Merry Xmas Everybody

 New Musical Express, Xmas 1972

1972 was a good year for Slade and December closed it well for them. As well as their sell out UK tour, a Far East tour in a few weeks and a request from the Prime Minister to headline the 'Fanfare For Europe', they also had the UK charts firmly under their belt. Their album and the latest single both sat high in the Top Ten of the NME charts over the Xmas weeks. Gudbuy T'Jane would only manage #2 in the official chart but #1 in the NME Singles Chart was more than good enough.

December 23rd, 1972

The group took a full page to thank their fans and bestow 'Seasonal Greetings' and plug their wares. Notice Play It Loud it not available in tape format.

The end of the year saw Slayed sitting at the top of the NME album chart and Slade Alive! has also re-entered the Top 30. Slayed would have to wait until the 13th January to take the same position in the official UK album chart but clearly, Slade had taken ownership of the Pop Scene. 

December 30th, 1972

SLADE BEAT OFF REX 

NME 1972 CHART POINTS SURVEY 

By DEREK JOHNSON

SLADE EMERGE as top band and leading recording act of '72 in the NME annual chart survey compiled this week. 

In a closely contested year, they emerge marginal winners of the 1.972 Chart Points Championship, finishing a mere 20 points ahead of last year's champions T. Rex. 

And to complete their triumphant year, Slade's “Alive" set is runner-up in the Album Points Table, second only to the perennial Simon and Garfunkel LP "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

The closeness of the race for the title of Chart Champions of the Year is shown by the fact that Slade's score of 727 points is the lowest winning total ever recorded - one point less than Fleetwood Mac's score in '69. 

The New Seekers looked certain whiners for most of the year, and were only overtaken four weeks ago when new singles by Slade and T. Rex entered the chart. 

The current weenyboppper cult is strongly reflected in the Points Table, with Donny Osmond placed at No.4 (overtaking Gilbert O'Sullivan only in the final week), Michael Jackson at 6, and David Cassidy at 9. Elvis Pressley's consistency is maintained with an eighth placing. 

The Points Table is based on the weekly Top Thirty published in N M E - with 30 points awarded for a No. 1 position, 29 points for No.2 and so on down to one point for No. 30. The first ten artists for 1972, together with their joint totals, are: 

 1 SLADE                                          727 

 2 T. REX                                           707 

 3 NEW SEEKERS                          630 

 4 DONNY OSMOND                       612 

 5 GILBERT O'SULLIVAN             608 

 6 MICHAEL JACKSON                 582 

 7 DON McLEAN                              541 

 8 ELVIS PRESLEY                        498 

 9 DAVID CASSIDY                         462 

10 SWEET                                        435 

A further 118 points were scored by Tyrannosaurus Rex. But since this was a completely different act from the present T. Rex, and their reissues this year were disowned by Marc Bolan, their score has not been included in the T. Rex total. 

The next ten positions are filled by: 

11 GARY GLITTER

12 JOHNNY NASH

13 ELTON JOHN

14 ALICE COOPER

15 ROD STEWART

16 NILSSON

11 ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS

18 LINDISFARNE

19 PARTRIDGE FAMILY KimI

20 DRIFTERS

Top album of the year, for an incredible third year running, was "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - almost 300 points ahead of Slade's live set. 

Top ten albums of 1912, based on points system, are: 

 1 "Bridge Over Troubled Water" 

(SIMON and GARFUNKEL)         1065 

 2 "SLADE Alive!”                            767 

 3 "SIMON and GARFUNKEL'S 

Greatest Hits"                                   711 

 4 "Himself" 

(GILBERT O'SULLIVAN)                691 

 5 “American Pie" 

(DON McLEAN)                                685 

 6 "Never A Dull Moment" 

(ROD STEWART)                            629 

 7 "Fog On The Tyne" 

(LINDISFARNE)                               622 

 8 "Teaser And The Firecat" 

(CAT STEVENS)                              593 

 9 "Harvest" 

(NEil YOUNG)                                   567 

10 "Electric Warrior" 

(T. REX)                                             557 

Full singles points table and top 50 albums will be printed in next week's NME

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