DanChartFan

1982: Easter Sunday 11th April: Chart announced 6th April Imagination drop one place to 3 with Just An Illusion, and Bucks Fizz climb from 5 to 2 with My Camera Never Lies, on route to the topspot the following. Staying put at number one were the Goombay Dance Band with Seven Tears. 9I_Sckl-WhY

1981: Easter Sunday 19th April: Chart announced 14th April Stevie Wonder stayed put at 3 with Lately, and the top 2 switched places. Shakin Stevens' This Ole House dropped to 2, and as a result of winning Eurovision on 4th April, the Saturday night immediately prior to the sales week used for this easter chart, Bucks Fizz reached the summit with the skirt ripping Making Your Mind Up. pACePi441ds

1980: Easter Sunday April 6th: Chart announced April 1st The Detroit Spinners climbed from 5 to 3 with a medley of Working My Way Back To You and Forgive Me Girl, and dance outfit Liquid Gold climbed from 4 to 2 with Dance Yourself Dizzy. Staying at number one were The Jam with a double A side, Going Underground and Dreams Of Children. w9-LXbfFxvo sK2UahaiKKU

1979: Easter Sunday 15th April: Chart announced 10th April The top 3 were all climbers for easter 1979. Racey shot up from 11 to 3 with Some Girls, whilst the Squeeze went from 6 to 2 with Cool For Cats. Climbing from 3 to the topspot was Art Garfunkel's Bright Eyes. ICEtNeRT9uk

1978: Easter Sunday 26th March: Chart announced 21st March Brian and Michael's musical tribute to J.S.Lowry, Matchstalk Men And Matchstalk Cats And Dogs, flys up from 10 to 3, whilst the top 2 stay put, Blondie's Denis at 2 and at number 1 Kate Bush Wuthering Heights. Fk-4lXLM34g

1977: Easter Sunday 10th April: Chart announced 5th April Rock revivalists Showaddywaddy climbed one place to 3 with When, and David Soul stayed put at 2 with Going In With My Eyes Open. Also staying put was the number 1, Abba's Knowing Me, Knowing You. qrfY7RNaBjw

1976: Easter Sunday 18th April: Chart announced 13th April John Miles stayed put at 3 with Music and Abba's Fernando climbed from 4 to 2, whilst the UK's Eurovision winner that year, the Brotherhood Of Man and Save Your Kisses For Me, stayed at number 1. KxJyv11qEnc

1975: Easter Sunday 30th March: Chart announced 25th March The Moments and Whatnauts climb from 9 to 3 with Girls, and the Guys and Dolls climb 4 to 2 with There's A Lot Of Loving, but neither could dislodge the phenomenon that were the Bay City Rollers and Bye Bye Baby. 7O7zZDNBKks

1974: Easter Sunday 14th April: Chart announced 9th April Gary Glitter climbed 1 place to 3 with Remember Me This Way, whilst Paper Lace stayed at 2 with Billy Don't Be A Hero. The previous weeks 1 also stayed put, Terry Jacks, Seasons In The Sun. iA6BqS9FlQ0

1973: Easter Sunday 22nd April: Chart announced 17th April Gilbert O'Sulivan's Get Down got down from last weeks number 1 to 3, and climbing from 5 to 2 was Gary Glitter's Hello! Hello! I'm Back Again. Climbing from 2 to 1 for easter was Dawn with Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree. 1-i74QMn2GA

1972: Easter Sunday 2nd April: Chart Announced 28th March Gilbert O'Sullivan was Alone Again (Naturally) at 3, having climbed a place, and the New Seekers wanted to Beg, Steal and Borrow to get to the topspot, but had to be content staying at number 2, because last weeks number 1 also stayed put, Nilsson Without You (otherwise known these days as Ken Lee!). EvJ9Yxef5zI

1971: Easter Sunday 11th April: Chart announced 6th April Clodagh Rodgers Eurovision Song Contest entry Jack In The Box moves from 6 to 4, but the top 3 remains static, with Lynn Anderson's Rose Garden at 3, Ray Stevens (who later topped the chart in 1974 with The Streak) Bridget The Midget at 2 and T Rex keeping the topspot with Hot Love. BK8L_dinrl0

1970: Easter Sunday 29th March: Chart announced 24th March Andy Williams climbs from 6 to 3 with Can't Help Falling In Love, and last weeks number one Lee Marvin Wand'rin' Star, which has a B side by Clint Eastwood, drops to 2, switching places with Simon and Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water. bLfHJAlY59w

