Popchartfreak

Hi AH 🙂 Off Up North tomorrow for a week to see relatives around Mansfield and the area, and Uni friends, so I may be late with my chart next week as ABBA Voyage a week saturday (again)! Hope all is Fab with you. My London comics fanzine mate is editor designer of the UK OGAE mag, been doing it for decades, so I have always had occasional benefit of any leftovers and free CD's (when they were a thing) that got handed out backstage without actually joining up officially, mostly cos I just never got round to it. My mate (currently back) in Birkenhead's life-long mate is also a contributor to the mag for decades, and it was such a coincidence that we both randomly had links to OGAE without being in it, that I took the hint 😄 I'm not surprised 12 months of listening to Beautiful Things 4 times a day is driving people insane 😄 no record, however good, justifies that sort of mental torture - Radio 2, 6 weeks max and you're banished! And no ads! It's not your fault Hits radio have zero imagination and should be playing the new track instead, there's no excuse! When I go into Tesco, I'm always interested in the varied mix of of music from across the ages, the annoyingly obvious giant hits are usually absent. I should write a letter of congrats really!😎 I took a mischievous delight in Kaj not winning after Sweden rejecting mans' more orthodox fab pop record. Oops! 😄The voting problems of the televote can easily be solved - stop letting people vote 20 times for one or multiple tracks, it's just distorting the reality which is generally more realistically seen in streaming and downloading charts. Then some of the nations getting nul points might actually make the nation top 10's. It's the greed of wanting cash for votes that distorts it. They used to call this corruption in the olden days, like buying multiple copies of the same records at chart panel shops!😇 Thanks as always for the huge support! 😎

Hey Sven! 🙂 Top 7 plus Claude still reigning nicely with a little shuffle, Ravyn climbing and liking the red positions for climbers, that makes 'em stand out nicely! Benson Boone almost top 20, hooray, love it! Shaboozey & Myles up and Kaj new in are the top 40 fave climbers. In the Breakers there's been loads lately, and still is with Tommy Cash, Calvin Harris, Doobies, Lizzo, Morgan Wallen, Donna Summer, Sissal, JJ, and VAEB. Back In 1980 and I was doing end of degree exams, and my tastes not quite so much in alignment with the chart in Netherlands, but till rated Funkytown, Detroit Spinners, Call Me, Matchbox and their forgotten fun Buzz Buzz A Diddle It, Pretenders, Liquid Gold, Barbara Dickson all good, with Coming Up, Stomp and Kitchen At Parties my faves along with recent discovery (from your retro charts) Cara Mia, great 60's oldie that one. fab charts!😎

Hey Sven! 🙂 I forgot to mention that Pete Tong track is a Cigarettes After Sex song, makes for a nice banger, thanks for the picks and the Morning Jacket tip ❤️ cheers! 😎

Belated Happy Birthday Sergej! Hope you had a fab day! 🙂 It's a mass Eurovision invasion! I was a bit more modest this year, though I did like most of the new entries in your chart from the contest. The winner, Germany, and Estonia have done the best in the UK charts, apart from the UK, and that's fair enough I think. Most of the rest were decent, but I didn't buy many this year, unusually. Outside Eurovision, Ravyn climbing, Damiano David climbing into the 20, Voices up too and his new Zombie Lady is great, I must buy that one thanks for the link. Just going to send an email to myself to remind me! Massive climb for Cyril and Blunty, Bluebird not too far behind, just gorgeous that one, and not heard that Avicii new entry, it's great here comes another self-email! Kyle Alessandro was one of the performance highlights at Eurov and the new tom grennan is good too. That leaves Miley Cyrus which I havent heard so playing that now. Seems nice. top notch chart! 😎

Hi Sergej! 🙂 Thanks for all the picks I'm happy you like so many! 🥰 Take care and thanks again! 😎

