February 27, 2026 by A.S. Van Dorston

Revisiting favorite albums that are 50 years old this year.

For a long time there was a false narrative that rock was stale and stagnant in 1976. Part of that was based on the presumption that bands should self-destruct after a certain number of years or albums like the Beatles, rather than persevere like the Who and Rolling Stones. I bet no one predicted both would still be toddlin’ along an additional half century later. While it’s true that a number of bands past album number six were past their peak, there were plenty more just getting started, and artists like David Bowie reinventing himself nearly every album. And despite the whingeing about “dinosaurs,” those bands were selling out tours and making more money than ever.

Best Sellers

Eagles – Hotel California (42 million)
Boston – Boston (24 M)
Jean-Michel Jarre – Oxygene (18 M)
Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive! (17 M)
Bob Seger – Night Moves (6.3 M)
ABBA – Arrival (6.2 M)
Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (6.2 M)
Boz Scaggs – Silk Degrees (5.4 M)
Bob Seger – Live Bullet (5.2 M)
Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson – A Star is Born (4.9 M)
Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same (4.8 M)
Steve Miller Band – Fly Like an Eagle (4.3 M)
Aerosmith – Rocks (4.2 M)

However, there’s a divergence that’s starting, where you don’t find the best music by chasing the corporate-backed best sellers, but looking between the cushions and under the couch. The best album of the year was recorded as demos in 1972 and nearly forgotten. The most interesting things were happening under the radar. Genres were starting to split into a wider variety of styles. Heavy metal (Judas Priest), punk (Ramones) and new wave (Blondie and the CBGBs scene) were just getting started, jazz fusion was still flourishing outside of the mainstream, and prog didn’t die, it was just vacationing in Italy. While mainstream pop and American AOR rock mostly sold escapism, Jamaican reggae and the early stirrings of U.K. punk (Sex Pistols‘ single “Anarchy in the UK”) dealt more directly with political realities.

Okay, cocaine and disco did have some things to answer for. Both ruined a few lives, but also toonced up the careers of bands like the Bee Gees. Disco never went away, morphing into a wide array of electronic dance subgenres.

Genre

While Hard Rock was going strong, Reggae was at an absolute peak, with literally hundreds of great albums released, more than anyone will ever hear, as dozens of masters are completely lost. Jamaica was a poor country in a violent period, and the chaos resulted in immeasurable losses, which is why we should cherish what is available.

Comeback

Justin Hinds & the Dominoes released a string of essential singles from 1964-71, spanning ska, rocksteady and reggae. They were just as important to Jamaican music as Bob Marley & the Wailers and Toots & the Maytals. But they went quiet during a key period for roots reggae in 1972-75, releasing only one single, “Sinners (Where Are You Gonna Hide) / If It’s Love You Need”) in 1974. This was due to their loyalty to the producer and mentor Duke Reid of Treasure Island records, who became terminally ill with cancer. Hinds was technically released from contract in 1972, but he stayed by Reid’s side until his death in 1975. Treasure Island was sold to Sonia Pottinger, who made a licensing deal with Island, and the group triumphantly emerged with their first full length album, Jezebel, produced by Lawrence “Jack Ruby” Lindo, which positively glowed with sorrow and joy, one of the most beautiful, gently spiritual recordings ever. Part of the magic was thanks to the Black Disciples, known for their work with Burning Spear, and their distinctly country roots flavor. The Ocho Rios Wrecking Crew included Robbie Shakespeare, Earl “Chinna” Smith, Tony Chin and a five piece horn section with Alpha Boys School alumni Bobby Ellis, Vin Gordon, Herman Marquis and Dirty Harry.

Debut

Modern Lovers was technically an archival release, with the band already folded two years previously, but still a holy grail of underground proto-punk. Active since 1964, Justin Hinds & the Dominoes focused on singles until this year. Also Ramones, Moxy, Boston, Triumph and Starz.

Memoriam

Livin’ hard and dying too young, both Paul Kossoff and Tommy Bolin were only 25.

Howlin’ Wolf (65), Chris Kenner (46), Vince Guaraldi (47), Florence Ballard (The Supremes, 32), Paul Kossoff (Free, 25), Phil Ochs (35), Keith Relf (Yardbirds, Rennaissance, 33), Johnny Mercer (66), Jimmy Reed (50), Tommy Bolin (Deep Purple, Moxy, 25).

