17th November 1975

It's a big leap to the top spot for Steeleye Span's All Around My Hat - a Mike Batt song & production, his second of the year to hit the top spot and a couple of weeks behind the band putting Wombles suits on for a short-notice Wombles appearance on Top Of The Pops, and going up to 5 with his own darker House Of The Clown. Maxine Nightingale meanwhile leaps to 3 with her Motown-ish Right Back Where We Started From, and Van McCoy gets a second top 10 with the stomping Change With The Times. And Queen's 3-part epic Bo Rap crawls up for a 3rd top 10, but seems to be struggling to become their 3rd chart-topper. I bet a new promo video would help!

In at 29, Austin Robert's US hit, Rocky, makes the UK chart too, and Supertramp get a follow-up chart entry with Lady - a UK flop, sadly. New at 32 as Silver Convention get a second chart hit with Fly Robin Fly at 49, a huge disco track in the USA for a European track, and at 50 it's 60's US soul band The Impressions finally getting a UK hit - and Curtis Mayfield is long gone from the line-up. First Impressions is decent enough, though it's more of a late new track bonus than a dive into back catalogue quality material.

1 ( 27 ) ALL AROUND MY HAT Steeleye Span

2 ( 4 ) IMAGINE John Lennon

3 ( 19 ) RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM Maxine Nightingale

4 ( 14 ) CHANGE WITH THE TIMES Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony

5 ( 8 ) HOUSE OF THE CLOWN Mike Batt

6 ( 1 ) RHINESTONE COWBOY Glen Campbell

7 ( 1 ) SPACE ODDITY David Bowie

8 ( 3 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe

9 ( 7 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Thunderclap Newman

10 ( 13 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen

11 ( 12 ) SKY HIGH Jigsaw

12 ( 6 ) NEW YORK GROOVE Hello

13 ( 5 ) HIGH FLY John Miles

14 ( 18 ) WHY DID YOU DO IT Stretch

15 ( 17 ) LOVE HURTS Jim Capaldi

16 ( 25 ) YOU SEXY THING Hot Chocolate

17 ( 10 ) NIGHTS ON BROADWAY The Bee Gees

18 ( 9 ) BLUE GUITAR Justin Hayward & John Lodge

19 ( 16 ) BORN TO RUN Bruce Springsteen

20 ( 21 ) I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU Art Garfunkel

21 ( 35 ) OUR DAY WILL COME Frankie Valli

22 ( 36 ) I COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT Biddu

23 ( 29 ) MAN OF THE WORLD Fleetwood Mac

24 ( 15 ) IN A BROKEN DREAM Python Lee Jackson featuring Rod Stewart

25 ( 26 ) WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MADE Esther Phillips

26 ( 20 ) LOVE IS THE DRUG Roxy Music

27 ( 23 ) (ALL I HAVE TO DO IS) DREAM Al Matthews

28 ( 37 ) LYIN’ EYES The Eagles

29 ( NEW ) ROCKY Austin Roberts

30 ( 11 ) BAD BLOOD Neil Sedaka

31 ( 22 ) DREAMY LADY T.Rex

32 ( NEW ) LADY Supertramp

33 ( 32 ) TWEEDLE DEE TWEEDLE DUM Middle Of The Road

34 ( 33 ) CHIRPY CHIRPY CHEEP CHEEP Middle Of The Road

35 ( 34 ) SOLEY SOLEY Middle Of The Road

36 ( 31 ) ROCK ON BROTHER The Chequers

37 ( 28 ) YOU’VE GOT ME RUNNING Smiley

38 ( 46 ) DARLIN’ David Cassidy

39 ( 44 ) LITTLE DARLIN’ The Rubettes

40 ( 30 ) HOLD BACK THE NIGHT The Trammps

41 ( 42 ) RIDE A WILD HORSE Dee Clark

42 ( 41 ) ISLAND GIRL Elton John

43 ( 49 ) JUST A SMILE Pilot

44 ( 48 ) (ALL I HAVE TO DO IS) DREAM The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

45 ( 47 ) LOVE GROWS (WHERE MY ROSEMARY GOES) Edison Lighthouse

46 ( 24 ) TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE Laurel & Hardy

47 ( 50 ) THIS OLD HEART OF MINE Rod Stewart

48 ( 40 ) RIVER DEEP MOUNTAIN HIGH Lois Lane

49 ( NEW ) FLY ROBIN FLY Silver Convention

50 ( NEW ) FIRST IMPRESSIONS The Impressions

24th November 1975

It's a new life starting again as we move from RAF Innsworth to RAF Swinderby, near Lincoln - both now ex-RAF and long gone in the case of Swinderby, except for the houses. We moved this week to our 4th house at Swinderby, and got the TV unpacked in the evening just in time for Top Of The Pops as we unpacked the crates. On it there was this amazing new video from Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, special effects for the opera-pastiche, and a big rock finale. The result? Queen's 3rd chart-topper in my charts out of 4 singles, and a future million-seller and anthem for the next 50 years. So much so that I am sick to death of hearing it now. The first 30 years were fine, but the last 20 years have been the ongoing final straw. Still, at the time I adored it!

That means poor Maxine gets leap-frogged and has to wait until the 21st century to get to the top of my charts at long last. Hot Chocolate grab an 8th top 10 with future regular chart-botherer and perennial You Sexy Thing, and Stretch sneak in at 10. Lady Eleanore is re-issued and grabs a second chart run at 15 only 3 years on, which is more than Lindisfarne's new material was doing, and DJ John Asher does a quick cover of Chubby Checker's 60's dance anthem as Northern Soul demand kicks in, Let's Twist Again popping in at 22 as childhood nostalgia for one of my earliest musical memories kicks in.

