1972 in British music
| 1970s in music in the UK |
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This is a summary of 1972 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
Events[edit]
- 20 January – The premiere of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon at The Dome, Brighton, is halted by technical difficulties. The Dark Side of the Moon would be played in its entirety the following night, but it would be a full year before the album was released.
- 21 January - Keith Richards jumps on stage to jam with Chuck Berry at the Hollywood Palladium, but is ordered off for playing too loud. Berry later claims that he did not recognize Keith and would not have booted him if he did.
- 9 February – Paul McCartney's new band, Wings, make their live debut at the University of Nottingham. It is McCartney's first public concert since The Beatles' 1966 US tour.
- 13 February – Led Zeppelin's concert in Singapore is cancelled when government officials will not let them off the airplane because of their long hair.
- 19 February - Paul McCartney's single "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" (which was inspired by the "Bloody Sunday" massacre in Ireland on 30 January 1972) is banned by the BBC
- 25 March – The 17th Eurovision Song Contest is held in the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland. The only time (as of 2021) Scotland hosted the contest
- 16 April – Electric Light Orchestra make their live debut at the Fox and Greyhound pub in Park Lane, Croydon, England.
- 2 May – Stone the Crows lead guitarist Les Harvey is electrocuted on stage during a show in Swansea, Wales, by touching a poorly connected microphone. Harvey died in a hospital a few hours later. The band's lead singer, Maggie Bell, Harvey's longtime girlfriend, was also hospitalized, having collapsed on stage after the incident.
- 1 June - premiere of Harrison Birtwistle's The Triumph of Time in London.[1]
- 12 July - first performance of Peter Maxwell Davies's opera Taverner at the Royal Opera House.[1]
- 7 September - The UK premiere of Carré for four orchestras and four choirs by Karlheinz Stockhausen takes place at the Proms.
- 8 October - David Hughes is taken ill while singing the role of Pinkerton in Madam Butterfly in London. He completes the performance but dies shortly afterwards of heart failure.[2]
Number Ones[edit]
Singles[edit]
| Date[3] | Single | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 8 January | "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" |
The New Seekers |
| 15 January | ||
| 22 January | ||
| 29 January | ||
| 5 February | "Telegram Sam" | T. Rex |
| 12 February | ||
| 19 February | "Son of My Father" | Chicory Tip |
| 26 February | ||
| 4 March | ||
| 11 March | "Without You" | Nilsson |
| 18 March | ||
| 25 March | ||
| 1 April | ||
| 8 April | ||
| 15 April | "Amazing Grace" | The Pipes and the Drums and the Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards |
| 22 April | ||
| 29 April | ||
| 6 May | ||
| 13 May | ||
| 20 May | "Metal Guru" | T. Rex |
| 27 May | ||
| 3 June | ||
| 10 June | ||
| 17 June | "Vincent" | Don McLean |
| 24 June | ||
| 1 July | "Take Me Bak 'Ome" | Slade |
| 8 July | "Puppy Love" | Donny Osmond |
| 15 July | ||
| 22 July | ||
| 29 July | ||
| 5 August | ||
| 12 August | "School's Out" | Alice Cooper |
| 19 August | ||
| 26 August | ||
| 2 September | "You Wear It Well" | Rod Stewart |
| 9 September | "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" | Slade |
| 16 September | ||
| 23 September | ||
| 30 September | "How Can I Be Sure" | David Cassidy |
| 7 October | ||
| 14 October | "Mouldy Old Dough" | Lieutenant Pigeon |
| 21 October | ||
| 28 October | ||
| 4 November | ||
| 11 November | "Clair" | Gilbert O'Sullivan |
| 18 November | ||
| 25 November | "My Ding-a-Ling" | Chuck Berry |
| 2 December | ||
| 9 December | ||
| 16 December | ||
| 23 December | "Long Haired Lover from Liverpool" | Little Jimmy Osmond |