Underrated

Again, Justin Hinds & the Dominoes. I will broadcast this until I’m dead, and probably program an AI bot to continue to evangelize about Hinds after that. Also, why the actual fuck are Thin Lizzy and UFO still not inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

Disappointment

Funkadelic released two albums this year, but neither were up to snuff to the perfection of their run of albums from 1970-75. It was the drugs, without a doubt, which was responsible for the slip in quality of many albums this year, from Black Sabbath to T. Rex and Marvin Gaye.

Surprise

Having turned seven in July of that year, I wasn’t exactly in tune with everything happening in the music world. Yet. I wouldn’t hear the Ramones or Modern Lovers for a few more years, and wouldn’t know that Judas Priest released the first TRU heavy metal album that year until after British Steel (1980).

Fester’s Lucky 13 – The Best Albums of 1976

1. The Modern Lovers – The Modern Lovers (Berserkely)

My first exposure to The Modern Lovers was probably the Burning Sensations’ cover of “Pablo Picasso” in the Repo Man (1984) soundtrack. However, it was when I first heard the count-off to “Roadrunner” that I was hooked, amazed that such a song wasn’t already iconic and known by everyone. It was, of course, to a lot of musicians. Sex Pistols performed covers of it, as did The Jazz Butcher in 1984, and Joan Jett the next year. It’s fitting that Jonathan Richman, Boston’s number one Velvet Underground fan as a teen, wrote an underground classic to rival “Sweet Jane,” and that John Cale produced their demos starting in 1972. Richman was, by all accounts, difficult, and an official album was never recorded. But it turns out those demos sounded perfect for the band’s (which included future Cars drummer David Robinson and Talking Heads keyboardest Jerry Harrison) stripped down style. By the time it was released in 1976, the band had been broken up for over two years, and Richman’s solo work was practically children’s nursery rhymes. Those who only knew him for that work, and his later cameos in Something About Mary (1998) might be surprised by Richman’s darkness and anger on songs like “Astral Plain,” “She Cracked,” and “Hospital.” Even his messages about positivity (“Modern World”), clean living (“I’m Straight”) and nostalgia (“Old World”) were laced by angry defiance, not to mention a deep hatred of smug hippies, that the punks related to on this album’s release.

#1 Albums: RYM – Stevie Wonder, Acclaimed – Ramones, AOTY – Stevie Wonder

2. Electric Light Orchestra – A New World Record (Jet)

Probably the first perfect 10/10 album I owned, I never got sick of this. This is when ELO’s experimentation on the first several albums paid off and they locked in to their signature sound, the strings fused with the rock instrumentation into a seamless whole, studio wizardry creating sheer euphoria. Even on our shitty Montgomery Ward stereo it sounded huge, with catchy choruses and joyous, sweeping melodies. Half the album charted as hit singles, and the rest should have been hits, like my favorite deep cut, “So Fine.” Richard Tandy’s ridiculous rinky-dink synth solo using Minimoog and ARP 2600 is priceless, as is the gradual re-introduction of percussion, keyboards and strings, with the band taking full flight once again. So good. And the transition, carrying the orchestral riff via violin into “Livin’ Thing” was so compelling, many DJs played both tracks in sequence. There’s not a weak track here, and anyone who doesn’t like “Rockaria!” is dead inside forever.

3. Justin Hinds & The Dominoes – Jezebel (Island)

Having been a key player in Jamaican music since the early 60s ska days (remember “Carry Go Bring Home”?), Justin Hinds made an astounding comeback in Jezebel. His soft voice was more rich and soulful than ever, and despite the cheap and quick recording conditions most 70s reggae musicians who weren’t Bob Marley had to deal with, it sounded perfect. From the rousing “Fire,” the remake of “Carry Go Bring Home,” the rollicking “Dip and Fall Back” and the rootsy “Prophecy,” this is tremendously spiritual, uplifting music. The best track, “Spotlight,” is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. It’s ironic that this album was neglected by Island, who did not promote it and even misspelled Hinds’ name on the cover. While they were busy extending Marley’s world domination, Justin Hinds created an album that surpasses nearly all of Marley’s.

