7 of the 70s: 4/10/14 (1977)...

It's 70s throwback time, and this week I've got seven more nuggets from 1977, the year that baseball "expansion teams" the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays played their first games in April...

Leo Sayer - "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing"
from the album Endless Flight (1976)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriters: Vini Porcia, Leo Sayer

The man with a falsetto that could open garage doors topped the pop chart twice in 1977, starting the year out with this song about disco that really is too slow to be in a disco...

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Linda Ronstadt - "Blue Bayou"
from the album Simple Dreams (1977)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3
Songwriters: Joe Melson, Roy Orbison

Rhino just released a collection of the great rock vocalist's duet work, and I decided to being back one of her awesome interpretations of classics, this time wrenching the emotion from Orbison's southern lament.

Fleetwood Mac - "You Make Loving Fun"
from the album Rumours (1977)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9
Songwriter: Christine McVie

You cannot imagine how thrilled I am that Christine is rejoining the Mac for a new album and tour. This is one of many song that proved how much of a cornerstone she was for the band.

Judy Collins - "Send In The Clowns"
from the album Judith (1975)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19
Songwriter: Stephen Sondheim

This song from A Little Night Music made the top-40 twice for Collins, but it was this performance from The Muppet Show that was little kid me's first exposure to the classic, which had me it tears, in a good way.

Bob Seger - "Mainstreet"
from the album Night Moves (1976)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24
Songwriter: Bob Seger

This was Seger's first #1 hit....in Canada.

Cat Stevens - "(Remember The Days Of The) Old Schoolyard"
from the album Izitso (1977)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #33
Songwriter: Cat Stevens

Stevens' 1977 album was a pioneer in the development of synthpop, and this duet with Elkie Brooks predated pop music from the early 80s by years...

Manfred Mann - "Spirit In The Night"
from the album Nightingales and Bombers (1975)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #40
Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

This remake of the Springsteen album classic was a hit twice, first in 1976 with Mick Rogers on vocals, and a year later hitting the top-40 with Chris Thompson doing the singing duty.

I'll return later with eight more from 1987...