It was 51 Years Ago Today...

Some cool crap from the February 19, 1972 issue of Billboard

Hey there, loyal Jagged Time Lapse readers! My last trawl through an old issue of Billboard magazine got a way more positive response than I was expecting, so let’s do it again!

This time, I’m digging through the February 19, 1972 issue, which isn’t [articularly spectacular, thanks to it being filled with various pre-Grammy announcements and a special salute to ABC Records. But I was able to find a few gems amid the dross, like this sweet Atlantic Records ad…

Also in the soul bag, there’s this one for the latest Dells record, which helpfully informs the reader that these guys are already old as dirt by music business standards…

Here are the best-selling Soul Singles of that week. Not surprised to see Al Green at the top of the chart, but it’s pretty cool to see Wilson Pickett’s funky Free cover, Jerry and Brenda’s “Ain’t Understanding Mellow” and Bobby Womack all in the Top 5!

And check out the soul albums chart — what a golden era it truly was for Black music!

Ehhh, maybe not so much for pop. But a damn good week for Badfinger — holding on at #12 with “Day After Day,” while Harry Nilsson scores an Al Green-ousting Number One with his version of their “Without You”.

Interesting mix stuff on the national albums Top 20. I knew Hot Rocks was a big deal in the ‘70s — hell, it was certainly the first Stones album I ever owned — but I had no idea that it was a Top 5 hit.

I definitely did not expect to find an ad for an Yma Sumac album in this issue, having completely forgotten that the five-octave Peruvian diva reunited with Les Baxter for a “comeback” album in late 1971.

And speaking of the Grammys…

Interesting gambit, ABC/Dunhill Records. But when it comes to groundbreaking debut albums of the 1970s, I know I definitely think of Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds.

And finally, the Grammy for Funkiest Ad of the Week goes to…

Imagine catching Funkadelic at 10:15 pm on a Tuesday night, right in that sweet spot between Maggot Brain and America Eats Its Young, with a bunch of drunk conventioneers in Kansas City. The mind truly reels…

That’s all for today, folks! See y’all later this week!

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