The Scientist seems to be universally loved these days, by everyone but me. Not that it's bad, it's just a bit depressing for me, music that brings me down I prefer to avoid. 7/10. Dirrty is a great clubbing pop tune, sweaty and attitude-packed 9/10, Sugababes Stronger was the A side for me, and also a 9/10 but just behind Dirrty. The Game Of Love, I loved: Big "million-seller" on a par with Smooth for me 10/10. For Santana to be banging out stuff as good as anything he'd done in 30-odd years was lovely to see. Shakira's doesn't ring a bell, a quick check brings out a 7/10, so I obviously liked it! Kylie's was also fab. loved it and a chart-topper for me, so that's another million-selling 10/10. She was on a roll! Wonderboy was a quirky oddity that appealed to me, a 9/10 but with the proviso that I haven't heard it since bar maybe once or twice a while back. Better than Jack's Lava Chicken at any rate, but children may (and do) beg to differ.... Ashanti got a happy enough 7/10, and so did a shy FX, both generally likeable. Meanwhile Blazin' Squad and any others on the list impressed me not based on one or more listens at the time. DNC. I make that 25%, so not too bad. 🙂

Circles I still love, it's quite moody and mysteriously sad.

Crying In The Chapel was big in our family after Elvis had been a bit quiet on the memorable hits front. I remember a jukebox in a roadside cafe, but not sure whose car it was as we didnt have one! I don't think it's weathered well as a record though, it's too maudlin. Dont recognise the Dave Clark 5 track, it drifts by without noticing really. Set Me Free I have on a Kinks hits collective CD, but it's never made much of an impression on me either - falling in between two classic eras indeed. The Nashville Teens' cover is new to me, but it's just not Marianne Faithfull and therefore is pedestrian in comparison. If I Ruled The World is a Guilty fave of mine, but it's The Harry Secombe version I know and love. This is far too laid-back for its own good, Harry was full-on in-ya-face and sounded like he meant it. Tony sounds like he isn't that bothered. Covers include James Brown, Tom Jones, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes among the more obvious crooners. So by default it's also The Who for me too. I wouldn't call it one of my fave Who tracks, but it's got attitude and style compared to the rest.

Thanks rollo 🙂Good to see Simon Smith and his amazing dancing bear not just known by me Rollo, and I'd say that Respect/able is near enough and Sylvia is worth the 39 😎 Jade, those were all tough questions and I nearly got 10cc members wrong as I wasnt listening properly and forgot which 2 he'd just mentioned. So guessed the right way 😄 number one singles are always useful to know for 3 in 10 it looks like here for the 3 of us. round 1: 39 that cliff song will fox everyone I think. I bought it, oops. To be fair it was bargain bin. That's my excuse, anyway. round 2: 33 (got beat to Take Me Out, Boston) 3 in 10: 2 - Emotions, Survivor and then I blanked 😮

sounds like a lot of research and work! Well done Gezza! The results will be fascinating though 🤩

thanks Jade! ooh well done both there, both hot on round 1😍 I get the bronze for that round 😄 round 1: 39 I'm looking forward to seeing who knows the Alan Price/Randy Newman song - kiddie fave of mine. round 2: 39 3 in 10: puppy love, young love, 12th of never

