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We’re coming near the end of our 26th year on our journey, what’s the time Sadie?

The Chart

A week at the top for “Rock N Me” by Steve Miller Band before Rod Stewart takes the rest of the month with “Tonight’s The Night”.

• “A Dose Of Rock N Roll” – Ringo Starr
• “A Fifth Of Beethoven” – Walter Murphy
• [new] “After The Lovin’” – Engelbert Humperdinck
• “Beth” – Kiss
• [new] “Dazz” – Brick
• “Disco Duck” – Rick Dees And His Cast Of Idiots
• “Do You Feel Like We Do” – Peter Frampton
• “Fernando” – Abba
• [new] “Hello Old Friend” – Eric Clapton
• [new] “Hot Line” – Sylvers
• [new] “I Never Cry” – Alice Cooper
• “I Only Want To Be With You” – Bay City Rollers
• “If You Leave Me Now” – Chicago
• “Just To Be Close To You” – Commodores
• [new] “Livin’ Thing” – Electric Light Orchestra
• [new] “Love Ballad L.T.D.
• [new] “Love Me” – Yvonne Elliman
• “Love So Right” – Bee Gees
• “Magic Man” – Heart
• “More Than A Feeling” – Boston
• “Muskrat Love” – Captain And Tennille
• “Nadia’s Theme” – Barry Devorzon And Perry Botkin Jr.
• [new] “Nadiya’s Theme” – Barry Devorzon And Perry Botkin Jr.
• [new] “Nights Are Forever Without You” – England Dan And John Ford Coley
• “Play That Funky Music” – Wild Cherry
• “Rock N Me” – Steve Miller Band
• “Rubberband Man” – Spinners
• “Shake Your Booty” – K.C And The Sunshine Band
• “She’s Gone” – Hall And Oates
• [new] “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” – Elton John
• [new] “Stand Tall” – Burton Cummings
• “That’ll Be The Day” – Linda Ronstadt
• “The Best Disco In Town” – Ritchie Family
• “The Rubberband Man” – Spinners
• “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald” – Gordon Lightfoot
• “This One’s For You” – Barry Manilow
• “Tonight’s The Night” – Rod Stewart
• “Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald” – Gordon Lightfoot
• [new] “You Are My Starship” – Norman Connors
• “You Are The Woman” – Firefall
• [new] “You Don’t Have To Be A Star” – Marilyn Mccoo And Billy Davis Jr.
• [new] “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” – Leo Sayer

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

The Times

On November 2, 1976, former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter narrowly defeated incumbent President Gerald Ford in the 48th US presidential election.

Running as an honest Washington outsider in the cynical aftermath of Watergate and the Vietnam War, Carter’s folksy campaign promise – “I will never lie to you” – resonated with an exhausted electorate. Winning 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 240, Carter became the first candidate from the Deep South elected to the presidency since 1848, officially ending eight years of Republican White House control.

On November 21, 1976, John G. Avildsen’s underdog sports drama Rocky premiered in New York City before expanding nationwide. Written in just three-and-a-half days by then-unknown actor Sylvester Stallone, who fiercely refused to sell the script unless he starred as Rocky Balboa, the movie was produced on a shoestring budget of roughly $1 million.

The film became a runaway critical and commercial phenomenon, standing as the highest-grossing film of 1976. It pioneered the use of the Steadicam during Stallone’s training runs up the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, went on to win three Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Director), and ignited one of the longest-running franchises in cinema history.

Also at the cinema, on November 27, 1976, Sidney Lumet’s media satire Network, penned by screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, opened in broad release. The film starred Peter Finch as unhinged veteran news anchor Howard Beale, who, upon learning he is being fired due to low ratings, announces he will end his life on live television.

Instead of pulling him off the air, network executives exploit Beale’s populist rants for record viewership, turning his furious rallying cry—“I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”—into an enduring cultural mantra. Network scored four Academy Awards, including a posthumous Best Actor Oscar for Finch, and remains celebrated for its prescient prediction of modern 24-hour cable news, sensationalism, and infotainment culture. Spoiler, for those who haven’t seen it, for that amazing scene below…

The Take

A bunch of great live performance and videos for new tunes thus month…

“Hot Line” by the Sylvers.

