1975 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 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 a 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 London garage. 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 No.1 for 9 weeks and as of 2012 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 Faces is announced at a London press conference. Rod Stewart will continue 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 Ones
Singles
| Date[1] | Single | Artist | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 January | "Lonely This Christmas" | Mud | 1 |
| 18 January | "Down Down" | Status Quo | 1 |
| 25 January | "Ms Grace" | The Tymes | 1 |
| 1 February | "January" | Pilot | 3 |
| 22 February | "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" | Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel | 2 |
| 8 March | "If" | Telly Savalas | 2 |
| 22 March | "Bye Bye Baby" | Bay City Rollers | 6 |
| 3 May | "Oh Boy!" | Mud | 2 |
| 17 May | "Stand By Your Man" | Tammy Wynette | 3 |
| 7 June | "Whispering Grass" | Don Estelle & Windsor Davies | 3 |
| 28 June | "I'm Not in Love" | 10cc | 2 |
| 12 July | "Tears On My Pillow" | Johnny Nash | 1 |
| 19 July | "Give a Little Love" | Bay City Rollers | 3 |
| 9 August | "Barbados" | Typically Tropical | 1 |
| 16 August | "I Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" | The Stylistics | 3 |
| 6 September | "Sailing" | Rod Stewart | 4 |
| 4 October | "Hold Me Close" | David Essex | 3 |
| 25 October | "I Only Have Eyes for You" | Art Garfunkel | 2 |
| 8 November | "Space Oddity" | David Bowie | 2 |
| 22 November | "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." | Billy Connolly | 1 |
| 29 November | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | Queen | 6 |
Albums
| Date[2] | Single | Artist | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 January | Greatest Hits | Elton John | 4 |
| 8 February | His Greatest Hits | Engelbert Humperdinck | 3 |
| 1 March | On the Level | Status Quo | 2 |
| 15 March | Physical Graffiti | Led Zeppelin | 1 |
| 22 March | 20 Greatest Hits | Tom Jones | 4 |
| 19 April | The Best of the Stylistics | The Stylistics | 2 |
| 3 May | Once Upon a Star | Bay City Rollers | 3 |
| 24 May | The Best of the Stylistics | The Stylistics | 5 |
| 28 June | Venus and Mars | Wings | 1 |
| 19 April | Horizon | The Carpenters | 2 |
| 19 July | Venus and Mars | Wings | 1 |
| 26 July | Horizon | The Carpenters | 3 |
| 16 August | The Best of the Stylistics | The Stylistics | 2 |
| 30 August | Atlantic Crossing | Rod Stewart | 5 |
| 4 October | Wish You Were Here | Pink Floyd | 1 |
| 11 October | Atlantic Crossing | Rod Stewart | 2 |
| 25 October | 40 Golden Greats | Jim Reeves | 3 |
| 15 November | We All Had Doctors' Papers | Max Boyce | 1 |
| 22 November | 40 Greatest Hits | Perry Como | 5 |
| 27 December | A Night at the Opera | Queen | 2 |
Year-end charts
Between 30 December 1974 and 5 December 1975.
Best-selling singles
| No. | Title | Artist | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Bye Bye Baby" | Bay City Rollers | 1 |
| 2 | "Sailing" | Stewart, RodRod Stewart | 1 |
| 3 | "Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" | Stylistics, TheThe Stylistics | 1 |
| 4 | "Whispering Grass" | Davies, WindsorWindsor Davies and Don Estelle | 1 |
| 5 | "Stand by Your Man" | Wynette, TammyTammy Wynette | 1 |
| 6 | "Give a Little Love" | Bay City Rollers | 1 |
| 7 | "Hold Me Close" | Essex, DavidDavid Essex | 1 |
| 8 | "The Last Farewell" | Whittaker, RogerRoger Whittaker | 2 |
| 9 | "I Only Have Eyes for You" | Garfunkel, ArtArt Garfunkel | 1 |
| 10 | "Tears On My Pillow" | Nash, JohnnyJohnny Nash | 1 |
| 11 | "I'm Not in Love" | 10cc | 1 |
| 12 | "Barbados" | Typically Tropical | 1 |
