This is a summary of 1977 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
Events 1 January – The Clash headline the gala opening of the London music club, the Roxy. 6 January – Record company EMI drops the controversial punk rock group the Sex Pistols. 22 January – Maria Kliegel makes her London début at the Wigmore Hall, with a programme of Bach, Kodály, and Franck. 26 January – Fleetwood Mac's original lead guitarist, Peter Green, is committed to a mental hospital in England after firing a pistol at a delivery boy bringing him a royalties check. 27 January – After releasing only one single for the band, EMI Records terminates its contract with the Sex Pistols. 4 February – Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is released; it goes on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time. 15 February – Sid Vicious replaces Glen Matlock as the bassist of the Sex Pistols. 10 March – A&M Records signs the Sex Pistols in a ceremony in front of Buckingham Palace. The contract is terminated on 16 March as a result of the band vandalising property and verbally abusing employees during a visit to the record company's office. 2 May – Elton John performs the first of six consecutive nights at London's Rainbow Theatre, his first concert in eight months. John keeps a low profile in 1977, not releasing any new music for the first year since his recording career began eight years previously. 7 May – Having been postponed from 2 April because of a BBC technicians' strike, the 22nd Eurovision Song Contest finally goes ahead in London's Wembley Conference Centre. 11 May – The Stranglers and support band London start a 10-week national tour. 12 May – Virgin Records announces that they have signed the Sex Pistols. 7 June – The Sex Pistols attempt to interrupt Silver Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II by performing "God Save the Queen" from a boat on the River Thames. Police force the boat to dock and several arrests are made following a scuffle. 12 June – Guitarist Michael Schenker vanishes after a UFO concert at the Roundhouse in London. He is replaced for several months by Paul Chapman until he appears again to rejoin the group in October. 15 June – The Snape Maltings Training Orchestra makes its London debut at St John's, Smith Square. 25 June – The Young Musicians' Symphony Orchestra of London, conducted by James Blair, gives the belated première of William Walton's 1962 composition Prelude for Orchestra. 6 July – During a Pink Floyd concert before a crowd of 80,000 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, bassist Roger Waters becomes increasingly irritated by a fan and exerts his frustration by spitting on him. The incident becomes the catalyst for the group's next album, The Wall. 22 July – The first night of the Proms is broadcast by BBC Radio 3 for the first time in quadraphonic sound. 26 July – Led Zeppelin cancel the last seven dates of their American tour after lead singer Robert Plant learns that his six-year-old son Karac has died of a respiratory virus. The show two days before in Oakland proves to be the band's last ever in the United States. 17 August – The final appearance of conductor Sir Adrian Boult, aged 88, at the Proms, conducting Job by Vaughan Williams, a work dedicated to Boult. 1 September – World première at the Royal Albert Hall in London of the expanded version of Luciano Berio's Coro. 16 September – T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan is killed in an automobile accident. 27 October – The Sex Pistols release Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, which would be their only studio album.
