The 20th of February 1973
Official U.K. Albums 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.
David Cassidy
Rock Me Baby
At No.2, on the “The Top 50 U.K. Albums Chart” on my 1st Birthday, is David Cassidy with “Rock Me Baby”.
For 22 year old David,..
…it seemed, to the British public on the outside looking in, that his star couldn’t shine any brighter.
However, this young man had spent the previous 12 months attempting to shake off the image of his TV ‘Partridge Family’ character Keith, to the point where he physically stripped himself naked and laid himself bare, to publicly present himself as emerging new born into a new era of his career life cycle.
By now, and most prominently here in the U.K., his fan base was bigger than that of the Beatles and Elvis, at this point, still the two biggest acts on the planet.
His concerts, including Wembley Stadium, sold out within days, if not, hours.
With all this teen-idol adulation becoming completely overwhelming and frustrating to the young David, the one thing he wanted most of all was to become a respected musician and singer, and with this album, he hoped to go some way to try and prove that fact.
The album obviously hit his swelled target audience, but did it also reach the people he was intending it to reach? Who knows.
Would someone cast aside the stigma…
…of admitting they owned a David Cassidy album, and actually listen to it seriously? I can’t answer that.
But enough people bought it, to send it straight into the No.2 slot on this, it’s first week in the U.K. Album Chart, making it this week’s highest new entry.
Enough people will buy it to keep it in the Top 10 for almost 2 months, until the 14th of April.
The album will only drop as far as No.13 for another month after that.
In fact, the album will only start slipping further by mid-May, eventually falling out by mid-June.
He will spend the rest of the year, with this album mainly just bubbling under the surface, only now and again emerging to show he is still there for odd weeks such as the end of June and the end of August.
But, his final showing will occur at No.50 for a week in mid-November. By which time this album will have rocked a total run of 20 weeks on chart.
I’ve created my own separate playlists for Sides 1 and 2 of this album with (I hope) the correct versions and the original track sequencing order for the U.K. release.
Side 1
Side 2
Many thanks go to the following YouTube Channels for providing the chance to hear this music once again.
Please show your appreciation by visiting their channel:
The Top 50 U.K. Singles Chart Playlist for the week of my 1st Birthday:
The Top 50 U.K. Singles Chart Playlist for the day I was born:
Grab Your Binoculars, Come Follow Me
What is it…?
Why am I…?
How do I…?
When am I…?
