MGK’s Thursday Top 10 Countdown From August 18, 1973

While the Watergate hearings were going on, and we were between two August heat waves here in Philly, these were the albums that burned up the charts on our Thursday Top 10 Countdown. What a lineup!!

• 10. They Only Come Out At Night - Edgar Winter Group

  The Edgar Winter Group was a supergroup of sorts. It featured Rick Derringer and Ronnie Montrose on guitars, along with Dan Hartman on bass and keyboards. This was their biggest album, and it drifted in and out of the top 10 for the better part of a year. Here it’s #10.

• 9. Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player - Elton John

  Sir Elton’s sixth album was his second of six number one albums IN A ROW for him!  After hitting #1, it hung in the top ten and was #9 on 8.18.73.

• 8. Billion Dollar Babies - Alice Cooper

  It’s hard to believe that Alice has had only one #1 album in his stellar career, but this was it.  It was also the biggest selling album Alice has had, and it was still going strong this week, at #8.

• 7. Live And Let Die - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

  It was Roger Moore’s first foray as Agent 007, and the producers snagged Paul McCartney & Wings to write the title track.  On that song alone, the soundtrack album to the movie  jettisoned into the top 10, and it was #7 on the 18th Of August, 1973.

• 6. Living In The Material World - George Harrison

  George’s second post-Beatles solo album was a wonderful offering of songs, and he became the only Beatle to have his first two post-Beatles solo albums hit #1.  This was the second to do so and, this week, it drops to #6.

• 5. Houses Of The Holy - Led Zeppelin

  By the time of this, Led Zeppelin’s fifth album, Jimmy Page had rigged up a nice home recording setup, which allowed him to present complete arrangements of songs as demos to the band when it came time to record.  And when they did start work, they did so both at the Headley Grange mansion and Mick Jagger’s place called Stargroves.  It was another stellar release for the band, and on this week’s countdown, it’s #5.

• 4. The Captain And Me - Doobie Brothers

  Propelled by two hit songs, The Doobie Brothers’ third album was their biggest seller to that point.  It’s our #4 album on the Thursday Top 10 Countdown.

• 3. Made In Japan - Deep Purple

  This exciting live album by Deep Purple only came out because their record label in Japan wanted them to put out a live album of their shows there.  Response was so positive that the album came out worldwide and here it was #3 on August 18, 1973.

• 2. The Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd

  This next album was developed mostly on the road.  In fact, Pink Floyd performed it in its entirety before the album even came out.  It was then known as Eclipse:  A Piece For Assorted Lunatics, before becoming The Dark Side Of The Moon.  Just 5 1/2 months after it was released, on its way to a truly astounding chart run, it’s #2.

• 1. Chicago VI - Chicago

  At the top of the charts this week is the sixth album by Chicago, an album recorded high in the Colorado Rockies at Caribou Ranch, the first of many albums the band would make there.  The album sold a million copies in its first week of release, and would go on to become the second of five chart toppers in a row for them.