The UK Top 50 of 1977 Poll

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Time has come for 1977 then.

Poll Results

OptionVotes
Donna Summer I Feel Love 12
Baccara Yes Sir I Can Boogie 4
Jean Michel Jarre Oxygene Part IV 3
Joe Tex Ain't Gonna Bump No More 2
Hot Chocolate So You Win Again 2
The Bee Gees How Deep Is Your Love 2
David Bowie Sound And Vision 2
Showaddywaddy Under The Moon Of Love2
Stevie Wonder Sir Duke 2
The Emotions Best Of My Love 2
Van McCoy The Shuffle 1
Rod Stewart You're In My Heart 1
Showaddywaddy Dancin' Party 1
The Floaters Float On 1
Abba Knowing Me, Knowing You 1
Wings Mull Of Kintyre / Girl's School 0
Brotherhood Of Man Angelo 0
Julie Covington Don't Cry For Me Argentina 0
Gladys Knight & The Pips Baby Don't Change Your Mind 0
David Soul Silver Lady 0
Rod Stewart I Don't Want To Talk About It / First Cut Is The Deepest 0
Berni Flint I Don't Want To Put A Hold On You 0
Johnny Mathis When A Child Is Born 0
Elvis Presley Way Down 0
Rita Coolidge We're All Alone 0
Heatwave Boogie Nights 0
David Soul Don't Give Up On Us 0
Donna Summer Down Deep Inside 0
The Rah Band The Crunch 0
Ruby Winters I Will 0
Carly Simon Nobody Does It Better 0
Showaddywaddy You Got What It Takes 0
Leo Sayer When I Need You 0
Billy Ocean Red Light Spells Danger 0
Barbra Streisand A Star Is Born (Evergreen) 0
La Belle Epoque Black Is Black 0
Emerson Lake & Palmer Fanfare For The Common Man 0
Deniece Williams Free 0
Status Quo Rockin' All Over The World 0
Space Magic Fly 0
Boney M Ma Baker 0
Queen We Are The Champions 0
Kenny Rogers Lucille 0
The Jacksons Show You The Way To Go 0
Barry Biggs Sideshow 0
Abba Name Of The Game 0
The Manhattan Transfer Chanson D'Amour 0
The Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band Floral Dance 0
David Soul Going In With My Eyes Open 0
Showaddywaddy When 0


Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 09:59 (eighteen years ago)

Not too impressed by this list, really, but I guess the disco fans are.

The electronic stuff is best. Voted "Oxygene", but "I Feel Love" and "Magic Fly" are also great. "Boogie Nights" is the best of the disco numbers besides "I Feel Love".

Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 10:01 (eighteen years ago)

Baccara, easy.

Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 10:01 (eighteen years ago)

"God Save The Queen" appears as number 60 only. Wonder if they have manipulated the list or something...

Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 10:02 (eighteen years ago)

Baccara seconded. Though "I Feel Love" is another strong contestant in a weak group of songs.

zeus, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 10:03 (eighteen years ago)

xpost I was just going to say, "where is?"

I guess that one would have won easy, compared to the rest.

Mark G, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 10:48 (eighteen years ago)

Well, maybe not easy, "I feel love" prob still 4tw.

Mark G, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 10:48 (eighteen years ago)

I think the list can safely be summed up as "Punk? What punk?"

Retrospectively "Mull Of Kintyre" probably should have topped the list as the first single to exceed two million sales in the UK but then its sales were split between two years.

"God Save The Queen" sold 250,000 so should have been in there but I'm not really surprised that it isn't.

Some good stuff in there as well as the obviously naff stuff.

I'll go for "Sound And Vision" because both single and its parent album inspired more "WTF?" reactions in my 13-year-old 1977 self than punk did at the time...

Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 10:50 (eighteen years ago)

Punk didn't have much commercial success until it became more polished and melodic and turned into new wave.

Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 11:11 (eighteen years ago)

Keats didn't have much commercial success until it became more polished and melodic and turned into Keane.

Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 11:12 (eighteen years ago)

1977 was the UK singles chart's duddest year, and here's your proof.

Although the only one I bought at the time (*) was "Sound And Vision" (if owning it as an album track even counts), it has to be "I Feel Love".

I'd completely forgotten that "The Hustle" charted all over again in 77, BTW. Why so?

(*) OK, I'm lying. The only single in that list which I bought at the time (in a bargain bin! a bargain bin!) was... "The Floral Dance".

mike t-diva, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 11:18 (eighteen years ago)

Er, no, it was "The Shuffle," not "The Hustle"! Along with "Way Down" and "The Crunch" it helped invent schaffel.

Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 11:20 (eighteen years ago)

Oh dear, I think I'm ready for "Shady Pines". Wheel me out.

mike t-diva, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 11:23 (eighteen years ago)

I must say I'm quite relieved by the absence from this list of Danny Mirror's number four smash "I Remember Elvis Presley."

Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 11:24 (eighteen years ago)

Baccara is hysterical, but a vote against "I Feel Love" means teh terrorists win.

Eric H., Tuesday, 18 December 2007 11:27 (eighteen years ago)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/137384170_4601105231.jpg?v=0
Danny Mirror. Those Dutch, eh?

For me Hot Chocolate just beats the Rah Band.

Dr.C, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 12:14 (eighteen years ago)

Always found "So You Win Again" a bit boring I'm afraid. The follow-up "Put Your Love In Me," however, is a total masterpiece; Tim Buckley meets Bollywood via Kraftwerk.

Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 12:18 (eighteen years ago)

Yes, it's possibly their worst big hit (nowhere near as good as Everyone's A Winner, Brother Louie, Emma, or even It Started With A Kiss) but I just wanted to vote for THEM more than the recd itself. It was also on the radio when I opened my O-level English Lang result.

