Since 2022 I've been writing two posts per year celebrating the 50th anniversary of noteworthy music. Doing so is NOT just an exercise in nostalgia or a critique of modern music. Sure, today our ears get assaulted by a high degree of crapola transmitted from traditional radio and the streaming platforms. But that has ALWAYS been true. What's also true is that the best of today's music has clear links to the best of 50-years ago. I would be surprised if the top artists of 2026 did not look back on the music of 1976 with a sense of awe and admiration.
The year 1976 was an intriguing one for popular music. Classic rock (i.e. Beatles, Stones, The Who, and all their offshoots) and progressive rock (i.e. ELP, Pink Floyd, Yes) acts were nearing the end of their FM radio reign. By the next year disco, punk, and both British and American "New Wave" would force a number of classic rockers into semi-retirement. And by 1981 Music Television, for better or [mostly] worse, would completely transform the musical landscape.
All lists of great music are subjective. My 1976 list is guided mostly by three criteria: (1) Did I listen to the record at the time it was released? (2) Is the record widely considered to be important in the history of music? (3) Do I think the record deserves a new audience? A significant number of the albums listed actually satisfy all three.
Without any further ado:
#50: Peter Tosh: Legalize It. The "It" in the title refers to weed, a foundational feature of Tosh's Jamaican Rastafarian community. Peter Tosh was a former member of the iconic Wailers featuring Bob Marley. "Legalize It" was his first solo album. The reggae artistry is amazing in its own right, but the album became internationally famous when Jamaican authorities tried to censor the title tune. P.S. "Ketchy Shuby," one of the record's catchiest tunes, is probably the most creative euphemism for sexual intercourse ever devised.
#49: Jackson Browne. The Pretender. The 1970s was widely derided as "The Me Decade" by those, such as historian Christopher Lasch, who argued that 1960's idealism and activism had been replaced by a "culture of narcissism" obsessed with self-improvement and navel gazing. Lasch died in 1994; one can only wonder what he would have said about the narcissism of the 2020s, from the White House on up.
It is certainly true that popular music lyrics of the 1970s were not AS socially conscious as the 1960s. Still, as a 15-year-old in 1976, I can say with maximum sincerity that some of the music released that year impacted me in a profound way. I distinctly remember being mesmerized the first time I heard the title track of Jackson Browne's "The Pretender" album, especially these lines:
#48: Steve Miller Band. Fly Like An Eagle. Steve Miller is probably the greatest guitar player originally from the Milwaukee area not named Les Paul. In the 1960s he recorded a number of blues-inspired psychedelic records that attracted a loyal--if not large--following. He had a huge hit with 1973's "The Joker," and then became an international star with "Fly Like An Eagle." Most of the 12 songs received regular play on FM radio for decades. The title song is probably Miller's masterpiece, mixing a 1960's lyric consciousness with a clever use of electronics.
Steve Miller Band: Fly Like An Eagle
Miller had actually been performing the song as early as 1973. His appearance that year on the iconic Don Kirshner's Rock Concert is emblematic of a time when you could see a real rock jam on TV. Like, when people actually played the instruments and sang without auto tune.
#47: Daryl Hall and John Oates. Bigger Than Both Of Us. In 1976 I thought I was too cool to give this album a serious listen. As I got older and started to appreciate great singers, the album grew on me. In his prime, Daryl Hall really was one of the great soul singers of his generation, and with John Oates recorded a number of power pop songs that made top-40 radio much more tolerable than it is today. The iconic tune on this album, "Rich Girl," is the best example.
#46: Rod Stewart. A Night On The Town. This album included a number of hits mostly performed in Stewart's lusty 1970s persona, including "Tonight's the Night," "The First Cut is The Deepest," and "Pretty Flamingo." I didn't much care for most of that. However, what made this album stand out for me was and is the epic "The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)," a tragic tale of a gay man rejected by his family. It's one of the few songs that has almost brought me to tears pretty much every time I have heard it over the last 50 years.
Rod Stewart: The Killing of Georgie (Parts I and II)
#45: Blue Oyster Cult. Agents of Fortune. Not the band's best album, but it includes the iconic "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", and for that reason alone has to be on any "best of" 1976 list. P.S. The other really great song on this album is "The Revenge of Vera Gemini," featuring and co-written by a very young Patti Smith.
Blue Oyster Cult: Don't Fear The Reaper
#44: Thin Lizzy. Jailbreak. This was the 6th album released by the legendary Irish rockers, but their breakout hit in the States. "The Boys Are Back in Town," which dominated FM radio in '76, holds up pretty well all these years later.
Think Lizzy: The Boys Are Back in Town
#43: Led Zeppelin. Presence. Probably Zep's last truly great album of their classic period, solidifying Jimmy Page's reputation as the guitar riff master. Zep remained popular even as punk and new wave entered the scene, but after drummer John Bonham's death in 1980 the remaining band members refused to carry on.
Led Zeppelin: Nobody's Fault But Mine
#42: Aerosmith. Rocks. In 1976 a Zeppelin inspired band from Boston, Aerosmith, was also nearing the end of their classic period. For what it's worth, in 2003 Rolling Stone Magazine listed "Rocks" as the 176th greatest album of all time. In 2020 they knocked it down to 366.
