blackcat

Back after a two week break, and some very good records this week. Queen were still charting with Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy, maybe not one of their best, but still a lot better than certain other acts who were also charting at the time, in my view. The Jam had a record charting, Modern World, which I thought was a better record than In The City. There was some bland music about, but good quality songs from Fleetwood Mac, and the Alessi Brothers, who I thought were female when I first heard their record at the time - more like The Alessi Sisters, I remember thinking to myself back in '77. Still a good record, though. Highlight has to be the number one record, however. After good number ones from The Jacksons and Hot Chocolate, the best number one of the year in my opinion from the now sadly departed Donna Summer. I Feel Love has to be one of the best disco songs ever, superb production, great performance from the disco diva. I think of it as a ground breaking sound in much the same way as Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys was a ground breaking new sound back in the sixties. And I Feel Love still sounds so very very fresh today. So all in all, a reasonable edition. Trivia question for this week has to be on Donna Summer. Just name as many of her singles hits as possible. All the best. B-)

Yes, well done Suedehead, all Sex Pistols hits. A version of the group was still going even after Sid Vicious past away and even after Rotten had left, Steve Jones and Paul Cook were still involved in some projects under the Sex Pistols banner. For example, they did make a hit single - and at the same time, a banned single - with Ronnie Biggs, No One Is Innocent (A Punk Prayer), I think it was called. And there were one or two others made as well. None nearly as good as Anarchy In The UK or God Save The Queen, of course.

B-) Useful stuff on instrumentals, thanks again people. Just watched the latest edition, good records from Rita Coolidge, The Commodores, Supertramp, and some Australian punkish band I never heard of called The Saints. And that fine number one from Hot Chocolate. But the most memorable performance was, of course, from The Sex Pistols with Pretty Vacant. Most welcome, especially after having to sit through a rather MOR mediocre offering from Cilla Black beforehand. I was slightly too young to understand the full impact of punk the first time around, I only appreciate how revolutionary it was in retrospect, as it were. Difficult to see how music could ever have that big an impact today, even if a new revolution does come along in music. Too many other things to focus your attention on these days. Trivia question for this week - please name as many Sex Pistols British hit singles as possible. All the best B-)

Thanks for your insights,Robbie, Fiesta and popchartfreak, interesting stuff on the Rah Band in particular. And good points about top of the pops performances, popchartfreak. I can think of one or two more instrumentals, but you have got most of them. Many instrumental artists have been very successful in the long player markets over the years, of course, Mike Oldfield the obvious name that springs to mind.

Not as good as last week, some highlights, some lows as well! Brotherhood of Man doing their inpression of Abba was a low point for a start. And Smokie were back again - did not realise that they had had that many hits during this period until these '76 and '77 programmes were shown. A novelty record from Boney M lowered the tone a bit as well, I thought. Was some good stuff, though, in my view, from the Alessi Brothers - another family act! - Bob Marley And The Wailers, Hot Chocolate, and a great play out record, one of the best disco songs ever, from the late great Donna Summer, and "I Feel Love". Very poignant to see Andy Gibb perform, the first well known Gibb brother to pass away. So not as good as last week, but still had some worthwhile moments. Trivia question for this week - well, the programme started with an instrumental from The Rah Band, and there was a strong intrumental last week from Emerson Lake And Palmer. So, how many UK chart toppining singles over the years can one name that were also instrumentals? Might have to go back a a few years for some of them, but just the same I reckon that your average chart follower could name at least three or four. All the best B-)

Good input for this week, thanks to all. And yes, it was the late great John Peel who often voiced discontentment with ELP's stuff. If you want some fun, just type in something like "John Peel's reviews of Emerson Lake And Palmer" into a search engine, and see what amusing vitriol comes up!! Did not quite understand his attitude towards ELP - surely there were worse acts, some of which he might even have featured in his own show! Bless him! Common sense, surely you have access to BBC interactive? It is always repeated on there. Let's hope the next show is a good one as well.