And now we move to less shaky ground, with the arrival of an official chart. 1969: Easter Sunday 6th April: Chart announced 1st April The Hollies climbed one to 3 with Sorry Suzanne, and Dean Martin climbs from 5 to 2 with Gentle On My Mind. Staying at number 1 that week was Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine. H5d3MN1UUis

1968: Easter Sunday 14th April: Chart Published 10th April Louis Armstrong moves 5 to 3 with the double A side What A Wonderful World/Cabaret, and Tom Jones stays at two with Delilah, but following that years Eurovision Song Contest in London on 10th April, our entry Cliff Richard Congratulations climbs from 3 to the topspot, having missed the topspot in the contest itself by a single point, the winner being the Spanish entry, imaginatively entitled La La La. X-z51J0vV_Q

This next one sort of proves your point about RR sampling 'mum and dad' record shops Dave :-) 1967: Easter Sunday 26th March: Chart Published 23rd March The Seekers climb 6 to 3 with Georgy Girl and Vince Hill moves 5 to 2 with Edelweiss, but neither can get past one of the years biggest sellers, Engelbert Humperdinck Release Me, which keeps the topspot. P8Xe-TlzHP0

1966:Easter Sunday 10th April: 7th April The Hollies I Can't Let Go dropped from 2 to 3, and The Spencer Davis Group flew up from number ten, but couldn't quite get past the existing number one, The Walker Brothers The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore (maybe it was a very wet easter that year?). 0q6YWDm0GSU

That's a good point Dave, I had picked up on the fact that in the two of the years in question the Beatles had rocketed to number one the week after, and was aware that they often went straight to number one on the other charts but had to wait a week to get to the summit in Record Retailer (I think I've heard it said there was some difference in rules or compilation that kept the new entries at number one very rare in Record Retailer), so I did think that maybe they had released them specifically for easter or the easter chart. I'm going to stick with RR for now on this thread, mainly as I'm now on holiday and only brought those charts with me, but it would be interesting to see where other charts differed, and also whether my choice of which week's chart to use is correct throughout being as I'm no expert on the publication dates of charts in the fifties and sixties.

I think I'd quite like it if for some reason 4 Non Blondes - What's Up? made it to the top spot twenty years on, but probably many will disagree with me on that.

Weren't Ultravox's biggest sales weeks at number two behind the then recently deceased John Lennon though?

1965: Easter Sunday 18th April: Chart Published 15th April The Yardbirds stick at 3 with For Your Love, and Unit Four Plus Two drop from from 1 to 2 with Concrete and Clay. As for the easter number one, well it had to happen at some stage, the second biggest Christian festival and the second most famous Christian in the world coming together, Cliff Richard The Minute You're Gone. qXip1pPPdi8

1964: Easter Sunday 29th March: Chart Published 26th March Trying to Not Fade Away are the Rolling Stones who climb from 4 to 3, and The Hollies were having Just One Look at the number two spot having climbed there from number 5 and dropping back down the week after. But the Easter Number One is Billy J Kramer's tale of the perils of dating a young woman who has younger siblings who won't leave you alone, Little Children. MOPBeKSyl2k

1963: Easter Sunday 14th April: Chart Published 11th April The Shadows climb a place into the top 3 with Foot Tapper, and Ned Miller climbs 3 to 2 with From A Jack To King, in which a serviceman caught with a pack of cards and accused of gambling endeavours to explain away why they are in his possession by assigning some religious significance to each card in the pack. But despite the appropriately Christian overtones it was prevented from getting the easter number one by Gerry and the Pacemakers moving from 2 to 1, with How Do You Do It?, arguably the first merseybeat chartopper (unless you followed any of the other 5 charts of the time of course). rb1rsFdo1E4

1962: Easter Sunday 22nd April: Chart Published 19th April Del Shannon climbs from 9 to 3 with Hey! Little Girl, but cannot get past Roy Orbison's Dream Baby which stays at 2. The previous weeks number one also stays put, the second instrumental to be easter number one, The Shadows Wonderful Land. y27DW6BTfKw

1961: Easter Sunday 2nd April: Chart Published 30th March Cliff Richard and the Shadows climbed one place into the top 3 with Theme For A Dream, and this years UK entry for the Eurovsion Song Contest, the Everly sound-alikes The Allisons climb from 3 to 2, also finishing 2nd on the night of the contest. So once again the existing number one could not be dethroned, the bilingual Wooden Heart. Hlbu6SsjlSE