This is a case, I believe, where the singer’s lack of vocal firepower actually helped the record. If Soul had the chops to really clobber the tune, the record would lose most of what charm it possesses. His modest vocal instrument is the right vehicle for his modest request.

I have an extremely slight after-the-fact connection to this song: a good friend of my band’s lead singer wrote “Kansas City 1927,” another quiet ballad sung by Soul on the album that contained this song. Of course, I wouldn’t meet my band’s lead singer for another twelve years after this song made #1, but what the heck.

(i think this is partly to do with the manipulative lock the majors had on pressing, distribution and outlets — it’s used as leverage to buy up hit artists from little labels, or buy out the labels)

(it was i imagine one of the issues the indie boom just now beginning to emerge — i mean in the late 70s — was battling to address, to establish a workable ecology for small labels to have big crossover hits, as opposed to safe niche-directed mini-hits)

(this is guesswork in this particular instance: the era i know more about is the late 40s and early 50s in the US, back when indies were called “mongrels”)

We had Casey Kasem’s America’s Top 10 show broadcast on ITV at various times - usually at 12:30 on Saturday lunchtime, or at around three or four in the morning - for a spell in the eighties. The voice of Shaggy in Scooby-Doo with a questionable taste in pullovers but probably best known now for his various blooper outbursts, e.g. “fuckin’ English band U2,” “fuckin’ dog dyin’,” “PONDEROUS, man, fuckin’ PONDEROUS!” et al.

Yeah, it’s a rare thing when a TV tie in produces something that actually isn’t mediocre. Usually a polite cover version. Oh there was that um, northern actor who managed bothARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was American Top 40 with Casey Kasem broadcast in the UK?

The picture’s not loading here. Am I missing anything?

I had to dig this out and listen to it, as I really couldn’t remember much apart from the title line. It’s not really very good - his voice is weak, you can sense him building towards the sustained note on the final “through”, and then he gives up on it (no pun intended) after about three seconds, as the voice just isn’t up to it.

Even the middle eight starts out by hinting that he might try something, but he quickly thinks better of it.

I can’t conflate this with the Chicago #1 at all - to me it’s chalk and cheese, a professionally well-put-together piece of slightly maudlin but glorious pop (Chicago) vs. a rather poor celebrity cash-in.

Although David Soul was popular at this time, I didn’t think he was THAT popular. I think the timing of this release helped it, as most of the competition was on the way out after the Christmas period (obvious exception - the next #1)- this one went to number one after going from 11 over Christmas/New Year to 8 in the first “proper” week of ‘77, before hitting the top the following week.

The girls in my Year 8 class were absolutely besotted with David Soul. He is, of course, the reincarnation of David McCallum form ten years or so previously, except that he can sing a bit and he isn’t as good-looking. Not that I’m aware of ever hearing David McCallum singing, of course, and David Soul isn’t all that good at it.

I liked watching Starsky and Hutchy. Like LondonLee’s sister, though, I preferred Paul Michael Glaser.

http://kotaku.com/assets/resources/2007/02/rabbidcupcake.jpg