4 hours ago, Popchartfreak said:

I have to admit I was also surprised to see Evelyn Thomas in the chart, I'd totally forgotten she came back bigger in the 80's after a brief chart hit in 76 - I tend to remember her 80's stuff and havent heard Weak Spot since the 70's!

Weak Spot was great but didn't make T20 iirc.

2nd March 1976

It's another new chart-topper as Tina Charles outdoes her stint with 5,000 Volts and Biddu outdoes Summer Of Love as disco hits the top spot, I Love To Love grabbing the top spot from the Four Seasons. Status Quo meanwhile make it a 5th top 10 as Rain is up to 7. Harpo, Swedish pop star, is back again with Movie Star his non-hit of 1975 which went top 5 for me with ABBA's Frida on backing vocals giving her two for one this week. Manhattan Transfer give the first half of the 20th century a song slot as Tuxedo Junction goes top 10. A good song is a good song, no matter how old it is...

As was the habit in those days, record labels shove out EP's of recent hits as reissued singles - and as Harvest, the label, had departed I guess someone was making hay while the sunshine had fallen into their lap and Roy Wood and Wizzard were not getting hits anymore, so out come their 3 1973 hits on one disc, and in at 11, 12, and 13. See My Baby Jive and Angel Fingers had already topped my charts. Cliff gets his first top 20 in 3 years with the fabulous Miss You Nights, and Guys & Dolls make it a trio of charting with a cover of Dusty Springfield's 1966 ballad classic, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me. It's better than Elvis' cover but, they ain't no Dusty! In at 20.

Billy Ocean gets his first chart entry under his own name, with the Motown-referencing and still-popular Love Really Hurts Without You new at 25 - but he had already gone top 5 as Scorched Earth in 1974 on two chart runs for the fab On The Run. Another 1973 re-issue is back at 26 for Deodata and that jazzy version of the 2001: A Space Odyssey borrow. The Fatback Band jump in at 27 with Do The Spanish Hustle, as Van McCoy's shadow hangs over dance and funk tracks, with two versions of Let's Do The Latin Hustle at 49 and 50. I think Eddie Drennan is the original and the M & O Band a competing cover that stole some sales from Eddie. The cover is at 49, Eddie 50.

John Denver's back for a 4th chart appearance at 29, Fly Away, which is 3 more than he got in the UK charts, I was always partial to his more melodic wistful wide-screen spectacles. Randy Edelman debuts with a decent cover of Unit 4 Plus 2's Concrete and Clay, another 60's revamp in at 39, and The Stylistics keep their run going with Funky Weekend, their best single since their UK chart-topper last summer, at 40. Talking of 60's covers, Linda Ronstadt has Tracks Of My Tears at 43, but Smokey Robinson's original had already charted for me, and her version just ain't in the same league! Sadly her best material was in the 60's and early 70's with the Stone Poneys-era, at least 2 genuine classics still obscure in the UK.

Harold Melvin & Teddy Pendergrass are back again for a 4th year of sweet soul, this time on the socially aware Wake Up Everybody at 44. Kevin Ayres gets a second chart entry with Falling In Love Again, one I don't remember where I do recall the good After The Show from 1974. This is at 46, one ahead of Lynsey De Paul's Love Bomb on her 5th year of hitting my rundown. Not heard that in decades either, but I know I liked it. That's 17 new entries, phew, over one-third of last week's chart has been kicked out including all the christmas songs.

1 ( 2 ) I LOVE TO LOVE Tina Charles

2 ( 1 ) DECEMBER ’63 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) The Four Seasons featuring Frankie Valli

