By cave 
Hello — or rather, Hola! Are we once again at the end of the annual ride? Yet another top 10 featuring nothing but classic names! With Roxy Music at the helm for the second time in three months: “Both Ends Burning” (#1) truly belongs to the crème de la crème of the band’s output and stylishly closes the five-album run that began with their self-titled debut in 1972. It would take until early 1979 before Ferry & Friends resurfaced with “Trash” and “Dance Away”, in a somewhat slicker production and with a stronger commercial feel.
It’s quite a tour de force that Rob De Nijs ends up in second place! Always highly regarded as an artist, but musically just outside my comfort zone for most of his oeuvre. With “Onweer” (#2), the late singer narrowly missed the top spot — a position that the original, “Hotel Room” by The Edgar Broughton Band, did reach back in June 1971. If I ever manage to compile an all-time singles top 100, I’m certain this song would hold a prominent place in it.
The top three is rounded off by “Education” (#3) by The Kinks, one of the many sublime tracks from Schoolboys in Disgrace! I consider The Kinks’ two 1975 concept albums (Soap Opera and Schoolboys in Disgrace) to be the strongest and funniest records the British quartet ever put together over their entire career.
Flemings, Canadians, and Christmas oddities galore this month — a handful of each! Being the male chauvinist pigs that we are, we start locally: Raymond leads the way at #7 with the deliciously double-layered “Ik wil de grootste zijn”. Ook Voor Jou by Kris De Bruyne is likewise packed with kleinkunst classics, such as “Voor Anita” (#9), which doesn’t fall far short of Raymondo. Arno’s first goofy facial noises on single are called “Saturday Night Queen” (#13), back when he was still screeching his way through life as Tjens Couter! A bit further down the list it’s Karel Bogard’s turn with “I Won’t Forget That Melody” (#25), one of the coolest tracks from the album From Dusk Until Dawn. Wim De Craene brings up the rear in this Belgian contingent with “Sara”, taken from the album Brussel. It also served as the B-side to his hit single “Rozane”.
As for the Canadians, we’ll keep it short: Neil Young (#4) and Kate & Anna McGarrigle (#11) are the high flyers, while Joni Mitchell, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and The Band neatly keep each other in check between #29 and #31.
Glory Hallelujah! At #18, Pere Ubu rings in the pre-natal post-punk era with the double A-sided single “30 Seconds over Winterland / Heart of Darkness”, even before the punk phenomenon had properly kicked off! A fine example of anachronism pulled from the hat of the late David Thomas.
As already mentioned, Santa Claus also delivers five musical Christmas baubles this year: Greg Lake’s sleigh makes its way to #14 with “I Believe in Father Christmas”, showing the path to Marc Bolan, who runs aground halfway down the list with “Christmas Bop” (#20). The song was actually recorded at the end of 1975 solely as part of an unreleased Christmas EP. “Christmas Bop” only became available as a physical single at the end of 1982. At #31 resides “Christmas Must Be Tonight” by The Band — another song already recorded in 1975 and originally intended for the album Northern Lights – Southern Cross. It was removed from the tracklist at the last minute and only surfaced much later as a single.
The only song from the December 1975 list that I couldn’t get hold of at the time is titled “Merry Christmas, Mr. Christmas” (#33). It’s a fairly festive, though slightly less cheesy Christmas single by one Tiger Tim, a Scottish radio DJ who soon after — and even then, really — faded rapidly into oblivion. The final flourish of the Santa festivities of 1975 is “A Spaceman Came Travelling” (#36), written and sung by Chris “sappy guy” de Burgh! Yuck, bleurgh, or whatever — but in these times of economic downturn apparently still nimble enough to squeeze himself in somewhere near the bottom of the list.
And last, but not least, and with a little help from my lawfully wedded wife, a touch of distinguished French poetry to spoil the Christmas mood: “La Femme est l’Avenir de l’Homme” by Jean Ferrat! Pure class indeed, firmly lodged at #22!! Bring on the turkey!
(Jan VH)
Playlist
- Roxy Music – Both Ends Burning
- Rob De Nijs – Onweer (Hotel Room)
- The Kinks – Education
- Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Don’t Cry No Tears
- Bruce Springsteen – Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
- Kraftwerk – Antenna
- Raymond van het Groenewoud – Ik Wil De Grootste Zijn
- Patti Smith – Free Money
- Kris De Bruyne – Voor Anita
- Pink Floyd – Welcome to the Machine
- Kate & Anna McGarrigle – Complainte pour Ste. Catherine
- Electric Light Orchestra – One Summer Dream
- Tjens Couter – Saturday Night Queen
- Greg Lake – I Believe in Father Christmas
- Queen – Death on Two Legs
- Paul Simon – 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
- Eric Carmen – All By Myself
- Pere Ubu – 30 Seconds Over Tokyo / Heart of Darkness
- Gary Wright – Dream Weaver
- T. Rex – Christmas Bop
- Barclay James Harvest – In My Life
- Jean Ferrat – La Femme est l’Avenir de l’Homme
- Lee Hazlewood – A House Safe for Tigers
- Horslips – Drive the Cold Winter Away
- Karel Bogard – I Won’t Forget That Melody
- George Harrison – This Guitar (Can’t Keep from Crying)
- John Cale – Pablo Picasso
- Bob Seger – Nutbush City Limits
- Joni Mitchell – In France They Kiss on Main Street
- Bachman-Turner Overdrive – Find Out About Love
- The Band – Christmas Must Be Tonight
- AC/DC – It’s a Long Way to the Top
- Tiger Tim – Merry Christmas, Mr. Christmas
- Four Seasons – December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)
- Wim De Craene – Sara
- Chris de Burgh – A Spaceman Came Travelling
- Max Romeo – Hammer and Sickle
- Julien Clerc – This Melody
- Ian Matthews – I Don’t Want to Talk About It
- Barry White – Let the Music Play