5 minutes ago, CRAZY CHRIS said:

Do you agree that Dancing Queen is a bit overrated and overplayed now John? Easily their best-known song though but despite it being a US No.1 surprisingly Fernando outsold it worldwide in the 70's. As I've said in the best-sellers thread I prefer Super Trouper, Fernando, Lay All Your Love On Me, and album tracks As Good As New, The Piper and That's Me. Any wedding disco these days and they'll play DQ though.

Loved the Twiggy track in Autumn 76 but my fave of 76 is coming up, Pussycat.

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventy!

That's the only way I can enjoy it by changing the lyrics a bit! Such is its overplay.

14th September 1976

It's 5 weeks on top for Dancing Queen as it becomes their longest-running single on top, holding off Monday Monday from the top spot - but that will do it in 1997 with California Dreamin' so not to worry. Plus Creque Alley makes it 2 top 10's for The Mamas & The Papas, and a 4th top 10 for the late Mama Cass. Twiggy, meanwhile, joind the top 10 club with Here I Go Again. The highest new entry is The Real Thing's soundalike follow-up to You To Me Are Everything, which just fell short of the top 10, as Can't Get By Without You does in week 1, at 13.

MIke Batt celebrates the end of the hot, dry summer with Rainmaker, under his alias Wellington Womble. It's a pretty good single actually and deserved to be a hit, but the Wombles bandwagon had left the station, sadly. New at 27 here, at least. A re-entry we didn't really need, and due to the HMS Ark Royal TV series using as the TV theme, Sailing is back for a second run leass than a year on at 33. More welcome to me, was Jo Jo Gunne getting re-issued and Run Run Run duly debuts at 37 4 years on from being top 5 in my charts, and Love Is All is back for a second try for Roger Glover 18 months after it first tried (and failed) to chart, in at 38, and a top 10 for me first-time-round.

Mockingbird is also a 1974 track back again for Carly Simon and James Taylor at 39, and Gallagher & Lyle try for hit 3 with the sweet Breakaway at 42. Art Garfunkel did a nice cover. Randy Edelman is also back again with a ballad this time, Uptown Uptempo Woman at 48 while Silver's Wham Bam has been forgotten 50 years later, but is a rather nice slice of West Coast harmony rock that deserved to be a UK hit. One of those tracks on my list to bring back for some more plays!

1 ( 1 ) DANCING QUEEN ABBA

2 ( 5 ) MONDAY MONDAY The Mamas & The Papas

3 ( 2 ) YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO The Chi-Lites

4 ( 6 ) BLINDED BY THE LIGHT Manfred Mann's Earthband

5 ( 7 ) BENNIE AND THE JETS Elton John

6 ( 3 ) YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE Lou Rawls

7 ( 8 ) THE PRICE OF LOVE Bryan Ferry

8 ( 12 ) CREQUE ALLEY The Mamas & The Papas

9 ( 10 ) YOU SHOULD BE DANCING The Bee Gees

10 ( 13 ) HERE I GO AGAIN Twiggy

11 ( 11 ) WITHOUT YOU Nilsson

12 ( 9 ) LET 'EM IN Wings

13 ( NEW ) CAN'T GET BY WITHOUT YOU The Real Thing

14 ( 4 ) AFTERNOON DELIGHT Starland Vocal Band

15 ( 20 ) AMOUREUSE Kiki Dee

16 ( 21 ) MISSISSIPPI Pussycat

17 ( 24 ) I CAN'T ASK FOR ANYMORE THAN YOU Cliff Richard

18 ( 18 ) DANCE LITTLE LADY DANCE Tina Charles

19 ( 22 ) I WANT MORE Can

20 ( 30 ) DOINA DE JALE Gheorghe Zamfir

21 ( 25 ) 1, 2, 2003 Len Barry

22 ( 36 ) IT'S O.K. the Beach Boys

23 ( 26 ) BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY Peter Frampton

24 ( 31 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU Bay City Rollers

25 ( 16 ) HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL Tavares

26 ( 37 ) BABY WE'D BETTER TRY TO GET TOGETHER Barry White

27 ( NEW ) RAINMAKER Wellington Womble aka Mike Batt

28 ( 15 ) A LITTLE BIT MORE Dr. Hook

29 ( 44 ) BEST DISCO IN TOWN The Ritchie Family

30 ( 45 ) DISCO DUCK Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots

31 ( 17 ) MYSTERY SONG Status Quo

32 ( 23 ) WHAT I'VE GOT IN MIND Billie-Jo Spears

33 ( NEW ) SAILING Rod Stewart

34 ( 14 ) NICE 'N' SLOW Jesse Green

35 ( 39 ) LOVING ON THE LOSING SIDE Tommy Hunt

36 ( 38 ) HEAVEN IS IN THE BACK SEAT OF MY CADILLAC Hot Chocolate

37 ( NEW ) RUN RUN RUN Jo-Jo Gunne

38 ( NEW ) LOVE IS ALL Roger Glover & Friends

39 ( NEW ) MOCKINGBIRD Carly Simon & James Taylor

40 ( 40 ) (I'VE GOT THE) MUSIC IN ME The Kiki Dee Band

41 ( 42 ) ARIA Acker Bilk

42 ( NEW ) BREAKAWAY Gallagher & Lyle

43 ( 19 ) HOROSCOPE Harpo

44 ( 28 ) I NEED IT Johnny 'Guitar' Watson

45 ( 49 ) THAT'LL BE THE DAY Linda Ronstadt

46 ( 29 ) IN ZAIRE Johnny Wakelin

47 ( 32 ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER The Monkees

48 ( NEW ) UPTOWN UPTEMPO WOMAN Randy Edelman

49 ( 27 ) HERE COMES THE SUN Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

50 ( NEW ) WHAM BAM SHANG A LANG Silver

Meanwhile in my diary for this week, next-door-neighbour Ernie did me a budgie birdbox, for the little breeders in the outdoor aviary/shed. Back at school sorting out of the timetables (photography, Geography, English Lit) - I still have nightmares about forgetting to turn up for lessons at school and College, which is bizarre! Cards at lunchtime with schoolmates, mum picked me up after school (in North Hykeham) to take me home to Mansfield before she went to my Aunty's Tupperware party. Exciting domestic pastimes in those days!

TV had a unique UK/US TV link-up for chat shows from Dick Cavett & Eamon Andrews, signs of the future. Chairman Mao died. Not that it affected my day to day life. Mum's niece popped round with her family Thursday during Top Of The Pops. I note a powerful episode 'Lester' of the great Harry O detective show , where a regular was killed off. David Janssen starred, and his co-star had been Manolito in the fab High Chaparral Western show, Henry Darrow. Still remember being shocked! I also audio taped one of my fave Batman episodes (Shame starring Cliff Robinson) really funny pisstake of 50's Western hero Shane.

On Saturday I went into town with my brother as Tom Baker did a Doctor Who P.A. swooshing right by me in his full outfit. I didn't queue with all the kids to meet him though, I get a little tongue-tied with celebrities. Still do. Yesterday (in 2026) I met Katy Manning, Jo in 70's Doctor Who, Jemma Redgrave from recent Doctor Who, and British movie icon of the 60's and 70's Madeline Smith, all perfectly lovely and friendly. Babysat my little cousins again Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening too they were all round.

21st September 1976

It's 6 weeks on top for Dancing Queen, rescued from being kicked off the top spot thanks to a mega-Motown Box Set of singles of double A sides to buy, some of which made the UK chart, but most didn't. Along with yet more oldies re-issues I took the decision to ban oldies from my current chart unless they were in the top 50 and create another oldies chart as I'd done in 1974 for a while. This would remain my rule, along with banning album tracks and B sides, until the 21st century when downloads changed everything.

