1976 in music.

Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run won 1975. Let's see who wins 1976. The year punk was born.

Billboard chart-topping albums of 1976:
Chicago - IX (cont. from '75)
Earth, Wind and Fire - Gratitude
Bob Dylan - Desire
Eagles - Greatest Hits
Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive!
Wings - At the Speed of Sound
Led Zeppelin - Presence
The Rolling Stones - Black and Blue
George Benson - Breezing
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life

Billboard chart-topping singles of 1976:
Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night
CW McCall - Convoy
Barry Manilow - I Write the Songs
Diana Ross - Do You Know Where You're Going To
Ohio Players - Love Rollercoaster
Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
Rhythm Heritage - Theme From SWAT
The Miracles - Love Machine
The Four Seasons - December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)
Johnnie Taylor - Disco Lady
The Bellamy Brothers - Let Your Love Flow
John Sebastian - Welcome Back
The Sylvers - Boogie Fever
Wings - Silly Love Songs
Diana Ross - Love Hangover
Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight
The Manhattans - Kiss and Say Goodnight
Elton John - Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing
KC and the Sunshine Band - Shake Your Booty
Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music
Walter Murphy - A Fifth of Beethoven
Rick Dees - Disco Duck
Chicago - If You Leave Me Now
Steve Miller Band - Rock'n Me
Rod Stewart - Tonight's the Night

What are your top three albums for 1976? We will keep a running tally and eventually have some sort of bracket. For me it would be:
1. David Bowie - Station to Station (favorite album ever)
2. Ramones - Ramones
3. Eagles - Hotel California

What are some of the forgotten gems from the year? What is overrated? What did you discover at a young age and what did you discover later?

YEARS IN MUSIC • forum.chorus.fm

 

insane year

rest of the top 10:
4. Boston - Boston
5. Willie Nelson - The Troublemaker
6. Bob Dylan - Desire
7. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
8. Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record
9. Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
10. Joni Mitchell - Hejira

other honorable mentions:
ac/dc - dirty deeds done dirt cheap
ac/dc - high voltage
aerosmith - rocks
al stewart - year of the cat
blondie - blondie
blue oyster cult - agents of fortune
bob seger - night moves
emmylou harris - luxury liner
the flaming groovies - shake some action
frank zappa - zoot allures
harry nilsson - sandman
jackson browne - the pretender
judas priest - sad wings of destiny
kiss - destroyer
klaatu - 3:47 EST
led zeppelin - presence
lynyrd skynyrd - gimme back my bullets
marvin gaye - i want you
merle haggard - the roots of my raising
the outlaws - wanted! the outlaws
queen - a day at the races
rainbow - rising
the runaways - the runaways
rush - 2112
sparks - big beat
steely dan - the royal scam
t rex - futuristic dragon
thin lizzy - johnny the fox
warren zevon - warren zevon
waylon jennings - are you ready for the country
willie nelson - the sound in your mind

stuff to check out:
billy joel - turnstiles
bob marley - rastaman vibration
the doobie brothers - taking it to the streets
george jones and tammy wynette - golden ring
genesis - a trick of the tail
genesis - wind and wuthering
gordon lightfoot - summertime dream
the isley brothers - harvest for the world
lou reed - coney island baby
peter frampton - frampton comes alive!
rory gallagher - calling card
stevie wonder - songs in the key of life

 

gonna predict my three albums will finish the ranking in reverse order, which will make me sad

 

1. Warren Zevon - Warren Zevon
2. Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees
3. Billy Joel - Turnstiles

Excruciating cuts:
Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record
Aerosmith - Rocks
Boston - Boston
Bob Dylan - Desire
England Dan and John Ford Coley - Nights Are Forever
Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band - Night Moves
Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
Stephen Bishop - Careless

Others I love:
Leon Ware - Musical Massage
Jorge Ben - Africa Brasil
Earth, Wind, and Fire - Spirit
Al Stewart - Year of the Cat
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
ABBA - Arrival
Jackson Browne - The Pretender
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
Rush - 2112
Eagles - Hotel California
Rainbow - Rising
Marvin Gaye - I Want You
Tom Waits - Small Change
Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive!
Dirk Hamilton - You Can Sing on the Left or Bark on the Right
Kiss - Destroyer

Good ones:
Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band - Live Bullet
Willie Nelson - The Troublemaker
Mike Pinder - The Promise
AC/DC - High Voltage
Artful Dodger - Honor Among Thieves
David Bowie - Station to Station
Gordon Lightfoot - Summertime Dream
Dwight Twilley Band - Sincerely
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Outlaws - Lady in Waiting
George Benson - Breezin'
The Wild Tchoupitoulas - The Wild Tchoupitoulas
Will Ackerman - In Search of the Turtle's Navel
Ramones - Ramones
Pousette-Dart Band - Pousette-Dart Band
Linda Ronstadt - Hasten Down the Wind
Heart - Dreamboat Annie
Elton John - Blue Moves
Commodores - Hot on the Tracks
Queen - A Day at the Races
The Doobie Brothers - Takin' It to the Streets
Peter Tosh - Legalize It
Spinners - Happiness Is Being with The Spinners
Jefferson Starship - Spitfire
Joe Cocker - Stingray
Rod Stewart - A Night on the Town
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes - I Want to Go Home
Wings - Wings at the Speed of Sound
Barry White - Let the Music Play
Kansas - Leftoverture
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gimme Back My Bullets
Genesis - A Trick of the Tail
Atlanta Rhythm Section - A Rock and Roll Alternative
Guy Clark - Texas Cookin'
The Staples - Pass It On
Firefall - Firefall
Hank Crawford - I Hear a Symphony