Roots Reggae | RYM #248

4. Neu! – Neu! 75 (Brain)

As great as many albums were from 1975, very few escaped that faint whiff of stale gatefold weed and basement mildew. True to their name, Neu! is one still looks and sounds like the future. The minimalist spray-painted logo design of white on black, the succinct song titles, the fat free tracklist. When a bunch of bands discovered kosmische musik and the motorik beat in the ’90s, most of them were directly referencing Neu! Their third album encapsulates their three primary groundbreaking styles. Unfortunately the flow is interrupted by the fact that the duo of Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger split up, and each worked on a side to fulfill label obligations. When I sequence it, the album is bookended at the start (Rother’s “Isi”) and finish (Dinger’s “E-Musik”) each with their version of their famous motorik riddim. Sandwiched inside is the crunchy layer of Dinger’s chugging proto-punk (“After Eight” and “Hero”) with the nastiest vocals anyone’s heard before Johnny Rotten and Chrome. He would go on to expand on this with his brother Thomas in La Düsseldorf. The creamy center consists of Rother’s dreamy ambient space rock (“Seeland” and “Leb’ Wohl”) which he’d continue with a series of fantastic solo albums that integrate his guitar with synths and languid new age.

Kosmische, Ambient, Proto-Punk, Space Rock | RYM #15 | Acclaimed #23 | AOTY #17

5. Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak (Mercury)

Thin Lizzy’s sixth album was originally envisioned as a full-blown science fiction rock opera inspired by The Kryptonian Phantom Zone from the DC comics universe. As many ambitious songwriters have realized, it’s a tough task to write lyrics around a unified theme, so only “Warriors” and “Emerald” relate to the concept, with the latter shifting from a SF setting to ancient Ireland. Nevertheless, a narrative about The Warrior, Dimension 5 and the alien Overmaster was included on the back cover, with the front featuring a comic illustration by Jim Fitzpatrick, inspired by Neal Adams’ work for DC comics. It may not have held together as a concept album, but it was the band’s breakthrough, with THAT single (morphed from the anti-war “GI Joe”) getting ubiquitous airplay over the subsequent half century. So much so that most people only know them for that song, which is a fucking travesty, as this is one of the best rock albums of all time.

Hard Rock | RYM #18 | Acclaimed #11 | AOTY #17

6. Rainbow – Rising (Polydor)

This album isn’t heavy metal. The only album that fits that description in ’76 is Sad Wings of Destiny. And that’s A-OK. While it is equal parts prog and hard rock, the secret sauce here is not Ritchie Blackmore and his arsenal of riffs. It’s Ronnie James MFin’ DIO. At this point he’d been a professional musician for two decades, and his band Elf opening for Deep Purple on a U.S. tour opened the gates to Eden/Hell for him. After warming up with the previous album, this is DIO in his full-throated glory, introducing epic fantasy sword & sorcery lyrics to rock that would become the blueprint for power metal. This ain’t quite heavy metal, and yet DIO was already on his way to becoming the Grandaddy of metal, the quintessential metal singer. I love this nearly as much as his debut with Black Sabbath, and definitely more than anything by Deep Purple.

7. Fela Kuti and Afrika 70 – Zombie (Barclay)

There’s a number of great examples in the King of Afrobeat’s catalog where he bravely satirizes and taunts the military dictatorship during a highly volatile period of multiple coups and corruption, along with his views on drugs (Fela would often perform shows adorned with only tighty-whities and a spliff as big as a baby’s arm). Zombie just happens to have enough vivid imagery and grooves that help it stand out among the dozens of albums, which have all been reissued multiple times and have been easily available since the late 90s. The genre he and his musical director, drummer Tony Allen, created is more popular than ever, with dozens of bands across the globe dedicated to playing it. More people are familiar with Fela and Afrobeat now more than ever.

Afrobeat | Jazz-Funk | RYM #7 | Acclaimed #18 | AOTY #19

8. Max Romeo & the Upsetters – War Ina Babylon (Mango)

This album marks the start of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s artistic peak as a producer, the first in the “holy trinity” of classics he made for Island records, recorded at his backyard Black Art studio, which would also include Junior Murvin’s Police and Thieves and The Heptones’ Party Time from the following year. The Congos stayed underground due to conflict with Chris Blackwell, leading Perry to self-release that one. Perry produced a few tracks for Max Romeo’s Revelation Time (1975), helping him transition from slack to roots reggae. He helped Romeo fine tune his songwriting and ideas, leading to this masterpiece. The title track was initially the most well known, capturing the dark tribal war atmosphere during the Jamaican elections, with the swampy, dense textures accented with Perry’s signature echoes. “One Step Forward” and “Uptown Babies Don’t Cry” are perfect examples of Romeo’s conscious lyrics. All the tracks are top choons, feeling like a greatest hits collection, but “Chase the Devil” in particular has become a fan favorite, sampled by The Prodigy in “Out of Space.” Dub versions of the title track and “Chase the Devil” appeared on Perry’s own album that year, Super Ape, as “Black Vest” and “Croaking Lizard,” the latter with toasting from Prince Jazzbo.

