Jump to content

OLD 55's Yearly Top 10 Singles Of The Rock Era


OLD 55

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 573
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I remember that song, too. It was used for The Plymouth Arrow TV commercial. Nilsson was also a drinking partner of John Lennon , during Lennon's LA separation from Yoko. I remember they got thrown out of a club because they were heckling The Smother's Brothers. That's classic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1974. What a Year ! We were virtually bombarded with great songs, having 35 different U.S. #1s. I've made a Top 12 of songs that stayed at the Top for 3 & 2 weeks (had to use many tiebreakers ) and listed the other 23 #1s chronologically. Hope you enjoy !

THE U.S. TOP 12 FOR 1974

1. THE WAY WE WERE / BARBRA STREISAND

2. Seasons In The Sun / Terry Jacks

3. The Streak / Ray Stevens

4. (You're) Having My Baby / Paul Anka with Odia Coates

5. The Loco - Motion / Grand Funk *

6. Billy, Don't Be A Hero / Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods

7. Kung Fu Fighting / Carl Douglas

8. I Can Help / Billy Swan

9. T.S.O.P. (The Sound Of Philadelphia) / MFSB (Mother,Father,Sister,Brother)

10.Annie's Song / John Denver

11.Rock Your Baby / George McCrae

12.I Honestly Love You / Olivia Newton - John *

..................................................

* Grand Funk dropped the Railroad from their name from 1973 to 1975.

* 1974 Grammy Award Winner, Record Of The Year.

OTHER # 1s

The Joker / Steve Miller Band

Show And Tell / Al Wilson

You're Sixteen / Ringo Starr

Love's Theme / Love Unlimited Orchestra (Instrumental)

Dark Lady / Cher

Sunshine On My Shoulders / John Denver

Hooked On A Feeling / Blue Swede

Bennie And The Jets / Elton John

Band On The Run / Paul McCartney & Wings

Sundown / Gordon Lightfoot

Rock The Boat / Hues Corporation

Feel Like Makin' Love / Roberta Flack

The Night Chicago Died / Paper Lace

I Shot The Sheriff / Eric Clapton

I Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe / Barry White

Rock Me Gently / Andy Kim

Nothing From Nothing / Billy Preston

Then Came You / Dionne Warwicke & The Spinners

You Haven't Done Nothin' / Stevie Wonder

You Ain't Seen Nothin Yet / Bachman - Turner Overdrive

Whatever Gets You Thru The Night / John Lennon

Cat's In The Cradle / Harry Chapin

Angie Baby / Helen Reddy

Our third child (another girl) was born. Love you Sweetie.

................................................

* Best Song of 1974 not to make #1: The Entertainer / Marvin Hamlisch (Theme from the Classic Movie, The Sting).

.................................................

#1 Song in the U.K. was Seasons In The Sun / Terry Jacks. The U.K. Group, Paper Lace's version of Billy, Don't Be A Hero was a big Hit too. (Sorry, but I think it's much better than the Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods one. Maybe the Paper Lace version didn't get airplay in the U.S.?)

In Australia we loved Seasons In The Sun as well as Sugar Baby Love / The Rubettes and also Paper Lace's two great Hits The Night Chicago Died and Billy Don't Be A Hero.

HOWEVER our Top Song was Farewell Aunty Jack/ Grahame Bond & Rory O'Donoghue, the theme song of the Aunty Jack TV series. It topped our Charts for 10 weeks. Katie is going to supply the lyrics later today. You have something to look forward to!

..................................................

AUNTIE JACK (Grahame Bond) AND THIN ARTHUR (Rory O'Donoghue)

Aunty_Jack_1.jpg

201/754

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Billy Don't Be A Hero", "The Night Chicago Died", "Seasons In The Sun", and "I Can Help" were my favorite songs in 1974 and are still on my favorites list.

I liked Bo Donaldson's version of "Billy..." better than Paper Lace's.

"I Can Help" - Billy Swan

This song also was a #1 US Country hit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's fine Brad. Thanks for reading it that far through; sometimes I wonder if others do, or just look at the Top 10. Thanks also for the info on "I Can Help". I would never have pegged it as a Country Hit !

What do you think of Aunty Jack? We used to watch the T.V. show each week, and at the end of each episode, "she" used to say:

"Goodnight me little lovelies. Don't forget to tune in next week, or I'll come around to your house and rip your bloody arms off."

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see we´re getting into the deep seventies... it´s becoming more pop/funk orientated... I wasn´t listening to the radio in 1974 (I moved from two different countries in that year, it was some exciting times...) and I remember few of the songs from these days... I loved "Seasons in the Sun" and "I can help"... I know the rest, sure, as they are classics...

I was astonished when I heard "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede, I loved the 1972 version (Jonathan King) but nobody seemed to know it...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Edna. I don't know the Jonathan King version either (although I see it charted in the U.K. in 1971), just the 1968 one by B.J. Thomas. Which countries were you in ?

Haven't seen Katie ? I'm hoping she was able to find the "Farewell Aunty Jack" lyrics.

