1977 Singles Poll

Prior to 1977, my interest in music stretched to watching Top of the Pops every Thursday evening, listening to Radio One and Radio Luxembourg on a battered transistor and reading snippets of information in 'Fab 208' and other teen magazines. My fledgling record collection was a mix of glam and pop, with a few other random tunes thrown into the pot. 'Mr Soft' by Cockney Rebel, 'Dance With the Devil' by Cozy Powell and 'Killer Queen' by Queen spring to mind.

I didn't see the Pistols interview on the Bill Grundy show at the end of 1976, but I did read a piece about it in one of my mum's weekly magazines a few months later. It had clearly been published to inform unsuspecting parents of teens of the new cultural phenomenon. I distinctly remember it included the iconic "beer spray" image taken by EMI's official photographer, Peter Vernon in the basement/garage area of the EMI buildings. The photo became inextricably linked to the notorious "The Filth and the Fury" headline in the Daily Mirror.

The first three "punk" records I remember hearing were (you won't be surprised) 'In The City' by The Jam, 'Sheena is a Punk Rocker' by Ramones and 'Go Buddy Go' by The Stranglers. However the first new wave single I bought was 'Do Anything You Wanna Do' by Eddie and the Hot Rods. To this day I still love the sentiments of this flawless anthem.

From that point on, Mud, Arrows and Suzi Quatro no longer took centre stage in my singles collection. My 15 year old head had been turned and there was to be no looking back.

When it came to the idea of running a poll on X to find out people's favourite single from 1977 I was emotionally attached before we started. To my delight, when I asked my followers for song suggestions, a healthy slice of punk/new wave tunes were put forward, some of which I had not heard before. The memories started flowing through the comments. Some reflected my own thoughts and feelings. Some were from people who were lucky enough to have experienced those legendary early punk gigs first hand. Whereas I normally make some kind of effort to stay impartial when running a poll (with varying degrees of success I have to say) this time, I stated at the outset that I wasn't even going to attempt it.

We started with 236 songs, a rundown of all of them can be found at the foot of the post. Seeing The Muppets and Brotherhood of Man sitting alongside of The Vibrators and The Nosebleeds was something of a bizarre experience, but it certainly highlighted what a year of change 1977 was and why we needed that change so badly.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this celebration of 1977 music. A massive thank you to everyone who has contributed memories and photos. A special shout out to Michael Hirst for the gifs and YouTube links he posted to accompany every single poll in the contest and to Aiden Tibbs for sharing so many discs from his collection. You'll find images of quite a few of them dotted throughout the post.

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To set the scene, WestHamVan has once again kindly put together a Spotify playlist featuring many of the songs included in the poll. That's my next long car journey listening sorted! If you'd like to check it out here's the link. There's an emphasis on the punky stuff which I'm sure will be appreciated by many.

999 - Nasty Nasty

With their instantly recognisable raffle ticket logo, 999 were there from the get-go. Founding member Nick Cash was previously a guitarist with Kilburn and the High Roads. His early influences have stuck with him.

Now they are preparing for a 50th anniversary tour.

'Nasty Nasty' was the band's second single. To quote punk77.co.uk it was "a scathing attack on mindless violence and a 100 carat pure punk toon at a frenetic pace."

@GrangeMount has followed 999 all the way through and had this to say. "Brilliant band. First saw them at Eric’s in Liverpool in 1978 - then again at The Little 3 in Thirsk in 2023 - minus the toothpaste in my hair! They’ve definitely stood the test of time!"

ABBA - The Name of the Game

After reading Johnny's comment I felt compelled to take a closer look at the song's video.

"The ONLY country ABBA's The Name of the Game was #1 was the UK where it held the top spot for four weeks. The board game used in the video is Fia-spel, the Swedish equivalent of Ludo or possibly variant Coppitt. We had the latter in our house in the 70s."

The Adverts - Gary Gilmore's Eyes

One of the first features I wrote for my fanzine was inspired by this song. It's something I go into detail about in the book I'm currently writing telling the story of my fanzine. I thought it was a stroke of creative genius the way The Adverts weren't afraid to think outside of the box when it came to the content. They put themselves in the shoes of a patient who has undergone an eye transplant only to discover he has been given the eyes of the executed double murderer Gary Gilmore.

As @andyplaysvinyl said, "Gary don't need his eyes to see. Gary and his eyes have parted company. Probably the finest last two lines of a song."

Aiden Tibbs provided an update on what Gaye is up to. "Gaye (Advert) Black is now an established artist and recently designed the sleeve for Alvin Gibbs and the Disobedient Servants."

Having found Gaye's website I was blown away by the array of punk style collages she has created. The Damned, Iggy/Motorhead and Ramones are just some of the artists who have dedicated pieces.

Alessi - Oh Lori

Alessi were/are identical twin brothers Bobby and Billy. They are still recording to this day and have a new album due out in the summer.

'Oh Lori' is the song they are best known for, but in the poll it sparked a mixture of emotions. My overriding memory was how it was played to death on Radio One throughout the summer to the point where I went from feeling indifference to tiring of it.

Nick Blake has fond memories of the song. "I know it won’t be popular but I love Oh Lori!! It brings back such fond memories of that summer of ‘77 and summer afternoons/evenings at Danson Park Lido in Bexleyheath. I was 16 so glorious salad days."

Tim Rolls on the other hand was not a fan. "In summer 1977 I dj'd to teenage language students in Canterbury. They endlessly requested that dreadful record, which I was obliged to play, rather than the punk I wanted to foist on them."

Steve Ralph quelled the naysayers by reminding everyone that Alessi have produced 11 albums over the years. He shared a video of another song of theirs called 'Seabird' that featured in the 2023 Spider-Man Two video game.

