Was 1973 the greatest year in rock ?

It was fifty years ago today...

There were tank tops, flares, glitter, platform shoes, hair, hair and more hair, strikes, power cuts, government disarray, rising inflation, the three-day week, the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland and the end of the Vietnam War.

But, fortunately to keep all of us sane we had great movies and music.

It was the year that the seminal rock 'n' roll movie That'll Be The Day was released along with American Graffiti, Paper Moon, Badlands, Mean Streets, The Exorcist, The Sting, Serpico, Papillon and The Day of the Jackal.

Classic albums hit the shops namely The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, Heartbreaker by Free, Aladdin Sane, Hunky Dory and Pin Ups by David Bowie, There Goes Rhymin' Simon by Paul Simon, Mott by Mott The Hoople, Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield, Innervisions by Stevie Wonder, Goats Head Soup by The Rolling Stones, Hello by Status Quo, Berlin by Lou Reed, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John, Quadrophenia by The Who, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath by Black Sabbath, Ringo by Ringo Starr and Band On The Run by Paul McCartney & Wings.

But it was the UK Singles Chart of 1973 that witnessed some sublime sounds within the three-minute timeframe that captured the magic of the period.

The Sweet hit the charts this year with Blockbuster, Hellraiser and The Ballroom Blitz, Gary Glitter released Hello Hello I'm Back Again, I'm The Leader of the Gang and I Love You Love Me Love, Slade hit number two with Gudbuy T'Jane and My Friend Stan and number one with Cum On Feel The Noize and Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me. David Bowie hit number two with The Jean Genie and number three with Drive-In Saturday and Life On Mars, Suzi Quatro hit number one with Can the Can and number three with 48 Crash, there was See My Baby Jive and Angel Fingers by Wizzard, Elton John released the classics Daniel, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Status Quo hit number five with Caroline and David Essex reached number three with Rock On. 10cc charted at number one with Rubber Bullets and number ten with The Dean and I. The Rolling Stones reached number five with Angie. Mott the Hoople released All The Way From Memphis and Roll Away The Stone. T.Rex reached number three with 20th Century Boy. There was the classic Love Train by the O'Jays. Whiskey In The Jar by Thin Lizzy reached number six.

Elvis charted at number nine with his classic version of Always On My Mind.

And following all of this, when we arrived at December 1973 we were treated to some absolute classic Christmas charts through the festive season with songs that are regularly played on the radio at Christmastime in the present day. Two of these classics are Slade with Merry Christmas Everybody and Wizzard with I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.

1973 - a year never to be forgotten for many reasons.