7 December 1972 What in God's name is Chuck Berry doing at the top of the charts—in Ireland, the UK and, amazingly, for the only time in the US—in 1972? Well, if it had ever gone away at all, '50s rock n' roll was having a glam- and nostalgia-fuelled renewal of interest. Berry had headlined … Continue reading Chuck Berry – ‘My Ding-A-Ling’ →

2 November 1972 I turn again to the words of my guru, Hugo Drax: "Not being English, I sometimes find your sense of humour rather difficult to follow". Feigning interest in 'Mouldy Old Dough' for a moment, I discern a mixum-gatherum of traditional English cultural expression: music hall; sea shanty; medieval folk; Dickensian grotesquery; end-of-the-pier … Continue reading Lieutenant Pigeon – ‘Mouldy Old Dough’ →

26 October 1972 Others abide Operation Yewtree's questioning; Gilbert is free. Even with lines like "to me you're more than a child" and "in spite of our age difference" there's no implication of anything untoward in 'Clair'. We know that this is simply the Gilbertian muse in action: take an idea whimsically, run with it … Continue reading Gilbert O’Sullivan – ‘Clair’ →

19 October 1972 Every generation has its male pop teen-idols and pin-ups. Since the '90s, they've tended to originate in variety packs of four or five, known to science as boybands, so that you can choose your preferred dreamboat from the cheeky one, the cute one, the tough one, the talented one, or—let's not kink-shame—the … Continue reading David Cassidy – ‘How Can I Be Sure’ →

5 October 1972 The crop is getting noticeably thinner; 'Children Of The Revolution' doesn't have a bridge or a third verse, and at barely two-and-a-half minutes it's half the length of 'Hot Love' and two minutes shorter than 'Get It On'. Also thinning off here is the market demand; 'Children Of The Revolution' didn't get … Continue reading T. Rex – ‘Children Of The Revolution’ →

21 September 1972 If Slade are the Oasis of glam, then with 'Mama Weer All Crazee Now' they seem to be getting their Be Here Now era in early. The substance of choice here, as per the lyrics, may be whiskey, but this tired and tiring trudge is redolent of the most coked-up of rock … Continue reading Slade – ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’ →

7 September 1972 There are a few factoids and minutiae to get out of the way first. This is the second chart-topping single for Sligo folk-showband balladeer Dermot Henry, after 1970's rich-people-have-feelings-too sobfest 'If Those Lips Could Only Speak'. We won't see such Sligo dominance of our number one spot again until the advent of … Continue reading Dermot Henry – ‘The Gypsy’ →

20 July 1972 Dr Hook isn't a person but the collective name of the band. Sylvia and her mother are real-life people, though. 'Sylvia's Mother', alas, is also real. Off-stage, Sylvia is happily packing for her future, about to catch the train to Galveston to get married there. Her mother, justifiably, has little time for … Continue reading Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show – ‘Sylvia’s Mother’ →

29 June 1972 There's a verse in his breakthrough 1970 hit 'Nothing Rhymed' that captures my conundrum over Gilbert O'Sullivan: When I'm drinking my Bonaparte shandyEating more than enough apple piesWill I glance at my screenAnd see real human beingsStarve to death right in front of my eyes? The latter three lines are fantastic; they … Continue reading Gilbert O’Sullivan – ‘Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day’ →

16 June 1972 No fear of Don McLean ever being a misunderstood genius: he's quite clearly dreadful. 'Vincent' is of a piece with 'Streets Of London', which we'll see at the top of our charts a couple of years later: dreary, didactic cabaret-folk balladry that has Something To Say and will say it with the … Continue reading Don McLean – ‘Vincent’ →