Bob Marley and the Wailers - Exodus

Arthur Peeples shared a particularly special memory. "One of luckiest moments of my concert going life was going with my mother to see The Commodores, Bob Marley and the Wailers, and Kurtis Blow at Madison Square Gardens. Bob Marley wasn’t the headliner, but he might as well have been. TBF, the crowd went nuts over The Commodores."

According to dancehallmag.com, when Lionel Richie was interviewed about the gig some years later, he claimed not to remember being upstaged by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Prior to the show Bob Marley had apparently invited him to talk. Lionel said "the smoke in the room was so thick. Like an idiot I walked in and we were talkin' and suddenly I left and I don’t remember anything after that."

It was thought to be something of an excuse and it was rumoured the gig, coupled with a less than complimentary review of The Commodores' performance in the New York Times were what prompted Lionel to leave the band.

Blitzkreig Bop - Let's Go

I think people have come to understand that despite my best intentions, I don't always do my homework correctly when selecting songs for inclusion in my polls. It always seems to be the case that certain songs slip through the net. David Bowie's 'Golden Years' is the most obvious one to spring to mind from the 1977 poll (my excuse - it was released in Brazil in 1977!) But I can assure you I didn't get muddled when adding Blitzkreig Bop's 'Let's Go'. The band's name was indeed inspired by a certain Ramones song, but that's where the similarities end.

Blitzkreig Bop originated from Cleveland in Teesside. Vocalist/keyboard player - Blank Frank took his name from a Brian Eno song. He worked in the Stockton HMV shop. During their short lifetime they supported Radio Stars, Generation X, Penetration and X-Ray Spex.

A brief feature in issue two of Newcastle fanzine 'Bored Stiff' painted a picture of their live show. A string of covers of punk classics interspersed with a smattering of original material.

Cleveland fanzine 'Gabba Gabba Hey' included a review of their debut single 'Let's Go' and said "Cleveland punk band taking the piss out of flower power during its 10th anniversary. Slow start builds into explosive ending." I think that's a pretty succinct description. Here's a link so you can check it out for yourself.

@metalsixpence recalled seeing the band's name on the board outside the Rock Garden on Newport Road in Middlesbrough and added "It was a popular venue back in the 70s. Sex Pistols, Joy Division (when they were still called Warsaw), the Dammed, the Clash, Generation X and Penetration were just a few of the bands that played there.. A lot played at the Redcar Coatham Bowl as well."

The Boys - First Time

It was punk meets power pop on this, the second single by The Boys. As soon as the song was suggested I couldn't help but remember a certain image of a Rickenbacker guitar on the back cover of All Mod Cons.

After doing a little digging I found a conversation on The Boys' Facebook page where friend of the band Alan Butcher explained how he gave Paul Weller the sticker. The Boys' manager was delighted with the free publicity. Not only does the sticker appear on All Mod Cons, but it was on Paul's guitar when they played on OGWT and is on quite a few photos taken circa 1978 also. It is well documented Paul was a fan of The Boys. They supported The Jam on a number of occasions. Paul especially liked the song 'Cop Cars'.

Another tune - 'Backstage Pass' references The Jam in its lyrics.

You've had all The Jam

Even Paul's own man

In their brand new Mercedes van.

JeffBro went along to see The Boys at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Canada on 13th March . He took these fantastic photos and had this to say about the gig. "Great time Friday chatting with Matt Dangerfield before the show and then seeing The Boys. A night to remember and a chance to go back in time and revisit 1977!!"

@MarkWitty3 remembers seeing The Boys supporting The Ramones in 1980. He told us "I remember the crowd calling for The Boys to come back on after The Ramones got a bit moody..."

Peter Doherty said, "The Boys should have been much bigger, a great melodic pop/punk band, there’s a reason The Undertones used to do The Boys covers in their early days."

@Flies65 was introduced to song via the '20 of Another Kind' compilation which he describes as "Such a brilliant album with a mix of classics and unknowns. Still got it to this day."

Brotherhood of Man - Angelo

I appreciate this is not likely to be a single in the record collection of most of the people reading this, but to cover all aspects of the 1977 music scene thought I'd better give it a mention.

Christopher Lean found a very tenuous punk connection. "Brotherhood of Man - the awfulness of being a teenager in the 70s. However, I heard that Mrs Mills was an inspiration for Rat Scabies and Captain Sensible, so you never know."

And who else remembers the Baron Knights take on 'Angelo'? Long ago, outside a chip shop in Walthamstow...

Time to move on!

The Brothers Johnson - Strawberry Letter 23

I was glad to be reminded of this little gem. It was one of the suggestions put forward by Mama J, who had this to say about it. "It’s such a great song and so representative of the 70s IMO. I remember laying in bed on a Saturday morning with the radio on just waiting/hoping for it to play on the radio. Those were the good ol’ days before I had to be up early for a weekend shift."

Paisley Power was also rooting for it. "I hope The Brothers Johnson survive! Their song is amazing and worked so well in Tarantino’s Jackie Brown soundtrack."

Bryan Ferry - This is Tomorrow

I'll hand over to Steve Oxlee to share his wonderful memories.

"Hearing 'This Is Tomorrow' for the first time whilst shopping for Punk, New Wave, Indie vinyls in Andy's Records, Cambridge. Immediately thinking, 'whose distinctive voice is that'? Asking the shop proprietor. He explained it was Bryan Ferry, who had released albums both under his own name and with Roxy Music. Not having enough pocket money(aged 12) to buy the single, as I was already buying Eddie and the Hot Rods' L.P, 'Teenage Depression', and needed the bus fare home.

Using some of my following weeks pocket money, to purchase the 7" vinyl, 'This Is Tomorrow', from Woolies in Huntingdon. And 2 months later, my nan had bought me the Roxy Music L.P 'Let's Stick Together', for my Birthday."

Candi Staton - Nights on Broadway

Candi certainly put her stamp on this song - written and previously released as a single by The Bee Gees.