| 30 December |
Albums[edit]
| Date[4] | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 8 January | Electric Warrior | T. Rex |
| 15 January | ||
| 22 January | ||
| 29 January | Concert for Bangla Desh | Various Artists |
| 5 February | Electric Warrior | T. Rex |
| 12 February | ||
| 19 February | Neil Reid | Neil Reid |
| 26 February | ||
| 4 March | ||
| 11 March | Harvest | Neil Young |
| 18 March | Paul Simon | Paul Simon |
| 25 March | Fog on the Tyne | Lindisfarne |
| 1 April | ||
| 8 April | ||
| 15 April | ||
| 22 April | Machine Head | Deep Purple |
| 29 April | ||
| 6 May | Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages / My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows |
T. Rex |
| 13 May | Machine Head | Deep Purple |
| 20 May | Bolan Boogie | T. Rex |
| 27 May | ||
| 3 June | ||
| 10 June | Exile on Main St. | The Rolling Stones |
| 17 June | 20 Dynamic Hits | Various Artists |
| 24 June | ||
| 1 July | ||
| 8 July | ||
| 15 July | ||
| 22 July | ||
| 29 July | ||
| 5 August | ||
| 12 August | 20 Fantastic Hits | |
| 19 August | ||
| 26 August | ||
| 2 September | ||
| 9 September | ||
| 16 September | Never a Dull Moment | Rod Stewart |
| 23 September | ||
| 30 September | 20 Fantastic Hits | Various Artists |
| 7 October | 20 All-Time Greats of the 50s | |
| 14 October | ||
| 21 October | ||
| 28 October | ||
| 4 November | ||
| 11 November | ||
| 18 November | ||
| 25 November | ||
| 2 December | 25 Rockin' and Rollin' Greats | |
| 9 December | ||
| 16 December | ||
| 23 December | 20 All-Time Greats of the 50s | |
| 30 December |
Year-end charts[edit]
Best-selling singles[edit]
| No. | Title | Artist | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Amazing Grace" | The Pipes and Drums and the Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards | 1 |
| 2 | "Mouldy Old Dough" | Lieutenant Pigeon | 1 |
| 3 | "Puppy Love" | Donny Osmond | 1 |
| 4 | "Without You" | Nilsson | 1 |
| 5 | "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" | The New Seekers | 1 |
| 6 | "Son of My Father" | Chicory Tip | 1 |
| 7 | "Rock and Roll (Parts 1 & 2)" | Gary Glitter | 2 |
| 8 | "Metal Guru" | T. Rex | 1 |
| 9 | "Mother of Mine" | Neil Reid | 2 |
| 10 | "Telegram Sam" | T. Rex | 1 |
| 11 | "American Pie" | Don McLean | 2 |
| 12 | "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" | Slade | 1 |
| 13 | "School's Out" | Alice Cooper | 1 |
| 14 | "You Wear It Well" | Rod Stewart | 1 |
| 15 | "Beg, Steal or Borrow" | The New Seekers | 2 |
| 16 | "Vincent" | Don McLean | 1 |
| 17 | "Clair" | Gilbert O'Sullivan | 1 |
| 18 | "My Ding-a-Ling" | Chuck Berry | 1 |
| 19 | "How Can I Be Sure" | David Cassidy | 1 |
| 20 | "Sylvia's Mother" | Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show | 2 |
Best-selling albums[edit]
A list of the top twenty best-selling albums of 1972 was published in the issue of Record Mirror dated 13 January 1973, and a top fifty was 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 1972 is shown in the table below.[6]
| No. | Title | Artist | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 Dynamic Hits | Various Artists | 1 |
| 2 | 20 All Time Hits of the 50s | Various Artists | 1 |
| 3 | Greatest Hits | Simon & Garfunkel | 2 |
| 4 | Never a Dull Moment | Rod Stewart | 1 |
| 5 | 20 Fantastic Hits | Various Artists | 1 |
| 6 | Bridge over Troubled Water | Simon & Garfunkel | 2[a] |
| 7 | Slade Alive! | Slade | 2 |
| 8 | Fog on the Tyne | Lindisfarne | 1 |
| 9 | 25 Rockin' and Rollin' Greats | Various Artists | 1 |
| 10 | American Pie | Don McLean | 2 |
Notes:
- ^ Reached number 1 in 1970 and 1971
Classical works[edit]
Film and incidental music[edit]
Film[edit]
- John Addison - Sleuth directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine.[8]
- Ron Goodwin - Frenzy directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
- David Munrow - Henry VIII and His Six Wives.
