1976 in 'An Essential Guide To Music In The 1970s'

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Guide-Music-1970s/dp/0955575656
                        The song of the month for January 1976
         Forever And Ever by Slik (peak chart position: No.1)
Slik were perhaps guilty of attempting to imitate the highly-successful Bay City Rollers, but they did record a single which was superior to much of the teenage pop that had been unleashed in the previous couple of years. ‘Forever And Ever’ (with lead vocals by a young chap called Midge Ure) surrounds the vows taken at a wedding ceremony. Slik however soon vanished when the next single (‘Requiem’) failed to sell many copies.
 
                        The song of the month for February 1976
         Convoy by C.W. McCall (peak chart position: No.2)
Every now and then a box office success would yield smash hits and the latest film to inspire a foray into the pop charts was the American ‘road movie’, ‘Convoy’, starring the bearded country and western singer Kris Kristofferson. The artist responsible was C.W. McCall who provided a spoken role throughout the tune. The song found favour with a public that was keen on American chase movies such as ‘Smokey And The Bandit’. It also inspired a spoof cover version from Laurie Lingo And The Dipsticks, entitled ‘Convoy GB’.
                        The song of the month for March 1976
         Music by John Miles (peak chart position: No.3)
John Miles was the spokesperson for millions of people when he sang that “music is my first love and it will be my last”. This single spent three weeks at its peak position of Number 3. The song was quite a grandiose recording, assisted by an orchestral accompaniment. It even found its way deservedly on to a subsequent compilation, entitled ‘Milestones - 20 Rock Operas’, taking its place alongside many other classic recordings.
                        The song of the month for April 1976
         No Charge by J.J. Barrie (peak chart position: No.1)
This country and western flavoured novelty release sneaked into the Top Fifty at the end of April before ‘charging’ its way up the singles chart. J.J. Barrie actually talks his way through this emotional little number in which a small child runs through a bill of chores completed for his mother, after which the mother makes her son aware of her ‘services’, all performed with no charge. The British public certainly took it to their hearts, whilst Billy Connolly was inspired to perform a spoof entitled ‘No Chance’.
                        The song of the month for May 1976
    Midnight Train To Georgia by Gladys Knight And The Pips (peak chart position: No.10)
This sad composition had previously climbed to the summit of the American singles list three years earlier for Gladys Knight and her Pips. In the British charts, their effort was ‘pipped’ to the top of the charts but it remains one of the greatest soul singles in the history of popular music. This fabulous story was to provide the act with the third of four UK Top Ten hits in the 1970s, though its peak position of No.10 was an injustice.

                        The song of the month for June 1976
         Let’s Stick Together by Bryan Ferry (peak chart position: No.4)
Geordie crooner Bryan Ferry continued to cultivate a solo career alongside his association with Roxy Music. In between band projects, Ferry did a commendable re-working of Canned Heat’s ‘Let’s Work Together’ which provided the singer with his first Top Ten hit since ‘A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall’. Ferry’s other half, Jerry Hall, made a contribution to the song’s video, before she decided to go off and stick together with Mick Jagger.
                        The song of the month for July 1976
         Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John And Kiki Dee (peak chart position: No.1)
Elton John was no stranger to the top of the Billboard Number One position, but it took a collaboration with Kiki Dee to earn the popular singer his first UK chart-topper. Not content with reaching the pop summit, Elton and Kiki promptly stayed there for a further five weeks. This excellent pop song would end the year as the second biggest-selling single in the British charts. For four August heatwave weeks, this duet would sit at the top of the pop music lists in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
 
                        The song of the month for August 1976
         The Killing Of Georgie by Rod Stewart (peak chart position: No.2)
This outstanding item lived in the shadow of the million-selling ‘Sailing’ which is quite unjust, considering that it is arguably the better song. Here Rod branches out into a ballad about the murder of a gay friend in New York. Not only does the tragic end of Georgie make for an interesting story but the second half of the song’s extended version is most poignant. This tune must surely be a strong contender for the best track of the year.
 
                        The song of the month for September 1976
         Girl Of My Best Friend by Elvis Presley (peak chart position: No.9)
His health may have been in terminal decline, but for all the personal turmoil, Elvis Presley still enjoyed regular incursions into the British Top Ten. This ‘latest’ success story was actually a recording that dated back to 1960. The ‘Girl Of My Best Friend’ was born around the same time as the smash hits ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’ and ‘It’s Now Or Never’. This slice of nostalgia was a reminder of the majesty of the King.
                        The song of the month for October 1976
         If You Leave Me Now by Chicago (peak chart position: No.1)
Peter Cetera and his Chicago outfit had already enjoyed a two-week stint at the top of the Billboard chart when they emulated this success by securing a three-week sojourn at the summit of the UK singles listings. Here was yet another of those sensitive songs that the British public took a liking to. Chicago hadn’t visited the Top Ten for six years and it would be a further 6 years before they returned.
                        The song of the month for November 1976
         Money Money Money by Abba (peak chart position: No.3)
The all-conquering Abba experienced relative failure when ‘Money Money Money’ could ‘only’ manage a Number 3 peak position after a hat-trick of chart-toppers in the previous twelve months. This new smash hit still remained one of the most memorable tunes from the quartet’s esteemed repertoire. It is after all the kind of lyrics which many gold-digging females could relate to. The single spent four weeks in the Top Three, but was eclipsed by Abba’s next three releases which also topped the UK charts.
                        The song of the month for December 1976
         The Last Resort by The Eagles (album track)
This seven and a half minute epic brought the curtain down on the highly acclaimed ‘Hotel California’ long player. The song is a critique of the white man’s colonisation of North America in the name of God. It is a powerful, thought-provoking grandiose recording which never seemed to acquire the recognition it has merited. Perhaps it has been overshadowed by the album’s hit singles, but ‘The Last Resort’ is a giant album track.

Listed Below are the Top 10 Best Selling UK Singles of 1976
1     Save Your Kisses For Me                        Brotherhood of Man
2     Don’t Go Breaking My Heart          Elton John and Kiki Dee
3     Mississippi                                Pussycat
4     Dancing Queen                        Abba
5     A Little Bit More                         Dr. Hook
6     If You Leave Me Now                Chicago
7     Fernando                              Abba
8     I Love To Love                        Tina Charles
9     The Roussos Phenonemon (EP)       Demis Roussos
10    Under The Moon Of Love                      Showaddywaddy

                        1976’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
The runaway train, otherwise known as the Sex Pistols, took off around England’s green and pleasant land, as the ‘Anarchy Tour’ caused merry mayhem. The Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester was one such venue that enjoyed the peculiar pleasures of a Pistols’ performance. From this happening began the great Manchester music scene that dominated the new wave and indie genres for the subsequent dozen years. Other punk acts such as the Clash and the Damned were treating the disenfranchised youth to their own particular rocky horror shows. Meanwhile, one slightly less punk outfit, the Brotherhood of Man, were triumphing at the Eurovision Song Contest with the twee ‘Save Your Kisses For me’. The reclusive Brian Wilson also stepped out of his bedroom and joined the Beach Boys back on stage for the first time in several years as the group continued to entertain their fans with their ‘sixties ‘surfin’ repertoire. Speaking of ‘sixties legends, the Rolling Stones were strutting their stuff at the Knebworth summer festival. Out in the Carribbean, Bob Marley made an astonishing appearance at the Smile Jamaica concert, a few hours after being shot in an assassination attempt at his home. It would be Marley’s last outing in Jamaica for 16 months.

                        1976’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Hotel California by The Eagles
                        (released in December; reached No.2 in the UK)
The Eagles were the biggest success story to emerge from North America in the ‘seventies. They were loosely described as a rock band, but their own brand of laid back, west coast ‘rock’ was considerably more accessible than heavy metal whilst their material refreshingly swerved the standard alpha male, macho posturing of the likes of the Rolling Stones and the Who. The group’s creative peak was almost certainly ‘Hotel California’. Whilst the record is best remembered for its trio of hit singles, ‘Life In The Fast Lane’, ‘The New Kid In Town’,and the epic title track, the rest of the long player is anything but ‘album filler’. The band’s sensitive side was much in evidence on such items as  the majestic ‘Wasted Time’ and the beautiful ‘Pretty Maids All In A Row’. ‘Try And Love Again’ is another impressive ‘soft rock’ composition, but pride of place must go to ‘The Last Resort’. This concluding piece is surely one of the most under-rated tracks in the history of popular music. With such an armoury of quality songs, it is small wonder that ‘Hotel California’ thrived in the UK and US charts.

