1970
 
 

On September 25, ABC premiered The Partridge Family, a half-hour sitcom about five kids and their mother who decided to form a rock 'n' roll band (the premise, of course, was stolen directly from the real-life story of a sixties family act, the Cowsills). As in another Screen Gems production, The Monkees, an integral part of each episode was the performance of new songs, released concurrently by Bell Records. The first Partridge Family single, "I Think I Love You," sold over four million copies, and there were ten more hits before the series was cancelled in 1974.

 

One of the most durable groups of the seventies was Chicago, the most successful jazz-rock ensemble of all time. Formed in the late sixties, they gigged around their namesake city and Los Angeles before being signed by Columbia Records. Their first release, Chicago Transit Authority, came out in 1969, but it wasn't until 1970 that they really emerged with the album Chicago, which was voted Album of the Year by Cashbox magazine. It included three of their most popular songs: "Make Me Smile," "25 or 6 to 4," and "Color My World." The group continued to score major hits every year through the decade, selling more than 30 million records in the process.

 

Other Music Highlights of 1970:

• Religious themes start to appear in songs like "Spirit In The Sky" by Norman Greenbaum, "Let It Be" by the Beatles, "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison, and the play Jesus Christ Superstar.
• Rumors begin to circulate that the Beatles will be breaking up because of differences between Paul and John.
• Paul releases a homemade album titled McCartney that goes on to become a number one hit.
• Rod Stewart and Ron Wood leave the disintegrating Jeff Beck Group to join the Small Faces, now simply called the Faces.
• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young record "Ohio" to draw attention to the wasteful killing of four young students of the Ohio National Guard at a Kent State University war protest rally.
• American Top 40, a syndicated radio show counting down the Top 40 singles each week as ranked by Billboard magazine, debuts. Host Casey Kasem will remain with the show for 18 years.
• On Wednesday, May 20, the Beatles' last film, Let It Be, premieres in London at the Palladium.
• The Rolling Stones leave London Records to form their own label, Rolling Stones Records.

 

The Top 40 Singles of 1970:

1. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel (First chart appearance: 2/14/70; Highest position.: #1)
2. "American Woman" - The Guess Who (3/28/70; #1)
3. "Get Ready" - Rare Earth (4/4/70; #4)
4. "Band Of Gold" - Freda Payne (5/30/70; #3)
5. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" - B.J. Thomas (11/22/69; #1)
6. "ABC" - The Jackson 5 (3/21/70; #1)
7. "Let It Be" - The Beatles (3/21/70; #1)
8. "(They Long To Be) Close To You" - Carpenters (6/27/70; #1)
9. "Mama Told Me Not To Come" - Three Dog Night (6/6/70; #1)
10. "War" - Edwin Starr (7/25/70; #1)
11. "Spirit In The Sky" - Norman Greenbaum (3/7/70; #3)
12. "Make It With You" - Bread (7/11/70; #1)
13. "Venus" - The Shocking Blue (12/20/69; #1)
14. "Ball Of Confusion" - The Temptations (6/6/70; #3)
15. "Spill The Wine" - Eric Burdon & War (7/11/70; #3)
16. "Which Way You Goin' Billy?" - The Poppy Family (4/25/70; #2)
17. "Everything Is Beautiful" - Ray Stevens (4/18/70; #1)
18. "Lay Down" - Melanie with The Edwin Hawkins Singers (5/16/70; #6)
19. "Candida" - Dawn (8/29/70; #3)
20. "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" - Sly & the Family Stone (1/10/70; #1)
21. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Diana Ross (8/15/70; #1)
22. "I'll Be There" - The Jackson 5 (9/19/70; #1)
23. "Instant Karma (We All Shine On)" - John Ono Lennon (3/7/70; #3)
24. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" - Stevie Wonder (7/4/70; #3)
25. "Hitchin' A Ride" - Vanity Fare (5/16/70; #5)
26. "Hey There Lonely Girl" - Eddie Holman (1/10/70; #2)
27. "I Want You Back" - The Jackson 5 (12/6/69; #1)
28. "Ride Captain Ride" - Blues Image (5/23/70; #4)
29. "Ooh Child" - The Five Stairsteps (6/20/70; #8)
30. "Something's Burning" - Kenny Rogers & The First Edition (3/14/70; #11)
31. "All Right Now" - Free (9/5/70; #4)
32. "Love On A Two-Way Street" - The Moments (4/18/70; #3)
33. "Reflections Of My Life" - The Marmalade (4/4/70; #10)
34. "Julie, Do Ya Love Me" - Bobby Sherman (8/15/70; #5)
35. "Up Around The Bend" - Creedence Clearwater Revival (5/2/70; #4)
36. "Green-Eyed Lady" - Sugarloaf (9/19/70; #3)
37. "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" - Tyrone Davis (4/4/70; #3)
38. "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" - Edison Lighthouse (2/28/70; #5)
39. "The Rapper" - Jaggerz (2/14/70; #2)

"In The Summertime" - Mungo Jerry (7/25/70; #3)

Top Albums of 1970:

PLEASE NOTE: All albums listed in the Seventies Almanac can now be purchased through CDnow.com, one of the biggest cds stores on the web. Just click on the title to read a description of the album and find out about ordering information.
 

Abraxas - Santana  Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Soundtrack  Chicago II - Chicago  Cosmo's Factory - Creedence Clearwater Revival  Deja Vu - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young  Easy Rider - Soundtrack  Get Ready - Rare Earth  Hey Jude - The Beatles  Joe Cocker! - Joe Cocker  Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin  Let It Be - The Beatles  McCartney - Paul McCartney  Three Dog Night Was Captured Live at the Forum - Three Dog Night  Woodstock - Soundtrack

  20 Popular Movies of 1970:

PLEASE NOTE: All movies listed in the Seventies Almanac can now be purchased through Reel.com, one of the biggest video stores on the web. Just click on the title to read a description of the movie and find out about ordering information.

Love Story  Airport  M*A*S*H  Patton  The Aristocats  Catch-22  Claire's Knee  Dairy of a Mad Housewife  Five Easy Pieces  Gimme Shelter  Let It Be  Little Big Man  Lovers and Other Strangers  Rio Lobo  Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here  Tora! Tora! Tora!  Women In Love  Zabriskie Point  Performance  Woodstock

  The Top 20 Television Shows of 1970:

Marcus Welby, M.D.  The Flip Wilson Show  Here's Lucy  Ironside  Gunsmoke  The ABC Movie of the Week  Hawaii Five-O  Medical Center  Bonanza  The F.B.I.  The Mod Squad  Adam 12  Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In  The Wonderful World of Disney  Mayberry R.F.D.  Hee Haw  Mannix  The Men from Shiloh  My Three Sons  The Doris Day Show

 

News Highlights of 1970:

• President Nixon sends combat units into Cambodia.
• At Kent State University, National Guardsmen fire into a crowd protesting the Vietnam War, killing four and wounding eight.
• Homosexuals march from New York's Greenwich Village to Central Park demonstrating for gay rights.
• In New York, the nation's most liberal abortion law goes into effect.
• A parade of 10,000 women in New York celebrate the 50th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment.
• FBI agents arrest American Communist Angela Davis at a midtown Manhattan motel.
• Anwar Sadat is elected president of the United Arab Republic (Egypt).
• One million cans of tuna are recalled by the FDA because of mercury contamination.

 

Sports Winners of 1970:

• Baseball: The Baltimore Orioles beat the Cincinnati Reds 4 games to 1.
• Football: The Baltimore Colts beat the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 on January 17, 1971 at the Orange Bowl in Superbowl V.
• Basketball: The New York Nicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3.

Hockey: The Boston Bruins beat the St. Louis Blues 4 games to 0.