3 ( 5 ) IT SHOULD’VE BEEN ME Yvonne Fair

4 ( 4 ) CONVOY C.W. McCall

5 ( 3 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

6 ( 6 ) MAMMA MIA ABBA

7 ( 11 ) RAIN Status Quo

8 ( NEW ) MOVIE STAR Harpo featuring Frida

9 ( 7 ) LOVE MACHINE The Miracles

10 ( 14 ) TUXEDO JUNCTION Manhattan Transfer

11 ( NEW ) SEE MY BABY JIVE Wizzard

12 ( NEW ) ANGEL FINGERS Wizzard

13 ( NEW ) BALL PARK INCIDENT Wizzard

14 ( 9 ) (IF PARADISE WAS) HALF AS NICE Amen Corner

15 ( 10 ) DAT Pluto Shervington

16 ( 28 ) MISS YOU NIGHTS Cliff Richard

17 ( 17 ) RIDERS OF THE STORM The Doors

18 ( 8 ) ROCK A DOODLE DO Linda Lewis

19 ( 13 ) I LOVE MUSIC The O’Jays

20 ( NEW ) YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME Guys & Dolls

21 ( 20 ) WEAK SPOT Evelyn Thomas

22 ( 40 ) YOUR MAGIC PUT A SPELL ON ME L.J. Johnson

23 ( 12 ) ANSWER ME Barbara Dickson

24 ( 41 ) FALLING APART AT THE SEAMS Marmalade

25 ( NEW ) LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU Billy Ocean

26 ( NEW ) ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA (2001) Deodata

27 ( NEW ) DO THE SPANISH HUSTLE The Fatback Band

28 ( 15 ) SOMETHING’S BEEN MAKING ME BLUE Smokie

29 ( NEW ) FLY AWAY John Denver

30 ( 45 ) BEST OF MY LOVE/ TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT Eagles

31 ( 25 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen

32 ( 19 ) EVIL WOMAN Electric Light Orchestra

33 ( 48 ) THE OTHER SIDE OF ME Andy Williams

34 ( 16 ) LET’S CALL IT QUITS Slade

35 ( 18 ) BABY FACE Wing & A Prayer, Fife & Drum Corps

36 ( 24 ) ON HORSEBACK Mike Oldfield

37 ( 37 ) LA BOOGA ROOGA The Surprise Sisters

38 ( 21 ) WALK AWAY FROM LOVE David Ruffin

39 ( NEW ) CONCRETE AND CLAY Randy Edelman

40 ( NEW ) FUNKY WEEKEND The Stylistics

41 ( 26 ) HELLO MUDDAH HELLO FADDAH Allan Sherman

42 ( 27 ) MIDNIGHT RIDER Paul Davidson

43 ( NEW ) TRACKS OF MY TEARS Linda Ronstadt

44 ( NEW ) WAKE UP EVERYBODY Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes

45 ( 22 ) LOW RIDER War

46 ( NEW ) FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN Kevin Ayres

47 ( NEW ) LOVE BOMB Lynsey De Paul

48 ( 49 ) PEOPLE LIKE YOU PEOPLE LIKE ME The Glitter Band

49 ( NEW ) LET’S DO THE LATIN HUSTLE The M & O Band

50 ( NEW ) LET’S DO THE LATIN HUSTLE Eddie Drennan & B.B.S. Unlimited

9th March 1976

3 and half years after peaking top 3, the second re-issue of Nights In White Satin grabs a week on top for The Moody Blues, still a prog classic and not the last time it would top my charts, while another 1968 fave that would have been top 3 had I started my personal charts a bit earlier enters at 27 as The Small Faces' Lazy Sunday debuts as a follow-up to Itchycoo Park. 10 weeks topping my chart in 1973 not enough for Wizzard as the lead track of the triple-track re-issue is up to 2 for the mighty See My Baby Jive, Angel Fingers goes top 10 for the second time, and Ball Park Incident holds fast.

The highest new entry is a debut for Be Bop Deluxe, a band that never quite made it, but Ships In The Night was as big a hit as they would get, new at 15, and quite quirkily lo-fi, before Punk makes that an aspiration. Gallagher & Lyle made my charts in early 1974 with Shine A Light, and they finally get a UK hit as the pleasant I Wanna Stay With You is in at 19. The Tommy movie, based on The Who's Rock Opera, drops a single in the blizzard that is Elton John's cover of Pinball Wizard, and his best single since Bennie & The Jets wasn't an A side in 1974, and his most in-ya-face rocker since Staurday Night's Alright For Fighting, but much better. The movie clip is platform-shoe-tastic. Number 23.

That leaves a couple of minor entries, The Chequers B side as I buy their single in the bargain bins - Hey Miss Payne at 49, and Chris White's still-pleasantly melodic Spanish Wine. Things all very pleasant in the new singles, with only Elton having any oomph to it.

