http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Guide-Music-1970s/dp/0955575656
The song of the month for January 1973
Blockbuster by The Sweet (peak chart position: No.1)
Glitter and platform shoes were very much to the fore when the Sweet stepped forth with the ultimate glam rock composition. Borrowing a remarkably similar guitar riff to David Bowie’s ‘The Jean Genie’, Brian Connolly and the gang thrilled the teenage market with this energetic piece. A siren was thrown in for good measure as this single went on to occupy Number One in the British charts for five weeks, until fellow rockers Slade dislodged them with the rabble-rousing ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’.
The song of the month for February 1973
Killing Me Softly With His Song by Roberta Flack (peak chart position: No.6)
This love song only had a brief flirtation with the UK Top Ten, but in the United States, ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’ softly killed off all competitors as it sat on the summit of the Billboard listings for a commendable five weeks. While the Osmond family, the Jackson family, and glam rock dominated the British pop scene, the intrusion of Roberta Flack’s beautiful ballad upon the airwaves was a welcome distraction.
Blockbuster by The Sweet (peak chart position: No.1)
Glitter and platform shoes were very much to the fore when the Sweet stepped forth with the ultimate glam rock composition. Borrowing a remarkably similar guitar riff to David Bowie’s ‘The Jean Genie’, Brian Connolly and the gang thrilled the teenage market with this energetic piece. A siren was thrown in for good measure as this single went on to occupy Number One in the British charts for five weeks, until fellow rockers Slade dislodged them with the rabble-rousing ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’.
The song of the month for February 1973
Killing Me Softly With His Song by Roberta Flack (peak chart position: No.6)
This love song only had a brief flirtation with the UK Top Ten, but in the United States, ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’ softly killed off all competitors as it sat on the summit of the Billboard listings for a commendable five weeks. While the Osmond family, the Jackson family, and glam rock dominated the British pop scene, the intrusion of Roberta Flack’s beautiful ballad upon the airwaves was a welcome distraction.
The song of the month for March 1973
The Great Gig In The Sky by Pink Floyd (album track)
If there was an accolade for the best album track of all time, then Rick Wright’s ’ The Great Gig In The Sky’ would be a front-runner. It is bizarrely ironic that whilst this piece concerns the taboo subject of death, many folk chose this item as a soundtrack for making love to, such is its orgasmic sound. This is due largely to the session singer Clare Torry who was asked to stand at the microphone and make some sort of vocal response to the music. She then wails and returns to the studio booth sheepishly and apologises for her efforts. The band however were hugely impressed, although less amused by her eventual claim for co-composing royalties.
The song of the month for April 1973
My Love by Wings (peak chart position: No.9)
Paul McCartney’s solo path fluctuated initially from the radical politics of ‘Give Ireland Back To The Irish’ to the ‘markedly different’ ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’. Eventually Wings soared high when Macca recorded perhaps his best love song since ’Revolver’. John Lennon may have scoffed at McCartney’s muzak, but ‘My Love’ is a song of outstanding beauty and compares favourably with anything the Beatles ever released. Uncle Sam clearly agreed as Wings were rewarded with a Stateside chart-topper.
The song of the month for May 1973
Can The Can by Suzi Quatro (peak chart position: No.1)
American chick Suzi Quatro demonstrated that glam rock was not merely a boys’ game as she elbowed another glam outfit, Wizzard off the British pop summit. Quatro was a beneficiary of the hugely successful Chinn and Chapman songwriting partnership. With the production expertise of Mickie Most, Quatro was well on the way to success. Above all, Quatro’s high-pitched vocals and the drumbeat ensured a UK smash hit.
The song of the month for June 1973
Life On Mars by David Bowie (peak chart position: No.3)
This classic ‘seventies single had originally been recorded almost two years earlier for the seminal ‘Hunky Dory’ long player, but eventually non-album buyers were allowed the opportunity to purchase this four minute wonder. What may have confused many observers was that this was not a Ziggy Stardust song, but a more mellow item, which featured Rick Wakeman on piano. One thing was for certain: this Top Three marvel with its sailors fighting in the dance halls was not a “God-awful small affair.”
The song of the month for July 1973
Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting by Elton John (peak chart position: No.7)
Recognising the fact that variety in your repertoire was the best means of sustaining a music career, Elton John drifted away from the tender ‘Your Song’ and the sensitive ‘Daniel’ in favour of a slice of alpha male musical machismo. Bernie Taupin supplied the rabble-rousing lyrics about the need to “get a belly full of beer” and Elton’s pumping piano and Davey Jonstone’s guitar did the raucous rest. This bar-room favourite was the first single from the ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ album. When it came to glam rock, Elton proved that he could cut it too.
The song of the month for August 1973
Angie by The Rolling Stones (peak chart position: No.5)
Although their musical career was beginning to take something of a nosedive, Mick and his associates could still offer the occasional gem. The ballad ‘Angie’ (possibly Angie Bowie) was proof of this. It may have dismayed some Stones followers who cared only for a constant diet of riffs, but this acoustic piece found favour in the United States where it peaked at Number One. This was the highlight of the new ‘Goat’s Head Soup’ project. Regrettably, the Stones started rolling downhill hereafter until the arrival of Ron Wood injected new life.
The song of the month for September 1973
Eye Level by Simon Park Orchestra (peak chart position: No.1)
From time to time British record-buyers are seduced by something ‘different’. The theme tune to the detective series ‘Van der Valk’ was one such piece of music that prompted droves of young and old to proceed to their local records retail outlet and invest in a wondrous little black plastic item called a ‘single’. This particular single had made an unsuccessful incursion into the UK hit parade a year earlier, but eventually the Simon Park Orchestra re-appeared with a vengeance as their magical composition remained in the chart for 22 weeks.
