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1974 in British music
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1974
1974 British music
This is a summary of 1974 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
Events
6 April – The 19th Eurovision Song Contest is staged at the Dome in Brighton. The winners, Sweden's ABBA, go on to be the top-selling act of the decade.
7 May – Led Zeppelin announce their new record label, Swan Song Records, with a lavish party at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York.
19 June – Alan Bush's 1950 opera Wat Tyler receives its UK première at Sadler's Wells Theatre, the only time one of Bush's operas has been staged in the UK. Mason Colin etal Bush, Alan (Dudley) http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/04432?q=Alan+bush&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1 Grove Music Online 2007–2017 26 May 2017
20 July – The first Knebworth Concert is held, headlined by the Allman Brothers Band.
2 November – George Harrison launches his George Harrison & Friends North American Tour in Vancouver. It is Harrison's first tour since the Beatles North American tour of 1966.
28 November – John Lennon joins Elton John on stage at Madison Square Garden for three songs. It would be Lennon's last stage performance.
12 December – Mick Taylor leaves the Rolling Stones after six years.
Number Ones
Singles
DateOfficial Charts Company - Number One singles(Link redirected to OCC website)SingleArtist5 January"Merry Xmas Everybody"Slade12 January19 January "You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me" The New Seekers26 January"Tiger Feet"Mud2 February9 February16 February23 February"Devil Gate Drive"Suzi Quatro2 March9 March"Jealous Mind"Alvin Stardust16 March"Billy Don't Be a Hero"Paper Lace23 March30 March6 April"Seasons in the Sun"Terry Jacks13 April20 April27 April4 May"Waterloo"ABBA11 May18 May"Sugar Baby Love"The Rubettes25 May1 June8 June15 June"The Streak"Ray Stevens22 June"Always Yours"Gary Glitter29 June"She"Charles Aznavour6 July13 July20 July27 July"Rock Your Baby"George McCrae3 August10 August17 August"When Will I See You Again"The Three Degrees24 August31 August"Love Me for a Reason"The Osmonds7 September14 September21 September"Kung Fu Fighting"Carl Douglas28 September5 October12 October"Annie's Song"John Denver19 October"Sad Sweet Dreamer"Sweet Sensation26 October"Everything I Own"Ken Boothe2 November9 November16 November"Gonna Make You a Star"David Essex23 November30 November7 December"You're the First, the Last, My Everything"Barry White14 December21 December"Lonely This Christmas"Mud28 December4 January
Albums
DateOfficial Charts Company - Number One albums(Link redirected to OCC website)AlbumArtistWeeks5 JanuaryTales from Topographic OceansYes212 January19 JanuarySladestSlade126 JanuaryAnd I Love You SoPerry Como12 FebruaryThe Singles: 1969-1973The Carpenters49 February16 February23 February2 MarchOld, New, Borrowed and BlueSlade19 MarchThe Singles: 1969-1973The Carpenters1116 March23 March30 March6 April13 April20 April27 April4 May11 May18 May25 MayJourney to the Centre of the EarthRick Wakeman11 JuneThe Singles: 1969-1973The Carpenters18 June Diamond DogsDavid Bowie415 June22 June29 June6 JulyThe Singles: 1969-1973The Carpenters113 JulyCaribouElton John220 July27 JulyBand on the RunPaul McCartney & Wings73 August10 August17 August24 August31 August7 September14 SeptemberHergest RidgeMike Oldfield321 September28 September5 OctoberTubular Bells112 OctoberRollin'Bay City Rollers119 OctoberSmilerRod Stewart126 OctoberRollinBay City Rollers12 NovemberSmilerRod Stewart19 NovemberRollinBay City Rollers216 November23 NovemberGreatest HitsElton John730 November7 December14 December21 December28 December4 January
Year-end charts
Between 2 January and 6 December 1974.
Best-selling singles
Top Selling Singles for 1974 Music Week Spotlight Publications London, England 20 4 January 1975
No. Number Title Artist Peakposition 1 "Tiger Feet" Mud 1 2 "Seasons in the Sun" Terry Jacks 1 3 "Billy Don't Be a Hero" Paper Lace 1 4 "When Will I See You Again" The Three Degrees 1 5 "Rock Your Baby" George McCrae 1 6 "Gonna Make You a Star" David Essex 1 7 "She" Charles Aznavour 1 8 "Kung Fu Fighting" Carl Douglas 1 9 "Everything I Own" Ken Boothe 1 10 "Sugar Baby Love" The Rubettes 1 11 "Devil Gate Drive" Suzi Quatro 1 12 "Love Me for a Reason" The Osmonds 1 13 "Jealous Mind" Alvin Stardust 1 14 "The Air That I Breathe" The Hollies 2 15 "Annie's Song" John Denver 1 16 "Waterloo" ABBA 1 17 "The Wombling Song" The Wombles The Wombles (band) 4 18 "You Make Me Feel Brand New" The Stylistics 2 19 "The Most Beautiful Girl" Charlie Rich 2 20 "Y Viva España" Sylvia 4 21 "Hey Rock and Roll" Showaddywaddy 2 22 "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies" The Drifters 2 23 "I'm Leaving It Up to You" Donny Osmond & Marie Osmond 2 24 "The Streak" Ray Stevens 1 25 "Teenage Rampage" Sweet 2 26 "Remember You're a Womble" The Wombles The Wombles (band) 3 27 "Always Yours" Gary Glitter 1 28 "You're Sixteen" Ringo Starr 4 29 "Killer Queen" Queen 2 30 "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" Sparks 2 31 "Don't Stay Away Too Long" Peters and Lee 3 32 "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" Barry White 1 33 "Angel Face" The Glitter Band 4 34 "Born with a Smile on My Face" Stephanie de Sykes with Rain 2 35 "Hang On in There Baby" Johnny Bristol 3 36 "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" Jimmy Ruffin 4 37 "The Cat Crept In" Mud 2 38 "There's a Ghost in My House" R. Dean Taylor 3 39 "Sad Sweet Dreamer" Sweet Sensation 1 40 "Dance with the Devil" Cozy Powell 3 41 "Solitaire" Andy Williams 4 42 "Summerlove Sensation" Bay City Rollers 3 43 "Hey There Lonely Girl" Eddie Holman 4 44 "Emma" Hot Chocolate 3 45 "You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me" The New Seekers 1 46 "You Are Everything" Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye 5 47 "Far Far Away" Slade 2 48 "All of Me Loves All of You" Bay City Rollers 4 49 "Remember (Sha-La-La-La)" Bay City Rollers 6 50 "Band on the Run" Paul McCartney and Wings 3