                        SPORT IN 1976
English Division One football champions: Liverpool; runners-up: Queen’s Park Rangers
English FA Cup final: Southampton 1 Manchester United 0
English League Cup Final: Manchester City 2 Newcastle United 1
Scottish Premier Division football champions: Glasgow Rangers; runners-up: Glasgow Celtic
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Rangers 3 Hearts 1
Scottish League Cup final: Glasgow Rangers 1 Glasgow Celtic 0
Irish League football champions: Crusaders; Irish Cup final: Carrick Rangers 2 Linfield 1
League Of Ireland football champions: Dundalk; cup winners: Bohemians
European Cup final: Bayern Munich 1 St Etienne 0
European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: Anderlecht 4 West Ham United 2
UEFA Cup final: Liverpool beat Bruges 4-3 on aggregate
English county cricket champions: Middlesex
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: Wales (the Grand Slam); runners-up: France
Formula One world drivers’ champion: James Hunt (United Kingdom) in a McLaren car
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Dublin; runners-up: Kerry                      
British Open golf champion: Johnny Miller (at Royal Birkdale)
US Masters golf champion: Ray Floyd
US Open golf champion: Jerry Pate
USPGA golf champion: Dave Stockton
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: St Helens 20 Widnes 5
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: B Borg beat I Nastase 6-4, 6-2, 9-7
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final: C Evert beat E Cawley 6-3, 4-6, 8-6
World snooker final: Ray Reardon (Wales) beat Alex Higgins (Northern Ireland) 27-16
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: Rag Trade; price 14-1
The Epsom Derby winner: Empery; jockey - Lester Piggott; price 10-1
European Championship final: Czechoslovakia beat West Germany on penalties (2-2 after full time)

                        1976’s DEATHS
January 5th: John Aloysius Costello (Irish ex-Taoiseach), aged 84
January 8th: Chou En-lai (Chinese statesman), aged 77
January 12th: Dame Agatha Christie (British author), aged 85
January 23rd: Paul Robeson (US singer), aged 77
February 22nd: Florence Glenda Ballard Chapman (US singer), aged 32
February 23rd: Laurence Stephen Lowry (British artist), aged 78
March 14th: Busby Berkeley (US choreographer), aged 80
March 19th: Paul Francis Kossoff (British musician), aged 25
March 24th: Field Marshal Montgomery (British soldier), aged 88
April 1st: Max Ernst (French artist), aged 84
April 5th: Howard Hughes (US tycoon), aged 70
April 25th: Sir Carol Reed (British film director), aged 69
April 26th: Sidney James (British actor), aged 62
May 26th: Dame Maggie Teyte (British soprano), aged 88
June 6th: John Paul Getty (US oil tycoon), aged 83
June 9th: Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike (British actress), aged 93
June 25th: Johnny Mercer (US singer), aged 66
July 22nd: Sir Robert Wheeler (British archaeologist), aged 85
August 2nd: Fritz Lang (German film director), aged 85
August 4th: Baron Thomson of Fleet (British newspaper owner), aged 82
August 19th: Alastair George Bell Sim (British actor), aged 75
August 29th: Jimmy Reed (US musician), aged 50
September 9th: Mao Tse-tung (Chinese dictator), aged 82
September 21st: Sir William Alexander Roy Collins (British publisher), aged 76
October 14th: Dame Edith Evans (British actress), aged 88
October 22nd: Edward John Burra (British artist), aged 71
November 18th: Man Ray (US artist), aged 86
November 19th: Sir Basil Urwin Spence (British architect), aged 69
November 23rd: Andre Malraux (French author), aged 75
December 4th: Tommy Bolin (US musician), aged 25
December 4th: Edward Benjamin Britten (British composer), aged 63

1975 in 'An Essential Guide To Music In The 1970s'

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Guide-Music-1970s/dp/0955575656
    The song of the month for January 1975
         January by Pilot (peak chart position: No.1)
It was wholly appropriate that this song should be released in January and find itself in the upper echelons of the UK singles list before the month’s end. Before long it was at the pop summit, which is not surprising as this radio-friendly light rocker couldn’t fail to arouse the interest of pop aficionados. Unfortunately for Pilot, they could not navigate their next 2 singles into the British Top Thirty and thus any hopes of a durable pop career crash landed when January ‘disappeared’ in March.
   
              The song of the month for February 1975
         Number Nine Dream by John Lennon (peak chart position: No.23)
Released a few months previously on his ‘Walls And Bridges’ album, John Lennon’s under-rated masterpiece made an all-too-brief appearance in the British singles chart in early 1975. With the help of Phil Spector, Lennon draws attention to the significance of the number 9 in his life. He was born on the ninth of October 1940 in the midst of a Luftwaffe air raid upon Liverpool. Fortunately the Luftwaffe missed Julia Lennon, or we would never have been treated to this piece which surely surpasses the hyped ‘Imagine’. 

               The song of the month for March 1975
         Honey by Bobby Goldsboro (peak chart position: No.2)
‘Honey’ had previously made its sweet presence felt back in the spring of 1968 when it fell agonisingly short of the Number One position. History actually repeated itself when this beautiful item again came close to the coveted top spot. As a consequence of these two chart runs, this popular single spent a total of 27 weeks in the British singles lists. It was clearly Bobby Goldsboro’s most successful release. Regrettably, the folks ‘back then’ had a stronger preference for ‘Bye Bye Baby’ by the Bay City Rollers. Dear oh dear.

                   The song of the month for April 1975
         Lovin’ You by Minnie Riperton (peak chart position: No.2)
Loving this is easy ‘cos it’s beautiful. Minnie Riperton excels here with a vocal performance that takes the breath away. Aside from the notable singing, the song is remembered for the bird constantly chirping in the background. For all the incurable romantics for whom flowers and chocolates are the order of the day, this American chart-topper would have been essential listening. Tragically, Minnie Riperton passed away in July of 1979 at the age of 31, a victim of breast cancer. What a waste.

                 The song of the month for May 1975
         I’m Not In Love by 10CC (peak chart position: No.1)
10CC had been among the most consistent hit-makers in the last few years, having previously climbed onto the UK singles summit with ‘Rubber Bullets’ in 1973. It therefore came as little surprise when they reached the pop heights again, though the material this time was radically different. ‘I’m Not In Love’ is a deliciously mellow recording which would have found favour with both young and old. It sounded considerably more mature and sophisticated than their previous Number One and it is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the 1970s.

                The song of the month for June 1975
         Tears On My Pillow by Johnny Nash (peak chart position: No.1)
American singer Johnny Nash had previously had an association with Bob Marley so it was hardly surprising that he should flirt with reggae music. Yet again the British singles-buyers were clearly feeling sorry for themselves as they took a shine to this tearjerker which enjoyed one week at the ‘top of the pops’. This was the sixth time that a Nash release had invaded the UK Top Ten but hereafter the absence of any further successes would have been reason enough for more tears on his pillow.

              The song of the month for July 1975
         Barbados by Typically Tropical (peak chart position: No.1)
British music lovers engaged in a flight of fancy as they warmed on that hot summer to the sounds of ‘Barbados’ which nudged the Bay City Rollers off the Number One perch. The artists responsible were Typically Tropical who can lay a credible claim to having provided one of the best tunes from a ‘one hit wonder’. The song includes a mock address from the aeroplane pilot at the start of the ‘flight’ as the singer shares his excitement at the prospect of travelling to the attractive island in the Caribbean.

               The song of the month for August 1975
         Sailing by Rod Stewart (peak chart position: No.1)
Not a year seemed to go by without Rod Stewart making his presence felt in the world of pop. This time he stepped forth with a song whose popularity probably eclipses his ‘Maggie May’ offering. This smash hit demonstrated his knack of sourcing a good song from elsewhere - in this instance from the Sutherland brothers. The musical accompaniment is first class as Rod sings from the heart. This is one of the few records that emerge in any era which retains its appeal through the march of time. Its sales figures speak for themselves.

            The song of the month for September 1975
         Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts 1 to 5 by Pink Floyd (album track)
The album opener to the newly-released ‘Wish You Were Here’ represents the very best of the Floyd. It evolves in characteristically languid style with a fine contribution from Dave Gilmour’s guitar. The ‘hero’ of the song, one Roger ‘Syd’ Barrett just happened to venture into the Abbey Road recording studios during its creation for a brief and typically bizarre reunion with his former ‘colleagues’. Barrett explained to his horrified (former) friends that his overweight condition was due to the large pork chops that he had in his fridge - a crazy diamond indeed.

              The song of the month for October 1975
         Space Oddity by David Bowie (peak chart position: No.1)
It was indeed something of an oddity that David Bowie’s first hit single from six years ago should land once more on planet pop and then soar into orbit - or to Number One to be precise. Such a success for the ever-changing Bowie was overdue, though this ‘sixties artefact was a surprise package. Bowie had also previously tasted American charts glory in collaboration with John Lennon on ‘Fame’ and Bowie’s own fame was enhanced by this ‘new’ success. Bowie remained a chart regular over the next few years in spite of a spiralling drug habit.

             The song of the month for November 1975
         Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (peak chart position: No.1)
Freddie Mercury and his troops took the British charts by storm at the end of 1975 when ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ took up a phenomenal nine-week residence at the top of the pop tree. Not since the 1950s had any single monopolised the lists to such an extent. It was widely accepted that the exposure of the song’s video was a major factor in its success. The tune itself typified the eccentric brand of rock that Queen represented, with piano one moment and electric guitar the next, culminating in a gong being hit at the tune’s conclusion. This was predictably the lead single from the ‘A Night At The Opera’ project which is only narrowly defeated by ‘Wish You Were Here’ for album of the year.
 
             The song of the month for December 1975
         Mamma Mia by Abba (peak chart position: No.1)
After the triumph of ‘Waterloo’, Sweden’s finest foursome experienced a couple of false starts before their pop career resumed in earnest. It took the success of ‘S.O.S’ to indicate that Abba had more to offer than merely a ‘one-hit wonder’. The next item in the Abba assembly line of smash hits was ‘Mamma Mia’. This single mercifully relieved ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ of its occupation of the British pop summit whilst laying the foundations for a year of world domination. The song (or at least its title) has since inspired both a musical and a popular film.

