1978 part eight

1978

THE LAST GREAT YEAR OF ROCK

 

 

IN TO WEEK EIGHT AND YOU'RE PROBABLY THINKING WELL THIS ISN'T A GREAT YEAR AFTER ALL. WELL TO SOME EXTENT I AGREED YOU WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT LOOKING AT THE TOP FORTY SO FAR, BUT LETS JUST ALSO REMIND OUR SELF OF SOME OF THE GREAT THINGS TO COME. SOME OF THE GREAT RELEASES OF THE YEAR, SOME OF WHICH WE WILL COVER AS WE PROGRESS THROUGH THE YEAR.

 

SO HERE A LIST OF SOME OF THE GREAT ARTISTS OF THIS YEAR , THE  CLASH. GENERATION X, SHAM 69 ,BUZZCOCKS, BOOMTOWN RATS,THE POLICE ,PATTI SMITH,THE RAMONES,THE JAM, MOTORHEAD, THE DAMNED,THE STRANGLERS,TUBEWAY ARMY,THE LURKERS,THE MOTORS,THE NORMAL,IAN DURY,ELVIS COSTELLO,HUMAN LEAGUE,XTC,TALKING HEADS,PARLIAMENT,DEVO,JAPAN,SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES,FUNKADELIC. 

 

THERE ARE MANY MORE BUT THAT'S JUST A TASTER OF THE GREAT MUSIC THAT WAS AROUND IN 1978.

 

IN A WEEK IN 2018 WHEN ABBA ANNOUNCE THEY ARE TO REFORM GUESS WHO'S NUMBER ONE. THAT RIGHT ABBA FOR THE SECOND ARE AT NUMBER ONE WITH TAKE A CHANCE ON ME.

 

  ALSO THIS WEEK IN 1978 SID VICIOUS IS ARRESTED FOR DRUG POSSESSION, BOB DYLANS LIVE AT THE BUDOKAN IS RECORDED, THE DAMNED ANNOUNCE THEY ARE TO SPLIT AND WHITESNAKE BEGIN THEIR FIRST TOUR OF THE UK.

 

THE REST OF THE TOP TEN IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AS LAST WEEK WITH ONLY YELLOW DOG BREAKING INTO THE TOP TEN WITH ONE MORE NIGHT.

 

UP TEN TO ELEVEN IS THE STRANGLERS WITH FIVE MINUTES THIS IS HAS HIGH AS IT WILL GET FALLING BACK DOWN NEXT WEEK TO NUMBER TWENTY THREE. THE BEE GEES CLIMB SIX WITH STAYIN ALIVE, AND KATE BUSH MAKES THE TOP TWENTY FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH WUTHERING HEIGHTS AT NUMBER THIRTEEN.

 

AGAIN THE REST OF THE TOP TWENTY IS MUCH THE SAME WITH ONLY FREE GOING UP SEVEN WITH THE FREE EP TO NUMBER EIGHTEEN.

 

TOM ROBINSON BAND AND THE RISING FREE EP IS UP SIX PLACES TO NUMBER TWENTY FOUR. AT NUMBER TWENTY EIGHT WE FIND A NEW ENTRY AND ONE OF THE DEFINING TRACKS OF 1978 GERRY RAFFERTY AND BAKER STREET WITH THE SAXOPHONE RIFF THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS PLAYED BY RAPHAEL RAVENSCROFT ACCORDING TO URBAN MYTH RAVENSCROFT WAS PAID TWENTY SEVEN POUNDS FOR PLAYING ON THE TRACK , ONLY TO FIND THAT THE CHEQUE BOUNCED. RAPHAEL RAVENSCROFT LATER DENIED THIS STORY IN 2012 . STRANGELY ANOTHER URBAN MYTHS WHICH IS UNTURE IS THAT BOB HOLNESS OF BLOCKBUSTER FAME WAS THE ONE WHO PLAYED THE SAXOPHONE.

ERUPTIONS DISCO VERSION OF ANN PEEBLES I CANT STAND THE RAIN IS UP TWO TO TWENTY NINE.  BLONDIE BREAK THE FORTY AT NUMBER THIRTY THREE WITH DENIS THE START OF A GOLDEN RUN OF SINGLES FOR THE BAND.

BOB MARLEY IS NEW AT THIRTY FIVE AND IS THIS LOVE WHICH WILL BE HIS BIGGEST HIT OF THE YEAR. WHAT DO I GET ? BY THE BUZZCOCKS IS AT NUMBER THIRTY SEVEN THE FIRST OF FIVE HIT SINGLE THIS YEAR FOR THEM.

QUEEN S SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND DONNA SUMMER S RUMOUR HAS IT BOTH NEW ENTRY'S AT THIRTY NINE AND FORTY BRING THIS WEEKS TOP FORTY TO A CLOSE.


WORDS BY PETER STOCK HAMMERSMITH78MUSICPROMOTIONS COPY RIGHT 2018