UK Music Chart: February 12, 1972 Ft. Slade

Slade at Number  9

This week, one British glam rock band (T. Rex) continued its reign at the top of the UK Top 20 with the track Telegram Sam, as another (Slade) made an impressive jump into the new Top 10 with their latest release, Look Wot You Dun.

That track was one of four new songs making their debuts in this week's chart. Others came from well-established acts, The Fortunes, Bee Gees and Badfinger, the latter of which was about to repeat their US Top 10 success.




T. Rex at Number 1

The Chart: 

• 01 (01) T. Rex - Telegram Sam 
• 02 (11) Chicory Tip - Son of My Father 
• 03 (03) Neil Reid - Mother of Mine 
• 04 (02) The New Seekers - I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing 
• 05 (07) The Chi-Lites - Have You Seen Her? 
• 06 (04) America - Horse With No Name 
• 07 (09) Al Green - Let's Stay Together 
• 08 (05) Melanie - Brand New Key 
• 09 (25) Slade - Look Wot You Dun 
• 10 (16) Sonny and Cher - All I Ever Need is You 
• 11 (06) The Faces - Stay With Me 
• 12 (08) Donnie Elbert - Where Did Our Love Go? 
• 13 (10) Elvis Presley - I Just Can't Help Believing 
• 14 (12) Greyhound - Moon River 
• 15 (17) Don McLean - American Pie 
• 16 (23) The Fortunes - Storm in a Teacup 
• 17 (28) Badfinger - Day After Day 
• 18 (14) Bread - Baby I'm-A Want You 
• 19 (15) Sly and the Family Stone - Family Affair 
• 20 (26) Bee Gees - My World

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red; New entries in bold
*Intro Image: Slade by AVRO (Beeld En Geluid Wiki - Gallerie: Toppop 1973) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons



09: Slade: Look Wot You Dun

Climbing sixteen places into this week's Top 10 was the third British Top 20 hit from rockers Slade.

Look Wot You Dun was one of a very few of the band's singles to fail to top the UK singles chart during this period of the group's career, instead peaking at Number 4 for three weeks.

Its success triggered an outcry from educational authorities across the country because of the title's bad spelling, coming quickly on the heels of the band's previous chart hit, Coz I Luv You.

Of course, these protests only seemed to inspire Slade to further crimes against the English language, as follow-ups continued the band's preference for misspellings.

16: The Fortunes: Storm in a Teacup

Two different hit singles - one in the US (Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again) and one in the UK (Freedom Come, Freedom Go) - had brought The Fortunes back to the public's attention the previous year, so it was no surprise to see the group back in the British chart with their latest song.

Written by Lynsey de Paul and Ron Roker, Storm in a Teacup was first recorded by de Paul and eventually became the B-Side to her hit song, Sugar Me.

However, The Fortunes got their hands on the track and decided to release their cover version. Entering the Top 20 at Number 16 this week, it would ultimately climb to a peak of Number 7, but would fail to make a dent on the American charts. It would also become the group's final hit.

17: Badfinger: Day After Day

Produced by George Harrison, and the follow-up to Badfinger's previous Top 5 hit No Matter What, Day After Day returned the group to both the UK and the US charts.

Included on the band's third studio album Straight Up, the track had recently climbed to a peak of Number 4 in the USA and was about to surge to Number 10 at home.





20: Bee Gees: My World

Returning to the UK chart for the first time in nearly three years were the Bee Gees with their latest single, My World.

In the interim, Robin Gibb had departed and then returned to the group, they had scored a Number 1 hit in the USA with How Can You Mend A Broken Heart? and the British public had more or less deserted them.

So, it was something of a UK return to form for what at this point was the quartet of the Bee Gees. Written behind the scenes at the game show The Golden Shot, My World would peak at Number 16 in both the US and the UK, as well as provide the group with yet another worldwide hit.

The track is also notable as the last appearance by drummer Geoff Bridgford on a Bee Gees single, as he quit the group in March of 1972.

The UK Number 1 album this week:

• T. Rex: Electric Warrior

The American Top 10 (Click to play tracks)