UK Music Chart: February 28, 1970

Number 13 : Simon & Garfunkel : Bridge Over Troubled Water

• 01 (01) Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) 
• 02 (05) Lee Marvin - Wand'rin' Star 
• 03 (02) Canned Heat - Let's Work Together 
• 04 (04) Jackson Five - I Want You Back 
• 05 (07) John Lennon/Yoko Ono/The Plastic Ono Band - Instant Karma! 
• 06 (03) Peter, Paul And Mary - Leavin' On A Jet Plane 
• 07 (06) Mary Hopkin - Temma Harbour 
• 08 (09) Shocking Blue - Venus 
• 09 (11) White Plains - My Baby Loves Lovin' 
• 10 (19) Brotherhood Of Man - United We Stand 
• 11 (12) Herman's Hermits - Years May Come, Years May Go 
• 12 (08) Jethro Tull - The Witch's Promise / Teacher 
• 13 (42) Simon And Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water 
• 14 (20) Judy Collins - Both Sides Now 
• 15 (10) Rolf Harris - Two Little Boys 
• 16 (26) Sacha Distel - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head 
• 17 (17) Temptations - I Can't Get Next To You 
• 18 (14) Chicago - I'm A Man 
• 19 (13) Badfinger - Come And Get It 
• 20 (18) Kenny Rogers/First Edition - Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red.
Image: Simon & Garfunkel "Bridge Over Troubled Water" Framed Silver Record

All of last week's new entries continued to climb the Top 20, while Lee Marvin breathed down the neck of Number 1 group Edison Lighthouse which managed to hold the top spot for one further week.

More interestingly, one of pop music's classic tunes was about to begin its own assault on the peak of the British chart. On this day in February 1970, Bridge Over Troubled Water would top the Billboard Hot 100 in the States, but it would have to wait a few more weeks before repeating the feat in the UK. Nevertheless, this beautiful track made an impressive 29 place jump to become the biggest climber of the week. Sadly, the song would eventually lead to the break-up of one of music's best loved duos:

Three places below Simon and Garfunkel, Sacha Distel was winning the battle of the Raindrops as his version of Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head jumped ten places to Number 16. Several different versions of this song were floating around at the time. Three of them were competing with each other this week in 1970: the original by B.J. Thomas (UK peak, Number 38), Bobbie Gentry (UK peak, Number 40) and this one which would eventually reach Number 10:

As there are not many new songs to mention in this post, I thought adding the following video may be a little memory jogging for some. Unfortunately, the BBC has wiped many of the earlier editions of Top of the Pops, so we can't enjoy watching some of our favourite artists from the Sixties and Seventies again. However, as I was researching today's post, I happened upon this clip of the show from the era covered here:

Until next time...

UK Music Chart: February 21, 1970

Number 7 : John Lennon : Instant Karma!

• 01 (01) Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
• 02 (03) Canned Heat - Let's Work Together
• 03 (02) Peter, Paul And Mary - Leavin' On A Jet Plane
• 04 (12) Jackson Five - I Want You Back
• 05 (18) Lee Marvin - Wand'rin' Star
• 06 (08) Mary Hopkin - Temma Harbour
• 07 (---) John Lennon/Yoko Ono/The Plastic Ono Band - Instant Karma!
• 08 (04) Jethro Tull - The Witch's Promise / Teacher
• 09 (10) Shocking Blue - Venus
• 10 (07) Rolf Harris - Two Little Boys
• 11 (22) White Plains - My Baby Loves Lovin'
• 12 (24) Herman's Hermits - Years May Come And Years May Go
• 13 (05) Badfinger - Come And Get It
• 14 (09) Chicago - I'm A Man
• 15 (06) Marmalade - Reflections of My Life
• 16 (20) Vanity Fare - Hitchin' A Ride
• 17 (14) Temptations - I Can't Get Next To You
• 18 (13) Kenny Rogers/First Edition - Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town
• 19 (40) Brotherhood Of Man - United We Stand
• 20 (23) Judy Collins - Both Sides Now

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red.
Image: John Lennon "Instant Karma" Framed Silver Record

Edison Lighthouse was enjoying its fourth week at Number 1, but below them there was a lot of movement, including five new entries. The first of them is what has now become a classic rock tune from the late John Lennon: Instant Karma!