Listed Below are the Top 10 Best Selling UK Singles of 1975
1  Bye Bye Baby                 The Bay City Rollers
2  Sailing                         Rod Stewart
3  Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love)The Stylistics
4  Whispering Grass                 Windsor Davies and Don Estelle
5  Stand By Your Man                 Tammy Wynette
6  Give A Little Love                 The Bay City Rollers
7  Hold Me Close                 David Essex
8  I Only Have Eyes For You         Art Garfunkel
9  The Last Farewell                 Roger Whittaker
10 I’m Not In Love              10CC

                        1975’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
A new rock group called the Sex Pistols shocked audiences in London with an unprecedented display of amateurism and aggression that kick started punk rock in the United Kingdom. Punk was held aloft as the yoof generation’s challenge to the rock dinosaurs who had taken live shows away from the intimacy of clubs and concert halls in favour of stadium venues. The biggest culprits were perhaps the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Both outfits were ‘back by popular demand’ in the United States as the former introduced their new team member, Ronnie Wood, whilst the latter were trying to market their acclaimed double album, ‘Physical Graffiti’. After completing their tenth invasion of Uncle Sam’s home, Zeppelin took Earls Court in west London by storm, with five gigs there in the spring. Punk rock and the new wave may have just been around the corner, but they would have to wait until the Zeppelin exited the stage. Meanwhile, Bob Marley and the Wailers entertained the assembled mass at the Lyceum in London, thereby confirming them as one of the hottest acts on planet pop. The accompanying live album provided Robert Nesta with another incursion into the UK album charts, whilst ‘No Woman No Cry’ (performed live) would be his first British hit single.

                        1975’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
                         (released in September; reached No.1 in the UK)
After ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ began to accumulate record sales that were beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, the Floyd became victims of their own success. Just how, after all, were they supposed to match or improve upon their ‘dark moon’ project? Indeed in many quarters, ‘Wish You Were Here’ was indeed viewed as a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’, but it is held in high regard by most Pink Floyd aficionados. Once again the group (and Roger Waters in particular) were expressing their negative outlook of how society was evolving, or indeed deteriorating. ‘Welcome To The Machine’ was the obvious example of a band that was both world-weary and bored with the trappings of ‘stardom’. ‘Meanwhile ‘Have A Cigar’ (with lead vocals from Roy Harper) is a more amusing but ironic swipe at the music industry. The title track is simply an exquisite acoustic guitar track. The centre piece of the album is ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, which is characteristically divided into nine ‘parts’. It isn’t so much a case of the foursome pining for the impossible return of the unhinged Syd Barrett, but more a case of the quartet offloading their guilt at jettisoning their former friend several years previously when he became something of an ‘acid casualty’. ‘Wish You Were Here’ is not instantly likeable, but it grows in appeal with every listen.

                        SPORT IN 1975
English Division One football champions: Derby County; runners-up: Liverpool
English FA Cup final: West Ham United 2 Fulham 0
English League Cup Final: Aston Villa 1 Norwich City 0
Scottish Division One football champions: Glasgow Rangers; runners-up: Hibernian
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Celtic 3 Airdrieonians 1
Scottish League Cup final: Glasgow Celtic 6 Hibernian 3
Irish League football champions: Linfield; Irish Cup final: Coleraine 1 Linfield 0 (in a replay)
League Of Ireland football champions: Bohemians; cup winners: Home Farm
European Cup final: Bayern Munich 2 Leeds United 0
European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: Dynamo Kiev 3 Ferencvaros 0
UEFA Cup final: Borussia Moenchengladbach beat Twente Enschede 5-1 on aggregate
English county cricket champions: Leicestershire
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: Wales (six points)
Formula One world drivers’ champion: Niki Lauda (Austria) in a Ferrari car
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Kerry; runners-up: Dublin                        
British Open golf champion: Tom Watson (at Carnoustie)
US Masters golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
US Open golf champion: Lou Graham
USPGA golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: Widnes 14 Warrington 7
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: A Ashe beat J Connors 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final: B-J King beat E Cawley 6-0, 6-1
World snooker final: Ray Reardon (Wales) beat Eddie Charlton (Australia) 31-30
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: L’Escargot; price 13-2
The Epsom Derby winner: Grundy; jockey - Pat Eddery; price 5-1
The Ryder Cup golf contest: United States 21 Great Britain And Ireland 11

                        1975’s DEATHS
February 4th: Louis Jordan (US musician), aged 66
February 14th: Sir Julian Sorell Huxley (British scientist), aged 87
February 14th: Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (British author), aged 93
February 24th: Nikolai Bulganin (Soviet statesman), aged 79
February 28th: Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus (British writer), aged 85
March 14th: Susan Hayward (US actress), aged 56
March 15th: Aristotle Onassis (Greek tycoon), aged 69
March 16th: T-Bone Walker (US musician), aged 64
March 28th: Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss (British composer), aged 83
April 5th: Chiang Kai-shek (Chinese statesman), aged 87
April 12th: Josephine Baker (US entertainer), aged 68
April 15th: Michael Henry Flanders (British actor), aged 53
April 24th: Pete Ham (British musician), aged 27
May 6th: Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty (from Hungary), aged 83
May 20th: Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (British sculptor), aged 72
July 2nd: James Robertson Justice (British actor), aged 70
August 9th: Dmitri Shostakovich (Soviet composer), aged 68
August 15th: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bangladesh’s President), aged 55
August 27th: Emperor Haile Selassie (of Ethiopia), aged 83
August 29th: Eamon de Valera (ex-Irish Taoiseach), aged 92
October 1st: Al Jackson (US musician), aged 39
October 22nd: Arnold Joseph Toynbee (British historian), aged 86
November 7th: Cardinal Heenan (ex-Archbishop of Westminster), aged 70
November 20th: General Francisco Franco (Spain’s dictator), aged 82
November 27th: Ross McWhirter (British journalist), aged 50
November 29th: Norman Graham Hill (British Formula 1 driver), aged 46
December 7th: Thornton Wilder (US author), aged 78

1974 in 'An Essential Guide To Music In The 1970s'

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Guide-Music-1970s/dp/0955575656

             The song of the month for January 1974
         All Of My Life by Diana Ross (peak chart position: No.9)
Diana Ross was proving to be as consistently successful as a solo artist as she had been in tandem with the Supremes. ‘All Of My Life’ may have only scraped into the British Top Ten, but it still ranks as one of her very finest love songs. Miss Ross then proceeded on to a couple of heavyweight collaborations with another American icon, Marvin Gaye, which yielded the excellent ‘You Are Everything’. Regardless of the trends and fads which surfaced and then vanished, the recordings of Diana Ross remained constantly popular.

                     The song of the month for February 1974
         Billy, Don’t Be A Hero by Paper Lace (peak chart position: No.1)
This sad tale about a young soldier who ignored his fiancee’s plea to keep his “pretty head low” also reached the American pop summit, but it was covered by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods, who gave it an American Civil War setting. Even more strange was the fact that Paper Lace actually topped the Billboard singles chart later in the year with ‘The Night Chicago Died’. This track will always be remembered for its military sound of a marching drum and an accompanying flute.
 
              The song of the month for March 1974
         Seasons In The Sun by Terry Jacks (peak chart position: No.1)
Following shortly after the tearjerker that was ‘Billy Don’t Be A Hero’ was perhaps the saddest song of them all. Yes, in spite of the title, ‘Seasons In The Sun’ was far from sunny. Instead it is sung from the point of view of a person contemplating an imminent death who recalls past times when he had joy and fun and seasons in the sun. Tissue paper manufacturers must surely have been doing a good trade in the spring of this year. ‘Seasons In The Sun’ was so popular that it became the second biggest-selling single of the year.

             The song of the month for April 1974
         Waterloo by Abba (peak chart position: No.1)
Continental Europe had never provided artists who could enjoy a durable chart career in Britain or the United States, but all that was to change with the Abba invasion from Sweden, which began with the glorious ‘Waterloo’. The two men and two women singing act had been a well-worn formula, but this time the two guys were highly capable composers, so the group simply stuck to their own admirable material. What was remarkable was that after the success of ‘Waterloo’, Abba struggled to find a decent follow-up for eighteen months until their flagging fortunes were rescued by an ‘S.O.S.’.

                 The song of the month for May 1974
    This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us by Sparks (peak chart position: No.2)
One of the great injustices in human history was the fact that the Rubettes kept this charming rocker off the Number One position in the British singles listing. Nevertheless, the Sparks had delivered one of the biggest music thrills of the year with this eccentric piece, underpinned by the sound of gunfire, a falsetto singing voice, not to mention the ‘Hitler moustache’ of the keyboardist Ron Mael. Any ‘seventies compilation that overlooks this magnificent museum piece deserves itself to be overlooked.
             The song of the month for June 1974
         Rock Your Baby by George McCrae (peak chart position: No.1)
The British record-buyers were mercifully beginning to tire of glam rock and turned instead in increasing numbers to the genre of disco. The only drawback was that for a few years anything with the word ‘disco’ in the song title found its way onto the charts, regardless of its dubious quality. Nevertheless, there were clearly a number of giant dancefloor classics, of which ‘Rock Your Baby’ is most certainly one. George McCrae reaches the high notes here and is deservedly rewarded with a Number One on both sides of the Atlantic.

                  The song of the month for July 1974
         Band On The Run by Wings (peak chart position: No.3)
The fertile imagination of Paul McCartney hit upon the crazy idea of fleeing to Africa to record an album there. The ensuing result of Macca’s ‘band on the run’ was a long player that even the once scornful John Lennon approved of. Wings may have gone on to dwell at Number One for a staggering nine weeks with ‘Mull Of Kintyre’, but McCartney’s jailbreak song represents his post-Beatles creative peak. The item switches cleverly between a wonderful acoustic guitar and electric guitar. Such is popular taste that McCartney has reached singles summits with songs that don’t compare with the quality of this tune.

