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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.