The single was the third to be released by the ex-Beatle, following the Top 20 hits Give Peace A Chance and Cold Turkey. Cited as being one of the fastest released tracks in pop music history, the song was recorded on the same day that it was written. It was in shops ten days later. Produced by Phil Spector, others featured on the recording include Billy Preston and George Harrison:

Next up is some pure pop from White Plains. Formed out of the ashes of The Flowerpot Men, the group mainly recorded songs by prolific songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. Their first hit was one such song which also managed to break the Top 20 in the US. First of five Top 30 hits in the UK, here's My Baby Loves Lovin':

In a chart career that began in 1964 with the Number 1 I'm Into Something Good, 1970 would witness the last Top 10 single by Herman's Hermits: Years May Come, Years May Go. By the end of this year, the group's hit making days were over:

The first chart appearance by the pre-Eurovision line-up of The Brotherhood of Man occurred this week in 1970. Having failed to set the charts alight with their previous single, Love One Another, a similarly themed song broke the group into the Top 20 - not only in the UK, but also across the pond in the US. United We Stand would become very familiar over the years, following its use for various causes. Here it is performed on a rare promo film:

 

The week's final new entry crept into the Number 20 placing and was the first of only three chart entries for the American singer/songwriter, Judy Collins. Never one to settle on a single style of music, she is probably best linked to the folk/pop movement of the Sixties. One of the recordings in that style was her cover of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now. It had already been a substantial hit in the US three years earlier, also earning her a Grammy for Best Folk Performance in 1968. Here's Pan's People with their dance interpretation of the song:

Extra: One voice graced three of the songs in this week's Top 20 - that of Tony Burrows. At the time, he was a highly sought after session singer and would be one of the voices on The Pipkins' hit Gimme Dat Ding later in 1970. However, this week, he can be heard on the tracks by Edison Lighthouse, White Plains and The Brotherhood of Man. Here he is talking about that feat:

Until next time...

UK Music Chart: February 14, 1970

Number 10 : Shocking Blue

• 01 (01) Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) 
• 02 (04) Peter, Paul And Mary - Leavin' On A Jet Plane 
• 03 (15) Canned Heat - Let's Work Together 
• 04 (06) Jethro Tull - The Witch's Promise / Teacher 
• 05 (05) Badfinger - Come And Get It 
• 06 (03) Marmalade - Reflections of My Life 
• 07 (02) Rolf Harris - Two Little Boys 
• 08 (10) Mary Hopkin - Temma Harbour 
• 09 (08) Chicago - I'm A Man 
• 10 (21) Shocking Blue - Venus 
• 11 (09) Arrival - Friends 
• 12 (30) Jackson Five - I Want You Back 
• 13 (07) Kenny Rogers/First Edition - Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town 
• 14 (13) Temptations - I Can't Get Next To You 
• 15 (11) Bobbie Gentry And Glen Campbell - All I Have To Do Is Dream 
• 16 (28) Fifth Dimension - Wedding Bell Blues 
• 17 (12) Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds 
• 18 (36) Lee Marvin - Wand'rin' Star 
• 19 (17) Diana Ross And The Supremes - Someday, We'll Be Together 
• 20 (16) Vanity Fare - Hitchin' A Ride

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red.

Image : Shocking Blue: Singles A's & B's

Edison Lighthouse continued their run at Number 1, enjoying a third week at the summit of the Top 20. Below them, some classic tracks were making a move into the chart, each of them on a mission to dislodge Rosemary.

The highest new entry of the week was straight into the Top 10 and came from Dutch group, Shocking Blue.  Having enjoyed success in their homeland and around continental Europe, Venus was the track that would break them internationally. It became a Number 1 hit in the USA and Canada, as well as topping the charts across Europe. In the UK it peaked at Number 8 and enjoyed a revival when it was recorded by Bananarama in 1986.

Did you know, however, that much of Venus is heavily lifted from a track called The Banjo Song recorded by The Big Three in 1963?

