THE SEVENTIES - A RETROSPECTIVE

1978

This year I was extremely busy doing Disco's and remained blissfully unaware of world events.

In March the super tanker Amoco Cadiz ran aground off the coast in Brittany, France, devastating sea life and beaches.

The Invasion of the Body Snatchers premiered at UK cinemas.

Argentina won the world cup on June 25^th of this year.

Sci-fi made a TV comeback in the shape of Wonder Woman, Blake's 7 and The Incredible Hulk. 

200 people die in San Carlos De La Rapida, Spain when a gas tanker explodes on a campsite.

The first classes enrolled at London's Grange Hill comprehensive.

The world's first test tube baby is born in Oldham District Hospital (UK) on July 26^th of this year.

JR tried on his first ten gallon hat in Dallas and Anna Ford became ITN's first female newsreader.

The jogging craze reached its height and Lycra took off.

Brian and Michael painted matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs in their musical tribute to LS Lowry.

MUSIC

1978 was the year when singles came back with a bang with total sales of over 100 million. This was around a third more than the previous year. There were all, sorts of reasons for this. Movies like 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Grease' were promoting their soundtracks by releasing singles from them. New Wave bands were releasing their songs as picture discs or on coloured vinyl. The 12-inch single had been around since the mid-Seventies but they began to gain popularity with the disco boom. They were first used by DJs because they could generate more bass than a standard record but soon fans started buying 12-inchers instead of albums - realising that most disco albums were, in fact, rubbish.

It was the chart breakthrough year for Kate Bush, Blondie and Gerry Rafferty. Abba continued to dominate the world with the release of their first film. Darts consolidated their chart career with hits like 'Come Back My Love' and 'Boy From New York City'.

The year started with excellent chart hits from Odyssey (Native New Yorker), Tonight's new wave tribute to the 'Drummer Man', Yellow Dog begging to stay 'Just One more Night' and Nick Lowe's debut with 'I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass'

There was no new number 1 throughout January as Wings nested comfortably at the top of the tree until February 4^th. It was on that day that the sales of 'Mull of Kintyre' finally burned out, allowing Jamaican female duo Althia and Donna and their catchy reggae song 'Up Town Top Ranking' to reach number one for a week. Next we had a third chart topper for the Brotherhood of Man in the shape of 'Figaro' and they became the 8^th act to secure a hat trick of number ones during this decade. They only managed to hold on for one week because the Swedish chart champions were back. 'Take A Chance On Me' gave Abba their 7^th and final number one of the decade. The super Swedes lasted at the top for three weeks before being ousted by Kate Bush.

The reason that it was removed from grace was due to the arrival of another big seller. John Travolta and Olivia Newton John released 'You're the One That I Want' from the box office smash 'Grease'. It spent 9 weeks in pole position commencing on June 17^th, and proceeded to hang around the chart for 26 weeks in total.

Away from the top, off-the-wall US group Devo entered the UK singles chart for the first time on 22 April. The song that did it for them was their own interpretation of the Rolling Stones classic '(I Can't Me Get No) Satisfaction'. The song had to satisfy itself with an unsatisfactory high of number 41. Also at this time the chart witnessed the arrival of the classic 'Don't Fear the Reaper' by Blue Oyster Cult. It arrived on 20^th May, and scythed its way to number 16, yet hung around the chart for 14 death-defying weeks. A week later Goldie entered the chart with "Making Up Again" and rose to 7^th position on the chart.

Also in this year, two classic albums had tracks lifted from them that both made the chart. The first one was 'You Took the Words Right Out Of My Mouth' which heralded the UK singles chart debut of Meatloaf. The track charted on May 20^th and peaked at a disappointing number 33. However, there was some consolation as the song was taken from the enormously successful 'Bat Out of Hell' album. On the very same week, Manfred Mann's Earthband returned to the chart with the excellent 'Davy's On The Road Again' and climbed to number 6. The evergreen Rolling Stones charted on June 3^rd with the double A-side 'Miss You/Far Away Eyes', rising to 3^rd spot eventually. On the same week Julian Marshall and Kit Hain entered the UK chart with "Dancing in the City". The song also peaked at number 3. Again on this week Lindisfarne entered with their third top ten hit "Run For Home". The song peaked at number 10. A week later on June 10th 'Airport' by the Motors entered the chart and rose to a healthy fourth position.

Sheila B Devotion scored a Europe-wide smash with her cheesy disco version of the old standard 'Singing In The Rain'. Dee Dee Jackson provided another novelty disco hit with 'Automatic Lover'. Also something of a rarity on the UK chart was a song sung in a foreign language. Belgian Punk Plastic Bertrand achieved this rare feat with 'Ca Plane Pour Moi'. Also riding high in the charts at this time was the superb 'Because The Night' by Patti Smith and the much missed Ian Dury with 'What A Waste'.

It was going to take a really good record to consign 'You're the one that I want' to the chart dustbin. Such a record arrived on the scene on August 5^th and a fortnight later had seized control at the top. The song in question was the classic 'Three Times a Lady' by the Commodores. It gave Lionel Richie and co another long stay at the top, 5-weeks in total. It was removed eventually by the act that gave us the 9^th and final hat trick of number one hits during this decade. 10CC achieved this feat after 'Dreadlock Holiday' gave them their week of chart glory. The next number one was the second track to be lifted from the 'Grease' soundtrack. 'Summer Nights' gave John Travolta and Olivia Newton John another 7 weeks at the summit of the UK top 75.

