* NM retro singles - 1979 (redone) *

[Earl Purple]

6 January 1979

1 ( 2 ) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury & The Blockheads < 1st #1 >
2 ( 1 ) Le Freak - Chic (#1[2])
3 ( 5 ) Hello This Is Joannie - Paul Evans
4 ( 6 ) Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen
5 ( 3 ) I'll Put You Together Again - Hot Chocolate (#3)
6 ( 7 ) Car 67 - Driver 67
7 ( 9 ) The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
8 ( 11 ) Song For Guy - Elton John
9 ( 10 ) September - Earth Wind & Fire (#8)
10 ( 14 ) Tommy Gun - Clash

11 ( 16 ) Fire - Pointer Sisters
12 ( 4 ) Mary's Boy Child - Boney M (#4)
13 ( 17 ) Mirrors - Sally Oldfield (#15)
14 ( 8 ) My Life - Billy Joel (#1[1])
15 ( 12 ) New York New York - Gerard Kenny (#9)
16 ( 19 ) Destination Venus - Rezillos (#9)
17 ( 18 ) A Little More Love - Olivia Newton John
18 ( -- ) Theme From Superman - John Williams & London Symphony Orchestra
19 ( -- ) Cool Meditation - Third World
20 ( 22 ) Rama Lama Ding Dong - Rocky Sharpe & The Replays

21 ( 23 ) Shake It - Ian Matthews
22 ( 20 ) Greased Lightnin' - John Travolta (#21)
23 ( 21 ) Wrekorder Wrondo - Mike Oldfield (#21)
24 ( -- ) Don't Cry Out Loud - Melissa Manchester
25 ( 29 ) Take Me To The River - Talking Heads
26 ( 13 ) A Taste Of Aggro - Barron Knights (#10)
27 ( 34 ) A Man I'll Never Be - Boston
28 ( 36 ) Who What When Where Why - Manhattan Transfer
29 ( 15 ) Please Come Home For Christmas - Eagles (#15)
30 ( 30 ) I Will Be In Love With You - Livingston Taylor

31 ( 32 ) Don't Hold Back - Chanson
32 ( -- ) Home And Dry - Gerry Rafferty
33 ( 27 ) Take That To The Bank - Shalamar (#24)
34 ( 35 ) Night Dancing - Joe Farrell
35 ( 28 ) I Was Made For Dancing - Leif Garrett (#23)
36 ( -- ) Four Strong Winds - Neil Young
37 ( 24 ) Da Ya Think I'm Sexy - Rod Stewart (#4)
38 ( 33 ) A Touch Of Velvet A Sting Of Brass - Ron Grainer Orchestra (#29)
39 ( 25 ) Rat Trap - Boomtown Rats (#1[4])
40 ( 44 ) Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meat Loaf & Ellen Foley (#1[7])

41 ( 41 ) Breaking Glass - David Bowie
42 ( -- ) Every Night - Phoebe Snow
43 ( 40 ) Lay Your Love On Me - Racey (#21)
44 ( 38 ) We've Got Tonite - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (#12)
45 ( 31 ) Hold The Line - Toto (#6)
46 ( -- ) Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lynn
47 ( 39 ) Y.M.C.A - Village People (#5)
48 ( 42 ) Promises - Buzzcocks (#18)
49 ( 26 ) Jingle Bells - Judge Dread (#26)
50 ( 37 ) My Best Friend's Girl - Cars (#4)

---

-- ( 43 ) Hanging On The Telephone - Blondie (#8)
-- ( 45 ) Homicide - 999 (#29)
-- ( 46 ) Watch Out For Lucy - Eric Clapton (#30)
-- ( 47 ) I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper - Sarah Brightman & Hot Gossip (#10)
-- ( 48 ) Dr Who - Mankind (#31)
-- ( 49 ) Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees (#26)
-- ( 50 ) I'm Every Woman - Chaka Khan (#13)

---

The usual quiet start to the year but it will pick up pretty soon, with the week of 10 February the strongest ever week for new singles. We've had clashes of 2 big ones a few times, that week has a clash of 3 massive songs, and there are quite a few big ones in the weeks before it too.

Early week in the year so I let Melissa Manchester in? Actually I think this is better than Elkie Brooks's version, with neither actually being the original, that being recorded in 1976 but not released as a single. I did snub a Blues Brothers cover of "Soul Man" though.

Some songs lower down also "recovering" their chart run after the mad rush to take advantage of the quiet period, in particular the Clash whose "Tommy Gun" has now climbed into the top 10 whilst "Destination Venus" by the Rezillos climbs back up inside the top 20 having peaked at #9 a few weeks ago. It wasn't originally on their album "Can't Stand The Rezillos" but I was listening to the repackaged version where they added it.

[Earl Purple]

13 January 1979

1 ( 1 ) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury & The Blockheads < 2nd week at #1 >
2 ( 3 ) Hello This Is Joannie - Paul Evans
3 ( 6 ) Car 67 - Driver 67
4 ( 7 ) The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
5 ( 4 ) Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen (#4)
6 ( 2 ) Le Freak - Chic (#1[2])
7 ( 8 ) Song For Guy - Elton John
8 ( 18 ) Theme From Superman - John Williams & London Symphony Orchestra
9 ( 19 ) Cool Meditation - Third World
10 ( 5 ) I'll Put You Together Again - Hot Chocolate (#3)

11 ( 10 ) Tommy Gun - Clash (#10)
12 ( 11 ) Fire - Pointer Sisters (#11)
13 ( 9 ) September - Earth Wind & Fire (#8)
14 ( 24 ) Don't Cry Out Loud - Melissa Manchester
15 ( 13 ) Mirrors - Sally Oldfield (#15)
16 ( -- ) Woman In Love - Three Degrees
17 ( 16 ) Destination Venus - Rezillos (#9)
18 ( 17 ) A Little More Love - Olivia Newton John (#17)
19 ( 32 ) Home And Dry - Gerry Rafferty
20 ( 15 ) New York New York - Gerard Kenny (#9)

21 ( 20 ) Rama Lama Ding Dong - Rocky Sharpe & The Replays (#20)
22 ( -- ) Desire Me - Doll
23 ( 21 ) Shake It - Ian Matthews (#21)
24 ( 36 ) Four Strong Winds - Neil Young
25 ( 14 ) My Life - Billy Joel (#1[1])
26 ( 27 ) A Man I'll Never Be - Boston
27 ( 25 ) Take Me To The River - Talking Heads (#25)
28 ( -- ) Baby I'm Burnin' - Dolly Parton
29 ( 28 ) Who What When Where Why - Manhattan Transfer (#28)
30 ( 22 ) Greased Lightnin' - John Travolta (#21)

31 ( 23 ) Wrekorder Wrondo - Mike Oldfield (#21)
32 ( 42 ) Every Night - Phoebe Snow
33 ( 12 ) Mary's Boy Child - Boney M (#4)
34 ( -- ) No Tell Lover - Chicago
35 ( 30 ) I Will Be In Love With You - Livingston Taylor (#30)
36 ( 31 ) Don't Hold Back - Chanson (#31)
37 ( 46 ) Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lynn
38 ( -- ) Shattered - Rolling Stones
39 ( 34 ) Night Dancing - Joe Farrell (#34)
40 ( 39 ) Rat Trap - Boomtown Rats (#1[4])

41 ( 40 ) Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meat Loaf & Ellen Foley (#1[7])
42 ( -- ) This Is It - Dan Hartman
43 ( 33 ) Take That To The Bank - Shalamar (#24)
44 ( 26 ) A Taste Of Aggro - Barron Knights (#10)
45 ( 41 ) Breaking Glass - David Bowie (#41)
46 ( 35 ) I Was Made For Dancing - Leif Garrett (#23)
47 ( -- ) Je Suis Music - Cerrone
48 ( 38 ) A Touch Of Velvet A Sting Of Brass - Ron Grainer Orchestra (#29)
49 ( 43 ) Lay Your Love On Me - Racey (#21)
50 ( 37 ) Da Ya Think I'm Sexy - Rod Stewart (#4)

---

-- ( 29 ) Please Come Home For Christmas - Eagles (#15)
-- ( 44 ) We've Got Tonite - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (#12)
-- ( 45 ) Hold The Line - Toto (#6)
-- ( 47 ) Y.M.C.A - Village People (#5)
-- ( 48 ) Promises - Buzzcocks (#18)
-- ( 49 ) Jingle Bells - Judge Dread (#26)
-- ( 50 ) My Best Friend's Girl - Cars (#4)

---

-- ( -- ) Heat Of The Beat - Roy Ayers

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Ok, so I guess that 1979 really starts to "take off" next week. The last few weeks of 1978 had some very good songs and they are still keeping us company at the top of the chart, but I always just get the feeling that a new year gets exciting when its own entries start taking over the chart, which often takes a while.

