin about trying out recover lost faith. The a capella bit near the end is one of his best vocal moments.
37 - "Till," Tom Jones
The biggest 70s hit for Tommy Woodward of Pontypridd was this "I'll love you forever" number. Big production, big vocal, and less than two-and-a-half minutes long. Efficiently effective.
36 - "I Will Return," Springwater
This was the only major hit for London musician Phil Cordell. It's a midtempo guitar instrumental that sounds like it could play over the credits of a Martin Scorsese movie. Quite good as these things go.
35 - "Back on the Road," Marmalade
This Glasgow band formed in 1961 and originally named themselves after a notorious Chicago street gang, You'd think that changing it to that of an orange preserve would be a step down, but when you consider that the old name was The Gaylords, perhaps not. The ninth of their eleven Top 40s was this acoustic jaunt about wanderlust. Not much to it. I don't think even Paddington Bear would be into this.
34 - "When You Get Right Down to It," Ronnie Dyson
The only British hithe for the Washington-born member of the original Broadway cast of Hair was this soul ballad about cherishing fleeting moments of pleasure. Sweetness.
33 - "Surrender," Diana Ross
Diana hadn't gone to #1 as a solo artist here yet as she had at home with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." But where that was her only U.S. Top Ten to date, this soul please for devotion to avoid prosecution by "the highest court of love" was her fourth in Britain. It's a little derivative of "Mountain," but a deserving hit nonetheless.
32 - "Burundi Black," Burundi Steiphenson Black
This track is the creation of French musician Michel Benholc, who took an anthropological recording of drummers from the Ingoma people of Burundi and added piano and guitar. The unique beat would later inspire the two-drummer setup of Adam and the Ants. Unfortunately, this is a case where I can't find a record of the indigenous artists being compensated. That makes me uneasy, and not in the Uneasy Rider way.
31 - "Hooked on a Feeling," Jonathan King
The creepy pedophile was responsible for adding the "ooga chakas" that would later make Blue Swede famous. Like them, hate him.
30 - "Morning Has Broken," Cat Stevens
Cat's fourth Top Ten was a version of a 1931 hymn about the beauty of God's creation. Simple and beautiful.
29 - "Run Baby Run," The Newbeats
This bubblegum popper from the Louisanans best known for 1964's "Bread and Butter" originally came out in 1965, but became a surprise U.K. Top Ten seven years later. Good sunny pop.
28 - "Johnny Reggae," The Piglets
More from that King douche, this time a female-fronted skate number about an early incarnation of a "skinhead." They were not at the time the racists we associate that term with now, but rather influenced by Jamalcan "rude boys." Anyway, throwaway song, crap human being.
27 - "Theme from The Persuaders," John Barry
Yorkshireman John Barry Prendergast was a film and television composer best known for his iconic James Bond theme. He also had seven Top 40 singles, the last being this theme tune to an action TV series where Roger Moore and Tony Curtis played wealthy playboys who travelled the world chasing criminals. It's evocative enough that I would imagine the show to be good, but I might not ever watch it because of Curtis' reputation as an asshole.
26 - "You Gotta Have Love in Your Heart," The Supremes and The Four Tops
The post-Diana Supremes themed up with another veteran Motown act on this nice bit of soulful idealism. Needs more Levi Stubbs, though. He outshines everyone in his brief lead appearance.
25 - "Theme from The Onedin Line," The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
This piece from the 1954 opera Spartacus by Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian was used as the theme for a TV series about a Manchester shipping company in the 1800s. It doesn't do much for me, but maybe it would if I heard it on a weekly basis.
24 - "Brand New Key," Melanie
Ms. Safka's Freudian roller skating jam was held to #4 by the Brits, denying it a Triple Crown. Still, some people say she done alright for a girl.
23 - "Stay With Me," Faces
Rod again, this time with the biggest American hit and first of three home Top Tens for the combination of himself, future Stone Ronnie Wood, and three former Small Faces. Certainly the best one-night-stand rock song of the decade, if not all time.
22 - "Banks of the Ohio," Olivia Newton-John
ONJ's second hit was a version of a 19th century murder ballad about killing one's lover because they refuse a marriage proposal. She had another side besides earnest sweetheart long before Grease. I like it.
21 - "A Horse with No Name," America
The folk rock machine kicked off with this Triple Crown near-miss, held to #3 here. I still don't know why he didn't just name the damn horse.
In Part II: Romany, flames, and dairy distributors.
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