There was a connection with the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, but I was thinking more of a group called The Nice, who also pioneered "prog rock". I think it was Emerson who was a leading member of that group. Not Tony Blackburn, who is still very much with us. I am afraid that this particular dj passed away a few years ago, unfortunately for the music scene. :(

Thanks Fiesta and Suede for the family connections, and thanks Fiesta for the extra Hot Chocolate info. My own personal favourite family group, apart from the Davies led Kinks, would be The Beach Boys. Excellent group, great records, and all within the same family - in the early days, the Wilson brothers father was their manager! So truly within the family. Good edition, this week, I thought. Good black music sounds from Gladys Knight And The Pips, The Detroit Emeralds, T-Connection, and that excellent number one from the aforementioned Hot Chocolate. Add to that appearances by Queen, a strong instrumental from Emerson Lake And Palmer, and Cliff's best record since Devil Woman, and it all adds up to one of the better shows, in my view. Trivia questions for this week - from what sixties group did Emerson Lake And Palmer evolve from, and which legendary DJ used to frequently call Emerson Lake And Palmer "the worst group of all-time" :mellow: All the best. B-)

Yes, popchartfreak, agree with you completely, I thought that they made some great records. And So You Win Again was one of the better number ones from 1977, in my view. As Fiesta stated, top of the pops '77 was on on a Wednesday this week. Some good stuff on it in small doses, I like The Stranglers, a good novelty record from the highly talented Carol Bayer Sagar, some good old fashioned rock from Dave Edmunds. And a great number one, the Jacksons best ever record in my view, with Show You The Way To Go. Trivia question for this week concerns that number one. The Jacksons were, of course, a family group, can anyone name anymore family groups to have had UK hits over the years? I will accept answers where only part of the act were of the same family, e.g. the Gallagher brothers in Oasis.. Blood relatives only mind - not interested in husband and wife teams! I should imagine, again, that the average pop fan could get into double figures with names of such acts (discounting the already mentioned Oasis and the Jacksons, of course!). All the best. B-)

ULvu8FzEt14 Found the above link, which gives you the answer. Apparently John liked this version, and signed them to the Apple label on the basis of this version. Not too keen on it myself............................ :cry:

Excellent reply Fiesta, thanks. And thanks to Suedehead as well for suggesting No Doubt About It. Actually it was not the RAK label I was looking for. They were first signed to a very famous label at the end of the sixties/start of the seventies. Here's a big clue - their first record on that label was a cover version of JL's Give Peace A Chance, a kind of reggie version. Might be available on youtube if you try. Last time I heard, Errol Brown had retired and gone to Barbados! So Hot Chocolate were successful enough!

Back after a two week break, but questionable as to whether it was worth the wait! :w00t: Not too many highlights, and one bland number one by Rod Stewart taken over by another bland number one from Kenny Rogers! Just three good records, in my view. They played out with the Jacksons Show You The Way To Go, and also featured another future number one, from Hot Chocolate, with the excellent So You Win Again. And nice to see Queen make an appearance, of course. As for the rest, well, some of them I have not even heard of, and some of them, like Kermit, made one as sick as a toad ! Bizarre mixture of records charting in June 1977! Trivia question for this week? Well I was thinking of doing one for Queen, but everybody knows about Queen, so let's go with Errol Brown and Hot Chocolate. Apart from So You Win Again, can anyone name some other HC hits in the top 20 UK charts over the years? I reckon the average older pop fan should be able to get to about half a dozen, at least. Also, which famous record label were Hot Chocolate first signed too? All the best. B-)

Yes, right on all counts, suedehead, and right about Urban Spaceman not being a number one, it was a number five hit in the UK. I sometimes get confused between that record and another novelty sound, (one which was produced by Pete Townsend) by Thunderclap Newman. I think that their record was called Something In The Air, and that particular disc DID get to number one in the UK charts, if I recall correctly. Continuing with the Beatles connection, the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band appeared in The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour film. The Beatles were big fans of the band. Unfortunately, not many people are fans of that film. The Magical Mystery Tour film is generally considered to be one of the worst things ever to be shown on British television!! :w00t: I like the music from it, though. And I liked the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. British eccentricity at its musical best! B-)

