British hit singles of 1974

1-8-10 British hit singles of 1974

Let’s move even further away from “my personal 1972” – here are the top British hit singles of 1974 (roughly in order):

New Seekers – You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me

Mud – Tiger Feet*

Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive*

Alvin Stardust – Jealous Mind*

Paper Lace – Billy Don’t Be A Hero

Terry Jacks – Seasons In The Sun

Abba – Waterloo*

Rubettes – Sugar Baby Love*

Ray Stevens – The Streak*

Gary Glitter – Always Yours*

Charles Aznavour – She

George MacCrae – Rock Your Baby*

Three Degrees – When Will I See You Again*

Osmonds – Love Me For A Reason

Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting*

John Denver – Annie’s Song

Sweet Sensation – Sad Sweet Dreamer

Ken Boothe – Everything I Own

David Essex – Gonna Make You A Star

Barry White – You’re My First, My Last, My Everything*

Mud – Lonely This Christmas*

At the time, I owned none of these records. Either on 7” or LP or CD, I own 12 of them in 2010 (that I am aware of, noted with an asterisk *). I got the glam bug in Japan 5 or 6 years ago, hence the Alvin Stardust, Rubettes and Mud 45’s. I have the Abba and Barry White tracks because I am trying to own all relevant “Millennium Collection” CD releases by Universal Records. The Ken Boothe record is a reggae song, so that might be on a compilation somewhere, but I don’t think I have ever heard it. And I’ve seen Sweet Sensation on Top Of The Pops re-runs, but that’s about my total comprehension of them. And I’m no so into John Denver. I also think I prefer Bo Donaldson & The Heywood’s version of “Billy Don’t Be A Hero”. I will tolerate some 70’s Ray Stevens, but I really prefer his early 60’s hits like “Ahab The Arab”. I don’t think I own any Charles Aznavour – but maybe he’s on some French 70’s hits compilation CD that I have hoarded. I liked David Essex in a film or two, but “Rock On” will always be his shining hour, to me.

So, what was Ron doing in 1974? I started high school. I was burgeoning record collector. I made handwritten lists on yellow legal tablets, so we know EXACTLY what I was listening to in 1974 – here’s the list, roughly in the order that I got them! No, I don’t still own them all…Yes, I still like most of ‘em.

FAUST – So Far (Polydor Germany)

THE DEVIANTS – Disposable (Stable UK)

MICHEL BERGER – self-titled (Warners France)

BRUTE FORCE – Confections of Love (Columbia US) mono

THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN (Track UK)

JOHN CALE & TERRY RILEY – The Church of Anthrax (Columbia US)

NICK DRAKE – Pink Moon (Island US)

GRAHAM BOND – We Put Out Magick On You (Mercury US)

BO HANSSON – The Magician’s Hat (Charisma UK)

THE MAMAS & PAPAS – Live At Monterey (Dunhill US)

GONG – Magick Brother (Byg France)

GRAHAM BELL – self-titled (Charisma UK)

MONTY PYTHON – Matching Tie and Handkerchief (Charisma UK) dual spiral LP

FAMILY – Family Entertainment (Reprise US) with poster

THE NICE – Five Bridges (Mercury US)

CURVED AIR – Phantasmagoria (Warners US)

ED SANDERS – Beer Cans On The Moon (Reprise)

TONY HAZZARD – Loudwater House (Island/Bronze UK)

THE LAST POETS (Douglas US)

INDIAN SUMMER – self-titled (Neon US)

VARIOUS ARTISTS – The 1970 Vertigo Annual (Vertigo UK 2LP)

PETER HAMMILL – The Silent Corner & The Empty Stage (Charisma UK)

FAIRWEATHER – Beginning From An End (Neon US)

THE ROLLING STONES – Their Satanic Majesties Request (London US) 3D cover

DEEP PURPLE – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Tetragrammaton US)

PINK FLOYD – A Saucerful Of Secrets (Tower US)

EAST OF EDEN – Snafu (Deram UK)

ANDREW LEIGH – Magician (Sire US)

FRANK ZAPPA – Apostrophe (Discreet US) promo

OSANNA – Palepoli (Fonit Italy)

DAEVID ALLEN/GONG – Banana Moon (Byg France)

SPOOKY TOOTH – Ceremony (A&M US)

RINGO STARR – Ringo (Apple US)

KING CRIMSON – Starless & Bible Black (Atlantic US)

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND – (the one with the black cover, on MGM/Verve)

CYRUS FARYAR – Islands (Elektra US)

GONG – Camembert Electrique (Byg France)

JACKSON HEIGHTS – King Progress (Mercury US)

AXIS – self-titled (Riviera France)

PETER GREEN – The End of the Game (Reprise UK)

PROCOL HARUM – Shines On Brightly (A&M US) promo

MIKE HERON – Smiling Men With Bad Reputations (Elektra US) promo

THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND – Liquid Acrobat… (Island UK)

