1978 PART THREE

1978

 

THE LAST GREAT YEAR OF ROCK

 

 

 

WITH THE SEX PISTOLS PLAYING THEIR LAST GIG AT WINTERLAND SAN FRANCISCO

ON THE 14TH OF JANUARY , AND SPLITING UP ON THE 17TH. YOU COULD ALMOST LOOK AT THIS WEEKS CHART AND THINK PUNK NEVER HAPPENED.

 

WITH ONLY JONATHAN RICHMAN AND THE MODERN LOVER EGYPTAIN REGGAGE  A NUMBER 5 HIT FROM LAST YEAR AT NUMBER 28, AND THE MODERN LOVER NEW AT 37 WITH  MORNING OF OUR LIVES IN THE BBC RADIO ONE OFFICAL CHART TOP 40.

 EVEN WORSE IS TO FOUND IN THE N M E CHART OF THAT WEEK, WITH THE ONLY REAL PUNK SINGLE AND SOME MAY SAY THATS AT A PUSH WE FIND JOHN OTWAY AND WILD WILLY BARRETT CLASSIC REALLY FREE CHARTING AT NUMBER 26.

 

UNLIKE ELVIS PRESLEY DEATH LAST AUGUST,THE SEX PISTOLS WERE NOT GOING ON TO STORM THE CHARTS IN THE WAKE OF THEIR DEMISE.

 

IN AMERICA PLAYER WERE NUMBER ONE WITH BABY COME BACK. THAT WAS SOON ABOUT TO CHANGE IN TO THE GIBB BROTHERS SHOW AS THE BEE GEES SWEPT THE AIR WAVE AND THE CHARTS AND ON THE 25 MARCH 1978 HELD THE TOP TWO SPOTS AND WROTE THE NUMBER THREE HIT EMOTION BY SAMANTHA SANG.

 

THINGS LOOK NO BETTER ON THE ALBUM CHART THIS WEEK WITH BREAD THE SOUND OF BREAD AT NUMBER ONE. WHILE ONLY THREE PUNK ALBUM FEATURE IN THE BBC OFFICIAL CHART, THE SEX PISTOLS NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS AT NUMBER EIGHTEEN AND THE STRANGLERS AT NUMBER FOURTY FOUR AND FOURTY SIX WITH NO MORE HREOES AND IV (RATTUS NORVEGICUS).

 

SO ON TO THE TOP FORTY. WINGS STILL HOLD ON TO NUMBER ONE WITH MULL OF KINTYRE/GIRL SCHOOL. ALTHEA AND DONNA CLIMB ELEVEN TO NUMBER TWO ON THE WAY TO THE TOP WITH UPTOWN TOP RANKING. AT THREE FOUR AND FIVE WE HAVE DONNA SUMMER,BONNIE TYLER AND THE BRIGHOUSE AND RASTRICK BRASS BAND.

 

THE HIGEST NEW ENTRY THIS WEEK IS AT FOURTEEN , BROTHERHOOD OF MAN AND FIGARO AGAIN HEADING FOR THE TOP SPOT.  BILL WITHERS IS NEW TO THE TWENTY AT SEVENTEEN AND LOVELY DAY.

 

AND WHAT OF THE OTHER AT NUMBER THIRTY THREE WE HAVE BACCRA AND SORRY IM A LADY. ROSE ROYCE ARE NEW AT THIRTY FOUR WITH THE CLASSIC WISHING ON A STAR. GORDON GILTRAP IS NEW AT THIRTY SIX WITH HEARTSONG ALTHOUGH NOT A BIG HIT IT WILL GO ON FOR MANY YEARS AS THE OPENING THEME TO HOLIDAY ON THE BBC.

 

SO AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS WEEKS CHARTS IT LIKE PUNK NEVER HAPPENED.

 

 

WORDS BY PETER STOCK  HAMMERSMITH78MUSICPROMOTIONS COPY RIGHT 2018