If you were around in the 1970s, what are the things you remember most fondly?
A new study of 2,000 adults for TV channel Legend (no, me neither) has come up with a definitive list of the 70 best items of the ‘70s, and it makes for interesting reading. Before we get to the top ten, I’d like to single out a few things that I think should have been higher, in my humble opinion.
Bagpuss finishes at a lowly number 43. He’s just a saggy old cloth cat, but Emily loves him. With the news that there is to be a Bagpuss film, promising to retain the hand-crafted “spirit” of the original BBC series, the loveable pink and white moggy might be loved by a whole new generation. It blows my mind that just 13 episodes were made of the show, which first aired in February 1974. Bagpuss lived in a shop that was a home for lost items, and came to life when Emily, the little girl who ran the shop, left. It was voted the all-time favourite children’s TV show in 1999. In an age of YouTube and TikTok, it will be interesting to see what the feline will make of the world when he wakes up again in 2027.
Lava lamps are bubbling under at 36, below the Ford Capri and punk music. I demand a recount. They epitomised ‘70s cool, in my book, and appeared on many lists to Santa. The Mr. Frosty machine isn’t even in the Top 70! It’s an outrage.
Jaws is at number 21. You’re going to need a bigger vote! Having watched it again recently, this was the film that started off the trend of big summer blockbusters, and should surely have been in the upper echelons of the chart. I was also going to say Mr. Matey is an outrageous omission, but it turns out my favourite sailor-themed bubble bath was first sold in 1958! Now to the top ten...
10. The Two Ronnies. I remember my dad Barrie watching this when I was growing up, but I was too young to appreciate the humour, I think. Next week marks 49 years since the ‘Four Candles’ sketch was first broadcast, regularly voted their funniest-ever.
9. Grease. After it was aired on TV during the Christmas holidays in 2020, the Daily Express reported some viewers took to Twitter and complained it was sexist, and hasn’t aged well. I’ve not seen it in a long time, but the music has certainly stood the test of time.
8. David Bowie.The effortlessly cool Bowie enjoyed a dozen top ten singles in the 1970s, including a 1975 number one with Space Oddity (its second time in the chart, having originally made number 5 in 1969). My personal favourite record from his ‘70s hits has to be Sound and Vision. Radio presenters should be fined if they ever talk over the intro!
7. Morecambe and Wise. A staple of festive schedules to this day. I guess young people won’t ever know the joys of a Radio Times and a highlighter pen.
6. Disco music. I Feel Love by Donna Summer was at number one when I was born. Still a belter!
5. Star Wars. I’ve still never seen it. But I do own a snazzy Star Wars dressing gown.
4. Woolworths. I miss the pink shrimps and foam bananas.. Next month marks a decade since the final stores closed their doors in the UK.
3. Fawlty Towers. Amazingly, only a dozen episodes were made, but they are still hilarious. You can see the sea... it’s over there between the land and the sky.
2. Queen. Timeless. Bohemian Rhapsody, Don’t Stop Me Now and Another One Bites The Dust are their three most streamed songs, according to the Official Charts Company. These Are The Days Of Our Lives is my personal favourite.
Beating all of these to the number one slot, congratulations to ABBA. The hologram show has been an incredible success, and I don’t think I ever did a wedding disco without reaching for my copy of ABBA gold. Fun fact - they used capital letters not because of their names, but to avoid confusion with a brand of canned fish in Gothenberg. The singing Swedes beat all other items from the decade to be named the most loved cultural phenomenon of the 1970s. Perhaps we need another ABBA hour soon on Tameside Radio, to celebrate five years since I started presenting the breakfast show!
Alex Cann's weekly blog - 9th January
