150 Best Albums of 1976

The album that’s been on my shelves, in my collection, longest came out in 1976. But it’s not listed below — Not because I don’t think it’s great, but because like all greatest hits anthologies and archival reissues, Changesonebowie doesn’t qualify here. If I live long enough, those will somehow wind up on separate lists of some sort. Elvis Presley’s Sun Sessions, which topped Dave Marsh’s 1976 album list in The Book of Rock Lists, is missing for the same reason; likewise worthy 1976 best-ofs from Jim Croce, the Eagles, Grand Funk, the Monkees, Ohio Players, John Prine and Linda Ronstadt, and the risqué opium-den Tea Pad Songs Volume Two blues compilation on Stash Records.

So basically, to show up on these “Best of Whatever Year” lists, music needs to be (1) mainly previously unreleased, at least in the U.S., and (2) not too terribly old. But even those technicalities can get complicated. Like, what about The Modern Lovers, a debut LP recorded by Jonathan Richman’s band in 1971 and 1972, but not released until ’76? I decided to include it since a half-decade isn’t all that long, but I can’t guarantee I’d make the same judgment call in every other similar case. As for the filthy prison toasts and dozens collected on Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me: Narrative Poetry from the Black Oral Tradition, I’m not even sure when they were field-recorded. I stupidly sold my copy and its liner notes decades ago, and the album now goes for just under $1000 on Amazon. But with rap music on vinyl only three years away, the history this set captures feels at least as relevant to the near future as to the distant past.

History, as it turns out, was very much on America’s mind in 1976 — Or at least some antiseptic version of it was. From West Bloomfield High School’s student yearbook, two years before I graduated, preceding 15 sepia-tinted pages of photographs of the Michigan suburb changing through time, many courtesy the Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society: “In keeping with the Bicentennial year, this year’s Exodus will touch on a part of history. The focal point of this introduction will be West Bloomfield — Its past, its people, its progress.” Territory that starts out as farmland with dour old-fashioned settlers rocking on wooden porches grows to accommodate a McDonald’s, a Burger King, a 7 Eleven, Keego Theater and the Back Seat Saloon!

And what an awesome idea it was to stick the U.S. of A.’s 200^th birthday almost smack-dab in the middle of the silliest and most shameless (and – let’s not mince words here – probably best) decade for pop culture ever. Independence Days come and go, but never before or since has the celebration managed to last the entire year – non-stop detonation from cherry bombs bursting in air and afternoon-delight skyrockets in flight.

As on every 4th of July, my subdivision threw a huge party, kicking off with morning multi-generational softball games at the Green Elementary diamonds, followed by streamer-decorated bike parades and three-legged races and hot dog grillings, through which events grownups tended to get drunk or at least oblivious enough that teenagers could sneak a beer can or two from iced-down buckets then start shooting off M-80s and ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry bombs (hello Daddy, hello Mom) as soon as the sun went down. All this happened in North Potomac Green park, a generous topographical basin complete with bike paths and a creek that froze over for narrow winter hockey, downhill from our backyard at 4105 Old Dominion, not to mention from three or four excellent toboggan slopes. The Bicentennial Independence Day party, naturally, was the biggest ever. In my mind, at least, I’ve always marked it as the day I wasn’t a kid anymore.

Appropriately, a few albums near the bottom of my ’76 top 150 were meant as clear historical documents. In “last” place, the Wisconsin-based 1st Brigade Band, 3rd Division, 15th Army Corps, using “original instruments of the period,” devotes one side each to songs of the Union and of the Confederacy. A couple ladder-rungs up, on the only album I can think of with “Bicentennial” literally in its title, Richard Pryor commemorates “200 years of white folks kicking ass.” Later, while “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” blares in the background, he tells us Black humor was born on slave ships ( first punchline: “Yesterday I was a king!”) where 360 of 400 kidnapped Africans died on the way over and 20 more of disease after they got here. Conclusion: “I ain’t never gonna forget.”

There’s also a useful recording of Gunther Schuller conducting the New England Conservatory Country Fiddle Band playing “one hundred years of country dance music including the Revolutionary War Hit Song ‘On the Road to Boston.'” Reels, waltzes, schottisches, hornpipes, two-steps. Liner notes: “Probably the greatest benefit of our Bicentennial will turn out to be the discovery of the enormous diversity of American music throughout its more than 200-year history.” Well, that and Jimmy Carter I guess.