#41: AC/DC. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. The legendary Australian rockers AC/DC released this album only in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand in 1976. It did not officially get issued in the US until 1981, though some of the songs made it to American radio way before then. The album features guitar hero Angus Young and lead singer Bon Scott in their energetic and sometimes hilarious prime. Whenever I hear President Orange talk about his big beautiful ballroom, I am immediately reminded of the song "Big Balls."
#40: America. Hideaway. After The Beatles broke up in 1969, the space was open for bands that could offer up catchy melodies and compelling vocal harmonies. Folk-rock-pop trio America was one band that filled that space in the 1970s. Most of their albums, including Hideaway, were produced by Beatles' producer George Martin, which helped magnify the connection.
Hideaway is probably one of America's most underrated albums, as it did not contain a bunch of AM radio hits. I do consider "Amber Cascades" to be one of the great songs of the 1970s, partly because it evokes a pre-digital age era sense of the mystery of nature. They just don't write 'em like that anymore.
#39: Bad Company. Run With The Pack. At the time, I thought this third studio album by Brit rockers Bad Company was disappointing compared to their first two. Over time it has grown on me, mostly because of Paul Rodgers' soulful vocals and the late Mick Ralphs' underrated guitar riffing. "Simple Man" was mellower than what was typical for the band at the time, but I think it belongs in the conversation as one of Company's really standout tunes.
#38: The Brothers Johnson. Look Out For #1. One of the greatest funk and R & B bands of all time. This album includes an ass-kicking version of the Beatles' "Come Together." And how can you not love "Get The Funk Out Ma Face."
The Brothers Johnson: Get the Funk Out Ma Face
#37: Jeff Beck. Wired. The second release in guitar hero Jeff Beck's jazz-rock fusion phase. Not as good as the previous year's "Blow By Blow," but has certainly stood the test of time.
#36: KISS. Destroyer. My favorite KISS album featuring the original lineup. Includes epics like "Detroit Rock City" and "God of Thunder," and the uncharacteristic-for-KISS ballad written by drummer Peter Criss, "Beth."
#35: Lynyrd Skynyrd. Gimme Back My Bullets. Definitive blues-rock from one of the iconic Southern bands of the 1970s. Gary Rossington and Allen Collins have to be in the conversation for greatest guitar duo of all time.
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Gimme Back My Bullets
#34: Electric Light Orchestra. A New World Record. If you forced me to name ONE band that kept the spirit of the Beatles alive in the 1970s, I would have to say ELO. Like the Fab Four, ELO found a way to make complex progressive rock into a commercial radio friendly feast. The song "Telephone Line" will always have a special place in the heart for all of us who remember what it was like to communicate on a telephone when the device did not also serve as an algorithmic nightmare of division and distraction.
#33: Boston. Boston. The debut album by the legendary arena rockers. Fans are still loyal to it: "More Than A Feeling" is one of the few hard rock songs of 1976 that today has over a billion streams on Spotify.
#32: Earth, Wind & Fire. Spirit. Another legendary group; a nine-piece band known for recording some of the most energetic and danceable tunes ever. Nothing on this album matches "Shining Star" for iconic status, but the song "Getaway" comes close.
#31: David Bowie. Station to Station. Glam rocker Bowie was always adept at adapting to the dominant musical trends of the time. This album is a worthwhile contribution to the funk vibes of the mid-1970s.
#30: Lou Reed. Coney Island Baby. Formerly of the iconic Velvet Underground, Lou Reed had a mixed solo career in the 1970s. "Coney Island Baby" was one of his high points: melodic, thoughtful, and with some of his greatest vocal performances.
#29. Tommy Bolin: Private Eyes. Tommy Bolin was only 25-years-old when he died from a drug overdose in December of 1976. In his short life he played lead guitar for iconic bands like The James Gang and Deep Purple, and also the guitar parts on Billy Cobham's groundbreaking jazz-rock epic "Spectrum." "Private Eyes" was his second solo album, and it solidified his place as one of the great guitar virtuosos of the era.
#28: Robin Trower. Long Misty Days. Speaking of guitar gods, they don't get much better than Robin Trower. "Long Misty Days" is one of the last recordings from his classic period, with bass player/vocalist James Dewar giving inspired performances that rival the spectacular guitar work of Trower. The song "Long Misty Days" is the definition of "epic."
#27: ZZ Top. Tejas. Like Robin Trower, the entire ZZ Top project of the 1970s was a tribute to the blues. "Tejas" is top-line ZZ Top, with blistering guitar and blues/funk/rock rhythms throughout.
#25: Peter Frampton. Frampton Comes Alive. It's hard to exaggerate how much this double-vinyl album dominated FM radio in 1976. Guitarist/vocalist Peter Frampton had been a member of the legendary Humble Pie, and had released an excellent solo album in 1975. Still, no one expected the live album to take off like it did. My theory is that Frampton filled the space left open by the Beatles; he had a kind of teen idol sex symbol persona at the time, much like the early Paul McCartney. It's almost unbelievable now, but Frampton's use of the guitar "talk box" on "Do You Feel Like We Do" was thought to be some super high tech achievement at the time.
Peter Frampton: Do You Feel Like We Do
- Celebration of the Music of 1972, Part 1
- Celebration of the Music of 1972, Part 2
- Celebration of the Music of 1973, Part 1
- Celebration of the Music of 1973, Part 2
- Celebration of the Music of 1974, Part 1
- Celebration of the Music of 1974, Part 2
- Celebration of the Music of 1975, Part 1
- Celebration of the Music of 1975, Part 2
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