Welcome back to another edition of CHART ATTACK!, everyone! Sick of the ’90s? Sick of the ’80s? Sick of … uh … the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, 1970, 1971, and 1973 - 1979? (I’m reaching here.) Then have we got a year for you! This time last year, guest writer Beau Dure covered a 1976 CHART ATTACK!, and he’s back to tackle 1972! By the way, Beau runs his own fantastic blog, Mostly Modern Media, and is also all over the Sports section at USA Today. Between the two sites, it’s almost like you were at the Olympics yourself! But for now, enjoy Beau’s fine writing right here at Popdose! - JH

Are you ready to rock? Or R&B? Or AC? Or whatever you call Looking Glass?

Welcome to a diverse bunch of classics, most of which you can still hum today. You can also still hum Kid Rock’s latest, but only because you’re really humming “Werewolves of London.”

September 2, 1972:

10. Back Stabbers — O’Jays Amazon iTunes
9. Rock and Roll Part 2 — Gary Glitter Amazon iTunes
8. You Don’t Mess Around With Jim — Jim Croce Amazon iTunes
7. Goodbye to Love — Carpenters Amazon iTunes
6. Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me — Mac Davis Amazon iTunes
5. Hold Your Head Up — Argent Amazon iTunes
4. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) — Looking Glass Amazon iTunes
3. I’m Still in Love With You — Al Green Amazon iTunes
2. Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress) — The Hollies Amazon iTunes
1. Alone Again (Naturally) — Gilbert O’Sullivan Amazon iTunes

10. Back Stabbers — O’Jays

I had a lot of insights into this song as an allegory reaching beyond mere relationship paranoia to the greater social realm into which many R&B contemporaries were operating, but AllMusic already did that. They also noted the dichotomy between this one, their first hit, and the next one, the #1 ray of sunshine “Love Train.”

So what can I add to this? Probably just the performance clip from Soul Train to get us all feeling that 70s vibe …

9. Rock and Roll Part 2 — Gary Glitter

Upon reading a few books on Tibetan mysticism, a young Gary Glitter made a pilgrimage to the region. He was stunned to be greeted by the Dalai Lama himself. The Dalai’s teachings on happiness and desire were a revelation to Glitter, who had been raised on French existentialism. Now convinced that his actions and words had meaning far beyond anything he had encountered in Western philosophy, Glitter returned to the studio determined to explore connections between Buddhist meditation and the obscure Austrian philosophical school that rejected nihilism.

Then Glitter remembered that he wasn’t in Yes, and he recorded something for American sports teams to play during timeouts.

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David Medsker: I love Paul Carrack as much as the next guy, but is what I refer to as a non-song. Not a whole lot of meat on these bones.

Jeff Giles: An odd little hit from an odd little record. People remember Paul Carrack and Paul Young (no, the other Paul Young) as Mike +/& the Mechanics’ singers, but this album featured lead vocals from two other guys. I can’t remember either of their names, but I do remember that I like “Taken In” more than “Silent Running” or “All I Need Is a Miracle.”

Jon Cummings: If I remember correctly, M+M albums were packaged with drool cups. Or did I just dream that during the 48-hour nap that was induced by my one and only full hearing of this song? Even 23 years on, it’s extraordinary that a nuclear war/Terminator/whatever prog-rock “epic” could be so abysmally boring. (Compared to this oblique blather, Sting’s contemporaneous “Russians” was a Tolstoy novel.) It’s also extraordinary that Carrack’s voice could be so thoroughly wasted. His M+M work is so pulse-deadening that it calls into question everything he did before. (Was “How Long” really that good? Doesn’t Glenn Tilbrook sing “Tempted” just as well in concert as Carrack did on record?) God, I hated this band.

Dw. Dunphy: Mike + the Mechanics got off to a good start, didn’t they? Big hit, nice synth-y melody, Paul Carrack — but it’s all for naught. I don’t understand a whit of this song. It sounds like the theme to some really bad syndicated sci-fi show. If you don’t pay too much attention to it, perfectly pleasant.

Scott Malchus: I often wonder what songs from the ’80s, with all of the lame electronic drums and synths, would sound like with real instruments. This song holds up okay. I guess I always expected more from Mike Rutherford since he was the lead guitarist from Genesis (and, before that, the bassist). All of the Mike + the Mechanics songs sound very “lite rock” compared to what he did in the ’70s. Then again, look at Phil Collins’s solo output. Worse, look what Genesis had become by the end of the ’80s. How is it that only Peter Gabriel was able to maintain his artistic integrity after he quit the band?

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