With the exception of Bowie and a couple of can’t-be-denied hits from the Sweet and T. Rex, American radio just had no time for glam rock. While the U.K. was bursting at the seams with glam hits from Hello, Mott the Hoople, Racey and Sailor, the States were mired in Seals & Crofts, Blue Swede and Helen Reddy hell. Perhaps the payola wasn’t high enough, perhaps radio programmers were terrified of men in eyeliner (unless it was done with a horror feel, a la Alice Cooper), but for whatever reason, many huge U.K. bands and hits never got a shot here. One of those was “Dyna-Mite” (download) by Mud.
Originally written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn for the Sweet, “Dyna-Mite” was rejected by that group and ended up in the hands of fellow glitter rockers Hello. But Chapman/Chinn snatched it back from Hello and delivered it to Mud, who had been knocking around for a few years with minimal success. “Dyna-Mite” changed all that, becoming a massive Top 10 hit. There’s no question why — it’s a classic C&C stomper, full of the handclaps, high harmonies and tasty hooks that would score the songwriting duo countless hits throughout the ’70s. Yet the single and Mud never even got a U.S. label interested.
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A short year later, C&C and Mud would score an even bigger hit with the massive “Tiger Feet,” a song that definitely laid the groundwork for the Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz.” “Tiger Feet” spent four weeks at the top of the charts in the U.K., eventually becoming the biggest selling single of 1974.
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And yup, “Tiger Feet” failed to chart in the States, too. Yet that same year, Terry Jacks spent three weeks at the number one spot on the U.S. pop charts with “Seasons In The Sun.” Sometimes, there’s no accounting for taste. While Mud have become the tiniest of footnotes here, if you’re a fan of the Sweet and Chapman/Chinn, you should definitely check out some of the various greatest hits compilations that are finally available stateside, even on iTunes.
“Dyna-Mite” and “Tiger Feet” did not chart.
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