Anyway, add in Harmonica Frank Floyd and R. Crumb’s Cheap Suit Serenaders, and you’ve got centuries of musical muscle memory flexing simultaneously with the height of prog and glam (in England and Europe at least) and burgeoning evidence that disco and punk would be sticking around for the long haul. So naturally ear-to-the-ground music critics got all excited about, uh….Graham Parker?? Two of the top four albums in the Pazz & Jop poll, both not bad at all but neither as exciting as his third album that placed 19th in 1977, so, well, maybe you had to be there.  It’s a tastemaker mystery that’s never been fully explained to younger generations. And that goes quadruple for Andy Pratt, who is barely remembered at all but several years ago I figured out probably deserves some blame for inventing indie rock. (Proof, Rolling Stone Record Guide, first/red edition, 1978: “Pratt is a promising prodigy in the pop school headmastered by the Beatles and Beach Boys”; on his first album “his frail voice and occasionally cloying lyrics were emphasized by the tentative production”; Resolution [4 stars] is said to be “simultaneously pretty and melodically compelling, sincere and yet self-aware.”)

On the other hand, 23 of 1976’s P&J top 30 (albeit in vastly shuffled order) do finish amongst my top 150 below; if Brian Eno’s Another Green World hadn’t apparently technically come out in 1975, it’d be 24. In the end I decided third-place-P&J Jackson Browne couldn’t cut it, but then again neither could the Bay City Rollers (twice), Black Sabbath, Peter Frampton, Hall and Oates, Jethro Tull, Billy Joel, Elton John, Alan Parsons Project, Queen or Rush, none of whom placed in Pazz & Jop either — How’s that for seeing eye to eye? (Fun fact: The Rollers in ’76 brogued about being “Too Young to Rock & Roll”; Tull in ’76 pontificated about being “Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll, Too Young To Die.” In between those two off-limits demographics lies one sweet spot of a strike zone.)

More recent research finds: Debris’ from Oklahoma and Gasolin’ from Copenhagen both creatively used apostrophes, though only one’s use made actual sense. David Surkamp from Pavlov’s Dog, Jeff Pain from Mr. Big (not to be confused with the same-named ’80s hair-metallers) and Geddy Lee from Rush suggest 1976 might be considered the Year of Absurdly High-Pitched Rock-Male Vocal Squeal. Budgie, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band and the Bay City Rollers all tried to go disco, at least for a song or two. Dwight Twilley’s rockabilly revival sounds more glam rock than I ever would’ve guessed, and Suzi Quatro’s glam rock sounds more rockabilly than you ever might’ve guessed.

“Old World” by the Modern Lovers reminds me of Frank Kogan’s ’80s band Red Dark Sweet. Arlo Guthrie sounded more like Bob Dylan in 1976 than Bob Dylan did, but Dylan’s “Hurricane” into Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak” made for one heck of an accidental segue when I was shuffle-streaming my playlist of hundreds of ’76 songs last week. Lizzy’s “Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed” and Steve Miller’s “Take the Money and Run” (both sampled 42 times) triumph over Babe Ruth’s “Keep Your Distance” (20) in the hard rock hip-hop breakbeat of the year competition. (Well okay “Fly Like an Eagle” gets a whopping 152, “Hotel California” 29, Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise” 24 — thanks Coolio and Weird Al! — and Miller’s “Space Intro” 22. But I’m not convinced those count as either hard rock or breakbeats. If I missed any others, by all means clue me in.)

All through the Year of Al Stewart’s Cat, one aesthetic towered over the rest: Boogie! And by that, I mean both kinds: The disco species practiced by your boogie-fevered Sylvers and your boogie man K.C.’s Sunshine Band, and the rock variety that the boogie singer in Wild Cherry left behind when he opted to play that funky music as white boys do. In 1976, many a white boy, from Boz Scaggs to the Stones to Bowie, did just that.

Though back in those days, almost all hard rock no matter how glittered-out, from platinum-plated superheroes like Aerosmith and Zeppelin and Boston and Heart and Ted Nugent on down to high-school parking lot rumors like Starz and Angel and the Runaways and Earth Quake and Rex (fronted by future teen idol Rex Smith!), still had some boogie in it. AC/DC, who Americans still figured were a punk band, had more than just about anybody. Black-majority rock bands like Mother’s Finest, Marcus, the Jimmy Castor Bunch and Funkadelic proved equally adept at boogieing from both sides of the plate. Thin Lizzy, hard-boogieing Irish metal progenitors led by a Black soul man, knew America’s Bicentennial summer was imminent now that the boys were back in town. 