Alice Cooper with “I Never Cry”.

Elton John and “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word”.

and then “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” by Leo Sayer…

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

What’s the time Sadie?

Strawberries? Who knows the mind of a 6-yr old!

The Chart

It’s a week at the top for “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry then one for “A Fifth Of Beethoven” by Walter Murphy before Chicago take number one for the last two weeks of October with “If You Leave Me Now”.

• “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” – Blue Oyster Cult
• [new] “A Dose Of Rock N Roll” – Ringo Starr
• “A Fifth Of Beethoven” – Walter Murphy
• “A Little Bit More” – Dr. Hook
• [new] “Beth” – Kiss
• “Devil Woman” – Cliff Richard
• [new] “Did You Boogie” – Flash Cadillac And The Continental Kids
• “Disco Duck” – Rick Dees And His Cast Of Idiots
• [new] “Do You Feel Like We Do” – Peter Frampton
• [new] “Don’t Go Breaking Me Heart” – Elton John And Kiki Dee
• [new] “Fernando” – Abba
• “Getaway” – “Earth Wind And Fire”
• “I Only Want To Be With You” – Bay City Rollers
• “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” – England Dan And John Ford Coley
• “If You Leave Me Now” – Chicago
• [new] “It’s Ok” – Beach Boys
• [new] “Just To Be Close To You” – Commodores
• [new] “Love So Right” – Bee Gees
• “Lowdown” – Boz Scaggs
• “Magic Man” – Heart
• [new] “More Than A Feeling” – Boston
• [new] “Muskrat Love” – Captain And Tennille
• [new] “Nadia’s Theme” – Barry Devorzon And Perry Botkin Jr.
• “One Love In My Lifetime” – Diana Ross
• “Play That Funky Music” – Wild Cherry
• “Rock N Me” – Steve Miller Band
• [new] “Rubberband Man” – Spinners
• “Say You Love Me” – Fleetwood Mac
• “Shake Your Booty” – K.C And The Sunshine Band
• [new] “Shake Your Booty” – Kc And The Sunshine Band
• [new] “She’s Gone” – Hall & Oates
• “She’s Gone” – Hall And Oates
• “Still The One” – Orleans
• “Summer” – War
• “That’ll Be The Day” – Linda Ronstadt
• [new] “The Best Disco In Town” – Ritchie Family
• [new] “The Rubberband Man” – Spinners
• [new] “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald” – Gordon Lightfoot
• [new] “This One’s For You” – Barry Manilow
• [new] “Tonight’s The Night” – Rod Stewart
• “Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang” – Silver
• “Who’d She Coo” – Ohio Players
• “With Your Love” – Jefferson Starship
• [new] “Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald” – Gordon Lightfoot
• [new] “You Are The Woman” – Firefall
• “You Should Be Dancing” – Bee Gees
• “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” – Lou Rawls

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

The Times

On October 24, 1976, the Formula 1 World Championship reached one of the most dramatic climaxes in motorsport history yet at the Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway. The season had already been defined by intense rivalry and Niki Lauda’s miraculous recovery from a near-fatal, fiery crash at the Nürburgring just six weeks earlier.

With sheets of torrential rain flooding the Fuji track, Lauda made the decision to withdraw after two laps, stating his life was worth more than a title. British driver James Hunt soldiered through the spray and tire issues to finish third, clinching the World Championship by a single point. The cinematic showdown captivated sports fans worldwide and was later immortalized in the film Rush.

On October 6, 1976, President Gerald Ford and challenger Jimmy Carter faced off in San Francisco for their second televised presidential debate, focused on foreign policy. With millions of viewers tuned in, Ford uttered one of the most famous blunders in modern political history.When asked about Soviet influence, Ford insisted: “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be under a Ford administration.” Moderator Max Frankel gave him a chance to walk it back, but Ford doubled down, citing independent ties in Poland and Romania. The blunder dominated headlines for days, shattered Ford’s foreign policy credibility, and gave Carter the critical momentum needed to win the presidency the following month.

