9th January 1971It's 2 weeks on top for Don McLean's heavenly Castles In The Air, now challenged by Judy Collins' definitve version of Amazing Grace, a record I quite liked a bit almost 50 years ago, and then was thoroughly-fed-up with from over-exposure by 1973. It's brilliant, actually. Atmospheric and haunting. Bowie gets a top 10, his 3rd, with The Man Who Sold The World, and 3 years ahead of his Lulu-production version, which was even better. Herman's Hermits get a final top 10 with Lady Barbara, a record I didn't know much until a few weeks ago, but lead singer Peter Noone will be back in a few months - with a Bowie song!
Bob Marley gets his first top 20, and highest new entry is a rocking track from Ashton, Gardner & Dyke, Resurrection Shuffle, in at 42. Tom Jones keeps the run going with another singalong story song, She's A Lady. There's one more great single left from his early run of hits before he goes Las Vegas for a decade and a half, until an 80's revamp made him relevant again. Jonathan King is back - and he's gone all pseudonyms for a few years so he can release more records. This time it's a cover of The Four Tops Motown smash that isn't half bad and quirky to boot.
Talking of The Four Tops, Just 7 Numbers brings them back in the chart, and in at 63 is a record my Aunty Ann bought (she's 2 years older than me) and which I thought was Mungo Jerry. It's In The Summertime, but it's by one-hit wonders The Mixtures, and gets quite annoying on repeat listens, The Pushbike Song. Mungo Jerry had better records to come. Major Lance debuts a few years ahead of a big US hit, with a song gifted by Curtis Mayfield, T.Rex get an album track on the list, and The Detroit Spinners follow-up a biggie with a smallie.
1 ( 1 ) CASTLES IN THE AIR Don McLean # 1
2 ( 4 ) AMAZING GRACE Judy Collins # 2
3 ( 5 ) ONE BAD APPLE The Osmonds # 2
4 ( 2 ) TOO BUSY THINKING ‘BOUT MY BABY Mardi Gras # 2
5 ( 3 ) MY SWEET LORD George Harrison # 1
6 ( 6 ) IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND Gordon Lightfoot # 2
7 ( 7 ) I DON’T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM Yvonne Elliman # 2
8 ( 12 ) THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD David Bowie # 8
9 ( 18 ) LADY BARBARA Herman’s Hermits # 9
10 ( 8 ) STONED LOVE The Supremes # 111 ( 10 ) WHAT IS LIFE George Harrison # 10
12 ( 9 ) LONELY DAYS The Bee Gees # 1
13 ( 11 ) EVERYTHING’S ALRIGHT Yvonne Elliman, Ian Gillan & Murray Head # 9
14 ( 13 ) SAMBA PA TI Santana # 1
15 ( 20 ) NOTHING RHYMED Gilbert O’Sullivan # 15
16 ( 19 ) REMEMBER ME Diana Ross # 16
17 ( 14 ) RIDE A WHITE SWAN T.Rex # 1
18 ( 23 ) YOU’RE READY NOW Frankie Valli # 18
19 ( 15 ) LAYLA Derek & The Dominoes # 4
20 ( 27 ) SOUL REBEL Bob Marley & The Wailers # 20
21 ( 16 ) BRIDGET THE MIDGET (THE QUEEN OF THE BLUES) Ray Stevens # 10
22 ( 17 ) I HEAR YOU KNOCKING Dave Edmunds # 7
23 ( 21 ) NO MATTER WHAT Badfinger # 1
24 ( 22 ) IN A BROKEN DREAM Python Lee Jackson featuring Rod Stewart # 3
25 ( 39 ) TEMPTATION EYES The Grass Roots # 25
26 ( 24 ) STONEY END Barbra Streisand # 1
27 ( 25 ) I THINK I LOVE YOU The Partridge Family Starring Shirley Jones & featuring David Cassidy # 1
28 ( 32 ) WORKING CLASS HERO John Lennon # 28
29 ( 36 ) HOLLY HOLY Junior Walker & The All Stars # 29
30 ( 37 ) BLAME IT ON THE PONY EXPRESS Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon # 30
31 ( 26 ) HOME LOVIN’ MAN Andy Williams # 4
32 ( 38 ) BLACK SKIN BLUE EYED BOYS The Equals # 32
33 ( 29 ) I’LL BE THERE The Jackson 5 # 1
34 ( 40 ) WAY BACK HOME The (Jazz) Crusaders # 34
35 ( 35 ) A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME Dusty Springfield & Burt Bacharach # 1
36 ( 34 ) HOW CAN I BE SURE Dusty Springfield # 1
37 ( 33 ) ROSE GARDEN Lynn Anderson # 10
38 ( 41 ) CHURCH STREET SOUL REVIVAL Tommy James # 38
39 ( 31 ) IMMIGRANT SONG Led Zeppelin # 10
40 ( 45 ) WAH-WAH George Harrison # 40
41 ( 30 ) I CAN FEEL YOUR HEARTBEAT The Partridge Family Starring Shirley Jones & featuring David Cassidy # 9