- Eric Rogers - Carry On Matron.
Television[edit]
Musical Films[edit]
Births[edit]
- 17 January – Aqualung, singer-songwriter
- 27 January – Mark Owen, singer (Take That)
- 29 February – Steve Hart, singer (Worlds Apart)
- 4 March – Alison Wheeler, singer (The Beautiful South)
- 20 March
- Alex Kapranos, singer and guitarist (Franz Ferdinand)
- Shelly Poole, singer (Alisha's Attic)
- 29 March – Monty Adkins, composer, performer and lecturer in electroacoustic music.
- March – Natasha Barrett, composer of electroacoustic music
- 27 April – Rob Coombes, keyboardist (Supergrass)
- 15 May – Conrad Keely, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead)
- 26 May – Alan White, drummer (Oasis)
- 14 June — Dominic Brown, English guitarist and songwriter
- 17 June — Rikrok, British-Jamaican singer
- 6 July – Mark Gasser, English pianist and educator
- 11 July – Cormac Battle, English-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Kerbdog and Wilt)
- 6 August – Geri Halliwell, singer (Spice Girls)
- 8 August – Bitty McLean, reggae singer
- 15 August – Mikey Graham, Irish singer (Boyzone)
- 6 September – Tony Dowding, singer (Bad Boys Inc)
- 13 September – Matt Everitt, drummer (Menswear)
- 20 September – Aaron Poole, singer (Worlds Apart)
- 21 September – Liam Gallagher, singer (Oasis)
- 23 November – Rick Witter, singer (Shed Seven)
- 3 December – Dan Bowyer, singer (Worlds Apart)
- 10 December – Brian Molko, singer (Placebo)
- 11 December – Easther Bennett, singer (Eternal)
- 13 December – Niki Evans, actress and singer
Deaths[edit]
- 20 February - Herbert Menges, conductor and composer, 69[9]
- 21 March – David McCallum Sr., violinist and the father of David McCallum, 74
- 28 September - Rory Storm, singer, 33 (post-operative complications).[10]
- 19 October - David Hughes, opera singer, 47 (heart failure)[11]
- 28 November - Havergal Brian, composer, 96[12]
- date unknown
- Jimmy MacBeath, folk singer, 77/78
- Ivor McMahon, violinist, 47/48
See also[edit]
- 1972 in British radio
- 1972 in British television
- 1972 in the United Kingdom
- List of British films of 1972
References[edit]
- ^ a b Kendall, Alan. The Chronicle of Classical Music. Thames & Hudson, 2000: p. 248
- ^ "Biography". David Hughes, pop star to opera star. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ Official Charts Company - Number One album(Link redirected to OCC website)
- ^ Official Charts Company - Number One albums (link redirected to OCC website)
- ^ "Top Singles of the Year". Record Mirror. 13 January 1973. p. 17.
- ^ Mawer, Sharon. "Album Chart History: 1972". Official UK Charts Company. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007.
- ^ Venn, Edward (2016). The music of Hugh Wood. Abingdon, Oxon New York: Routledge. p. 127. ISBN 9781351542326.
- ^ Karlin, Fred (2013). On the Track : a Guide to Contemporary Film Scoring. Milton: Taylor & Francis. p. 8. ISBN 9781135948030.
- ^ Apollo: Museum Collections Online
- ^ Leigh, Spencer (20 August 1999). "Obituary: Johnny Guitar (page 2)". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 262. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Eastaugh, Kenneth. Havergal Brian, the making of a composer. London: Harrap. c 1976. ISBN 0-245-52748-6