And then in, definitely Communist, China, on the night of October 6, 1976, just four weeks after the death of Chairman Mao Zedong, a bloodless coup d’état unfolded inside Beijing’s Zhongnanhai leadership compound that reshaped the geopolitical landscape of the modern world.

Under the orders of Mao’s successor, Hua Guofeng, along with veteran military commander Ye Jianying, the elite Unit 8341 arrested the “Gang of Four” – the powerful radical faction led by Mao’s widow, Jiang Qing, alongside Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen. The faction had controlled the state media apparatus and driven the radical ideological purges of the decade-long Cultural Revolution.

Their swift detention marked the official end of the Cultural Revolution, breaking the hardline faction’s grip on power and opening the door for Deng Xiaoping’s rehabilitation and China’s historic economic reforms.

The Take

Sadie has been loving Cliff Richard’s “Devil Woman” for the last couple of weeks so let’s start with a live video of that:

And then a live version of the Peter Frampton’s epic “Do You Feel Like We do”!

“Nadia’s Theme”, originally titled “Cotton’s Dream”, is a piece of music composed by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin Jr. in 1971. It was originally part of the soundtrack music of the 1971 Stanley Kramer film “Bless the Beasts and Children”, and became better known as the theme music to the television soap opera “The Young and the Restless” (which is where I knew it from).

Later, “Cotton’s Dream” was given the informal name “Nadia’s Theme” after it became associated with Olympic gymnast Nadia Comăneci during and after the 1976 Summer Olympics. After it became associated with Comăneci during the 1976 Olympics, the piece was later released as a single in August of that year and hence it finds itself on our charts!

And let’s round it out with Rod Stewart’s “Tonight’s The Night”.

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

Sadie got a little creative with her intro this week…

…all her idea and Dad’s terrible edit! Anyway, let’s listen to September, 1976…

The Chart

It’s a week at number one for “You Should Be Dancing” by the Bee Gees and “Shake Your Booty” by K.C And The Sunshine Band before Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music” has two at the top.

• “A Fifth Of Beethoven” – Walter Murphy
• “A Little Bit More” – Dr. Hook
• “Baby I Love Your Way” – Peter Frampton
• “Devil Woman” – Cliff Richard
• [new] “Disco Duck” – Rick Dees & Cast Of Idiots
• [new] “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” – Elton John & Kiki Dee
• “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” – Elton John And Kiki Dee
• “Get Closer” – Seals And Crofts
• [new] “Getaway” – “Earth Wind & Fire”
• “Getaway” – “Earth Wind And Fire”
• “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” – Tavares
• [new] “I Can’t Hear You No More” – Helen Reddy
• [new] “I Only Want To Be With You” – Bay City Rollers
• “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” – England Dan And John Ford Coley
• “If You Leave Me Now” – Chicago
• “Kiss And Say Goodbye” – Manhattans
• “Let ’em In” – Wings
• “Love Is Alive” – Gary Wright
• “Lowdown” – Boz Scaggs
• [new] “Magic Man” – Heart
• [new] “One Love In My Lifetime” – Diana Ross
• “Play That Funky Music” – Wild Cherry
• “Rock & Roll Music” – Beach Boys
• [new] “Rock N Me” – Steve Miller Band
• “Say You Love Me” – Fleetwood Mac
• “Shake Your Booty” – K.C And The Sunshine Band
• [new] “She’s Gone” – Hall And Oates
• “Shower The People” – James Taylor
• “Still The One” – Orleans
• [new] “Street Singin’” – Lady Flash
• “Summer” – War
• [new] “That’ll Be The Day” – Linda Ronstadt
• “This Masquerade” – George Benson
• “Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang” – Silver
• “Who’d She Coo” – Ohio Players
• “With Your Love” – Jefferson Starship
• “You Should Be Dancing” – Bee Gees
• “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” – Lou Rawls

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

The Times

On September 22, 1976, ABC premiered the regular series of Charlie’s Angels, created by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. Starring Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith as private investigators working for the unseen Charles Townsend (voiced by John Forsythe), the show was an explosive overnight ratings triumph.