I've already posted a flavour of what we're getting in a poll, that will be the 3rd week of the playlist after this one. This is the 2nd week of the current playlist, and there are 3 weeks on this one.

The Three Degrees song was co-written by Giorgio Moroder and we know Twiggy recorded it in 1977 because she performed it on Top of the Pops. Many wouldn't remember but I recorded that episode and so I definitely knew her version of it which failed to chart at all - yes they often had new songs on the show that weren't hits yet, and many of them never charted. Elkie Brooks performed "Saved" on the same episode, and that also failed to chart - a shame because it was quite good uptempo music albeit rather gospel-religious. In any case for the Three Degrees it would become their 2nd biggest hit, so even bigger than "Take Good Care Of Yourself" and bettered only by "When Will I See You Again".

Doll: Would be good if it weren't such an obvious rip-off of "Denis". The songwriter of that song is Neil Levenson, and it was a hit for Randy & The Rainbows in 1963. Whilst Blondie's version had its own production, it was still a cover and Neil Levenson's name appeared as songwriter. So Doll stole the rhythm / structure of the song but not the melody or lyrics and so technically didn't breach any copyright but it's still a rip-off.

The rest are just ok songs by artists who have done better. It's the 2nd high-energy disco hit within 3 years called "This Is It", but whilst I clearly remember the Melba Moore song (NM #4, 1976), this one is lost on me as Instant Replay mark 2 which even incorporates bits of his previous hit near the end.

[Good Old Days]

Every Twiggy single is a gem, she should have been a big pop star. "A Woman In Love" was her 6th # 1 in "Gražios Dainos".

I started this year with Brotherhood of Man "Goodbye Goodbye" on the top, after it "Desire Me" and predictably "Heart of Glass" became # 1 hits.  

[Earl Purple]

20 January 1979

1 ( 1 ) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury & The Blockheads < 3rd week at #1 >
2 ( 2 ) Hello This Is Joannie - Paul Evans
3 ( 3 ) Car 67 - Driver 67
4 ( 4 ) The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
5 ( 7 ) Song For Guy - Elton John
6 ( 8 ) Theme From Superman - John Williams & London Symphony Orchestra
7 ( 9 ) Cool Meditation - Third World
8 ( 16 ) Woman In Love - Three Degrees
9 ( 5 ) Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen (#4)
10 ( 14 ) Don't Cry Out Loud - Melissa Manchester

11 ( -- ) Milk And Alcohol - Dr Feelgood
12 ( 22 ) Desire Me - Doll
13 ( -- ) King Rocker - Generation X
14 ( 6 ) Le Freak - Chic (#1[2])
15 ( -- ) I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
16 ( 19 ) Home And Dry - Gerry Rafferty
17 ( -- ) Equinoxe - Jean Michel Jarre
18 ( 11 ) Tommy Gun - Clash (#10)
19 ( -- ) Take On The World - Judas Priest
20 ( 28 ) Baby I'm Burnin' - Dolly Parton

21 ( 12 ) Fire - Pointer Sisters (#11)
22 ( 10 ) I'll Put You Together Again - Hot Chocolate (#3)
23 ( 24 ) Four Strong Winds - Neil Young
24 ( 13 ) September - Earth Wind & Fire (#8)
25 ( 15 ) Mirrors - Sally Oldfield (#15)
26 ( 34 ) No Tell Lover - Chicago
27 ( 17 ) Destination Venus - Rezillos (#9)
28 ( 18 ) A Little More Love - Olivia Newton John (#17)
29 ( 38 ) Shattered - Rolling Stones
30 ( 21 ) Rama Lama Ding Dong - Rocky Sharpe & The Replays (#20)

31 ( -- ) Blue Morning Blue Day - Foreigner
32 ( 32 ) Every Night - Phoebe Snow
33 ( 20 ) New York New York - Gerard Kenny (#9)
34 ( 26 ) A Man I'll Never Be - Boston (#26)
35 ( -- ) One Last Kiss - J Geils Band
36 ( 23 ) Shake It - Ian Matthews (#21)
37 ( 42 ) This Is It - Dan Hartman
38 ( -- ) When I'm Away From You - Frankie Miller
39 ( 27 ) Take Me To The River - Talking Heads (#25)
40 ( 37 ) Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lynn (#37)

41 ( 29 ) Who What When Where Why - Manhattan Transfer (#28)
42 ( 47 ) Je Suis Music - Cerrone
43 ( -- ) Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches And Herb
44 ( 25 ) My Life - Billy Joel (#1[1])
45 ( -- ) Heaven Knows - Donna Summer
46 ( 30 ) Greased Lightnin' - John Travolta (#21)
47 ( 31 ) Wrekorder Wrondo - Mike Oldfield (#21)
48 ( 35 ) I Will Be In Love With You - Livingston Taylor (#30)
49 ( 40 ) Rat Trap - Boomtown Rats (#1[4])
50 ( 36 ) Don't Hold Back - Chanson (#31)

---

-- ( 33 ) Mary's Boy Child - Boney M (#4)
-- ( 39 ) Night Dancing - Joe Farrell (#34)
-- ( 41 ) Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meat Loaf & Ellen Foley (#1[7])
-- ( 43 ) Take That To The Bank - Shalamar (#24)
-- ( 44 ) A Taste Of Aggro - Barron Knights (#10)
-- ( 45 ) Breaking Glass - David Bowie (#41)
-- ( 46 ) I Was Made For Dancing - Leif Garrett (#23)
-- ( 48 ) A Touch Of Velvet A Sting Of Brass - Ron Grainer Orchestra (#29)
-- ( 49 ) Lay Your Love On Me - Racey (#21)
-- ( 50 ) Da Ya Think I'm Sexy - Rod Stewart (#4)

---

-- ( -- ) Got My Mind Made Up - Instant Funk
-- ( -- ) Que Tal America - Two Man Sound
-- ( -- ) Cream (Always Rises To The Top) - Gregg Diamond Bionic Boogie
-- ( -- ) Shoot Me (With Your Love) - Tasha Thomas
-- ( -- ) Sir Dancealot - Olympic Runners

---

The flood of new entries this week, every odd numbered position from 11 to 19 sees 5 of them, and the highest is Dr Feelgood's biggest hit, actually pretty much their only hit single with a few that charted a lot lower, although they've been around for a number of years and had a live album reach #1 in 1976.

Behind them, the biggest hit for Generation X, although the lead singer Billy Idol had bigger solo hits.

Oh now go, walk out the door... so overplayed it may have done a lot worse, and would have been buried among the far superior stuff that was out when it actually reached #1 in the UK but got in the door early enough.

Equinoxe was a pretty well-known instrumental, was surprised it failed to reach the top 40.

Judas Priest, named after a character in a Bob Dylan song, get a top 20 entry with the anthemic "Take On The World", and will have another anthemic rock hit "Living After Midnight" next year.

Those that fail to get in are all pretty much disco tracks, many of which are several minutes long and might not even have edited versions. The only version of "Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet" by Gonzales (next playlist) on Spotify is 8 minutes long. That doesn't make it the longest track on the playlist but Bat Out Of Hell does a lot more in its 9 minutes 50 seconds than disco tracks that just go on and on.

[Good Old Days]

It's the last 70s year. What about the personal charts from the next decade (1980s) ?