Roots Reggae | Dub | RYM #40 | Acclaimed #56 | AOTY #37

9. Ramones – Ramones (Sire)

Hey ho, let’s go! 14 songs in 29 minutes, melodic bubblegum pop wrapped in buzzsaw guitars at breakneck (for the day) speed. It’s so gloriously simple and obvious in hindsight, but thank the demon lords lurking in the sewers of New Yawk City for the Ramones. No, rock wasn’t broken or stale or needed saving, but it certainly didn’t hurt to add some snotty attitude and hilarious lyrics about beating on brats with baseball bats (oh yeah!), sniffing glue and being afraid to go down to the basement (daddy-o). There’s also a darker side (more than destroying brain cells on glue) about hustling on 53rd and 3rd. Of the original CBGBs bands (Television, Patti Smith, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Blondie), Ramones were the primary band to ignite the punk movement. They were economical, keeping most songs at two chords, but with liberal use of melodies. Not every track is perfect, but it was over, often within two minutes, before you had a chance to get sick of it. Of course they’d inspire hundreds of bands — they showed that you didn’t have to have jazz fusion chops and be able to shred or jam to create high energy, fun music. Pity the sad bastards who would begrudge anyone of such a gift of simple pleasures.

Punk | Power Pop | RYM #41 | Acclaimed #1 | AOTY #59

10. AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Albert Productions)

This was AC/DC’s third Australian album, and the first consistently great one, setting the blueprint for the rest of their career. The songs were actually recorded in 1976 as opposed to the U.S. compilation of the two ’75 albums, High Voltage. This ain’t the one that was reissued in the U.S. in ’81 with the Hipgnosis cover, cuz that’s missing “Jailbreak,” which is an essential track. From the title track to “Ain’t No Fun (Waitin’ Around to be a Millionaire),” and the classic “Problem Child,” this is essential grimy, grubby rock ‘n’ roll for the dirt bag in all of us.

Hard Rock | Blues Rock | Rock & Roll | RYM #493 | AOTY #77

11. Thin Lizzy – Johnny The Fox (Vertigo)

This band was blazing in ’76, smack in the middle of their imperial period with Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson gelled as an ass-whuppin’ twin guitar machine. After releasing their sixth and best album Jailbreak in March, they struck again in October with their seventh album. The songs were gushing from Phil Lynott, so best not turn off the hose. While “Don’t Believe a Word” is a brilliant song, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the previous album. But it’s just a thoroughly consistent, enjoyable album from the funk rock of “Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed,” “Borderline,” “Johnny,” and the smokin’ “Massacre,” maintaining enough continuity with Jailbreak that it could have been a double album. Now that I think about it, that might have been a great idea, as this album was long underrated due to it’s lack of big singles, and people seemed to often give double albums more attention. Maybe in that alternative timeline they’d have been inducted into the Hall of Fame back in 1996 when they shoulda been.

Hard Rock | Funk Rock | RYM #71 | AOTY #82

12. UFO – No Heavy Petting (Chrysalis)

Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris cited UFO has his biggest influence. Eddie Van Halen was a fan, as was Metallica. Guitarist Michael Schenker is a legend, influencing Randy Rhoads, Slash, Dimebag Darrell, Dave Mustaine, George Lynch and many more. Their albums were stuffed with great tunes, riffs and melodies, and yet they’ve never even been nominated even once for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. One of the Hall’s biggest, most shameful ball drops, along with Thin Lizzy. Of their run of five classic albums from 1974-78, this album is perhaps the best sequenced, from the swaggering, almost Southern Rock “Natural Thing” to shoulda been radio hit “I’m a Loser” and blazing “Can You Roll Her.” “Belladonna” is a deceptively mellow nearly-ballad that simmers and feels more significant just like the best work of Free. The rest is all killer, no filler. While I like the Hipgnosis covers, I feel that they dumped their weirdest, most off-putting experiments onto UFO which may have hurt their mainstream marketability. Who the frick knows why they weren’t crossover superstars, it’s one of rock’s greatest mysteries.