While critics dismissed the high-glamour action formula as “Jiggle TV,” audiences turned it into an international phenomenon. Fawcett in particular skyrocketed into pop-icon territory – her iconic red-swimsuit poster, released around the same time, went on to sell over 12 million copies, becoming the best-selling poster in history.

On September 17, 1976, NASA officially unveiled its first space shuttle orbiter at the Rockwell International facility in Palmdale, California. Originally slated to be named Constitution in honor of the U.S. Bicentennial, an unprecedented letter-writing campaign by hundreds of thousands of Star Trek fans convinced President Gerald Ford to rename the prototype Enterprise.

In a surreal convergence of aerospace science and pop culture, series creator Gene Roddenberry and the original cast of Star Trek – including Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and George Takei – attended the rollout ceremony as guests of honor while the Air Force band played Alexander Courage’s iconic Star Trek theme music.

The Take

Novelty song alert! This time its “Disco Duck” by Rick Dees And ‘His Cast Of Idiots’. Written by Dees, “Disco Duck” was inspired by a 1960s novelty dance song called “The Duck”, recorded by Jackie Lee (Earl Lee Nelson) in 1965. According to Dees, it took one day to write the song, but three months to convince anyone to perform it.

Combining orchestral disco styles with a Donald Duck–esque voice (actually that of Yakky Doodle) as the main plot point, the story within “Disco Duck” centers on a man at a dance party who is overcome by the urge to get up and “get down” in a duck-like manner. When the music stops, he sits down, but when he decides to get up and dance again, he finds that everyone in the room is now doing his dance. Heartwarming…

For all its success, “Disco Duck” got very little airplay in Memphis where Dees was a DJ, including at WMPS, the station Dees worked for at the time. Dees was forbidden by station management to play the record on his own show, and rival stations refused to play it for fear of promoting the competition. When Dees merely mentioned the song on his show one morning, WMPS management fired him citing conflict of interest. After a brief mandatory hiatus, Dees was hired on at WMPS’ primary competition, WHBQ, who gave him permission to play his song.

Dees later became famous for this Weekly Top 40 show that was syndicated across the USA and even globally – its one of the first chart shows I remember on the radio.

Then we have a real classic duet with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John & Kiki Dee…

And a couple of “live” TV performances to watch for new charting tracks. “Magic Man” by Heart on UK’s Top of the Pops:

And “She’s Gone” by Hall And Oates on The Old Grey Whistle Test.

The latter was a show that ran on the BBC from ’71 to ’88 that, unlike ToTP, I can’t remember. I have come across it before but just sought to understood the name…

Launched on BBC2, the series focused on albums, rather than chart hits covered on BBC1 by Top of the Pops. According to presenter Bob Harris, it derived its name from a Tin Pan Alley phrase from years before. When they got the first pressing of a record they would play it to people they called “the old greys” – doormen in grey suits. Any song the doormen could remember and whistle, having heard it just once or twice, had passed the old grey whistle test.

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

What time is it Sadie?

The Chart

One more week for “Silly Love Songs” by Wings at the top of the charts before “Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band then “Kiss And Say Goodbye” by Manhattans have two weeks each.