26th April 1975 It's straight in at 1 for the single version of the greatest track on 10cc's The Original Soundtrack - the lush, multi-layered, haunting I'm Not In Love remains a work of genius, and moving in the sense that singing the title in this arrangement makes on not believe the actual statement as anything other than "he protests too much". 10cc were always willing to try something new, and challenge the norms of pop/rock/art music. Me, I have memories of revising for my GCE's at home alone as the rest of my family were on holiday, weather scorching and sweating, and 10cc being the UK's number one single. And lots of Instant Whips. And seeing what a frozen banana would taste like: hint, it turns to mush. Meanwhile, a single I bought and played a lot enters at 8, The Doobie Brothers cover of Take Me In Your Arms, one of their great (but forgotten) tracks. It's right up there with Long Train Running. The other big release of the week is the new ABBA album, one I would borrow in early 1976 as I was at peak ABBA, and record it until I could afford to buy it. So, the next 2 UK singles are being held back for later release, but the rest of the album (excepting those charts which have already charted) enters with my then-fave non-single (in the UK) the highest at 5: Bang-A-Boomerang. I still think that should have been a single instead of I Do I Do etc. Though maybe a bit too close to So Long to risk it. Others: Hey Hey Helen (17), pseudo-classical-instrumental Intermezzo Number 1 (45), Tropical Loveland (74) and the weakest track Man In The Middle (75). At this stage ABBA had no formula, they were happy to try different genres, lead vocals, and lyrics were improving, a work in progress. The next two singles, though, are in a completely new league, and set them up for greatness. New at 34. Lelly Boone got a Top Of The Pops slot with a song her husband Daniel was involved in, he of Beautiful Sunday, and some plays on Diddy David Hamilton's radio show, I seem to recall, but was a flop anyway, though it topped my charts of the time, a catchy little pop ditty. Send Some Love still sounds pleasant, though I clearly over-rated it a bit at the time as it had a great tune. Mac & Katie Kissoon get a follow-up hit in Don't Do It Baby, slightly more soul-leaning than Sugar Candy Kisses, Mike Batt drops his first Wombles single of 1975, and sadly it's not the fabulous cowboy Orinoco Kid album track, but as ever it's another completely new genre as we go back to the 1940's on Wombling White Tie And Tails. That leaves Gary Glitter to sabotage his own career nicely with the very substandard Love Like You & Me. It's almost as if The Glitter Band were getting all the good songs (self-written), and he was getting stuck with substandard material (self-written). No hints but his next single will be a cover of one of the songs in the chart. 1 ( NEW ) I’M NOT IN LOVE - 10cc # 1 2 ( 1 ) MISTY - Ray Stevens # 1 3 ( 2 ) THE HUSTLE - Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony # 1 4 ( 3 ) BAD TIME - Grand Funk Railroad # 3 5 ( NEW ) BANG-A-BOOMERANG - ABBA # 5 6 ( 4 ) GET DOWN TONIGHT - KC & The Sunshine Band # 1 7 ( 7 ) LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER - Captain and Tennille # 7 8 ( NEW ) TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS (ROCK ME A LITTLE WHILE) - The Doobie Brothers # 8 9 ( 6 ) SKIING IN THE SNOW - Wigans Ovation # 1 10 ( 30 ) BOY BLUE - Electric Light Orchestra # 10 11 ( 11 ) SISTER GOLDEN HAIR - America # 11 12 ( 12 ) GRINGO IN MEXICO - Maria Muldaur # 12 13 ( 5 ) JIGSAW GIRL - Clifford T.Ward # 5 14 ( 9 ) I WANNA DANCE WIT’ CHOO (DO DAT DANCE) - Disco Tex & The Sex-o-lettes featuring Sir Monti Rock III # 3 15 ( 8 ) A LITTLE LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING - Gilbert Becaud # 8 16 ( 10 ) THAT’S THE WAY OF THE WORLD - Earth, Wind & Fire # 10 17 ( NEW ) HEY HEY HELEN - ABBA # 17 18 ( 17 ) FOX ON THE RUN - The Sweet # 3 19 ( 15 ) EL BIMBO - Bimbo Jets # 2 20 ( 20 ) I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - ABBA # 20 21 ( 16 ) REACH OUT I’LL BE THERE - Gloria Gaynor # 1 22 ( 14 ) THE TIME WARP - Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, Little Nell, Charles Gray & Cast # 4 23 ( 21 ) SUPERGIRL - Graham Bonney # 8 24 ( 19 ) TAKE YOUR MAMA FOR A RIDE - Lulu # 19 25 ( 34 ) LET ME TRY AGAIN - Tammy Jones # 25 26 ( 29 ) IT’S ONLY ME YOU’VE LEFT BEHIND - Cliff Richard # 26 27 ( 23 ) JACKIE BLUE - The Ozark Mountain Daredevils # 4 28 ( 24 ) ONE DAY IN YOUR LIFE - Michael Jackson # 1 29 ( 22 ) SWEET TRANSVESTITE - Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon & Barry Bostwick # 20 30 ( 13 ) WONDERFUL BABY - Don McLean # 13 31 ( 26 ) I CAN DO IT - The Rubettes # 9 32 ( 32 ) #9 DREAM - John Lennon # 1 33 ( 28 ) WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO? - Diana Ross & The Supremes # 3 34 ( NEW ) SEND SOME LOVE - Lelly Boone # 34 35 ( 33 ) LOVIN' YOU - Minnie Ripperton # 1 36 ( 18 ) PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM - Elton John Band # 1 37 ( 64 ) CRY SOFTLY - Andy Williams # 37 38 ( 35 ) TUXEDO JUNCTION - Manhattan Transfer # 35 39 ( 25 ) LOVE ME LOVE MY DOG - Peter Shelley # 19 40 ( 36 ) WHY CAN’T WE BE FRIENDS - War # 36 41 ( 38 ) LET ME BE THE ONE - The Shadows # 18 42 ( 39 ) DING-A-DONG - Teach-In # 17 43 ( 49 ) THE LAST FAREWELL - Roger Whittaker # 43 44 ( 42 ) MY HEART’S SYMPHONY - Gary Lewis & The Playboys # 12 45 ( NEW ) INTERMEZZO NUMBER 1 - ABBA # 45 46 ( 63 ) LOOK AT YOU - George McRae # 46 47 ( 66 ) LOST AND FOUND - Whiskey Mac # 47 48 ( 61 ) LAND OF A THOUSAND DANCES - Mr Bloe # 48 49 ( 65 ) YOU BABY - John Holt # 49 50 ( 41 ) ONLY WOMEN BLEED - Alice Cooper # 41 51 ( 59 ) I’LL BE HOLDING ON - Al Downing # 51 52 ( 60 ) ROCK ME - ABBA # 52 53 ( 44 ) YOUR KISS IS SWEET - Syreeta # 5 54 ( 53 ) OH BOY - Mud # 45 55 ( 43 ) SWING YOUR DADDY - Jim Gilstrap # 4 56 ( 48 ) BE MY BABY - The Ronettes # 1 57 ( 57 ) JANUARY - Pilot # 1 58 ( 56 ) CHILD OF LOVE - Caston & Majors # 1 59 ( 50 ) PAPA OOM MOW MOW - The Sharonettes # 50 60 ( 70 ) MIDNIGHT SKY PART 1 - The Isley Brothers # 60 61 ( 46 ) YOU SEXY THING - Hot Chocolate # 7 62 ( 40 ) 99 MILES FROM L.A. - Albert Hammond # 40 63 ( 45 ) HITCHING A RIDE IN THE MOONLIGHT - Middle Of The Road # 45 64 ( 71 ) WE’LL FIND OUR DAY - Stephanie De Sykes # 64 65 ( 27 ) BYE BYE BABY - Bay City Rollers # 9 66 ( 54 ) STAND BY ME - John Lennon # 4 67 ( 51 ) WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITH YOU - Barry White # 25 68 ( NEW ) DON’T DO IT BABY - Mac & Katie Kissoon # 68 69 ( 69 ) BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME? - Ronnie Lane # 69 70 ( 47 ) LIFE IS A MINESTRONE - 10cc # 19 71 ( NEW ) WOMBLING WHITE TIE AND TAILS - The Wombles # 71 72 ( 37 ) DON’T BE CRUEL - Mike Berry # 37 73 ( 76 ) DON’T BE CRUEL - Billy Swan # 73 74 ( NEW ) TROPICAL LOVELAND - ABBA # 74 75 ( 31 ) HONEY - Bobby Goldsboro # 3 76 ( 75 ) PALOMA BLANCA - George Baker Selection # 75 77 ( 77 ) SWING LOW SWEET CHARIOT - Eric Clapton featuring Yvonne Elliman # 77 78 ( 79 ) SANDY - The Hollies # 78 79 ( NEW ) LOVE LIKE YOU AND ME - Gary Glitter # 79 80 ( NEW ) MAN IN THE MIDDLE - ABBA # 80