[Earl Purple]

27 January 1979

1 ( -- ) Heart Of Glass - Blondie < 2nd #1 >
2 ( 1 ) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury & The Blockheads (#1[3])
3 ( 2 ) Hello This Is Joannie - Paul Evans (#2[2])
4 ( 11 ) Milk And Alcohol - Dr Feelgood
5 ( 3 ) Car 67 - Driver 67 (#3)
6 ( 13 ) King Rocker - Generation X
7 ( 8 ) Woman In Love - Three Degrees
8 ( 4 ) The Gambler - Kenny Rogers (#4)
9 ( 5 ) Song For Guy - Elton John (#5)
10 ( 15 ) I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor

11 ( 6 ) Theme From Superman - John Williams & London Symphony Orchestra (#6)
12 ( 17 ) Equinoxe - Jean Michel Jarre
13 ( 7 ) Cool Meditation - Third World (#7)
14 ( 19 ) Take On The World - Judas Priest
15 ( 12 ) Desire Me - Doll (#12)
16 ( 10 ) Don't Cry Out Loud - Melissa Manchester (#10)
17 ( 9 ) Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen (#4)
18 ( 16 ) Home And Dry - Gerry Rafferty (#16)
19 ( 20 ) Baby I'm Burnin' - Dolly Parton
20 ( -- ) Contact - Edwin Starr

21 ( 31 ) Blue Morning Blue Day - Foreigner
22 ( -- ) Lady - Little River Band
23 ( 35 ) One Last Kiss - J Geils Band
24 ( 26 ) No Tell Lover - Chicago
25 ( -- ) May The Sunshine - Nazareth
26 ( 38 ) When I'm Away From You - Frankie Miller
27 ( 14 ) Le Freak - Chic (#1[2])
28 ( 23 ) Four Strong Winds - Neil Young (#23)
29 ( 29 ) Shattered - Rolling Stones
30 ( -- ) Every Which Way But Loose - Eddie Rabbitt

31 ( -- ) Radioactive - Gene Simmons
32 ( 18 ) Tommy Gun - Clash (#10)
33 ( 43 ) Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches And Herb
34 ( 45 ) Heaven Knows - Donna Summer
35 ( 21 ) Fire - Pointer Sisters (#11)
36 ( 32 ) Every Night - Phoebe Snow (#32)
37 ( 37 ) This Is It - Dan Hartman
38 ( 22 ) I'll Put You Together Again - Hot Chocolate (#3)
39 ( 25 ) Mirrors - Sally Oldfield (#15)
40 ( 24 ) September - Earth Wind & Fire (#8)

41 ( -- ) You Need A Woman Tonight - Captain And Tennille
42 ( 27 ) Destination Venus - Rezillos (#9)
43 ( 42 ) Je Suis Music - Cerrone (#42)
44 ( -- ) Doctor Doctor - UFO
45 ( 28 ) A Little More Love - Olivia Newton John (#17)
46 ( 30 ) Rama Lama Ding Dong - Rocky Sharpe & The Replays (#20)
47 ( 34 ) A Man I'll Never Be - Boston (#26)
48 ( 40 ) Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lynn (#37)
49 ( 33 ) New York New York - Gerard Kenny (#9)
50 ( -- ) Outdoor Miner - Wire

---

-- ( 36 ) Shake It - Ian Matthews (#21)
-- ( 39 ) Take Me To The River - Talking Heads (#25)
-- ( 41 ) Who What When Where Why - Manhattan Transfer (#28)
-- ( 44 ) My Life - Billy Joel (#1[1])
-- ( 46 ) Greased Lightnin' - John Travolta (#21)
-- ( 47 ) Wrekorder Wrondo - Mike Oldfield (#21)
-- ( 48 ) I Will Be In Love With You - Livingston Taylor (#30)
-- ( 49 ) Rat Trap - Boomtown Rats (#1[4])
-- ( 50 ) Don't Hold Back - Chanson (#31)

---

-- ( -- ) Dancin' Shoes - Nigel Olsson
-- ( -- ) Together We Are Beautiful - Steve Allan

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Blondie crashes in at #1. In the UK, this was their first number one and reached the top in its second week after entering at #6. In my chart, their first number one was "Picture This" which climbed to #1 after entering at #3, and was then replaced two weeks later by Meat Loaf, who entered at the time. "Bat Out Of Hell" is due in 2 weeks...

Of the songs that replaced Blondie at #1 in the UK, one of them was out in a previous version this week but fails to make any impact on my chart. Blondie need not worry about Fern Kinney either on my chart. There are other great songs that will challenge "Atomic" but that isn't one of them. It will probably fail to chart at all, just like Steve Allan's version, which is also not the original, as that was about 2-3 years ago.

Edwin Starr is back as a disco singer, maybe a natural progression for him, but he hasn't been in the chart since 1971 when the follow-up to War called "Stop The War Now" made it to #28. "War" (originally a Temptations album track) was his biggest hit peaking at #2, but he had 3 top 10 hits in the mid-60s, "Agent Double-O Soul" (#6), "Stop Her On Sight" (#5) and "Headline News" (#10) in 1965 and 1966. Gene Chandler will soon also be making a comeback as a disco singer, and we had Joe Tex in 1977 doing that.

[Earl Purple]

On the subject of the songs that replaced Blondie at #1 in the UK, this is my ranking, first to last.

1. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno (replaced Call Me)
2. Abba - Super Trouper (replaced The Tide Is High)
3. Bee Gees - Tragedy (replaced Heart Of Glass)
4. Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away (replaced Maria)
5. Anita Ward - Ring My Bell (replaced Sunday Girl)
6. Fern Kinney - Together We Are Beautiful (replaced Atomic)

Abba's song is definitely better than the Blondie song it replaced (whereas Heart Of Glass is superior to Chiquitita and deserved to keep it off #1), Dexy's possibly, the others not with Anita Ward and Fern Kinney both being far worse.

[Earl Purple]

3 February 1979

1 ( 1 ) Heart Of Glass - Blondie < 2nd week at #1 >
2 ( 4 ) Milk And Alcohol - Dr Feelgood
3 ( 6 ) King Rocker - Generation X
4 ( 2 ) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury & The Blockheads (#1[3])
5 ( 3 ) Hello This Is Joannie - Paul Evans (#2[2])
6 ( 7 ) Woman In Love - Three Degrees
7 ( 10 ) I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
8 ( 20 ) Contact - Edwin Starr
9 ( 5 ) Car 67 - Driver 67 (#3)
10 ( -- ) Chiquitita - Abba

11 ( 22 ) Lady - Little River Band
12 ( 12 ) Equinoxe - Jean Michel Jarre
13 ( 14 ) Take On The World - Judas Priest
14 ( 25 ) May The Sunshine - Nazareth
15 ( -- ) The Sound Of The Suburbs - Members
16 ( 8 ) The Gambler - Kenny Rogers (#4)
17 ( 9 ) Song For Guy - Elton John (#5)
18 ( 21 ) Blue Morning Blue Day - Foreigner
19 ( 30 ) Every Which Way But Loose - Eddie Rabbitt
20 ( 23 ) One Last Kiss - J Geils Band

21 ( 31 ) Radioactive - Gene Simmons
22 ( 11 ) Theme From Superman - John Williams & London Symphony Orchestra (#6)
23 ( -- ) You Bet Your Love - Herbie Hancock
24 ( 26 ) When I'm Away From You - Frankie Miller
25 ( 15 ) Desire Me - Doll (#12)
26 ( 19 ) Baby I'm Burnin' - Dolly Parton (#19)
27 ( -- ) Get Over You - Undertones
28 ( 13 ) Cool Meditation - Third World (#7)
29 ( -- ) Weekend - Mick Jackson
30 ( 18 ) Home And Dry - Gerry Rafferty (#16)

31 ( 16 ) Don't Cry Out Loud - Melissa Manchester (#10)
32 ( 24 ) No Tell Lover - Chicago (#24)
33 ( 17 ) Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen (#4)
34 ( 41 ) You Need A Woman Tonight - Captain And Tennille
35 ( 33 ) Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches And Herb (#33)
36 ( -- ) Every Time I Think Of You - Babys
37 ( 34 ) Heaven Knows - Donna Summer (#34)
38 ( -- ) Just Thirteen - Lurkers
39 ( -- ) Ain't Love A Bitch - Rod Stewart
40 ( 44 ) Doctor Doctor - UFO

41 ( 29 ) Shattered - Rolling Stones (#29)
42 ( -- ) You Thrill Me - Exile
43 ( 28 ) Four Strong Winds - Neil Young (#23)
44 ( -- ) The Joker (The Wigan Joker) - JBS All Night Band
45 ( -- ) Get Down - Gene Chandler
46 ( 50 ) Outdoor Miner - Wire
47 ( 37 ) This Is It - Dan Hartman (#37)
48 ( 27 ) Le Freak - Chic (#1[2])
49 ( 36 ) Every Night - Phoebe Snow (#32)
50 ( -- ) Everybody Is A Star - Pointer Sisters

---

-- ( 32 ) Tommy Gun - Clash (#10)
-- ( 35 ) Fire - Pointer Sisters (#11)
-- ( 38 ) I'll Put You Together Again - Hot Chocolate (#3)
-- ( 39 ) Mirrors - Sally Oldfield (#15)
-- ( 40 ) September - Earth Wind & Fire (#8)
-- ( 42 ) Destination Venus - Rezillos (#9)
-- ( 43 ) Je Suis Music - Cerrone (#42)
-- ( 45 ) A Little More Love - Olivia Newton John (#17)
-- ( 46 ) Rama Lama Ding Dong - Rocky Sharpe & The Replays (#20)
-- ( 47 ) A Man I'll Never Be - Boston (#26)
-- ( 48 ) Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lynn (#37)
-- ( 49 ) New York New York - Gerard Kenny (#9)

---

-- ( -- ) Destiny - Jacksons
-- ( -- ) I'm In Love (And I Love The Feeling) - Rose Royce
-- ( -- ) I Don't Know If It's Right - Evelyn Champagne King
-- ( -- ) What You Won't Do For Love - Bobby Caldwell

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In the UK this is the week Heart Of Glass replaced Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick at #1. I can't actually recall the last time two consecutive NM #1s matched two consecutive UK #1s. I think it happened around 1962-63 but not sure how often since then. In 1978, only 3 UK #1s were also NM #1s (Wuthering Heights, You're The One That I Want, Rat Trap) and they weren't consecutive.