Dr.C, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 13:08 (eighteen years ago)

Dud? With "The Name of the Game" AND "I Feel Love" in the same year?!??!

Tom D., Tuesday, 18 December 2007 13:10 (eighteen years ago)

Three Showaddywaddy No.1s - none of which I recognise.

Not sure whether "Floral Dance" or "Fanfare for the Common Man" are the worst tracks on this list.

Tom D., Tuesday, 18 December 2007 13:15 (eighteen years ago)

Oy, there's nowt wrong with the glorious tone of the clarinet, cornet and big trombone!

mike t-diva, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 13:24 (eighteen years ago)

Or Keith Emerson playing them all on a moog with a bread knife

Tom D., Tuesday, 18 December 2007 13:26 (eighteen years ago)

xxpost - 1977 was not the singles chart's duddest year - and here is your proof.

Looking at the monthly top 40's finds these singles:

Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes - Don't Leave Me This Way
Boney M - Daddy Cool
Thin Lizzy - Don't Believe A Word
Boston - More Than A Feeling
Al Stewart - Year Of The Cat
The Stylistics - You'll Never Get To Heaven
The Eagles - New Kid In Town
Graham Parker - Hold Back The Night
Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
ELO - Telephone Line
The Muppets - Halfway Down The Stairs
Bryan Ferry - Tokyo Joe
The Ramones - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
The Eagles - Hotel California
Alessi - Oh Lori
Genesis - Spot The Pigeon EP
The Stranglers - Peaches
The Brothers Johnson - Strawberry Letter 23
Supertramp - Give A Little Bit
Andrew Gold - Lonely Boy
Boz Scaggs - Lido Shuffle
Detroit Emeralds - Feel The Need
Jonathan Richman - Roadrunner
Eddie & The Hot Rods - Do Anything You Wanna Do
Mink De Ville - Spanish Stroll
The Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant
The Jam - All Around The World
The Stranglers - Something Better Change
Bob Marley - Waiting In Vain
The Adverts - Gary Gilmore's Eyes
Yes - Wondrous Stories
Ram Jam - Black Betty
Candi Staton - Nights On Broadway
David Bowie - Heroes
Tom Robinson Band - 2-4-6-8 Motorway
The Sex Pistols - Holdays In The Sun
Elvis Costello - Watchin' The Detectives
Jonathon Richman - Egyptian Reggae
Bob Marley - Jammin'
Otway & Barrett - Really Free
Julie Covington - Only Women Bleed
Chic - Dance Dance Dance
Bonnie Tyler - It's A Heartache

And they were just the ones that leapt out. I'd be proud to own all of these - in fact I think I do own most of them.

Oh - and Baccara ftw.

Guilty_Boksen, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 13:32 (eighteen years ago)

Only one of those Showaddywaddy "classics" - "Under The Moon Of Love" - made number one.

I'm biased against "Fanfare For The Common Man" since I was exposed to it every teatime as the theme tune to Reporting Scotland.

Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 13:41 (eighteen years ago)

OK, say "Bobby Gillespie"

Mark G, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 13:43 (eighteen years ago)

I got as far as "Halfway Down The Stairs" and knew that was you posting.

xxpost

onimo, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 13:45 (eighteen years ago)

"Duddest" is a relative concept, Mr. Boksen. What's your duddest year of the 1970s?

mike t-diva, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 14:01 (eighteen years ago)

Probably 1971ish (not really the 70s yet but not the 60s either), but I could probably make a case against any year being a total dud.

You are, of course, correct Mike. It's all relative - I just remmebr there being loads of fantastic singles in 77 that possibly didn't chart as well as they should have (Christ, I didn't even list the Damned singles - or most of the early Stiff stuff)

Onimo - you dissing Kermit's cousin Robin (or was it nephew)?

Guilty_Boksen, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 14:17 (eighteen years ago)

No I just knew that only you would put it next to ELO and Peter Gabriel. Robin was Kermit's nephew, and I have no beef with him.

onimo, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 14:19 (eighteen years ago)

Oh sure, 1977 was a fantastic year for singles, what with the punk/disco inspired rebirth and all - but not so many of the good ones charted, that's all.

mike t-diva, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 14:22 (eighteen years ago)

I Feel Love.
No-one should diss Robin - Halfway Down The Stairs.

Herman G. Neuname, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 14:29 (eighteen years ago)

Oh, okay, I missed this I guess, but I didn't really miss it. Choosing from:

Abba Knowing Me, Knowing You
Heatwave Boogie Nights
The Bee Gees How Deep Is Your Love
Stevie Wonder Sir Duke

but I need to double-check some of this other stuff.

Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 15:29 (eighteen years ago)

"Oxygene"

snoball, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 15:44 (eighteen years ago)

These are okay to good too:

Leo Sayer When I Need You [not sure I'd want to try to defend it]
Kenny Rogers Lucille
Deniece Williams Free
The Emotions Best Of My Love

Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 15:52 (eighteen years ago)

"I Feel Love" >>> just about everything else evah

Myonga Vön Bontee, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 18:35 (eighteen years ago)

legs

Mark G, Wednesday, 19 December 2007 09:47 (eighteen years ago)

Leo Sayer When I Need You

Also known as "Famous Blue Raincoat". :)

Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 19 December 2007 09:57 (eighteen years ago)

Myonga correct as correct can be.

JN$OT, Wednesday, 19 December 2007 10:19 (eighteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

ILX System, Tuesday, 25 December 2007 00:01 (eighteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

ILX System, Wednesday, 26 December 2007 00:01 (seventeen years ago)

A deserved winner, even though I didn't vote for it. A good thing Baccara didn't win - it must be the worst on the list.

Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 26 December 2007 00:09 (seventeen years ago)


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