1975 in British music explained

This is a summary of 1975 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

Events

13 February – The film Slade in Flame, starring the members of Slade, premieres at the Metropole Theatre in London.
2 March – Los Angeles Police make a routine traffic stop that turns out to be Paul McCartney and his wife Linda. Linda is arrested for having 170 to 225 grams (six to eight ounces) of marijuana in her pocketbook.
22 March – The Shadows represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm, Sweden. They come second.
26 March – The film version of the Who's Tommy premieres in London.
7 April – Ritchie Blackmore plays his final show with Deep Purple in Paris before quitting to form his own group, Rainbow.
24 April – Pete Ham, founder of the group Badfinger, is found hanged in his garage at home in Woking, Surrey.^[1] His death is ruled a suicide.
1 May – The Rolling Stones announce their forthcoming North American tour by performing "Brown Sugar" from a flatbed truck on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The occasion was guitarist Ronnie Wood's debut with the band.
4 August – Robert Plant and his wife Maureen are seriously injured in a car accident while vacationing on the Greek island of Rhodes. The immediate future of Led Zeppelin is cast into doubt, as Plant will not recover for quite some time.
23 August – Peter Gabriel leaves progressive rock group Genesis.
3 October – The Who release their seventh studio album The Who By Numbers.
7 October – John Lennon finally wins his battle to stay in the United States after the New York Court of Appeals overturns Lennon's 1972 deportation order.
9 October – John Lennon and Yoko Ono become parents of Sean Ono Lennon at 2:00 AM. The birth heralds the beginning of John's temporary retirement from the music business as he vows to devote himself to family for the next five years.
31 October – Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" is released. It goes to number one for nine weeks,and as of 2015 is the biggest-selling non-charity single in UK history.
6 November – The Sex Pistols play their first concert at St. Martin's School of Art in London.
18 December – The official break-up of the Faces is announced at a London press conference. Rod Stewart continues his solo career while Ronnie Wood joins the Rolling Stones.
25 December – Iron Maiden is formed in Leyton, east London, by bassist Steve Harris.

Number-one records

Singles

Chart date (week ending)	Song	Artist(s)
11 January	"Lonely This Christmas"	Mud
18 January	"Down Down"	Status Quo
25 January	"Ms Grace"	The Tymes
1 February	"January"	Pilot
8 February
15 February
22 February	"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)"	Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
1 March
8 March	"If"	Telly Savalas
15 March
22 March	"Bye Bye Baby"	Bay City Rollers
29 March
6 April
13 April
20 April
27 April
3 May	"Oh Boy!"	Mud
10 May
17 May	"Stand by Your Man"	Tammy Wynette
24 May
31 May
7 June	"Whispering Grass"	Windsor Davies and Don Estelle
14 June
21 June
28 June	"I'm Not in Love"	10cc
5 July
12 July	"Tears on My Pillow"	Johnny Nash
19 July	"Give a Little Love"	Bay City Rollers
26 July
2 August
9 August	"Barbados"	Typically Tropical
16 August	"Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)"	The Stylistics
23 August
30 August
6 September	"Sailing"	Rod Stewart
13 September
20 September
27 September
4 October	"Hold Me Close"	David Essex
11 October
18 October
25 October	"I Only Have Eyes for You"	Art Garfunkel
1 November
8 November	"Space Oddity"	David Bowie
15 November
22 November	"D.I.V.O.R.C.E."	Billy Connolly
29 November	"Bohemian Rhapsody"	Queen
6 December
13 December
20 December
27 December
3 January

