Is it really 40 years since the UK music charts of 1974 gave us a a wonderful array of different music genres? Joining established glam rock and soul acts, 1974 saw the advent of disco, championed by Miami based KC & The Sunshine Band and their protegee George McCrae.

1974 was very significant year for the Record Press author as I became fully immersed in pop and rock music, having flirted with pop music the previous year. 1974 was the year that the transistor radio became my constant companion and later in October, I was given a Decca radio cassette recorder for my 12th birthday, which instantly became my best friend!! 1974 was also the year I bought my first vinyl single, Rubettes’ “Sugar Baby Love”.

Despite the obvious personal sentimentality attached to the year, 40 years on I am convinced that 1974 was a rich year for music, the highlight for many being the arrival of ABBA on the world stage , winning the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo”. Glam Rock was still going strong with Slade, The Sweet and Gary Glitter collectively reaching the UK Top 3 on eight occasions. Mud were the stand out Glam Rock act in 1974, with two No1s “Tiger Feet” and “Lonely This Christmas” and a near miss with No2 hit “The Cat Crept In”. Whilst it was a great year for Mud with the best selling single of the year in “Tiger Feet”, they were eclipsed somewhat surprisingly by the Wombles who were the best selling singles act of 1974 in terms of volume sales generated by their five hit singles.

1974 also saw the advent of Queen in the UK charts, with their first two hit singles, “Seven Seas Of Rhye” and “Killer Queen”. Whilst the the UK charts in the spring of 1974 were dominated by the pathos of Canadian Terry Jacks’ No1 deathbed ballad “Seasons In The Sun”, the summer was dominated by the arrival of disco in the form of No1s by chart debutants – “Rock Your Baby” by George McCrae and “When Will I See You Again” by the Three Degrees.

Alvin Stardust and David Essex established themselves as chart acts with No1s in 1974, “Jealous Mind” and “We Gonna Make You A Star” respectively. Meanwhile there were chart debuts for Barry White, Rubettes, Paperlace and Showaddywaddy whilst mega stars Elton John and  David Bowie were regular visitors to the UK charts. The charts became festooned in tartan as “Rollermania” arrived, with the Bay City Rollers clocking four top 10 hits in 1974.

Amongst the chartbusting music acts, there were some smaller gems that were not big chart hits and some are included in the MyFirstRecord.co.uk Top 40 Best Songs of 1974 ( See below ). Forty years on, perhaps it is fitting that the song “Time” from Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of The Moon” album is No1. Although released as a vinyl single, it was a non hit, but 40 years on the lyrics are as relevant today as they were in 1974 –

Top 40 Best Songs of 1974

1) Pink Floyd – Time / Us & Them ( – ) (Non-hit)

2) Elvis Presley – My Boy ( No5 )

3) Terry Jacks – Seasons in the Sun ( No1 )

4) Harry Chapin – Cat’s in the Cradle ( – ) (Non-hit)

5) Rubettes – Sugar Baby Love ( No1 )

6) Slade – Far, Far Away ( No2 )

7) Stylistics – You make me feel brand new ( No2 )

8) Chi-Lites – Homely Girl ( No5 )

9) Mud – Cat Crept in ( No2 )

10) Genesis – I know what I like ( in your wardrobe ) ( No21 )

11) Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye – You are Everything ( No5 )

12) R Dean Taylor – Ghost in My House ( No4 )

13) Sweet Dreams – Honey Honey ( No10 )

14) Queen – Killer Queen ( No2 )

15) 10cc – Wall Street Shuffle ( No10 )

16) Isley Brothers – Summer Breeze ( No16 )

17) Sparks – This town ain’t big enough No2 )

18) Lobo – I’d love you to want me ( No5 )

19) Elton John – Candle in the Wind ( No11 )

20) First Class – Beach Baby ( No13 )

21) Barry White – First, Last, My Everything ( No1 )

22) Bryan Ferry – The In Crowd ( No13 )

23) Drifters – Kissing in the back row of the movies ( No2 )

24) George McCrae – Rock Your Baby ( No1 )

25) Abba – Waterloo ( No1 )

26) Three Degrees – When will I see you again? ( No1 )

27) Mud – Tiger Feet ( No1 )

28) Roxy Music – All I Want is You ( No12 )

29) Neil Sedaka – Laughter in the Rain ( No15 )

30) Hollies – Air That I Breathe ( No2 )

31) Ace – How Long ( No20 )

32) Hot Chocolate – Emma ( No3 )

33) Alvin Stardust – Red Dress ( No7 )

34) Bobby Goldsboro – Hello Summertime ( No14 )

35) KC & Sunshine Band – Queen of Clubs ( No7 )

36) Johnny Bristol – Hang On In There Baby ( No3 )

37) Wings – Band On The Run ( No3 )

38) Cockney Rebel – Mr Soft ( No8 )

39) Ralph McTell – Streets of London ( No2 )

40) Terry Jacks – If You Go Away ( No8 )

Now back in 1974, music mags like Disc & Record Mirror had a “Bubblers” section beneath their weekly Top 30 / 40 / 75 chart listing. Such is the rich abundance of great songs from 1974 we are adding a further 25 “bubblers” lurking beneath our Top 40, emphasising the wealth & magnitude of music in this year!!

BUBBLERS

41) Jimmy Ruffin – What becomes of the Broken Hearted ( No4 )

42) Hues Corporation – Rock the Boat ( No4 )

43) Harold Melvin & Bluenotes – The Love I Lost ( No21 )

44) T-Rex – Teenage Dream ( No13 )

45) Gigliola Cinquetti – Go ( No9 )

46) John Denver – Annie’s Song ( No1 )

47) Harry Chapin – WOLD ( No34 )

48) Wizzard – Rock & Roll Winter ( No8 )

49) Slade – Everyday ( No3 )

50) Rubettes – Jukebox Jive ( No3 )

51 ) Marvin Gaye / Diana Ross – Stop look Listen (To Your Heart) ( No25 )

52) The Sweet – The Sixteens ( No9 )

53 ) Sparks – Amateur Hour ( No7 )

54) Rolling Stones – I Know it’s Only Rock & Roll ( No10 )

55) Elton John – Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds ( No12 )

56) Osmonds – Love Me For A Reason ( No1 )

57) Bryan Ferry – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes ( No17 )

58) Brian Protheroe – Pinball ( No23 )

59) Splinter – Costafine Town ( No17 )

60) Doobie Bros – Listen to the Music ( No29 )

61) William De Vaughn – Be Thankful For What You Got ( No31 )

62 ) Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting ( No1 )

63) Eric Clapton – I Shot the Sheriff ( No9 )

64) Maria Muldaur – Midnight At The Oasis ( No21 )

65) London String Chorale – Galloping Home (Theme from The Adventures of Black Beauty) ( No31 )

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