I started doing personal charts in 1968, aged 10, but the first complete year I did (I filled in missing weeks later in the 70's for 1968-71, based on fairly recent memory) was 1972. It was largely based around the UK top 30, so it still wasn't absolutely accurate - that would be 1974 when I opened up my charts to anything new or re-issued. I found a music biz book which had sales figure ratios for the top 50 one week in the summer of 1976, and retrospectively used those as the basis for my ongoing "sales" system.

 

That means I have a compiled Top 100 for 1972, what I liked and loved then, and I also have one for my recent Retro revisits based on the same "sales" chart. I thought it might be a self-indulgent example of how music tastes change over the years, at least for me. I can be very fond of some old records, while not loving them like I once did, and the reverse is true too - stuff I didn't rate at 14 years old, or didn't know, I can really love nowadays.

 

So this is more a comment on how things have changed rather than a study of how great I think the records are: the chart position will show much I think of them: one proviso, it's for records Released or Peaking in 1972 in my Retro charts, and they may not match UK chart years, which were often delayed for years back in the day - but my Original Year-End Chart Position will take the information from whichever year they peaked originally, so there will be missing or duplicate numbers.

 

So, starting off: The Top 100 1972 favourites that didn't make the Top 100 50 years later:

New rating: 350. (Previous position: 67): OPEN UP - Mungo Jerry

 

 

I'd been big on Mungo aka Ray Dorset over 1970/71 and this low-key Blues minor hit carried that on. I still quite like it, but I'm guessing the now-non-existing Top Of The Pops performances boosted it a bit for me at the time. The riffs are great though.

284. (54) ROCKIN' ROBIN - Michael Jackson

 

 

 

 

Michael was the same age as me in 1972, more or less (same school year) and he could do no wrong in 1972 as Motown went into overdrive to make hay before his voice broke. I maintain he is one of the greatest male pre-hormones-kicking-in vocalists, pure, soaring and emotional. This rock 'n' roll-era cover was very catchy - but the years haven't been kind, I think I was getting fed up with it by year-end when The Jackson 5 popped onto Top Of The Pops with their latest fabulous single and did a slot with this, rather than Ben, the then-current single. I think it was probably filmed in the summer.

278. (47) POPPA JOE - The Sweet

 

 

Bubblegum-calypso was The Sweet's breakthrough sound, prior to Glam Rock kicking it, and this was the third, and least, of their upbeat, jolly tracks - not as good as Funny Funny and Co Co, but still very catchy, Chinn-Chapman knew how to push a hook that appealed to Teens! The lowest-placed track that made my top 50 of the time. Note the single that changed their direction ends at 269 (my 112th of the year) - Little Willy, sounds good but it's a bit silly lyrically. Little Willy won't go home, indeed... :teresa:

248. (58) BALL PARK INCIDENT - Wizzard

 

 

Roy Wood was my undisputed musical hero in 1973, posters up on my bedroom wall, full-on multi-instrumentalist solo (The Boulders album, it was all him, which impressed me immensely), Glam Rock retro-Wall-Of-Sound chart-toppers, founder of the fabulous ELO with Jeff Lynne, and mainman of 60's hitsters The Move, Blackberry Way being an early fave. After his split with Jeff Lynne over the direction of the classical-prog experimental ELO, Roy decided to go full on Glam rock'n'roller, painted his face, wore colourful costumes and outdid ELO commercially for a couple of years, what with his knack for writing hit pop songs. Ball Park Incident started the ball rolling and was very 50's rock'n'roll, looked great on Top Of The Pops, but was more or less a re-tread of The Move's final hit California Man, and like most things Roy Wood, I over-rated it a bit at the time.

247. (11) MOULDY OLD DOUGH - Lt. Pigeon

 

 

Staveley Makepiece plus mum on piano for this very retro Ragtime piano-novelty track that was HUGE in 1972, older audiences with memories of Mrs Mills and Russ Conway liked it, the growling Mouldy Old Dough appealed to kids and it was flute-ily catchy as hell. My 11th favourite track of the year, yet it never topped my chart, unlike the clone follow-up Desperate Dan. I see it went down pretty well on Buzzjack with those too young to have heard it before, but I file it under "fond of it" these days - unique, fun, but I wouldnt want to hear it more than once in a while, I know it backwards....