Donw the bottom end, Nazareth return after the flop of Love Hurts - Jim Capaldi doing much better with it higher up - Holy Roller debuting at 41, one ahead of Slade who opt for another ballad, In For A Penny. At 45, George Benson gets a first chart entry with Supership, somewhat funkier than his later hits will be, and with an added 'Bad' between George and Benson in those days. Not heard it properly in 50 years I think, bar maybe once or twice on the radio. Elvis gets desperate and does another cover, of Tom Jones' classic Green Green Grass Of Home - out of favour these days, this century doesnt react well to fictional story songs of murderers, it prefers to do it instead as a mass hobby in some parts of the world - but Elvis' cover is somewhat pedestrian.

One slot lower, at 47, KC gets a 5th chart entry as a disco pop star force to be reckoned with, though he's double that in terms of songs and productions, with I'm So Crazy ('Bout You) not being as good as most of the songs he's donated to George McRae since Rock Your Baby. Which leaves another anthem to enter at 48 - like Bohemian Rhapsody, You Sexy Thing, and Imagine, songs known by all and sundry in the 2020's - and the second record on the list to sing Mamma Mia. Yes it's ABBA returning with their 7th chart hit, and that's not including cover hit Honey Honey. It's not in the UK chart yet, but it's instant love from me, and I haven't yet seen that iconic promo video at this stage, the piano riffs, guitar riffs and chorus joint-singing melody hooks galore is more than enough.


1 ( 10 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen
2 ( 3 ) RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM Maxine Nightingale
3 ( 1 ) ALL AROUND MY HAT Steeleye Span
4 ( 4 ) CHANGE WITH THE TIMES Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony
5 ( 5 ) HOUSE OF THE CLOWN Mike Batt
6 ( 2 ) IMAGINE John Lennon
7 ( 16 ) YOU SEXY THING Hot Chocolate
8 ( 8 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe
9 ( 9 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Thunderclap Newman
10 ( 14 ) WHY DID YOU DO IT Stretch

11 ( 11 ) SKY HIGH Jigsaw
12 ( 15 ) LOVE HURTS Jim Capaldi
13 ( 6 ) RHINESTONE COWBOY Glen Campbell
14 ( 7 ) SPACE ODDITY David Bowie
15 ( NEW ) LADY ELEANORE Lindisfarne
16 ( 12 ) NEW YORK GROOVE Hello
17 ( 13 ) HIGH FLY John Miles
18 ( 22 ) I COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT Biddu
19 ( 17 ) NIGHTS ON BROADWAY The Bee Gees
20 ( 18 ) BLUE GUITAR Justin Hayward & John Lodge

21 ( 21 ) OUR DAY WILL COME Frankie Valli
22 ( NEW ) LET’S TWIST AGAIN John Asher
23 ( 20 ) I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU Art Garfunkel
24 ( 19 ) BORN TO RUN Bruce Springsteen
25 ( 28 ) LYIN’ EYES The Eagles
26 ( 29 ) ROCKY Austin Roberts
27 ( 32 ) LADY Supertramp
28 ( 46 ) TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE Laurel & Hardy
29 ( 38 ) DARLIN’ David Cassidy
30 ( 39 ) LITTLE DARLIN’ The Rubettes

31 ( 25 ) WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MADE Esther Phillips
32 ( 26 ) LOVE IS THE DRUG Roxy Music
33 ( 24 ) IN A BROKEN DREAM Python Lee Jackson featuring Rod Stewart
34 ( 23 ) MAN OF THE WORLD Fleetwood Mac
35 ( 27 ) (ALL I HAVE TO DO IS) DREAM Al Matthews
36 ( 34 ) CHIRPY CHIRPY CHEEP CHEEP Middle Of The Road
37 ( 33 ) TWEEDLE DEE TWEEDLE DUM Middle Of The Road
38 ( 35 ) SOLEY SOLEY Middle Of The Road
39 ( 31 ) DREAMY LADY T.Rex
40 ( 50 ) FIRST IMPRESSIONS The Impressions

41 ( NEW ) HOLY ROLLER Nazareth
42 ( NEW ) IN FOR A PENNY Slade
43 ( 37 ) YOU’VE GOT ME RUNNING Smiley
44 ( 49 ) FLY ROBIN FLY Silver Convention
45 ( NEW ) SUPERSHIP George Benson
46 ( NEW ) GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME Elvis Presley
47 ( NEW ) I’M SO CRAZY (‘BOUT YOU) KC & The Sunshine Band
48 ( NEW ) MAMMA MIA ABBA
49 ( 36 ) ROCK ON BROTHER The Chequers
50 ( 41 ) RIDE A WILD HORSE Dee Clark

1st December 1975

It's two weeks on top for Bohemian Rhapsody, but Queen looking precarious with John Asher's cover of Let's Twist Again up 20 to 2 - if ever a record big in my chart and a hit could be considered a forgotten record it's that one. I'm waiting for it to turn up on Popmaster, I guarantee no-one will get it. Lindisfarne meanwhile go top 5 for the second time with Lady Eleanore and the ancient Laurel & Hardy quirky movie extract, poor recording quality and all, is up to 6. That'll be the first time a posthumous duo made my charts, but the clip is amusing still, and a little endearing, even if it was 38 years old. The equivalent of, say, something from Grease making the charts now. Eek!