Charts
Number-one singles Date Song Artist 8 January "When a Child Is Born"Johnny Mathis 15 January "Don't Give Up on Us" David Soul 22 January 29 January 5 February 12 February"Don't Cry for Me Argentina"Julie Covington 19 February "When I Need You" Leo Sayer 26 February 5 March 12 March "Chanson D'Amour" The Manhattan Transfer 19 March 26 March 2 April "Knowing Me, Knowing You" ABBA 9 April 16 April 23 April 30 April 7 May "Free" Deniece Williams 14 May 21 May "I Don't Want to Talk About It" / "The First Cut Is the Deepest" Rod Stewart 28 May 4 June 11 June 18 June"Lucille"Kenny Rogers 25 June"Show You the Way to Go"The Jacksons 2 July "So You Win Again" Hot Chocolate 9 July 16 July 23 July "I Feel Love" Donna Summer 30 July 6 August 13 August 20 August"Angelo" Brotherhood of Man 27 August"Float On"The Floaters 3 September "Way Down" Elvis Presley 10 September 17 September 24 September 1 October 8 October "Silver Lady" David Soul 15 October 22 October 29 October"Yes Sir I Can Boogie"Baccara 5 November "The Name of the Game" ABBA 12 November 19 November 26 November 3 December "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" Wings 10 December 17 December 24 December 31 December
Number-one albums DateAlbumArtistWeeks8 JanuaryA Day at the RacesQueen 115 January Arrival ABBA 122 JanuaryRed River ValleySlim Whitman429 January5 February12 February19 February20 Golden GreatsThe Shadows626 February5 March12 March19 March26 March2 AprilPortrait of SinatraFrank Sinatra29 April16 AprilArrivalABBA923 April30 April7 May14 May21 May28 May4 June11 June18 JuneThe Beatles at the Hollywood BowlThe Beatles 125 JuneThe Muppet ShowThe Muppets 12 JulyA Star is BornOriginal Soundtrack29 July16 JulyThe Johnny Mathis CollectionJohnny Mathis423 July30 July6 August13 AugustGoing for the OneYes220 August27 August20 All Time GreatsConnie Francis23 September10 September40 Greatest HitsElvis Presley 117 September20 Golden GreatsDiana Ross and the Supremes724 September1 October8 October15 October22 October29 October5 November40 Golden GreatsCliff Richard112 NovemberNever Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex PistolsThe Sex Pistols219 November26 NovemberThe Sound of BreadBread23 December10 DecemberDisco FeverVarious Artists417 December24 December31 December
Year-end charts 1977 is the first year for which "full year" UK year-end charts exist – in order to be published in the year's final issue of Music Week and to be broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on New Year's Day, the collection of sales data had a cut-off point sometime in early December each year. This continued to be the case until 1983, when Gallup took over the compilation of the charts from the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) and automated the data collection process, which meant that sales could be tabulated right up until the end of the year and still produced in time for the Radio 1 broadcast. However, from 1977 to 1982 (with the exception of 1979), BMRB produced updated charts a few months later which included the missing final weeks' sales for each year.
The tables below include sales between 1 January and 30 December 1977: the year-end charts reproduced in the issue of Music Week dated 24 December 1977 and played on Radio 1 on 1 January 1978 only include sales figures up until 10 December 1977.
Best-selling singles
Title Artist Peakposition 1 "Mull of Kintyre"/"Girls' School" Wings 1 2 "Don't Give Up on Us" 1 3 "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" 1 4 "When I Need You" 1 5 "Silver Lady" 1 6 "Knowing Me, Knowing You" ABBA 1 7 "I Feel Love" 1 8 "Way Down" 1 9 "So You Win Again" Hot Chocolate 1 10 "Angelo" Brotherhood of Man 1 11 "Chanson D'Amour" 1 12 "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" Baccara 1 13 "Black Is Black" 2 14 "Fanfare for the Common Man" Emerson, Lake and Palmer 2 15 "Ma Baker" Boney M 2 16 "The Name of the Game" ABBA 1 17 "Rockin' All Over the World" Status Quo 3 18 "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" 3 19 "How Deep Is Your Love" Bee Gees 3 20 "Lucille" 1 21 "The Floral Dance" Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band 2 22 "Magic Fly" Space 2 23 "We Are the Champions" Queen 2 24 "Boogie Nights" Heatwave 2 25 "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" 3 26 "Sideshow" 3 27 "Float On" 1 28 "Show You the Way to Go" 1 29 "Baby, Don't Change Your Mind" & the Pips 4 30 "Free" 1 31 "Sound and Vision" 3 32 "Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)" 2 33 "I Don't Want to Talk About It"/"The First Cut Is the Deepest" 1 34 "Going In with My Eyes Open" 2 35 "Dancin' Party" Showaddywaddy 4 36 "When" Showaddywaddy 3 37 "You Got What It Takes" Showaddywaddy 2 38 "Oxygène (Part IV)" 4 39 "Daddy Cool – The Girl Can't Help It" Darts 6 40 "Best of My Love" 4 41 "The Crunch" 6 42 "I Will" 4 43 "Black Betty" Ram Jam 7 44 "The Shuffle" 4 45 "Nobody Does It Better" 7 46 "Down Deep Inside (Theme from The Deep)" 5 47 "Red Light Spells Danger" 2 48 "2-4-6-8 Motorway" Tom Robinson Band 5 49 "Isn't She Lovely" 4 50 "Nights on Broadway" 6
Despite spending four weeks at number one, Rod Stewart's "I Don't Want to Talk About It"/"The First Cut Is the Deepest" was only placed at number 33 on the year-end chart for 1977, the lowest ranked number one single of the year, and lower than another of Stewart's singles, "You're in My Heart", which only reached number three. Some chart-watchers claim to have evidence that an incorrect panel sale figure was applied to sales during the period that "I Don't Want to Talk About It"/"The First Cut Is the Deepest" was out, resulting in a lower estimation of the single's total sales, and that the single should actually be placed inside the top fifteen year-end positions. However, this claim has never been verified by BMRB or any of the subsequent chart compilers.
