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[Popchartfreak]

6th November 1971

It's a first and only number one for John Kongos and his largely-forgotten menacing Tokoloshe Man, still love those tribal drum beats mixed with loud electric guitars, and in at 5, highest new entry is the fab Labi Siffre and his gentle acoustic and gorgeous and still-loved It Must Be Love, as made even more famous by Madness in 1981 - their cover gave it more beats but kept the charm. Labi's still active on Twitter, social commentator and poet. New at 29, Jonathan King's Oogachaga adaptation of Hooked On A Feeling was a huge fave of mine, and I got a little miffed Blue Swede did a gutsier carbon-copy in 1974 that topped the US charts, being as they were unfamiliar with the original cover, so to speak.

Paul Williams has a nice climb in to the 40, Gilbert O' Sullivan gets his 4th retro chart hit at 60 with No Matter How I Try, though it was actually the first Gilbert song I heard back in the day. Tony Christie's future million-seller also enters, as Amarillo underwhelms the 1971 music buyer unaware of Peter Kay's comic pulling-power. I mean, I liked it and charted it at the time, but a 21st century number one? Fantasy time! I'd've picked almost any of the cooler records in the chart over the likelihood of old-fashioned Amarillo doing it! Mardi Gras grab a third chart entry, still a year ahead of their UK debut, and Betty Wright's huge US hit (and UK flop) Clean Up Woman spruces up the lower end 4 years ahead of HER UK chart debut.


1 ( 4 ) TOKOLOSHE MAN - John Kongos # 1
2 ( 1 ) COZ I LUV YOU - Slade # 1
3 ( 2 ) GOT TO BE THERE - Michael Jackson # 1
4 ( 3 ) SOLEY SOLEY - Middle Of The Road # 3
5 ( NEW ) IT MUST BE LOVE - Labi Siffre # 5
6 ( 5 ) HOLD YOUR HEAD UP - Argent # 2
7 ( 9 ) FAMILY AFFAIR - Sly & The Family Stone # 7
8 ( 6 ) SIMPLE GAME - The Four Tops # 1
9 ( 7 ) BRANDY - Scott English # 5
10 ( 8 ) BABY I’M A WANT YOU - Bread # 4

11 ( 11 ) ALL I EVER NEED IS YOU - Sonny & Cher # 8
12 ( 17 ) I WILL RETURN - Springwater # 12
13 ( 10 ) JEEPSTER - T.Rex # 1
14 ( 13 ) I BELIEVE (IN LOVE) - Hot Chocolate # 1
15 ( 14 ) RUN BABY RUN (BACK INTO MY ARMS) - The Newbeats # 1
16 ( 16 ) WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO - Donnie Elbert # 1
17 ( 12 ) THEME FROM “THE PERSUADERS” - John Barry # 10
18 ( 20 ) YOU ARE EVERYTHING - The Stylistics # 18
19 ( 23 ) VINCENT - Don McLean # 19
20 ( 15 ) RUN RUN ROADRUNNER - Gene Pitney # 15

21 ( 18 ) GYPSIES, TRAMPS & THIEVES - Cher # 1
22 ( 19 ) THEME FROM SHAFT - Isaac Hayes # 1
23 ( 25 ) LIFE’S TOO SHORT - Rescue Company No. 1 # 23
24 ( 27 ) AMERICAN PIE - Don McLean # 24
25 ( 21 ) IMAGINE - John Lennon # 4
26 ( 22 ) HAVE YOU SEEN HER - The Chi-Lites # 1
27 ( 24 ) GET IT ON (BANG A GONG) - T.Rex # 1
28 ( 26 ) THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN - Joan Baez # 2
29 ( NEW ) HOOKED ON A FEELING - Jonathan King # 29
30 ( 28 ) TAP TURNS ON THE WATER - C.C.S # 5

31 ( 31 ) SURRENDER - Diana Ross # 1
32 ( 37 ) JOHNNY REGGAE - The Piglets # 32
33 ( 42 ) ERNIE (THE FASTEST MILKMAN IN THE WEST) - Benny Hill # 33
34 ( 54 ) (JUST AN) OLD FASHIONED LOVE SONG - Paul Williams # 34
35 ( 34 ) THE LIGHTNING TREE - The Settlers # 34
36 ( 33 ) KEEP ON DANCING - Bay City Rollers # 17
37 ( 32 ) LIFE IS A LONG SONG - Jethro Tull # 25
38 ( 35 ) I’M STILL WAITING - Diana Ross # 5
39 ( 45 ) I WANT TO PAY YOU BACK (FOR LOVING ME) - The Chi-Lites # 39
40 ( 46 ) RUNNIN’ AWAY - Sly & The Family Stone # 40

41 ( 36 ) PUT YOURSELF IN MY PLACE - The Elgins # 10
42 ( 30 ) ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL - The Sweet # 19
43 ( 41 ) TAKE ME GIRL I’M READY - Junior Walker & The All Stars # 5
44 ( 43 ) HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART - The Bee Gees # 1
45 ( 44 ) MERCY MERCY ME (THE ECOLOGY) - Marvin Gaye # 1
46 ( 38 ) SUPERBIRD - Neil Sedaka # 34
47 ( 40 ) LADY LUV BUG - Clodagh Rodgers # 27
48 ( 57 ) THE WAY LOVE USED TO BE - The Kinks # 48
49 ( 53 ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER - John Stewart # 49
50 ( 48 ) UNCLE ALBERT/ADMIRAL HALSEY - Paul & Linda McCartney # 1

