Record of the Year Revisited: 1973

Original Record of the Year: Linda Lewis - Rock a Doodle do

It would seem I was quite decisive about my choice for 1973 because I said there was only 1 record it could be. Linda Lewis had an impressive vocal range and had 4 Top 40 hits to her name that are all different to each other, but this was the best.

Sadly Linda Lewis has since passed away and when the news broke I was singing her praises to those who hadn't heard of her, recommending they check out her music.

Surely I'm not going to change my mind.

New Record of the Year: Focus - Sylvia

Well actually yes I am. As much as I like the music to the talking I can't help but be biased sometimes. I knew this record at the time and I've never disliked it but I never seriously considered it as a candidate.

The first time I remember Focus appearing on my radar was after learning Jeremy Clarkson was a fan. I would call myself a fan of Jeremy Clarkson as an entertainer but have always considered him to have bad taste in music. 

Another factor is that this is considered a progressive rock record, a genre that faced a backlash from the punk generation for getting so far above it's own backside. 

I didn't give it this much thought at the time, I merely brushed over it. However after doing my January charts for 1973 I picked this as the best. I just can't deny this is a great record and it really doesn't matter what genre this fits into or who else is a fan.

Record of the Year Revisited: 1972

Original Record of the Year: Chi-Lites - Have You Seen Her

I originally said I kept changing my mind about the 1972 Record of the Year and that it was a close call between 5 different candidates. I don't specifically remember which 5 were the candidates but have an idea of what at least some of them were.

However when I looked through the list of records that charted in 1972 I did remember that "Have You Seen Her" was the one I picked so it was a question of whether I considered any of the other records to be better.

The answer was no. This is the nearest to a rap record you're going to get in 1972 but it's more the backing track that makes the song for me. I do like the vocals too.

At the time I said that Marshall Thompson was the only original member of the group still alive and 10 years later than remains the case.

Record of the Year Revisited: 1971

Original Record of the Year: Congregation - Softly Whispering I Love You

One thing I've learned I like in music is a mixture of 2 things that are completely contradictory to each other. In the case of my record of year for 1971 it was melodic sound of the choir singing followed by a man with a powerful and quite rough voice taking over.

Is this concept enough for this record to hold onto it's crown?

Absolutely. I don't think there's a record of the 70s that I listen to more than this one. I would probably pick it as my record of the decade it's that good.

Record of the Year Revisited: 1970

Original Record of the Year: Fifth Dimension - Wedding Bell Blues

When I look at the list of Top 40 hits from 1970 it looks like generally the best ones came at the start of the year. That includes my original choice "Wedding Bell Blues" by Fifth Dimension which charted in January.

There's some strong competition in January alone and a few stand out good record which came later on in the year. Are any of them strong enough to take the crown off the Fifth Dimension?

I would say no not quite. I listened to several candidates but none quite gave me the uplift that this record gave me. It's a fun record.

January Charts: 1996

Here are the new entries ranked from best to worst:

1. Baby D - So Pure

2. Dreadzone - Little Britain

3. The Chemical Brothers - Loops Of Fury EP

4. Dubstar - Not So Manic Now

5. Goldbug - Whole Lotta Love

6. The Presidents Of The United States Of America - Lump

7. Leftfield - Release The Pressure

8. Coolio - Too Hot

9. Kenny 'Dope' Presents The Bucketheads - Got Myself Together

10. Green Day - Stuck With Me

11. Live - Lightning Crashes

12. Eazy-E - Just Tah Let U Know

13. LL Cool J - Hey Lover ft Boyz II Men

14. Skunk Anansie - Weak

15. Ace Of Base - Beautiful Life

16. Nu Soul - Hide-A-Way ft Kelli Rush

17. Tak Tix - Feel Like Singing

18. Shaggy - Why You Treat Me So Bad ft Grand Puba

19. Sunscreem - White Skies

20. The Human League - Stay With Me Tonight

21. Paul Carrack - Eyes Of Blue

22. Frank Black - Men In Black

23. The Nightcrawlers - Let's Push It ft John Reid

24. Cast - Sandstorm

25. Culture Beat - Inside Out

26. Meat Loaf - Not A Dry Eye In The House

27. The Saw Doctors - World Of Good

28. Shed Seven - Getting Better

29. Gene - For The Dead

30. Nick Heyward - Rollerblade

31. Pato Banton With Sting - Spirits In The Material World

32. Tori Amos - Caught A Lite Sneeze

33. Babylon Zoo - Spaceman

34. 3T - Anything

35. George Michael - Jesus To A Child

36. Upside Down - Change Your Mind

37. Xscape - Who Can I Run To

38. Q-Club - Tell It To My Heart

39. Lush - Single Girl

40. Cher - One By One

41. Madonna - Oh Father

42. Billie Ray Martin - Imitation Of Life

By January 1996 I was a rave purist so it's only right we should have a rave record at the top. Of all the Baby D singles I would say "So Pure" is my favourite and was at the time. It didn't appear on any of the rave tapes I had though, the scene had split into happy hardcore and drum & bass and this didn't fit either, more a pre-split sort of sound.