238. (1) NUT ROCKER - B. Bumble & The Stingers

 

 

Well, here it is, my top track of 1972, a ten-year-old classical beat-era update that I hadn't heard before as a 14-year old. I bought the single, I took it into End-Of-Term music lesson (and indeed the last classroom lesson in Music I ever had) where we could just play our fave records. The syllabus quirks meant I had to drop my 2 best subjects: Art and Music in favour stuff I would never use, like Physics and History. Great fun, catchy, and against the odds it became iconic to a new generation in the 2000's on the radio. Who knew!? Still enjoy it, still fun, but it just doesn't move me, and as one gets on a bit having a laugh doesnt hit as deeply as something that emotionally resonates. 237 places dropping, though, was unexpected!

231 (42) ALWAYS ON MY MIND - Elvis Presley

 

 

I still had residual love for Elvis in his Vegas/Ballad years, but time hasn't been kind to most of his 70's output, but this song went down well with me and the family - though if I'd known it was a Brenda Lee Country hit I might have been less fussed. Of course, Pet Shop Boys came along and flattened every other version of it, including this one.

 

Hi Ho Silver Lining drops to 228 for 1972, but it has been rightly moved to 1967 in my Retro countdowns where it will do much better for Jeff Beck. I haven't done a 1962 rundown (yet) or esle Chris Montez' Let's Dance would also have featured in that as opposed to dropping from 42 to 224. I did like me oldies even as a 14-year-old!

 

 

223 (66) C MOON - Wings

 

 

 

The radio-friendly side to the banned "drug" encouraging Hi Hi Hi which is listed in my 1973 rundown as that has lasted better than this pretty singalong ditty and peaked in January 1973. As a double A they both peaked at 66, as Radio Luxembourg was playing Hi Hi Hi even if Radio 1 wasn't. This is of course a response from Paul to getting banned with his political single - which was pretty naively rubbish by any standard, however well-intended - and then purposely followed it with the most inoffensive record imaginable, that one still to come.

222 (62) SYLVIA'S MOTHER - Doctor Hook & The Medicine Show

 

 

Dennis Locciere on vocals, and Shel Silverstein writing all of their best quirky, early songs, this UK smash crossed over into a big song for me. I still like the pseudo-OTT-understated emotion and semi-serious lyrics, but I like it less than other tracks from Dr Hook these days, but I still have a nostalgic fondness for it.

220 (92) SONG SUNG BLUE - Neil Diamond

 

 

 

 

The final entry in Neil Diamond's fabulous early career, at least in terms of UK hits, though creatively it was all downhill from here-on pretty much - most of his great songs predate 1973. This was a sweet singalong hit which I was convinced was called Song Song Blue until I saw it written down somewhere. Which might have made no sense lyrically, but sounded correct. It's not up there with Cracklin' Rosie, that's for sure, it plods a bit these days but at least I don't have to listen to a former massive love which has been Karaoke'd to death this century, there's no escaping Sweet Caroline.

219 (85) TAKE ME BAK 'OME - Slade

 

 

Slade were huge in 1972, and they did pretty well in my charts of the time too - but 50 years on I find I don't love their laddy Glam Rock quite as much as I did: Gudbye T' Jane rolls in at 336, and mama Weer All Crazee Now drops at 227 having just missed the top 100 at the time. Take Me Bak 'Ome is the best of the three rockers, but they still have the follow-up to the massive Coz I Luv You to come.

206 (23) DESPERATE DAN - Lieutenant Pigeon

 

 

 

I must be the only person in the world that preferred the follow-up to the monster Mouldy Ol Dough at the time, and still do! This topped my chart and romped in 23rd fave of the year. I still enjoy the more upbeat tempo of this one to the more plod-ish Mouldy, but I doubt had this come out first that it would have been a hit.