| 13 | "If" | Savalas, TellyTelly Savalas | 1 |
| 14 | "There Goes My First Love" | Drifters, TheThe Drifters | 3 |
| 15 | "Three Steps to Heaven" | Showaddywaddy | 2 |
| 16 | "The Hustle" | McCoy, VanVan McCoy | 3 |
| 17 | "Space Oddity" | Bowie, DavidDavid Bowie | 1 |
| 18 | "January" | Pilot | 1 |
| 19 | "Funky Moped"/"The Magic Roundabout" | Carrott, JasperJasper Carrott | 5 |
| 20 | "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" | Harley, SteveSteve Harley and Cockney Rebel | 1 |
| 21 | "Oh Boy" | Mud | 1 |
| 22 | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | Queen | 1 |
| 23 | "Misty" | Stevens, RayRay Stevens | 2 |
| 24 | "Lovin' You" | Ripperton, MinnieMinnie Ripperton | 2 |
| 25 | "The Way We Were"–"Try to Remember" | Knight, GladysGladys Knight & the Pips | 4 |
| 26 | "Sugar Candy Kisses" | Kissoon, Mac and KatieMac and Katie Kissoon | 3 |
| 27 | "There's a Whole Lot of Loving" | Guys & Dolls | 2 |
| 28 | "Please Mr. Postman" | Carpenters, TheThe Carpenters | 2 |
| 29 | "Sing Baby Sing" | Stylistics, TheThe Stylistics | 3 |
| 30 | "Love Is the Drug" | Roxy Music | 2 |
| 31 | "Rhinestone Cowboy" | Campbell, GlenGlen Campbell | 4 |
| 32 | "Moonlighting" | Sayer, LeoLeo Sayer | 2 |
| 33 | "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." | Connolly, BillyBilly Connolly | 1 |
| 34 | "Hurts So Good" | Cadogan, SusanSusan Cadogan | 4 |
| 35 | "Only You Can" | Fox | 3 |
| 36 | "Honey" | Goldsboro, BobbyBobby Goldsboro | 2 |
| 37 | "Fox on the Run" | Sweet | 2 |
| 38 | "Blanket on the Ground" | Spears, Billie JoBillie Jo Spears | 6 |
| 39 | "It's Been So Long" | McCrae, GeorgeGeorge McCrae | 4 |
| 40 | "Scotch on the Rocks" | Band of the Black Watch | 8 |
| 41 | "You Sexy Thing" | Hot Chocolate | 2 |
| 42 | "Feelings" | Albert, MorrisMorris Albert | 4 |
| 43 | "The Secrets That You Keep" | Mud | 3 |
| 44 | "If You Think You Know How to Love Me" | Smokie | 3 |
| 45 | "The Bump" | Kenny | 3 |
| 46 | "I'm on Fire" | 5000 Volts | 4 |
| 47 | "Love Me Love My Dog" | Shelley, PeterPeter Shelley | 3 |
| 48 | "SOS" | ABBA | 6 |
| 49 | "That's the Way (I Like It)" | KC & the Sunshine Band | 4 |
| 50 | "Disco Stomp" | Bohannon, HamiltonHamilton Bohannon | 6 |
Best-selling albums
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
Births
- 13 January - Jason King, radio DJ
- 15 January – Edith Bowman, radio DJ
- 24 January
- Isobel Cooper, soprano
- Paul Marazzi, singer (A1)
- 28 January - Lee Latchford-Evans, singer (Steps)
- 12 March - Kelle Bryan, singer (Eternal)
- 17 March - Justin Hawkins, vocalist (The Darkness)
- 25 March – Melanie Blatt, singer (All Saints)
- 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
- 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)
- 5 November - Lisa Scott-Lee, singer (Steps)
- 14 November - Faye Tozer, singer (Steps)
- 25 November - Paul Mealor, composer
Deaths
- 8 February - Martyn Green, actor and singer, 75
- 13 February - Eric Thiman, composer, 74
- 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
- 23 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]
References
- ↑ ChartArchive - Number One singles(Link redirected to OCC website)
- ↑ ChartArchive - Number One albums(Link redirected to OCC website)
- ↑ "1975 Best Sellers: Singles". Record Mirror and Disc (London, England: Spotlight Publications): 12. 10 January 1976.
- ↑ "1975 Best Sellers: Albums". Record Mirror and Disc (London, England: Spotlight Publications): 13. 10 January 1976.
- ↑ "Top 50 Albums Dec 30 1974 to Dec 5 1975". BPI Year Book 1976 (1st ed.). London, England: Parkway Publications. 1976. p. 211.
- ↑ Hetherington, S. (2006) Muir Mathieson: A Life in Film Music, Scottish Cultural Press, ISBN 1-898218-11-0
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