Perhaps surprisingly "Chiquitita" gave Abba their highest entry new entry position despite not being one of their number ones, when it entered at #8. "The Winner Takes It All" entered at #9 and "Take A Chance On Me" at #10. Other big number ones "Mamma Mia" and "Fernando" entered outside the top 40 before climbing up to the top.

The Members were a "mod-rock" band, or just a band that sounded a bit like the Jam.

Among the others, Herbie Hancock is quite interesting for the kind of music he makes, but Gene Chandler's comeback is perhaps disappointing by contrast. Rod Stewart has a bit of a slump period for me starting at this point, and in the UK too with all his singles missing the top 10 until "Tonight I'm Yours" in 1981.

One that passed me by at the time too. I knew "Teenage Kicks" even though it missed the UK top 30 (I didn't even know it had), but thought the follow-up was "Jimmy Jimmy". But no, there was a minor hit in between.

The revenge of Mick Jackson - his "Weekend" gets into the chart whilst the Jacksons fail to get in with this song. But of course his supremacy won't last long.

[Earl Purple]

10 February 1979

1 ( 1 ) Heart Of Glass - Blondie < 3rd week at #1 >
2 ( -- ) Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf
3 ( 2 ) Milk And Alcohol - Dr Feelgood (#2[1])
4 ( 3 ) King Rocker - Generation X (#3)
5 ( 10 ) Chiquitita - Abba
6 ( 8 ) Contact - Edwin Starr
7 ( -- ) Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
8 ( 15 ) The Sound Of The Suburbs - Members
9 ( 7 ) I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor (#7)
10 ( -- ) Don't Stop Me Now - Queen

11 ( 6 ) Woman In Love - Three Degrees (#6)
12 ( 11 ) Lady - Little River Band (#11)
13 ( 4 ) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury & The Blockheads (#1[3])
14 ( -- ) Tragedy - Bee Gees
15 ( 5 ) Hello This Is Joannie - Paul Evans (#2[2])
16 ( 14 ) May The Sunshine - Nazareth (#14)
17 ( 23 ) You Bet Your Love - Herbie Hancock
18 ( -- ) What A Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers
19 ( -- ) Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders
20 ( 27 ) Get Over You - Undertones

21 ( 12 ) Equinoxe - Jean Michel Jarre (#12)
22 ( 19 ) Every Which Way But Loose - Eddie Rabbitt (#19)
23 ( 13 ) Take On The World - Judas Priest (#13)
24 ( 9 ) Car 67 - Driver 67 (#3)
25 ( -- ) Get It - Darts
26 ( 29 ) Weekend - Mick Jackson
27 ( 21 ) Radioactive - Gene Simmons (#21)
28 ( 18 ) Blue Morning Blue Day - Foreigner (#18)
29 ( 20 ) One Last Kiss - J Geils Band (#20)
30 ( 36 ) Every Time I Think Of You - Babys

31 ( 38 ) Just Thirteen - Lurkers
32 ( 24 ) When I'm Away From You - Frankie Miller (#24)
33 ( 39 ) Ain't Love A Bitch - Rod Stewart
34 ( 16 ) The Gambler - Kenny Rogers (#4)
35 ( 17 ) Song For Guy - Elton John (#5)
36 ( 42 ) You Thrill Me - Exile
37 ( 34 ) You Need A Woman Tonight - Captain And Tennille (#34)
38 ( 44 ) The Joker (The Wigan Joker) - JBS All Night Band
39 ( 45 ) Get Down - Gene Chandler
40 ( -- ) Crazy Love - Poco

41 ( -- ) Haven't Stopped Dancin' Yet - Gonzales
42 ( 26 ) Baby I'm Burnin' - Dolly Parton (#19)
43 ( 22 ) Theme From Superman - John Williams & London Symphony Orchestra (#6)
44 ( 25 ) Desire Me - Doll (#12)
45 ( 50 ) Everybody Is A Star - Pointer Sisters
46 ( 40 ) Doctor Doctor - UFO (#40)
47 ( 35 ) Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches And Herb (#33)
48 ( -- ) Honey I'm Lost - Dooleys
49 ( 32 ) No Tell Lover - Chicago (#24)
50 ( 37 ) Heaven Knows - Donna Summer (#34)

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-- ( 28 ) Cool Meditation - Third World (#7)
-- ( 30 ) Home And Dry - Gerry Rafferty (#16)
-- ( 31 ) Don't Cry Out Loud - Melissa Manchester (#10)
-- ( 33 ) Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen (#4)
-- ( 41 ) Shattered - Rolling Stones (#29)
-- ( 43 ) Four Strong Winds - Neil Young (#23)
-- ( 46 ) Outdoor Miner - Wire
-- ( 47 ) This Is It - Dan Hartman (#37)
-- ( 48 ) Le Freak - Chic (#1[2])
-- ( 49 ) Every Night - Phoebe Snow (#32)

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-- ( -- ) I Just Fall In Love Again - Anne Murray
-- ( -- ) You Can Do It - Dobie Gray
-- ( -- ) Ain't That Enough For You - John Davis

---

the week of the very strong entries, except unlike in the poll, this is from the UK top 75 and US top 40 so we get "Tragedy" by the Bee Gees this week instead of next week and also "What A Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers, plus Toto already charted.

This is also the week the Pretenders make their chart debut.

For Meat Loaf it's his 4th hit, the follow-up to the massive "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" and it was only a single in the UK (and other countries but not the USA). It entered inside the top 40 at #35 then fell to #37 before leaping up to #15 only to fall again the next week. Eventually it reached #8 in 1993 when re-released.

"Oliver's Army" became Elvis Costello's biggest UK hit and first to reach the top 10. In my chart this is his 5th single having peaked #4, #6, #4, #6. Prior to "Watching The Detectives" he did have at least two hit singles that flopped totally in the UK and some may feel I should have playlisted them anyway.

"Don't Stop Me Now" took ages to finally get to the UK top 10 peaking at #9, and in the streaming period has become their most popular song after Bohemian Rhapsody.

[Earl Purple]

17 February 1979

1 ( 2 ) Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf < 2nd #1 >
2 ( 1 ) Heart Of Glass - Blondie (#1[3])
3 ( 7 ) Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4 ( 3 ) Milk And Alcohol - Dr Feelgood (#2[1])
5 ( 5 ) Chiquitita - Abba
6 ( 10 ) Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
7 ( 4 ) King Rocker - Generation X (#3)
8 ( 14 ) Tragedy - Bee Gees
9 ( 8 ) The Sound Of The Suburbs - Members (#8)
10 ( 6 ) Contact - Edwin Starr (#6)

11 ( -- ) Lucky Number - Lene Lovich
12 ( 18 ) What A Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers
13 ( 19 ) Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders
14 ( -- ) Into The Valley - Skids
15 ( -- ) Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
16 ( 25 ) Get It - Darts
17 ( 9 ) I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor (#7)
18 ( 17 ) You Bet Your Love - Herbie Hancock (#17)
19 ( 12 ) Lady - Little River Band (#11)
20 ( -- ) Forever In Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond

21 ( 20 ) Get Over You - Undertones (#20)
22 ( 11 ) Woman In Love - Three Degrees (#6)
23 ( 16 ) May The Sunshine - Nazareth (#14)
24 ( -- ) Clog Dance - Violinski
25 ( 13 ) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury & The Blockheads (#1[3])
26 ( 26 ) Weekend - Mick Jackson
27 ( 40 ) Crazy Love - Poco
28 ( 30 ) Every Time I Think Of You - Babys
29 ( 15 ) Hello This Is Joannie - Paul Evans (#2[2])
30 ( 41 ) Haven't Stopped Dancin' Yet - Gonzales