So that’s why 1976 will always rule. That jukebox in the corner, blastin’ out my favorite song. Started hummin’ a song from 1962. I see the dishes over there; they fill me with despair. I see my Marianne, walkin’ away. The kids are losing their minds. We can be like they are. You might not ever get rich, but let me tell you it’s better than digging a ditch. Mercy sakes alive, looks like we got us a convoy. This ain’t the summer of love, but it is a rollercoaster of love. You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave.

1. Michael Hurley/The Unholy Modal Rounders/Jeffrey Fredericks & the Clamtones Have Moicy! (Rounder)
2. Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band (RCA)
3. Aerosmith Rocks (Columbia)
4. Boney M Take the Heat Off Me (Atco)
5. Blue Öyster Cult Agents of Fortune (Columbia)
6. Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (Tamla)
7. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band Night Moves (Capitol)
8. Discomania 2 (Jukebox International)
9. Warren Zevon Warren Zevon (Asylum)
10. Thin Lizzy Jailbreak (Mercury)
11. Disco Tex and his Sex-O-Lettes Manhattan Millionaire (Chelsea)
12. Boston Boston (Epic)
13. Jorge Ben Africa Brasil (Philips)
14. AC/DC High Voltage (Atco)
15. Miles Davis Agharta (Columbia)
16. Dance Machine (K-Tel)
17. Blondie Blondie (Private Stock)
18. Rose Royce Best of Car Wash (MCA UK)
19. Led Zeppelin Presence (Swan Song)
20. Hit Power (Arcade Germany)
21. Yesterday and Today Yesterday and Today (London)
22. Crack the Sky Animal Notes (Lifesong)
23. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band Live Bullets (Capitol)
24. The Wild Tchoupitoulas The Wild Tchoupitoulas (Island)
25. The Jimmy Castor Bunch E-Man Groovin’ (Atlantic)
26. Automatic Man Automatic Man (Island)
27. Dwight Twilley Band Sincerely (Shelter/ABC)
28. Boz Scaggs Silk Degrees (Columbia)
29. The Modern Lovers The Modern Lovers (Home of the Hits)
30. Ramones Ramones (Sire)
31. Heart Dreamboat Annie (Mushroom)
32. Starz Starz (Capitol)
33. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band Roaring Silence (Bronze/Warner Bros.)
34. KC and the Sunshine Band Part 3 (TK)
35. Ted Nugent Free-For-All (Epic)
36. The Runaways The Runaways (Mercury)
37. Eagles Hotel California (Asylum)
38. ZZ Top Tejas (London)
39. Donna Summer A Love Trilogy (Oasis)
40. Truth and Janey No Rest for the Wicked (Montross)
41. Earth Quake 8.5  (Beserkley)
42. Penguin Cafe Orchestra Music From the Penguin Cafe (Obscure UK)
43. Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me: Narrative Poetry from the Black Oral Tradition (Rounder)
44. The Rolling Stones Black and Blue (Rolling Stones)
45. Sparks Big Beat (Columbia)
46. Tom T. Hall Faster Horses (Mercury)
47. Milton Nascimento Milton (A&M)
48. Big Youth Natty Cultural Dread (Trojan UK)
49. The Trammps Where the Happy People Go (Atlantic)
50. Marcus Marcus (United Artists) 
51. David Bowie Station to Station (RCA Victor)
52. Kevin Coyne In Living Black and White (Virgin)
53. The Steve Gibbons Band Any Road Up (MCA)
54. Gasolin’ What a Lemon/Gasolin’ (Epic)
55. Far East Family Band Parallel World (MU Land Japan)
56. Nils Lofgren Cry Tough (A&M)
57. Debris’ Debris’ (Static Disposal)
58. Henry Cow Concerts (Caroline UK)
59. L.T.D. Love to the World (A&M)
60. AC/DC Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Atlantic UK)
61. The Alpha Band The Alpha Band (Arista)
62. Dr. Aftershave and the Mixed Pickles For Missus Beastly (April Germany)
63. This is Reggae Music Volume 3 (Island)
64. Golden Earring To the Hilt (MCA)
65. Suzi Quatro Aggro-Phobia (RAK UK)
66. Steely Dan The Royal Scam (ABC)
67. Sweet Give Us a Wink (Capitol)
68. 15.69.75 The Numbers Band Jimmy Bell’s Still in Town (Water Bros.)
69. Steve Miller Band Fly Like an Eagle (Capitol)