• [new] “A Fifth Of Beethoven” – Walter Murphy
• “Afternoon Delight” – Starland Vocal Band
• [new] “Baby I Love Your Way” – Peter Frampton
• [new] “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” – Elton John And Kiki Dee
• “Get Closer” – Seals & Crofts
• [new] “Get Closer” – Seals And Crofts
• “Get Up And Boogie” – Silver Convention
• “Got To Get You Into My Life” – Beatles
• [new] “I Need To Be In Love” – Carpenters
• “I Want You” – Marvin Gaye
• [new] “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” – England Dan And John For
• “I’ll Be Good To You” – Brothers Johnson
• [new] “I’m Easy” – Keith Carradine
• “If You Know What I Mean” – Neil Diamond
• “Kiss And Say Goodbye” – Manhattans
• [new] “Last Child” – Aerosmith
• [new] “Let ’em In” – Wings
• “Let Her In” – John Travolta
• “Love Hangover” – Diana Ross
• “Love Is Alive” – Gary Wright
• “Making Our Dreams Come True” – Cyndi Grecco
• “Misty Blue” – Dorothy Moore
• [new] “Moonight Feels Right” – Starbuck
• “Moonlight Feels Right” – Starbuck
• “More More More” – Andrea True Connection
• “Never Gonna Fall In Love Again” – Eric Carmen
• “Rock & Roll Music” – Beach Boys
• [new] “Rock N Roll Music” – Beach Boys
• “Sara Smile” – Hall & Oates
• [new] “Sara Smile” – Hall And Oates
• [new] “Save Your Kisses For Me” – Brotherhood Of Man
• [new] “Say You Love Me” – Fleetwood Mac
• “Shop Around” – Captain & Tennille
• [new] “Shop Around” – Captain And Tennille
• “Silly Love Songs” – Wings
• [new] “Something He Can Feel” – Aretha Franklin
• [new] “Sophisticated Lady” – Natalie Cole
• “Take The Money And Run” – Steve Miller Band
• “Takin’ It To The Streets” – Doobie Brothers
• “Tear The Roof Of The Sucker” – Parliament
• [new] “Tear The Roof Off The Sucker” – Parliament
• “That’s Where The Happy People Go” – Trammps
• “The Boys Are Back In Town” – Thin Lizzy
• [new] “This Masquerade” – George Benson
• “Today’s The Day” – America
• “Turn The Beat Around” – Vicki Sue Robinson
• [new] “You Should Be Dancing” – Bee Gees
• [new] “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” – Lou Rawls
• “You’re My Best Friend” – Queen
• [new] “Young Hearts Run Free” – Candi Staton

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

The Times

On July 18, 1976, at the Montreal Summer Olympic Games, 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci made Olympic history on the uneven parallel bars. Performing a flawless, gravity-defying routine, she was awarded the first perfect score of 10.0 in modern Olympic gymnastics history.

The event led to an iconic pop culture visual: Omega’s electronic arena scoreboard was only built to display three digits, assuming a 10.00 was impossible. As a result, the board flashed “1.00”, leaving the arena momentarily confused before erupting in applause. Comăneci went on to score six more perfect tens during the Games, capturing global media attention and becoming an international phenomenon.

On July 20, 1976—exactly seven years after Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon—NASA’s Viking 1 Lander touched down on the Chryse Planitia basin of Mars. It became the first spacecraft to successfully land on the Red Planet, survive, and complete its mission.

Within minutes of landing, Viking 1 transmitted the first clear close-up photographs of the Martian landscape back to Earth. The vivid red dust, scattered boulders, and salmon-colored sky captivated global television audiences, fueling a major mid-70s resurgence of public obsession with science fiction, planetary exploration, and the search for extraterrestrial life.

On July 4, 1976—the night of the U.S. Bicentennial—The Clash made their live concert debut at the Black Swan pub (known locally as the “Mucky Duck”) in Sheffield, England, supporting the Sex Pistols.

Fronted by Joe Strummer alongside Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, the band took to the stage wearing spattered paint-splashed clothes, tearing through a raw set of blistering garage-punk originals. The Sheffield show marked the arrival of the group that would inject overt political consciousness, reggae rhythms, and working-class urgency into the UK punk movement.

The Take

Some classic newcomers to the chart this month like “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John And Kiki Dee.

“Sara Smile” by Hall And Oates.

And “Young Hearts Run Free” by Candi Staton.

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

It’s still 44 years in our timeline before Sadie is born. But here in 2026 she’s just participated in her first musical theatre holiday programme. A very cute recording of that below by way of intro this week! (Sadie in the red skirt, the youngest girl by a good margin!)

We have slipped a week out of sync also so here’s July, 1976 to listen to before.

The Chart

It’s a month dominated by “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John And Kiki Dee.