               The song of the month for August 1974
         Annie’s Song by John Denver (peak chart position: No.1)
John Denver was no stranger to lofty chart positions in the United States, courtesy of the likes of ‘Thank God I’m A Country Boy’ but his only major British success story was the hugely listenable ‘Annie’s Song’. Here was one of those occasions when the adults closed ranks and purchased something which all the teenage record-buyers would not have warmed to. This delightful piece benefited from harmonies and a fine strings arrangement and re-appeared in the UK chart in 1978 when Irish flautist James Galway delivered his own version.

              The song of the month for September 1974
         Sad Sweet Dreamer by Sweet Sensation (peak chart position: No.1)
ITV’s hugely popular ‘Opportunity Knocks’ was the breeding ground for many new acts in the world of showbusiness. One such instance was the emergence of the Sweet Sensation who were regarded as Britain’s very own answer to the Jacksons. This young group never fulfilled the high expectations, which is all the more surprising since they made a majestic splash with the beautiful ‘Sad Sweet Dreamer’. Here is another candidate for one of the best-ever pop songs. Yet again record-buyers were seduced by a sad, sweet composition.

         The song of the month for October 1974
         Killer Queen by Queen (peak chart position: No.2)
Queen carved out their very own niche on planet pop by shrewdly offering material that was more accessible than heavy metal and yet they were correctly labelled as a ‘rock band’. They made an impressive start with the ‘Seven Seas Of Rhye’ and it was becoming apparent that they would be a prolific act when they then issued ‘Killer Queen’. Failing narrowly to hit the Number One spot, this is an entertaining tale of a femme fatale, decorated with tongue-in-cheek lyrics while Brian May’s guitar weighs in with its customary excellence.

              The song of the month for November 1974
    You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet by Bachman-Turner Overdrive (peak chart position: No.2)
This monumental rock song was one of Canadian music’s finest moments. Taking its cue from ‘All Right Now’, the recording has amusing seduction lyrics. It certainly struck a chord with music aficionados on both sides of the ‘big pond’. The item was later popularized by spoof disc jockeys ‘Smashy’ and ‘Nicey’ who were rather fond of it. The trouble for Randy Bachman and his team were that they will forever be remembered for this one song, but then when you record one of the great rock anthems, you only have yourself to blame.
                  The song of the month for December 1974
         Help Me Make It Through The Night by John Holt (peak chart position: No.6)
Bob Marley was slowly beginning to emerge as one of the world’s most important performers, but in the mean time a plethora of acts still took turns to fly the flag for Jamaican music. Stepping up to the mark for his four minutes of fame this time was John Holt, a renowned exponent of love songs in Caribbean circles. Holt expertly covered Kris Kristofferson’s delightful song of seduction and eventually helped himself to a British Top Five position in early 1975. Both the vocals and the musical accompaniment were of the highest order.

Listed Below are the Top 10 Best Selling UK Singles of 1974
1  Tiger Feet                         Mud
2  Seasons In The Sun                 Terry Jacks
3  Billy, Don’t Be A Hero         Paper Lace
4  When Will I See You Again         The Three Degrees
5  Rock Your Baby                 George McCrae
6  Gonna Make You A Star         David Essex
7  Kung Fu Fighting                 Carl Douglas
8  She                                 Charles Aznavour
9  Sugar Baby Love                 The Rubettes
10 Everything I Own                 Ken Boothe

                        1974’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
The Beatles once insisted that they would not tour the United States until they had achieved a Stateside Number One. ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ resolved that potential impasse. Eleven years later, John Lennon made a similar pronouncement to his new buddy, Elton John. Lennon stated that he would not take to the stage unless his new disco release, ‘Whatever Gets You Through The Night’, should reach the top of the Billboard charts. To Lennon’s astonishment, his new single did indeed climb to the American pop summit, whereupon he kept his word and joined Elton John on stage at Madison Square Garden in November where the two Johns (Elton and Lennon) performed versions of ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ and ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, as well as Lennon’s current US chart-topper. It would be the last time that one of the icons of popular music would sing live. Meanwhile, back in the spring, a different musical gathering at Brighton, on England’s south coast, witnessed the birth of pop world’s next ‘big thing’ when Sweden’s Abba conquered the Eurovision Song Contest, en route to global domination in the ensuing seven years.

         1974’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Natty Dread by Bob                                    
                        (released in October; reached No.43 in the UK)
Robert Nesta Marley was entering new territory with his ‘Natty Dread’ recording, as his act was now billed as Bob Marley And The Wailers. The recent departure of his closest collaborators Bunny Livingstone and Peter Tosh to pursue their own solo paths had necessitated this new state of affairs.  Bob recruited his wife Rita as well as singers Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths to form the backing band, the I-Threes, whilst American blues guitarist Al Anderson was hired to assist the Barrett brothers who comprised the Wailers’ rhythm section. The result was Marley’s first breakthrough into the British album charts. The long player visited Marley’s main concerns of inequality (‘Them Belly Full’) and oppression (‘Rebel Music’). It also possessed the first outing of ‘No Woman, No Cry’, as well as a fans’ favourite, ‘Lively Up Yourself’. On the road to becoming reggae’s first superstar and an ambassador for the Third World, Bob Marley was already setting out his stall with his musical anxieties about ‘Babylon’. This isn’t by any means his best album, but it was a signpost of what was to follow from Jamaica’s most famous son who quickly became one of the most important recording stars of the 1970s.

                        SPORT IN 1974
English Division One football champions: Leeds United; runners-up: Liverpool
English FA Cup final: Liverpool 3 Newcastle United 0
English League Cup Final: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Manchester City 1
Scottish Division One football champions: Glasgow Celtic; runners-up: Hibernian
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Celtic 3 Dundee United 0
Scottish League Cup final: Dundee 1 Glasgow Celtic 0
Irish League football champions: Coleraine; Irish Cup final: Ards 2 Ballymena United 1
League Of Ireland football champions: Cork Celtic; cup winners: Finn Harps
European Cup final: Bayern Munich 4 Atletico Madrid 0 (in a replay)
European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: FC Magdeburg 2 AC Milan 0
UEFA Cup final: Feyenoord beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 on aggregate
English county cricket champions: Worcestershire
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: Ireland (five points)
Formula One world drivers’ champion: Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil) in a McLaren car
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Dublin; runners-up: Galway                        
British Open golf champion: Gary Player (at Royal Lytham & St Annes)
US Masters golf champion: Gary Player
US Open golf champion: Hale Irwin
USPGA golf champion: Lee Trevino
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: Warrington 24 Featherstone Rovers 9
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: J Connors beat K Rosewall 6-1, 6-1, 6-4
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final: C Evert beat O Morozova 6-0, 6-4
World snooker final: Ray Reardon (Wales) beat Graham Miles (England) 22-12
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: Red Rum; price 11-1
The Epsom Derby winner: Snow Knight; jockey - Brian Taylor; price 50-1
World Cup final: West Germany 2 Holland 1

                        1974’s DEATHS
January 6th: David Siqueiros (Mexican painter), aged 77
January 25th: James Pope-Hennessy (British author), aged 57
January 31st: Samuel Goldwyn (US film producer), aged 91
April 2nd: Georges Pompidou (France’s President), aged 62
April 5th: Richard Crossman (British politician), aged 66
May 24th: Duke Ellington (US musician), aged 75
June 10th: Duke of Gloucester, aged 74
June 18th: Marshal Georgi Zhukov (Soviet soldier), aged 77
July 1st: Juan Domingo Peron (Argentina’s President), aged 78
July 5th: Georgette Heyer (British novelist), aged 71
July 9th: Earl Warren (US judge), aged 83
July 29th: Mama Cass Elliot (US singer), aged 32
August 13th: Kate O’Brien (Irish novelist), aged 76
August 22nd: Dr. Jacob Bronowski (Polish biologist), aged 66
September 23rd: Robbie McIntosh (British musician), aged 24
October 24th: David Oistrakh (Soviet violinist), aged 66
November 7th: Eric Linklater (British novelist), aged 75
November 13th: Vittorio de Sica (Italian film director), aged 72
November 24th: Cornelius Ryan (Irish writer), aged 54
November 25th: Nick Drake (British singer), aged 26
November 25th: U Thant (Burmese UN Secretary-General), aged 65
December 14th: Walter Lippman (US journalist), aged 75

1972 in 'An Essential Guide To Music In The 1970s'

                    The song of the month for January 1972
         Let’s Stay Together by Al Green (peak chart position: No.7)
Perhaps immortalised from its inclusion on the ‘Pulp Fiction’ movie, Al Green’s magnificent love song, decorated by an excellent horns section, deservedly climbed to the top of the tree in the Billboard singles list. British record-buyers were slightly less appreciative, but few observers and listeners three decades later can argue that this is perhaps the greatest soul recording to emerge from North America in the 1970s.
     
                    The song of the month for February 1972
         Without You by Nilsson (peak chart position: No.1)
This tearjerker is steeped in tragedy.The composer, Pete Ham (from the group Badfinger) took his own life a few years later, whilst the singer Harry Nilsson also died rather prematurely in the mid-1990s after his hard living caught up with him. Nevertheless, this ‘bad luck charm’ proved to be one of the most successful sad songs of all time, as it proceeded to sit on the top perch of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

                 The song of the month for March 1972
         Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple (peak chart position: No.21 in 1977)
This album track from the newly-released ‘Machine Head’ never featured prominently in the hit parade, but it unquestionably rates as one of the great rock songs of the twentieth century. Recounting the story of their appearance at Montreux where the casino was wrecked by a fire, Deep Purple treat the listener to one of the greatest instrumental breaks in popular music as well as a memorable intro. Some songs are just too good for the charts, and this rock milestone was clearly one of them.