In 2nd we have "Little Britain" by Dreadzone, their only Top 40 hit and one of a select few dub records to make the Top 40. Another of these was "Release The Pressure" by Leftfield in 7th place.

In 3rd place we have The Chemical Brothers with "Loops Of Fury" who hadn't put a foot wrong singles wise up to that point. Then it's Dubstar with "Not So Manic Now" or the cup of tea song as I like to call it. Then we have Goldbug with a dance cover of "Whole Lotta Love" which I very much liked at the time.

Although my tastes had moved away from guitar music I did like The Presidents Of The USA and their quirky sort of sound. Sticking with the guitars I have no recollection of "Stuck With Me" by Green Day at the time but became very familiar with it a few years later and it's a solid fast number. I don't think "Lightning Crashes" by Live came on my radar until I had music channels a few years later and like the record.

The last non-rave record I'd bought to this point was the "Gangstas Paradise" single by Coolio. His follow up "Too Hot" wasn't as good but a decent record nonetheless. There's a posthumous record for rapper Eazy-E with his only Top 40 hit "Just Ta Let You Know". LL Cool J always seemed a bit pop for my liking but some of his records have grown on my retrospectively and "Hey Lover" is one of those.

Skunk Anansie were one of the better guitar bands of this era for the simple fact they'd not gone soft like many of the others. Ace of Base had moved away from their reggae pop sound with more of a dance sound with the cheesy but enjoyable "Beautiful Life".

At the time my main criticism of house music was that it was too slow. The records "Hide-A-Way" by Nu Soul and "Feel Like Singing" by Tak Tix are both solid records without being anything groundbreaking.

I can't say the same for "Imitation Of Life" by Billie Ray Martin which finds itself down the bottom. First of all I find her voice irritating but also I've already forgotten how the tune goes and I know this isn't the first time I've heard it.

Just above we have "Oh Father" by Madonna which was her joint lowest charting Top 40 hit to that point. Just above that is Cher with "One By One" which one in a long line of covers she had Top 40 hits with at the time.

Also down there we have Lush which is just feminist claptrap, Q-Club doing a cover of "Tell It To My Heart" which I don't think can ever be made to sound good, Xscape with something very generic, boy band Upside Down with a blatant rip off of "Careless Whisper" by George Michael who had a very boring number 1 with "Jesus To A Child". 

I must also give a mention to "Spaceman" by Babylon Zoo which sounded great on the Levi's advert but the rest of the song was terrible.

1995 may have only just ended at this point but we're already seeing a decline in quality.

Score: 40

Record of the Year Revisited: 1969

Original Record of the Year: Gene Pitney - Maria Elena

One thing I've discovered in the last 10 years is that 1969 is the best year for Top 40 hits. This makes my original choice for the record of the year a little baffling. Don't get me wrong it's a great record but I wouldn't even put it in my Top 5 Gene Pitney songs.

The fact that 1969 was such a good year for music puts a bit more pressure on how good the record of the year should be. There's plenty of great records but I don't think there's one that stands head and shoulders above the rest.

New Record of the Year: Love Affair - Bringing On Back The Good Times

I'll probably choose a different record every day but for now I've gone with "Bringing On Back The Good Times" by Love Affair.

This was the final Top 40 hit for them. They're best known for chart topper "Everlasting Love" but in my opinion their other singles are better and this is the best of the lot.

The tour of London in the video makes me want to get in a time machine and go back there.

Record of the Year Revisited: 1968

Original Record of the Year: Honeybus - I Can't Let Maggie Go

I picked a record I would hear every shift when working in a supermarket as a youngster but somehow never got sick of. 

When I look at the list of Top 40 hits in 1968 I see plenty of decent records. Yet very few are what I would describe as outstanding. Then when it comes to songs I particularly like I ask the question of whether it's good enough to be record of the year.

The only one where the answer is yes it the record I picked in the first place. It's a song I continue to listen to regularly and makes me nostalgic about a time I never lived through. It also makes me a bit nostalgic about the time I used to hear it at work. Not the job itself, but the time in the late 90s when I was optimistic about the future.