UK Music Chart: October 24, 1970

Number 16: Edwin Starr: War

This week in October 1970 would be the sixth and final week that Freda Payne would hold the Number 1 spot in the UK singles chart. A change was a-comin' in the shape of Matthews' Southern Comfort but, before that happened, there were two new songs entering the lower reaches of the Top 20 to enjoy.

• 01 (01) Freda Payne - Band Of Gold 
• 02 (02) Deep Purple - Black Night 
• 03 (14) Clarence Carter - Patches 
• 04 (04) The Tremeloes - Me And My Life 
• 05 (05) Black Sabbath - Paranoid 
• 06 (08) The Carpenters - (They Long To Be) Close To You 
• 07 (06) Diana Ross - Ain't No Mountain High Enough 
• 08 (03) Desmond Dekker - You Can Get It If You Really Want 
• 09 (10) The Temptations - Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) 
• 10 (11) Matthews' Southern Comfort - Woodstock 
• 11 (07) Bobby Bloom - Montego Bay 
• 12 (09) Poppy Family Ft. Susan Jacks - Which Way You Goin' Billy? 
• 13 (20) The Four Tops - Still Water (Love)
• 14 (19) The Hollies - Gasoline Alley Bred 
• 15 (13) Horace Faith - Black Pearl 
• 16 (---) Edwin Starr - War 
• 17 (24) Blue Mink - Our World (Re)
• 18 (21) Melanie - Ruby Tuesday 
• 19 (15) Des O'Connor - The Tip Of My Fingers 
• 20 (17) Elvis Presley - The Wonder Of You

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red; New entries in bold 
 Image: The Hits of Edwin Starr

Making its first appearance in the UK Top 20 at Number 16 was what had been a Temptations' album track, but was rebooted for soul singer Edwin Starr by its co-writer, Norman Whitfield. By this time, War had already spent three weeks at the top of the US charts, demonstrating much of the American public's contempt for events surrounding their government's involvement in Vietnam. Starr's intense and dramatic vocal turned it into one of rock's most successful protest songs, as well as the most enduring hit of his career.

   

Melanie's first international hit single, Lay Down (Candles in the Rain), was released earlier in 1970, but completely missed the UK Top 50. It wasn't until she covered The Rolling Stones' Ruby Tuesday that she broke in Great Britain, taking her folk/pop version into the Top 10. Strangely, the track performed poorly in her homeland, unable to crack the Top 50 there. She would return to both listing in 1971, though, with her better remembered, Brand New Key.

Until next time....