Merry Xmas from 4xlife and the Scovells! Nicely timed with the end of the year, here’s the sounds of the start of 1973…
Songs of the month
- [new] “Always On My Mind” – Elvis Presley
- “Been To Canaan” – Carole King
- “Clair” – Gilbert O’sullivan
- [new] “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” – Spinners
- “Crocodile Rock” – Elton John
- “Daddy’s Home” – Jermaine Jackson
- [new] “Dancing In The Moonlight” – King Harvest
- [new] “Do It Again” – Steely Dan
- [new] “Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend” – Lobo
- “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” – James Taylor
- “Dreidel” – Don Mclean
- “Funny Face” – Donna Fargo
- “Hi Hi Hi” – Wings
- “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy
- “I Wanna Be With You” – Raspberries
- “It Never Rains In Southern California” – Albert Hammond
- [new] “Jambalaya” – Blue Ridge Rangers
- “Keeper Of The Castle” – Four Tops
- “Living In The Past” – Jethro Tull
- [new] “Love Jones” – Brighter Side Of Darkness
- “Me And Mrs. Jones” – Billy Paul
- [new] “Oh Babe What Would You Say” – Hurricane Smith
- “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” – Temptations
- “Pieces Of April” – Three Dog Night
- “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” – Johnny Rivers
- [new] “Rocky Mountain High” – John Denver
- “Sitting” – Cat Stevens
- [new] “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” – Blue Haze
- “Something’s Wrong With Me” – Austin Roberts
- “Superfly” – Curtis Mayfield
- “Superstition” – Stevie Wonder
- “Sweet Surrender” – Bread
- [new] “The World Is A Ghetto” – War
- [new] “Trouble Man” – Marvin Gaye
- “Walk On Water” – Neil Diamond
- “Why Can’t We Live Together” – Timmy Thomas
- “You Ought To Be With Me” – Al Green
- [new] “You Turn Me On I’m A Radio” – Joni Mitchell
- “You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon
- “Your Mama Don’t Dance” – Kenny Loggins And Jim Messina
[new] = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
On January the 4th the pilot episode of the longest-running TV comedy series in the world (and a personal childhood favourite), Last of the Summer Wine, was broadcast in the United Kingdom as an episode of BBC’s Comedy Playhouse. Picked up as a series, Last of the Summer Wine would debut on November 12 and would continue to run for 295 episodes over 37 years, until August 29, 2010.
And across the Atlantic on the 11th “An American Family”, arguably the first “reality show” on television, was launched as a 12-episode series on PBS. The show was the edited product of seven months of a production crew following around a Santa Monica, California husband and wife and their five teenage children, and filming their private lives. From May 30 until December 31, 1971, 300 hours of film was made of business executive Bill Loud, his wife Pat, and their three sons and two daughters, then editing it to twelve 50-minute shows
Then on the 14th of January, in a marvel of modern technology, Elvis Presley’s “Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite” concert was performed in Honolulu at 12:30 in the morning local time, to be seen live in Australia, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, South Vietnam and Hong Kong, and on tape delay everywhere else in the world.
What’d Sadie think?
It is three weeks at the top for “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon before Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” tops the chart for the last week of January.
Loved ’em
- “Always On My Mind” – Elvis Presley
- “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” – Spinners
- “You Turn Me On I’m A Radio” – Joni Mitchell
Apparently Joni Mitchell originally wrote the latter song in response to her record label’s desire for her to write a hit song… some layers there! The song was recorded in preparation for Mitchell’s then-upcoming fifth studio album. Although Graham Nash, David Crosby, and Neil Young all contributed to the recording session for the song, only the harmonica piece performed by Graham Nash was included on the official release.
Liked ’em
- “Dancing In The Moonlight” – King Harvest
- “Do It Again” – Steely Dan
- “Jambalaya” – Blue Ridge Rangers
- “Love Jones” – Brighter Side Of Darkness
- “Rocky Mountain High” – John Denver
- “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” – Blue Haze
- “The World Is A Ghetto” – War
- “Trouble Man” – Marvin Gaye
Leave ’em
- “Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend” – Lobo
- “Oh Babe What Would You Say” – Hurricane Smith
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.