                  The song of the month for April 1972
    Amazing Grace by The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (peak chart position: No.1)
It was certainly one of the most unexpected of chart-toppers, but an instrumental version of the Christian hymn, ‘Amazing Grace’, dominated the British hit parade throughout the spring of 1972. Five weeks at Number One and a mere 27 weeks on the singles chart tells its own story. Long before the likes of the Bay City Rollers and Rod Stewart popularized tartan fashion, the Pipes And Drums Of The Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards got there first!
    The song of the month for May 1972
         Happy by The Rolling Stones (album track)
After the critical success of ‘Sticky Fingers’, the Fab Five delivered an hour of music in a similarly murky vein that would comprise the ‘Exile On Main St.’ album. Whilst many of the songs were a bit seedy, there were a few rays of light. One such item was ‘Happy’ in which Keef has another bash at lead vocals, having previously sang ‘You Got The Silver’ on the ‘Let It Bleed’ project. Richards was singing “I need your love to keep me happy”, but if this was directed at his partner, Anita Pallenberg, it would be closer to the truth to suggest that they had a mutual suicide pact, given their dangerous flirtation with hard drugs.

        The song of the month for June 1972
         American Trilogy by Elvis Presley (peak chart position: No.8)
As the 1970s unfolded, the behaviour and performances of Elvis Presley became increasingly erratic. However, what was good was exceptionally good. The King’s rendition of an ‘American Trilogy’ simply takes the breath away and helps to explain why this ‘has-been’ remained one of the greatest live attractions. Sourcing ‘Dixieland’, ‘All My Trials’, and ‘The Battle Hymn Of The Republic’, Elvis sings straight from the depths of his soul. Only the coldest heart could fail to be moved or impressed by four and a half minutes of this emotional piece.

        The song of the month for July 1972
         All The Young Dudes by Mott The Hoople (peak chart position: No.3)
Flavour of the month David Bowie stepped in to rescue the flagging career of Mott The Hoople by offering a composition of his own which he then produced for the combo. Not content with this, he weighed in with backing vocals. The group for their part rose to the challenge with a landmark rock song which opens wonderfully and goes from strength to strength, culminating in a formidable arms-swaying outro, during which Ian Hunter ad-libs “Hey you with the glasses/ I want you/ I want you up at the front.” They just don’t make them like this anymore.

        The song of the month for August 1972
         Virginia Plain by Roxy Music (peak chart position: No.4)
Former teacher Bryan Ferry joined forces all too briefly with Brian Eno as their new combo Roxy Music were at the forefront of art rock. The new act hit the ground running with the marvel that was ‘Virginia Plain’ which ought to be short-listed for the best debut single of all time. The song possesses a plethora of amusing lyrics featuring “you’re so chic/teenage rebel of the week” with references to flamingoes, a studebaker, and a rollercoaster ride. What a pity that Eno subsequently jumped ship, but the rest of the crew coped more than adequately in his subsequent absence.

          The song of the month for September 1972
         Mouldy Old Dough by Lieutenant Pigeon (peak chart position: No.1)
British record-purchasers have always been logic-defying suckers for novelty records, and good old Lieutenant Pigeon stepped forth with the mother of all novelty singles. Featuring a marching drum,a flute, and a fabulous piano contribution, this home-made recording stomped to the top of the UK charts. It was the kind of record that would have driven music critics to distraction, but I do confess to a liking for this bizarre smash hit.

         The song of the month for October 1972
         Clair by Gilbert O’Sullivan (peak chart position: No.1)
Gilbert O’Sullivan was a prolific hit-maker in the early ‘seventies. His finest four minutes are almost certainly ‘Clair’. I have an ambiguous attitude to this chart-topper. On a purely naive level, this is a sweet piece with beautiful strings music, but in the changed times of the twenty-first century it is doubtful whether O’Sullivan would get away with a song in which his intense affection for his niece Clair is perhaps questionable: “Nothing means more to me than hearing you say I’m going to marry you/ Will you marry me, Uncle Ray?”

              The song of the month for November 1972
Long Haired Lover From Liverpool by Little Jimmy Osmond (peak chart position: No.1)
Having allowed the likes of Rolf Harris, Clive Dunn, and Benny Hill to reach Number One, it was hardly surprising that Britain’s record-buyers were bowled over by Little Jimmy Osmond’s delightful little ditty. It was perhaps fitting that the year of Osmond mania should finish with the youngest of their clan sitting on the top chart perch. In one crazy December week, the Osmonds and their rivals in the Jackson family were responsible for no fewer than five of the UK Top Ten singles. Little Jimmy himself was only nine years of age and thus made history as the youngest act to perform a British chart-topper!
 
      The song of the month for December 1972
         The Jean Genie by David Bowie (peak chart position: No.2)
David Bowie followed his friend Marc Bolan down the path of re-inventing himself from previous mod and then hippie into a fictional glam rock star, Ziggy Stardust. Bowie’s very own version of glam rock was critically better received than the less arty offerings from the likes of Slade and the Sweet. Ironically, Bowie’s great rocker, ‘The Jean Genie’ contained a fabulous riff from the great Mick Ronson which appeared to re-surface shortly afterwards on the Sweet’s ‘Block Buster’. Although ‘The Jean Genie’ didn’t quite match the heights of the Sweet’s effort, it remains one of the very best recordings from arguably the decade’s most important act.

             1972’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
Whilst Ziggy Stardust and his Spiders From Mars were thrilling British concert-goers, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones resumed their sonic onslaught of North America. Back in the United Kingdom, teenage audiences were in near hysteria at Marc Bolan and T. Rex, while Mr.Paul McCartney took his new band Wings out on the road as they traversed the university circuit, a far cry from Shea Stadium and Candlestick Park. McCartney’s estranged musical partner, John Lennon, also took to the stage in his adopted home of New York, performing live for the first time in six years (an Apple rooftop appearance aside). Meanwhile in London an altogether different rock group, Pink Floyd, were introducing the assembled mass at Earl’s Court to some new sounds which would later form the bedrock of ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’, released a year later. The rest is history.

          1972’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Harvest by Neil Young
                        (released in February; reached No.1 in the UK)
Canada’s Neil Young had emerged in recent years as one of the most respected singer-songwriters, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with Crosby, Stills, and Nash. His reputation was cemented by his appearance at Woodstock and further enhanced by the success of the ‘After The Goldrush’ album. Young’s ‘Harvest’ project drew upon the assistance of his Stray Gators backing band as the singer veered off in the direction of country music as he attempted to follow the path of Gram Parsons in bringing country music to a rock audience. This big-selling long player is characterised by mellow music, though the theme is frequently one of loneliness, as illustrated on ‘A Man Needs A Maid’, ‘Out On The Weekend’, and ‘Old Man’. Young actually recorded this cycle of songs from a wheelchair, as a result of a car accident. Whatever physical pain he was in perhaps doesn’t compare with the emotional anguish he lays bare on ‘The Needle And The Damage Done’ as he sings of his departed guitarist Danny Whitten who was fighting a losing battle against heroin addiction. Harvest’s massive commercial success was due in no small part to the fact that it contained ‘Heart Of Gold’ which provided Young with a rare presence amongst the higher echelons of the singles charts on both sides of the ‘big pond’.

                        SPORT IN 1972
English Division One football champions: Derby County; runners-up: Leeds United
English FA Cup final: Leeds United 1 Arsenal 0
English League Cup Final: Stoke City 2 Chelsea 1
Scottish Division One football champions: Glasgow Celtic; runners-up: Aberdeen
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Celtic 6 Hibernian 1
Scottish League Cup final: Partick Thistle 4 Glasgow Celtic 1
Irish League football champions: Glentoran; Irish Cup final: Coleraine 2 Portadown 1
League Of Ireland football champions: Waterford; cup winners: Cork Hibernians
European Cup final: Ajax Amsterdam 2 Inter Milan 0
European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: Glasgow Rangers 3 Dynamo Moscow 2
UEFA Cup final: Tottenham Hotspur beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 on aggregate
English county cricket champions: Warwickshire
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: none, due to the troubles in Ireland
Formula One world drivers’ champion: Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil) in a Lotus car
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Offaly; runners-up: Kerry                        
British Open golf champion: Lee Trevino (at Muirfield)
US Masters golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
US Open golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
USPGA golf champion: Gary Player
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: St Helens 16 Leeds 13
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: S Smith beat I Nastase 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final: B-J King beat E Goolagong 6-3, 6-3
World snooker final: Alex Higgins (Northern Ireland) beat John Spencer (England) 37-32
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: Well To Do; price 14-1
The Epsom Derby winner: Roberto; jockey - Lester Piggott; price 3-1F
European Championship final: West Germany 3 USSR 0