31 ( 31 ) Just Thirteen - Lurkers
32 ( 22 ) Every Which Way But Loose - Eddie Rabbitt (#19)
33 ( -- ) Baby Of Mine - Alan Price
34 ( 33 ) Ain't Love A Bitch - Rod Stewart (#33)
35 ( -- ) Stormy - Santana
36 ( 21 ) Equinoxe - Jean Michel Jarre (#12)
37 ( 36 ) You Thrill Me - Exile (#36)
38 ( -- ) American Generation - Ritchie Family
39 ( 38 ) The Joker (The Wigan Joker) - JBS All Night Band (#38)
40 ( 48 ) Honey I'm Lost - Dooleys

41 ( 27 ) Radioactive - Gene Simmons (#21)
42 ( 23 ) Take On The World - Judas Priest (#13)
43 ( 39 ) Get Down - Gene Chandler (#39)
44 ( -- ) Can You Feel The Force - Real Thing
45 ( 29 ) One Last Kiss - J Geils Band (#20)
46 ( 28 ) Blue Morning Blue Day - Foreigner (#18)
47 ( 24 ) Car 67 - Driver 67 (#3)
48 ( 32 ) When I'm Away From You - Frankie Miller (#24)
49 ( 37 ) You Need A Woman Tonight - Captain And Tennille (#34)
50 ( 45 ) Everybody Is A Star - Pointer Sisters (#45)

---

-- ( 34 ) The Gambler - Kenny Rogers (#4)
-- ( 35 ) Song For Guy - Elton John (#5)
-- ( 42 ) Baby I'm Burnin' - Dolly Parton (#19)
-- ( 43 ) Theme From Superman - John Williams & London Symphony Orchestra (#6)
-- ( 44 ) Desire Me - Doll (#12)
-- ( 46 ) Doctor Doctor - UFO (#40)
-- ( 47 ) Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches And Herb (#33)
-- ( 49 ) No Tell Lover - Chicago (#24)
-- ( 50 ) Heaven Knows - Donna Summer (#34)

---

-- ( -- ) Song On The Radio - Al Stewart
-- ( -- ) Fifty-Four - Sea Level

---

For the second time within a few months Meat Loaf replaces Blondie at #1. Both will have several more number ones after this but their paths won't cross again. Meat Loaf's next number one will be "Dead Ringer For Love" and then will return for more in 1993. Blondie will make brief returns to the top in 1999 and 2017. Both acts are considered "legendary" which is quite magical given they make totally different music.

Lene Lovich is much better than Tiffany Darwisch.. well her cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" was anyway, that was her release before this with "Lucky Number" on the B-side but it flopped and then "Lucky Number" was released as the A-side and it was a massive hit. At this point Tiffany is 7 years old.

"Into The Valley" is played regularly at The Valley before Charlton Athletic home games.. And welcome also Dire Straits to the chart.

Another new song by Neil Diamond following his duet with Barbra Streisand, I prefer this one... And Violinski was a side-project by Mik Kaminski from E.L.O.

Further down "Can You Feel The Force" was essentially the 3rd big hit for the Real Thing after a few that didn't do so well, this one got them back into the UK top 5 and is more disco than their two soul-based hits from 1976. My own favourite of theirs is "Can't Get By Without You". After this one they had no more success other than remixes of their former hits.

[Earl Purple]

24 February 1979

1 ( 1 ) Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf < 2nd week at #1 >
2 ( 3 ) Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3 ( 2 ) Heart Of Glass - Blondie (#1[3])
4 ( 6 ) Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
5 ( 8 ) Tragedy - Bee Gees
6 ( 11 ) Lucky Number - Lene Lovich
7 ( 14 ) Into The Valley - Skids
8 ( 12 ) What A Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers
9 ( 15 ) Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
10 ( 5 ) Chiquitita - Abba (#5)

11 ( 4 ) Milk And Alcohol - Dr Feelgood (#2[1])
12 ( 20 ) Forever In Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond
13 ( 13 ) Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders
14 ( 24 ) Clog Dance - Violinski
15 ( 7 ) King Rocker - Generation X (#3)
16 ( 9 ) The Sound Of The Suburbs - Members (#8)
17 ( 16 ) Get It - Darts (#16)
18 ( 10 ) Contact - Edwin Starr (#6)
19 ( 33 ) Baby Of Mine - Alan Price
20 ( -- ) Keep On Dancing - Gary's Gang

21 ( 27 ) Crazy Love - Poco
22 ( 35 ) Stormy - Santana
23 ( 18 ) You Bet Your Love - Herbie Hancock (#17)
24 ( -- ) Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart
25 ( 38 ) American Generation - Ritchie Family
26 ( 30 ) Haven't Stopped Dancin' Yet - Gonzales
27 ( -- ) Furniture Music - Bill Nelson's Red Noise
28 ( 21 ) Get Over You - Undertones (#20)
29 ( 17 ) I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor (#7)
30 ( 26 ) Weekend - Mick Jackson (#26)

31 ( 19 ) Lady - Little River Band (#11)
32 ( 28 ) Every Time I Think Of You - Babys (#28)
33 ( -- ) I Want Your Love - Chic
34 ( 44 ) Can You Feel The Force - Real Thing
35 ( 23 ) May The Sunshine - Nazareth (#14)
36 ( 31 ) Just Thirteen - Lurkers (#31)
37 ( 22 ) Woman In Love - Three Degrees (#6)
38 ( 40 ) Honey I'm Lost - Dooleys
39 ( 34 ) Ain't Love A Bitch - Rod Stewart (#33)
40 ( 25 ) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury & The Blockheads (#1[3])

41 ( -- ) Maybe I'm A Fool - Eddie Money
42 ( 37 ) You Thrill Me - Exile (#36)
43 ( 39 ) The Joker (The Wigan Joker) - JBS All Night Band (#38)
44 ( -- ) Pops We Love You - Stevie Wonder & Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye & Smokey Robinson
45 ( 32 ) Every Which Way But Loose - Eddie Rabbitt (#19)
46 ( 29 ) Hello This Is Joannie - Paul Evans (#2[2])
47 ( -- ) Everything Is Great - Inner Circle
48 ( -- ) At Midnight - T-Connection
49 ( -- ) Sing Sing - Gaz
50 ( 43 ) Get Down - Gene Chandler (#39)

---

-- ( 36 ) Equinoxe - Jean Michel Jarre (#12)
-- ( 41 ) Radioactive - Gene Simmons (#21)
-- ( 42 ) Take On The World - Judas Priest (#13)
-- ( 45 ) One Last Kiss - J Geils Band (#20)
-- ( 46 ) Blue Morning Blue Day - Foreigner (#18)
-- ( 47 ) Car 67 - Driver 67 (#3)
-- ( 48 ) When I'm Away From You - Frankie Miller (#24)
-- ( 49 ) You Need A Woman Tonight - Captain And Tennille (#34)
-- ( 50 ) Everybody Is A Star - Pointer Sisters (#45)

---

-- ( -- ) You're A Star - Aquarian Dream
-- ( -- ) B.Y.O.F - Fantastic Four

---

The current festivals are holding me back a bit. 1979 was a fairly average year regarding the festival placement, i.e. from Purim onward but Tu Bishvat would have been late that year, whereas 2021 is the second earliest in the calendar.

Now here we have an artist called "Gary's Gang" and when you see that name you think of "I'm The Leader Of The Gang" by Gary Glitter, but in fact the band sounds nothing like that at all, it's a funky disco track and quite good, entering even higher than Chic, for whom "I Want Your Love" was their highest peaking UK single but I doubt many think it's their most classic (and would agree with me that probably goes to Le Freak, which was #1 on this chart a few weeks ago).

We have Furniture Music, one of those great treasures that isn't well known and didn't make the top 40 but did make the top 75.

A few covers around, but Amii Stewart's disco rendition of Knock On Wood is probably something of a classic cover. A bit of a shame she followed it up with "Light My Fire" which just didn't work for me, but also she had an original song hit a few years later with "Friends".

That "Pops" song was a collaboration with a few singers and the UK official chart seems to list Diana Ross first but on Spotify Stevie Wonder is given first and I just threw them in any order, and also have to separate them with & signs as I use CSV and commas anywhere other than separators mess things up.

The top 20 this week is pretty strong and next week will see a few more good entries but it's downhill from there, the new playlist has very few good songs on it.