Best-selling albums The list of the top fifty best-selling albums of 1977 were published in the third edition of the BPI Year Book in 1978. However, in 2007 the Official Charts Company published album chart histories for each year from 1956 to 1977, researched by historian Sharon Mawer, and included an updated list of the top ten best-selling albums for each year based on the new research. The updated top ten for 1977 is shown in the table below. Title Artist Peakposition 1 Arrival ABBA 1 2 20 Golden Greats 1 3 20 Golden Greats and the Supremes 1 4 Rumours Fleetwood Mac 3 5 A Star Is Born /Kris Kristofferson 1 6 Hotel California Eagles 2 7 The Sound of Bread Bread 1 8 The Johnny Mathis Collection 1 9 Greatest Hits ABBA 2 10 Animals Pink Floyd 2
Notes:
Classical music: new works Malcolm Arnold – Variations on a Theme of Ruth Gipps for Orchestra, Op. 122 John Buller – Proença for mezzo-soprano, electric guitar, and large orchestra Peter Maxwell Davies – A Mirror of Whitening Light, for chamber orchestra Brian Ferneyhough – Time and Motion Study I, for bass clarinet Alun Hoddinott – Sinfonia Fidei Michael Tippett – Symphony No. 4
Opera William Alwyn – Miss Julie Peter Maxwell Davies – The Martyrdom of St Magnus (premièred 18 June at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall) Thea Musgrave – Mary, Queen of Scots Michael Tippett – The Ice Break (premièred 7 July at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden)
Film and incidental music John Addison – A Bridge Too Far directed by Richard Attenborough Richard Rodney Bennett – Equus, starring Richard Burton
Births 4 January – Tim Wheeler (Ash) 18 January – Richard Archer, singer (Hard-Fi) 25 January – Christian Ingebrigtsen, Norwegian-born singer (A1) 23 February – Chris Gentry, guitarist (Menswear) 2 March – Chris Martin, singer and songwriter (Coldplay) 3 March – Ronan Keating, Irish singer (Boyzone) 7 March – Paul Cattermole, singer (S Club 7) 10 March Colin Murray, DJ Rita Simons, singer (Girls@Play) and actress 18 March – Nick Grant, singer (Ultimate Kaos) 21 March – Lee Missen, singer (Code Red) 26 April – Celena Cherry, singer (Honeyz) 4 May – Carrie Askew, singer (Shampoo) 31 May – Joel Ross, DJ 30 July – Ian Watkins, singer (Lostprophets) 17 August – Claire Richards, singer (Steps) 4 September – Lucie Silvas, singer 11 September – Jon Buckland (Coldplay) 27 October – Mariama Goodman, singer (Solid HarmoniE, Honeyz) 1 November – Alistair Griffin, singer/songwriter 4 November – Kavana, singer 7 December – Dominic Howard, drummer (Muse)
Deaths 29 January – Johnny Franz, English record producer, 54 (heart attack) 10 February – Grace Williams, composer, 70 26 March – Madeleine Dring, composer and actress, 53 (cerebral haemorrhage)