                        1972’s DEATHS
January 1st: Maurice Chevalier (French singer), aged 83
January 14th: King Frederik IX of Denmark, aged 72
February 5th: Marianne Moore (US poet), aged 84
February 15th: Edgar Snow (US writer), aged 66
April 9th: James Byrne (US judge), aged 92
April 27th: Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana’s ex-President), aged 62
May 2nd: John Edgar Hoover (US FBI chief), aged 77
May 22nd: Cecil Day Lewis (British poet laureate), aged 68
May 22nd: Dame Margaret Rutherford (British actress), aged 80
May 28th: Duke of Windsor, aged 77
June 8th: Jimmy Rushing (US singer), aged 69
June 13th: Clyde McPhatter (US singer), aged 39
August 26th: Sir Francis Chichester (British yachtsman), aged 70
August 28th: Prince William of Gloucester, aged 30
August 29th: Lale Andersen (German singer), aged 67
September 14th: Geoffrey Fisher (Archbishop of Canterbury), aged 85
October 1st: Dr Louis Leakey (British anthropologist), aged 69
October 26th: Igor Sikorsky (Russian aviation pioneer), aged 83
November 1st: Ezra Pound (US poet), aged 86
November 11th: Berry Oakley (US musician), aged 24
November 18th: Danny Whitten (US musician), aged 29
November 30th: Sir Compton Mackenzie (British author), aged 89
December 23rd: Andrei Tupolev (Soviet aviation pioneer), aged 84
December 26th: Harry S. Truman (ex-US President), aged 88

1971 in 'An Essential Guide To Music In The 1970s'

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Guide-Music-1970s/dp/0955575656
                     Song of the month for January 1971
         My Sweet Lord by George Harrison (peak chart position:No.1)
He may have described himself as an economy-class Beatle, but the quiet one surpassed his former musical associates with the huge-selling ‘My Sweet Lord’. This beautiful Hare Krishna anthem was a statement of George’s own religious state of mind. It certainly struck a chord with many record-buyers who ensured that Harrison would land himself a Transatlantic chart-topper long before either Lennon or McCartney could even begin to emulate this accomplishment. The trouble was that the self-described ‘dark horse’ peaked with this single and its accompanying album, ‘All Things Must Pass’. He never reached these heights again.
                       Song of the month for February 1971
         Hot Love by T. Rex (peak chart position:No.1)
Following fast behind the huge success of ‘Ride A White Swan’, T. Rex scored the first of their four British chart-toppers with ‘Hot Love’. This song appears to live in the shadow of its successor, ‘Get It On’, which is quite strange given that it originally sold more copies and spent longer at Number One (six weeks to be precise). Meanwhile Marc Bolan’s previous followers were dismayed that he had swapped trippy lyrics in favour of “la la la la la la la”, but his new teenage fanbase were not complaining.

                  Song of the month for March 1971
         Double Barrel by Dave And Ansil Collins (peak chart position:No.1)
‘Double Barrel’ was effectively an instrumental and not exactly the most likely song to reach the pop summit. It was yet another outpouring from Jamaica’s very own hit factory, Trojan Records. This tune was expected to be another novelty hit from the Carribbean, but Dave and Ansil Collins demolished the likelihood of being one-hit wonders when they followed up with another Top Ten hit, the slightly similar, ‘Monkey Spanner’, which featured “the heavy heavy monster sound”, which was later re-visited by Madness on ‘One Step Beyond’.

                        Song of the month for April 1971
         Can’t You Hear Me Knocking by The Rolling Stones (album track)
‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking’ was far too long to be released as a single, but it was a key track on the ‘Sticky Fingers’ album, released in April 1971. Opinion is divided on the merits of this extended jam. Some Stones’ ‘purists’ complain that the lads were getting much too self-indulgent. I however am firmly in the camp which hails this item as a delightful jazz-rock fusion which sets it apart from many other more typical Stones’ recordings. Quite simply, the instrumental second half is a joy to behold, helped by the keyboards input of Billy Preston and the saxophonist Bobby Keyes.

                     Song of the month for May 1971
         My Brother Jake by Free (peak chart position:No.4)
The consensus of opinion may be that their best single was ‘All Right Now’, but I have a slight preference for the Top Five hit, ‘My Brother Jake’, which was released in May of 1971. This tune is a far cry from the tongue-in-cheek humour of their biggest smash, as the subject matter is darker. Here Paul Rodgers is pleading to Jake to clean up his act and pull his life around. The song’s message ought to have been heeded by young guitarist, Paul Kossoff, who died of a heart attack in 1976, another victim of rock and roll excess.

                   Song of the month for June 1971
         Black And White by Greyhound (peak chart position:No.6)
Jamiaca’s Greyhound helped themselves to a Top Ten hit, courtesy of the standard ‘Black And White’, which was a well-intentioned appeal for inter-racial harmony. Not content with this hugely listenable tune, the act found further success with their own decent interpretation of ‘Moon River’ and the commendable ‘I Am What I Am’. Here was another surprise triumph for the Caribbean’s very own ‘Motown’ - Trojan Records.

                       Song of the month for July 1971
         Let Your Yeah Be Yeah by The Pioneers (peak chart position:No.5)
Although the Pioneers are regarded as something of a reggae group, this marvellous single was more akin to Motown or soul. Written by new Jamaican superstar Jimmy Cliff, ‘Let Your Yeah Be Yeah’ deserves to be credited as one of the great pop songs of all time, with its excellent vocal harmonies and brass accompaniment. It certainly sounds much different from the group’s previous hit single, ‘Long Shot Kick De Bucket’!

                      Song of the month for August 1971
         It’s Too Late by Carole King (peak chart position:No.6)
Taken from an album, ‘Tapestry’, which had already surfaced successfully back in the spring, this ‘new release’ made predictable progress into the British Top Ten, though Carole King’s radio-friendly double A-side failed to match the chart-topping success it achieved in the United States. This sad song was further evidence of Carole King’s songwriting gifts and it was a key ingredient on a massive-selling long player that took up a mere 300 weeks’ residency in the American album charts.

                 Song of the month for September 1971
         Maggie May by Rod Stewart (peak chart position: No.1)
The new release, ‘Maggie May’ announced the arrival of one of the 1970s’ great institutions, Mr. Rod Stewart. Abandoning his footballing ambitions in favour of delivering from the mike stand, ‘Rod The Mod’ sang “it’s late September and I really should be back at school”. Instead of which he was located at the top of the British hit parade. Scotland’s finest was joined on stage for a memorable ‘Top Of The Pops’ cameo by John Peel on mandolin, while the Brentford FC reject dribbled a football. Credit must also go to the Faces for their musical contribution. For three glorious October weeks, Rod and the Faces were Number One in British and American singles and album charts simultaneously, emulating Simon And Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’.

                    Song of the month for October 1971
         How Do You Sleep? by John Lennon (album track)
John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ album was first released in September in the United States before seeing the light of day in the United Kingdom in October, by which time the ex-Beatle was now a citizen of New York. ‘How Do You Sleep’ is not necessarily the long player’s best song, but it is certainly the most noteworthy. After divorcing Cynthia, John found himself embroiled in another bitter divorce situation as he and Paul McCartney embarked on a war of words amidst legal proceedings. ‘How Do You Sleep?’ was a savage put-down of his songwriting partner and (former) friend, suggesting that “the only thing you’ve done was ‘Yesterday’”. Fortunately sanity eventually prevailed and diplomatic relations were restored between the two legends.

                   Song of the month for November 1971
         Echoes by Pink Floyd (album track)
Arch-purveyors of progressive rock, the Floyd were always keen to stretch themselves by fleeing from the conventional format of three-minute songs in favour of something more daring. ‘Echoes’ followed ‘Atom Heart Mother’ as a track which lasted for a whole album side. It was risky, but it worked. Starting with a plucked piano, the song is a twenty-two minute nautical delight. At the conclusion, the music and the voices fade as if wandering off over the horizon - never to return. This item ought to find its way on to anyone’s desert island disc collection, because its duration would be the equivalent of six or seven lesser songs.
 
                  Song of the month for December 1971
         Theme From ‘Shaft’ by Isaac Hayes (peak chart position: No.4)
Performer of ‘hot buttered soul’, Isaac Hayes served up a treat with the outstanding theme to ‘Shaft’. The song oozes sex appeal and is one of the coolest anthems to be delivered to the airwaves. Unfortunately, Hayes was never able to repeat this American chart-topper, but who can ever forget those strings and his spoken words? Nothing that the performer would subsequently record would ever stand any chance of a favourable comparison.

Listed Below are the Top 10 Best Selling UK Singles of 1971
1  My Sweet Lord                 George Harrison
2  Maggie May                      Rod Stewart
3  Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep         Middle of the Road
4  Knock Three Times               Dawn
5  Hot Love                          T.Rex
6  The Pushbike Song               The Mixtures
7  Never Ending Song Of Love            The New Seekers
8  I’m Still Waiting               Diana Ross
9  Get It On                       T.Rex
10 Hey Girl Don’t Bother Me         The Tams

                        1971’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
Led Zeppelin braved the deteriorating situation in Ulster to perform at the Ulster Hall in Belfast in March. The band took the opportunity to treat the audience to the first public performances of ‘Black Dog’ and ‘Stairway To Heaven’. However, the most noteworthy concert of 1971 is undoubtedly the event organised by George Harrison to raise money for the famine-stricken citizens of the new state of Bangladesh. Held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the ex-Beatle guitarist recruited such acts as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Bily Preston, Ravi Shankar, and Ringo Starr who all made contributions to the gig, which was subsequently translated onto vinyl. To quote from ‘The Song For Today’ (by Jimmie Oliver) “this historic event [on August the 1st] was a prototype Live Aid, and it was the first notable occasion when performers from the rock and pop aristocracy assembled to raise funds for others less fortunate.”