Away from the top and the second classic LP that was around at the time, Jeff Wayne's 'War of the Worlds' had a track lifted from it and brought out as a single. The fact that 'Forever Autumn' by Moody Blues front man Justin Hayward only made it to 5^th position on the UK chart was a great injustice. On July 15^th UK group Renaissance showed us all the "Northern Lights" and took the song to number 10. At the same time Joe Walsh took 'Life's Been Good' to number 14. Joe's song was rumoured to be written about Keith Moon, the Who's drummer. Then, on July 22nd the Who charted with 'Who Are You' and climbed to a lowly number 18 placing. This was to be the last record to feature 'Moony the loony' as he died of a drugs overdose shortly after. Finally, on September 23^rd Dean Friedman entered the chart with 'Lucky Stars' and took it to a healthy third position.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton John were eventually consigned to the history books as far as number one hits were concerned by the Boomtown Rats. Their song 'Rat Trap' gave them a 2-week number one record, their first of 2 in the '70's, commencing on November 18^th. The song was in turn removed by the 5^th chart topper for Rod Stewart. 'Do You Think I'm Sexy' could only muster one week at the top however, before being ousted by the group who already had the year's best selling single under their belts. Boney M were back, this time with a cover of Harry Belafonte's number one from 1957, 'Mary's Boy Child'. The song went on to become the UK's festive chart topper, and another huge all time best selling song for the group.

Away from the top again and October 7^th sees the UK chart debut of the Police. The song was titled 'Can't stand losing you' and it peaked at a lowly number 42 on its first chart appearance. It was destined to re-enter and hit the number 2 slot in the following year. A picture disc helped to secure the chart debut of the Cars whose song 'Best Friend's Girl' gave them a number 3 hit in November. On the subject of motor vehicles, 23^rd December saw the entry of a song that contained an original angle in which to tell a story. Driver 67 took 'Car 67', a song about a Taxi Driver, motoring into the chart, only to run out of petrol at number 7.

Britfunk was well represented with chart entries from Third World (Now That We Found Love) and Hi-Tension with 'British Hustle'. The discos also resounded to the sounds of Patrick Juvet and Dan Hartman, who had hits with 'I Love America' and 'Instant Replay' respectively. Another record gaining popularity in the nightclubs was by a group who were formed in New York's Greenwich Village. Read more about this offbeat group in our next chapter as their record reached worldwide popularity in January 1979.

TELEVISION

Grange Hill was a series set in a London comprehensive. This school soap was adored by kids and detested by parents, who felt it encouraged all sorts of wild behaviour. This controversial show was created by Phil Redmond, who went on to make Brookside and Hollyoaks. Through the years it went on to tackle highly emotive issues such as bullying, Teenage Pregnancy parenting and heroin addiction.

All Creatures Great and Small was a period drama series set in the 1930's. Newly qualified vet James Herriott joins the practice of Siegfried Farnon and his initially unqualified brother Tristan in the Yorkshire Dales. The series featured Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy and Peter Davison in the lead roles.

Costume dramas were very much in vogue this year. The BAFTA award winning dramatisation called 'Edward and Mrs Simpson' told the story of Edward VIII's love for an American divorcee which resulted in his abdication and exile. James Fox also won the best actor award for his portrayal. Francesca Annis won the best actress award. She starred as Lillie Langtree, Edward VII's mistress in 'Lillie'. Geraldine McEwan was another actress who won many plaudits this year. Her role as the radical schoolteacher in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' garnered widespread approval. Richard O'Sullivan switched from comedy to a swashbuckling role as the highwayman 'Dick Turpin' and 'Spearhead' concerned the adventures of men in an army unit held in readiness to go anywhere.

Former Miss America Lynda Carter pulled on her bullet-proof bracelets and whipped out a gold lasso to snare villains everywhere as super Amazonian, Wonder Woman. Over the years she saved the world from mad computer scientists, evil magicians, art thieves, time travellers and a deadly remote-controlled dolphin - all without smudging her make-up. Unlike Superman, the positively pneumatic looking hero didn't need a phone box to change in, she simply spun around daintily while the transformation took place. More escapist hokum was provided by Ian Ogilvy in 'The Return of the Saint'. Roger Moore originally portrayed Leslie Charteris' debonair hero. 

'Angels' was a twice-weekly medical drama series. The series featured a group of hardworking student nurses and starred Fiona Fullerton, Pauline Quirke, Shirley Cheriton and Lesley Dunlop. Blake's 7 the classic Sci-Fi drama series made its debut this year. In the third century of the second calendar a group of rebel outlaws try to keep one step ahead of the seemingly all powerful Federation and its female head Servalan. The show was created by Terry Nation and starred Gareth Thomas as the intergalactic freedom fighter.

The big news in comedy was the transfer of Morecambe and Wise to ITV where they had originally made their names.

The following is a typical BBC line-up for Thursday 16th March 1978 taken from the pages of The Radio Times.

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