New Musical Express (May 13, 1972) NME Charts – British & U.S. Listings

A full chart spread showing British and American singles and albums for mid‑May 1972, alongside adverts for Neil Diamond and The Drifters.

Publication: New Musical Express (UK)

Date: May 13, 1972

The page lists the week’s top British singles and albums, led by “Amazing Grace” and Deep Purple’s Machine Head, plus U.S. charts topped by Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” Side columns include retrospective charts from 1957, 1962, and 1967, and tour adverts for Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, and Joe Cocker.

PUBLICATION

Publication: New Musical Express (UK)

Date: May 13, 1972

Country: United Kingdom

Section / Pages: Page 2 – NME Charts

Title: British & U.S. Singles and Albums Listings

THE STORY BEHIND IT

By spring 1972, NME’s chart pages were a central reference for British music fans, tracking 

both domestic and U.S. hits. 

This issue captures a moment when rock, pop, and folk shared equal chart space — from 

Deep Purple and Neil Young to David Cassidy

 and Johnny Cash. 

The layout reflects NME’s transition toward modern graphic presentation and its role as a

 bridge between British and American music

 markets.

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

Event: Weekly NME chart publication

Era: 1972 – Classic rock and pop period

Tone: Informative and statistical

Photography: Text‑only layout with bold red headers

Audience: UK music press readers and chart collectors

WHAT THE CLIPPING SHOWS

Event: NME chart listings for May 13 1972

Era: 1972

Tone: Analytical and archival

Photography: Text‑based chart design

Audience: UK music press readers and archivists

CONTEXT AND NOTES

This chart page illustrates the diversity of early‑1970s popular music, where glam, folk, and rock coexisted on the same lists. It also shows NME’s practice of pairing current charts with historical  retrospectives, creating a continuity of British pop history across decades. The advert sections  highlight how tour promotion and record label marketing were integrated into weekly chart  culture.

All newspaper scans, photographs, and original text excerpts 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.

---