Targets for listening:
Herbie Hancock - Secrets
Ohio Players - Contradiction
Joan Armatrading - Joan Armatrading
Jean Michael Jarre - Oxygene
Fela Kuti and Africa 70 - Zombie
Joni Mitchell - Hejira
The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Music from the Penguin Cafe
The Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Bad Company - Run with the Pack
Blue Oyster Cult - Agents of Fortune
Climax Blues Band - Gold Plated
The J. Geils Band - Blow Your Face Out
Led Zeppelin - Presence
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - The Roaring Silence
Orleans - Waking and Dreaming
The Rolling Stones - Black and Blue
Chicago - Chicago X
Mort Garson - Mother Earth's Plantasia
Barry Manilow - This One's for You
Seals and Crofts - Get Closer
Neil Diamond - Beautiful Noise
Max Romeo and The Upsetters - War Inna Babylon
Kiss - Rock and Roll Over
Stills-Young Band - Long May You Run
The Manhattans - The Manhattans
Dorothy Moore - Misty Blue
Lou Rawls - All Things in Time
Tavares - Sky High
Brothers Johnson - Look out for #1
Glenn Campbell - Rhinestone Cowboy
Bellamy Brothers - Featuring "Let Your Love Flow"

 

i love Zevon but i’m truly indescribably shocked at that album getting a first place vote in this year

 

Subbing so I remember to do this later.

 

1. Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
2. David Bowie - Station to Station
3. Jorge Ben - Africa Brasil

Songs in the Key of Life is Stevie's sprawling, ambitious double album, the sort of album that every great artist tries at least once. Stevie manages it better than most though, with wonderful tracks like "As" & "Isn't She Lovely" & "Sir Duke". The album is 100+ minutes, so I don't often get through it all in one sitting, but every time I do, it feels fresh and like I'm hearing it for the first time.

Bowie's Station to Station is one of my favourite Bowie albums, and in Golden Years might have (maybe...) my favourite Bowie song. It has Bowie in transition, between the soulful funkier stuff he'd been doing the last few records, and heralding the start the newer, more abstract directions he'd really run with on the Berlin trilogy of records. A really fascinating record.

Jorge Ben's Africa Brasil is a brilliant collection of Ben's blend of samba, with more traditional African and Afro-Brazilian rhythms. A life affirming and joyful record that never fails to get me grooving in some form.

Honourable mentions;

The Ramones - Ramones; I'm not a huge fan of The Ramones overall, but their debut album basically functions as a greatest hits. Incredibly simple music (in a good way), and massively influential on all the upcoming punk bands.

Blondie - Blondie: There's better Blondie albums to come, but this is a great debut, full of attitude, while still writing perfect power pop songs.

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak: Much better than I originally gave them credit for, this is a great blues-rock album that sounds far closer to Van Morrison than I expected it to.

Marvin Gaye - I Want You: A soulful and funky Marvin Gaye record, and a bit more disco-ish than he'd previously been. Lots of synths, and reminds me a lot of the sort of music that became popular again with the "neo-soul" revival in the 90s/00s.

Tom Waits - Small Change: Another of Waits distinctive blend of jazz and blues, with his gravelly and raspy voice, and instantly recognisable storytelling style of lyricism.

 

It’s required that every record store has a used copy of Stevie Wonders Songs in the Key of Life available for purchase.

 

It’s a masterpiece of legit literary proportions. I once wrote like 3k words on it for Made of Chalk. From a storytelling/lyrical perspective, “The French Inhaler” and “Desperadoes Under the Eaves” are two of the greatest songs ever written.

 

it’s good. probably not a top 5 Zevon album for me.

 

I feel that way about Station to Station. Takes all kinds to make the record go round, my friend.

 

station to station not being in someone's top 5 bowie makes sense, but it speaks to the quality of his discography

it's also so obviously his best

 

I was planning to skip Blondie’s debut because I’ve never heard much about it, but you’ve sold me. I’ll try to get it in this week

Also incredibly happy to see not only Jorge Ben there, but also that our Thin Lizzy week clearly had an impact.

 

1. Rush - 2112
2. Aerosmith - Rocks
3. Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny

Not particularly exciting choices, but what can I say? Hard Rock was awesome in the mid-70s.

 

Stevie Wonder- Songs in the Key of Life
Rush- 2112
Genesis- Trick of the Tail

 

1. Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
2. Rush - 2112
3. David Bowie - Station to Station


So many good to great albums this year, but picking a top 3 was tough.

 

Ramones S/T still great.

 

Great-est!

 

How many of us grew up in the 90s and just always wrote-off Aerosmith because of their corny hits from that decade? I consider myself one of those people. But listening to their 70s albums, I would say I am slowly becoming a fan. Rocks is absolutely stellar front to back.

 

their first five albums are very good

 

I think Aerosmith is solid all around. The 70s stuff is awesome. The early 80s stuff is underrated. Their ballads and pop hits from the late 80s and 90s are about as good as any other band who was doing the same thing. And whether or not you like I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, it's impressive for any band to score a number 1 single 25 years into their career.

 

Solid points too - I definitely have warmed up to even what I referred to as the "corny 90s output" now that I'm not an angsty alt kid anymore. Just kinda funny that it took until well into my 30s to feel that way.

 

Aerosmith definitely got cheesy after Perry came back. But they also made great pop singles while being cheesy

 

Yeah this was me, 100%. Couldn’t stand what I knew of them until @cshadows2887 recommended their 70s stuff, which I liked a lot more.

I still think their later stuff is dreadful ha, but they certainly were a lot better than I gave them credit for before that.

 

I'll post my stuff tomorrow but Stevie is far and away the winner this year