The 20th of February 1973
Official U.K. Singles Chart results from Sunday the 18th to Saturday the 24th of February 1973
Cut-off for sales figures was up to the end of Saturday the 17th of February
Results counted from Sunday the 18th,
announced on Tuesday the 20th,
and broadcast on B.B.C. Radio 1 on Sunday the 25th of February 1973.
Judge Dread
Big Six
At No.50, on the “The Top 50 U.K. Singles Chart” on my 1st Birthday, is Judge Dread with “Big Six”.
And so my second year begins…
…with a trip back to the Top 50 (as it was back then) U.K. Singles Chart on my 1st Birthday, and it begins in a big way in more ways than one.
At the very beginning the chart moves into controversial and hilarious territory with the larger than life Judge Dread and his single “Big Six” which was enjoying it’s final week in the chart.
Judge Dread (real name Alexander Minto Hughes, an ex-wrestler, bouncer and one-time bodyguard for the Rolling Stones, who was born in Snodland in Kent, England, but grew up as a teenager in Brixton) was heavily influenced by the Jamaican music scene which had grown throughout the 1960’s, especially one artist in particular – Prince Buster – so much so that he took his stage name from one of Buster’s songs.
Prince Buster himself had scored an underground hit a few years before entitled “Big 5”, and so this single paid tribute to that song.
“Big Six”…
…pays reference in part to Verne and Son’s adaptation of the nursery rhyme “Little Boy Blue”, and that’s where it gets controversial, because this is, shall we say, a slightly more grown-up version of that character. You’ll understand what I mean when you listen to it.
Obviously, due to the content, this single did the obligatory couple of things.
The first was to get immediately banned by the B.B.C.
The second was for it then to gain the publicity from the first, and go shooting up the charts!
This first single of his career…
…as Judge Dread (not to be confused by the comic character Judge Dredd) had entered the U.K. Singles Chart at the same position of No.50 back in the Summer of 1972 on the 20th of August.
The following couple of weeks would see the single jump into the Top 40 and then the Top 30.
By September it would break the Top 20, and would stall just outside the Top 10, reaching No.11 for a couple of weeks by October.
The falling away down the chart would be a very gradual purpose indeed, leaving the Top 20 in mid-November and the Top 30 in December.
In fact he would hover round the Top 40 all the way through into February 1973 and, as I said before, only leaving the U.K. Charts for good after the 24th of February later on this week.
The record label had initially thought that the single would sell around 70,000 units.
In total, “Big Six” would end up selling over 300,000 units and rack up a very impressive 27 weeks on the chart.
The “A” Side
The “B” Side
Many thanks go to the following YouTube Channels for providing the chance to hear this music once again.
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Listen to “The Official Top 50 UK Singles Chart: 20th February 1972” Playlist here:
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