So, Manfred Mann get blocked at 2 for a second time, following Earthband's Joybringer in 1973, and Bennie & The Jets hits 3 after topping my chart in 1974. Pussycat leap to a MIssissippi top 5, The Real Thing grab a first top 10 with no oldies taking up spaces and Tina Charles grabs a third, while Kiki Dee's charting EP has Amoureuse top 10 again 3 years on. Aussie band Sherbet are the highest new entry at 33 - Howzat? He got caught out, you see! Eric Carmen gets a 3rd charter with Sunrise at 35, not heard that in decades, as not a UK hit. It's quite good actually, sprawling and ambitious!

Smokie have changed their spelling and drop a best-yet single in I'll Meet You At Midnight, Chinn-Chapman still able to knock off a hit song in at 41. US band Orleans drop their big hit Still The One in the UK to little interest, bar me, at 32, just ahead of The Drifters' latest retro ditty Every Nite's A Saturday Night With You keeping the formula going against all expectations. Finally Anne Murray makes it 6 years of charting since Snowbird topped my charts, Destiny as usual flopping in the UK, and as usual hitting my sweet spot. A few re-entries due to clearing out the oldies.

1 ( 1 ) DANCING QUEEN ABBA

2 ( 4 ) BLINDED BY THE LIGHT Manfred Mann's Earthband

3 ( 5 ) BENNIE AND THE JETS Elton John

4 ( 3 ) YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO The Chi-Lites

5 ( 16 ) MISSISSIPPI Pussycat

6 ( 6 ) YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE Lou Rawls

7 ( 13 ) CAN'T GET BY WITHOUT YOU The Real Thing

8 ( 18 ) DANCE LITTLE LADY DANCE Tina Charles

9 ( 15 ) AMOUREUSE Kiki Dee

10 ( 14 ) AFTERNOON DELIGHT Starland Vocal Band

11 ( 7 ) THE PRICE OF LOVE Bryan Ferry

12 ( 30 ) DISCO DUCK Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots

13 ( 19 ) I WANT MORE Can

14 ( 20 ) DOINA DE JALE Gheorghe Zamfir

15 ( 17 ) I CAN'T ASK FOR ANYMORE THAN YOU Cliff Richard

16 ( 9 ) YOU SHOULD BE DANCING The Bee Gees

17 ( 22 ) IT'S O.K. the Beach Boys

18 ( 24 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU Bay City Rollers

19 ( 10 ) HERE I GO AGAIN Twiggy

20 ( 26 ) BABY WE'D BETTER TRY TO GET TOGETHER Barry White

21 ( 29 ) BEST DISCO IN TOWN The Ritchie Family

22 ( 33 ) SAILING Rod Stewart

23 ( 12 ) LET 'EM IN Wings

24 ( 36 ) HEAVEN IS IN THE BACK SEAT OF MY CADILLAC Hot Chocolate

25 ( 23 ) BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY Peter Frampton

26 ( 27 ) RAINMAKER Wellington Womble aka Mike Batt

27 ( 35 ) LOVING ON THE LOSING SIDE Tommy Hunt

28 ( 34 ) NICE 'N' SLOW Jesse Green

29 ( 32 ) WHAT I'VE GOT IN MIND Billie-Jo Spears

30 ( 41 ) ARIA Acker Bilk

31 ( 40 ) (I'VE GOT THE) MUSIC IN ME The Kiki Dee Band

32 ( 25 ) HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL Tavares

33 ( NEW ) HOWZAT Sherbet

34 ( 50 ) WHAM BAM Silver

35 ( NEW ) SUNRISE Eric Carmen

36 ( 42 ) BREAKAWAY Gallagher & Lyle

37 ( 45 ) THAT'LL BE THE DAY Linda Ronstadt

38 ( 48 ) UPTOWN UPTEMPO WOMAN Randy Edelman

39 ( 28 ) A LITTLE BIT MORE Dr. Hook

40 ( 31 ) MYSTERY SONG Status Quo

41 ( NEW ) I'LL MEET YOU AT MIDNIGHT Smokie

42 ( NEW ) STILL THE ONE Orleans

43 ( NEW ) EVERY NITE'S A SATURDAY NIGHT The Drifters

44 ( 44 ) I NEED IT Johnny 'Guitar' Watson

45 ( RE ) SHANNON Henry Gross

46 ( RE ) DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART Elton John & Kiki Dee

47 ( RE ) THE KILLING OF GEORGIE PART 1 Rod Stewart

48 ( NEW ) DESTINY Anne Murray

49 ( RE ) SUMMER War

50 ( 46 ) IN ZAIRE Johnny Wakelin

THE MOTOWN PLUS OLDIES CHART

In the new retro chart it's a Supremes double-top. I bought the single as I'd been after Nathan Jones for 5 years, but it's earlier single Stoned Love which gets the number one, both singles never going top 3 before. They would have knocked Abba off the top spot, most likely as I still worship both singles, amazing re-issue. The old line-up also feature with The Temptations, and Diana Ross getting top billing as 1969's I'm Gonna Make You Love Me goes top 5 for a second time at 4, Diana's solo 1971 top 5 is back at 6, Stop! In The Name Of Love debuts at 15, Baby Love is back again at 12 having topped in 1974, Diana's Marvin 1974 duet goes top 30 for the first time, You Are Everything at 17, and Touch Me In The Morning did go top 5 in 1973 but limps in at 20 this time. Meanwhile Marvin's Grapevine is back at 16 having gone top 3 in 1969.

The Temptations, meanwhile, get a solo comeback with Get Ready at 22 7 years after going top 10, and The Four Tops join in the fun, Reach Out I'll Be There following Gloria Gaynor's chart-topping cover in at 25, ahead of Standing In The Shadows Of Love debuting at 30. Stevie Wonder is also back, with Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday going top 10 again 7 years on at 7, while The Isley Brothers return with This Old Heart Of Mine at 11, 8 years on from going top 5, and Behind The Pained Smile 7 years on from doing the same at 18. Smokey Robinson went top 5 in 1970 with Tears Of A Clown, back at 13 with the Miracles getting a second hit of the year. That leaves Martha & The Vandellas returning at 23 with top tenner from 1969, Dancing In The Street at 23, and Marv Johnson back same at 29 with I'll Pick A Rose and JImmy Ruffin returning with Broken-hearted a mere 2 years on from going top 5 at 28.

Elektra Records meanwhile push out loads too, Jusy Collins returning at 6 with Both Sides Now, top 3 in 1970, Bread back same at 8 with Make It With You, Carly Simon's You're So Vain top 10 again 4 years on, with the rest of th chart comprised of drops and climbs compared to the complete chart placings of last week. That they dont change much shows how big the main chart invasion would have been if I hadnt created an oldies chart - there would have been about 25 new tracks kicked out.

