UK Top 20: October 14, 1972 Ft. Alice Cooper

New at Number 17: Alice Cooper

Presenting the UK Top 20 music chart for the week ending 14 October, 1972

Lieutenant Pigeon's novelty tune, Mouldy Old Dough, which had been threatening the Number 1 position finally made the all-conquering leap to the top of the UK charts this week in 1972.

Elsewhere, three new entries came courtesy of two acts which were following up massively successful 1972 singles - namely Alice Cooper and Johnny Nash. In addition, American soul group The O'Jays arrived on the British listing for the first time.

Several big hitting artists of the Seventies were making a big leap up the charts as well, with singles from 10cc, David Bowie and Python Lee Jackson (among others) making impressive moves up the Top 20.

Read on...

Above image: By Hunter Desportes [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Lieutenant Pigeon at Number 1

The Chart: 

• 01 (03) Lieutenant Pigeon - Mouldy Old Dough 
• 02 (01) David Cassidy - How Can I Be Sure 
• 03 (06) Peter Skellern - You're A Lady 
• 04 (08) Gary Glitter - I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock 'n' Roll) 
• 05 (02) T. Rex - Children of the Revolution 
• 06 (04) The Sweet - Wig-Wam Bam 
• 07 (05) Donny Osmond - Too Young 
• 08 (11) Elvis Presley - Burning Love 
• 09 (18) Python Lee Jackson - In A Broken Dream 
• 10 (17) 10cc - Donna 
• 11 (12) Judge Dread - Big Six 
• 12 (20) David Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing 
• 13 (09) Faron Young - It's Four in the Morning 
• 14 (14) Dandy Livingstone - Suzanne Beware of the Devil 
• 15 (10) The Drifters - Come on Over to My Place 
• 16 (07) Slade - Mama Weer All Crazee Now 
• 17 (34) Alice Cooper - Elected
• 18 (22) The O'Jays - Back Stabbers 
• 19 (26) Johnny Nash - There Are More Questions Than Answers
• 20 (19) Junior Walker and the Allstars - Walk in the Night

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red; New entries in bold

Stream This Week's New Hits:



17: Alice Cooper: Elected

Alice Cooper followed up his recent UK Number 1 hit School's Out with another British Top 10 hit; Elected becoming the first single release from the group's transatlantic chart topping album, Billion Dollar Babies.

The track was a rewrite of an earlier song, the 1969 offering Reflected and also profited from its own video - one of the earliest to accompany a single release.

It reached a peak of Number 4 in the UK, but could only manage to reach Number 25 in the States.


18: The O'Jays: Back Stabbers

Formed in the late 1950s, soul vocal goup The O'Jays had been trying to secure a Pop 40 hit throughout the Sixties, but it was not until 1972 when the trio's fortunes changed.

Thinking of quitting the music business, The O'Jays met up with the production and songwriting team of Gamble and Huff with whom they recorded several moderately successful R&B tracks.

However, it was not until G & H formed the label Philadelphia International - to which The O'Jays signed - that major hits began to accumulate.

Back Stabbers was the first and featured the group's now-trademark harmonies backed by intricate arrangements, sumptuous strings together with a smattering of contemporary funk.

It became a Number 3 hit in America while only managing a number 14 peak in the UK.

19: Johnny Nash: There Are More Questions Than Answers

1972 had been a great year for Johnny Nash on both sides of the Atlantic with his previous single I Can See Clearly Now going Top 5 in the UK and all the way to the top in America.

His follow-up in Britain was another self-penned song with the thought provoking title There Are More Questions Than Answers.

Included on the I Can See Clearly Now album, the single completely missed the charts in the States, but climbed into the Top 10 in the UK and peaked at Number 9.


The UK Number 1 album this week:

• Various Artists: 20 All Time Greats of the 50s

The American Top 10 (Click to play tracks)