Up eighteen places at Number 12 is the first ever hit single from one of Motown's most success young vocal groups. In today's terms, The Jackson 5 would probably have become known as a boy band. However, we have all come to learn that they were much more than this. At the time, the Jackson family was to enjoy a media rivalry with The Osmonds. At this point, however, the rivalry was in its early days. Nevertheless, I Want You Back was to become the first of four consecutive Number 1 singles in the USA, while in the UK the track peaked at Number 2: 

While The 5th Dimension was a regular visitor to the US charts for around seven years, in the UK the quintet was only able to enjoy two Top 20 hits. The first was Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In which managed to peak at Number 11 the previous year and became something of a signature tune for the hippie generation. The second was the new entry at Number 16 called Wedding Bell Blues, which was also the second Number 1 in the USA for the group:

One of the most unlikely hit records of the year was a song lifted from the soundtrack of the movie Paint Your Wagon. Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood were its main stars and the album became more successful than the film itself. One of the tracks was released as a single, with Eastwood singing I Talk to the Trees on the B-Side and Marvin croaking his way through the A-Side: Wand'rin' Star. It would soon become a Number 1 song in the UK, but this week it moves eighteen places to Number 18:

Until next time...

UK Music Chart: February 7, 1970

Number 10 : Mary Hopkin

• 01 (01) Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) 
• 02 (02) Rolf Harris - Two Little Boys 
• 03 (03) Marmalade - Reflections of My Life 
• 04 (09) Peter, Paul And Mary - Leavin' On A Jet Plane 
• 05 (04) Badfinger - Come And Get It 
• 06 (10) Jethro Tull - The Witch's Promise / Teacher 
• 07 (07) Kenny Rogers/First Edition - Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town 
• 08 (12) Chicago - I'm A Man 
• 09 (08) Arrival - Friends 
• 10 (22) Mary Hopkin - Temma Harbour 
• 11 (05) Bobbie Gentry And Glen Campbell - All I Have To Do Is Dream 
• 12 (06) Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds 
• 13 (20) Temptations - I Can't Get Next To You 
• 14 (11) Cuff-Links - Tracy 
• 15 (29) Canned Heat - Let's Work Together 
• 16 (23) Vanity Fare - Hitchin' A Ride 
• 17 (15) Diana Ross And The Supremes - Someday, We'll Be Together 
• 18 (13) Dave Clark Five - Good Old Rock 'n' Roll 
• 19 (14) Archies - Sugar Sugar 
• 20 (17) Harry J All-Stars - The Liquidator

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red.

Image:  Mary Hopkin - Greeting Card 

No change at the very top of the Top 20 in the first week of February 1970, but further down the chart three different musical styles became the week's newcomers.

The highest new entry was the third of five Top 20 hits for Welsh songbird, Mary Hopkin. Having already had immense success with Those Were the Days and Goodbye, Temma Harbour was about to complete a hat trick of songs to reach the UK Top 10. Unlike the previous two, this track was not as successful in the United States. However, here's Mary featured on an edition of Top of the Pops:

At Number 15 was a new entry from the popular blues/rock band Canned Heat. In the UK, Let's Work Together became the group's biggest hit, eventually peaking at Number 2. In the USA it did not fare so well, possibly due to a contemporaneous release by the song's writer, Wilbert Harrison. It would later reappear in the UK chart when Bryan Ferry recorded a version, changing the title to Let's Stick Together: 

At the other end of the musical spectrum was the British pop band Vanity Fare which was enjoying its second UK Top 20 hit with Hitchin' A Ride. It was the follow-up to the band's bigger hit Early in the Morning which had cracked the Top 10 in August 1969. Hitchin' was more successful in the American charts where it peaked at Number 5 and became Vanity Fare's second million selling song. However, as far as the British charts are concerned, nothing more was heard of the band:

Useless chart coincidence: Vanity Fare competed to represent the United Kingdom at the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest with a song called Dreamer (listen here). They came third in the national final. Mary Hopkin represented the UK later in 1970 when she came second to Dana's All Kinds of Everything.

Until next time...