1 ( NEW ) STONED LOVE The Supremes

2 ( NEW ) NATHAN JONES The Supremes

3 ( 2 ) MONDAY MONDAY The Mamas & The Papas

4 ( NEW ) I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations

5 ( NEW ) I'M STILL WAITING Diana Ross

6 ( NEW ) BOTH SIDES NOW Judy Collins

7 ( NEW ) YESTER-ME, YESTER-YOU, YESTERDAY Stevie Wonder

8 ( NEW ) MAKE IT WITH YOU Bread

9 ( 11 ) WITHOUT YOU Nilsson

10 ( NEW ) YOU'RE SO VAIN Carly Simon

11 ( NEW ) THIS OLD HEART OF MINE The Isley Brothers

12 ( NEW ) BABY LOVE The Supremes

13 ( NEW ) TEARS OF A CLOWN Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

14 ( 8 ) CREQUE ALLEY The Mamas & The Papas

15 ( NEW ) STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE The Supremes

16 ( NEW ) I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Marvin Gaye

17 ( NEW ) YOU ARE EVERYTHING Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye

18 ( NEW ) BEHIND THE PAINTED SMILE The Isley Brothers

19 ( 21 ) 1, 2, 2003 Len Barry

20 ( NEW ) TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING Diana Ross

21 ( 37 ) RUN RUN RUN Jo-Jo Gunne

22 ( NEW ) GET READY The Temptations

23 ( NEW ) DANCING IN THE STREET Martha & The Vandellas

24 ( 47 ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER The Monkees

25 ( NEW ) REACH OUT I'LL BE THERE The Four Tops

26 ( 39 ) MOCKINGBIRD Carly Simon & James Taylor

27 ( 38 ) LOVE IS ALL Roger Glover & Friends

28 ( NEW ) WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED Jimmy Ruffin

29 ( NEW ) I'LL PICK A ROSE Marv Johnson

30 ( NEW ) STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE The Four Tops

In my life up to the new chart, Princess Margaret visited RAF Swinderby on Thursday, so not many folk on the bus to school! On TV Carry On Nurse, Kojak, Harry O, Top Of The Pops and Albert Hammond In Concert doing all the hits he had written for other folk, Parkinson with Twiggy, Spike Milligan, Roger Vadim. I got a new bed, my budgies laying eggs like crazy. Bought a copy of Disco 45 song lyrics to singalong to, bought a copy of Stoned Love/Nathan Jones newly out, and finished for English Lit the Mayor Of Casterbridge book. Ironically I live in that Hardy Dorset area these days 50 years later, and it's more fun than the novel!

28th September 1976

It's a slow chart week as I go to the Lake District on an A Level Geography field trip for a few days, climbing hillsides around lakes, taking loads of photos of the scenery (black & white) and classmates to develop at school when I got back, and travelling from the coast at Whitehaven, to lakesides like Buttermere, and Keswick the town here we stopped. Drumlins. Roche Moutonees. Tarns. It was all in all a great trip and the top 3 tracks summed up my charts as a bunch of us watched Top Of The Pops on the evening TV in the hotel. The down-side is I didn't get to listen to much radio or TV beyond that, so there's not much happening new entry-wise. Oh and that incident where my room-mate Sean thought it would funny to let the lads in after I'd fallen asleep so they could move me and the bed into the middle of the room. I think they were heading for the hallway but I woke up. Mr Pickering, one of our teachers, took a cine-camera film of the students to show us when we got back. What I wouldnt give to get hold of a copy now!

ABBA get 7 weeks on top, and two novelty disco songs go top 10. Amoureuse reaches a new peak of 5 as I get nostalgic for songs from a mere 3 years ago, as one does when one is young. It can take 25 years when one gets older before getting nostalgic for records. Can might also be considered a novelty effort on I Want More at 9, disco-synth not usually their thing. Prog Rock more like it. Only two new entries, England Dan & John Ford Coley's sweet US smash I'd Really Love To See You Tonight at 46, and Elvis Presley's 1960 B side Girl Of My Best Friend, sounding pretty good compared to Elvis' recent stuff, that's how far his standards had declined. It's not in the oldies chart because it's in the UK top 30.

1 ( 1 ) DANCING QUEEN ABBA

2 ( 2 ) BLINDED BY THE LIGHT Manfred Mann's Earthband

3 ( 5 ) MISSISSIPPI Pussycat

4 ( 12 ) DISCO DUCK Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots

5 ( 9 ) AMOUREUSE Kiki Dee

6 ( 3 ) BENNIE AND THE JETS Elton John

7 ( 8 ) DANCE LITTLE LADY DANCE Tina Charles

8 ( 4 ) YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO The Chi-Lites

9 ( 13 ) I WANT MORE Can

10 ( 21 ) BEST DISCO IN TOWN The Ritchie Family

11 ( 7 ) CAN'T GET BY WITHOUT YOU The Real Thing

12 ( 6 ) YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE Lou Rawls

13 ( 18 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU Bay City Rollers

14 ( 15 ) I CAN'T ASK FOR ANYMORE THAN YOU Cliff Richard

15 ( 20 ) BABY WE'D BETTER TRY TO GET TOGETHER Barry White

16 ( 17 ) IT'S O.K. the Beach Boys

17 ( 22 ) SAILING Rod Stewart

18 ( 10 ) AFTERNOON DELIGHT Starland Vocal Band

19 ( 24 ) HEAVEN IS IN THE BACK SEAT OF MY CADILLAC Hot Chocolate

20 ( 14 ) DOINA DE JALE Gheorghe Zamfir

21 ( 11 ) THE PRICE OF LOVE Bryan Ferry

22 ( 16 ) YOU SHOULD BE DANCING The Bee Gees

23 ( 27 ) LOVING ON THE LOSING SIDE Tommy Hunt

24 ( 41 ) I'LL MEET YOU AT MIDNIGHT Smokie

25 ( 33 ) HOWZAT Sherbet

26 ( 31 ) (I'VE GOT THE) MUSIC IN ME The Kiki Dee Band

27 ( 23 ) LET 'EM IN Wings

28 ( 34 ) WHAM BAM Silver

29 ( 36 ) BREAKAWAY Gallagher & Lyle

30 ( 19 ) HERE I GO AGAIN Twiggy

31 ( 35 ) SUNRISE Eric Carmen

32 ( 25 ) BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY Peter Frampton

33 ( 26 ) RAINMAKER Wellington Womble aka Mike Batt

34 ( 37 ) THAT'LL BE THE DAY Linda Ronstadt

35 ( 38 ) UPTOWN UPTEMPO WOMAN Randy Edelman

36 ( 42 ) STILL THE ONE Orleans

37 ( 30 ) ARIA Acker Bilk

38 ( 43 ) EVERY NITE'S A SATURDAY NIGHT The Drifters

39 ( 29 ) WHAT I'VE GOT IN MIND Billie-Jo Spears

40 ( 28 ) NICE 'N' SLOW Jesse Green

41 ( 32 ) HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL Tavares

42 ( 45 ) SHANNON Henry Gross

43 ( 47 ) THE KILLING OF GEORGIE PART 1 Rod Stewart

44 ( 46 ) DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART Elton John & Kiki Dee

45 ( 48 ) DESTINY Anne Murray

46 ( NEW ) I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT England Dan & John Ford Coley

47 ( NEW ) GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND Elvis Presley

48 ( 40 ) MYSTERY SONG Status Quo

49 ( 39 ) A LITTLE BIT MORE Dr. Hook

50 ( 44 ) I NEED IT Johnny 'Guitar' Watson

THE MOTOWN PLUS OLDIES CHART

In the Oldies chart The Supremes replace one classic for another, Nathan Jones, giving them a 3rd number one and the entire top 3, with 2 more lower down. Bread go top 5 with the gorgeous Make It With You and The Dave Clark 5 get a first chart entry in 6 years with their 1964 classic Glad All Over at 30 - stompingly good and a fave of this then-6-year-old.

