By cave 
Three times is a charm, says the saying that’s barely possible to grasp! Jethro Tull tops the chart for the third time this month! This time with the title track from the album “Too Old to Rock’n’Roll, Too Young to Die” (#1)! In May 1971, Ian Anderson and his bandmates first triumphed with “Locomotive Breath”! A year later, in April 1972, that honor also went to the single edit of “Thick As A Brick.” Most likely there will never be a fourth in a row, as the glorious period of the British folk rock band is nearing its end. Although—never say never—because on closer inspection, the albums “Songs From The Wood” (1977) and “Heavy Horses” (1978) still contain quite a few catchy, impressive moments.
It was a close call for The Ramones to extend their “Blitzkrieg Bop” top position from last month with “Judy Is A Punk”(#2). Maybe it’s best they take a step back for now, as the skeletal quartet clearly has much more up its sleeve in the months to come. Here we go again at #3. The unstoppable series of Kinks tunes has another addition! “The Hard Way” is also lifted from the album “Schoolboys in Disgrace,” but the well is slowly running dry!
Typically, the rest of the top 10 outdoes itself once again with nothing but illustrious returning names: Steve Harley, Roxy Music, Bob Dylan, Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Bad Company. Proof that the supply of powerful and captivating new music is still only trickling in at the start of 1976. This month, alongside The Ramones, The Residents, and Patti Smith, we note a few American early punk and CBGB’s bands as evidence of what’s brewing across the ocean. These include Death with “Politicians in My Eyes” (#19) and “Call Me” (#29) by The Hounds! Fresh and surprising sounds among the stale fruit that is already beginning to rot near the bottom of the list (#32, #40).
A couple of striking and enjoyable reggae tunes from Jamaica this month: “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (#22) by Michael Rose and “War In A Babylon” (#31) by Max Romeo have easily stood the test of time. As a third Jamaican (at the time still) dessert, we welcome Grace Jones, who left no doubt from the very start of her career: “I Want A Man”(#34).
As for the rest, the lower end of the chart once again required some serious digging and chopping to keep the “top 40” armor intact! Many of those low-threshold songs will probably never echo through my speakers again—and that’s quite a relief! 😉
(Jan VH)
Playlist
1 – Jethro Tull – Too Old To Rock’n’Roll, Too Young To Die
2 – Ramones – Judy Is A Punk
3 – The Kinks – The Hard Way
4 – Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – All Men Are Hungry
5 – Roxy Music – Nightingale
6 – Bob Dylan – Isis
7 – Kraftwerk – Ohm Sweet Ohm
8 – David Bowie – Word On A Wing
9 – Bad Company – Run With The Pack
10 – The Residents – Hitler Was A Vegetarian
11 – John Sebastian – Welcome Back
12 – Kaleidoscope – Ghost Riders In The Sky
13 – Pere Ubu – Final Solution
14 – Jane – Air (Superman)
15 – Patti Smith – My Generation
16 – 10cc – I’m Mandy, Fly Me
17 – Lou Reed – Coney Island Baby
18 – John Miles – Music
19 – Death – Politicians In My Eyes
20 – Pierre Rapsat – Judy Et Cie
21 – Graham Parker & The Rumour – Silly Thing
22 – Michael Rose – Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner
23 – Neil Young – Drive Back
24 – Eddie Howell – Man From Manhattan
25 – Jess Roden Band – You Can Leave Your Hat On
26 – T. Rex – Solid Baby
27 – Genesis – A Trick Of The Tail
28 – Chris Spedding – New Girl In The Neighbourhood
29 – The Hounds – Call Me
30 – Nils Lofgren – For Your Love
31 – Max Romeo – War In A Babylon
32 – ABBA – Fernando
33 – Sensational Alex Harvey Band – Runaway
34 – Grace Jones – I Need A Man
35 – Deep Purple – You Keep On Moving
36 – Andrew Gold – Heartaches In Heartaches
37 – Uriah Heep – Rest Of Uriah Heep EP
38 – Jonathan King – Little Latin Lupe Lu
39 – Be Bop Deluxe – Blazing Apostles
40 – Robin Sarstedt – My Resistance Is Low
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