1974 in British music
| 1970s in music in the UK | |
| Number-one singles | |
| Number-one albums | |
| Best-selling singles | |
| Best-selling albums | |
| Summaries and charts 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 | |
| ←1969 | 1980→ |
| Top 10 singles 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 | |
| ←1969 | 1980→ |
This is a summary of 1974 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
Events
- 6 April - The 19th Eurovision Song Contest is staged at The Dome in Brighton. The winning Swedish group ABBA, go on to be the top-selling act of the decade.
- 7 May - Led Zeppelin announce their new record label, Swan Song Records, with a lavish party at The Four Seasons Hotel in New York.
- 20 July – The first Knebworth Concert is held, headlined by The Allman Brothers Band.
- 2 November – George Harrison launches his "George Harrison & Friends North American Tour" in Vancouver. It's Harrison's first tour since the Beatles North American Tour of 1966.
- 28 November – John Lennon joins Elton John on stage at Madison Square Garden for three songs. It would be Lennon's last stage performance.
- 12 December - Mick Taylor leaves The Rolling Stones after 6 years.
Number Ones
Singles
| Date[1] | Single | Artist | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 January | "Merry Xmas Everybody" | Slade | 2 |
| 19 January | "You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me" | The New Seekers | 1 |
| 26 January | "Tiger Feet" | Mud | 4 |
| 23 February | "Devil Gate Drive" | Suzi Quatro | 2 |
| 9 March | "Jealous Mind" | Alvin Stardust | 1 |
| 16 March | "Billy Don't Be a Hero" | Paper Lace | 3 |
| 6 April | "Seasons in the Sun" | Terry Jacks | 4 |
| 4 May | "Waterloo" | ABBA | 2 |
| 18 May | "Sugar Baby Love" | The Rubettes | 4 |
| 15 June | "The Streak" | Ray Stevens | 1 |
| 22 June | "Always Yours" | Gary Glitter | 1 |
| 29 June | "She" | Charles Aznavour | 4 |
| 27 July | "Rock Your Baby" | George McCrae | 3 |
| 17 August | "When Will I See You Again" | The Three Degrees | 2 |
| 31 August | "Love Me for a Reason" | The Osmonds | 3 |
| 21 September | "Kung Fu Fighting" | Carl Douglas | 3 |
| 12 October | "Annie's Song" | John Denver | 1 |
| 19 October | "Sad Sweet Dreamer" | Sweet Sensation | 1 |
| 26 October | "Everything I Own" | Ken Boothe | 3 |
| 16 November | "Gonna Make You a Star" | David Essex | 3 |
| 7 December | "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" | Barry White | 2 |
| 21 December | "Lonely This Christmas" | Mud | 3 |
Albums
| Date[2] | Single | Artist | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 January | Tales from Topographic Oceans | Yes | 2 |
| 19 January | Sladest | Slade | 1 |
| 26 January | And I Love You So | Perry Como | 1 |
| 2 February | The Singles: 1969-1973 | The Carpenters | 4 |
| 2 March | Old, New, Borrowed and Blue | Slade | 1 |
| 9 March | The Singles: 1969-1973 | The Carpenters | 11 |
| 25 May | Journey to the Centre of the Earth | Rick Wakeman | 1 |
| 1 June | The Singles: 1969-1973 | The Carpenters | 1 |
| 8 June | Diamond Dogs | David Bowie | 4 |
| 6 July | The Singles: 1969-1973 | The Carpenters | 1 |
| 13 July | Caribou | Elton John | 2 |
| 27 July | Band on the Run | Paul McCartney & Wings | 7 |
| 14 September | Hergest Ridge | Mike Oldfield | 3 |
| 5 October | Tubular Bells | Mike Oldfield | 1 |
| 12 October | Rollin' | Bay City Rollers | 1 |
| 19 October | Smiler | Rod Stewart | 1 |
| 26 October | Rollin' | Bay City Rollers | 1 |
| 2 November | Smiler | Rod Stewart | 1 |
| 9 November | Rollin' | Bay City Rollers | 2 |
| 23 November | Greatest Hits | Elton John | 7 |
Year-end charts
Between 2 January and 6 December 1974.
Best-selling singles
Best-selling albums
Classical music: new works
- Benjamin Britten - Suite on English Folk Tunes: 'A time there was...'
Film and Incidental music
- Richard Rodney Bennett - Murder on the Orient Express, starring Albert Finney.
- Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Odessa File.
- Stanley Myers - House of Whipcord directed by Pete Walker.
Births
- 12 January – Melanie C, singer (Spice Girls)
- 7 February – Danny Goffey, singer-songwriter and drummer (Supergrass, Babyshambles, The Jennifers, Lodger, and The Hotrats)
- 13 February – Robbie Williams, singer (Take That)
- 22 February - James Blunt, singer-songwriter
- 17 April - Victoria Beckham, singer (Spice Girls)
- 20 April – Tina Cousins, singer
- 7 May - Lynden David Hall, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer (died 2006)
- 3 June - Kelly Jones, singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 17 July - Laura Macdonald, Scottish saxophonist and composer
- 21 July – Terry Coldwell, singer (East 17)
- 5 August - Spike Dawbarn, singer (911)
- 8 August - Brian Harvey, British singer (East 17)
- 1 October - Keith Duffy, Irish singer (Boyzone)
- 4 November – Louise Nurding, singer and former member of Eternal
- 7 December – Nicole Appleton, Canadian-born, British-based singer (All Saints)
Deaths
- 1 April - Alfred Whitehead, English-born Canadian composer, organist, choirmaster, music educator and painter, 86
- 5 April - Jennifer Vyvyan, operatic soprano, 49 (bronchial condition)
- 28 April - Leslie Statham, composer and arranger,
- 5 May - Adge Cutler, folk musician, 42 (car accident)[6]
- 8 May – Graham Bond, R&B musician, 36 (hit by train)
- 15 September - Thomas Fielden, pianist and teacher, 90
- November - Bessie Jones, musical theatre singer, 87
- 3 November - Victor Olof, violinist and conductor, 76
- 25 November – Nick Drake, singer/songwriter, 26 (overdose)
References
- ↑ ChartArchive - Number One singles(Link redirected to OCC website)
- ↑ ChartArchive - Number One albums(Link redirected to OCC website)
- ↑ "Top Selling Singles for 1974". Music Week (London, England: Spotlight Publications): 20. 4 January 1975.
- ↑ "Top Selling Albums for 1974". Music Week (London, England: Spotlight Publications): 21. 4 January 1975.
- ↑ "Top 50 Albums Jan 2 to Dec 6 1974". BPI Year Book 1976 (1st ed.). London, England: Parkway Publications. 1976. p. 211.
- ↑ "Fan pays tribute to Wurzel Adge". BBC Somerset. BBC. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