oh thats a shame it's blocked, it's quite useful, though a lot of the acts you like should mostly sneak into my charts - like Lynsey, New Seekers and so on. I was a huge New Seekers at the time but the singles are pretty much all you need, The late 70's line-up had some good tracks too, like Anthem and It's So Nice, but my fave era was 1970 to 1974. I havent completed my chart A to Z yet, but of the years I have finished, here's a bonus Discography of how the New Seekers did in my original charts: 6 8 LOOK WHAT THEY’VE DONE TO MY SONG, MA The New Seekers 274000 1970 1 15 NEVER ENDING SONG OF LOVE The New Seekers 2047350 1971 1 17 I’D LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING (IN PERFECT HARMONY) The New Seekers 1462000 1971 8 5 GOOD OLD FASHIONED MUSIC The New Seekers 1971 1 11 BEG, STEAL OR BORROW The New Seekers 834400 1972 2 8 CIRCLES The New Seekers 512200 1972 9 6 YOU WON'T FIND ANOTHER FOOL LIKE ME The New Seekers 1973 25 2 WE’VE GOT TO DO IT NOW The New Seekers 1973 16 6 PINBALL WIZARD/SEE ME FEEL ME The New Seekers 1973 5 8 I GET A LITTLE SENTIMENTAL The New Seekers 333600 1974 9 18 ANTHEM The New Seekers 1978 70 2 LET THE BELLS RING OUT FOREVER The New Seekers 1985 5 18 LOOK WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO MY SONG, MA The New Seekers 280950 2009 23 5 COME SOFTLY TO ME The New Seekers featuring Marty Kristian 1973 23 3 NEVERTHELESS (I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU) The New Seekers/ Eve Graham 1973 🙂

