Friday, December 20, 2013

40 Year Itch : Top of the Pops Dec 20, 1973




    From inside a Womble, Jimmy Savile hosted the December 20, 1973 episode of Top of the Pops featuring the two glam rocking heavyweights, Wizzard and Slade, battling it for the Christmas Song of 1973. Slade would win with "Merry Xmas Everybody".

     After the countdown, The Faces played their last Top 10 hit "Pool Hall Richard" with Ronnie Lane's replacement, Tetsu Yamauchi , on bass. The New Seekers play their eventual #1 hit "You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me".The 12 year old Dutch band, Golden Earring, then perform their raunchy Top 10 hit "Radar Love". 

    The hardest working rocker of 1973, Roy Wood,  performs his Beach Boys tribute "Forever", a UK #8 hit. The delightful Pan's People dance to Robert "Everlasting Love" Knight's "Love on a Mountaintop". 

    Wood returns with his band Wizzard to sing " I Wish it Could Be Christmas Everyday", looking just a but dispirited by never climbing higher than #4 on the UK charts with the tune. English songwriter Clifford T Ward performs his Top 40 hit "Scullery". Slade plays the smash "Merry Xmas Everybody", while Wood stands fuming backstage. 

    Finally the kids try to dance to Leo Sayer's "The Show Must Go On", a future hit for Three Dog Night.

Enjoy!

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