Albums

Date^[2]	Single	Artist	Weeks
11 January	Greatest Hits	Elton John	4
18 January
25 January
1 February
8 February	His Greatest Hits	Engelbert Humperdinck	3
15 February
22 February
1 March	On the Level	Status Quo	2
8 March
15 March	Physical Graffiti	Led Zeppelin	1
22 March	20 Greatest Hits	Tom Jones	4
29 March
5 April
12 April
19 April	The Best of the Stylistics	The Stylistics	2
26 April
3 May	Once Upon a Star	Bay City Rollers	3
10 May
17 May
24 May	The Best of the Stylistics	The Stylistics	5
31 May
7 June
14 June
21 June
28 June	Venus and Mars	Wings	1
5 July	Horizon	The Carpenters	2
12 July
19 July	Venus and Mars	Wings	1
26 July	Horizon	The Carpenters	3
2 August
9 August
16 August	The Best of the Stylistics	The Stylistics	2
23 August
30 August	Atlantic Crossing	Rod Stewart	5
6 September
13 September
20 September
27 September
4 October	Wish You Were Here	Pink Floyd	1
11 October	Atlantic Crossing	Rod Stewart	2
18 October
25 October	40 Golden Greats	Jim Reeves	3
1 November
8 November
15 November	We All Had Doctors' Papers	Max Boyce	1
22 November	40 Greatest Hits	Perry Como	5
29 November
6 December
13 December
20 December
27 December	A Night at the Opera	Queen	2
3 January

Year-end charts

Best-selling singles

Sales between 30 December 1974 and 5 December 1975.^[3] ^[4]

scope=col		scope=col	Title	scope=col	Artist	scope=col	Peak position
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1	"Bye Bye Baby"	Bay City Rollers	1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2	"Sailing"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	3	"Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	4	"Whispering Grass"	and Don Estelle	1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	5	"Stand by Your Man"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	6	"Give a Little Love"	Bay City Rollers	1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	7	"Hold Me Close"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	8	"The Last Farewell"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	9	"I Only Have Eyes for You"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	10	"Tears on My Pillow"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	11	"I'm Not in Love"	10cc	1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	12	"Barbados"	Typically Tropical	1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	13	"If"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	14	"There Goes My First Love"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	15	"Three Steps to Heaven"	Showaddywaddy	2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	16	"The Hustle"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	17	"Space Oddity"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	18	"January"	Pilot	1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	19	"Funky Moped"/"The Magic Roundabout"		5
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	20	"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)"	and Cockney Rebel	1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	21	"Oh Boy"	Mud	1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	22	"Bohemian Rhapsody"	Queen	1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	23	"Misty"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	24	"Lovin' You"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	25	"The Way We Were"–"Try to Remember"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	26	"Sugar Candy Kisses"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	27	"There's a Whole Lot of Loving"	Guys & Dolls	2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	28	"Please Mr. Postman"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	29	"Sing Baby Sing"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	30	"Love Is the Drug"	Roxy Music	2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	31	"Rhinestone Cowboy"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	32	"Moonlighting"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	33	"D.I.V.O.R.C.E."		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	34	"Hurt So Good"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	35	"Only You Can"	Fox	3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	36	"Honey"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	37	"Fox on the Run"	Sweet	2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	38	"Blanket on the Ground"		6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	39	"It's Been So Long"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	40	"Scotch on the Rocks"	Band of the Black Watch	8
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	41	"You Sexy Thing"	Hot Chocolate	2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	42	"Feelings"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	43	"The Secrets That You Keep"	Mud	3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	44	"If You Think You Know How to Love Me"	Smokie	3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	45	"The Bump"	Kenny	3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	46	"I'm on Fire"	5000 Volts	4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	47	"Love Me Love My Dog"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	48	"SOS"	ABBA	6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	49	"That's the Way (I Like It)"	KC & the Sunshine Band	4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	50	"Disco Stomp"		6

Best-selling albums

The list of the top fifty best-selling albums of 1975 was published in Music Week in the issue dated 27 December 1975 and in Record Mirror & Disc magazine in the issue dated 10 January 1976, and 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 1975 is shown below.^[5]

scope=col		scope=col	Title	scope=col	Artist	scope=col	Peak position
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1	The Best of the Stylistics		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2	Once Upon a Star	Bay City Rollers	1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	3	Atlantic Crossing		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	4	40 Golden Greats		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	5	Venus and Mars	Wings	1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	6	40 Greatest Hits		16
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	7	Greatest Hits		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	8	Horizon		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	9	Tubular Bells		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	10	40 Greatest Hits		1

