Tuesday, March 20, 2012

40 Years Ago Today : Fog On The Tyne Hits #1


[Buy the album]

On March 20, 1972 the British folk/rock band Lindisfarne scooted Paul Simon out of the way to clinch the top spot on the UK album chart with Fog On The Tyne. It's a position the likable Geordies would hold for four weeks. At the time Lindisfarne were touring the US first with The Kinks...where one UK journalist was asked by a new American fan "Have you heard of Linda's Farm? They're going to be big, big, big!" Well, maybe not in the US. After The Kinks tour, they opened for Fairport Convention, then Seatrain and then Tim Buckley.

“It’s been varied as far as reception,” singer Alan Hull told Melody Maker. “Take Cleveland, where they really freaked over us. Then take San Francisco, where we played with Buckley. We came on stage, had a blow, and the audience just sat there and stared, but I found that interesting – they weren’t baffled, they were just in a state of having to listen. We know we’ve got to sow the seeds, and we know we’ve got to put up with this.”


RECORD MIRROR READERS POLL:
1972'S MOST PROMISING ACT (votes)

1. Lindisfarne (488)
2. Slade (361)
3. T Rex (322)
4. Neil Reid (285)
5. Chicory Tip (247)
6. New Seekers (238)
7. Colin Blunstone (216)
8. Faces (202)
9. Olivia Newton-John (189)
10. Labi Siffre (130)
11. Rod Stewart (125)
12. Wings (109)
13. Middle of the Road (85)
14. New World (79)
15. Rock 'n' Roll Allstars (64)
16. Badfinger (47)
17. Sweet (47)
18. Tony Christie (45)
19. David Bowie (42)
20. America (41)


It's been often said that Lindisfarne were to the Northeast city of Newcastle as The Beatles were to Liverpool. They heyday wouldn't last much longer and the band faced members leaving and lower album sales. In 1995 Alan Hull passed away at the age of 50. Last month a panel approved a memorial plaque that will be erected at city hall to honor Hull who performed more than 150 concerts there.

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