1 ( 2 ) NATHAN JONES The Supremes

2 ( 1 ) STONED LOVE The Supremes

3 ( 4 ) I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations

4 ( 5 ) I'M STILL WAITING Diana Ross

5 ( 8 ) MAKE IT WITH YOU Bread

6 ( 6 ) BOTH SIDES NOW Judy Collins

7 ( 7 ) YESTER-ME, YESTER-YOU, YESTERDAY Stevie Wonder

8 ( 3 ) MONDAY MONDAY The Mamas & The Papas

9 ( 9 ) WITHOUT YOU Nilsson

10 ( 10 ) YOU'RE SO VAIN Carly Simon

11 ( 11 ) THIS OLD HEART OF MINE The Isley Brothers

12 ( 12 ) BABY LOVE The Supremes

13 ( 13 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

14 ( 15 ) STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE The Supremes

15 ( 17 ) YOU ARE EVERYTHING Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye

16 ( 16 ) I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Marvin Gaye

17 ( 18 ) BEHIND THE PAINTED SMILE The Isley Brothers

18 ( 21 ) RUN RUN RUN Jo-Jo Gunne

19 ( 20 ) TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING Diana Ross

20 ( 22 ) GET READY The Temptations

21 ( 14 ) CREQUE ALLEY The Mamas & The Papas

22 ( 26 ) MOCKINGBIRD Carly Simon & James Taylor

23 ( 23 ) DANCING IN THE STREET Martha & The Vandellas

24 ( 25 ) REACH OUT I'LL BE THERE The Four Tops

25 ( 19 ) 1, 2, 2003 Len Barry

26 ( 24 ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER The Monkees

27 ( 29 ) I'LL PICK A ROSE Marv Johnson

28 ( 28 ) WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED Jimmy Ruffin

29 ( 27 ) LOVE IS ALL Roger Glover & Friends

30 ( NEW ) GLAD ALL OVER The Dave Clark 5

5th October 1976

It's 7 weeks on top for Dancing Queen, and there are suddenly a lot of Motown oldies slipping over from the Oldies chart as they make the UK sales chart, Diana Ross' I'm Still Waiting dropping from 4 on that chart to 6 on this chart illustrating the new chart is marginally more competitive at the top end, witness Tears Of A Clown up just one to 12, This Old Heart Of Mine dropping to 17 (having already gone top 3 twice before), Behind The Painted Smile down from 17 to 22, Touch Me In The Morning 19 to 28, but Tracks Of My Tears debuting at 48 with the longer chart benefitting it, having charted in 1969 already.

Smokie finally get a top 10 with I'll Meet You At Midnight, Mike Batt aka Wellington Womble confirmed to me in a message this week that Rainmaker deliberately was written towards the end of the long hot, dry summer, so we can all thank him for the much-needed wet autumn. It should be re-issued immediately for 2026! Up to 26. Kiki Dee's 1974 flop and lead EP track Loving And Free belatedly joins the other 2 on the chart at 33, and the 1972 song She's Gone finally charts in the UK as it has in the USA for the wonderful Daryl Hall & John Oates. A classic soulful ballad, still, even if they aren't speaking, and one that under-performed at the time. Should have been a chart-topper. In at 38.

Paul Nicholas gets his 2nd chart hit to continue his pop diversion for another year or so, Dancing With The Captain a bit of jolly fun at 43, and the fab Lowdown gives Boz Scaggs a debut at 49, another Blue-Eyed soulster as they used to say, Boz bordering slightly more on disco than ballad though, as compared to Hall & Oates. At the moment. That will all change down the line.

1 ( 1 ) DANCING QUEEN ABBA

2 ( 3 ) MISSISSIPPI Pussycat

3 ( 2 ) BLINDED BY THE LIGHT Manfred MannŐs Earthband

4 ( 4 ) DISCO DUCK Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots

5 ( 7 ) DANCE LITTLE LADY DANCE Tina Charles

6 ( 4 ) I'M STILL WAITING Diana Ross

7 ( 10 ) BEST DISCO IN TOWN The Ritchie Family

8 ( 11 ) CAN'T GET BY WITHOUT YOU The Real Thing

9 ( 24 ) I'LL MEET YOU AT MIDNIGHT Smokie

10 ( 8 ) YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO The Chi-Lites

11 ( 9 ) I WANT MORE Can

12 ( 13 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

13 ( 13 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU Bay City Rollers

14 ( 16 ) IT'S O.K. the Beach Boys

15 ( 5 ) AMOUREUSE Kiki Dee

16 ( 6 ) BENNIE AND THE JETS Elton John

17 ( 11 ) THIS OLD HEART OF MINE The Isley Brothers

18 ( 25 ) HOWZAT Sherbet

19 ( 15 ) BABY WE'D BETTER TRY TO GET TOGETHER Barry White

20 ( 14 ) I CAN'T ASK FOR ANYMORE THAN YOU Cliff Richard

21 ( 12 ) YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE Lou Rawls

22 ( 17 ) BEHIND THE PAINTED SMILE The Isley Brothers

23 ( 19 ) HEAVEN IS IN THE BACK SEAT OF MY CADILLAC Hot Chocolate

24 ( 18 ) AFTERNOON DELIGHT Starland Vocal Band

25 ( 32 ) BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY Peter Frampton

26 ( 33 ) RAINMAKER Wellington Womble aka Mike Batt

27 ( 17 ) SAILING Rod Stewart

28 ( 19 ) TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING Diana Ross

29 ( 21 ) THE PRICE OF LOVE Bryan Ferry

30 ( 22 ) YOU SHOULD BE DANCING The Bee Gees

31 ( 28 ) WHAM BAM Silver

32 ( 36 ) STILL THE ONE Orleans

33 ( NEW ) LOVING AND FREE Kiki Dee

34 ( 47 ) GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND Elvis Presley

35 ( 27 ) LET 'EM IN Wings

36 ( 30 ) HERE I GO AGAIN Twiggy

37 ( 29 ) BREAKAWAY Gallagher & Lyle

38 ( NEW ) SHE'S GONE Daryl Hall & John Oates

39 ( 23 ) LOVING ON THE LOSING SIDE Tommy Hunt

40 ( 20 ) DOINA DE JALE Gheorghe Zamfir

41 ( 31 ) SUNRISE Eric Carmen

42 ( 34 ) THAT'LL BE THE DAY Linda Ronstadt

43 ( NEW ) DANCING WITH THE CAPTAIN Paul Nicholas

44 ( 39 ) WHAT I'VE GOT IN MIND Billie-Jo Spears

45 ( 26 ) (I'VE GOT THE) MUSIC IN ME The Kiki Dee Band

46 ( 46 ) I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT England Dan & John Ford Coley

47 ( 35 ) UPTOWN UPTEMPO WOMAN Randy Edelman

48 ( NEW ) TRACKS OF MY TEARS Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

49 ( NEW ) LOWDOWN Boz Scaggs

50 ( 40 ) NICE 'N' SLOW Jesse Green

THE OLDIES RE-ISSUES CHART

It's 2 weeks on top for Nathan Jones and a Supremes top 3 and half the top 10, helped by a number of Motown oldies making the official chart and transferring over to my main personal chart to continue their chart runs. Stop! In The Name Of Love makes the top 10 for the first time. New entries include Greyhound's fabulous Black And White, charting again 5 years on at 15, and four Gary Glitter tracks as Bell/Arista bung out an EP of them, Rock & Roll Part 2 still being the Gary-free (mostly) best at 18, Hello Hello at 23, Touch Me at 24, and Leader at 30.

The Pioneers form part of the Trojan re-issue with Greyhound and their nearly-as-fabulous Let Your Yeah Be Yeah gives Jimmy Cliff's song a second run too at 19. That leaves just Buddy Holly's 50's classic It Doesn't Matter Anymore to get a second run from debuting in my 1974 charts, in at 28.