Indeed Feista, I think that The Small Faces were a great sixties band, similiar to The Beatles in that they only recorded for a few years, and, like the Beatles, they had a strong song writing partnership at their core, in their case, the Marriot and Lane partnership. Thanks for the extra Rod Stewart number one, that makes six UK number ones for Rod, then. This week's programme had some highlights, The Stranglers, Bob Marley And The Wailers, Gladys Knight And The Pips, and maybe the Jacksons best ever song with "Show You The Way To Go". It also featured Neil Innes with a Silver Jubilee song. So trivia question for this week - Neil Innes had a number one in the UK in the sixties while part of a very satirical English band. What was that band, and what was that number one? Also, in the late seventies, Neil took part in another satirical project, this time the satire was aimed at The Beatles. What was the name of that project? All the best. B-)

Yes, brownie points to both Suedehead and Grebo, Rod has had five number ones in the UK by my reckoning, as well as some UK number one albums. Pity that the Faces never officially had a number one, although he was singing the song Maggie May while still with the Faces. The good news, from my musical taste point of view, is that The Small Faces did have a number one. :dance: All Or Nothing by the Small Faces reached number one in the UK in 1966, I am glad to say. Always preferred The Small Faces to the later Rod Stewart Faces band, I do have a copy of "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake", their chart topping 1968 masterpiece of an album. If anybody has any money to spare, that is well worth a listen. As for Top Of The Pops 1977, let's hope for better stuff next time. :(

Yes, among other Liverpool acts, not already mentioned, are The Searchers, The Fourmost, The Real Thing, and some other group who used to be called The Quarreymen, or something! :unsure: This week's episode hardly worth commenting on! A good song from Marvin Gaye, accompanied by delicious dancing by Legs & Co, the only highlight for me. This week's trivia quiz concerns Rod The Mod, still at number one with The First Cut Is The Deepest. Please name his other UK number ones over the years - I remember at least three number one UK singles from Rod Stewart since he emerged as part of The Faces in the early seventies. All the best. B-)

LOL! Sounds like we are going to end up with considerably more than twenty acts! Especially when one factors in all the sixties acts as well, of course. Anybody have anything to say about the programme? Not really much cop this week, in my view. But top of the pops was designed to try and reflect the variety of music in the charts at the time, and from that point of view, I suppose it was representative of the music around at that moment in '77.

Have seen the Thursday edition, not a great show, The Stranglers - who are probably my favourite punk band - and a good solid Bryan Ferry record, Tokyo Joe, being the highlights for me. The Stranglers Go Buddy Go was very punkish, better records lay ahead for them, of course. They were more musical than most punk bands, and should really have been a bigger group, as far as I am concerned. ELO's Telephone Line is a song I well remember from that era, Jeff Lynn doing a bit of a Lennon-esk performance. Liverpool Express were on, the Liverpool Football team of the time had a disc in the charts which played out the show, so with all these mersey references, the trivia question is obvious - at least 15 to 20 Scouse acts that have had hits in the UK singles or album charts, or both, over the years, apart from Liverpool Express. I will start the ball rolling, a foursome I have heard of from Liverpool. Can anyone guess their name, I wonder...................... :rolleyes: I reckon that the average pop fan should be able to reel off at least 15 Liverpool acts that have graced the Uk charts since 1952. All the best. B-)

The other answer to the soul train question was, of course, Elton John. Having goggled it, I see that white acts like Duran Duran and Michael Bolton later appeared on the programme as well. No totps '77 this week, it is Sky At Night time. Back next week, I hope and assume. If anyone is interested in punk, which is often discussed on this thread, of course, there is a "Punk Britannia" programme on at 9.00 p.m. on Friday's. The first one was interesting viewing, although as far as I am concerned, it did not start where punk really started, which in my view was back in the sixties with the "mod" groups. The programme is on BBC Four, same as totps '77. All the best. B-)

Correct Grebo, well done, I only know of one other very very big UK star who made an appearance on the show. Maybe the UK's biggest ever solo act................ Sueudehead, I now where you are coming from with Dusty Springfield, but I believe that soultrain was launched in the seventies, probably a bit too late for her main Stateside hits.

