T-Rex led by Mac Bolan was a popular group in England, but relatively unknown in America. Bang a Gong was their only US hit. It did hit the Top 10, but just barely topping out at Number 10.

Under the title Get It On, it was a big hit in 1971 in England reaching the Number 1 spot there. The title was changed to Bang A Gong (Get It One) due to Chase’s song Get It On which was released in America during the summer of 1971.

In 1971 in Netherland the duo Mouth and MacNeil (Big Mouth (born Willem Duyn, March 31, 1937) and Maggie MacNeal (born Sjoukje van’t Spijker, May 5, 1950) came together. They recorded a few songs and were more popular in Europe, especially Germany, than they were in the United States. How Do You Do, released in 1972 was their biggest US hit, reaching as high as Number 8 in July. It’s reported that Willem Duyn died on December 4, 2004,

Some may think the song is called “Starry Starry Night”, since that line is repeated a few times throughout the song. But the song is titled Vincent. And the Vincent of the song is artist Vincent van Gogh.

The song was written by McLean in late 1970 and appeared on the American Pie album. He had been looking at a book about the painter and while looking at a picture of van Gogh’s “Starry Night” he was inspired to write a song about van Gogh through the imagery of the painting.

McLean’s followup to American Pie didn’t reach the Top 10 in the United States. It peaked at number 12. It was a chart topper in May of 1972 in the in the U.K.

During the last days of 1971 and into 1972 everyone was listening to and trying to determine what the lyrics meant in Don McLean’s American Pie. Other than alluding to the deaths of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens on February 3, 1959, a day many have called the ‘Day the Music Died’ there could be many different meanings to parts of the song. McLean has said that he wrote it to be vague. And vague it is, but a very enjoyable vague that brings back memories to anyone who grew up during the 1960′s,

The single was released in November of 1971. Originally it was released as a edited version of the 8+ minutes song, then it was decided to split the songs into 2 parts. Many radio stations did play the entire song in an era when songs usually lasted 3 1/2 minutes. It quickly went to Number 1 reaching the top spot shortly after the New Year on January 15, spending 4 weeks there.

By the time of their fourth album, Crazy Horses, the brothers not only were playing all of the instruments they were also writing the songs. They were also moving away from the bubblegum pop of their first couple of albums to be more Rock and Roll. It can be considered their first real sophisticated album and although there was some hints on their third album, Phase Three, this was a real departure for them.

Hold Me Tight was the first track on the album as well as their first single from it. This song can really be considered a rock song. The opening riff has been compared, even by some as lifted, to Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song.

It peaked at Number 14 on the charts.

Too bad that by the time of the release of the fourth album they were entrenched in the bubblegum image. By just listen to the albums that they released under their own direction, one could see their music as acid rock. In fact as recalled by brother Merrill on his his brother Jay’s website, JayOsmond.com, when they appeared in a concert in France, the audience didn’t know of their wholesome image and “the whole audience was Zeppelin, with long hair and drugs all over the arena” .

1971 may have been the biggest year for The Osmonds as a group, but in 1972 they were still one of the biggest acts around. Sure they may have had a young audience and didn’t draw the same type of crowds as The Who, Santana or Chicago, but they could rock. Here they are at the Ohio State Fair in August of 1972 doing Santana’s Everyone Everything and Chicago’s Free.

This performance from the 1972 Ohio State Fair features the Osmonds doing a song that opened many of their shows in the early 1970s. Motown Special is a medley of songs of Motown.

Not only was it the opening song of their shows it was also the opening song of their self-titled first album released in 1970.

Songs of the medley include; Motown Special, My World Is Empty Without You and I’m Gonna Make You Love Me.

By the time of the 1972 Ohio State Fair performance they had changed the words slightly using Osmond Special instead of Motown Special.

The song is best known as the “Hey Song” and has been played at countless sporting events since its recording in 1972. Part 2 is the best known part of the song. Part one is more of a vocal track, with actual lyrics, while the only words in part 2 is ‘Hey’.

The song was written by Glam Rocker Gary Glitter and Mike Leander. Both Part 1 and 2 charted in the UK reaching Number 2 while just Part 2 charted in the US reaching the Top 10 at Number 7.

On the album Glitter the song bookend the album with Part 1 opening the album and Part 2 closing it. In concert Gary Glitter combined the parts into one single song.

Gary Glitter may have been a One Hit Wonder in the US but between 1972 and 1995 he charted twenty-six hit singles which spent a total of 180 weeks in the UK Top 100.

Extra Bonus Part 1:

One of my biggest introduction to music in the 1970s came each Friday night with the Partridge Family. There are plenty of places to see songs from the show, including the DVD releases.

But not only was David Cassidy a star of the show he was also a singer with album and single releases of his own.

Rock Me Baby is the title song from his second album. As a single it was the follow up to How Can I be Sure.

The song was written by Peggy Clinger and Johnny Cymbal and unlike his previous singles, which were ballads, this one had a rocking beat.

It barely broke the Top 40 in the US topped at Number 38 , but just missed the Top 10 in the UK peaking at Number 11. In fact this was his last Top 40 song in the US in the 70s, although he continued to chart in the UK for another coupe of years.

Other than a few he did as the lead singer of songs for The Partridge Family, this is my favorite David Cassidy song.

The early 70s had a number of instrumental hits and Billy Preston had two of the biggest. The first was Outa-Space a funky song with a spacey sound which is where the title originated. The song came from an experiment with running the keyboard instrument clavinet through a wah-wah pedal.

The song appeared on his 1971 album I Wrote A Simple Song and was originally released as the B-side to the single of the same name. Preston really liked the song and wanted Outa-Space as the A-side and when DJ’s began playing the song he was proved right.

Outa-Space reached Number 2 in the early summer of 1972 while I Wrote a Simple Song peaked out of the top 40 at Number 77.

Billy Preston is also called the 5th Beatle since their 1968 hit Get Back featured him on keyboard and listed the artist as The Beatles with Billy Preston. The only other time someone other than the Beatles was listed on one of their records was before they became stars when they recorded a few songs in 1961 with Tony Sheridan.