The song of the month for October 1973
Hallelujah Time by The Wailers (album track)
This Bunny Livingstone (or Wailer) track was merely confined to Side One of the new ‘Burnin’ album. What a pity that many music aficionados have perhaps not yet familiarised themselves with it. Bunny Wailer had a supremely beautiful voice and this soulful, spiritual offering is a joy to listen to. ‘Burnin’ was the Wailers’ second assignment for Island Records but it would also bring the curtain down on the ace trio of Bob, Bunny, and Peter Tosh, as the latter two went solo, leaving Bob Marley to recruit new Wailers for his backing band.
The song of the month for November 1973
You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me by The New Seekers (peak chart position: No.1)
Not to be confused with a successful Australian outfit of the mid-‘sixties, the New Seekers were also seeking out success in the singles lists. Lightning would indeed strike twice as ‘You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me’ would be their second UK Number One, emulating two chart-toppers accumulated by the (‘old’) Seekers. This composition stalled just short of the top spot for several weeks, before peaking in January 1974. In my semi-humble opinion it rates as one of the greatest pop songs of the twentieth century, nothing more, nothing less.
The song of the month for December 1973
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday by Wizzard (peak chart position: No.4)
1973 was a hugely successful year for the eye-catching Roy Wood as his Wizzard combo helped themselves to two British Number Ones, thus vindicating Wood’s ‘move’ from The Move and E.L.O. This Christmas Top Five failed to reach the summit in the face of stiff opposition from the likes of Slade’s dreadful ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ but it remains a constant feature of shopping arcades throughout the land every November and December. The song is a fusion of glam with a Spectoresque ‘wall of sound’. It does possess a certain charm.
1973’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
A new musical phenomenon that hailed from Jamaica called Bob Marley was beginning to deliver his message to ‘Babylon’. Speaking of Babylon, the United States was treated to another Led Zeppelin tour, whereupon the awesome foursome showcased their damp squib ‘Houses Of The Holy’ album. The Zep’s performances at Madison Square Garden would later surface on the disappointing ‘The Song Remains The Same’ live soundtrack. Gig of the year however was almost certainly Elvis Presley’s ‘Aloha From Hawaii’ in January. It is one of the great injustices in the history of popular music that ‘the King’ was never able to delight his international followers in the flesh. A concert in Hawaii was the nearest that the burger king came to a foreign gig. The mid-Pacific venue had been shrewdly chosen by the wily Colonel Tom Parker to cash in on the far east audience, as well as enchanting the globe via satellite. It was regarded as Elvis’s last great outing before self-destruction took its toll.
1973’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John (released in October; reached No.1 in the UK)
If anyone should ever doubt the merits of music in the seventies, just respond with four words:’Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’. Elton’s masterpiece incorporated a variety of musical styles such as love songs (‘Harmony’), glam rock (‘All The Girls Love Alice’), pseudo-reggae (‘Jamaica Jerk-Off’), and country (‘Roy Rogers’). However, the proceedings were dominated by the massive hits that were drawn from this project, namely ’Candle In The Wind’ (the timeless tribute to Marilyn), the seminal title track, the US chart-topper ‘Bennie And The Jets’, not forgetting the energetic ‘Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting’. The album, which was recorded in France, also benefited from marvellous artwork on the cover. Assisted by the orchestral arrangements of Del Newman and the allegedly suspiciously misogynistic lyrics of Bernie Taupin, this offering from Mr. Dwight is a joy to behold. Also worth checking out are such majestic items as ‘The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-1934)’ and ‘Sweet Painted Lady’. Until the emergence of ‘London Calling’ at the end of the decade, this piece of work was undoubtedly the finest double album of the 1970s.
SPORT IN 1973
English Division One football champions: Liverpool; runners-up: Arsenal
English FA Cup final: Sunderland 1 Leeds United 0
English League Cup Final: Tottenham Hotspur 1 Norwich City 0
Scottish Division One football champions: Glasgow Celtic; runners-up: Glasgow Rangers
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Rangers 3 Glasgow Celtic 2
Scottish League Cup final: Hibernian 2 Glasgow Celtic 1
Irish League football champions: Crusaders; Irish Cup final: Glentoran 3 Linfield 2
League Of Ireland football champions: Waterford; cup winners: Cork Hibernians
European Cup final: Ajax Amsterdam 1 Juventus 0
European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: AC Milan 1 Leeds United 0
UEFA Cup final: Liverpool beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-2 on aggregate
English county cricket champions: Hampshire
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: all five countries finished with four points
Formula One world drivers’ champion: Jackie Stewart (United Kingdom) in a Tyrrell car
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Cork; runners-up: Galway
British Open golf champion: Tom Weiskopf (at Royal Troon)
US Masters golf champion: Tommy Aaron
US Open golf champion: Johnny Miller
USPGA golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: Featherstone Rovers 33 Bradford Northern 14
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: J Kodes beat A Metreveli 6-1, 9-8, 6-3
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final: B-J King beat C Evert 6-0, 7-5
World snooker final: Ray Reardon (Wales) beat Eddie Charlton (Australia) 38-32
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: Red Rum; price 9-1
The Epsom Derby winner: Morston; jockey - Eddie Hide; price 25-1
The Ryder Cup golf contest: Great Britain And Ireland 13 United States 19
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