42 ( NEW ) RESURRECTION SHUFFLE Ashton, Gardner & Dyke # 42
43 ( 28 ) ME ABOUT YOU The Turtles # 18
44 ( 49 ) TULANE Chuck Berry # 44
45 ( 50 ) SWEET JANE The Velvet Underground featuring Lou Reed # 45
46 ( 58 ) LOVE IS ALL AROUND Sonny Curtis # 46
47 ( 59 ) THEME FROM U.F.O. Barry Gray Orchestra # 47
48 ( 62 ) TOGETHER WE TWO The Archies # 48
49 ( 51 ) IF NOT FOR YOU George Harrison # 49
50 ( 57 ) CHESTNUT MARE The Byrds # 50
51 ( 47 ) WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN Carpenters # 4
52 ( 48 ) IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE Glen Campbell # 3
53 ( 61 ) AND I LOVE YOU SO Don McLean # 53
54 ( 60 ) A GOOD YEAR FOR THE ROSES George Jones # 54
55 ( 52 ) AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH Diana Ross # 1
56 ( 53 ) LOVE IS LIFE Hot Chocolate # 1
57 ( 65 ) ME AND MY ARROW Nilsson # 57
58 ( NEW ) SHE’S A LADY Tom Jones # 58
59 ( 63 ) LOVE VIBRATIONS The Archies # 59
60 ( NEW ) IT’S THE SAME OLD SONG The Weathermen aka Jonathan King # 60
61 ( 68 ) HEAVY MAKES YOU HAPPY Bobby Bloom # 61
62 ( 70 ) SING HIGH - SING LOW Anne Murray # 62
63 ( NEW ) THE PUSHBIKE SONG The Mixtures # 63
64 ( 71 ) PUT YOUR HAND IN THE HAND Anne Murray # 64
65 ( 69 ) THERE GOES MY EVERYTHING Elvis Presley # 65
66 ( 72 ) CAROLINA DAY Livingstone Taylor # 66
67 ( 64 ) MAKE IT WITH YOU Bread # 1
68 ( NEW ) JUST 7 NUMBERS The Four Tops # 68
69 ( 73 ) LAS VEGAS Tony Christie # 69
70 ( NEW ) MUST BE LOVE COMING DOWN Major Lance # 70
71 ( 74 ) HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT Sammi Smith # 71
72 ( 44 ) MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING Carpenters # 29
73 ( NEW ) BELTANE WALK T.Rex # 73
74 ( 75 ) HEJ GAMLE MAN Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus # 74
75 ( NEW ) WE’LL HAVE IT MADE The Detroit Spinners # 75
12th Jan 1971
Back in actual Singapore, 50 years ago, The Jackson 5 were still my faves, but being challenged by the fabulous Carpenters. Around this time I was starting to get use of a lot of family stuff, dad's reel-to-reel recorder for instance, as I was much more enthusiastic about recording stuff I loved off the radio, he preferred to borrow albums and record them, like Bridge Over Troubled Water, or Bee Gees Greatest Hits.
We had a half-frame camera too, which meant negatives were half the size - the drop in quality was compensated for by getting twice as many photos out of the negatives or slides 72 instead of 36. This was the start of my interest in photography, and life-long constant attempt to record everyone I know, and also to make fabulously-framed scenes or arty-farty shots. Colour slides of Singapore remained vivid and evocative till the format died - now I need to transfer them to digital as the slides are starting to fade and gather dust and mould with age and could do with digital improvement. If I ever get time, which is never!
If you're vaguely interested this link might show a few 50-year-old photos I took. Or it might not...!
popchartfreak.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/1 ( 1 ) I’LL BE THERE The Jackson 5
2 ( 5 ) WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN Carpenters
3 ( 2 ) GRANDAD Clive Dunn
4 ( 3 ) HOME LOVIN’ MAN Andy Williams
5 ( 4 ) IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE Glen Campbell
6 ( 6 ) SNOWBIRD Anne Murray
7 ( 7 ) RIDE A WHITE SWAN T.Rex
8 ( 8 ) CRACKLIN’ ROSIE Neil Diamond
9 ( NEW ) THE PUSHBIKE SONG The Mixtures
10 ( 11 ) YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME Elvis Presley 11 ( 9 ) APEMAN The Kinks
12 ( 10 ) I HEAR YOU KNOCKING Dave Edmunds
13 ( 12 ) LONELY DAYS The Bee Gees
14 ( 17 ) BLACK SKIN BLUE-EYED BOYS The Equals
15 ( 13 ) AMAZING GRACE Judy Collins
16 ( 15 ) NOTHING RHYMED Gilbert O’Sullivan
17 ( 14 ) YOU’RE READY NOW Frankie Valli
18 ( 16 ) BLAME IT ON THE PONY EXPRESS Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon
19 ( 19 ) HEAVEN HELP US ALL Stevie Wonder
20 ( RE ) WHEN I’M DEAD AND GONE McGuiness Flint