BIRTH CONTROL – self-titled (Prophesy US)

KLAUS SCHULZE – Irrlicht (Ohr Germany)

ROBERT FRIPP & BRIAN ENO – (no pussyfooting) (Island UK)

EVERY WHICH WAY – self-titled (Mercury US)

NICO – The Marble Index (Elektra US)

TRAFFIC – The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys (Island Germany)

COEUR MAGIQUE – Wakan Tanka (Byg France)

HOME – Pause For A Hoarse Horse (Epic US)

WYOMING – self-titled (Bascillus Germany)

WYOMING – In Prison (Bascillus Germany)

NINE DAYS WONDER – self-titled (Bascillus Germany)

CERVELLO – Melos (Ricordi Italy)

TONY CONRAD & FAUST – Outside the Dream Syndicate (Caroline UK)

BO HANSSON – In De Ban Van De Ring (Lord of the Rings)(EMI Holland)

LE ORME – Felona And Sorona (Charisma UK)

TANGERINE DREAM – Phaedra (Virgin US)

SATURNALIA – Magical Love (UK picture disc)

KINGDOM COME – Galactic Zoo Dossier (Polydor UK)

FAUST – self-titled (Polydor UK, black vinyl copy) (my 2^nd or 3rd copy)

HENRY COW – The Henry Cow Legend (Virgin Germany)

KEVIN AYERS – Bananamour (Harvest UK) no, it didn’t have the booklet

JIMI HENDRIX – Smash Hits (Track UK)

KEITH TIPPETT – Dedicated To You… (Vertigo UK)

TREVOR BILLMUSS – Family Apology (Charisma UK)

YOKO ONO – Plastic Ono Band (Apple UK)

SYD BARRETT – The Madcap Laughs/Barrett (Harvest UK 2LP)

PETER BANKS – The Two Sides of Peter Banks (Capitol US)

AUDIENCE – The House on the Hill (Elektra US)

JIMI HENDRIX / OTIS REDDING – Live At Monterey (Reprise US)

MORT SHUMAN – My Death (Reprise US)

STAN FREBERG – Underground Show #1 (Capitol US)

THE CREDIBILITY GAP – A Great Gift Idea (Reprise US)

PETE BROWN & THE BATTERED ORNAMENTS – A Meal You Can Shake Hands With In The Dark (Harvest UK)

KRAFTWERK – self-titled (Philips Germany)

KRAFTWERK – Kraftwerk II (Philips Germany)

THE FACES – A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… (Warners US) with the huge poster

THE IDLE RACE – Birthday Party (Imperial US)

THE CONCEPTION CORPORATION – A Pause In The Disaster (Cotillion US)

“ELECTRONIC MUSIC FROM ILLINOIS”

THE DEVIANTS – Deviants #3 (Sire US)

BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST – self-titled (Sire US)

LE ORME – Collage (Philips Italy)

THE NEW TROLLS – Concerto Grosso Per Uno (Cetra Italy)

THE DEVIANTS – Ptoof! (Underground Impresarios UK)

STAN FREBERG – A Child’s Garden of Freberg (Capitol US) mono

FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION – Live At The Roxy (Discreet US 2LP) promo

ALAN HULL – Pipe Dream (Charisma UK)

HENRY COW – Unrest (Virgin UK)

LE ORME – Uomo Di Pezza (Philips Italy)

KLAUS SCHULZE – Black Dance (Brain Metronome Germany)

KING CRIMSON – Red (Island UK)

ESPERANTO – Danse Macabre (A&M US)

CURVED AIR – Air Conditioning (Warners UK picture disc)

KEVIN COYNE – Marjory Razorblade (Virgin US) single disc U.S. version

THE NICE – Everything As Nice As Mother Makes It (Immediate US)

THE ROLLING STONES – self-titled debut (Decca UK) mono

THE STEVE MILLER BAND – Sailor (Capitol US)

FAMILY – It’s Only A Movie (United Artists US)

TEA & SYMPHONY – Jo Sago (Harvest UK)

LE ORME – In Concerto (Philips Italy)

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH – Horizons (Harvest UK)

THE BEATLES – Magical Mystery Tour (Parlophone UK double 7” EP)

THE FIRESIGN THEATRE – Everything You Know is Wrong (Columbia US)

QUATERMASS – self-titled (Harvest UK)

G.F. FITZ-GERALD – Mouseproof (Uni UK)

THE FUGS – It Crawled Into My Hand Honest (Reprise US)

KLAUS SCHULZE – Cyborg (Kosmische Musik Germany)

MYTHOS – self-titled (Ohr Germany)

KINGDOM COME – Journey (Polydor UK)

MAGMA – Kohntarkosz (A&M US)

IL BALLETTO DI BRONZO – Ys. (Polydor Italy)

HORACE SILVER – In Pursuit of the 27^th Man (Blue Note US)

KRAFTWERK – Ralf & Florian (Philips Germany)

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR – The Aerosol Grey Machine (Mercury US)