                        1971’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones                                 
                        (released in April; reached No.1 in the UK)
The landscape on Planet Stones had changed considerably since the issue of ‘Let It Bleed’ at the end of the ‘sixties. For a start, the talented young Mick Taylor was now firmly ensconced in the role of guitarist, filling the void of the departed Brian Jones. Secondly, the Rolling Stones were now liberated from their contractual obligations to Decca Records and thus able to form their very own record label. Thirdly, these new rock aristocrats were now effectively tax exiles. However, one thing that did not change was the quality of their music. In fact, ‘Sticky Fingers’ is frequently hailed as the band’s finest three-quarters of an hour, and it is hard not to agree. The album boasted the presence of the group’s signature rocker, ‘Brown Sugar’, which dominated the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The highlights however don’t end there. The long player also contains such gems as ‘Wild Horses’, though much of the content dwells on drugs, pain, and vulnerability, as typified on ‘Sister Morphine’, ‘I Got The Blues’, and the magnificent ‘Moonlight Mile’, so the project is hardly overflowing with joie de vivre. Whatever the negativity of such items as ‘Bitch’, the album with the Andy Warhol-inspired cover met with the royal seal of approval from fans and critics alike.

                        SPORT IN 1971
English Division One football champions: Arsenal; runners-up: Leeds United
English FA Cup final: Arsenal 2 Liverpool 1 (after extra time)
English League Cup Final: Tottenham Hotspur 2 Aston Villa 0
Scotiish Division One football champions: Glasgow Celtic; runners-up: Aberdeen
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Celtic 2 Glasgow Rangers 1 (in a replay)
Scottish League Cup final: Glasgow Rangers 1 Glasgow Celtic 0
Irish League football champions: Linfield; Irish Cup final: Distillery 3 Derry City 0
League Of Ireland football champions: Cork Hibernians; cup winners: Limerick
European Cup final: Ajax Amsterdam 2 Panathinaikos 0
European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: Chelsea 2 Real Madrid 1 (in a replay)
European Fairs Cup final: Leeds United beat Juventus on away goals rule (3-3 on aggregate)
English county cricket champions: Surrey
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: Wales (the Grand Slam); runners-up: France
Formula One world drivers’ champion: Jackie Stewart (United Kingdom) in a Tyrrell car
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Offaly; runners-up: Galway                        
British Open golf champion: Lee Trevino (at Royal Birkdale)
US Masters golf champion: Charles Coody
US Open golf champion: Lee Trevino
USPGA golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: Leigh 24 Leeds 7
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: J Newcombe beat S Smith 6-3, 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final:E Goolagong beat M Court 6-4, 6-1
World snooker final: John Spencer (England) beat Warren Simpson (Australia) 37-29
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: Specify; price 28-1
The Epsom Derby winner: Mill Reef; jockey - Geoff Lewis; price 100-30F
The Ryder Cup golf contest: United States 18.5 Great Britain And Ireland 13.5

                        1971’s DEATHS
January 5th: Sonny Liston (US boxer), aged 38
January 10th: Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel (French designer), aged 87
March 8th: Harold Lloyd (US actor), aged 77
March 16th: Thomas Dewey (US politician), aged 68
April 6th: Igor Stravinsky (Russian composer), aged 88
April 21st: ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier (Haitian dictator), aged 64
May 19th: Ogden Nash (US poet), aged 68
June 4th: Gyorgy Lukacs (Hungarian politician), aged 86
June 16th: Baron Reith (BBC pioneer), aged 81
July 3rd: Jim Morrison (US singer), aged 27
July 6th: Louis Armstrong (US entertainer), aged 71
August 14th: Georg Von Opel (German car manufacturer), aged 59
September 11th: Nikita Khrushchev (Soviet statesman), aged 77
October 12th: Gene Vincent (US singer), aged 36
October 29th: Duane Allman (US musician), aged 24
December 18th: Bobby Jones (US golfer), aged 69

The Ashes, 1945-2005, A Complete Record [advert]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ashes-1945-2005-Complete-Record/dp/0955575699

The book is a statistical history of the Ashes conflicts from the 1946 tour to Australia through to the 2005 series, though there is also a page dedicated to the 2006-7 whitewash, as well as pages on non-Ashes test
matches; and the County Championship and Sheffield Shield winners from 1945-2005.
The publication ends with a fascinating piece on the importance or otherwise of winning the toss in Ashes test matches. However the bulk of the book concerns itself with the 160+ test matches and merely records all the scorecards. No such volume contains all Ashes scorecards in chronological order in such an accessible way.
Whilst the fielders change ends between overs and during other momentary pauses in play, this reference book is ideal for leafing through. Although it is 90% facts and figures, there are brief comments which accompany each test match. Interesting facts include the following:
Don Bradman’s last-ever innings in test cricket in 1948
Graham Gooch’s baptism of fire in 1975
The test in 1989 when Australia batted all day without conceding a wicket
The peculiar batting partnership of Botham and Tavare at Old Trafford in 1981
The test in 1981 when Australia slid from 56-1 to 75-8
The ‘sixties test when debutant Tom Cartwright had to bowl 77 overs
The finely balanced test in 1975 that was ended by a vandalised pitch
The ‘fifties test when Australia were reduced to 32 for 7
The Melbourne nailbiters of 1974 and 1982
The Edgbaston and Old Trafford nailbiters of 2005

        WHO GIVES A TOSS?
         Who gives a toss about the toss of a coin at the start of the proceedings? Just how crucial is the flip of the coin in determining the subsequent proceedings? Let’s take a look at the Ashes test matches from 1945 to 2005 then. Well, the first obvious statistic to record is that Australia have won 85 tosses, while the England captains have only guessed correctly on 78 occasions, thereby reinforcing the Australian belief that the English are useless tossers. However, what is more noteworthy is the conversion rate of calling the coin correctly and then winning the ensuing test. Here one will find that the apparent advantage of choosing either to bat or field first isn’t all it is cracked up to be, or at least if it is of supreme importance, then the team that decides whether or not to bowl first hasn’t always made a sound judgement. Australia, for example, have won only 34 of their test matches after enjoying the luxury of choice at the outset. This represents only a forty per cent chance that an Australian success at the toss will be followed by triumph in the match itself. England cricket fans, grasping at all the comfort that they can muster, can thus console themselves that should Australia win the toss, post-war history has indicated that there is a 60% chance that they will not then win the match itself. However, the picture then looks bleak for England when one observes their success at converting successes at the toss into triumph in the ensuing test match. Perversely, England have won only 19 of the 78 Ashes test matches between 1945 and 2005 when their captain correctly envisaged how the coin would be flipped. This means that there is a 75 per cent likelihood that England will not actually derive any advantage from the coin ritual! In summary, I can only conclude that anyone who jumps to conclusions that a winning toss will lead to a winning test, all I can state from the evidence presented to me is that all Ashes observers need not get too excited about this flipping coin! 

'Alone And Asleep' by Oh Sam Bin Laden; extract

Saturday April the 30th

Apparently big Willie Windsor, now to be addressed as the Duke of Cambridge (and I'm tugging my lovely forelocks as I type this) is to return to work this week. Return to work? What work? And there's me thinking that he signed on to claim JSA at the local benefits office.

It was good to see young snooker prodigy Judd Trump win his semi-final 17-15 against Ding Junhui. Can Trump triumph in the final? If he beats John Higgins, I for one will be blowing Trump's trumpet.

It was equally good to see the mighty Leinster overcome the equally formidable Toulouse in their Heineken European Cup semi-final. Brian O'Driscoll was supposed to be attending the royal weeding yesterday, but fortunately for him, he had something infinitely more important to prepare for.

Meanwhile at the bridge, Tottensham's season of promise petered out as they surrendered a one-nil lead to lose two-one to Chelsea. Yes, the latter scored two dubious goals, but if the visitors had shown more attacking intent, then they would not have placed themselves in the perilous situation of having to defend and worst of all rely upon their erratic goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes. After hitting the heights, albeit briefly, against the two giants of Milan, one would have expected the has-beens of Tottensham to bust a gut in their endeavour to return to Europe's premier club competition. As it is, the filthy rich and filthy boring Manchester Wannabees are almost certain to be flying the flag for Manchester at next season's Champions League. Tomorrow, Manchester Wannabees ought to take care of little Wet Sham who are currently languishing at the foot of the English Premiership. As the Hammers prepare to bid farewell to the top flight, they will be trading places with another London club, as Queen's Park Rangers make a long overdue return to the elite league. With the charming Neil Warnock in charge, QPR will be 'worth watching' next year.

I received 1 text; no 'phone calls; no visitors; and I spoke to no people today. And so to bed.

Sunday May the 1st

It appears that one of crazy Colonel Gaddafi's sons has been killed by an air strike. This is the high price one pays for having a lunatic tyrant for a father.

On the subject of lunatic tyrants, Sir Alex Ferguson's little team succumbed one-nil to the once-mighty Arse-nil. This defeat blows the Premiership race wide open, allowing a previously written-off Chelsea the opportunity to steal the top prize from the Red Devils. I've said it a thousand times before and I will say it again: that Arse-nil team are absolutely great, and I will not have a bad word said about them.

In the world of rugger, an intriguing Anglo-Irish Heineken European Cup final has been set up courtesy of victory by the Northampton Saints today against Perpignan.

Right, so we are now into May and elections beckon this Thursday with the Alternative Vote standing for election too.

The weather today has been a repeat of the sunshine that has visited these parts for virtually all of April. In fact I cannot recall when it last rained. After a prolonged period of unbroken sunshine, one can expect the moaners' brigade to desire some rainfall. Unfortunately, when the wet drops do return, they are liable to wreck a terrible vengeance throughout July and August. Ah yes, our weather has a will of its own, and all such exhortations for rain or more sun are liable to fall on deaf ears.