51 ( 29 ) TILL - Tom Jones # 29
52 ( 39 ) BRAND NEW KEY - Melanie # 15
53 ( 52 ) AIN’T NO SUNSHINE - Bill Withers # 1
54 ( 50 ) HEY GIRL DON’T BOTHER ME - The Tams # 6
55 ( 51 ) SULTANA - Titanic # 5
56 ( 63 ) MEET ME ON THE CORNER - Lindisfarne # 56
57 ( 55 ) FOR ALL WE KNOW - Shirley Bassey # 9
58 ( 56 ) THE WITCH QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS - Redbone # 5
59 ( 81 ) NOTHING TO HIDE - Tommy James # 59
60 ( NEW ) NO MATTER HOW I TRY - Gilbert O’Sullivan # 60

61 ( 70 ) SING A SONG OF FREEDOM - Cliff Richard # 61
62 ( 47 ) CHINATOWN - The Move # 40
63 ( 66 ) TURN YOUR RADIO ON - Ray Stevens # 63
64 ( 61 ) BLACK AND WHITE - Greyhound # 1
65 ( 62 ) SUPERSTAR - Carpenters # 1
66 ( 71 ) SOMETHING TELLS ME (SOMETHING’S GONNA HAPPEN TONIGHT) - Cilla Black # 66
67 ( NEW ) (IS THIS THE WAY TO) AMARILLO? - Tony Christie # 67
68 ( 73 ) WALNUT WHIRL - Peter Noone # 68
69 ( 69 ) GRANDMA’S HANDS - Bill Withers # 69
70 ( 74 ) TOO LATE (TO BE SAVED) - The Tremeloes # 70

71 ( 78 ) STONES - Neil Diamond # 71
72 ( 75 ) SUPERSTAR (REMEMBER HOW YOU GOT WHERE YOU ARE) - The Temptations # 72
73 ( 76 ) HALLELUJAH - Sweathog # 73
74 ( 77 ) SATISFACTION - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles # 74
75 ( 80 ) LOVE POTION NO. 9 (1971 VERSION) - The Coasters # 75
76 ( 79 ) I’M GONNA BE A COUNTRY GIRL AGAIN - Buffy Sainte Marie # 76
77 ( 82 ) BURUNDI BLACK - Burundi Stephenson Black # 77
78 ( 83 ) FOG ON THE TYNE - Lindisfarne # 78
79 ( NEW ) EVERYDAY I HAVE TO CRY SOME - Mardi Gras # 79
80 ( NEW ) CLEAN UP WOMAN - Betty Wright # 80










9th November 1971 Wot I Liked Then

It's straight in at 1 for a record getting heavily plugged by Chart Show DJ Alan Freeman on his Pick Of The Pops show, just before he ran down the new entries into the top 30, and the whole top 20. Rescue Company No. 1 sank without trace but it was a great popmetal song, Life's Too Short (too bloomin' right) on RAK Records, my fave record label of the time. Slade sadly kept off the top spot with their classic UK chart-topper Coz I Luv You, and Labi Siffre debuting at 5 with the timeless It Must Be Love a few weeks ahead of charting. The Hermits climb into the top 10 with a song I just heard for the first time in 50 years. Errr, it's not great! Last week's Peter Noone record was much better.

Cher appeared on Top Of The Pops, leading to my mum speculating that it was Cher from Sonny & Cher, and me convinced it was a new band called Cher. Oops, mum was right! Suddenly it made sense! So, new in 10 with the classic Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves, still her best record amongst many close-calls. Cilla's new TV show theme, tarrah chuck, is in at 13, Something Tells Me that show will run for years, and so will Cilla, even though this is her final big hit ever. TV comic Benny Hill, with his naughty, boobs-obsessed low-brow, world-wide success show is in with one of his sporadic comedy songs, a Western parody featuring Cornish milkman Ernie, that is still endearing and amusing, at 16 - my little brother got the record for Xmas! Finally Gilbert O'Sullivan debuts with his old-fashioned piano plink-plonk No Matter How I Try, and Diana Ross' fab new track with the epic chorus, Surrender, sneaks in at 20.


1 ( NEW ) LIFE’S TOO SHORT - Rescue Company No. 1
2 ( 11 ) COZ I LUV YOU - Slade
3 ( 1 ) SIMPLE GAME - The Four Tops
4 ( 6 ) JOHNNY REGGAE - The Piglets
5 ( NEW ) IT MUST BE LOVE - Labi Siffre
6 ( 2 ) KEEP ON DANCING - Bay City Rollers
7 ( 12 ) SHE’S A LADY - The Hermits
8 ( 3 ) BRANDY - Scott English
9 ( 5 ) RUN BABY RUN (BACK INTO MY ARMS) - The Newbeats
10 ( NEW ) GYPSIES, TRAMPS & THIEVES - Cher

11 ( 7 ) THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN - Joan Baez
12 ( 4 ) TWEEDLE DEE TWEEDLE DUM - Middle Of The Road
13 ( NEW ) SOMETHING TELLS ME (SOMETHING’S GONNA HAPPEN TONIGHT) - Cilla Black
14 ( 15 ) LADY LOVE BUG - Clodagh Rogers
15 ( 9 ) SUPERSTAR - Carpenters
16 ( NEW ) ERNIE (THE FASTEST MILKMAN IN THE WEST) - Benny Hill
17 ( 19 ) CHINATOWN - The Move
18 ( 8 ) WITCH QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS - Redbone
19 ( NEW ) NO MATTER HOW I TRY - Gilbert O’Sullivan
20 ( NEW ) SURRENDER - Diana Ross