Mama J gave us something of an update about Ms Staton. "Candi has been in the news recently for having a Grammy nomination at age 85! (She unfortunately didn’t win the award, which was for Best Roots Gospel Album.) She has had such a long and varied career. And she’s been married six times!"

The Carpenters - Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft

For AJ the song brought back memories of school days. "Went for Carpenters in tribute to this soundtrack to my alien angel middle school play performance. Think I've still got the silver paper mache helmet somewhere."

CJ & Co - Devil's Gun

This was a new one to me and to Steve Oxlee too. After listening Steve was interested to find out more about the track. "Never heard 'Devil's Gun' by C.J & Co before your poll. Cracking disco, soul, Detroit vibe to it. Looking further into it, notably it was the first ever record played at the opening of the legendary Studio 54 in Manhattan."

I notice it was co-written by Barry Blue. Remember 'Dancin' (On a Saturday Night)'? I seem to think that was a single in my pre-punk collection.

David Bowie - Heroes

The winning song.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you may remember the post I jointly wrote with my kindred spirit from the USA - Steve Hinders back in November 2020. I know a lot of people loved reading Steve's account of his visit to the UK in 1979, where he spent time with the Weller family. Whilst he was in London he purchased a German 45 of 'Heroes' called 'Helden' where David sings the lyrics in German.

@prettyvacant27 got this in London a couple of years ago.

Someone else I have previously featured in the blog is contemporary artist Paul Halmshaw. Here is a Bowie inspired piece by him. If you'd like to follow Paul on X he can be found here. His work is available to buy on eBay.

Steve Cox shared the images below, of which he said "Heroes was brought to life for me recently when I saw how he'd handwritten the lyrics on a piece of graph paper at the V&A Storehouse Bowie Collection...."

Another of Aiden Tibbs' awesome singles. On this copy the multi-talented Mr Bowie sung the lyrics in French.

It was great to hear yet more of Kevin Webster's comical little anecdotes throughout the contest. I'll let him explain the photo below the way only Kevin can.

"To show there's no hard feelings Bowie beating Pistols here's what I wore to a Cancer charity masked ball. How it managed to give me Bowie odd eyes I've no idea. Magic? You can just imagine a bunch of people in DJs, posh frocks & fancy masks then some clown walks in wearing a David Bowie mask. Got them talking anyway."

David Bowie - Sound and Vision

This is one of my personal favourite singles by Mr Bowie. I remember being particularly mesmerised by the lines "Blue, blue, electric blue/That's the colour of my room" although I never managed to convince my parents to let me have an electric blue bedroom more's the pity!

Gilo has fond memories of the single too. "My godparents gave me a second-hand turntable when I was about 10. My older sister gave me a few 45's from her collection. This was one of them. I've loved it ever since."

I love learning new facts about songs and @Nigeblueboi certainly enlightened me when he told me how Welsh singer Mary Hopkins provided backing vocals with Brian Eno on 'Sound and Vision'. The connection was Mary's then husband Tony Visconti, who co-produced the song.

David Soul - Don't Give Up On Us

As you will see if you look at the chart at the foot of this page, this song somehow or the other managed to reach the top 40. When I accidentally spelt David's name as "David Soil" in one of the polls, some of the comments I received were hilarious! I reckon it bought him more time. It was either that or memories of his Starsky and Hutch days. Or... it could have been because for some, like Thomas Walker it brought to mind all those slow dances at the youth club.

Mama J shared a newspaper clipping which she felt might have offered another possible explanation.

Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer

Dead Boys were considered to be the American equivalent of Sex Pistols. Their confrontational style and raw sound was more aligned to UK than US punk at that time. Frontman Stiv Bator was known for his wild, chaotic stage performances.

I would love to have been in the audience when The Damned supported Dead Boys on their home turf at CBGB in April 1977. Fast forward to the back end of the year and the compliment was returned. Dead Boys supported The Damned on a UK tour.

Aiden Tibbs shared the poster below.

Steve recalls being introduced to Dead Boys via this rather awesome looking punk compilation album.

In 1981 Stiv and Brian James collaborated again when they formed Lords of the New Church along with Dave Tregunna and Nick Turner.

Myles Chamberlain was a big fan. He said, "I never saw Dead Boys but saw Lords of the New Church loads of times in the 80’s and Stiv was totally crazy. I’ve always said he was the best front man I’ve ever seen."

@lisportsfans was equally as complimentary. " I was obsessed for a while with LotNC. Saw them every chance I could. Had their logo painted on the back of my leather jacket. I was at their first show in the US at a club called My Father’s Place in Roslyn, NY."

@scottieducatie saw first hand how wild and unpredictable Stiv was on stage. He said "When I saw Lords of the New Church, Stiv hung himself for an encore. We all held him up until they cut him down."

Paisley Power met Stiv when he was social secretary of Southend Technical College when he was 18. He booked Lords of The New Church for a gig at the college and said it was "a night of pure mayhem!"

The Desperate Bicycles - Smokescreen

The Desperate Bicycles formed in East London early in 1977. They were one of the first punk bands to record on their own label (Refill) and have been described as “DIY’s most fervent evangelists”. 'Smokescreen' was their debut single.

In an interview with V-Sign fanzine, vocalist Danny Wigley said "We formed solely to make a single. The first record was just five people getting together one night, rehearsing and recording two tracks. The aim was to see if it was possible to make a single cheaply and without record company backing, and that we have achieved."

On the back cover of their second single 'The Medium is Tedium' is a message stating the cost to record 'Smokescreen' was £153. They encouraged others to get out there and do the same.

Although The Desperate Bicycles split in 1981, as a fanzine writer I feel I have a lot to thank them for. They were without a doubt pioneers of DIY culture.

Eddie and the Hot Rods - Do Anything You Wanna Do

As mentioned at the start, this was the first new wave single I bought so will always have a special place in my heart. Every time I hear those opening chords the volume goes right up!

