1976: The Year In Music

1976 – Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs found Apple Computer. US Viking 1 becomes the first Mars landing. Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba. And some great music was released!

I’ll be looking at the popular and highest-rated songs / albums of the year, giving my opinions on their musicality and longevity as well as an overall verdict for the year as a whole.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Billboard Top 10 (Popular) Singles

Source: Wikipedia

10 – A Fifth of Beethoven (Walter Murphey & The Big Apple Band)

We’re entering the age of Disco, and I don’t know if I should be excited or terrified.

“A Fifth of Beethoven” can sound a little gimmick-y at points, but I like the slick groove.

9 – Love Is Alive (Gary Wright)

Maybe it’s because I haven’t been exposed to an ungodly amount of 70’s schlock yet, but “Love Is Alive” sounds fresher than I was expecting.

It’s not exactly ground-breaking, but I like the synths and the almost Peter Gabriel-esque vocals.

8 – 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (Paul Simon)

In the age of Disco, you can trust Paul Simon to deliver a no-nonsense classic.

That drum part already makes “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” iconic, but the lyrics and slick chorus are the icing on the cake.

7 – Love Machine (The Miracles)

It’s not the most memorable Miracles song, but “Love Machine” is decent.

6 – Kiss and Say Goodbye (The Manhattans)

I don’t like the whole minute of spoken-word to start the track, but otherwise “Kiss and Say Goodbye” is passable.

5 – Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry)

A funkier song doesn’t exist.

“Play That Funky Music” is a great tongue-in-cheek bop, with a fun bassline and woodwind bursts. It does have a cowbell, unfortunately, but I can usually pretend it isn’t there.

4 – December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) (The Four Seasons)

The first record my Dad ever bought with his own money as a wee lad, and he picked a good one to start with.

The Four Seasons’ style translates well to the 70’s, and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” has some gorgeous vocals and a great bridge.

3 – Disco Lady (Johnnie Taylor)

Probably the most dynamic and sonically interesting Disco song of the year.

2 – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (Elton John & Kiki Dee)

The ultimate duo karaoke song.

It’s simple, but “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” has two great performances from John and Dee that just work.

1 – Silly Love Songs (Wings)

Some of McCartney’s solo stuff can be hit of miss, but I’ve always found “Silly Love Songs” to be endearing.

It’s a cheeky nod to how McCartney was always the lovey-dubby songwriter, and the bassline is really cool.

FAVOURITE – “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” (Paul Simon)

LEAST FAVOURITE – “Kiss and Say Goodbye” (The Manhattans)

For the first time in ages, the “least favourite” hit of 1976 wasn’t actually that bad – the hits were pretty consistent across the board.

Top-Rated Songs

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

10 – Year Of The Cat (Al Stewart)

“Year Of The Cat” starts with a piano masterclass and keeps the tempo up from there.

Some of the stereo panning can be really annoying, but the songwriting and vocals make up for it.

9 – 2112: I. Overture / II. The Temples Of Syrinx / III. Discovery / IV. Presentation / V. Oracle: The Dream / VI. Soliloquy / VII. Grand Finale (Rush)

I hope to never type out the full title of this song again.

Rush have always been one of my favourite Prog Rock bands, and “2112” is one of their earliest gems. The 20-minute runtime doesn’t always justify its length, but it has its moments.

8 – More Than A Feeling (Boston)

I have a huge nostalgia for “More Than A Feeling” and I wasn’t even alive in the 70’s!

The vocals and guitar are massive, and that chorus is one of Rock’s best.

7 – I Wish (Stevie Wonder)

That opening riff is already fantastic, and I love the directions “I Wish” goes.

Wonder weaves a retrospective tale of childhood, and I really like the brass stabs in the chorus.

6 – Sir Duke (Stevie Wonder)

“Songs In The Key Of Life” has lots of Stevie Wonder hits, but “Sir Duke” continues to be the fan-favourite.

It’s not quite as hard-hitting as “I Wish”, but it continues to display Wonder’s talents for keyboard and songwriting.

5 – Achilles Last Stand (Led Zeppelin)

“Presence” isn’t known as one of Led Zeppelin’s iconic albums, but the first track “Achilles Last Stand” is a helluva opening statement.

The bass, drums and guitar are all frantic yet precise, and Robert Plant’s vocals are typically fantastical.

4 – Station To Station (David Bowie)

The 10-minute runtime may be off-putting to some, but I think “Station To Station” is one of music’s great album openers.

Bowie was in a dark phase of his life, but through his despair he managed to craft a nightmarish track that chugs along slowly at first before picking up to a feverish pace.

3 – (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult)

It might be ridiculed these days for its egregious cowbell, but “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult still slaps.

The guitar riffs are great, and the overlapping vocals add a nice urgency.

2 – Hotel California (Eagles)

People debate about what “Hotel California” is alluding to in its lyrics, whether it should be taken at face-value or if it’s an allegory for addiction, but everyone agrees that it’s an all-time great Rock epic.

The first half of the song has great worldbuilding and performances, and the second half with the furious guitar solos is extraordinary.

1 – Hurricane (Bob Dylan)

Don’t ask me how, but I’d never heard “Hurricane” until making this list. It’s a Bob Dylan classic!

His vocals and lyrics are as hard-hitting as usual, but the music packs more of a punch this time around.

BEST SONG OF 1976 – “Hotel California” (Eagles)

Top-Rated Albums

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

5 – The Royal Scam (Steely Dan)

“The Royal Scam” opens with “Kid Charlemagne” – my favourite Steely Dan song – so the album was already off to a good start.

I find Steely Dan to be one of the most underrated acts of the 70’s, and I liked pretty much every song here.

4 – Desire (Bob Dylan)

In my mind Dylan is a 60’s icon with a few great albums in the early 70’s – so I was surprised to see him still going strong in the latter half of the decade.

The opening track “Hurricane” is lauded for good reason, and I liked some of the others such as “One More Cup of Coffee” and “Sara”.

3 – The Modern Lovers (The Modern Lovers)

Hot take time – The Modern Lovers was all about that Proto-Punk / Velvet Underground style, which I’m not really a fan of.

There’s the occasional bright spot, but the lazy vocals and repetitive songwriting never endeared itself to me.

2 – Songs In The Key Of Life (Stevie Wonder)

A lot of times when artists make a double album you feel they’re adding filler songs to pad out the runtime, but I think Stevie Wonder could’ve made “Songs In The Key Of Life” a triple album and still had great music to spare.

There are too many classics here – my top five in no particular order are “Sir Duke”, “I Wish”, “As”, “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Another Star”.

1 – Station To Station (David Bowie)

I’ve tried to hide my Bowie bias during this musical retrospective, but now that we’ve reached “Station To Station” – my absolute favourite of his – I won’t be able to contain my admiration.

All six tracks are perfect. That’s the short and sweet answer. “Golden Years” remains a favourite, the title track is awe-inspiring, and the other four continue to surprise me with each listen.

BEST ALBUM OF 1976 – “Station To Station” (David Bowie)

Final Thoughts

1976 was consistently good across both the hits and high-rated music, and there were a few sparks of greatness throughout too.

Overall Grade: B

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: