Billboard's Hot 100/ Top 40 Motown Chronicles - 1974 - [Pt. 1]

[Boogiedown]

Billboard’s Hot 100/ Top 40
Chart #07
Feb 16, 1974

Number of singles reviewed this week: 104
last week: 108
including:
Soul:
MARTHA REEVES- Power Of Love [3:85]; producer: Richard Perry; writers: Gamble. Huff, Simon; MCA 40194. Martha knows that
her right man does all the right things, all under the guise of
the power of love. She socks home this message, with a powerful chorus expressing its own power and the power of the man's kiss, walk, talk.

Record World Sleeper:

MARTHA REEVES, "POWER OF LOVE" [prod. by Richard Perry] . With sparkling horn arrangements by James Taylor and dynamite
production from Richard Perry, Martha [sans the Vandellas] comes across with a powerhouse tune with untold cross-over possibilities. An extremely well-integrated item, it should be a hot phone request regular. MCA 43194.

Cash Box Newcomer:

MARTHA REEVES [MCA 40194]
Power Of Love [[3:05) [Gamble, Huff, Simon]
Martha [formerly with the Vandellas] kicks off her solo career [with Richard
Perry as her producer] with this top flight Gamble-Huff-Joe Simon tune that
just can’t miss. Vibrant as any of her work with her former association, the
lady really gets down to it in letting loose with a funky performance that will
attract immediate pop and r&b attention. Also worth the price of admission is
that horn section, running in and out throughout the track, accenting every-
thing Martha does [arranged, by the way, by James Taylor]. Hitbound, and
big too!



Under the influence of their future producer Richard Perry, Martha sounds a bit Pointer Sisters here with a cover of the Joe Simon song that reached #11 in 1972 [#1 Soul]

The Motown Review:

Diana Ross is #1 !!!
on the Easy Listening chart with LAST TIME I SAW HIM , while also bulleting into the Hot 100's Top 20 while stalling on the Soul chart up one to #15. Eddie Kendricks is now Top 10 while Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye move up some. Same six 45s are charting from the label.

The Top 10:

Barbra Streisand returns to the way she was two week ago, at the top at #1. Rare for songs to return to the peak but THE WAY WE WERE usurps Barry White's instrumental LOVES THEME which now drops to #2 after one week at #1. One new arrival British star David Essex and ROCK ON on at #10. Off Gladys Knight and the Pips with I'VE GOT TO USE MY IMAGINATION [after peaking at #4] now #14 from #9.

The Top 40:

Motown:
Four 45s from Motown are on the Top 40:
^ BOOGIE DOWN - Eddie Kendricks zooms to #9 from #14 with a bullet
^LAST TIME I SAW HIM - Diana Ross climbs to a bulleted #17 from #21
LIVING FOR THE CITY - Stevie Wonder drops to #23 from #16
^BABY COME CLOSE - Smokey Robinson eases to #27 from #29

Biggest mover in the Top 40, 15 positions
SEASONS IN THE SUN - Terry Jacks #12 from #27

6 debuts, mostly chart visitors, 4 US, 1 Canada, 1 Spain 3 +Top 10 bound+, 0 PI related, 0 Motown, 1 by proxy, 1 Country.

Highest debut:
+MOCKINGBIRD+ - James Taylor and Carly Simon -#30 up 33 from #66 [*First time artist as duo]

+ERES TU+ - Mocedades - #36 up 6 from #42 [One Hit Wonder]
MY SWEET LADY - Cliff DeYoung #36 up 9 from #45 [One Hit Wonder]
TRYING TO HOLD ON TO MY WOMAN - Lamont Dozier #37 up 7 from #44 [*first time artist]
+SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDER+ - John Denver #39 up 12 from #51 [3rd Top 40 hit]
LAST KISS - Wednesday #40 up 3 from #43 [One Hit Wonder]


The Hot 100:

10 debuts: 5 Top 40 bound, 3 first time to chart on the Hot 100, 0 Philly International related, 0 Motown, 1 by proxy, 2 Country

Highest debut:
third tier:
#69 - BENNIE AND THE JETS - Elton John

#77 - BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME -Gladys Knight former Motown act
#87 - HOOKED ON A FEELING - Blue Suede
#90 - VIRGINIA TOUCH ME LIKE YOU DO - Bill Amesbury
#92 - WOULD YOU LAY WITH ME [IN A FIELD OF STONE] - Tanya Tucker
#93 - IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME - New Birth
#94 - I'LL BE THE OTHER WOMAN - Soul Children
#97 - BEYOND THE BLUE HORIZON - Lou Christie
#98 - THE CRUDE OIL BLUES - Jerry Reed
#99 - STAR BABY - Guess Who

Motown:

debuts: none
4th week: ^YOU SURE LOVE TO **** - Marvin Gaye #50 up 3 from #53
9th week: LET YOUR HAIR DOWN - Temptations #62 down 16 from #46
OFFS : none

______

A very good week for:
the Boogie
with two titles in the Top 10: BOOGIE DOWN by Eddie Kendricks and JUNGLE BOOGIE by Kool & The Gang

***
Full-page ad: Smokey Robinson single BABY COME CLOSE boasts of sales numbers: over 800, 000 total, 64,000 Detroit, 63,000 NYC, 38,000 Memphis etc.
Full-page ad: HELL UP IN HARLEM movie soundtrack by Edwin Starr

***

Five Month Club :
HELLO ITS ME - Todd Rundgren 20 weeks, now #63
TOP OF THE WORLD - Carpenters 20 weeks, now #64
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL - Charlie Rich 21 weeks on the Hot 100 and still at #29

***
Out of NYC, the second single about the dance craze there called "The Bump" debuts on the Soul chart at #96 sounding a bit Junior Walker like.

Two-sided number, a DJ pleaser, here's Part II: