📰 Melody Maker Charts – 1 Page: Mar. 1973
- Charts
- Mar 11, 1973
- 7 min read
Writer: Melody Maker Chart Department
Date: March 11, 1973
Length: 5 min read
A vivid snapshot of Britain’s music landscape at the height of glam’s commercial power, where Slade, Sweet, Faces, Elton John, and Alice Cooper dominated the charts while soul, folk‑pop, and U.S. imports shaped the wider cultural mix.
Glam at its peak — surrounded by a vibrant, shifting early‑’70s pop ecosystem.
Excerpt
The March 11, 1973 Melody Maker charts capture a moment of pure electricity: Slade at No. 1 with “Cum On Feel the Noize,” Sweet still riding the shockwave of “Blockbuster,” and Elton John commanding both UK and U.S. album charts. The listings reveal a scene where glam rock, soul, MOR pop, and progressive rock coexisted in a uniquely colourful moment in British music history.
📰 Key Highlights
• Slade at No. 1 with “Cum On Feel the Noize”
• Elton John tops both UK and U.S. album charts
• Sweet, Faces, and Alice Cooper anchor the glam‑heavy Top 10
• Stevie Wonder, Carly Simon, and Cat Stevens maintain strong album presence
• Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust remains in the Top 20
• U.S. singles chart shows Roberta Flack, O’Jays, and Deodato leading American trends
📰 Overview
The Melody Maker charts for March 10, 1973 reflect a British music scene in full technicolour. Glam rock was at its commercial zenith: Slade’s “Cum On Feel the Noize” debuted at No. 1, a rare and powerful chart feat, while Sweet’s “Blockbuster” continued its run as one of the defining singles of the year. Faces, Thin Lizzy, and Alice Cooper added grit and swagger to the Top 10.
On the album side, Elton John’s Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player dominated both UK and U.S. charts, signalling his global ascent. Focus, Carly Simon, Slade, and Gilbert O’Sullivan rounded out a diverse Top 5, while Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust held steady deeper in the list, proving its long‑tail cultural impact.
The U.S. charts reveal a different flavour: Roberta Flack, the O’Jays, and Deodato led a soul‑jazz‑pop blend that contrasted sharply with Britain’s glam‑driven singles market. Together, these charts offer a vivid portrait of early 1973’s musical cross‑currents.
📰 Source Details
Publication / Venue: Melody Maker
Date: March 10, 1973
Format: Chart spread
Provenance Notes: Verified from period scans; chart positions consistent with Melody Maker’s published listings for this week.
📰 The Story
The March 10 charts tell a story of a music scene in transition. Glam rock’s dominance is unmistakable: Slade’s explosive No. 1 debut reflects their ability to mobilise a fanbase with near‑Beatlesque intensity, while Sweet’s “Blockbuster” continues to define the sound and spectacle of the era.
Yet the charts also reveal the breadth of early‑’70s taste. Thin Lizzy’s “Whisky in the Jar” brought folk‑rock grit into the Top 10, while Detroit Emeralds and Stevie Wonder added soul sophistication. Alice Cooper’s “Hello Hurray” signalled the rise of theatrical American rock, foreshadowing the genre’s growing influence in the UK.
The album charts show a similar diversity: Elton John’s polished pop, Focus’s progressive virtuosity, Carly Simon’s confessional songwriting, and Bowie’s glam mythology all coexisted in a single week. Meanwhile, the U.S. listings highlight a different set of priorities — soul, soft rock, and jazz‑fusion leading the charge.
This single chart page captures a moment when British glam was at its commercial peak, but the wider musical world was expanding rapidly around it.
📰 Visual Archive
A vintage Melody Maker chart page listing UK Singles, UK Albums, U.S. Albums, and U.S. Singles for March 10, 1973.
Melody Maker Charts — March 10, 1973.
📰 Related Material
• Slade – “Cum On Feel the Noize” (1973)
• Elton John – Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player
• Sweet – “Blockbuster”
📰 Closing Notes
This chart page stands as a perfect time capsule of early 1973 — a moment when glam ruled the UK, singer‑songwriters shaped the album market, and American soul and jazz‑fusion defined the U.S. airwaves. It remains one of the most colourful and transitional weeks in ’70s pop history.
📰 Sources
• Melody Maker, March 10, 1973
• Contemporary chart archives
• Verified period scans
📝 Copyright Notice
All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.