1 ( 1 ) NATHAN JONES The Supremes

2 ( 2 ) STONED LOVE The Supremes

3 ( 3 ) I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations

4 ( 6 ) BOTH SIDES NOW Judy Collins

5 ( 7 ) YESTER-ME, YESTER-YOU, YESTERDAY Stevie Wonder

6 ( 9 ) WITHOUT YOU Nilsson

7 ( 10 ) YOU'RE SO VAIN Carly Simon

8 ( 5 ) MAKE IT WITH YOU Bread

9 ( 12 ) BABY LOVE The Supremes

10 ( 14 ) STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE The Supremes

11 ( 8 ) MONDAY MONDAY The Mamas & The Papas

12 ( 15 ) YOU ARE EVERYTHING Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye

13 ( 16 ) I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Marvin Gaye

14 ( 18 ) RUN RUN RUN Jo-Jo Gunne

15 ( NEW ) BLACK AND WHITE Greyhound

16 ( 20 ) GET READY The Temptations

17 ( 22 ) MOCKINGBIRD Carly Simon & James Taylor

18 ( NEW ) ROCK AND ROLL PART 2 Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

19 ( NEW ) LET YOUR YEAH BE YEAH The Pioneers

20 ( 24 ) REACH OUT I'LL BE THERE The Four Tops

21 ( 28 ) WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED Jimmy Ruffin

22 ( 23 ) DANCING IN THE STREET Martha & The Vandellas

23 ( NEW ) HELLO HELLO I'M BACK AGAIN Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

24 ( NEW ) DO YOU WANT TO TOUCH ME (OH YEAH) Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

25 ( 27 ) I'LL PICK A ROSE Marv Johnson

26 ( 21 ) CREQUE ALLEY The Mamas & The Papas

27 ( 26 ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER The Monkees

28 ( NEW ) IT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE Buddy Holly

29 ( 25 ) 1, 2, 2003 Len Barry

30 ( NEW ) I'M THE LEADER OF THE GANG (I AM) Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

So what was I doing this week 50 years ago? Back from the Lake District Geography school field trip, picked up by my Uncle Tony on Friday as mum and dad, my Aunty Eileen and the 2 kids had all been away holidaying without me until Sunday. It was stunning scenery, rained a bit, and involved a lot of walking, though the sun came out here and there it was mostly overcast. Watched Harry O on TV, bought a second had copy of ELO's first album, mainly for 10538 Overture, and also a load of DC comics, in the aviary a new baby chick hatched.

On Monday back to school, a "hilarious" (so I say!) English Lit lesson featuring Milton's similes. I didn't like Milton's Paradise Lost much, too pretentious for me. Started developing some photos. Relatives dropped in in the evening, mum's nephew-in-law and 2 kids, Wilf, Ricky, Joanne.

40 Songs From 1976 on BBC2 now. Should be on IPlayer too.

On 10/10/2026 at 22:23, CRAZY CHRIS said:

40 Songs From 1976 on BBC2 now. Should be on IPlayer too.

I saw that advertised but was in london - I hope they picked out all my faves from my charts! 🤩

On 06/09/2026 at 17:53, TheSnake said:

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventy!

That's the only way I can enjoy it by changing the lyrics a bit! Such is its overplay.

Hah! I missed this comment 😆sorry for the late response.

On 06/09/2026 at 17:45, CRAZY CHRIS said:

Do you agree that Dancing Queen is a bit overrated and overplayed now John? Easily their best-known song though but despite it being a US No.1 surprisingly Fernando outsold it worldwide in the 70's. As I've said in the best-sellers thread I prefer Super Trouper, Fernando, Lay All Your Love On Me, and album tracks As Good As New, The Piper and That's Me. Any wedding disco these days and they'll play DQ though.

Loved the Twiggy track in Autumn 76 but my fave of 76 is coming up, Pussycat.

Hi Chris, sorry I missed these comments - I was in the Baltics at the time and didnt spot them!

I will always love Dancing Queen, even though it is a tad overplayed, though TBH it's been hard to avoid most ABBA songs for the last 20-odd years with the Musical, films and ABBA Voyage. Gimme Gimme Gimme is prob the next most-popular these days! I wish some of their album tracks could get to be well known, If It wasn't For The Nights, Eagle, When All Is said And Done and many more. 2 of those were in Abba Voyage though! One is gone now, replaced by Super Trouper so that should please you and many others! :)

I never realised Twiggy's was a cover, but it was very nice. Pussycat was huge and very singalong, a big fave at the time but I wouldnt say I'm as fond of it these days, at least in comparison to number 2 peaking songs Blinded By The Light and You Should Be Dancing!

12th October 1976

It's a 9th week on top of my chart as Dancing Queen drops from the top spot on the singles chart, with Yakky Doodle soundalike (Hannah Barbera Huckleberry Hound cartoon duck based on Tom & Jerry duck) is at number 2! Put it down to childhood nostalgia. Meanwhile, despite the oldies chart 50% of the top 10 is still oldies or covers, two Isley Brothers classics just ahead of Elvis' B side at 10. That's 3rd time round for This Old Heart Of Mine, 2nd time for Behind The Painted Smile, and first time for Girl Of My Best Friend - Elvis' first 60's track to go top 10 since Suspicious Minds, his 12th top 10 in total and his first since Always On My Mind 4 years ago.

Highest new entry is The Detroit Spinners, Rubberband Man being their 4th charting track, in at 15, and The Manhattans get a 2nd charter with their cover of Hurt at 43, not one I am that bovvered about these days. T.Rex keep that 100% record going as Laser Love sneaks in at 45 but it wasn't up to the Imperial Era stuff, and Simon May gets a hit with his TV series theme tune. It's a bit twee and tuneful, number 46 and ahead of The Rubettes at 48, debuting Under One Roof - another groundbreaking gay-themed track following on from Rod Stewart's Killing Of Georgie - which got little airplay as expectations on 50's Glam pastiches are severely confounded with this sombre country-ish ballad. Good though. That leaves Natalie Cole getting a 3rd chart entry with Mr Melody, not one I recall at all. 50's years later, hearing it for the first time, and it's a nice pleasant upbeat jazzy soul shuffle harking back to her dad's era a bit.

1 ( 1 ) DANCING QUEEN ABBA

2 ( 4 ) DISCO DUCK Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots

3 ( 3 ) BLINDED BY THE LIGHT Manfred Mann's Earthband

4 ( 2 ) MISSISSIPPI Pussycat

5 ( 7 ) BEST DISCO IN TOWN The Ritchie Family

6 ( 6 ) I'M STILL WAITING Diana Ross

7 ( 9 ) I'LL MEET YOU AT MIDNIGHT Smokie

8 ( 17 ) THIS OLD HEART OF MINE The Isley Brothers

9 ( 22 ) BEHIND THE PAINTED SMILE The Isley Brothers

10 ( 34 ) GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND Elvis Presley

11 ( 11 ) I WANT MORE Can

12 ( 12 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

13 ( 5 ) DANCE LITTLE LADY DANCE Tina Charles

14 ( 18 ) HOWZAT Sherbet

15 ( NEW ) RUBBERBAND MAN The Detroit Spinners

16 ( 16 ) BENNIE AND THE JETS Elton John

17 ( 10 ) YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO The Chi-Lites

18 ( 8 ) CAN'T GET BY WITHOUT YOU The Real Thing

19 ( 33 ) LOVING AND FREE Kiki Dee

20 ( 15 ) AMOUREUSE Kiki Dee

21 ( 43 ) DANCING WITH THE CAPTAIN Paul Nicholas

22 ( 13 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU Bay City Rollers

23 ( 46 ) I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT England Dan & John Ford Coley

