The UK Top 50 of 1977 Poll

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".

Baccara, easy.

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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".

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

OK, say "Bobby Gillespie"

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

xxpost

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

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)?

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.

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.

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

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.

"Oxygene"

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

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

legs

Leo Sayer When I Need You

Also known as "Famous Blue Raincoat". :)

Myonga correct as correct can be.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

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

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.