Today’s guest post comes from long-time follower John, aka popchartfreak, who I believe may have been my first ever commenter, back when each of my posts attracted around 2.5 views. He’s written about the first single he ever parted with cold, hard cash for. And it’s a classic. (Certainly cooler than the first record I ever bought, which was the soundtrack to ‘Joseph and His Technicolour Dreamcoat’.)
How could I celebrate the Number Ones Blog’s anniversary theme? Well, why not my first purchase of a single that was about to hit number one with the help of my pocket money: ‘See My Baby Jive’ by Wizzard, in 1973.
That track triggered in me a massive enthusiasm for Roy Wood, Wizzard, ELO and The Move back-catalogue to boot. Top Of The Pops helped: the outlandishly colourful outfits and makeup on Top Of The Pops and the Phil Spector wall-of-sound-reinvented was thrilling. I loved that record, a sort of glam rock update of the 60’s with added excitement so much so that it sat on top of my personal weekly charts for a record ten weeks.
So what exactly is great about it? In the first five seconds it sounds like an attention-grabbing aeroplane engine on Loud morphing into a furious drum beat, an orchestra strings section, female backing vocals and horns. It’s ten seconds in before Roy starts singing Look out! Look out! The backing singers stay on board throughout, giving it Ronettes vibes through to the hook and back to the verse. There’s no pace let up, the horn section stays big with lots of intricate riffs in the mix, to the instrumental bridge when the strings take centre stage, then the sax, then back to Roy. Verse, chorus, repeat chorus to a crescendo, different parts sung for variation and then to the final sax fizzle out solo via an instrumental bit, oh-oh-ohs, and the kitchen sink thrown in for added excitement. Talk about epic! My jaw still drops at this record, a mini-masterpiece of pop. Love it.
In total, Roy released a trio of Phil Spector-ish hit singles: ‘Angel Fingers’ (another number one) and ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ – a universal Christmas classic that peaked at #4 (behind Slade), and that is still in the UK charts every Christmas fifty-three years later. Roy flirted with all sorts of stuff: ’50s revivalism for Wizzard, and his quirky solo career – album ‘Boulders’ was fabulous, he did 100% everything on the album instrumentally and vocally, hopping from Eurovision gospel to a ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ pastiche of a computer in love. Later, hit single ‘Forever’ was a Beach Boys via Neil Sedaka pastiche, and ‘Going Down The Road’ was bagpipes reggae. The man was a musical hero who could turn his hand to anything. Everybody in the UK still knows who Wizzard are in the 2020’s: that Father-Christmas-decked-out bloke who wishes it could be Christmas everyday! I just wish they could hear ‘See My Baby Jive’ for a change!
Thanks John. A great post on a great song. And a reminder to vote for your best and worst #1s before I reveal the results on Sunday!
The UK Number Ones Blog 
Wonderful post. I loved the glam rock era, especially those superb runs of hit after hit from Slade and Sweet, but ‘See My Baby Jive’ was a real epic, and surely the greatest five minutes of Glam without a doubt. Roy Wood was an amazing talent as songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer – so much imagination went into his work, whether with Wizzard, with The Move, and as a soloist (not forgetting his contributions to the much-maligned first ELO album either).
aww thanks very much, very kind! And I bought that first ELO album, I was mad on 10538 Overture before Wizzard was even a thing. Still am! The great thing about them splitting up the Move and ELO was I got two classic fave bands for the price of one! 🙂
From one John to another – your last sentence sums it up. I loved the glam rock era, particularly Slade and Sweet, but Wizzard were the creme de la creme. Roy Wood was an astonishing talent as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and arranger, and this five minutes’ worth of aural heaven was the pinnacle of his career as well as glam.
Thanks very much and me too when it comes to Glam era stuff, it was all very exciting and visually such fun. Wizzard were my top bedroom-wall poster band though! 🙂
The other bit was about your personal charts – something I used to do as well in my mid-teens. An all-time Top 75 every week, how I found the time I don’t know. And surely the only conceivable way in which Time Was, the 9 minutes-plus opener to Wishbone Ash’s Argus, could have had a ten-week run at Number 1 in any chart.
Thanks Freddy appreciate it! Shh dont tell anyone but my first record purchase was really Dizzy by Tommy Roe, but that was months after it had gotten to the top spot, so Wizzard was the first one I helped get to number one with a sale and was delighted about it at the time 🙂 Personal charts are great, young people still do them these days too, but most stop doing them when getting jobs and families. Not me though, I started in 1968 and have just kept going, still love new music, hah!
Wishbone Ash I think you are almost certainly the only owner of a personal chart with a ten week run on top for Time was! I couldnt afford or hear albums until 1974 when I heard Tubular Bells, called it one long track, and put it at number one in my singles chart. Well, if one can’t change the chart rules to suit oneself what can one do! 🙂 Judas Priest was a big fave of my room-mate at Uni, I got a bit hooked on Diamonds & Rust, but I’m equally happy bopping to Dollar and Dooleys – while acknowledging that ABBA are the pop Beethovens to their more-of-a-TV-theme-than-classic(al) pop. If you ever put your old charts online, I’d enjoy reading them, I’m sure!
If you’re wondering what the “first bit” was, it looks like I accidentally erased it… it was firstly to say what a great post this was, about a great song. And then about the kudos of your first purchase being a zinger; I’ve always been grateful that, in conversations with various pals, I can quote Living After Midnight by Judas Priest rather than, as some pals have, Dollar’s version of I Want To Hold Your Hand, or Wanted by The Dooleys.
I always have a slight suspicion of those whose first musical purchase was a cool record… 😉
My six-year-older sisters had that song on 45 as well! 🙂