Another comedy oldie finally charts too, at 11, as Python's gender-challenging Lumberjack Song pops in 4 or 5 years late, out as a single as opposed to a track on an album. Yes, in those days, comedy albums were a thing - there was no other way of hearing a classic sketch or routine except waiting for a repeat on TV, and the BBC couldnt be trusted not to wipe the tapes. My big fave Roy Wood was now out of hits as the music scene was mid-change to disco and Glam was out, as were his alter-ego as a solo folkie/50's rocker, so Looking Through The Eyes Of A Fool got ignored by radio and flopped - but not here, at 21 newly in.

Talking of getting ignored, Pilot also hit that bottle-neck hard as Lady Luck got little airplay, a shame as it was actually better than Call Me Round and a decent pop single, new at 29, just ahead of a re-entry from Wings' Magneto & Titanium Man as it was finally out as a single months too late - I had it as an album track befor Letting Go became single 2, a poor choice, this would have done much better as single 2 from Venus & Mars. Mud write their first ballad, get a big hit, but it's very dull - so much so that they didnt even bother doing it last month in concert Nov 2025, when I went along!

Sailor get a 2nd entry in my charts, Glass Of Champagne taking on Roxy Music inspiration, and twisting into their own style - Sailor had 5 minutes of fame and this single is still brilliant. In at 42, and at 46, Gladys & the boys are back with a ballad, Part Time Love, not one that troubles oldies stations, though The Stylistics Na Na Is The Saddest Word does a bit better now and again, new at 47, but it's not on a par with their early stuff, nor their 1975 chart-topper. That leaves Demis Roussos finally getting a UK solo hit after heavy TV promoting, after being huge in Europe since 1972-ish, with much better songs including one I bought - Forever And Ever - that flopped. I mean, Happy To Be On An Island In The Sun is quite nice for a lazy sunny day in Europe in the summertime, but a bit odd in freezing wintry UK when it sounded a tad formulaic for a Greek-ish ballad.

1 ( 1 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen

2 ( 22 ) LET’S TWIST AGAIN John Asher

3 ( 2 ) RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM Maxine Nightingale

4 ( 3 ) ALL AROUND MY HAT Steeleye Span

5 ( 15 ) LADY ELEANORE Lindisfarne

6 ( 28 ) TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE Laurel & Hardy

7 ( 7 ) YOU SEXY THING Hot Chocolate

8 ( 8 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe

9 ( 9 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Thunderclap Newman

10 ( 5 ) HOUSE OF THE CLOWN Mike Batt

11 ( NEW ) THE LUMBERJACK SONG Monty Python’s Flying Circus

12 ( 6 ) IMAGINE John Lennon

13 ( 4 ) CHANGE WITH THE TIMES Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony

14 ( 11 ) SKY HIGH Jigsaw

15 ( 12 ) LOVE HURTS Jim Capaldi

16 ( 13 ) RHINESTONE COWBOY Glen Campbell

17 ( 14 ) SPACE ODDITY David Bowie

18 ( 10 ) WHY DID YOU DO IT Stretch

19 ( 16 ) NEW YORK GROOVE Hello

20 ( 17 ) HIGH FLY John Miles

21 ( NEW ) LOOKING THROUGH THE EYES OF A FOOL Roy Wood

22 ( 40 ) FIRST IMPRESSIONS The Impressions

23 ( 18 ) I COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT Biddu

24 ( 42 ) IN FOR A PENNY Slade

25 ( 30 ) LITTLE DARLING The Rubettes

26 ( 27 ) LADY Supertramp

27 ( 29 ) DARLIN’ David Cassidy

28 ( 44 ) FLY ROBIN FLY Silver Convention

29 ( NEW ) LADY LUCK Pilot

30 ( 19 ) NIGHTS ON BROADWAY The Bee Gees

31 ( 41 ) HOLY ROLLER Nazareth

32 ( 20 ) BLUE GUITAR Justin Hayward & John Lodge

33 ( 23 ) I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU Art Garfunkel

34 ( 21 ) OUR DAY WILL COME Frankie Valli

35 ( RE ) MAGNETO AND TITANIUM MAN Wings

36 ( 24 ) BORN TO RUN Bruce Springsteen

37 ( 25 ) LYIN’ EYES The Eagles

38 ( 26 ) ROCKY Austin Roberts

39 ( 46 ) GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME Elvis Presley

40 ( 47 ) I’M SO CRAZY (‘BOUT YOU) KC & The Sunshine Band

41 ( NEW ) SHOW ME YOU’RE A WOMAN Mud

42 ( NEW ) GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE Sailor

43 ( 36 ) CHIRPY CHIRPY CHEEP CHEEP Middle Of The Road

44 ( 37 ) TWEEDLE DEE TWEEDLE DUM Middle Of The Road

45 ( 38 ) SOLEY SOLEY Middle Of The Road

46 ( NEW ) PART TIME LOVE Gladys Knight & The Pips

47 ( NEW ) NA NA IS THE SADDEST WORD The Stylistics

48 ( 31 ) WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MADE Esther Phillips

49 ( 32 ) LOVE IS THE DRUG Roxy Music

50 ( NEW ) HAPPY TO BE ON AN ISLAND IN THE SUN Demis Roussos

PLAYLIST This Week:

THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN Mary Hopkin

HAVE A LITTLE TALK WITH MYSELF Ray Stevens

My mother bought some interesting LPs, when she was young.

My highlights are Teach-In - Festival and Dooleys Family in Moscow. Yes, they visited USSR in 1975 year.