1 ( 5 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

2 ( 11 ) SEE MY BABY JIVE Wizzard

3 ( 1 ) I LOVE TO LOVE Tina Charles

4 ( 2 ) DECEMBER '63 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) The Four Seasons featuring Frankie Valli

5 ( 3 ) IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME Yvonne Fair

6 ( 4 ) CONVOY C.W. McCall

7 ( 7 ) RAIN Status Quo

8 ( 8 ) MOVIE STAR Harpo

9 ( 6 ) MAMMA MIA ABBA

10 ( 12 ) ANGEL FINGERS Wizzard

11 ( 27 ) DO THE SPANISH HUSTLE The Fatback Band

12 ( 20 ) YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME Guys & Dolls

13 ( 13 ) BALL PARK INCIDENT Wizzard

14 ( 24 ) FALLING APART AT THE SEAMS Marmalade

15 ( NEW ) SHIPS IN THE NIGHT Be Bop Deluxe

16 ( 16 ) MISS YOU NIGHTS Cliff Richard

17 ( 9 ) LOVE MACHINE The Miracles

18 ( 22 ) YOUR MAGIC PUT A SPELL ON ME L.J. Johnson

19 ( NEW ) I WANNA STAY WITH YOU Gallagher & Lyle

20 ( 25 ) LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU Billy Ocean

21 ( 10 ) TUXEDO JUNCTION Manhattan Transfer

22 ( 26 ) ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA (2001) Deodato

23 ( NEW ) PINBALL WIZARD Elton John

24 ( 29 ) FLY AWAY John Denver

25 ( 14 ) (IF PARADISE WAS) HALF AS NICE Amen Corner

26 ( 40 ) FUNKY WEEKEND The Stylistics

27 ( NEW ) LAZY SUNDAY The Small Faces

28 ( 50 ) LET'S DO THE LATIN HUSTLE Eddie Drennan

29 ( 49 ) LET'S DO THE LATIN HUSTLE The M & O Band

30 ( 30 ) BEST OF MY LOVE/ TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT Eagles

31 ( 15 ) DAT Pluto Shervington

32 ( 33 ) THE OTHER SIDE OF ME Andy Williams

33 ( 19 ) I LOVE MUSIC The O'Jays

34 ( 39 ) CONCRETE AND CLAY Randy Edelman

35 ( 23 ) ANSWER ME Barbara Dickson

36 ( 31 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen

37 ( 32 ) EVIL WOMAN Electric Light Orchestra

38 ( 44 ) WAKE UP EVERYBODY Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes

39 ( 28 ) SOMETHING'S BEEN MAKING ME BLUE Smokie

40 ( 17 ) RIDERS OF THE STORM The Doors

41 ( 48 ) PEOPLE LIKE YOU PEOPLE LIKE ME The Glitter Band

42 ( 18 ) ROCK A DOODLE DO Linda Lewis

43 ( 43 ) TRACKS OF MY TEARS Linda Ronstadt

44 ( 21 ) WEAK SPOT Evelyn Thomas

45 ( 47 ) LOVE BOMB Lynsey De Paul

46 ( NEW ) SPANISH WINE Chris White

47 ( 36 ) ON HORSEBACK Mike Oldfield

48 ( 46 ) FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN Kevin Ayres

49 ( NEW ) HEY MISS PAYNE The Chequers

50 ( 42 ) MIDNIGHT RIDER Paul Davidson

Hi John. Love 1976 for music. Falling Apart At The Seams was cut from the recent Friday night TOTP repeat as, according to a poster on DS, one of the drum kits has Golliwogs on it for Golden Shred marmalade. Racist now apparently. Could have just pixelated it out...

I preferred Concrete & Clay to the 60's original by Unit 4+2

Both Wizzard songs were great. I liked Roy Wood solo too. Forever, Going Down The Road and Oh What a Shame.

I remember after Xmas Tom Browne played On Horseback.

Edited Thursday at 20:201 day by CRAZY CHRIS

On 12/03/2026 at 20:16, CRAZY CHRIS said:

Hi John. Love 1976 for music. Falling Apart At The Seams was cut from the recent Friday night TOTP repeat as, according to a poster on DS, one of the drum kits has Golliwogs on it for Golden Shred marmalade. Racist now apparently. Could have just pixelated it out...

I preferred Concrete & Clay to the 60's original by Unit 4+2

Both Wizzard songs were great. I liked Roy Wood solo too. Forever, Going Down The Road and Oh What a Shame.

I remember after Xmas Tom Browne played On Horseback.

It's a bit of a voyage of rediscovery for me as I get reminded of stuff I forgot I charted! 1976 that is. Annoying about Marmalade - their name was Marmalade for heavens sake, and as you say, wouldnt cost much to pixelate - I never made the connection between a doll, and racism, though the Black & White Minstrels were embarrassing even in the 60's as they were a terrible parody of a black tradition. Wizzard even had a new track out shortly in 1976 (it flopped, Glam was dead and gone as disco ruled), and yes Tom Browne switched to On Horseback - odd as that's the actual christmassy track (and better side) and ancient carol In Dulce Jubilo isnt that christmassy as an instrumental.