• “A Fifth Of Beethoven” – Walter Murphy
• [new] “A Little Bit More” – Dr. Hook
• “Afternoon Delight” – Starland Vocal Band
• “Baby I Love Your Way” – Peter Frampton
• [new] “Devil Woman” – Cliff Richard
• “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” – Elton John And Kiki Dee
• “Get Closer” – Seals And Crofts
• [new] “Getaway” – “Earth Wind And Fire”
• “Got To Get You Into My Life” – Beatles
• [new] “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” – Tavares
• [new] “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” – England Dan And John Ford Coley
• “I’ll Be Good To You” – Brothers Johnson
• “I’m Easy” – Keith Carradine
• “If You Know What I Mean” – Neil Diamond
• [new] “If You Leave Me Now” – Chicago
• “Kiss And Say Goodbye” – Manhattans
• “Last Child” – Aerosmith
• “Let ’em In” – Wings
• “Love Is Alive” – Gary Wright
• [new] “Lowdown” – Boz Scaggs
• “Moonlight Feels Right” – Starbuck
• [new] “Play That Funky Music” – Wild Cherry
• “Rock & Roll Music” – Beach Boys
• “Say You Love Me” – Fleetwood Mac
• [new] “Shake Your Booty” – K.C And The Sunshine Band
• [new] “She’s Gone” – Hall & Oates
• [new] “Shower The People” – James Taylor
• “Something He Can Feel” – Aretha Franklin
• “Sophisticated Lady” – Natalie Cole
• [new] “Still The One” – Orleans
• [new] “Summer” – War
• “Tear The Roof Off The Sucker” – Parliament
• “This Masquerade” – George Benson
• “Turn The Beat Around” – Vicki Sue Robinson
• [new] “Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang” – Silver
• [new] “Who’d She Coo” – Ohio Players
• [new] “With Your Love” – Jefferson Starship
• “You Should Be Dancing” – Bee Gees
• “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” – Lou Rawls
• “You’re My Best Friend” – Queen
• “Young Hearts Run Free” – Candi Staton

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

The Times

Throughout August 1976, Jim Henson and his creative team were at ATV Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, putting the finishing touches on the first batch of episodes for The Muppet Show ahead of its nationwide broadcast premiere in September.

After major American networks passed on the concept—viewing puppets strictly as children’s entertainment—British media magnate Lew Grade backed Henson to produce a weekly variety show aimed squarely at adults and families. With vaudeville sketches, music, and Hollywood guest stars interacting with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, the show went on to become one of the most successful syndicated series in television history, broadcast in over 100 countries.

On August 29, 1976, the “Midnight Special” gig took place at the Screen on the Green cinema in Islington, London. Featuring the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and The Buzzcocks (traveling down from Manchester), this late-night showcase became the definitive coming-out party for the first wave of British punk rock.

With the mainstream press and music journalists packing the small theatre, the raw, confrontational energy of the three bands made it impossible for the music industry to ignore the subculture any longer. The event kicked off the autumn explosion of punk across the UK.

On August 21, 1976, the arena in the small southwestern French town of Mont-de-Marsan hosted what is widely recognized as the first punk rock festival in Europe. Organized by music producer Marc Zermati, the festival gathered roughly 4,000 music fans who traveled across the continent under scorching heat to witness a new sound in rock and roll.

The lineup featured leading early pub-rock and proto-punk outfits, including The Damned, Eddie and the Hot Rods, and French rockers Bijou. The festival gave continental Europe its first concentrated taste of punk’s high-speed tempos, ripped clothes, and rebellious attitude, helping spread the movement across Europe months before it exploded in the mainstream press.

The Take

Let’s check some videos of the new tunes of the week…

Like “A Little Bit More” by Dr. Hook.

“Devil Woman” by Cliff Richard.

“Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry.

And “Shake Your Booty” by K.C And The Sunshine Band!

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

When is it Sadie?

What were we too busy to post last week Sadie? May, 1976! See it here.

The Chart

A week for “Love Hangover” for Diana Ross then three for Wings with “Silly Love Songs” at the top of the charts.

