In The 1970s Wombles with Mike Batt

The pop charts in the 1970s were full of so many things. So a group dressed up in Womble costume playing instruments and singing is just so natural. The group were just a few guys dressed up and the music of the Wombles came from musician Mike Batt.

Mike Batt was broke when he was asked to write a song for the new TV series The Wombles, which was all bout creatures om Wimbledon Common that cleared rubbish. He was offered in 1973 £200 to make the song.but he decided he would ask them for the musical rights instead. That mad him a wealthy man.

Mike also wrote the No.1 song Bright Eyes by Art Garfunkel in 1979 and had a hand in the hits for Steeleye Span with All Around My Hat and Lilac Wine by Elkie Brooks

Mike also wrote the TV theme to BBC Seaside Special called Summertime City which was a big hit too in the 1970s.

Mike Batt Interview

The Wombles started as a book and then became a very popular TV cartoon before crossing over in the charts. Mike Batt wrote and produced the main theme which he extended to make it a No. 4 single in 1973.

The furry creatures continued to have huge chart success with more singles in the next year. The No. 3 hit was Remember You're A Womble which everybody sang along to. The silly creatures continued to chart with  Banana Rock.

The Wombles had several Gold singles and LPs and even had a small hit in the U.S.. The next UK hit was the French style hit Minuetto Allegretto In November that year we were treated to a classic Christmas song with Wombling Merry Christmas. 

Top 50 UK Singles Chart - 7 December 1974

UK Top 50 Singles Chart – 7 December 1974 Christmas is coming Topping the Chart is Barry White New entries from Gloria Gaynor, Wombles, Goodies, Ralph McTell, Kenny, Status Quo and Rod Stewart & the Faces Re-entry from Jan Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg Climbers include Showaddywaddy, Hot Chocolate, Trammps, Mud and Disco Tex & the Sex-O-Lettes Plus other well-known and less known classics, including Gary Glitter

70s Music Christmas 1974

The Christmas charts were so important in the 1970s, with not only the prestige of getting a Christmas hit, but a NUMBER One Christmas hit was the icing on the cake, the Christmas Cake.

During this Christmas Season we look at the music of Christmas Day 1970 and highlight those Christmas records to stir the memory of the 70s music.

Having to use a bit of editorial control here to decide what was a Christmas hit, so if it does not match your criteria, apologies.

This chart comes from the 21st December 1974.

No.18
Gilbert O'Sullivan and The Christmas Song

This is a beautiful festive song from Gilbert O'Sullivan, who was voted the No.1 male in the UK in 1972, Gilbert is still writing and performing today. He was also nominated fro a Grammy in 1972.

No.13

See article The Goodies 

with a double A side The Inbetweenies

AND Father Christmas Do Not Touch Me

Here we have Tim Brook_Taylor,Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden performing a Christmas comedy record.

N0.5

The Wombles and A Wombling  Merry Christmas

Now for those of you who do not know the Wombles are strange furry creatures who live in Wimbledon Common and help clear rubbish, we know that because of the book and the worldwide TV series.

The Wombles had many hits, and even charted with the LPs, they were a phenomenal surprise.

The creator of the Wombles was Elisabeth Beresford, and the man behind the music of the Wombles was Mike Batt, who also discovered Katie Melula and  wrote "Bright Eyes" theme for the rabbit film  "Watership Down", which got to No.1 in the single charts by Art Garfunkel.

No.1

Mud and Lonley This Christmas

Mud was another very successful family Glam Rock group fronted by  Les Gray who sang some of this song in an Elvis way, unfortunately Les died in 2004 from a heart attack and throat cancer.

Lyrics to "Lonley This Christmas"

The group were to have the best selling record of 1974 too, with the single "Tigerfeet".