Yes, and still no Peter Gabriel, unfortunately. :mellow: I liked some of the records on this weeks edition, though. Nice, of course, to see The Jam, who arguably fell under the punk rock banner, although some would say that they were just an updated mod music band. A refreshing sound, whichever way you categorise it. Maybe the Jacksons best ever song was on the show this week, "Show You The Way To Go". I assume that they were on a tour of the UK at the time, or doing some kind of Uk promotional work, hence the reason for them being in the Top Of The Pops studio. Good songs from Heatwave, as well, and as novelty records go, Carol-Bayer Saker's offering was slightly better than your average run of the mill novelty song. Linda Lewis singing Gilbert and Sullivan was a novelty by itself, of course! Did not realise that The Bay City Rollers were still having hits at this time - they were about to be sunk by punk! Joe Tex's own novelty song was featured on the clip from the Soul Train show. So an entertaining edition in some ways, but Rod's long stay at the top had just begun. Bad news for The Sex Pistols, I am afraid. Trivia question for this week? Well, without looking it up, I can think of at least 3 white acts that would have appeared on America's soul train programme over the years, and they were all UK acts as well! Maybe your more knowledeable pop fan can name them, and maybe think of other white acts who appeared on the USA's premier soul show over the years. All the best until next week. B-)

Yes, Grebo, right on both accounts, Lee unfortunately passed away in 1994 from cancer. And thanks for the link, and the Julien Temple documentary recommendation. I have not seen the Dr Feelgood documentary, but if it is half as good as his docs on The Sex Pistols and The Kinks, then it will be worth a watch, I am sure. And for anyone who has not heard Milk and Alcohol, please check it out on the internet - a terrific record.

RIP Robin.

Yes, I found things to savour as well. Again, good soul from Marvin Gaye - and very good and compelling dancing to it from Legs & Co, if you know what I mean, lads! :heart: , good soulful cover of Macca's Let 'em In by Billy Paul, and reasonable offerings from 10cc and, of course, the excellent Denice Williams. Some unusual novelty sounds in the programme, very clever novelty record by The Trinidad Oil Company, in which they just sang the months of the year all the way through the song! As novelty records go, quite inventive. I watched the Saturday edition, which featured extra tracks by Simon May, Kenny Rogers and a very strange offering by Mud, in which the studio lights kept going on and off in tune with the record! Very appropriate, then, that the best record on the show, in my view, was "Lights Out" by Doctor Feelgood! Their aggressive sound and on stage demeanour was a welcome rest bite from the nice safe records that dominated large parts of the show. Trivia question for this week, then, please name Doctor Feelgood's biggest UK hit single - should be a piece of cake for anyone who knows their pop stuff. Second trivia question maybe not so easy, from the top of the head - please name their late great lead vocalist from that seventies era. All the best. B-)

LOL! Yes, as I say, I like a bit of soul music, suedehead, so that made up for all the dross in between! I agree, I don't remember the very first song either. Nor do I remember that horrible Punch record! Probably just as well! Yes, I noted Television in the charts, and punk was about to come in (thank goodness). If I remember correctly, I think The Stranglers might have been the first punk act to appear on it. Note also the play out music - Rod's "The First Cut Is The Deepest". This was the period when a chart battle between Rod and The Pistol's for Jubilee number one was about to take place. Ah, those were the days!!!! Some excitement in music, some controvercy in the papers and on tv, some rebellion in the land! Never get that now. If someone makes a rebellious sound now, it is on youtube in five minutes and the novelty of the record wears off so quickly!!! Different era completely now. Worse era? Depends. A fresh faced 16 year old may find today's music brilliant. For me, it was the sixties and at least some of the seventies music that was the best ever. Alll depends on one's taste. Thanks for the feedback on Denice Williams.