1977 - a great year for music

I have been listening to an album by Horslips called Aliens. I was pleased to discover that I could remember all the words to all the songs despite not having heard it for a few years. Horslips were an Irish band and the album Aliens came out in 1977, a particularly good year for music as I recall.

1977 was the first year that I really started taking notice of music, and funnily enough some of the definitive music of my formative years was made in that year (although I obviously discovered it when I was older).

There were of course the usual naff and corny records in the charts (and there was an avalanch of them in th 1970s).

The top 40 hits were:
1. Brick House - Commodores
2. Dancing Queen - Abba
3. We Will Rock You - Queen
4. After The Lovin - Englebert Humperdink
5. Got To Give It Up - Marvin Gaye
6. Hotel California - Eagles
7. Freebird (Live) - Lynyrd Skynyrd
8. Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky) - Bill Conte
9. Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs
10. Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band
11. Boogie Nights - Heatwave
12. Walk This Way - Aerosmith
13. I'm Your Boogie Man - K. C. and the Sunshine Band
14. Baby, What a Big Surprise - Chicago
15. Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett
16. Moondance - Van Morrison
17. Don't Stop - Fleetwood Mac
18. Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
19. Best Of My Love - Emotions
20. Easy - Commodores
21. Keep It Comin' Love - K.C. and the Sunshine Band
22. Cat Scratch Fever - Ted Nugent
23. Handy Man - James Taylor
24. Signed. Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours) - Peter Frampton
25. You Make Lovin' Fun - Fleetwood Mac
26. Life In The Fast Lane - Eagles
27. How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
28. Dusic - Brick
29. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
30. Strawberry Letter 31 - the Brothers Johnson
31. Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel
32. Lucille - Kenny Rogers
33. Back In Love Again - L.T.D.
34. My Way - Elvis Presley
35. Car Wash - Rose Royce
36. Jungle Love - Steve Miller Band
37. I'm In You - Peter Frampton
38. Red Hot - Robert Gordon & Link Wray
39. Jet Airliner - Steve Miller Band
40. You Light Up My Life - Debbie Boone

I don't remember some of these but some of them came to be a huge part of my life, Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, Moondance by Van Morrison etc. And at the time (being young - thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it - I was only 11!) I was into the Bee Gees, Andy Gibb and last but by no means least - Abba.

I still have an incredibly soft spot for Abba, they marked my transition into a real music lover and for a couple of years I was absolutely Abba mad. My absolute favourite Abba album was Arrival and I used to listen to it over and over again. I can remember taking the dog out for a walk and passing a house on Abbey Farm (a large council estate in Thetford, affectionately known as Scabby Arm when I was young) that was blaring out Arrival, it was a hot summers day and I stood there on the street by the side of the house until they had played the entire album. That's how strong it's magnetism was for me.

I did get a get a taste of things to come around that time. I used to listen to radio Luxembourg in bed under the covers and occasionally they would play a musical gem. Tracks like Carry on thy wayward Son by Kansas, Don't Fear the Reaper by the Blue Oyster Cult, Couldn't get it right by the Climax Blues Band and Drivers Seat By Sniff and The Tears, all tracks I still love now, and all heard first on radio Luxembourg late at night.

Yes so 1977 a great year for music in my book...