Taking advantage of some unseasonal heat, I abandoned the chore of emailing libraries hither and thither about my lovely books in favour of an evening of Christian fellowship at a friend's house. Amongst the festivities, we chanced our arms at a bizarre Scandinavian pastime called Kubb. Remarkably, yours truly proved to be a red-hot competitor, providing the winning coup de grace. This game involved throwing wooden sticks to knock over wooden blocks. It's so nice to know that I am skilled at accurately chucking bits of wood around. I must go and add this life skill to my curriculum vitae.

I received no texts; no 'phone calls; no visitors; and I spoke to lots of folk today. And so to bed.

Monday May the 2nd

To quote Tony 'soundbite' Blair, “I can feel the hand of history” on this momentous day. The citizens of the United States of America have been rejoicing at the announcement by El Presidente that their bete noir, Osama Bin Laden, was shot dead when a contingent of American special forces stormed the bogeyman's compound in Pakistan and meted out summary justice. The septic tanks have typically celebrated in a rather silly way. Some have chanted that “Obama got Osama” while others have yelled “four more years”. Presumably the latter are cheerleaders hired by the Democrats.

On the one hand, one can state that you cannot begrudge the Americans this triumph almost ten years after the trauma of 9/11. However, I am entertaining the thought that Bin Laden was executed without a trial. Is this justice? Was he ever tried before a jury and convicted of the September the 11^th atrocity? No. He was taken out on the premise that he was almost certainly guilty. Does this not set a dangerous precedent for the future? “Justice is done” claims Jesus Obama. Really? “The world is a safer place.” Are you serious? I hate to be a doom-merchant but American embassies in particular had better be on a red alert as Al Qaeda are unlikely to vanish after this obvious setback. Vengeance is a toy that the evil like to play with.

Uncle Sam is now under pressure to withdraw from their stay in Afghanistan, as critics are suggesting that their mission is complete. Far from it retorted a bullish Hilary Clinton. It also appears that the notorious Bin Laden was promptly dumped at sea. This spares Al Qaeda the expense of employing an undertaker but more importantly it robs the Islamic extremists of a pilgrimage site or shrine.

While the USA celebrates a job well done, in spite of a malfunctioning helicopter, the episode doesn't reflect well on Pakistan. Bin Laden resided 800 yards from an army base. Pakistan would win an Olympic gold for corruption.

I received no texts; no 'phone calls; no visitors; and I spoke to 2 people today. And so to bed.

Tuesday May the 3rd

The fall-out continues in the aftermath of the execution of the world's most wanted man. One thing that I can console myself with is that as I am the world's most unwanted man, there is little likelihood that the Americans will land at my er 'compound' and storm my mansion any time soon.

Although the protestations of the Pakistani government that they genuinely knew nothing about the whereabouts of dear old Osama are actually credible, it is equally likely that some of their military or 'intelligence' personnel were in cahoots with Bin Laden. Therefore, the decision by the septic tanks to make their surprise incursion into Abottabad without being invited was a wise one. Alerting the Pakistan authorities of their mission would no doubt have resulted in someone in the Pakistan chain of command giving the notorious fugitive a tip-off. The Pakistanis were simply not to be trusted with the details of this 2011 equivalent of the raid on Entebbe, as there are clearly Jihad sympathisers who would have compromised the whole show. Whatever else comes out in the wash, one thing is abundantly clear, the Pakistan administration has been made to look ridiculously stupid with their failure to notice that the world's most infamous individual was living it up within their midst. I mean, did nobody ever spot him buying a pint of milk at the local shop. Do they have corner shops in Pakistan, or do Pakistanis just open corner shops in soft touch Britain?

Furthermore, I think that the Messiah, Barack Obama should have summoned Bill Clinton and George Dubya to the White House under strictest security and allowed the two previous incumbents the opportunity to watch their bete noir receiving his comeuppance. It would have been a generous gesture. In the event, Bin Laden was apparently unarmed. I cannot understand why he could not have been shot with a tranquillizer dart or shot in the leg. Maybe having Bin Laden in custody would have been a major encumbrance for the USA?

I received no texts; no 'phone calls; no visitors; and I spoke to lots of folk today. And so to bed.

Wednesday May the 4th

As conflicting stories are proliferating about the nature of Osama Bin Laden's death, the predictable conspiracy theories are emerging. Was it really Bin Laden who was killed? Let's see the proof, the doubting Thomases are demanding. Funny how the queue of those desiring photographs of a dead Bin Laden is led by none other than the printed press. On the radio, the Daily Mirror's Kevin Maguire was one such journalist requesting photographic evidence. Well, I wanted photographic evidence that the man on the radio was indeed Kevin Maguire, while perhaps he might have wanted photographic proof that I was indeed listening to him on the radio. Oh children, please stop the nonsense before we degenerate into a 2011 version of Monty Python's dead parrot sketch: “Oh he's not dead. He's just resting. He's pining for the fjords.” Having said that, I passed this geezer who was stacking shelves at the local supermarket and I could have sworn it was Bin Laden's twin. Oh come on folks, he's dead. Get over it and move on.

Apparently, the Alternative Vote campaign is struggling, if the latest polls are to be believed. Personally, I want some photographic evidence of these poll findings. Actually, I think that the vote on the subject of electoral reform should be conducted using the Alternative Vote. For example, if the Yes we want voting reform won 48% of the votes, and No let's keep first-past-the-post won 45% of the votes, and in last place came spoiled ballot papers with a measly seven per cent, then spoiled ballot papers would have to be eliminated and their second preferences would have to be re-distributed. Does that sound farcical? Well, so is the Alternative Vote. The votes for the eliminated last-placed candidate are re-distributed but the votes for the leading candidates are not re-distributed, so their second preferences are ignored. Does this sound fair? Only if you are mad or a member of the Liberal Democrats can this seem fair.

I must dash. Osama Bin Laden has just sent me an email.

I received no texts; no 'phone calls; no visitors; and I spoke to lots of folk today. And so to bed.

Thursday May the 5th

After all the lovely weather of the last few weeks, polling day witnessed more damp weather instead. Perhaps the variety of elections themselves will prove to be a damp squib. The predictions suggest that the Scottish National Party will hold onto power in Scotland. In Northern Ireland, the fear amongst the red, white, and blue brigade is that Sinn Fein may emerge as the largest party and thus Field Marshal Martin McGuinness could be the next First Minister. I do look forward to the results tomorrow as I am a bit of an anorak when it comes to sports scores and other facts such as the number of seats won and lost.

As for the local elections in England, the Conservatives are expecting to take a bit of a hit, not least because the Labour Party are starting from such a low base, arising out of their bad performance the last time when they were previously in power. Ed Miliband will cling to these election successes to offset the failure of Labour to oust the SNP from power in Scotland.

With the Alternative Vote likely to return to oblivion, it will be interesting to see how the coalition government recovers from the spats that have dominated the heated debate about the need or otherwise for electoral reform. Paddy Ashdown has got rather cross at what he regards as an act of bad faith by David Cameron to campaign so vociferously for a No vote.

I didn't vote today. I object to Northern Ireland returning six MLAs in each constituency. This is a criminal waste of money. The system agreed in April 1998 has a lot to answer for.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, President Obama paid a visit to Ground Zero where he laid a wreath. He is riding high in the opinion polls after the extra-judicial execution of Osama Bin Laden. Some of his citizens are chanting 'USA, USA'. Flip me, you would think it was a game of ice hockey. Yes it is good to see Al Qaeda get its comeuppance, but presumably revenge is nigh and quite frankly, the USA loses the moral high ground when it forsakes trial by jury in favour of semi-legal murder.

I received no texts; no 'phone calls; no visitors; and I spoke to 3 people today. And so to bed.

Friday May the 6th

Today is a day to bring the swingometer out of the attic and assess the toing and froing arising from the latest bout of national elections. First of all, poor old Alternative Vote was overwhelmingly snubbed in the referendum. This reflects badly on the Liberal Democrats. The consensus of opinion is that their campaign for this new voting system was a far from convincing one. To rub salt in their wounds, Britain's 'third' party were also slaughtered in the English local council elections. The Labour Party made inroads at local government level but they scarcely enjoyed sweeping gains. Furthermore, Ed Miliband had thrown his puny weight behind the AV Yes vote, so he has little to be smug about. In addition to this, the Labour Party narrowly failed to secure a majority in the next Welsh Assembly whilst north of Hadrian's Wall, Labour finished a distant second to the SNP. In fact, the Scottish Nationalist Party seized a total of 69 seats in the Scottish Assembly, thereby becoming the first party to enjoy a majority. There will be a renewed attempt to break away from big, bad England, but it remains to be seen whether the SNP's vote was exclusively a call for independence or more likely a thumbs down protest vote against a complacent Scottish Labour Party.

Meanwhile in Norn Iron, the process of counting the votes was scandalously slow. Some of the counting mishaps would not have been out of place in a sketch on Father Ted's Craggy Island. In one count, the table collapsed, scattering votes all over the place. In another locality, a hair dryer was requested to dry out some wet ballot papers. It's a darn good job that the turnout was pitifully low or the votes might never have been counted yet. The turnout has slipped to little beyond fifty per cent casting a vote. Is this a sign of contentment with the machinations and manoeuvrings of the political class? Surely not? More likely it's a damning indictment of a system that lacks an opposition party and produces a ludicrous coalition.

I received no texts; no 'phone calls; no visitors; and I spoke to no people today. And so to bed.