[Earl Purple]

3 March 1979

1 ( 2 ) Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello & The Attractions < 1st #1 >
2 ( 1 ) Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf (#1[2])
3 ( 4 ) Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
4 ( 5 ) Tragedy - Bee Gees
5 ( 6 ) Lucky Number - Lene Lovich
6 ( 3 ) Heart Of Glass - Blondie (#1[3])
7 ( 7 ) Into The Valley - Skids
8 ( 9 ) Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
9 ( 8 ) What A Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers (#8)
10 ( 20 ) Keep On Dancing - Gary's Gang

11 ( 12 ) Forever In Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond
12 ( 14 ) Clog Dance - Violinski
13 ( -- ) Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees - Leyton Buzzards
14 ( 24 ) Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart
15 ( -- ) Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel
16 ( 19 ) Baby Of Mine - Alan Price
17 ( 27 ) Furniture Music - Bill Nelson's Red Noise
18 ( -- ) Friggin' In The Riggin' - Sex Pistols
19 ( 13 ) Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders (#13)
20 ( 22 ) Stormy - Santana

21 ( -- ) Waiting For An Alibi - Thin Lizzy
22 ( 10 ) Chiquitita - Abba (#5)
23 ( -- ) Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
24 ( 21 ) Crazy Love - Poco (#21)
25 ( 25 ) American Generation - Ritchie Family
26 ( 33 ) I Want Your Love - Chic
27 ( 11 ) Milk And Alcohol - Dr Feelgood (#2[1])
28 ( 17 ) Get It - Darts (#16)
29 ( 26 ) Haven't Stopped Dancin' Yet - Gonzales (#26)
30 ( 16 ) The Sound Of The Suburbs - Members (#8)

31 ( 15 ) King Rocker - Generation X (#3)
32 ( -- ) Imperial Wizard - David Essex
33 ( -- ) Big Shot - Billy Joel
34 ( 41 ) Maybe I'm A Fool - Eddie Money
35 ( 18 ) Contact - Edwin Starr (#6)
36 ( 34 ) Can You Feel The Force - Real Thing (#34)
37 ( 23 ) You Bet Your Love - Herbie Hancock (#17)
38 ( 44 ) Pops We Love You - Stevie Wonder & Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye & Smokey Robinson
39 ( -- ) Trash - Roxy Music
40 ( 47 ) Everything Is Great - Inner Circle

41 ( 48 ) At Midnight - T-Connection
42 ( -- ) Money In My Pocket - Dennis Brown
43 ( 49 ) Sing Sing - Gaz
44 ( 30 ) Weekend - Mick Jackson (#26)
45 ( 28 ) Get Over You - Undertones (#20)
46 ( -- ) Painter Man - Boney M
47 ( 38 ) Honey I'm Lost - Dooleys (#38)
48 ( 32 ) Every Time I Think Of You - Babys (#28)
49 ( -- ) English Civil War - Clash
50 ( 29 ) I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor (#7)

---

-- ( 31 ) Lady - Little River Band (#11)
-- ( 35 ) May The Sunshine - Nazareth (#14)
-- ( 36 ) Just Thirteen - Lurkers (#31)
-- ( 37 ) Woman In Love - Three Degrees (#6)
-- ( 39 ) Ain't Love A Bitch - Rod Stewart (#33)
-- ( 40 ) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury & The Blockheads (#1[3])
-- ( 42 ) You Thrill Me - Exile (#36)
-- ( 43 ) The Joker (The Wigan Joker) - JBS All Night Band (#38)
-- ( 45 ) Every Which Way But Loose - Eddie Rabbitt (#19)
-- ( 46 ) Hello This Is Joannie - Paul Evans (#2[2])
-- ( 50 ) Get Down - Gene Chandler (#39)

---

-- ( -- ) Bristol Stomp - Late Show

---

Elvis Costello & The Attractions get to #1, which may have been a surprise given it had to pass Meat Loaf to get there. In the UK this moved to #2 behind the Bee Gees and then surprisingly the Bee Gees fell to #3 but as Gloria Gaynor rose to #1, Elvis Costello was stuck at #2 for two further weeks. His album "Armed Forces" also reached #2 as he did with two further albums and had compilation albums not been allowed into the main chart he would have had a #1. However up to this point he had never had a top 10 single and nor had Squeeze would would also get a UK #2 hit quite soon after (in fact they got 2 in a row).

A further injustice is that "Saturday Night (Between The Plastic Palm Trees)" was not a top 40 hit, it's pretty much a classic. If you haven't heard it then think of Blur 15 years ahead of their time. This song would fit happily into Britpop. Unfortunately after the failure of this song the band "sold out" and formed Modern Romance, scoring a hit with "Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey". The line-up of that band changed a few times so I'm not sure there were many Leyton Buzzards left for their later hits. More shocking is that Plastic Palm Trees isn't on Spotify and Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey is. Probably something to do with their record label. Which song do they really want as their legacy? There is a cover version of this song on there though.

Moving from Wombles to rabbits, we have Mike Batt's theme from Watership Down which was a massive hit for Art Garfunkel.

Among the "covers" is the Sex Pistols adaptation of the traditional "Good Ship Venus" along with the radio-safe cover of Eddie Cochran's "Something Else", the latter featuring the vocals of the now late Sid Vicious and they had Legs & Co appear dressed in "punk style" on Top of the Pops to dance to it.

For Thin Lizzy, "Waiting For An Alibi" was their first top 10 hit since "The Boys Are Back In Town" in 1976.

The last Roxy Music psychedelic/glam single which didn't do that well in the chart and after a massive follow-up they went for the soft-style going forward.

"Painter Man" reached #10 for Creation in late 1966. At the time I noticed the riff had a similar melody to "Milk And Alcohol" albeit this song obviously is about 12 years old.

Adam Faith reached #12 in 1960 with "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", the song on which "English Civil War" is based. And the Dovells took "Bristol Stomp" to #29 in 1961 based on a Bristol in the USA, but the Late Show came from the South West of England. Not enough to get them in the chart, or perhaps just not a great song in the first place.

[Earl Purple]

10 March 1979

1 ( 1 ) Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello & The Attractions < 2nd week at #1 >
2 ( 3 ) Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
3 ( 2 ) Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf (#1[2])
4 ( 5 ) Lucky Number - Lene Lovich
5 ( 13 ) Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees - Leyton Buzzards
6 ( 4 ) Tragedy - Bee Gees (#4)
7 ( 15 ) Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel
8 ( 10 ) Keep On Dancing - Gary's Gang
9 ( 18 ) Friggin' In The Riggin' - Sex Pistols
10 ( 7 ) Into The Valley - Skids (#7)

11 ( 8 ) Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits (#8)
12 ( 21 ) Waiting For An Alibi - Thin Lizzy
13 ( 14 ) Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart
14 ( 23 ) Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
15 ( 6 ) Heart Of Glass - Blondie (#1[3])
16 ( 11 ) Forever In Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond (#11)
17 ( 9 ) What A Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers (#8)
18 ( 12 ) Clog Dance - Violinski (#12)
19 ( 17 ) Furniture Music - Bill Nelson's Red Noise (#17)
20 ( -- ) Everybody's Happy Nowadays - Buzzcocks

21 ( 16 ) Baby Of Mine - Alan Price (#16)
22 ( 32 ) Imperial Wizard - David Essex
23 ( 33 ) Big Shot - Billy Joel
24 ( 20 ) Stormy - Santana (#20)
25 ( -- ) He's The Greatest Dancer - Sister Sledge
26 ( -- ) Cuba - Gibson Brothers
27 ( 26 ) I Want Your Love - Chic (#26)
28 ( -- ) Turn The Music Up - Players Association
29 ( 39 ) Trash - Roxy Music
30 ( 25 ) American Generation - Ritchie Family (#25)

31 ( 19 ) Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders (#13)
32 ( -- ) Blow Away - George Harrison
33 ( 42 ) Money In My Pocket - Dennis Brown
34 ( 24 ) Crazy Love - Poco (#21)
35 ( 34 ) Maybe I'm A Fool - Eddie Money (#34)
36 ( 46 ) Painter Man - Boney M
37 ( 29 ) Haven't Stopped Dancin' Yet - Gonzales (#26)
38 ( 38 ) Pops We Love You - Stevie Wonder & Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye & Smokey Robinson
39 ( 22 ) Chiquitita - Abba (#5)
40 ( 40 ) Everything Is Great - Inner Circle