Charlie used to live next door to bass player Paul Grey, who now plays with The Damned. He said, "Last time I saw him he’d just returned from America when The Damned toured with Blondie, guitarist from Queens of the Stone Age played with them as Sensible couldn’t get a visa because he refused the covid vaccination."

Elvis Presley - Way Down

'Way Down' was voted out at a relatively early stage in the contest, which I know came as a disappointment to quite a few people. I remember when the sad news of The King's death broke, I was in my bedroom listening to the Tony Prince show on Radio Luxembourg. From the moment he made the announcement, Tony threw the rest of his show over to playing records by Elvis Presley only. He kept on breaking down crying. Even though I knew little about Elvis's music other than bits and pieces my dad had told me, I got caught up in the emotion and bought 'Way Down' a couple of days later.

I decided to push the question out there and ask others to share their recollections of the first time they heard the news.

Mike Burton - "I was 13 at the time and it was the summer holidays. I remember waking up in the morning and a neighbour telling my mum that Elvis had died. It was a huge shock to us all. My dad was a big Elvis fan at the time. Like many others we had the "Elvis' 40 Greatest" record. I remember lots of people putting a bereavement notice in the Hull Daily Mail that many commented was very odd."

(Now why doesn't that surprise me?)

Sixties Man - "I was listening to John Peel on Radio One when I heard, so it must have been past 10pm. He said he wasn't going to go overboard and play Elvis non-stop, but he said that he thought Elvis' early records were great, so his passing was a moment for reflection. Or similar words..."

Suzanne Williams - "My brother had a paper round, it was the school holidays and he woke me to tell me . I was 11, he was 13. We were stunned as we’d been listening to one of his albums the night before. I’m 60 this week and still a fan. The EPiC film is exactly that ..EPIC. Everyone should go!"

@1962Vali - "I was 15 and it was the middle of the summer holidays. I remember we had a massive thunderstorm in the afternoon. And then, just before I went to bed, the newsreader (I think it was Sandy Gall) announced that Elvis had died."

@Imartges - "A beautiful sunny day sat on Blackpool beach. Dad turned up with The Sun. It was all over the front page. Mum cried, Dad went to the pub, I played beach cricket..."

Dickie Isted - "Woke up on the 17th, which was my birthday (I was 12 years old) on a caravan holiday - my dad said “Morning son, happy birthday but sadly your mate died last night.” I asked what he was on about. “Elvis, he died last night.” My reply “Don’t be silly dad, Elvis will never die”

. Still so vivid."

@Carolyn_on_X - "I was 16, in a night club in Weston-Super-Mare, on my first holiday without my parents with three mates from school. The DJ stopped playing (pretty sure during Dancing in the Moonlight by Thin Lizzy) to make the announcement."

Bernie the Bolt - "Exactly like you I was at home listening to Radio Luxembourg when the announcement was made. I think they used to have a chart show so I must have been listening to that before the news broke. I don’t think I realised at the time how relatively young Elvis was as he had been around for my whole life up until that point. I just searched for a celebrity who is the same age now as Elvis was when he died to put it into perspective and found that Chris Hemsworth is currently 42."

May More - "I went to my friend's house who lived round the corner - her dad was mad about Elvis. His songs were on loop and he was constructing a shrine in the living room with his memorabilia. He also had his quiff perfected. TBH for a moment it seemed like Elvis was still in the building.

Jason Fleegle - "I can remember hearing about it on the ITV News. My dad woke my mum up to tell her what had happened. There was a lot of tears . The house was devastated. Elvis's 40 greatest hits was played on rotation for days afterwards. Its the earliest piece of news that I can remember.

But the TOTP performance with Legs & Co dancing is probably one of the most bizarre tributes paid after Elvis died."

Paul Grimwood - "I was on holiday with my parents and we were travelling back from Cheddar Gorge. I was 10 years old and really only knew him from his movies which were always on, especially during the summer holidays. The first time any death really effected me."

Steve Hinders - "I arrived in London the day after Elvis died. I don’t think many punks really cared, but the teddy boys? Well that was a different story. I traveled to Winchester a couple days later. While in a pub I spoke to a ‘rocker’ who was crushed to hear that Presley had died."

Mama J - "The summer of ‘77 was quite memorable on the East Coast of US. Also known as the Summer of Sam because of the serial killer prowling the streets of NYC in search of young lovers to shoot. There was excessive heat and a severe financial crisis and then the blackout (July 13-14) which led to much unrest. Son of Sam’s final murder was on July 31, and he was thankfully apprehended on August 10th. Elvis died on August 16th."

Nick Blake - "My kid brother was an Elvis fan from a young age. In 1977 he was 14 and I was 16 and we both had a paper round. When we arrived to collect our papers that morning I walked in first and saw the headlines. I tried to shield him from it but it was pointless. He was heartbroken."

Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Fanfare for the Common Man

Despite its title, I always thought this song was rather majestic.

Andy Plantes had this to say, "Royal College of Music graduates, and the drummer took his own Karate teacher on tour. 1970s rock excess to the max. The tune is still used as the walkout music for Altrincham FC. Absolutely love the song."

Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight

This song got Ruby's vote for a very special reason. "Many years after 1977, the love of my life took the mic at a charity ball and sang, along with the band, 'Wonderful Tonight' to me. Didn’t know he was going to do it, was in complete shock, but I’ve loved the song ever since!"

Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way

Suzanne Williams had a very good reason for voting for this song. She said, "I had to vote Fleetwood Mac as have fond memories (and a Dictaphone recording) of my daughter aged three singing it at the top of her voice."

The Jam - All Around the World

This was the first song of The Jam's Mark Jepson saw and heard on the Marc Bolan show. The memory is clear in his head. Mark said, "It made me stop playing Subbuteo…the rest is history! POW!"