9th March 1976 is the week that the entire back catalogue of Beatles singles was reissued, along with Yesterday - the most popular song of the century as judged by cover versions - was finally released as a UK single, which went top 10 while other Beatles singles charted lower down, and just outside the charts. The singles came in a rather stupid sleeve of green with black fake single label, making them all look the same rather than using photos/sleeves of each era, which no doubt hit sales as they just looked rubbish. Available as a box set or individually they immediately gave me a chart compiling headache. Most Beatles singles predated my 1968 charts and the sudden invasion of 20-odd tracks (including B sides) would kick out 20 new tracks from my charts. So the only solution was to compile a new chart just for Beatles singles as they would have justifyingly peaked inside my top 20 at around those spots anyway had they come out one at a time (as they did in the 80's, on each 20th anniversary).

So this is the first one:

1 ( NEW ) LADY MADONNA The Beatles

2 ( NEW ) PENNY LANE The Beatles

3 ( NEW ) SOMETHING The Beatles

4 ( NEW ) HELLO GOODBYE The Beatles

5 ( NEW ) ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE The Beatles

6 ( NEW ) THE BALLAD OF JOHN AND YOKO The Beatles

7 ( NEW ) LET IT BE The Beatles

8 ( NEW ) YELLOW SUBMARINE The Beatles

9 ( NEW ) HELP! The Beatles

10 ( NEW ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

11 ( NEW ) GET BACK The Beatles featuring Billy Preston

12 ( NEW ) LOVE ME DO The Beatles

13 ( NEW ) STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER The Beatles

14 ( NEW ) WE CAN WORK IT OUT The Beatles

15 ( NEW ) I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND The Beatles

16 ( NEW ) TICKET TO RIDE The Beatles

17 ( NEW ) CAN'T BUY ME LOVE The Beatles

18 ( NEW ) THIS BOY The Beatles

19 ( NEW ) YOU CAN'T DO THAT The Beatles

20 ( NEW ) ELEANOR RIGBY The Beatles

16th March 1976

It's a sudden jump for Angel Fingers, leap frogging Wizzard's own See My Baby Jive to grab a 3rd week at number one 3 years on as Indiana Rainbow, their new single not-coincidentally out I suspect, to enter at 30 for 4 on the list. Had I allowed Beatles singles in this week, that track and probably every track lower down would not have charted unless I had thought to expand my chart to 75 - which was not an actual thing in those days! So, Be Bop Deluxe go top 5, and The Fatback Band get a top 10 with 10cc getting the highest new entry with haunting and fab I'm Mandy Fly Me at 12. That's their 11th chart-entry, including 3 number ones, so this might well be a 4th.

Barry White is back on form, still, as You See The Trouble With Me debuts at 23 ahead of the UK's new Eurovision entry, Save Your Kisses For Me, a debut for them as I missed their original run of hits. It's cute, but it's no ABBA was my view then and now. T.Rex return with London Boys at 40, not quite hitting the low of Zip Gun Boogie but it's not that much better actually, as another Glam struggler returns as Paul Gadd charts You Belong To Me at 43 - the title alone would make it unplayable these days I reckon.

Everything Beatles gets a boost from Emmylou Harris and her lovely cover of Here, There and Everywhere at 44, while Karen & Richard cover Herman's Hermits goodie There's A Kind Of Hush for a right old 60's vibe-back and Rod The Mod does The Rolling Stones' It's All Over Now. John MIles gets a 3rd entry with his epic Music at 48 - I didnt know what to make of the sprawling ballad/rock mix at first, and still prefer High Fly, but the lyrics do speak to me.