• [new] “Afternoon Delight” – Starland Vocal Band
• “Baretta’s Theme” – Rhythm Heritage
• “Boogie Fever” – Sylvers
• “Fool To Cry” – Rolling Stones
• “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” – Elvin Bishop
• [new] “Get Closer” – Seals & Crofts
• “Get Up And Boogie” – Silver Convention
• [new] “Got To Get You Into My Life” – Beatles
• “Happy Days” – Pratt & Mcclain
• “I Want You” – Marvin Gaye
• [new] “I’ll Be Good To You” – Brothers Johnson
• [new] “If You Know What I Mean” – Neil Diamond
• [new] “Kiss And Say Goodbye” – Manhattans
• [new] “Let Her In” – John Travolta
• “Love Hangover” – Diana Ross
• “Love In The Shadows” – Neil Sedaka
• “Love Is Alive” – Gary Wright
• [new] “Making Our Dreams Come True” – Cyndi Grecco
• “Misty Blue” – Dorothy Moore
• [new] “Moonlight Feels Right” – Starbuck
• “More More More” – Andrea True Connection
• “Movin’” – Brass Construction
• [new] “Never Gonna Fall In Love Again” – Eric Carmen
• “Rhiannon” – Fleetwood Mac
• “Right Back Where We Started From” – Maxine Nightingale
• [new] “Rihannon” – Fleetwood Mac
• [new] “Rock & Roll Love Letter” – Bay City Rollers
• [new] “Rock & Roll Music” – Beach Boys
• “Sara Smile” – Hall & Oates
• “Shannon” – Henry Gross
• “Shop Around” – Captain & Tennille
• “Show Me The Way” – Peter Frampton
• “Silly Love Songs” – Wings
• “Strange Magic” – Electric Light Orchestra
• [new] “Take The Money And Run” – Steve Miller Band
• “Takin’ It To The Streets” – Doobie Brothers
• [new] “Tear The Roof Of The Sucker” – Parliament
• [new] “That’s Where The Happy People Go” – Trammps
• [new] “The Boys Are Back In Town” – Thin Lizzy
• [new] “Today’s The Day” – America
• “Tryin’ To Get The Feeling Again” – Barry Manilow
• [new] “Turn The Beat Around” – Vicki Sue Robinson
• “Welcome Back” – John Sebastian
• [new] “You’re My Best Friend” – Queen
• “Young Blood” – Bad Company

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

The Times

On June 25, 1976, Richard Donner’s supernatural horror classic The Omen was released by 20th Century Fox. Starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick as parents who slowly discover their adopted son, Damien, is the literal Antichrist, the film turned biblical apocalyptic prophecy into big-budget Hollywood terror.

Driven by Jerry Goldsmith’s chilling, Academy Award-winning choral score (“Ave Satani”) and unforgettable shock sequences—like the nanny’s rooftop declaration and the pane-of-glass decapitation—the film was an immense box-office smash, cementing the “creepy child” horror trope for decades.

On June 4, 1976, the Sex Pistols performed a concert organized by Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall. While barely 40 people attended the sparsely populated room, it is widely considered one of the most culturally consequential live music gigs in history.

In the tiny audience that night were the future architects of the UK indie and post-punk scenes: Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook (who formed Joy Division/New Order the next day), Morrissey (The Smiths), Mark E. Smith (The Fall), and Anthony Wilson (founder of Factory Records). It proved that raw energy and attitude trumped technical virtuosity.

On June 23, 1976, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released Michael Anderson’s dystopian sci-fi epic Logan’s Run, starring Michael York and Jenny Agutter. Set in a hedonistic, domed city in the year 2274, the society maintains equilibrium by requiring everyone who turns 30 to undergo “Carousel”—a mandatory ritual execution disguised as reincarnation.

Featuring groundbreaking visual effects, futuristic synth soundscapes, and Farrah Fawcett in a breakout early role, Logan’s Run became an instant box-office hit. It won a Special Academy Award for Visual Effects and captured the mid-1970s cultural obsession with youth counterculture and sci-fi escapism.

The Take

Some great videos for classics this week. Let’s start with “Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band…

Then how about “Rihannon” by Fleetwood Mac…

And Thin Lizzy rocking out with “The Boys Are Back In Town”…

Rounding it out with “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen!

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.