Ooh your mum was ahead of the game with The Dooleys, it was another 2 years before they got a hit in the UK! What your parents like often influences kids' music tastes!

8th December 1975

It's an unexpected record to knock off the mighty Bo Rap from the top spot, but Let's Twist Again just sounded great that week as I was busy back at my old school 2 years on and a year behind those of my former classmates, all looking a lot older and taller, so now in the year below me back in 1973 and trying to catch up on coursework for Geography, English Lit & History A Levels. The new music scene got a boost with the drop of the fab Evil Woman, ELO back on commercial form after 2 flops in the UK (eventually, it wasnt a hit right away, and neither was ABBA's Mamma Mia back in at 7 for their 3rd top 10). Airplay would kick in after the New Year.

Python grabbed a top 10 some 16 years ahead of the UK chart finally going for Monty songs. New in at 11, one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time, and based around a Prokofiev melody, and co-written by the late Pete Sinfield - fellow Prog Rocker and future Bucks Fizz/Cher/Celine hit songwriter - the lyrics being anti-commercialism, sadness about humanity, and a video set in the Middle East and devoid of tinsel, and seasonal cliches. It's a classic monster and an outrage that streaming companies ignore it on playlists. ELP had charted before for me, before this solo single for Greg Lake.

New at 23, and I should hide my head in shame, Renta Santa from DJ Chris Hill is new at 23, it was basically a novelty sampling-of-hits comedy record. It was different for the time, but once is all one needs to hear it - but I didnt take that hint! Former Eurovision classic and Dean Martin cover fave Volare pops in for Rock Bottom, not a hit anywhere but it was a fun upbeat version, at 24. One behind it's 10CC keeping a 100% record of chart hits for me with Art For Art's Sake, a serious rock track, as the whimsy days seem left behind ahead of the next album.

The Goodies run of kiddie novelty hits continues for one more only - Make A Daft Noise For Christmas, mildly amusing on one listen, irritating down the line, so 28 is very generous. Especially considering Bowie's classic Golden Years final Plastic Soul-era single, is one spot behind. Andy Fairweather-Low returns with gentle ballad Wide-Eyed And Legless at 33 for a chart span of 7 years including Amen Corner hits - one of which will return in 1976 following this big hit, new here at 33.

Wanna-be pop star John Christie has another go, and 2nd chart entry for me, with Runaway at 41. 9 months to go before persistance pays off! Wigans' Ovation get a forgotten third chart entry for me, Superlove I havent heard in 50 years! The Wombles are also nearing the end of the chart run of hits, as Let's Womble To The Party at 45, is clearly not as good Mike's other songs on the chart, House Of The Clown and All Around My Hat.

Stephenson's Rocket were another wannbe-pop-star teen-aimed combo that popped up on kids' pop music shows, but never really made it, but they are rewarded with Alright Baby at 46, ahead of Billy Howard with yet another novelty comedy track in the chart (eek!) as he takes Kojak, McCloud, Hawaii-5-0 and other big TV Detective shows and makes some crappy gags. This one again got annoying pretty quickly by Christmas. Meanwhile Art Garfunkel covers Albert Hammond's I Believe When I Fall In Love and ends up besides himself at 49. Nice version too. Which leaves The Small Faces back catalogue to be out again as The Faces split amid Rod Stewart going solo bigtime, their best record is Itchycoo Park and it's bizarrely a hit all over again - it really didnt fit into the 1975 music scene, so very much a case of later 60's nostalgia starting to creep into the charts. There will be a lot more in 1976!

1 ( 2 ) LET’S TWIST AGAIN John Asher

2 ( 1 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen

3 ( NEW ) EVIL WOMAN Electric Light Orchestra

4 ( 4 ) ALL AROUND MY HAT Steeleye Span

5 ( 3 ) RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM Maxine Nightingale

6 ( 11 ) THE LUMBERJACK SONG Monty Python’s Flying Circus

7 ( RE ) MAMMA MIA ABBA

8 ( 5 ) LADY ELEANORE Lindisfarne

9 ( 8 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe

10 ( 9 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Thunderclap Newman

11 ( NEW ) I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS Greg Lake

12 ( 29 ) LADY LUCK Pilot

13 ( 6 ) TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE Laurel & Hardy

14 ( 21 ) LOOKING THROUGH THE EYES OF  A FOOL Roy Wood

15 ( 12 ) IMAGINE John Lennon

16 ( 25 ) LITTLE DARLING The Rubettes

17 ( 17 ) SPACE ODDITY David Bowie

18 ( 16 ) RHINESTONE COWBOY Glen Campbell

19 ( 14 ) SKY HIGH Jigsaw

20 ( 10 ) HOUSE OF THE CLOWN Mike Batt

21 ( 7 ) YOU SEXY THING Hot Chocolate

22 ( 42 ) GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE Sailor

23 ( NEW ) RENTA SANTA Chris Hill

24 ( NEW ) VOLARE Rock Bottom

25 ( NEW ) ART FOR ART’S SAKE 10CC

26 ( 13 ) CHANGE WITH THE TIMES Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony

27 ( 15 ) LOVE HURTS Jim Capaldi

28 ( NEW ) MAKE A DAFT NOISE FOR CHRISTMAS The Goodies

29 ( NEW ) GOLDEN YEARS David Bowie

30 ( 35 ) MAGNETO AND TITANIUM MAN Wings

31 ( 20 ) HIGH FLY John Miles

32 ( 19 ) NEW YORK GROOVE Hello

33 ( NEW ) WIDE-EYED AND LEGLESS Andy Fairweather-Low

34 ( 22 ) FIRST IMPRESSIONS The Impressions

35 ( 26 ) LADY Supertramp

36 ( 27 ) DARLIN’ David Cassidy

37 ( 39 ) GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME Elvis Presley

38 ( 41 ) SHOW ME YOU’RE A WOMAN Mud

39 ( 30 ) NIGHTS ON BROADWAY The Bee Gees

40 ( 18 ) WHY DID YOU DO IT Stretch

41 ( NEW ) RUNAWAY John Christie

42 ( 28 ) FLY ROBIN FLY Silver Convention

43 ( NEW ) SUPERLOVE Wigan’s Ovation

44 ( 24 ) IN FOR A PENNY Slade

45 ( NEW ) LET’S WOMBLE TO THE PARTY The Wombles

46 ( NEW ) ALRIGHT BABY Stephenson’s Rocket

47 ( NEW ) KING OF THE COPS Billy Howard

48 ( 33 ) I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU Art Garfunkel

49 ( NEW ) I BELIEVE WHEN I FALL IN LOVE Art Garfunkel

50 ( NEW ) ITCHYCOO PARK The Small Faces

PLAYLIST:

I’M STILL WAITING Diana Ross

I’M GOING TO FALL IN LOVE AGAIN Mary Hopkin

15th December 1975

It's a big jump to the top spot for David Bowie, grabbing his second chart-topper of the year following the very different Space Oddity oldie. Golden Years is a disco-funk bop, and the best of his 3 singles in 1975 released under the "plastic soul" label. Close behind is Greg Lake's masterpiece at 2 with the entire top 6 jostling to become the next record I bought, bar Queen - I already had that one, and limited pocket money! Roy Wood gets his final solo top 10, his 4th in total - and indeed his last top 10 of any type, bar re-issues and Christmas re-entries or re-recordings. From top pop star to nothing big again was utterly unexpected at this point.

Talking of Christmas perennials, Elton gets Step Into Christmas in at 8 for a second top 10 run. It'll be another 40-odd years before the UK charts does the same! Pilot get a 3rd top 10, or 4th if the revamped Just A Smile counts as two, as flop Lady Luck hits 9, and the Christmas comedy track Renta Santa hits 10. Thankfully, not one that pops up any more, especially since it keeps out the fab Glass Of Champagne from the top 10. Blue Moon is a classic early 60's gem from The Marcels that topped the UK charts and cropped up on a K-Tel album 60's hits album I bought in 1973, so the re-issue gave me an excuse to chart it at 25.

Freddie Starr, top TV comic and impressionist, and a naughty boy who could sing as a side-line, is in with his take on Bing Crosby's xmas perennial, beating Bing to a chart placing. It's a comedy record, though, and not one suitable for airplay even at the time what with the Hitler impression before morphing into 50's Elvis style. You won't hear it on radio! Down the bottom end, husband & wife duo R & J Stone do a nice ballad that'll be big in the new year, We Do It, soul stylee, and there's another childhood fave popping in at 50 - Swinging On A Star was big fave as a toddler/primary school age, and beyond, really, so nice to see Big Dee Irwin and Little Eva sneak in in 1975.

1 ( 29 ) GOLDEN YEARS David Bowie

2 ( 11 ) I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS Greg Lake

3 ( 3 ) EVIL WOMAN Electric Light Orchestra

4 ( 2 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen

5 ( 1 ) LET’S TWIST AGAIN John Asher

6 ( 7 ) MAMMA MIA ABBA

7 ( 14 ) LOOKING THROUGH THE EYES OF  A FOOL Roy Wood

8 ( NEW ) STEP INTO CHRISTMAS Elton John

9 ( 12 ) LADY LUCK Pilot

10 ( 23 ) RENTA SANTA Chris Hill

11 ( 22 ) GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE Sailor

12 ( 4 ) ALL AROUND MY HAT Steeleye Span

13 ( 5 ) RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM Maxine Nightingale

14 ( 28 ) MAKE A DAFT NOISE FOR CHRISTMAS The Goodies

15 ( 33 ) WIDE-EYED AND LEGLESS Andy Fairweather-Low

16 ( 24 ) VOLARE Rock Bottom

17 ( 25 ) ART FOR ART’S SAKE 10CC

18 ( 6 ) THE LUMBERJACK SONG Monty Python’s Flying Circus

19 ( 9 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe

20 ( 10 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Thunderclap Newman

21 ( 18 ) RHINESTONE COWBOY Glen Campbell

22 ( 15 ) IMAGINE John Lennon

23 ( 8 ) LADY ELEANORE Lindisfarne

24 ( 19 ) SKY HIGH Jigsaw

25 ( NEW ) BLUE MOON The Marcels

26 ( 17 ) SPACE ODDITY David Bowie

27 ( NEW ) WHITE CHRISTMAS Freddie Starr

28 ( 16 ) LITTLE DARLING The Rubettes

29 ( 20 ) HOUSE OF THE CLOWN Mike Batt

30 ( 13 ) TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE Laurel & Hardy

31 ( 50 ) ITCHYCOO PARK The Small Faces

32 ( 41 ) RUNAWAY John Christie

33 ( 47 ) KING OF THE COPS Billy Howard

34 ( 30 ) MAGNETO AND TITANIUM MAN Wings

35 ( 26 ) CHANGE WITH THE TIMES Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony

36 ( 27 ) LOVE HURTS Jim Capaldi

37 ( 37 ) GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME Elvis Presley

38 ( 31 ) HIGH FLY John Miles

39 ( 32 ) NEW YORK GROOVE Hello

40 ( 39 ) NIGHTS ON BROADWAY The Bee Gees

41 ( 21 ) YOU SEXY THING Hot Chocolate

42 ( 35 ) LADY Supertramp

43 ( 42 ) FLY ROBIN FLY Silver Convention

44 ( 40 ) WHY DID YOU DO IT Stretch

45 ( 36 ) DARLIN’ David Cassidy

46 ( 45 ) LET’S WOMBLE TO THE PARTY The Wombles

47 ( 38 ) SHOW ME YOU’RE A WOMAN Mud

48 ( 34 ) FIRST IMPRESSIONS The Impressions

49 ( NEW ) WE DO IT R & J Stone

50 ( NEW ) SWINGING ON A STAR Big Dee Irwin & Little Eva

PLAYLIST:

I GET A LITTLE SENTIMENTAL The New Seekers

SHE The Monkees

"I Get A Little Sentimental Over You" was my # 1 in 1974 year.

Some sites named my Christmas # 1 Linda Bennett - An Old Fashioned Christmas (Daddy's Home) as the worst Xmas song ever, but I don't care and like it.

15 hours ago, Last Dreamer said:

"I Get A Little Sentimental Over You" was my # 1 in 1974 year.

Some sites named my Christmas # 1 Linda Bennett - An Old Fashioned Christmas (Daddy's Home) as the worst Xmas song ever, but I don't care and like it.

Records I keep playing after their chart run tend to be long-term faves, and I Get A Little Sentimental is a tune! I've never heard that Linda Bennet record that I recall so it won't be popping into my chart for 1975, but the news bulletin bits are tough going for Christmas-time! 😲

22nd December 1975

It's up to number one for Greg Lake's epic and fabulous I Believe In Father Christmas, for the first but not the last occasion - the record is in my current pre-Christmas charts, cos 50 years on it's still a stone classic. ELO are up to 2 with Evil Woman as they threaten to grab a 3rd chart-topper, and Mamma Mia is circling as the video starts to get shown on Top Of The Pops. Just for Christmas, Elton John's Step Into hits a new peak of 5 50 years on that is in the UK charts as I type and has never got that high. I like to think I was trending Xmas chart invasions before it was fashionable...

Sailor's Roxy-ish Glass Of Champagne is up to 6 with 10CC one behind at 7, and Volare also gets an unexpected top end spot at 8 for Rock Bottom, who aren't. There's a new Xmas entry for Dana, with her best single since All Kinds Of Everything new at 17. Unlike Elton and Greg though, It's Gonna be A Cold Cold Christmas has never troubled any charts since early 1976, even when it's perfectly pleasant and would make a change from all the crooners clogging up global streaming-based charts in 2025.

Talking of Roxy Music, Both Ends Burning debuts at 25, and surprised me by becoming a relatively small UK chart hit, it sounded like a smash at the time to me. Meanwhile The Fatback Band has a hit with funky Do The Bus Stop, new here at 26. At 29 vs John Asher's 16, it's the original Chubby Checker version of Let's Twist Again debuting - it sounded older, but ultimately it's the best version still. And the version I first knew, it made Chubby a household name.

Down the lower reaches, Alvin Stardust is about to get a UK flop, but the 50's-ish Angel From Hamburger Heaven had a charm to it at 41 - but Glam was dead already, it's just nobody had noticed it was going to be all about disco, Abba, Queen, 10CC and nostalgia. The Carpenters get a second christmas hit with Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, not the best version, but nice enough at 42, with Captain & Tenille getting a follow-up at last with The Way That I Want To Touch You, a ballad and very much not like their pop Sedaka cover number one.

Time In A Bottle had bombed (criminally) in the UK, but it makes a second appearance in my charts for Jim Croce 2 years on, also not the last time for this classic, at 45, while Martha & The Vandellas flop original of Third Finger Left Hand makes a debut 3 years on from The Pearls cover. That's at 46, and a new Procol Harum track is at 47, The Final Thrust is one absent from my ears 5 decades - turns out it's a military marching drumbeat intro and fairly uptempo song that might have hit with sleigh bells, but no chance otherwise! That leaves Sheer Elegance still annoying me with Milky Way at 49, it was mildly nice as a minor soul number in the UK at the time, but too much airplay made it irritating into 1976 - but I have no idea at the mo where it will peak in my charts!

1 ( 2 ) I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS Greg Lake

2 ( 3 ) EVIL WOMAN Electric Light Orchestra

3 ( 1 ) GOLDEN YEARS David Bowie

4 ( 6 ) MAMMA MIA ABBA

5 ( 8 ) STEP INTO CHRISTMAS Elton John

6 ( 11 ) GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE Sailor

7 ( 17 ) ART FOR ART’S SAKE 10CC

8 ( 16 ) VOLARE Rock Bottom

9 ( 10 ) RENTA SANTA Chris Hill

10 ( 4 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen

11 ( 7 ) LOOKING THROUGH THE EYES OF A FOOL Roy Wood

12 ( 14 ) MAKE A DAFT NOISE FOR CHRISTMAS The Goodies

13 ( 31 ) ITCHYCOO PARK The Small Faces

14 ( 18 ) THE LUMBERJACK SONG Monty Python’s Flying Circus

15 ( 9 ) LADY LUCK Pilot

16 ( 5 ) LET’S TWIST AGAIN John Asher

17 ( NEW ) IT’S GONNA BE A COLD, COLD CHRISTMAS Dana

18 ( 25 ) BLUE MOON The Marcels

19 ( 15 ) WIDE-EYED AND LEGLESS Andy Fairweather-Low

20 ( 27 ) WHITE CHRISTMAS Freddie Starr

21 ( 12 ) ALL AROUND MY HAT Steeleye Span

22 ( 13 ) RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM Maxine Nightingale