1 ( 10 ) ANGEL FINGERS Wizzard

2 ( 2 ) SEE MY BABY JIVE Wizzard

3 ( 3 ) I LOVE TO LOVE Tina Charles

4 ( 4 ) DECEMBER '63 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) The Four Seasons featuring Frankie Valli

5 ( 15 ) SHIPS IN THE NIGHT Be Bop Deluxe

6 ( 8 ) MOVIE STAR Harpo featuring Frida

7 ( 5 ) IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME Yvonne Fair

8 ( 6 ) CONVOY C.W. McCall

9 ( 11 ) DO THE SPANISH HUSTLE The Fatback Band

10 ( 1 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

11 ( 14 ) FALLING APART AT THE SEAMS Marmalade

12 ( NEW ) I'M MANDY FLY ME 10cc

13 ( 28 ) LET'S DO THE LATIN HUSTLE Eddie Drennan

14 ( 7 ) RAIN Status Quo

15 ( 9 ) MAMMA MIA ABBA

16 ( 19 ) I WANNA STAY WITH YOU Gallagher & Lyle

17 ( 12 ) YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME Guys & Dolls

18 ( 23 ) PINBALL WIZARD Elton John

19 ( 20 ) LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU Billy Ocean

20 ( 26 ) FUNKY WEEKEND The Stylistics

21 ( 34 ) CONCRETE AND CLAY Randy Edelman

22 ( 27 ) LAZY SUNDAY The Small Faces

23 ( NEW ) YOU SEE THE TROUBLE WITH ME Barry White

24 ( NEW ) SAVE YOUR KISSES FOR ME Brotherhood Of Man

25 ( 29 ) LET'S DO THE LATIN HUSTLE The M & O Band

26 ( 40 ) RIDERS OF THE STORM The Doors

27 ( 18 ) YOUR MAGIC PUT A SPELL ON ME L.J. Johnson

28 ( 21 ) TUXEDO JUNCTION Manhattan Transfer

29 ( 13 ) BALL PARK INCIDENT Wizzard

30 ( NEW ) INDIANA RAINBOW Wizzard

31 ( 17 ) LOVE MACHINE The Miracles

32 ( 22 ) ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA (2001) Deodato

33 ( 32 ) THE OTHER SIDE OF ME Andy Williams

34 ( 16 ) MISS YOU NIGHTS Cliff Richard

35 ( 24 ) FLY AWAY John Denver

36 ( 35 ) ANSWER ME Barbara Dickson

37 ( 36 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen

38 ( 37 ) EVIL WOMAN Electric Light Orchestra

39 ( 25 ) (IF PARADISE WAS) HALF AS NICE Amen Corner

40 ( NEW ) LONDON BOYS T.Rex

41 ( 38 ) WAKE UP EVERYBODY Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes

42 ( 30 ) BEST OF MY LOVE/ TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT Eagles

43 ( NEW ) YOU BELONG TO ME Gary Glitter

44 ( NEW ) HERE THERE AND EVERYWHERE Emmylou Harris

45 ( NEW ) THERE'S A KIND OF HUSH Carpenters

46 ( NEW ) IT'S ALL OVER NOW Rod Stewart

47 ( 45 ) LOVE BOMB Lynsey De Paul

48 ( NEW ) MUSIC John Miles

49 ( 33 ) I LOVE MUSIC The O'Jays

50 ( 46 ) SPANISH WINE Chris White

16th March 1976 THE BEATLES REISSUES CHART

Meanwhile in Beatles re-issue chart-land Penny Lane knocks off Lady Madonna from the top spot (and yes I do consider these chart positions bonafide for my chart purposes, so that makes a 5th Beatles chart-topper in total (Hey Jude, Let It Be, Long & Winding Road) as Yesterday enters at 9 as it makes the UK charts, shortly to be joined by Hey Jude, Paperback Writer, Get Back, Strawberry Fields (no mention of Penny Lane very annoyingly in the chart listings of the time, but it's still there!) and Help!

1 ( 2 ) PENNY LANE The Beatles

2 ( 1 ) LADY MADONNA The Beatles

3 ( 4 ) HELLO GOODBYE The Beatles

4 ( 5 ) ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE The Beatles

5 ( 6 ) THE BALLAD OF JOHN AND YOKO The Beatles

6 ( 3 ) SOMETHING The Beatles

7 ( 7 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

8 ( 10 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

9 ( NEW ) YESTERDAY The Beatles

10 ( 13 ) STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER The Beatles

11 ( 11 ) GET BACK The Beatles featuring Billy Preston

12 ( 8 ) YELLOW SUBMARINE The Beatles

13 ( 9 ) HELP! The Beatles

14 ( 15 ) I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND The Beatles

15 ( 12 ) LOVE ME DO The Beatles

16 ( 17 ) CAN'T BUY ME LOVE The Beatles

17 ( 20 ) ELEANOR RIGBY The Beatles

18 ( 16 ) TICKET TO RIDE The Beatles

19 ( 14 ) WE CAN WORK IT OUT The Beatles

20 ( 18 ) THIS BOY The Beatles