This one is mine.



Anyone else got a favorite non hit 70s song?

One of my favourite "flops" of the 70s was 'Slow Talking Boy' by Mud. I'm sure there were many others, but that's the first to come to mind.

I love Flamin' Groovies underrated produced by Dave Edmunds still failed to chart just a group that were in the wrong decade.

I'll throw in 10 of which there are many.


Mark and John - This one's for you (with dedication)

Every ingredient a summer hit record should have and somehow didn't chart back in 1972


Jonathan King - Million dollar bash

Great version of the Bob Dylan song in 1970 It made it onto Decca's World of Hits Volume 5 !


Abba - So Long

Probably their best rocker, despite "Top of the Pops" on the back of "Waterloo" it flopped badly, proving that Eurovision didn't make any difference to Abba's success. They would have come along anyway.


Julie Felix - Clotho's web

Very underrated singer/songwriter/guitarist. This powerful bass driven track from 1973 requires listening.


Leo Sayer - Why is everybody going home

His first single from 1973 and far better than his pop hits. This would have been convincing by Steve Harley.


John Kerruish - A time to wander

a&m single from 1970 by the elusive Monksilvar vocalist. Gorgeous production creating a pure psychedelic pop sound. The man had an immense vocal range, which made up for his stammer during speech, years and years before Gareth Gates came along.


J Vincent Edwards - Love hit me

Perfect combination of pop and northern soul, which eventually charted for Maxine Nightingale. this version from 1975 is superb


Prelude - Edge of the sea

Debut single from 1971 and impossible to find as a stock copy with the 6 minute version. the edited demo does turn up. Irene Hume has a gorgeous voice and this is almost an LP on its own


Gary Benson - Sharing you

Only had one small hit but this guy had a fabulous ability to write commercial ballads and sing them. This one was in 1976


David and David - In the city

1970 single from the genius partnership of David Mindel and David Seys which is now highly collectible. Amazing lyrics and harmonies and a fabulous "three day week" style chorus which immediately takes anyone back to the era, if they were alive at the time


Sadly I didn't manage to fit "God save the sex pistols" by Elizabeth on here. I hope she isn't too distressed.

Well I would have included The Flamin' Groovies' "Shake Some Action" too, but the first ones that come to mind for me are:
BEACH BOYS - Sail On Sailor (try and find Ray Charles' version too!)
BLUE MAGIC - Sideshow (Barry Biggs had the hit version, the original is more in that Stylistics/Delfonics style)
AMBROSIA - Holdin' On To Yesterday (great MOR ballad)
NICK LOWE - So It Goes (the first single on Stiff I believe)
ONLY ONES - Another Girl Another Planet (wasn't a hit 'til it was used on a mobile 'phone ad!)

Metal Mickey wrote:

BLUE MAGIC - Sideshow (Barry Biggs had the hit version, the original is more in that Stylistics/Delfonics style)


funnily enough, I heard the Blue Magic version on the radio for the first time the other day. I couldn't work out why it sounded different until they said at the end that it was Blue Magic and not Barry Biggs.

I have to say I checked out Biggs' version afterwards on youtube so I could compare, and I do like the original more, the vocals, the overall feel too.

Obviously quite a lot of the punk classics never charted but I guess they're so well known (and/or appeared in the indie charts of the time) that they can be excused.

One non-punk song that was never a hit in the UK and should have been - "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?," either the Bee Gees original or (my preference) the brilliant Al Green cover.

Have you ever seen Julie Felix live ? I saw her live last Winter at Palace Theatre in Southend and it was fantastic still sexy besides her age. If you go and see her she is amazing.

the first song by Donna Summer I fell in love with.

funnily enough I Feel Love started out as the b-side to this.

One of my favourite tracks from the 70s which didn't chart is 'Gypsy Roadhog' by Slade. Also 'Kangaroo Rock' by Hank Mizell which I thought was better than 'Jungle Rock'.

Funny enough this track came up on Footy Mad/Fratton Faithful a wee while back.It was a Tony Macaulay song and was one of his tracks that was covered by David Soul on one of his albums.

An obscure single from 1970 which comes to mind is Who Shot The Piper Man? by Man and Wife. Better still was the B side called You Got Soul, which has one of my favourite ever base lines.

Mick Ronson: Billy Porter
Blackfoot Sue: Bye Bye Birmingham