The British charts for 1973 opened as they closed in 1972, with a bastardized rendition of
the Yardbirds' "I'm a Man" riff at the top -- and the
Top of the Pops series was there to record the coincidence. The first volume of the new year opens with a raucous take on the Sweet's "Blockbuster" (to follow
David Bowie's "Jean Genie"), affirming not only that band's continued dominance of the hearts and minds of the glitter kids, but also glam rock's own, now all-pervasive grip on things. Whether it was
Elton John disguising his ordinariness beneath ostrich feathers and glasses the size of Connecticut ("Daniel"),
the Strawbs shrugging off their folky roots to rouge their cheekbones and popularize labor unrest ("Part of the Union"), or
Gary Glitter simply being
Gary Glitter ("Do You Wanna Touch Me [Oh Yeah!]"), it was impossible to denigrate the difference that a dash of pancake and a handful of sequins could make to your career. Even
Status Quo and
Electric Light Orchestra, hoary old rockers however you look at them, were getting in on the act, and
Top of the Pops, Vol. 29 sparkles with the best of them. Indeed, at its best (and a super-funky "Superstition" joins the aforementioned jewels), Bruce Baxter, Tony Rivers, and Martha Smith were letting it rip with creative touches that completely undermine the series' overall reputation for haste and shoddiness. "Sylvia" could be an unheard Focus outtake, Quo's "Paper Plane" would dignify the most thoughtful tribute album, and
Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones is nothing less than an undiscovered quiet storm treasure. And, to think, the year had only just begun. ~ Dave Thompson