23 ( 19 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe

24 ( 20 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Thunderclap Newman

25 ( NEW ) BOTH ENDS BURNING Roxy Music

26 ( NEW ) DO THE BUS STOP The Fatback Band

27 ( 21 ) RHINESTONE COWBOY Glen Campbell

28 ( 28 ) LITTLE DARLING The Rubettes

29 ( NEW ) LET’S TWIST AGAIN Chubby Checker

30 ( 33 ) KING OF THE COPS Billy Howard

31 ( 24 ) SKY HIGH Jigsaw

32 ( 32 ) RUNAWAY John Christie

33 ( 22 ) IMAGINE John Lennon

34 ( 30 ) TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE Laurel & Hardy

35 ( 26 ) SPACE ODDITY David Bowie

36 ( 29 ) HOUSE OF THE CLOWN Mike Batt

37 ( 50 ) SWINGING ON A STAR Big Dee Irwin & Little Eva

38 ( 23 ) LADY ELEANORE Lindisfarne

39 ( 38 ) HIGH FLY John Miles

40 ( 39 ) NEW YORK GROOVE Hello

41 ( NEW ) ANGEL FROM HAMBURGER HEAVEN Alvin Stardust

42 ( NEW ) SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN Carpenters

43 ( 40 ) NIGHTS ON BROADWAY The Bee Gees

44 ( NEW ) THE WAY THAT I WANT TO TOUCH YOU The Captain & Tenille

45 ( NEW ) TIME IN A BOTTLE Jim Croce

46 ( NEW ) THIRD FINGER LEFT HAND Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

47 ( NEW ) THE FINAL THRUST Procol Harum

48 ( 35 ) CHANGE WITH THE TIMES Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony

49 ( NEW ) MILKY WAY Sheer Elegance

50 ( 43 ) FLY ROBIN FLY Silver Convention

PLAYLIST

THE LAUGHING GNOME David Bowie

LET ME ROLL IT Wings

29th December 1975

It's the last chart of the year and The UK charts were carried over as per usual in those days, so there's not much new in the way of entries, and lots of jostling about as Bo Rap rises to the top for the 3rd time and a fourth week as it heads for a million UK sales and 9 weeks on top, something that's not happened since the 50's. Mamma Mia rises to 3 for ABBA, Sailor go top 5, The Small Faces get a first top 10 7 years late and we get the first new entry at 18 - a fabulous reggae version of The Allman Brothers' Midnight Rider. The original got little exposure in the UK, so Paul Davidson's cover sounded like a new record, and off the wall for a reggae hit.

The second new entry is at 22, as Mike Oldfield gets a third hit a year on from Tubular Bells and Hergest Ridge albums qualifying for my charts on the grounds that they are basically one long track, though technically they should both be labelled Side 1 due to stopping to flip over the album on vinyl records in those days. In Dulce Jubilo is a traditional German melody dating from at least 1582, and probably much earlier, so Mike's Christmassy folk arrangement could just as easily be performed on May Day maypole dancing and all that, but in any case is one of the oldest melodies to ever chart. The double A sided single at this point was focusing on this track on radio, so I hadn't heard On Horseback yet.

1 ( 10 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen

2 ( 1 ) I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS Greg Lake

3 ( 4 ) MAMMA MIA ABBA

4 ( 2 ) EVIL WOMAN Electric Light Orchestra

5 ( 6 ) GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE Sailor

6 ( 7 ) ART FOR ART’S SAKE 10CC

7 ( 3 ) GOLDEN YEARS David Bowie

8 ( 8 ) VOLARE Rock Bottom

9 ( 13 ) ITCHYCOO PARK The Small Faces

10 ( 11 ) LOOKING THROUGH THE EYES OF  A FOOL Roy Wood

11 ( 9 ) RENTA SANTA Chris Hill

12 ( 17 ) IT’S GONNA BE A COLD, COLD CHRISTMAS Dana

13 ( 25 ) BOTH ENDS BURNING Roxy Music

14 ( 14 ) THE LUMBERJACK SONG Monty Python’s Flying Circus

15 ( 15 ) LADY LUCK Pilot

16 ( 18 ) BLUE MOON The Marcels

17 ( 26 ) DO THE BUS STOP The Fatback Band

18 ( NEW ) MIDNIGHT RIDER Paul Davidson

19 ( 5 ) STEP INTO CHRISTMAS Elton John

20 ( 12 ) MAKE A DAFT NOISE FOR CHRISTMAS The Goodies

21 ( 16 ) LET’S TWIST AGAIN John Asher

22 ( NEW ) IN DULCE JUBILO Mike Oldfield

23 ( 21 ) ALL AROUND MY HAT Steeleye Span

24 ( 22 ) RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM Maxine Nightingale