frederick was a goodie for Sandie, I liked that one. I watched Anita last night on Doctor Who, ooh she's giving a great performance as a baddie with a smile 😄 I bet her hubbie is enjoying it (Brian May of Queen)!

Thanks Sven, in that case, that's probably where I recognised the name from and didn't remember when I got to see the video! It's fabulous!! Thanks for the tip! 🥰

No One Knows is QOTSA's best hit record, I gave it a 7/10, though they had a 2017 track that was even better, The Way You Used To Do - or maybe I was getting nostalgic! Yeah Yeah Yeahs DNC for me, but will have some from 2003 onwards, but they got better in later decades I thought, grabbing an actual number one for me in 2022 - Wolf! Missy Elliot ditto DNC. Moby usually gets approval from me, and In This World is a comfortable 7/10, and I just found out I've been spelling Xzibit wrong for 23 years - the other two charted for me, but this one another DNC. I wasnt a fan of Put The Needle On it, a mere 3/10, but Shania's was a goodie, 8/10. I never liked Cant Stop Loving You that much when Leo Sayer had a hit with it in 1978, and Phil's cover I'd forgotten about until I got the question wrong on Popmaster last week - not in person, at home I mean. It's OK though, 5/10. Britney's cover of I Love Rock n Roll is perfunctory, my memory says 4/10, but the reality is 3/10 when I checked, a single week at 75. I will stick with the fab Joan Jett version. BBMak grab a slightly marginally better one week at 72, so 3/10 too. As an ongoing fan of Sophie E-B Music Gets The Best Of Me is record of the week and a 9/10 rating chart-wise, but 8/10 is prob more realistic minus bias. H & Claire, as not a Steps fan particularly, it was hit or miss depending on the track - and All Out Of Love was a 4/10. Soppy Darren Hayes was usually worth missing, and indeed I missed I Miss You. Which leaves Westlife - had I got to the stage where they would DNC out of annoyance at a rubbish cover or bland ballad, or were they having a surprise rare top 10 hit for me? Neither! It's an OK 5/10.