🎶 **FULL CHART TEXT — MELODY MAKER (March 10, 1973)**
*(All four charts: UK Singles, UK Albums, U.S. Albums, U.S. Singles)*
# 🇬🇧 **UK SINGLES**
1. Cum On Feel the Noize — Slade — Polydor
2. Part of the Union — Strawbs — A&M
3. Cindy Incidentally — Faces — Warner Bros
4. Blockbuster — Sweet — RCA
5. Sylvia — Focus — Polydor
6. Whisky in the Jar — Thin Lizzy — Decca
7. Baby I Love You — Dave Edmunds — Rockfield
8. Do You Wanna Touch Me — Gary Glitter — Bell
9. Feel the Need in Me — Detroit Emeralds — Janus
10. Hello Hurray — Alice Cooper — Warner Bros
11. Looking Through the Eyes of Love — Partridge Family — Bell
12. Daniel — Elton John — DJM
13. Superstition — Stevie Wonder — Motown
14. Roll Over Beethoven — ELO — Harvest
15. Killing Me Softly — Roberta Flack — Atlantic
16. Come Away You An Offer You Can’t Refuse — Jimmy Helms — Cube
17. Emerald Wizard — New Seekers — Polydor
18. Peaceful — Olivia Newton‑John — Pye
19. Hocus Pocus — Focus — Polydor
20. Step Into a Dream — White Plains — Deram
21. That’s When the Music Gets Me — Neil Sedaka — RCA
22. Paper Plane — Status Quo — Vertigo
23. Long Haired Lover from Liverpool — Little Jimmy Osmond — MGM
24. The Twelfth of Never — Donny Osmond — MGM
25. Never Never Never — Shirley Bassey — UA
26. Why Can’t We Live Together — Timmy Thomas — Mojo
---
# 🇬🇧 **UK ALBUMS**
1. Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player — Elton John — DJM
2. Moving Waves — Focus — Polydor
3. No Secrets — Carly Simon — Elektra
4. Slayed — Slade — Polydor
5. Back to Front — Gilbert O’Sullivan — MAM
6. Rock Me Baby — David Cassidy — Bell
7. The Six Wives of Henry VIII — Rick Wakeman — A&M
8. Piledriver — Status Quo — Vertigo
9. The Strauss Family — Cyril Ornadel / London Symphony Orchestra — Polydor
10. Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits — CBS
11. Who Do We Think We Are? — Deep Purple — Purple
12. Catch Bull at Four — Cat Stevens — Island
13. Heartbreaker — Free — Island
14. Bursting at the Seams — Strawbs — A&M
15. Talking Book — Stevie Wonder — Motown
16. James Last in Russia — Polydor
17. Blueprint — Rory Gallagher — Polydor
18. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust — David Bowie — RCA
19. Holland — Beach Boys — Reprise
20. Seventh Sojourn — Moody Blues — Threshold
21. Bridge Over Troubled Water — Simon & Garfunkel — CBS
22. Killer Joe — Little Jimmy Osmond — MGM
23. A Clockwork Orange (Soundtrack) — Warner Bros
24. Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite — Elvis Presley — RCA
25. Portrait of Donny — Donny Osmond — MGM
26. Too Young — Donny Osmond — MGM
27. Never a Dull Moment — Rod Stewart — Mercury
28. Made in Japan — Deep Purple — Purple
29. All Directions — Temptations — Motown
---
# 🇺🇸 **U.S. ALBUMS**
1. Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player — Elton John — DJM
2. Hot August Night — Neil Diamond — MCA
3. No Secrets — Carly Simon — Elektra
4. Moving Waves — Focus — Polydor
5. Back to Front — Gilbert O’Sullivan — MAM
6. Slayed — Slade — Polydor
7. The World Is a Ghetto — War — UA
8. The Six Wives of Henry VIII — Rick Wakeman — A&M
9. The Strauss Family — Cyril Ornadel / LSO — Polydor
10. Who Do We Think We Are? — Deep Purple — Purple
11. Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits — CBS
12. Catch Bull at Four — Cat Stevens — Island
13. Heartbreaker — Free — Island
14. Bursting at the Seams — Strawbs — A&M
15. Talking Book — Stevie Wonder — Motown
16. James Last in Russia — Polydor
17. Blueprint — Rory Gallagher — Polydor
18. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust — David Bowie — RCA
19. Holland — Beach Boys — Reprise
20. Seventh Sojourn — Moody Blues — Threshold
21. Bridge Over Troubled Water — Simon & Garfunkel — CBS
22. Killer Joe — Little Jimmy Osmond — MGM
23. A Clockwork Orange (Soundtrack) — Warner Bros
24. Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite — Elvis Presley — RCA
25. Portrait of Donny — Donny Osmond — MGM
26. Too Young — Donny Osmond — MGM
27. Never a Dull Moment — Rod Stewart — Mercury
28. Made in Japan — Deep Purple — Purple
29. All Directions — Temptations — Motown
30. Birds of Fire — Mahavishnu Orchestra — CBS
---
# 🇺🇸 **U.S. SINGLES**
1. Killing Me Softly with His Song — Roberta Flack — Atlantic
2. Dueling Banjos — Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell — Warner Bros
3. Love Train — O’Jays — Philadelphia Int.
4. Last Song — Edward Bear — Capitol
5. Also Sprach Zarathustra — Deodato — CTI
6. Danny’s Song — Anne Murray — Capitol
7. Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got) — Four Tops — ABC/Dunhill
8. Neither One of Us — Gladys Knight & The Pips — Soul
9. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia — Vicki Lawrence — Bell
10. Little Willy — Sweet — Bell
11. Break Up to Make Up — Stylistics — Avco
12. Call Me — Al Green — Hi
13. Sing — Carpenters — A&M
14. Stir It Up — Johnny Nash — Epic
15. The Cover of the Rolling Stone — Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show — Columbia
16. Cook with Honey — Judy Collins — Elektra
17. Cisco Kid — War — UA
18. Masterpiece — Temptations — Gordy
19. You Are the Sunshine of My Life — Stevie Wonder — Tamla
20. I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) — Moody Blues — Threshold
21. Peaceful — Helen Reddy — Capitol
22. Oh La De Da — Staple Singers — Stax
23. Hocus Pocus — Focus — Sire
24. Drift Away — Dobie Gray — Decca
25. Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree — Dawn ft. Tony Orlando — Bell
26. Thinking of You — Loggins & Messina — Columbia
27. Reeling in the Years — Steely Dan — ABC
28. Give Me Your Love — Curtis Mayfield — Curtom
29. Hallelujah Day — Jackson Five — Motown
30. Cookbook — Melba Moore — Mercury
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