JUNE 1975

Of course I knew that Roy Wood was the co-founder of ELO, which had more or less evolved from The Move anyway. It was attempted irony. The Mustard album later that year proved that he had by no means “lost it” but by then he’d certainly lost his audience, and Jeff Lynne and his chums would duly step into and fill the gap.

 

The sax soloist on “Listen To What The Man Said” certainly is Tom Scott. I wrote about the song’s parent album here.

 

“Moonshine Sally” was actually an old Mud track put out by RAK to cash in because the band had just left the label to sign up with Private Stock.

 

 

7 June

 

ROY WOOD: Oh What A Shame/Bengal Jig (Jet 754)

 

 

Poor old Roy has lost it. Boring old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. You’d think he was trying to be the Electric Light Orchestra.

 

 

HAMILTON BOHANNON: Disco Stomp/Run It On Down Mr D. J. (Brunswick BR 19)

 

 

This is fantastic, like Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn” crossing the Atlantic Ocean and going to some parties. “NOOOOOOO YAAAAAAAAAAAWK CITAAAAAAYYYY!!” It’s absolutely confident about what it does. It doesn’t matter why it’s being done; all that matters is how it makes you feel.

 

 

 

VAN McCOY & THE SOUL CITY SYMPHONY: The Hustle/Hey Girl, Come And Get It (Avco 6105 038)

 

 

The new disco sensation – they say the biggest one since the Twist. But this is very elegant, almost 1930s in its superficially demure but deep down excitable nature. My father doesn’t think that much of it – “so he’s doing simple thematic counterpoint, so what?” – and thinks they’re singing “Two-and-a-half salts” rather than “Do the Hustle,” which they may well be doing.

 

 

 

WINGS: Listen To What The Man Said/Love In Song (Capitol/MPL R 6006)

 

 

McCartney writes pop songs like I eat breakfast – they just come naturally to him. This is terrific and imaginative and not a little bit ominous even before they unexpectedly get to the slow part at the end. Excellent saxophone playing (Tom Scott?) but my father can’t stand the soprano sax so that’s that.

 

 

 

10CC: I’m Not In Love/Good News (Mercury 6008 014)

 

 

 

Where do I even begin with this record? It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard before, except for the massed choirs at the end which are as total, absolute and enveloping as Gyorgy Ligeti’s “Atmospheres” on the 2001: A Space Odyssey soundtrack (I haven’t seen the film yet). Eric Stewart insists, pleads over and over that he’s not in love, but you don’t believe him for one second. The harmonies drift into and swim over each other like icebergs. A woman’s voice fades in and out telling us that big boys don’t cry. There are Mike Oldfield moments (the bass solo and the superimposed Tubular Bells piano). It snaps your heart. Are those kazoos they’re playing? And you only get some of this on the single version – I already have The Original Soundtrack album and you have to listen to the whole thing for it to make real sense. If the Beatles had stayed together this is where they would have ended up. This record sounds like 10cc are already in the 21st century. Magnificent and lost.

 

 

 

 

14 June

 

RETTA YOUNG: (Sending Out An) S.O.S./More “S.O.S.” (All Platinum 6146 305)

 

 

Efficient but unexciting disco record.

 

 

 

JOHNNY NASH: Tears On My Pillow (I Can’t Take It)/Beautiful Baby (CBS 3220)

 

 

It’s nice that Johnny Nash comes back every three years or so with his pop-reggae. This is moderately catchy but not very thrilling and I preferred “Stir It Up” which was Bob Marley covered two years before Eric Clapton.

 

 

 

TONY CAMILLO’S BAZUKA: Dynomite – Part 1/Dynomite – Part 2 (A&M AMS 7168)

 

 

This is much more like it – if you’re going to have disco, and disco is without a doubt the big pop music of 1975, make it percussive and exciting like this.

 

 

 

THE BLACKBYRDS: Walking In Rhythm/The Baby (Fantasy FTC 114)

 

 

These musicians have something to do with Donald Byrd, therefore in my father’s mind are jazz and this is very sprightly jazz-soul. So much better than the Moments and Nonentities.

 

 

 

KENNY: Baby I Love You, OK!/The Sound Of Super K (RAK 207)

 

 

Ridiculous that these comedians are still getting hits. Dull dull DULL unglamorous glam. The B-side sounds like the Bay City Rollers doing Jesus Christ Superstar.

 

 

 

STEVE HARLEY & COCKNEY REBEL: Mr Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)/Sebastian (EMI 2299)

 

 

The A-side is an album track and not pop at all. Meanders about the place to no great purpose. The B-side is a live recording at Hammersmith Odeon but “Sebastian” is a sensational tune and EMI should have given it a second chance as the follow-up to a number one. They could have got another one. This will be lucky to make the top ten.

 

 

 

 

21 June

 

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS: Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)/Slat Key Soquel Rag (Warner Bros K 16559)

 

 

Old Motown song arranged in the style of “It’s Not Unusual” but this singer is not Tom Jones.

 

 

 

MUD: Moonshine Sally/Bye Bye Johnny (RAK 208)

 

 

This record is NOTHING. Is that the best Mud can do these days? They’ll be straight back on The Basil Brush Show if they don’t make an effort.

 

 

 

GILBERT O’SULLIVAN: I Don’t Love You But I Think I Like You/That’s A Fact (MAM 130)

 

 

Great to hear Gilbert uptempo and in a good mood again. Very aggressive, this song; lots of guitar thrashing. The liveliest he’s sounded in a LONG time.

 

 

 

NAZARETH: My White Bicycle/Miss Misery (Mooncrest MOON 47)

 

 

Dan McCafferty having a fine time belting out this old sixties psychedelic song. I didn’t have a fine time listening to it but I’m glad he enjoyed himself.

 

 

 

GARY GLITTER: Doing All Right With The Boys/Good For No Good (Bell 1429)

 

 

He doesn’t kid me on. My God, this is desperate, and barely a month on from his last one – trying to get back to the big shouty Dave Clark Five thumpers of two years ago but there really is no life left in this formula and he doesn’t even sound like he’s pretending to mean it. This might be the last big hit he gets and I suspect by now it’s only the fans who are buying it.

 

 

 

 

28 June

 

SISTER SLEDGE: Mama Never Told Me/Neither One Of Us (Want’s [sic] To Be The First To Say Goodbye) (Atlantic K 10619)

 

 

 

Female Jackson 5 imitators. This song is about three years out of date.

 

 

 

DONNY & MARIE OSMOND: Make The World Go Away/Living On My Suspicion (MGM/Kolob 2006 523)

 

 

Can’t YOU just go away instead?

 

 

 

THE RUBETTES: Foe-Dee-O-Dee/With You (State Records STAT 7)

 

 

Are they having a laugh? Three-year-olds would find this insulting.

 

 

 

THE CHI-LITES: Have You Seen Her?/Oh Girl (Brunswick BR 20)

 

 

Noel Edmonds and his Saddest Song Ever nonsense again. These songs were only hits three years ago. At this rate “Fancy Pants” by Kenny will be Christmas number one. Stop looking back – it isn’t the war any more.

 

 

 

RAY STEVENS: Misty/Sunshine (Janus Records 6146 204)

 

 

 

Stevens is much better when he isn’t trying to be a comedian. This is an Erroll Garner song done in the country and western style and it’s fine. The fiddles on “thousand violins” part remind me of “Cocktails For Two” by Spike Jones and his City Slickers so that’s naturally funny, rather than forced to be funny.