70. Groundhogs Black Diamond (United Artists)
71. Judas Priest Sad Wings of Destiny (Janus)
72. Harmonica Frank Floyd Harmonica Frank Floyd (Adelphi)
73. Arlo Guthrie Amigo (Reprise)
74. Graham Parker and the Rumour Heat Treatment (Mercury)
75. Abba Arrival (Atlantic)
76. Be Bop Deluxe Sunburst Finish (Harvest)
77. Mother’s Finest Mother’s Finest (Epic)
78. Camel Moonmadness (Janus/GRT)
79. Thin Lizzy Johnny the Fox (Mercury)
80. Augustus Pablo King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown (Yard Jamaica)
81. Hawkwind Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music (Charisma UK)
82. Funkadelic Hardcore Jollies (Westbound)
83. Van Der Graaf Generator World Record (Mercury)
84. Budgie If I Were Britannia I’d Waive the Rules (A&M)
85. Al Stewart Year of the Cat (Janus)
86. Mr. Big Photographic Smile (Arista)
87. The Tubes Young and Rich (A&M)
88. Elliott Murphy Night Lights (RCA Victor)
89. Pavlov’s Dog At the Sound of the Bell (Columbia)
90. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band SAHB Stories (Mountain UK)
91. Graham Parker Howlin’ Wind (Mercury)
92. Magma Üdü Wüdù (Tomato)
93. Le Disco Album (Barclay France)
94. Millie Jackson Free and in Love (Spring)
95. Foxy Foxy (Dash)
96. Chilliwack Dreams. Dreams, Dreams (Mushroom)
97. Good Rats Ratcity in Blue (Ratcity/Platinum)
98. Norman Connors You Are My Starship (Buddah)
99. Silver Convention Madhouse (Midland International)
100. Sailor Trouble (Epic)
101. Puhdys Sturmvogel (Amiga GDR)
102. Piper Piper (A&M)
103. R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders Number 2 (Blue Goose)
104. Bob Dylan Desire (Columbia)
105. Max’s Kansas City 1976 (Ram)
106. Patti Smith Group Radio Ethiopia (Arista)
107. Kate & Anna McGarrigle Kate & Anna McGarrigle (Warner Bros.)
108. Point Blank Point Blank (Arista)
109. Genesis A Trick of the Tail (Atco)
110. David Allan Coe Longhaired Redneck (Columbia)
111. Rod Stewart A Night on the Town (Warner Bros.)
112. Michael Mantler The Hapless Child and Other Inscrutable Stories (Watt)
113. Van Der Graaf Generator Still Life (Mercury)
114. Ian Hunter All-American Alien Boy (Columbia)
115. Nazareth Close Enough for Rock ’N’ Roll (A&M)
116. Paris Paris (Capitol)
117. Angel Helluva Band (Casablanca)
118. Ray Barretto Barretto Live: Tomorrow (Atlantic)
119. D.C. Larue Cathedrals (Pyramid)
120. Rex Rex (Columbia)
121. The Mighty Diamonds Right Time (Virgin)
122. Dirty Tricks Night Man (Polydor) 
123. Parliament The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein (Casablanca)
124. Be Bop Deluxe Modern Music (Harvest)
125. Electric Light Orchestra A New World Record (Jet)
126. Joni Mitchell Hejira (Asylum)
127. Deaf School 2nd Honeymoon (Warner Bros.)
128. Burning Spear Garvey’s Ghost (Island)
129. Slik Slik (Arista)
130. The Babys The Babys (Chrysalis)
131. Streetwalkers Red Card (Mercury)
132. Amon Düül II Pyragony X (Nova Germany)
133. Babe Ruth Kid’s Stuff (Capitol)
134. The Manhattans The Manhattans (Columbia)
135. Artful Dodger Honor Among Thieves (Columbia)
136. Pussycat First of All (EMI/Electrola Netherlands)
137. C.W. McCall Wilderness (Polydor)
138. Goblin Roller (Cinevox Italy)
139. D.C. Larue The Tea Dance (Pyramid)
140. Head East Get Yourself Up (A&M)
141. Dorothy Moore Misty Blue (Malaco)
142. Gunther Schuller Country Fiddle Band (Columbia Masterworks)
143. The Residents The Third Reich ’N’ Roll (Ralph)
144. Derringer Derringer (Blue Sky)
145. Lynyrd Skynyrd Gimme Back My Bullets (MCA)
146. Richard Pryor Bicentennial N****r (Warner Bros.)
147. Loretta Lynn When the Tingle Becomes a Chill (MCA)
148. Starbuck Moonlight Feels Right (Private Stock)
149. Larry Norman In Another Land (Solid Rock)
150. 1st Brigade Band Rally ‘Round the Flag (Heritage Military Music Foundation)