24 ( 28 ) TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING Diana Ross

25 ( 14 ) IT'S O.K. the Beach Boys

26 ( 20 ) I CAN'T ASK FOR ANYMORE THAN YOU Cliff Richard

27 ( 27 ) SAILING Rod Stewart

28 ( 21 ) YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE Lou Rawls

29 ( 38 ) SHE'S GONE Daryl Hall & John Oates

30 ( 24 ) AFTERNOON DELIGHT Starland Vocal Band

31 ( 48 ) TRACKS OF MY TEARS Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

32 ( 19 ) BABY WE'D BETTER TRY TO GET TOGETHER Barry White

33 ( 23 ) HEAVEN IS IN THE BACK SEAT OF MY CADILLAC Hot Chocolate

34 ( 29 ) THE PRICE OF LOVE Bryan Ferry

35 ( 30 ) YOU SHOULD BE DANCING The Bee Gees

36 ( 26 ) RAINMAKER Wellington Womble aka Mike Batt

37 ( 47 ) UPTOWN UPTEMPO WOMAN Randy Edelman

38 ( 36 ) HERE I GO AGAIN Twiggy

39 ( 35 ) LET 'EM IN Wings

40 ( 25 ) BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY Peter Frampton

41 ( 32 ) STILL THE ONE Orleans

42 ( 40 ) DOINA DE JALE Gheorghe Zamfir

43 ( NEW ) HURT The Manhattans

44 ( 49 ) LOWDOWN Boz Scaggs

45 ( NEW ) LASER LOVE T.Rex

46 ( NEW ) SUMMER OF MY HEART Simon May

47 ( 42 ) THAT'LL BE THE DAY Linda Ronstadt

48 ( NEW ) UNDER ONE ROOF The Rubettes

49 ( 31 ) WHAM BAM Silver

50 ( NEW ) MR. MELODY Natalie Cole

12th October 1976 Reissued Oldies Charts

It's 3 weeks on top for Nathan Jones as 60% of the top 10 is Supremes-based while another 2 are in the main chart. Motown dominate or what! There's an early 60's oldie new entry for Bob Luman's Let's Think About Living, which is pretty good seeing as I didnt have a copy of the record, I hadnt got a recording of it, and it wasnt getting airplay on the radio.

1 ( 1 ) NATHAN JONES The Supremes

2 ( 3 ) I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations

3 ( 2 ) STONED LOVE The Supremes

4 ( 4 ) BOTH SIDES NOW Judy Collins

5 ( 5 ) YESTER-ME, YESTER-YOU, YESTERDAY Stevie Wonder

6 ( 6 ) WITHOUT YOU Nilsson

7 ( 10 ) STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE The Supremes

8 ( 9 ) BABY LOVE The Supremes

9 ( 7 ) YOU'RE SO VAIN Carly Simon

10 ( 12 ) YOU ARE EVERYTHING Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye

11 ( 8 ) MAKE IT WITH YOU Bread

12 ( 15 ) BLACK AND WHITE Greyhound

13 ( 13 ) I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Marvin Gaye

14 ( 14 ) RUN RUN RUN Jo-Jo Gunne

15 ( 11 ) MONDAY MONDAY The Mamas & The Papas

16 ( 19 ) LET YOUR YEAH BE YEAH The Pioneers

17 ( 17 ) MOCKINGBIRD Carly Simon & James Taylor

18 ( 18 ) ROCK AND ROLL PART 2 Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

19 ( 16 ) GET READY The Temptations

20 ( 21 ) WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED Jimmy Ruffin

21 ( 23 ) HELLO HELLO I'M BACK AGAIN Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

22 ( 24 ) DO YOU WANT TO TOUCH ME (OH YEAH) Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

23 ( 20 ) REACH OUT I'LL BE THERE The Four Tops

24 ( 22 ) DANCING IN THE STREET Martha & The Vandellas

25 ( 25 ) I'LL PICK A ROSE Marv Johnson

26 ( 28 ) IT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE Buddy Holly

27 ( 27 ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER The Monkees

28 ( 30 ) I'M THE LEADER OF THE GANG (I AM) Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

29 ( 26 ) CREQUE ALLEY The Mamas & The Papas

30 ( NEW ) LET'S THINK ABOUT LIVING Bob Luman

At home, the budgies kept right on breeding babies, at school I played badminton with mate Ian, playing against some Lower 6th girls, we won, then played with Sean vs the L6th girls again and lost, though we had better luck at table tennis. What a great way to do A levels! Not study, apart from doing Belgium in Geography! That must have been a short lesson. Apparently we had a thing called Prefect Duty - as oldest year at school - but I don't recall ever having to do it! I did though.

I bought Record Mirror, always a pleasure on a Thursday, with all the new charts and releases. My old history teacher Miss Goodrich apparently talked to me about careers, she always did mean well for pupils. Spoiler: I had no idea what career to aim for so ended up going to Uni. I bought the Isley Brothers Motown double A single on Saturday in town, and on Monday a school trip to see Othello in Nottingham in the evening. It starred Prunella Scales' hubby Timothy West, and had pop star Paul Jones as Iago, to a few screams from some of the ladies when he walked on stage, obviously Manfred Mann fans!

19th October 1976

The chart here says Diana Ross' 1971 I'm Still Waiting knocks off ABBA from the top spot to finally hit number one 5 years late, but that's not quite correct as I tied Dancing Queen on top for a 10th week - but as Diana was listed first she gets the nod here, as well as on the oldies chart, giving her a third chart-topper after 1971's Surrender hit the top spot. Elvis meanwhile gets his 1960 oldie to 3, his highest chart position since I'm Leaving in 1971.

The highest new entry is straight in at 7 as Tavares drop another classic disco romp in Don't Take Away The Music, their second top 10 in a row, as Tears Of A Clown goes top 10 for the second time. There's another disco (and rock) classic at 21 as Wild Cherry chart Play That Funky Music, as indeed it was, and Chicago change tack from jazz-rock-funk to gentle ballad, and chart at 26 with their best record by some distance - If You Leave Me Now, sadly, gave them an excuse to milk that template for another 15 years.

Sneaking in at 29, Disco Music (I Like It) giving the J.A.L.N. Band an unexpected 5 minutes of minor fame - it sounded good for a few weeks and then disappeared without trace everywhere, though it's OK. Liverpool Express follow-up their hit with a Pilot-vibing Hold Tight, not quite ho ho ho it's magic, but it's good at 35 and should have been a hit. Neil Diamond follows-up his almost-hit with proper top 30 UK hit, his first in 4 years, Beautiful Noise is a reasonable pop ditty but it's not in the same league as his 60's and early 70's stuff. New at 38.

David Essex does another slight genre-shift with Coming Home, harking back to more poppier attempts and it's catchy enough but not up to usual standards like relative chart flop the epic City Lights. More follow-ups with John Miles trying with Remember Yesterday also not quite up there with Music and High Fly, in at 48, leaving a chart debut for US hitster Gary Wright - Dream Weaver is semi-surreal with its swirling strings and lyrics, and one I came to love more in later years when I got hold a copy - much as I did with Hall & Oates classic She's Gone, peaking at a mere 16 this week. Should have been a number one.