Notes:

Classical music: new works

Benjamin Britten –
- Phaedra
- String Quartet No. 3

Film and incidental music

Stanley Myers – Conduct Unbecoming, starring Michael York, Richard Attenborough and Trevor Howard

Musical films

The Who – Tommy

Births

3 January – Rebecca Onslow, singer (Solid HarmoniE)
6 January – Gabriel Prokofiev, Russian-British composer
7 January – Neil Watts, singer (Code Red)
9 January – Glen Clarke, Irish singer (OTT)
13 January – Jason King, radio DJ
15 January – Edith Bowman, radio DJ
19 January – Kule T, singer (MN8)
- - 24 January Isobel Cooper, soprano
- Paul Marazzi, singer (A1)
28 January – Lee Latchford-Evans, singer (Steps)
12 March – Kéllé Bryan, singer (Eternal)
17 March – Justin Hawkins, vocalist (The Darkness)
25 March – Melanie Blatt, singer (All Saints)
1 April – Suzy Klein, music writer and presenter
23 May – Darren Styles, record producer
29 May – Melanie Brown, singer (Spice Girls)
4 June – Russell Brand, radio DJ
18 June – Jem, Welsh singer-songwriter and producer
23 June – KT Tunstall, singer-songwriter and guitarist
9 July – Shona Fraser, British-born music journalist
18 July – M.I.A., rapper and producer
15 August – Phillip Rodell, singer (Code Red)
4 September – Mark Ronson, DJ and music producer
8 September – Richard Hughes, drummer (Keane)
23 September – Chris Hawkins, radio DJ
9 October – Sean Ono Lennon, son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono
14 October – Shaznay Lewis, singer (All Saints)
25 October – Melissa Graham, singer (Solid HarmoniE)
5 November – Lisa Scott-Lee, singer (Steps)
14 November – Faye Tozer, singer (Steps)
25 November – Paul Mealor, composer
29 November – Alan Fitzsimons, Irish singer (OTT)
12 December – Michael Harwood, guitarist (Ultra)

Deaths

8 February – Martyn Green, actor and singer, 75
13 February – Eric Thiman, composer, 74
13 March – Jeannie Robertson, folk singer, 66/67
27 March – Sir Arthur Bliss, Master of the Queen's Musick, 83
14 April – Michael Flanders, lyricist, actor, humorist and singer (Flanders and Swann), 53 (intracranial berry aneurysm)
15 April – John D. H. Greenwood, film composer, 75
21 April – Sir Jack Westrup, musicologist, writer, teacher and occasional conductor and composer, 70
24 April – Pete Ham, singer and songwriter (Badfinger), 27 (suicide)
26 April – Godfrey Winham, English-born US music theorist and composer of contemporary classical music, 40
2 August – Muir Mathieson, conductor and composer, 64 (oesophageal cancer)^[6]
13 November – Lambert Williamson, composer and conductor, 68

Notes and References

Badfinger's Ham dies . . 5 . 3 May 1975.
http://www.officialcharts.com/all-the-number-one-albums-list/_/1970 Official Charts Company - Number One albums(Link redirected to OCC website)
Top 50 Singles 1975 . . 25 . 27 December 1975 . World Radio History.
1975: The Year's Top Selling Records – Singles . . 13 . 10 January 1976 . World Radio History.
Web site: Sharon . Mawer . Album Chart History: 1975 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071217020432/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/album_chart_history_1975.php . 17 December 2007.
Hetherington, S. (2006) Muir Mathieson: A Life in Film Music, Scottish Cultural Press,