Whenever I hear 'All Around the World' I always think of the wonderful little story Steve Hinders shared about Paul Weller's nan, that featured in our joint blog post and my 40th anniversary fanzine. It was heart warming to hear Steve Oxlee also makes the same association after reading our post.

Steve Hinders painted even more of a picture for us. "Paul’s Nan used to sing part of the chorus, “all around the world I’ve been lookin’ for new, ooh, ooh.” She’d stress “new, ooh, ooh” right arm stretched out, pointing her index finger, emphasizing each syllable. Even though it was quite comical, there was some seriousness to it."

Wonderful stuff!

The Smash Hits clipping is from Russell Cox's seemingly bottomless box of music memorabilia.

Jimmy Buffet - Margaritaville

Prior to running the poll I had not heard of Jimmy Buffet and was even less aware of the cult following he has in the US. Thankfully Roy Llowarch enlightened me.

"I lived in Key West Florida. Jimmy Buffett's home town. His millions of US fans are called "Parrot Heads" and they flock into Key West the first week of every November. Good people but I just don't get it

Sometimes Jimmy Buffet would turn up in Key West and play in the street. He is or was huge in the USA with Margaritaville Restaurants all over the USA."

The photo below taken by Roy speaks a thousand words! If you're a Tequila drinker this video is for you.

Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers - Roadrunner

He might have been "going faster miles an hour" as he sped along the highway in 1976/7, but nowadays Jonathan prefers to live off the grid. He’s much happier building bread ovens for his company - Arcane Masonry of Chico. He has openly shunned all forms of technology. Even the advertising material for his business is handwritten.

When journalist Oscar Zambuto requested an interview for 'The Spin Off' in 2021, he soon realised a Zoom call was well and truly off the cards. At Jonathan's request everything had to be done via snail mail and the questions handwritten or it was no can do.

Jonathan will go down in history as one of the artists who paved the way for the punk movement. Perhaps it was something of a nod to this when the Pistols recorded a chaotic cover of Roadrunner at the start of their career.

The Killjoys - Johnny Won't Get to Heaven

One of the bands to be taken under the wing of punk label Raw Records was The Killjoys. They were a punk band formed in Birmingham. Members included Kevin Rowlands & Kevin Archer (Dexys) & Gil Weston (Girlschool). The Pistols-styled ‘Johnny Won’t Get to Heaven’ was their only single, but it certainly packed a punch!

The Killjoys featured in the German documentary "Punk in London". Here's a clip to give you a flavour.

Kraftwerk - Trans Europa Express

Steve took this impressive photo last August at the DB Museum in Koblenz. He said "Kraftwerk used Trans Europa Express a lot, as they didn’t like flying, and it only had first class so was well appointed."

The album of the same name was partially inspired by David Bowie’s Station to Station. Kraftwerk name check David in the single.

From station to station back to Düsseldorf City

Meet Iggy Pop and Davie Bowie...

Bowie returned the favour with “V-2 Schneider” on his album Heroes.

The Lurkers - Shadow

Keith Bruce's cousin - Howard Wall - was the vocalist with The Lurkers at the start of their career. He remembers going to his grandma's house and how she proudly showed him a copy of Melody Maker with her grandson in it.

Lightning Chris shared memories of a gig. "Saw them about 20 yrs ago upstairs in a pub in Nottm when I lived there. My local in Nottingham was a punk bar called Foremans. I still go in there when I'm in town. Anyway... my mate, who owns the gaff, came bounding up to me when I popped in for my lunchtime pint(s) when off Tour and proclaimed 'Are you Lurking tonight Ken?!' So Lurk we did! Great."

Pygar not only listened to The Lurkers but got up there and played their songs too! "Shadow was the first of three songs we played in my 1st band - three songs (with very rudimentary guitar) including Teenage Kicks and Harmony In My Head."

@Flies65 had a message for everyone. "That Lurkers live footage with the crowd invading at the Red Cow is legendary. Deserves to beat the other three for that alone!" I've checked it out - and he's right! Here's a link.

And the good news is - they're still going strong today!

The Muppets - Halfway Down the Stairs

If ever you needed proof of what a diverse year for music 1977 was, here you have it! In one breath we are talking about The Lurkers. In the next, The Muppets!

Unsurprisingly this song didn't last long in the poll but @wavey1068 provided us with a much needed update about what became of the singer. "Robin, Kermit's nephew, who sang the song, rose to instant fame but couldn't handle the life so now lives in a shack just outside of Paris, minus his legs, obviously."

Okay, okay... more punk coming up!

The Nosebleeds - Ain't Bin To No Music School

The Nosebleeds had an impressive cast list during their short lifetime. Morrissey, Billy Duffy, Toby Toman and Vinni Reilly (The Durutti Column).

On seeing Vinni play ‘Ain’t Bin to No Music School’ Mark E Smith apparently said ‘He has been to music school’.

Here's a clip from my forthcoming book.

Back in 1978 Billy Duffy joined a band called The Nosebleeds. When they were looking for a new vocalist, he put forward the name of his friend Steven Morrissey. The band's career was short-lived, but they did manage a support slot with John Cooper Clarke at the New Ritz in Manchester. This bagged then a favourable review in the NME.

At one of their gigs Morrissey started throwing sweets into the audience. It didn't seem like a very punk things to do, but it set him apart from the rest. I wonder if that was where Morrissey first discovered that throwing things into the audience was a tactic that worked.

@oldhettonian instantly described being introduced to the single the way so many of us got to hear punk and new wave tracks for the first time. "I remember John Peel playing the Nosebleeds & thought, yup I’m having that single, still got it too."