lots of goodies in this batch, I seem to be one of the few fans of the original American Pie that also rates the Madonna cover, Sitting Right Here is a good pop record, and Oops I Did It Again is fab and Bag It Up is one of Geri's best. I like Ricky Martin/Meja's, and Westlife's was decent. Candy is a great pop single, that deserved a longer top 10 run and Jessica's is one I don't remember, oops!

I echo all the Perfect Day views, I found it a spine-tingling mix of voices and pure class, definitely the best charity ensemble ever recorded. Topped my charts and I bought it, and Torn and Lucky Man are not far behind in quality. The Spice Girls also topped me charts for 4 number ones in total in the top 10 xmas/new year period. I was a bit slower on Angels, though I liked it a lot, it took a few years to top my charts as it hit "anthem" classic status - and after I'd seen Robbie close Net Aid with it in 1999. Anyone remember Net Aid? Thought not. I was there, it was the more modest follow-up to Live Aid broadcast on the internet. Bowie, George Michael, Robbie Williams, Eurythmics, Bryan Adams, Catatonia, Bush, Stereophonics, Corrs.

thanks Rollo, 33's good too! It's weird how Dynamite has been forgotten as a Mud Glam Rock hit, I'm guessing it lives in the shadow of Tiger Feet round 1: 33 (beat me to Leona Lewis and didnt hear the Corona question properly) round 2: 39 2 good contestants today! 3 in 10: elected, no more mr nice guy, schools out

Thanks for all the organizing, facts, research, and in-depth treatment Gezza, it's all been fab! On the last to sneak in at the final, De La Soul were always quirky and engaging, and Hangin' Tough was OK. By their standards it was good.

I Am Mine grabbed a week at 66 in my charts, almost certainly based on one listen on the one chart rundown it featured in. It's better than that, though, let's say 5/10 based on a second listen. Don't need to listen to DJ Sammy though, I always preferred the Bryan Adams original, but it was cheesy cheerful enough for a 7/10. Die Another Day was a Bond oddity, and not amongst her better movie songs, but it's still the best track of the week for me at 8/10. Bring It Back, alwasy enjoy McCalmont Butler, so another 8/10 here, It's All Gravy grabs a 3 from me, Amerie is one thing away from not getting a DNC, and Shaggy is a decent 7/10, I gave a credit to Brian & Tony Gold on Hey Sexy Lady, former hitmakers, Because The Night is worth a 4/10 for the song, and Craig David managed a fulsome 5/10 and lowest-placed track to date from me. Whitney was at the tail-end of her best era for me, and got a pretty good 8/10 for Whtatchulookingat, Mad'House impressed me not, Soda Club had no fizz, and Tom The Voice could only muster a single week at 75 in my chart, so a 3/10.

spoilt for choice here! Geraldine because it's terrible. One classic amongst these for me and it's getting votes already. There's 2 or 3 others I like but really the hard choice is deciding which order of rubbishness half of them should go.

Britneys a fave, still sounds nice that one, but I like the others too 👍

ooh two absolute faves here in Dusty Springfield ❤️ and Fuzzbox 🤩 add in Sandie shaw, Kim wilde, barbra Streisand and 2 classic 60's songs and Darling Buds. Keeping it topical, Anita Dobson is in Doctor Who at the moment starring as a villain!

It's one I'd forgotten about to be honest, and not heard since, it's mildly pleasant, but I expect I'll be discovering lots more as I research through old Record Mirror's in 1975 now and again - I didn't always get to hear new releases on the radio so it's nice when they turn up on youtube 50 years later and I can finally get round to hearing them. 😎 I use this site if you want to look through old issues to see what is released each week, they have a page of reviews: https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/70s/