UK Music Chart: October 31, 1970

Number 14: The Rattles: The Witch

After six weeks, there was a new Number 1 song on the UK music chart as Matthews' Southern Comfort leapt nine places to the top spot with a cover of the Joni Mitchell song, Woodstock. Meanwhile, four tracks made their debut on the Top 20 of this week in October, 1970.


The Chart:
  • 01 (10) Matthews' Southern Comfort - Woodstock 
  • 02 (03) Clarence Carter - Patches 
  • 03 (01) Freda Payne - Band Of Gold 
  • 04 (04) The Tremeloes - Me And My Life 
  • 05 (02) Deep Purple - Black Night 
  • 06 (05) Black Sabbath - Paranoid 
  • 07 (09) The Temptations - Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) 
  • 08 (11) Bobby Bloom - Montego Bay 
  • 09 (07) Diana Ross - Ain't No Mountain High Enough 
  • 10 (13) The Four Tops - Still Water (Love)
  • 11 (06) The Carpenters - (They Long To Be) Close To You 
  • 12 (08) Desmond Dekker - You Can Get It If You Really Want 
  • 13 (18) Melanie - Ruby Tuesday 
  • 14 (22) The Rattles - The Witch 
  • 15 (16) Edwin Starr - War 
  • 16 (14) The Hollies - Gasoline Alley Bred 
  • 17 (19) Des O'Connor - The Tip Of My Fingers 
  • 18 (27) Jimmy Ruffin - It's Wonderful (To Be Love By You)
  • 19 (32) Don Fardon - Indian Reservation 
  • 20 (24) Roger Whittaker - New World In The Morning
*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red; New entries in bold 
Image: The Best of The Rattles

14: The Rattles: The Witch

It's the Halloween chart of 1970, so perhaps it's no surprise that a song by the name of The Witch should make its first appearance this week. Recorded by one of Germany's most successful bands of the time, The Rattles also enjoyed brief chart action in the US with this song. It would eventually become an international million seller and peak at Number 8 in the UK.


18: Jimmy Ruffin: It's Wonderful (To Be Loved By You)

In at Number 18 was Jimmy Ruffin's second hit of the year, his song benefitting from the Northern Soul club scene in the UK. He first came to prominence in the mid-1960s with tracks such as What Becomes of the Brokenhearted and I've Passed This Way Before, but found that his popularity had begun to wane in the US. He moved to the UK around this time and continued to enjoy irregular chart hits for the next ten years, such as this one: It's Wonderful (To Be Loved By You).


19: Don Fardon: Indian Reservation

American readers may remember The Raiders' recording of Indian Reservation, which topped the US chart in July 1971. However, Don Fardon's 1968 cover of John D. Loudermilk's song was the first to see chart action in both the US and the UK. Fardon, formerly the vocalist with The Sorrows, had enjoyed a minor hit earlier in the year with his tribute to footballer George Best called Belfast Boy. However, Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian) - to give it its full title - would be his biggest hit, registering a Number 3 peak in the UK and Number 20 in the US.  


20: Roger Whittaker: New World in the Morning

Roger Whittaker was riding a wave of success in Great Britain at the beginning of the 1970s and New World in the Morning reflected this, becoming his third Top 20 hit in the matter of twelve months. However, his easy listening style fell out of favour for a few years and this track would be his final major hit for five years.



Until next time...





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