Odyssey -Native New Yorker

Strawberry Switchblade Fansite shared an interesting snippet about this song. "Native New Yorker is one of those records where the cover is better known than the original - before Odyssey's version, it was just a Frankie Valli album track. It was cowritten by Sandy Linzer who'd been writing for Valli for ages (Let's Hang On, Working My Way Back To You) and he went straight from writing this to producing Odyssey, so my guess is that it was his idea they cover it. Ended up writing 'Use It Up and Wear It Out' for them too."

Penetration - Don't Dictate

It was only the second time Penetration had been in a recording studio when they recorded the punk classic ‘Don't Dictate'. In an interview with ten-midnight.com Pauline said the lyrics were probably directed at her nagging parents but "capture a universal sentiment of defiance."

The band's name was loosely inspired by a Stooges song but actually came from a punk fanzine called 'Penetration' that Pauline Murray's boyfriend had on his bedroom wall.

Cover of issue 10 of Penetration fanzine

Mitch has been a fan of Pauline's work for many years. He said, "I remember an RAF colleague played Coming Up For Air and I thought how good the lead singer was. Since then, I play 'Pauline Murray and The Invisible Girls' very regularly. Dream Sequence #1 and Thundertunes are exceptional. "

Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance

Another band I only know by name, but Maria was more familiar with them. She got see them on the 'It Came From Outer Space' tour in 2004 and has one outstanding memory. "I once saw Pere Ubu do the live music backing track for a film, Sunrise (a tale of two humans). We saw it at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall."

Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill

This song brought back fond memories for Martin Purslow. "I saw Peter Gabriel in 77 at the New Victoria Theatre (in London). It was my first organised coach trip in the lower 6th form. Also organised a Queen one. He was brilliant and Solsbury Hill still gives me goosebumps. Plus 'Here Comes the Flood'."

Gavin Button went one step further and shared a photo he took on Solsbury Hill. You can see why Peter Gabriel was inspired to write a song dedicated to it.

The Police - Fall Out

Guest Sounds reviewer Mick Jagger described The Police’s debut single ‘Fall Out’ as “competently played rock, with nasal annihilated vocals”. Written by Stewart Copeland, it was the only single featuring original guitarist Henry Padovani.

The song featured on this compilation, shared by @

rperdraad

who still has the vinyl in his collection.

Mike Burton seemed to think it was the first punk/new wave single he bought. He went on to say "No one would have predicted The Police would become such a huge mainstream success."

The song is instantly recognisable as The Police because of Sting's vocals, but has a much more punky feel than later tracks. There are however little flashes tucked away in there of what was yet to come. Have a listen and see what you think.

Radio Stars - Nervous Wreck

Photo courtesy of Aiden Tibbs

The first tense situation to develop in the poll was between this track and Patrik Fitzgerald's 'Safety Pin Stuck in My Heart'. A lot of love was shown for Patrik because he supported The Jam circa 1978, but not enough to get him past the first round unfortunately.

Chris Santavy told us about a memorable gig by Radio Stars. "One of my friends, Miles, from school went to see them at Top Rank Cardiff. The lead singer has been waving around a fluorescent tube like a light sabre and broke my friends nose."

Graeme is also a fan. "Nervous Wreck is an excellent song , brilliantly covered by one of my favourite bands Die Toten Hosen on the Learning English album. They’ve released many English language albums including a great Merseybeat album. The singer Campinos mum is from Burnley and my old pal Vom the drummer is from Essex (used to be in Dr & Medics)."

I definitely had a time machine moment when I read Paisley Power's comment. "I saw Radio Stars at Reading Festival 1978 on the same day as The Jam, Sham 69, and Penetration. £3.50 ticket. Unforgettable day! Best money I ever spent."

Ramones - Sheena is a Punk Rocker

No 1977 blog post would be complete without mentioning The Ramones. At the start of the contest, RockinRich went along to see legendary drummer Marky Ramone's Blitzkreig at Brudenell in Leeds. He said it was a fantastic night. I took a rather blurry screenshot from the video he shared on X.

Kevin Webster summed up what I'm sure a lot of people think perfectly. "A shout out to The Ramones. Great rock and roll band who gave us a punk genre classic in Blitzkrieg Bop. Phenomenal in concert, the phrase "all killer, no filler" nails their shows. What a band!"

Rezillos - I Can't Stand My Baby

For me Fay Fife is one of the leading ladies of punk. I always loved her style and attitude. She has the most amazing stage presence too.

In 2016 she began The Countess of Fife. It started out as a writing project sparked by Fay's need to express herself more fully as a songwriter. Thanks to @AngelaK1990 for sharing the posters. For up to date info about future events there is a dedicated website.

A couple of snaps of The Rezillos from Richard Watson and Mark Witty. The first was taken at The Brudenell in Leeds and the second in Norwich. Good to see they are still shaking the foundations!

And an endorsement from @Nibeblueboi "Rezillos. A band to see live. I think Eugene Reynolds took his stage name from his best friend. Whatever, they were bloody marvellous."

The Saints - This Perfect Day

Here is a band I wasn't too familiar with but several others shared some interesting facts and memories.

@Metalsixpence - "A wee snippet of information, they played The Roxy, London saturday 25th June 1977. Tubeway Army were in support (Gary Numan) as well as Garys old band Mean Street.

@jollyfucker - "I love The Saints, first 2 albums anyway, saw them in the day at Erics in Liverpool, couple of times since but most recently in Leeds a couple of months ago where they were brilliant."

Marc Gunby - "Saw them at the Electric Ballroom. Yep brilliant is the word. Nick Cave’s favourite Aussie band. He was a big fan when he was young. Picked them on his Desert Island Discs."

Eddie McCreadie - "There is an episode of Return of the Saint in 1978 where "Simon Templar" goes into the Marquee and the The Saints are on stage."

Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen

The worthy runner up in the poll was the song many expected to take the crown (me included). To ease her disappointment Mama J shared this cover of Sounds from March 1977 of the Pistols signing their contract with A&M in front of Buckingham Palace.