1 ( 6 ) I’M STILL WAITING Diana Ross

2 ( 1 ) DANCING QUEEN ABBA

3 ( 10 ) GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND Elvis Presley

4 ( 4 ) MISSISSIPPI Pussycat

5 ( 5 ) BEST DISCO IN TOWN The Ritchie Family

6 ( 2 ) DISCO DUCK Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots

7 ( NEW ) DON’T TAKE AWAY THE MUSIC Tavares

8 ( 3 ) BLINDED BY THE LIGHT Manfred Mann’s Earthband

9 ( 6 ) WITHOUT YOU Nilsson

10 ( 12 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

11 ( 14 ) HOWZAT Sherbet

12 ( 7 ) I’LL MEET YOU AT MIDNIGHT Smokie

13 ( 21 ) DANCING WITH THE CAPTAIN Paul Nicholas

14 ( 15 ) RUBBERBAND MAN The Detroit Spinners

15 ( 11 ) I WANT MORE Can

16 ( 29 ) SHE’S GONE Daryl Hall & John Oates

17 ( 23 ) I’D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT England Dan & John Ford Coley

18 ( 13 ) DANCE LITTLE LADY DANCE Tina Charles

19 ( 19 ) LOVING AND FREE Kiki Dee

20 ( 24 ) TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING Diana Ross

21 ( NEW ) PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC Wild Cherry

22 ( 16 ) BENNIE AND THE JETS Elton John

23 ( 17 ) YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO The Chi-Lites

24 ( NEW ) IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW Chicago

25 ( 46 ) SUMMER OF MY HEART Simon May

26 ( 37 ) UPTOWN UPTEMPO WOMAN Randy Edelman

27 ( 18 ) CAN’T GET BY WITHOUT YOU The Real Thing

28 ( 45 ) LASER LOVE T.Rex

29 ( NEW ) DISCO MUSIC (I LIKE IT) J.A.L.N. Band

30 ( 43 ) HURT The Manhattans

31 ( 20 ) AMOUREUSE Kiki Dee

32 ( 27 ) SAILING Rod Stewart

33 ( 30 ) AFTERNOON DELIGHT Starland Vocal Band

34 ( 44 ) LOWDOWN Boz Scaggs

35 ( NEW ) HOLD TIGHT Liverpool Express

36 ( 28 ) YOU’LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE Lou Rawls

37 ( 26 ) I CAN’T ASK FOR ANYMORE THAN YOU Cliff Richard

38 ( NEW ) BEAUTIFUL NOISE Neil Diamond

39 ( 50 ) MR. MELODY Natalie Cole

40 ( 48 ) UNDER ONE ROOF The Rubettes

41 ( 25 ) IT’S O.K. the Beach Boys

42 ( 32 ) BABY WE’D BETTER TRY TO GET TOGETHER Barry White

43 ( 22 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU Bay City Rollers

44 ( NEW ) COMING HOME David Essex

45 ( 35 ) YOU SHOULD BE DANCING The Bee Gees

46 ( 34 ) THE PRICE OF LOVE Bryan Ferry

47 ( 31 ) TRACKS OF MY TEARS Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

48 ( NEW ) REMEMBER YESTERDAY John Miles

49 ( 39 ) LET ‘EM IN Wings

50 ( NEW ) DREAM WEAVER Gary Wright

19th Oct 1976 THE MOTOWN PLUS OLDIES CHART

It's a third Supremes oldie on top in a row, but this one with added Diana Ross and Temptations, going one place higher than it did in early 1969, I'm Gonna Make You Love Me having already charted in the UK for future Blue Mink singer Madeline Bell, who was sounding as great as ever 2 years ago in 2024 when I saw her in London. I also got to see Mary Wilson in the 2000's, hooray. Amongst the new re-issues this week was Glen Campbell's classic timeless Wichita Lineman, back in at 13 7 years on, Benny Hill's Ernie back in at 21 5 years later, a double A side for Harry Chapin still looking for a proper UK hit in vain, though W.O.L.D. enters at 28 and a new chart peak 2 years on, with Cats In The Cradle back at 24. Judy Collins is also back with Send In The Clowns, the other side of Both Sides Now at 3. That leaves only Billy J. Kramer returning with childhood fave Little Children 12 years late - it would have topped any personal charts in 1964 I might have compiled as a 6-year-old, but sounded quite old in the music scene of 1976, hence the low position of 27.

1 ( 2 ) I’M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations

2 ( 1 ) NATHAN JONES The Supremes

3 ( 4 ) BOTH SIDES NOW Judy Collins

4 ( 5 ) YESTER-ME, YESTER-YOU, YESTERDAY Stevie Wonder

5 ( 9 ) BEHIND THE PAINTED SMILE The Isley Brothers

6 ( 8 ) THIS OLD HEART OF MINE The Isley Brothers

7 ( 3 ) STONED LOVE The Supremes

8 ( 12 ) BLACK AND WHITE Greyhound

9 ( 13 ) I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Marvin Gaye

10 ( 14 ) RUN RUN RUN Jo-Jo Gunne

11 ( 7 ) STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE The Supremes

12 ( 8 ) BABY LOVE The Supremes

13 ( NEW ) WICHITA LINEMAN Glen Campbell

14 ( 16 ) LET YOUR YEAH BE YEAH The Pioneers

15 ( 9 ) YOU’RE SO VAIN Carly Simon

16 ( 10 ) YOU ARE EVERYTHING Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye

17 ( 11 ) MAKE IT WITH YOU Bread

18 ( 18 ) ROCK AND ROLL PART 2 Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

19 ( 22 ) DO YOU WANT TO TOUCH ME (OH YEAH) Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

20 ( 21 ) HELLO HELLO I’M BACK AGAIN Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

21 ( NEW ) ERNIE (THE FASTEST MILKMAN IN THE WEST) Benny Hill

22 ( 26 ) IT DOESN’T MATTER ANYMORE Buddy Holly

23 ( 15 ) MONDAY MONDAY The Mamas & The Papas

24 ( NEW ) CATS IN THE CRADLE Harry Chapin

25 ( 17 ) MOCKINGBIRD Carly Simon & James Taylor

26 ( 20 ) WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED Jimmy Ruffin

27 ( NEW ) LITTLE CHILDREN Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas

28 ( NEW ) W.O.L.D. Harry Chapin

29 ( 19 ) GET READY The Temptations

30 ( NEW ) SEND IN THE CLOWNS Judy Collins

In My Life, badminton and table tennis at school again, some of my budgie chicks dying - parenting skills of the younger budgies not always there, grandma, grandad and my aunty & uncle popped round - the latter being just a bit older than me, more like cousins. ON TV I note "The Benny Hill Show" was surprisingly good. Maybe that explains Ernie back at 21 above, and 50 years later it came up in a pub quiz last week - what was Ernie's surname? I went through all the lyrics in my head and concluded it must have been in the video, Which it was. Didn't ever notice it.

At school The Ancient Mariner poem and The Cocktail Party for English Lit, the 3 students having to read the latter out loud set me off creasing up with laughter oops, I'm sure T.S. Eliot would have been livid as I even set off Mr Dodd laughing when he took over; started looking up polytechnics for potential further education. In town I bought Space Oddity, Rhinestone Cowboy, December '63, Man Who Sold The World second-hand and Disco 45. Monday at school, card games, Geog teacher Mr Pickering bought in his Lake District photos, and I developed some of mine in the photo lab.

26th October 1976

It's a leap to the top for the first (and last) chart-topper for Chicago, the mellow If You Leave Me Now, with Tavares hitting the top 3 with the soaring disco goodie Don't Take Away The Music. Climax Blues Band funky Couldn't Get It Right powers in at 7, and the even funkier discorock classic from Wild Cherry climbs to 8 for a fairly 50% disco top 10.

