UK Music Chart: January 22, 1972 Ft. Al Green

Al Green at Number 17 (Image: Amazon)

Celebrating their third week at the top of the UK charts this week in 1972 were The New Seekers with I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony), a song that was simultaneously riding high in the American Top 10.

Also selling well in the US singles chart at this point in time was Al Green's latest record, which was about to enjoy Top 10 success in the UK too. Let's Stay Together hadn't quite achieved that status this week, instead climbing an impressive twelve places to Number 17.

He was joined in the Top 20 by Louisiana-born soul singer Donnie Elbert, who was the singer of the other new entry this week, rising an equally noteworthy twelve slots to Number 16.

The New Seekers at Number 1

The Chart: 

• 01 (01) The New Seekers - I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing 
• 02 (02) Neil Reid - Mother of Mine 
• 03 (11) America - Horse With No Name 
• 04 (08) Melanie - Brand New Key
• 05 (04) The Congregation - Softly Whispering I Love You 
• 06 (07) Elvis Presley - I Just Can't Help Believing 
• 07 (05) Middle of the Road - Soley Soley 
• 08 (16) The Faces - Stay With Me 
• 09 (09) The Johnny Pearson Orchestra - Sleepy Shores 
• 10 (13) Cat Stevens - Morning Has Broken 
• 11 (12) Gilbert O'Sullivan - No Matter How I Try 
• 12 (06) Cilla Black - Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight) 
• 13 (03) Benny Hill - Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West) 
• 14 (14) Isaac Hayes - Theme From 'Shaft' 
• 15 (17) The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra - Theme From 'The Onedin Line' 
• 16 (28) Donnie Elbert - Where Did Our Love Go? 
• 17 (29) Al Green - Let's Stay Together 
• 18 (10) T. Rex - Jeepster 
• 19 (15) Val Doonican - Morning 
• 20 (20) The John Barry Orchestra - Theme From 'The Persuaders'

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red; New entries in bold
Image: Melanie: Double Exposure at Amazon

16: Donnie Elbert: Where Did Our Love Go?

Donnie Elbert had been recording since the mid-1950s, but with only limited regional commercial success in the United States.

It wasn't until he employed his striking falsetto vocals to great effect on Where Did Our Love Go? - a soulful remake of the 1964 Number 1 American hit by The Supremes - did he manage to make an impressive breakthrough, initially on the American charts (#15) and several weeks later, in the UK (#8).

Much of Elbert's British success was by virtue of the Northern Soul clubs, which had discovered his older recordings and promoted them at their all-night events. Incessant play there pushed his later releases into the mainstream for a while, giving him two more hits in the UK charts during 1972.

17: Al Green: Let's Stay Together

It wouldn't be long before Al Green registered his one and only American Number 1 pop hit with Let's Stay Together - this week he was sitting at Number 3.

In the UK however, the record was about to become Green's second straight Top 10 single, following hot on the heels of his Number 4 hit, Tired of Being Alone.

Over the years, the song has been the subject of several accolades, including: #60 on Billboard's 500 Greatest Songs of All time, Billboard's #11 song of 1972, #1 R'n'B song of 1972 and its 2010 selection by the Library of Congress for its addition to the National Recording Registry.

As much as Al Green was a commercial and personal success in the US, his chart fortunes in the UK diminished significantly after this release. He would never again reach the Top 10, although Let's Stay Together would return in 1983 when Tina Turner's cover version peaked at Number 6.

The UK Number 1 album this week:

• T. Rex - Electric Warrior

The American Top 10 (Click to play tracks)

UK Music Chart: October 23, 1971 Featuring Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin : Buy This at Allposters.com

Maggie May by Rod Stewart remained at Number 1 in the UK for a third straight week on this date in 1971, having already seen off a challenge by Scottish band Middle of the Road and now a new one by Redbone's Witch Queen of New Orleans.

Further down the listing, Titanic, The Fortunes and The Four Tops broke into the Top 10, but it was new records by three of the United States' then-biggest stars, including Aretha Franklin, which made their debuts on this week's British chart.





Rod Stewart at Number 1

The Chart: 

• 01 (01) Rod Stewart - Maggie May 
• 02 (09) Redbone - Witch Queen of New Orleans 
• 03 (02) Middle Of The Road - Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum 
• 04 (04) James Taylor - You've Got A Friend 
• 05 (12) The Four Tops - Simple Game 
• 06 (10) The Fortunes - Freedom Come, Freedom Go 
• 07 (06) Shirley Bassey - For All We Know 
• 08 (05) Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood - Did You Ever? 
• 09 (03) The Tams - Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me 
• 10 (14) Titanic - Sultana 
• 11 (08) CCS - Tap Turns on the Water 
• 12 (13) Danyel Gérard - Butterfly 
• 13 (15) Engelbert Humperdinck - Another Time, Another Place 
• 14 (21) Aretha Franklin - Spanish Harlem 
• 15 (18) Mungo Jerry - You Don't Have To Be In The Army (To Fight in the War) 
• 16 (11) Jethro Tull - Life is a Long Song / Up The Pool 
• 17 (07) Marmalade - Cousin Norman 
• 18 (23) Joan Baez - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 
• 19 (28) Al Green - Tired of Being Alone 
• 20 (19) Bay City Rollers - Keep On Dancing

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red; New entries in bold
 
14: Aretha Franklin: Spanish Harlem

Aretha Franklin was back in the UK Top 20 this week with the second of only four British chart hits she achieved during the 1970s, the sublime Spanish Harlem.

Written by (the now jailed) Phil Spector and Jerry Leiber, it was originally recorded by the former lead singer of The Drifters, Ben E. King. It became his first American solo hit single following several flops at the beginning of the 1960s.

King's version was not a success in the UK at the time however, but the Queen of Soul's funky interpretation brought the song into the British charts to peak at this week's Number 14, having already climbed to Number 2 on the American Billboard Hot 100 a few weeks earlier.

18: Joan Baez: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Another current American hit to crack the UK Top 20 was also another cover song, this one recorded by one of the leading lights on the US folk scene, Joan Baez.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down was written by Robbie Robertson of The Band and included on the group's second album, as well as appearing as the B-Side of the 1969 single, Up On Cripple Creek.

Baez's interpretation changed the lyrics slightly, while its instrumentation gave it more commercial appeal. As a result, she saw the disc rise to Number 3 on her home chart and Number 6 in the UK, making it the highest charting song of her career on both sides of the Atlantic.

19: Al Green: Tired of Being Alone

After several attempts over the previous four years to crack the American Top 40, one of the finest soul voices of the 1970s finally arrived in the upper reaches of the music charts - not only in the US, but also in the UK.

Al Green had threatened commercial success for a little while, but it was not until he had teamed up with record producer Willie Mitchell that his fortunes truly changed.

Tired of Being Alone began a string of US Top 40 hits which would extend through until 1976, but the song would prove to be Green's highest placed record on the UK chart, peaking at Number 4.



The American Top 10 (w/e October 23, 1971)

• 01 (01) Maggie May / Reason to Believe - Rod Stewart
• 02 (02) Superstar - The Carpenters
• 03 (03) Yo-Yo - The Osmonds
• 04 (10) Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves - Cher
• 05 (02) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - Joan Baez
• 06 (06) Do You Know What I Mean? - Lee Michaels
• 07 (05) Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond
• 08 (09) Sweet City Woman - The Stampeders
• 09 (50) Theme From 'Shaft' - Isaac Hayes
• 10 (08) If You Really Love Me - Stevie Wonder

*Press play > to listen to each track

The UK Number 1 album this week:

• Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story