25 ( 23 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe

26 ( 24 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Thunderclap Newman

27 ( 27 ) RHINESTONE COWBOY Glen Campbell

28 ( 19 ) WIDE-EYED AND LEGLESS Andy Fairweather-Low

29 ( 30 ) KING OF THE COPS Billy Howard

30 ( 20 ) WHITE CHRISTMAS Freddie Starr

31 ( 44 ) THE WAY THAT I WANT TO TOUCH YOU The Captain & Tenille

32 ( 41 ) ANGEL FROM HAMBURGER HEAVEN Alvin Stardust

33 ( 28 ) LITTLE DARLING The Rubettes

34 ( 47 ) THE FINAL THRUST Procol Harum

35 ( 31 ) SKY HIGH Jigsaw

36 ( 33 ) IMAGINE John Lennon

37 ( 35 ) SPACE ODDITY David Bowie

38 ( 29 ) LET’S TWIST AGAIN Chubby Checker

39 ( 37 ) SWINGING ON A STAR Big Dee Irwin & Little Eva

40 ( 45 ) TIME IN A BOTTLE Jim Croce

41 ( 36 ) HOUSE OF THE CLOWN Mike Batt

42 ( 42 ) SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN Carpenters

43 ( 39 ) HIGH FLY John Miles

44 ( 40 ) NEW YORK GROOVE Hello

45 ( 38 ) LADY ELEANORE Lindisfarne

46 ( 46 ) THIRD FINGER LEFT HAND Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

47 ( 34 ) TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE Laurel & Hardy

48 ( 48 ) CHANGE WITH THE TIMES Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony

49 ( 43 ) NIGHTS ON BROADWAY The Bee Gees

50 ( 32 ) RUNAWAY John Christie

PLAYLIST

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY Slade

WORDS OF LOVE The Mamas & The Papas

and that's that for 1975 until I have time to get round to continuing my Retro 1975 charts to include tracks I didnt know at the time, and album tracks. 1976 to start in the new year! The Retro stuff will probably wait until all my original charts are digitised though.

John, how much Christmas (or festive like "Happy New Year") songs were #1s in your chart ?

On 13/12/2025 at 17:49, Popchartfreak said:

29th December 1975

and that's that for 1975 until I have time to get round to continuing my Retro 1975 charts to include tracks I didnt know at the time, and album tracks. 1976 to start in the new year! The Retro stuff will probably wait until all my original charts are digitised though.

Really looking forward to your 1976 John. My fave year for music.

Edited December 15Dec 15 by CRAZY CHRIS

On 13/12/2025 at 19:35, Last Dreamer said:

John, how much Christmas (or festive like "Happy New Year") songs were #1s in your chart ?

Ooh loads. Roughly in order John and Yoko. Wizzard. Mud. Greg Lake. Abba I Have A Dream. Bucks Fizz Land of Make Believe. Abba Happy New Year. Band Aid. Wham! Pogues. Chris Rea. Mariah Carey. Abba Little Things. Leona Lewis. There may be others ive forgotten! 😎

Thought ELO 'Evil Woman' was disco or soul but Wikipedia says progressive rock and pop rock; I don't really agree. Catchy and good song anyway!

My dad is a fan of 10CC so I know 'Art For Art's Sake'.

The Greg Lake Christmas song is good, but I prefer Chris De Burgh - A Spaceman Came Travelling in the battle of the 70s folky progressive rock Christmas songs.

Edited December 16Dec 16 by TheSnake

20 minutes ago, Popchartfreak said:

Ooh loads. Roughly in order John and Yoko. Wizzard. Mud. Greg Lake. Abba I Have A Dream. Bucks Fizz Land of Make Believe. Abba Happy New Year. Band Aid. Wham! Pogues. Chris Rea. Mariah Carey. Abba Little Things. Leona Lewis. There may be others ive forgotten! 😎

My # 1s (1970-2012) :

Festive spirit :

Robbie and Nicole - Somethin Stupid

ABBA - Happy New Year

Bucks Fizz - The Land Of Make Believe

Girls Aloud - See The Day

Christmas :

Mary Hopkin - Mary Had A Baby

Lynsey De Paul and Barry Blue - Happy Christmas To You From Me

Dana - It's Gonna Be A Cold Cold Christmas

Linda Bennett - An Old Fashioned Christmas (Daddy's Home)

Twiggy and Bing Crosby - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Kim Wilde and Mel Smith - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Twiggy - Winter Wonderland

Anne Charleston and Ian Smith - Old Fashioned Christmas

Bjorn Again - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Saint Etienne - I Was Born On Christmas Day

Cheeky Girls - Have A Cheeky Christmas

Fast Food Rockers - I Love Christmas

Hot Pantz - Give You One For Christmas

YVA - Laukiu Kaledu

1 hour ago, Last Dreamer said:

My # 1s (1970-2012) :

Festive spirit :

Robbie and Nicole - Somethin Stupid

ABBA - Happy New Year

Bucks Fizz - The Land Of Make Believe

Girls Aloud - See The Day

Christmas :

Mary Hopkin - Mary Had A Baby

Lynsey De Paul and Barry Blue - Happy Christmas To You From Me

Dana - It's Gonna Be A Cold Cold Christmas

Linda Bennett - An Old Fashioned Christmas (Daddy's Home)

Twiggy and Bing Crosby - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Kim Wilde and Mel Smith - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Twiggy - Winter Wonderland

Anne Charleston and Ian Smith - Old Fashioned Christmas

Bjorn Again - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Saint Etienne - I Was Born On Christmas Day

Cheeky Girls - Have A Cheeky Christmas

Fast Food Rockers - I Love Christmas

Hot Pantz - Give You One For Christmas

YVA - Laukiu Kaledu

We agree on 2!🤩 saint etienne is a great one too but I like most of the above. Kim wilde and mel smith was on in the bar last night sounding fun - i am in gran canaria at the moment 😎