Popular '70

I feel pretty well disposed to all of these apart from Dana but felt I had to demonstrate some kind of discrimination and so voted for 8.
Thanks for the NME phantoms Billy. I’d have loved to see Lola at number 1.

I used to do an appalling impression of Lee Marvin’s ‘Wandrin Star’ as a kid – happy days

I voted for 8. Too bad that the Jackson 5’s I want you back is a phantom – it would have fit beautifully with Freda Payne and Tears of a Clown.

I have always been mildly annoyed by Tears of a Clown: and was marking v.grumpily as I have horrible back ache at the moment (just 4! an all-time low i think!)

Voted 5, Band of Gold my favourite on the list, and have a soft spot for Love Grows

Re 5: I just never got Voodoo Chile – any other JHE single would get a 7 or more from more. In isolation, or up against All Kinds Of Everything at any rate, it sounds fierce and eventful, but I think the Experience had been far more concise (Crosstown Traffic), melodic (Little Wing), atmospheric (Castles Made Of Sand, Wind Cries Mary), iconoclastic (All Along The Watchtower) or rhythmically out there (Manic Depression, Fire).

And, at the risk of sounding dumb, I don’t get the lyrical gist of the song (esp. as it was deemed significant enough to be printed on the sleeve).

I don’t think it’s awful by any means, but I wouldn’t automatically give a Beatles/Stones/Who/Kinks single 6+ either.

Mildly shocked by the lack of love for Ian Matthews’ English pastoral take on Woodstock, which blurrily evokes my 5 yr old experience of 1970 – going up Box Hill, looking at the bikers and hippies sitting on the grass, while eating (if I was lucky) a 99.

@Wichita. Jesus, the US #1 list for 1970 is utterly superb – that’s a knockout playlist anytime. If only crowds were always that wise!

The list is wholly great with the exception of the dreadful Tea Party shill in the middle.

Yes, this is a wonderful list, as is the one in the US. Guess Who’s “American Woman”, for example, is a blinding track and cruely became a torment for Gordon Brown, after he abused that sweet kindly old lady up in Rochdale:

“Bigoted woman, stay away from me
Bigoted woman, mama let me be
Don’t come hanging around my door
I don’t want to see your face no more
I got more important things to do
Than spend my time a-listenin’ to you
Now woman, stay away
Bigoted woman, listen what I say…”

# 1 – Some wonderful “phantoms” there, the pick for me being The Moodies’ spectacular “Question”.

# 10 – I too remain puzzled as to why “Voodoo Chile” was selected as the tribute. Any of Lino’s suggestions would have worked better, although one or two he lists had already been released as singles, of course. I would have suggested the most appropriate choice to have been “I Don’t Live Today”.. but then again, perhaps not.

# 10(2) – That’s funny. I also associate MSC’s “Woodstock” with memories of Box Hill. My primary school organised an Autumn camp at Marchants Hill when this record was in the charts. I would have been 9 but I can’t recall running into any bikers or hippies. I do however have a clear recollection of dancing in the camp hall to Bobby Bloom’s “Montego Bay”.

I shall gladly join the chorus of slating 1970’s Eurovision winning song, which had the temerity to knock BOTW off the top but will not indulge in any Dana-bashing for reasons I think you can probably guess!

the BBC returns to the 1970s in this new series, starting tomorrow. Details here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01glsyl

There will also be some 70s music being shown, as noted here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01gnm8k

I was about to point out there were SEVEN phantom number ones in 1970, from the NME chart, but there it already is in comment number one!

Nothing more to be said, then, other than all seven would get a tick from me, and that “kind faced” Dana failed to make the grade in the NME – she stuck at no.2 for three weeks, behind Simon & Garfunkel and then Norman Greenbaum.