I'm loving Aiden Tibbs' limited edition blue vinyl!

He recalled seeing the Pistols at "a chaotic gig at Mr George's in Coventry" back in the day.

Sex Pistols - Holidays in the Sun

Visual artist Jamie Reid worked closely with the Sex Pistols. His work was striking, and highly creative. For Holidays in the Sun, he took the Belgium Travel Service poster below and put his own spin on it by overwriting the speech bubbles with lyrics to 'Holidays in the Sun'. The travel company weren't happy and sued the Pistols, resulting in a court case.

Jamie passed away at his home in Liverpool in 2023. He was a patron of a local charity called The Florrie, who provide for families struggling with food poverty amongst other things. He auctioned his work to help raise money and awareness.

To complete the picture, here's the limited edition yellow vinyl edition of the single from Aiden Tibbs' collection.

On listening to HITS Steve Oxlee shared his memories of a heated incident I seem to remember reading about at the time, between Sid Vicious and Paul Weller.

"Each and every time I hear 'Holidays In The Sun', I'm reminded of the incident in a club, where John Ritchie wanted to fight Paul Weller, because Weller had justifiably cited that the opening riffs of H.I.T.Sun, were a plagiarism of The Jam's song, 'In The City'.

Ritchie was promptly reminded that, a) Weller's father was an ex-boxer and consequently Paul Weller could handle himself and b) It was a rip off of In The City.

Ritchie still proceeded to headbutt Paul Weller, who reciprocated by giving Ritchie a slap, before others present, intervened."

Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant

If I'd been a betting woman, my money would have been on Pretty Vacant making the final of the poll. That iconic guitar riff, the sentiments, the pose, the Pistols... To me it was the sound of 1977. I hope it was some consolation to those who got behind it that it made the final four.

In the early rounds Kevin Webster was cheering them on (from his armchair). "Punk wasn't everyone's cup of tea but this shows there's still a fair few of us out there! Mosh pit full of bald heads, false hips & walking sticks but we're still going!"

Aiden Tibbs was in a punk band called H2SO4. 'Pretty Vacant' was one of the songs they covered. He said "Our biggest gig was at the local Irish Club, we managed to squeeze about 300 in there - great times."

And yet more of Aiden's incredible coloured vinyl.

Slaughter and the Dogs - Cranked Up Really High

Along with Buzzcocks and The Fall SATD were at the forefront of the Manchester punk scene. Not only that, but they had a fanzine dedicated to them called 'Manchester Rains'. What's even more interesting is the creator of the 'zine was Rob Gretton, who went on to manage Joy Division and New Order. He co-founded Factory Records.

The opening page of issue one said it like it was in true northern style.

"This is a Slaughter and the Dogs fanzine - it's called "Manchester Rains" because we've heard that London's Burning (Hooray!) We've decided to devote it to the Dogs because we feel that too many poxy bands, particularly from the "Big Smoke" - it's called that because it's burning see? - are getting a lot of exposure that they really don't deserve."

The last page of the fanzine featured a full page advert for 'Cranked Up Really High'.

@reganaldo97 remembers the 1977 charity shield at Wembley. The big electronic scoreboard had the message "Good luck to Manchester United from Slaughter and the Dogs".

Fast forward to 2026, SATD are celebrating 50 years at the Rebellion Club in Manchester this July. They have active Facebook and Instagram pages if you'd like to find out more.

Some Chicken - New Religion

Some Chicken were one of the first punk bands to emerge from Nottingham. Drummer Bob Fawcett (aka Galway Kinnell) regularly travelled to London and was inspired by the emerging punk scene. According to guitarist Jethro Adlington (Jess Chicken) Bob was the band's driving force. He pushed them to write their own material and carve out their own identity.

The band made use of the engineering factory where bassist Mike Nowiki (Terry Bull) worked. As a side note, Status Quo fan "Terry" was, according to Terminally Blitzed fanzine, the only person to wear flares at the Roxy. (Brave man!) They thought he ought to be considered for an entry in the Guinness World Records because of it! At night Some Chicken used the factory to rehearse in. And it was there they recorded a demo that brought them to the attention of Raw Records.

Throughout 1978 and 1979 Some Chicken got to support XTC, Adam & the Ants and X-Ray Spex amongst others. They split in 1979, but by way of a legacy, 'New Religion' was found in John Peel's "100 best records box" when he passed away in 2004.

If you're not familiar with the song, here's a link. Enjoy!

For @cit_collins it brought back some good memories. "It takes me back to the days when I shuffled through London on tube trains and red buses, hunting for venues few remember and bands that fought for the smallest of audiences. The music was raw, honest, and alive, those were some of the best days of my life."

That is what the polls are all about!

The Stranglers - Grip

I have to say I was bitterly disappointed with the way things went for The Stranglers in the poll. In my opinion their early material is up there with the very best and I genuinely thought at least one of their 1977 singles would have featured in the final four.

Someone who is a bigger fan than me is Paisley Power. He has been creating unique designs for printed textiles for more than 20 years. Some of his intricate work has a musical theme. As soon as I saw the print below I thought 'Rattus Norvegicus'.

Paisley Power responded with "I’m glad you spotted the connection. It’s my graphic tribute to my favourite band of all time. This version of the Paisley Rats design features black rat silhouettes and an elaborate black paisley pattern on a bright red background, a colour combination chosen by the designer (Patrick Moriarty) due to its frequent use in punk fashion."

If you'd like to find out more, here's a link.

Status Quo - Rockin' All Over the World

When I read Mike Burton's comment I was instantly transported back to my own youth club days. He painted a picture so well when he said, "Status Quo were always very popular at the school/youth club discos. Remember also 'Caroline' and 'Down Down'. All the denim clad lads would suddenly jump and do the Quo "dance"".