Best-selling albums
The list of the top fifty best-selling albums of 1974 were published in Music Week and in Record Mirror at the end of the year, and later reproduced in the first edition of the BPI Year Book in 1976. However, in 2007 the Official Charts Company published album chart histories for each year from 1956 to 1977, researched by historian Sharon Mawer, and included an updated list of the top ten best-selling albums for each year based on the new research. The updated top ten for 1974 is shown in the table below.Sharon Mawer Album Chart History: 1974 http://www.theofficialcharts.com/album_chart_history_1974.php Official UK Charts Company dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071217020432/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/album_chart_history_1974.php 17 December 2007
No. Number Title Artist Peakposition 1 The Singles: 1969–1973 The Carpenters 1 2 Band on the Run Paul McCartney and Wings 1 3 Tubular Bells Mike Oldfield 1 4 40 Greatest Hits Elvis Presley —40 Greatest Hits was not eligible for the album chart in 1974, as television-advertised compilations were excluded from the chart until July 1975. The album did not officially reach number one until September 1977, following Presley's death. 5 The Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd 7Reached number 2 in 1973 6 Diamond Dogs David Bowie 1 7 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John 2Reached number 1 in 1973 8 And I Love You So Perry Como 1 9 Greatest Hits Simon & Garfunkel 6Reached number 2 in 1972 10 Greatest Hits Elton John 1
Notes:
Classical music: new works
Benjamin Britten – Suite on English Folk Tunes: 'A time there was...'
Film and incidental music
Richard Rodney Bennett – Murder on the Orient Express, starring Albert Finney
Herbert Chappell – The Pallisershttp://www.allmusic.com/performance/the-pallisers-television-series-score-mq0000833918 British Light Music Premieres, Vol. 1 - The Pallisers, television series score Allmusic 6 June 2017
Andrew Lloyd Webber – The Odessa File
Stanley Myers – House of Whipcord directed by Pete Walker
Births
2 January – Ian Vine, composer
12 January – Melanie C, singer (Spice Girls)
7 February – Danny Goffey, singer-songwriter and drummer (Supergrass, Babyshambles, The Jennifers, Lodger, and The Hotrats)
13 February – Robbie Williams, singer (Take That)
22 February
Chris Corner, singer-songwriter and musician (Sneaker Pimps, IAMX)
James Blunt, singer-songwriter
Chris Moyles, radio and television host
15 March – David Ross, singer (Bad Boys Inc)
23 March – David and Michael Smallwood, singers (Gemini)
1 April – Stuart Black, bassist (Menswear)
17 April – Victoria Beckham, singer (Spice Girls)
20 April – Tina Cousins, singer
3 May – Nick Keynes, bassist (Ultra)
7 May – Lynden David Hall, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer
3 June – Kelly Jones, singer-songwriter and guitarist
10 July – Simon White, guitarist (Menswear)
17 July – Laura Macdonald, Scottish saxophonist and composer
21 July – Terry Coldwell, singer (East 17)
5 August – Spike Dawbarn, singer (911)
8 August – Brian Harvey, singer (East 17)
18 August – Mark Baron, singer (Another Level)
9 September – Niall O'Neill, Irish singer (OTT)
22 September – G-Man, Trinidadian-born singer (MN8)
1 October – Keith Duffy, Irish singer (Boyzone)
4 November – Louise Nurding, singer and former member of Eternal
10 November – Heavenli Denton, singer (Honeyz)
23 November – Jacqui Blake, singer (Shampoo)
7 December – Nicole Appleton, Canadian-born singer (All Saints)
13 December – Nick McCarthy, English-German rhythm guitarist (Franz Ferdinand)
27 December – Tasha Baylis, drummer (Hepburn)
date unknown
Matthew Jones, violist, violinist and composer
Sophie Viney, composer and arranger
Deaths
1 April – Alfred Whitehead, English-born Canadian composer, organist, choirmaster, music educator and painter, 86
5 April – Jennifer Vyvyan, operatic soprano, 49 (bronchial condition)
28 April – Leslie Statham, composer and arranger,
5 May – Adge Cutler, folk musician, 42 (car accident)https://www.bbc.co.uk/england/somersetsound/wurzels.shtml Fan pays tribute to Wurzel Adge BBC Somerset BBC 9 July 2008
8 May – Graham Bond, R&B musician, 36 (hit by train)
15 September – Thomas Fielden, pianist and teacher, 90
November – Bessie Jones, musical theatre singer, 87
3 November – Victor Olof, violinist and conductor, 76
25 November – Nick Drake, singer/songwriter, 26 (overdose)
See also
1974 in British radio
1974 in British television
1974 in the United Kingdom
List of British films of 1974
References
British
Category:British music by year