41 ( 49 ) English Civil War - Clash
42 ( 41 ) At Midnight - T-Connection (#41)
43 ( -- ) Overkill - Motorhead
44 ( -- ) Boogie Town - Fat Larry's Band
45 ( 43 ) Sing Sing - Gaz (#43)
46 ( 36 ) Can You Feel The Force - Real Thing (#34)
47 ( 28 ) Get It - Darts (#16)
48 ( 27 ) Milk And Alcohol - Dr Feelgood (#2[1])
49 ( 30 ) The Sound Of The Suburbs - Members (#8)
50 ( -- ) Gimmix! Play Loud - John Cooper Clarke

---

-- ( 31 ) King Rocker - Generation X (#3)
-- ( 35 ) Contact - Edwin Starr (#6)
-- ( 37 ) You Bet Your Love - Herbie Hancock (#17)
-- ( 44 ) Weekend - Mick Jackson (#26)
-- ( 45 ) Get Over You - Undertones (#20)
-- ( 47 ) Honey I'm Lost - Dooleys (#38)
-- ( 48 ) Every Time I Think Of You - Babys (#28)
-- ( 50 ) I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor (#7)

---

-- ( -- ) Disco Nights (Rock Freak) - GQ
-- ( -- ) Keep Reaching Out for Love - Liner
-- ( -- ) Livin' It Up (Friday Night) - Bell & James

---

The highest new entry this week is by the Buzzcocks, the follow up to Promises, this peaked at #29 in the UK. For Sister Sledge, this is a comeback after one hit "Mama Never Told Me" in 1975, and they have worked with Chic who wrote and produced this.

So Sisters enter just above Brothers, who are really brothers but their name isn't really Gibson, it is actually Francfort. There are many versions of this on Spotify but only the 12" sounds the way I recall, and that is about 7 minutes long. The Players Association hit is also only an 8 minute 12" version. I wish they'd put the single versions of these on Spotify as I generally find the extra length adds nothing (unlike on Meat Loaf where you can't edit it without skipping out a significant part of the song).

[Earl Purple]

17 March 1979

1 ( 1 ) Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello & The Attractions < 3rd week at #1 >
2 ( 2 ) Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
3 ( 4 ) Lucky Number - Lene Lovich
4 ( 5 ) Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees - Leyton Buzzards
5 ( 3 ) Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf (#1[2])
6 ( 7 ) Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel
7 ( 9 ) Friggin' In The Riggin' - Sex Pistols
8 ( 8 ) Keep On Dancing - Gary's Gang
9 ( -- ) Strange Town - Jam
10 ( 12 ) Waiting For An Alibi - Thin Lizzy

11 ( 20 ) Everybody's Happy Nowadays - Buzzcocks
12 ( 6 ) Tragedy - Bee Gees (#4)
13 ( -- ) Wow - Kate Bush
14 ( 14 ) Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
15 ( -- ) In The Navy - Village People
16 ( 25 ) He's The Greatest Dancer - Sister Sledge
17 ( 26 ) Cuba - Gibson Brothers
18 ( 13 ) Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart (#13)
19 ( 28 ) Turn The Music Up - Players Association
20 ( 10 ) Into The Valley - Skids (#7)

21 ( 11 ) Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits (#8)
22 ( 22 ) Imperial Wizard - David Essex
23 ( 23 ) Big Shot - Billy Joel
24 ( 32 ) Blow Away - George Harrison
25 ( 16 ) Forever In Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond (#11)
26 ( 19 ) Furniture Music - Bill Nelson's Red Noise (#17)
27 ( 29 ) Trash - Roxy Music
28 ( -- ) Take Me Home - Cher
29 ( 18 ) Clog Dance - Violinski (#12)
30 ( 15 ) Heart Of Glass - Blondie (#1[3])

31 ( 17 ) What A Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers (#8)
32 ( 33 ) Money In My Pocket - Dennis Brown
33 ( 21 ) Baby Of Mine - Alan Price (#16)
34 ( 43 ) Overkill - Motorhead
35 ( 27 ) I Want Your Love - Chic (#26)
36 ( 36 ) Painter Man - Boney M
37 ( 44 ) Boogie Town - Fat Larry's Band
38 ( 24 ) Stormy - Santana (#20)
39 ( -- ) You Angel You - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
40 ( -- ) Bully For You - Tom Robinson Band

41 ( -- ) Dog & Butterfly - Heart
42 ( 41 ) English Civil War - Clash (#41)
43 ( 50 ) Gimmix! Play Loud - John Cooper Clarke
44 ( 30 ) American Generation - Ritchie Family (#25)
45 ( 35 ) Maybe I'm A Fool - Eddie Money (#34)
46 ( 38 ) Pops We Love You - Stevie Wonder & Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye & Smokey Robinson (#38)
47 ( 40 ) Everything Is Great - Inner Circle (#40)
48 ( -- ) Precious Love - Bob Welch
49 ( 31 ) Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders (#13)
50 ( 42 ) At Midnight - T-Connection (#41)

---

-- ( 34 ) Crazy Love - Poco (#21)
-- ( 37 ) Haven't Stopped Dancin' Yet - Gonzales (#26)
-- ( 39 ) Chiquitita - Abba (#5)
-- ( 45 ) Sing Sing - Gaz (#43)
-- ( 46 ) Can You Feel The Force - Real Thing (#34)
-- ( 47 ) Get It - Darts (#16)
-- ( 48 ) Milk And Alcohol - Dr Feelgood (#2[1])
-- ( 49 ) The Sound Of The Suburbs - Members (#8)

---

-- ( -- ) I Don't Wanna Lose You - Kandidate
-- ( -- ) Chase - Giorgio Moroder
-- ( -- ) Superman - Herbie Mann
-- ( -- ) Keeep Your Body Working - Kleeer
-- ( -- ) Bustin' Loose - Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers

---

Another Jam classic enters inside my top 10 but in the UK this one stalled at #15, even though it wasn't on any album at the time, and Kate Bush one place higher on the same week, then spending two more weeks at #14, that one from the Lionheart album.

Village People's "In The Navy" flew up from #16 to #2 on one week but didn't make it to the top the next week and was one of the lowest selling #2s of the year. (There are different versions but I'm following the one where it's #49 and only "Can't Stand Losing You" which isn't on the list is below it).

Cher doing disco and that song in particular didn't work that well in 1979 for the UK public. 1998 was a different matter for Cher though, and 2001 for that song.

[Earl Purple]

24 March 1979

1 ( 1 ) Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello & The Attractions < 4th week at #1 >
2 ( 2 ) Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
3 ( 4 ) Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees - Leyton Buzzards
4 ( 3 ) Lucky Number - Lene Lovich (#3)
5 ( 9 ) Strange Town - Jam
6 ( 13 ) Wow - Kate Bush
7 ( 5 ) Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf (#1[2])
8 ( 15 ) In The Navy - Village People
9 ( 6 ) Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel (#6)
10 ( 7 ) Friggin' In The Riggin' - Sex Pistols (#7)

11 ( 11 ) Everybody's Happy Nowadays - Buzzcocks
12 ( -- ) Cool For Cats - Squeeze
13 ( 8 ) Keep On Dancing - Gary's Gang (#8)
14 ( 10 ) Waiting For An Alibi - Thin Lizzy (#10)
15 ( 16 ) He's The Greatest Dancer - Sister Sledge
16 ( 17 ) Cuba - Gibson Brothers
17 ( 28 ) Take Me Home - Cher
18 ( 19 ) Turn The Music Up - Players Association
19 ( -- ) The Runner - Three Degrees
20 ( 14 ) Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills (#14)

21 ( -- ) Questions And Answers - Sham 69
22 ( -- ) Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) - Jacksons
23 ( 24 ) Blow Away - George Harrison
24 ( 12 ) Tragedy - Bee Gees (#4)
25 ( 22 ) Imperial Wizard - David Essex (#22)
26 ( 39 ) You Angel You - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
27 ( 23 ) Big Shot - Billy Joel (#23)
28 ( 18 ) Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart (#13)
29 ( 40 ) Bully For You - Tom Robinson Band
30 ( 41 ) Dog & Butterfly - Heart

31 ( 27 ) Trash - Roxy Music (#27)
32 ( -- ) Let's Fly Away - Voyage
33 ( 34 ) Overkill - Motorhead
34 ( -- ) Imagination - Rocky Sharpe & The Replays
35 ( 20 ) Into The Valley - Skids (#7)
36 ( 21 ) Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits (#8)
37 ( 32 ) Money In My Pocket - Dennis Brown (#32)
38 ( 37 ) Boogie Town - Fat Larry's Band (#37)
39 ( 48 ) Precious Love - Bob Welch
40 ( 26 ) Furniture Music - Bill Nelson's Red Noise (#17)