I didn't realise Paul Weller was a fan though, so was interested to read Tomorrow Never Knows' comment. "Paul Weller attended a Status Quo concert that he later described as life-changing. The sheer volume, raw power, and stage presence of the band left a deep impression on him. This moment solidified his desire to become a musician."

And yet more confirmation from Steve Oxlee. "In a The Jam documentary a few years ago, Paul Weller cited his admiration for Status Quo, and stated that whilst many folk are quick to criticise them, bands have three chords to play and there it is."

Kevin Webster had words of praise too. "I reckon I saw Quo gigs every year from the late 70s until pretty much Rick Parfitt's passing. They had no pretences. Didn't care what critics said. Gave the fans what they wanted & thoroughly enjoyed themselves doing it. Can't beat a bit of Quo!"

He went on to say "During lockdown we set up a family FB group and I concocted a version of this song for a laugh "Here we are and here we are and here we go. Don't get on board, we're not hitting the road. Here we go oh, rocking all over the house" Went downhill from there."

Thin Lizzy - Dancing in the Moonlight

One band I would love to have seen live is Thin Lizzy. Phil Lynott was a frontman in a class of his own. Dermot Wickham was lucky enough to see them live in November 1977 on the Bad Reputation tour. He said it was possibly his favourite ever concert.

Philly said "What a summer! Me and my mate were both 16 at a Lizzy outdoor gig in Dublin. Phil and Brian Downey came from same area as us. A place called Crumlin. I still live there."

Tom Robinson Band - 2-4-6-8 Motorway

If I was to name all the albums that not only made an impression on me, but changed my way of thinking, and helped to shape my views, Power in the Darkness would most certainly be at the upper end of the list.

TRB were such an important band. They were at the forefront of the Rock Against Racism movement. I read a brief account of the most memorable RAR event on the band's website. It was the April 1978 "Carnival against the Nazis". 100,000 people marched from Trafalgar Square through London's East End - the heart of National Front territory - to a Rock Against Racism concert in Victoria Park, Hackney. X-Ray Spex, The Clash, Steel Pulse, and Tom Robinson Band were on the bill.

Oh to have been there!

2-4-6-8 Motorway always stood out to me as having a different and more light hearted vibe to most of the other album tracks. On the surface it was a celebration of driving on the open road. Once that chorus got inside your head it was hard to shift it!

The song was written by Tom Robinson before he formed the band and was initially turned down by EMI. It took 6 months of hard work and touring and Danny Kustow putting his own spin on things with those unique guitar sounds we came to know and appreciate, to convince them there was a hit in the making.

United Carpets Crewe said "My wife has the giant vinyl window promo that she got from Derek's Records in a frame in her office."

The Vibrators - Baby Baby

In February 1976 The Vibrators played their first gig at London's Hornsey Art College, supporting The Stranglers. Six months later they supported Sex Pistols at the 100 Club and a month after that they were on the bill at the legendary two-day 100 Club Punk Rock Festival, drafted in as backing band for Chris Spedding. (Do you remember 'Motorbiking'?) There were a few now famous faces in the audience. Shane MacGowan, Viv Albertine, Paul Weller, Jah Wobble, Gaye Advert and Chrissie Hynde to name a few. It was a landmark event, which many believe brought punk into the mainstream.

Sir Parpmeister shared memories of a literally foundation shaking gig. "Saw Vibrators once... 1999 if I remember correctly at World's End basement, Camden. It was so loud that glasses were being "bumped" to the front of the shelf and to the floor!"

Dermot Wickham said, "I saw The Members playing at 229 Great Portland Street a few years ago. Knox joined them for the encore and they did a superb rendition of Baby Baby”.

Steve Oxlee unearthed another little golden nugget of information. "I hadn't realised, until this very day, that the band Stiff Little Fingers, got their name after hearing a song of the same name, on The Vibrators' Pure Mania, L.P."

@Carolyn_on_X rolled back the clocks with another very special memory. "First punk band I saw, 7 June 1977 supporting Ian Hunter at Birmingham Town Hall. This 16 year old was very excited to get a drumstick and a sticker from The Vibrators!

Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World

Eric is still scoring a hit with ‘Whole Wide World’ at his live shows but sadly he didn't fair so well in the poll.

Back in the early 70s Eric was a student at Hull's Art College. An interesting little snippet that I included in my 40th anniversary fanzine is that whilst at the college, he used to jam with Stuart Ross. Stuart went on to write the lyrics to Red Guitars prophetic 'Good Technology'. I wonder if he had a crystal ball in front of him when he penned the lines "We've got computers that can find us friends".

Bringing things right up to date, @yatesy_oi_oi went along to see Eric whilst the poll was in full swing. He managed to take some fantastic photos and said "A fantastic night in Reading with Wreckless Eric. He played about 12 songs, some from his new album, only two from the Stiff era, read a bit of his book, and generally being Eric with his remarks about life in general."

X-Ray Spex - Oh Bondage Up Yours!

In her pre-X-Ray Spex days, Mari Elliott (Poly Styrene) released a single called 'Silly Billy'. It's a catchy little reggae number, which is something altogether different to her later music. Have a listen and see what you think. (Thank you for the education Aiden Tibbs!)

Fast forward six years, and Paisley Power was in for a surprise when he went to Glastonbury. He told us, "I’d always loved X-Ray Spex in my teens and in 1983 I went to Glastonbury festival. By chance I took a look in the Hare Krishna tent and Poly Styrene and Lora Logic were on stage playing a gig! I was so thrilled to see them."

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So that brings us to the end of another wonderful ride on the nostalgia train! I hope you have enjoyed it as much as me. If you would like to keep up to date with where I'm at with the book I'm currently writing telling the story of my fanzine, my social media links and dedicated email address can be found at the foot of the page.

All there is left for me to do is give you a rundown of all the songs that featured in the 1977 singles poll winner first numbered 1 - 236.