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Farewell Aunty Jack

Farewell, Aunty Jack

We know you'll be back

Though you're ten feet tall you don't scare us at all

You're big, bold and tough

But you're not so rough

There's a scream as you plummet away

Aunty Jack: Hello me little lovelies. So remember, you better listen to this song real close, cause I'll tell you what - if you don't, I'm going to jump through your speakers and rip your bloody arms off. And I will too! Especially YOU, stupid.

She rides a black bike

Aunty Jack: I do.

And drives through the night

Aunty Jack: Right

She's big, round and fat but don't dare tell her that

Aunty Jack: I flamin' well aren't!

Else she'll turn so mean

Her glove starts to gleam

There's a scream as she plummets away

Aunty Jack: Goodbye me little lovelies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1974, the year I graduated High School. I like I Can Help by Billy Swan. Thought the organ work on that was great. In 1969, Swan was the producer of Polk Salad Annie, by Tony Joe White. I like that song too. Also many consider Rock The Boat, by the Hughes Corporation to be the first disco song. For better or for worse?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Phil and Laurie, I love Rock The Boat. I just played it a couple of days ago, and I agree that it's very disco flavored. Also Rock Your Baby is sort of soul/disco.

I've got a series of 12 CDs called "Living In The Seventies", which I dug out when I started on the 70s Charts and I'm playing them as I go. I just heard a couple from 1974, Hooked On A Feeling and Rock And Roll Heaven. Great stuff.

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the Aunty Jack lyrics Katie ! :thumbsup:

I think we've shocked our "overseas" friends into silence.

They've probably never seen a man with a moustache wearing a woman's wig, a dress, a boxing glove and football socks before. But that's our Aunty Jack.

auntyjack_wideweb__470x371,0.jpg

DON'T FORGET to look at the 1975 Top Ten or she'll reach right through your monitor and rip your bloody arms off !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1975 and Disco has definitely arrived. :happybanana: :happybanana: :happybanana:

Here's the TOP TEN U.S. SINGLES FOR 1975

1. LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER / THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE

2. Fly, Robin Fly / Silver Convention

3. Island Girl / Elton John

4. He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) / Tony Orlando & Dawn

5. Bad Blood / Neil Sedaka *

6. Rhinestone Cowboy / Glen Campbell

7. Philadelphia Freedom / The Elton John Band

8. Fame / David Bowie

9. Jive Talkin' / The Bee Gees

10.That's The Way (I Like It) / KC & The Sunshine Band

.................................................

11.Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds / Elton John *

* A great year for Elton John and Neil Sedaka.

Elton had 3 #1s and sang backup for Neil on Bad Blood.

He also had the Top Album of the year with his "Greatest Hits".

Neil had 2 #1s (Laughter In The Rain was the other) and of course co-wrote Love Will Keep Us Together which won the 1975 Grammy for Record Of The Year.

................................................

There were another 24 songs that spent a week at #1. Here they are.

Laughter In The Rain / Neil Sedaka (see above)

Mandy / Barry Manilow

Please Mr.Postman / The Carpenters

Fire / The Ohio Players

You're No Good / Linda Ronstadt

Pick Up The Pieces / Average White Band

Best Of My Love / The Eagles

Have You Never Been Mellow / Olivia Newton - John

Black Water / Doobie Brothers

My Eyes Adored You / Frankie Valli

Lady Marmalade / LaBelle

Lovin' You / Minnie Ripperton

(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song / B.J.Thomas

Shining Star / Earth, Wind & Fire

Before The Next Teardrop Falls / Freddy Fender

Thank God I'm A Country Boy / John Denver

Sister Golden Hair / America

Listen To What The Man Said / Wings

The Hustle / Van McCoy

One Of These Nights / The Eagles

Fallin' In Love / Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds

Get Down Tonight / K.C. & The Sunshine Band

I'm Sorry / John Denver

Let's Do It Again / The Staple Singers

................................................

BEST SONG NOT TO MAKE U.S. #1: Lyin' Eyes / The Eagles (but it did win the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal by a Duo or Group).

U.K. TOP SONG: Bohemian Rhapsody / Queen, 9 weeks @ #1.

AUS TOP SONG: Mama Mia / Abba, 12 weeks @ #1, 32 weeks in our Top 40.

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two of the best TV shows from the sixties were The Johnny Cash Show. He once had Bob Dylan on and they sang three or four songs. But just having Johnny Cash on was a treat. The Other show was The Smothers Brothers Show. They had everyone on from The Who to The Buckinghams. Also Steve Martin and Mason Williams(Classical Gas) were writers on the show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Laurie. We used to get the Sonny & Cher show in Australia - must have been mid/late 60s, but not the others unfortunately.

The Sonny & Cher TV variety show aired in the US from 1971-1974.

I've never seen the Auntie Jack show, 55.

I don't think it aired in the US.

I think the closing statement, ("Goodnight me little lovelies. Don't forget to tune in next week, or I'll come around to your house and rip your bloody arms off.") is bloody funny! :laughing:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Other show was The Smothers Brothers Show. They had everyone on from The Who to The Buckinghams. Also Steve Martin and Mason Williams(Classical Gas) were writers on the show.

I loved the Smothers Brothers! We still have a reel-to-reel of one of their shows that cracks me up to this day if I ever have the opportunity to listen to it.

And I can remember watching "Sonny and Cher" and remember how cute Chastity Bono was when she was just tiny and they brought her out to say goodnight...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...