187 (68) DOOBEDOOD’NDOOBE DOOBEDOOD’NDO - Diana Ross

 

 

I still fondly recall this getting slagged off in the NME when it came out, bad reviews are always entertaining even if they are wrong. The title though was always going to work against this one being fondly remembered, but I still like it a lot. It's not up to Diana's 1970/71 classics but it's ahead of her move into drippy ballads and has more in common with Surrender than All Of My Life. That said it's still dropped 119 places in my affection.

185 (55) WHAT'S YOUR NAME - Chicory Tip

 

 

Follow-up to Giorgio Moroder's ground-breaking song, what with the synths and all, but it was really more-of-the-same-but-not-quite-as-good, but in 1972 this novelty ditty still seemed futuristic - and indeed it was. Pity the song is so disposable though, it's not actually bad as such, it's quite catchy and I still like the synths but it's a bit too cheerful for it's own good.

183 (39) SEASIDE SHUFFLE - Terry Dactyl & The Dinosuars

 

 

AKA Jona Lewie grabbing a novelty hit 8 years early, Seaside Shuffle fits in with the myriad novelty and retro-referring tracks of the early 70's, the jaunty singalong was fine for traditional British summertime at the beach which still dominated working class life at that time - the package holidays to Spain were up and running but they hadn't really become affordable for most. A day out at Skeggy was the reality for us, and this fun tune was amusingly grounded in reality. 50 years on it doesn't quite resonate with the jetsetting holidays of the 2020's but it has its period charm.

183 (27) BEG, STEAL OR BORROW - The New Seekers

 

 

 

The New Seekers 3rd number one for me inside 8 months, it was a great UK entry, not nearly as chirpy as usual Eurovision entries, and there were some great harmonies going on, especially Peter Doyle and Eve Graham, loved their voices. It was big enough to end as my 27th fave of the year, and I still enjoy hearing it, as long as it's not too frequently played. Which a song has to endure to rate highly in my revamped charts for 2 or 3 months on a weekly basis. That explains the drop of over 150 places in my affections: there are other New Seekers songs I prefer these days.

179 (97) (I CAN'T GET NO) SATISFACTION - Bubble Rock

 

Jonathan King was always up for taking the piss out of fellow popstars, parodies or otherwise, and this one was a dig at Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones, using Jagger/Richard lyrics done Dylan folkie style. All the bite and anger of the Stones original is gone, replaced with whimsy folk pastiche. It came out in 1972 on JK's album and then just sat there for 18 months until he decided to drop it as a single under yet another pseudonym: by this time he'd had hits under 3 or 4 alter-ego's (and I do mean Ego) one of which is still to come. This made my 97th slot of 1974, but I have moved it back into the year it came out for this exercise. Staying amongst my top 200 faves of 1972 is still not bad.

165 (28) LOOP DI LOVE - Shag

 

 

Talking of which, here's JK's chart-topper for me, Loop Di Love. The vocals have been slowed down to make his reedy voice a little more gruff - King was notorious for Top Of The Pops appearances where he was made to sing live - invariably his records would drop the following week as singing is not his forte. I liked that he used the name Shag, and got away with it on the BBC - one could innocently refer to the seabird or the dance, but we all knew what he meant. The song? It's very silly, and very catchy, a nursery rhyme with girlie backing singers and a prominent fiddle upfront. I think I'll quit while I'm ahead.....

162 (20) CROCODILE ROCK - Elton John

 

 

 

Well here's a shock to me, Croc Rock was Elton's first chart-topper for me in 1972, and I have fond memories of carrying my reel to reel tape recorder round from 8 Sheepwalk's 2-bedroom house to our upgraded 108 Sheepwalk 3-bedroom so me and my brother would stop arguing in a tiny room. That would be RAF Swinderby out in the sticks of Lincolnshire. The houses are still there, but all sold off. Anyway, it was the first thing I took, I got the new house all to myself and could play the latest top 20 recordings, of which this was my fave. Pseudo Diamond's Little Darlin' (which I also loved) and very 50's pastiche fun, it was utterly catchy. I think overplay over the years has reduced the appeal of it a bit, but not worry Elton still has a monster to come to keep him inside the Year-End top 20.