41 ( 25 ) Forever In Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond (#11)
42 ( 36 ) Painter Man - Boney M (#36)
43 ( 43 ) Gimmix! Play Loud - John Cooper Clarke
44 ( -- ) Give Me Back Me Brain - Duffo
45 ( 29 ) Clog Dance - Violinski (#12)
46 ( -- ) Love Ballad - George Benson
47 ( 35 ) I Want Your Love - Chic (#26)
48 ( 42 ) English Civil War - Clash (#41)
49 ( -- ) Sha La La Means I Love You - Barry White
50 ( 33 ) Baby Of Mine - Alan Price (#16)

---

-- ( 30 ) Heart Of Glass - Blondie (#1[3])
-- ( 31 ) What A Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers (#8)
-- ( 38 ) Stormy - Santana (#20)
-- ( 44 ) American Generation - Ritchie Family (#25)
-- ( 45 ) Maybe I'm A Fool - Eddie Money (#34)
-- ( 46 ) Pops We Love You - Stevie Wonder & Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye & Smokey Robinson (#38)
-- ( 47 ) Everything Is Great - Inner Circle (#40)
-- ( 49 ) Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders (#13)
-- ( 50 ) At Midnight - T-Connection (#41)

---

The first of the two consecutive UK #2 hits by Squeeze enters at #12 as the highest entry hoping to break the domination at the top

Other entries by the Three Degrees (their last UK top 10 hit), Sham 69 and the Jacksons - for the latter this reached #4 in the UK but I believe it is their first ever hit they wrote themselves, at least in the UK, and certainly their first "big" self-written hit.

[Good Old Days]

R.I.P. Rocky Sharpe.

Big thanks to you and Helen Highwater for "If You Wanna Be Happy", "Martian Hop", "Imagination" and many other nice tunes with late 50s-60s roots.

[Earl Purple]

"Imagination" dates back even further, apparently to 1940 and it wasn't originally a doo-wop song, so there is some originality in this cover version.

[Earl Purple]

31 March 1979

1 ( 2 ) Don't Stop Me Now - Queen < 7th #1 >
2 ( 1 ) Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello & The Attractions (#1[4])
3 ( 5 ) Strange Town - Jam
4 ( 6 ) Wow - Kate Bush
5 ( 3 ) Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees - Leyton Buzzards (#3)
6 ( 12 ) Cool For Cats - Squeeze
7 ( 8 ) In The Navy - Village People
8 ( 4 ) Lucky Number - Lene Lovich (#3)
9 ( -- ) The Logical Song - Supertramp
10 ( 19 ) The Runner - Three Degrees

11 ( 21 ) Questions And Answers - Sham 69
12 ( 22 ) Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) - Jacksons
13 ( 7 ) Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf (#1[2])
14 ( 17 ) Take Me Home - Cher
15 ( 11 ) Everybody's Happy Nowadays - Buzzcocks (#11)
16 ( 9 ) Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel (#6)
17 ( 10 ) Friggin' In The Riggin' - Sex Pistols (#7)
18 ( -- ) Some Girls - Racey
19 ( 15 ) He's The Greatest Dancer - Sister Sledge (#15)
20 ( 16 ) Cuba - Gibson Brothers (#16)

21 ( 32 ) Let's Fly Away - Voyage
22 ( -- ) Mary Ann - Black Lace
23 ( 18 ) Turn The Music Up - Players Association (#18)
24 ( 26 ) You Angel You - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
25 ( 14 ) Waiting For An Alibi - Thin Lizzy (#10)
26 ( 13 ) Keep On Dancing - Gary's Gang (#8)
27 ( 34 ) Imagination - Rocky Sharpe & The Replays
28 ( -- ) Goodnight Tonight - Wings
29 ( 29 ) Bully For You - Tom Robinson Band
30 ( 30 ) Dog & Butterfly - Heart

31 ( 23 ) Blow Away - George Harrison (#23)
32 ( -- ) The Staircase (Mystery) - Siouxsie & The Banshees
33 ( -- ) Reunited - Peaches And Herb
34 ( -- ) Green Light - Cliff Richard
35 ( 20 ) Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills (#14)
36 ( 44 ) Give Me Back Me Brain - Duffo
37 ( 25 ) Imperial Wizard - David Essex (#22)
38 ( -- ) Something's Cookin' In The Kitchen - Dana
39 ( 46 ) Love Ballad - George Benson
40 ( 39 ) Precious Love - Bob Welch (#39)

41 ( 27 ) Big Shot - Billy Joel (#23)
42 ( 33 ) Overkill - Motorhead (#33)
43 ( 49 ) Sha La La Means I Love You - Barry White
44 ( 31 ) Trash - Roxy Music (#27)
45 ( 24 ) Tragedy - Bee Gees (#4)
46 ( -- ) Remember Then - Showaddywaddy
47 ( 28 ) Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart (#13)
48 ( -- ) Shoot Shoot - UFO
49 ( 38 ) Boogie Town - Fat Larry's Band (#37)
50 ( 37 ) Money In My Pocket - Dennis Brown (#32)

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-- ( 35 ) Into The Valley - Skids (#7)
-- ( 36 ) Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits (#8)
-- ( 40 ) Furniture Music - Bill Nelson's Red Noise (#17)
-- ( 41 ) Forever In Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond (#11)
-- ( 42 ) Painter Man - Boney M (#36)
-- ( 43 ) Gimmix! Play Loud - John Cooper Clarke
-- ( 45 ) Clog Dance - Violinski (#12)
-- ( 47 ) I Want Your Love - Chic (#26)
-- ( 48 ) English Civil War - Clash (#41)
-- ( 50 ) Baby Of Mine - Alan Price (#16)

---

-- ( -- ) Voodoo Voodoo - Den Hegarty
-- ( -- ) Rubber Biscuit - Blues Brothers
-- ( -- ) Love And Desire - Arpeggio
-- ( -- ) I (Who Have Nothing) - Sylvester
-- ( -- ) Here Comes The Night - Beach Boys

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Queen finally make it to #1 with what has become one of their most popular songs, and it's their 8th chart topper in its 8th week on the chart. 10 February 1979 is the only ever week to yield 3 NM #1s as entries, and that also means that no week since then has yielded a chart-topper but if last week's highest entry by Squeeze doesn't get there then maybe Supertramp, for whom this was their biggest UK hit and also a track from their most successful album "Breakfast In America", but they have already had an NM #1 with "Dreamer" in 1975.

Racey's "Some Girls" would give Chinn-Chapman a big hit, bigger than UK's Eurovision entry by Black Lace which clearly ripped off one of their songs, i.e. "Oh Carol" by Smokie, and Alan Barton later became lead-singer of Smokie when Chris Norman left, only to die in a bus crash in Cologne in 1995. That was in March, but his vocal is the one on the "Who The F**k is Alice" version with Ray Chubby Brown.

Two other former Eurovision acts enter this week too, Dana who won in 1970 and Cliff Richard who came close in 1968 and not quite so close in 1973. Green Light failed to reach the top 40. I wonder what will happen to his next single?

Goodnight Tonight was a UK #5, the last major hit for Wings before Paul McCartney simply started recording under his own name. The Staircase Mystery isn't that bad but ended up in a first-round sing-off.

[Good Old Days]

Who is your favourite 70s female singer?

My top 3 are Twiggy, Lynsey De Paul and Dana.

[Earl Purple]

Oct 5, 2021 6:51:40 GMT 1 Good Old Days said:

Who is your favourite 70s female singer?

My top 3 are Twiggy, Lynsey De Paul and Dana.

The one I know you don't like, i.e. Kate Bush. Number 4 this week and 2 number ones last year with "Wuthering Heights" and "The Man With The Child In His Eyes", with "Hammer Horror" peaking at #20 in between those.

Other massive NM #1s by solo female singers this decade have been "It's Too Late" by Carole King, "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon and "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian. Carly Simon also reached #2 with "Nobody Does It Better".

As part of a duo with her brother, Karen Carpenter had 3 number ones spending 11 weeks on top during the 1970s.

So far, Blondie have had two number ones topping the chart for 5 weeks, both times being replaced by Meat Loaf.

Dolly Parton has had 5 hits, but as yet hasn't climbed higher than #11 with "Jolene".

Of your three, "Sugar Me" reached #6 and "It's Gonna Be A Cold Cold Christmas" #4 but Twiggy's only hit stalled at #16.