After the top 5 disco cover, the original Star Trek theme tune gets an issue on single and pops in at 15 10 years on from debuting as a US TV Show, and bigger than ever. Leo Sayer is also back, and Leo goes disco pretty well with the part flsetto You Make Me Feel Like Dancing new at 18 as he enters a 3rd year of chart hits. Leo is playing Poole tonight as I write this, I really ought to go!

Average White Band get a 3rd chart entry with the delcious Queen Of My Soul, classy soul from the Scottish lads at 24. Demis Roussos gets his follow-up to his chart-topper with the similar When Forever Has Gone at 38, Stephen Spielberg's blockbuster Jaws movie soundtrack spawns a disco cover from US TV theme tune staple Lalo Schifrin at 46 and Dana returns with her best single since All Kinds Of Everything in 1970, and probably her best record of all, Fairytale, at 49, with Hot Blood debuting Soul Dracula at 50, one I've forgotten entirely. A quick Youtube google showcases a novelty horror disco track, essentially an instrumental with Dracula and backing girls talking or whooping over it. Quite catchy. I like it. German band, apparently, just beating a forthcoming German disco band about to rule the global music charts.

1 ( 24 ) IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW Chicago

2 ( 2 ) DANCING QUEEN ABBA

3 ( 7 ) DON’T TAKE AWAY THE MUSIC Tavares

4 ( 4 ) MISSISSIPPI Pussycat

5 ( 3 ) GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND Elvis Presley

6 ( 1 ) I’M STILL WAITING Diana Ross

7 ( NEW ) COULDN’T GET IT RIGHT Climax Blues Band

8 ( 21 ) PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC Wild Cherry

9 ( 5 ) BEST DISCO IN TOWN The Ritchie Family

10 ( 14 ) RUBBERBAND MAN The Detroit Spinners

11 ( 13 ) DANCING WITH THE CAPTAIN Paul Nicholas

12 ( 11 ) HOWZAT Sherbet

13 ( 12 ) I’LL MEET YOU AT MIDNIGHT Smokie

14 ( 6 ) DISCO DUCK Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots

15 ( NEW ) THEME FROM STAR TREK Alexander Courage

16 ( 17 ) I’D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT England Dan & John Ford Coley

17 ( 8 ) BLINDED BY THE LIGHT Manfred Mann’s Earthband

18 ( NEW ) YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING Leo Sayer

19 ( 9 ) WITHOUT YOU Nilsson

20 ( 10 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

21 ( 16 ) SHE’S GONE Daryl Hall & John Oates

22 ( 25 ) SUMMER OF MY HEART Simon May

23 ( 15 ) I WANT MORE Can

24 ( NEW ) QUEEN OF MY SOUL Average White Band

25 ( 44 ) COMING HOME David Essex

26 ( 30 ) HURT The Manhattans

27 ( 18 ) DANCE LITTLE LADY DANCE Tina Charles

28 ( 19 ) LOVING AND FREE Kiki Dee

29 ( 34 ) LOWDOWN Boz Scaggs

30 ( 22 ) BENNIE AND THE JETS Elton John

31 ( 23 ) YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO The Chi-Lites

32 ( 38 ) BEAUTIFUL NOISE Neil Diamond

33 ( 48 ) REMEMBER YESTERDAY John Miles

34 ( 32 ) SAILING Rod Stewart

35 ( 35 ) HOLD TIGHT Liverpool Express

36 ( 26 ) UPTOWN UPTEMPO WOMAN Randy Edelman

37 ( 29 ) DISCO MUSIC (I LIKE IT) J.A.L.N. Band

38 ( NEW ) WHEN FOREVER HAS GONE Demis Roussos

39 ( 27 ) CAN’T GET BY WITHOUT YOU The Real Thing

40 ( 20 ) TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING Diana Ross

41 ( 31 ) AMOUREUSE Kiki Dee

42 ( 28 ) LASER LOVE T.Rex

43 ( 40 ) UNDER ONE ROOF The Rubettes

44 ( 39 ) MR. MELODY Natalie Cole

45 ( 33 ) AFTERNOON DELIGHT Starland Vocal Band

46 ( NEW ) JAWS Lalo Schifrin

47 ( 37 ) I CAN’T ASK FOR ANYMORE THAN YOU Cliff Richard

48 ( 36 ) YOU’LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE Lou Rawls

49 ( NEW ) FAIRYTALE Dana

50 ( NEW ) SOUL DRACULA Hot Blood

26th Oct 1976 THE MOTOWN PLUS OLDIES CHART

The Isley Brothers Behind The Painted Smile tops my oldies charts, still one of the most exciting passionate and emotional records of all-time, adore it, and This Old Heart Of Mine isnt far behind waiting to claim a second Isley brothers number one. That leaves Stevie Wonder sandwiched at 2, Glen Campbell's timeless Wichita Lineman at 6 and The Pioneers getting a belated deserved top 10 with Let Your Yeah Be Yeah, a great Jimmy Cliff song.

1 ( 5 ) BEHIND THE PAINTED SMILE The Isley Brothers

2 ( 4 ) YESTER-ME, YESTER-YOU, YESTERDAY Stevie Wonder

3 ( 6 ) THIS OLD HEART OF MINE The Isley Brothers

4 ( 1 ) I’M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations

5 ( 2 ) NATHAN JONES The Supremes

6 ( 13 ) WICHITA LINEMAN Glen Campbell

7 ( 8 ) BLACK AND WHITE Greyhound

8 ( 3 ) BOTH SIDES NOW Judy Collins

9 ( 7 ) STONED LOVE The Supremes

10 ( 14 ) LET YOUR YEAH BE YEAH The Pioneers

11 ( 10 ) RUN RUN RUN Jo-Jo Gunne

12 ( 9 ) I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Marvin Gaye

13 ( 21 ) ERNIE (THE FASTEST MILKMAN IN THE WEST) Benny Hill

14 ( 11 ) STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE The Supremes

15 ( 12 ) BABY LOVE The Supremes

16 ( 15 ) YOU’RE SO VAIN Carly Simon

17 ( 22 ) IT DOESN’T MATTER ANYMORE Buddy Holly

18 ( 16 ) YOU ARE EVERYTHING Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye

19 ( 24 ) CATS IN THE CRADLE Harry Chapin

20 ( 17 ) MAKE IT WITH YOU Bread

21 ( 18 ) ROCK AND ROLL PART 2 Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

22 ( 27 ) LITTLE CHILDREN Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas

23 ( 19 ) DO YOU WANT TO TOUCH ME (OH YEAH) Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

24 ( 20 ) HELLO HELLO I’M BACK AGAIN Gary Glitter & The Glitter Band

25 ( 28 ) W.O.L.D. Harry Chapin

26 ( 23 ) MONDAY MONDAY The Mamas & The Papas

27 ( 30 ) SEND IN THE CLOWNS Judy Collins

28 ( 25 ) MOCKINGBIRD Carly Simon & James Taylor

29 ( 29 ) GET READY The Temptations

30 ( 26 ) WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED Jimmy Ruffin

In my life of the week back then, Aunty Eileen came round and I gave her a b&w photo of my two little cousins I took and developed at school. Still a nice photo now they are in their 50's! Helped some classmates with photo tutoring. Classmate Suzanne told the other two of us in Emglish Lit class she was leaving! Now I look back I hope it wasnt the laughing last week! Enjoyed an episode of "Phyllis" sitcom starring the wonderful Cloris Leachman, something about a psychic.