Hard Rock | Proto-Metal | RYM #100 | AOTY #160

13. The Abyssinians – Satta Massagana (Penetrate)

For those who love dark, ethereal, haunting three-part vocal harmonies and Nyahbinghi drumming of The Congos, The Abyssinians totally scratch that itch. And for those interested in its spiritual roots, “Satta Massagana” is a Rastafarian hymn that Bernard Collins and the Manning brothers had first recorded in 1969 at Clement Dodd’s Studio One–sung in Amharic, a devotion to Jah, as well as desire for repatriation to Zion. It was a significant early influence in the roots movement, moving away from overtly American soul and close harmonies influences to a more distinct cultural identity. The rest of the album is just as spiritual and mesmerizing, including the iconic “Declaration of Rights.” Heady stuff for a time when most Jamaican people were still struggling with colonialism in a turbulent and violent era. Further proof 1976 was the peak year for reggae when one of the all-time great reggae albums isn’t even the best that year.

Roots Reggae | RYM #52 | Acclaimed #54 | AOTY #76

Mix: Tida l | Spotify

The Modern Lovers – The Modern Lovers
Electric Light Orchestra – A New World Record
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes – Jezebel
David Bowie – Station To Station
Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak
Rainbow – Rising
Fela Kuti – Zombie | Bandcamp
Max Romeo & the Upsetters – War Ina Babylon
Ramones – Ramones
AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Thin Lizzy – Johnny The Fox
UFO – No Heavy Petting
The Abyssinians – Satta Massagana
Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life
Patti Smith Group – Radio Ethiopia
Joni Mitchell – Hejira
Led Zeppelin – Presence
Rush – 2112
Judas Priest – Sad Wings Of Destiny | Bandcamp
Moxy – Moxy
Sweet – Give Us A Wink
Angel – Helluva Band
Scorpions – Virgin Killer
AC/DC – High Voltage
Leroy Brown & His Defence Force – Prayer of Peace
Toots & the Maytals – Reggae Got Soul
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Rastaman Vibration
Be-Bop Deluxe – Sunburst Finish
Boston – Boston
Triumph – Triumph
Starz – Starz
Artful Dodger – Honor Among Thieves
Genesis – A Trick Of The Tail
City Boy – Dinner At The Ritz
Be-Bop Deluxe – Modern Music
Bunny Wailer – Blackheart Man
Bob Andy – The Music Inside Me
Henri Texier – Amir
Lee Perry & The Upsetters – Super Ape
Cluster – Sowiesoso
Black Sabbath – Technical Ecstasy
T. Rex – Futuristic Dragon
Rico – Man From Wareika
Peter Tosh – Legalize It
Ted Nugent – Free-For-All
Yesterday and Today – Yesterday and Today
Blondie – Blondie
Point Blank – Point Blank
Robin Trower – Long Misty Days
Terry Reid – Seed Of Memory
Ian Hunter – All American Alien Boy
The Gladiators – Trenchtown Mix Up
The Mighty Diamonds – Right Time
The Skatalites Meet King Tubby – Herb Dub – Collie Dub
Third World – Third World
La Düsseldorf – La Düsseldorf
Warren Zevon – Warren Zevon
Camel – Moonmadness
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
ZZ Top – Tejas
Horslips – The Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony
The Flamin’ Groovies – Shake Some Action
Popol Vuh – Letzte Tage, Letzte Nächte
The Meditations – Message From The Meditations
Genesis – Wind & Wuthering
Van Der Graaf Generator – Still Life
Jon Anderson – Olias of Sunhillow
Tom Waits – Small Change | Bandcamp
Graham Parker – Howlin’ Wind
Harry Mudie – Harry Mudie Meets King Tubby In Dub Conference, Vol. 1
Gary Stewart – Steppin’ Out
Klaus Schulze – Moondawn
Johnny Clarke – Rockers Time Now
Tangerine Dream – Stratosfear
King Tubby & Yabby You – King Tubby’s Prophecy Of Dub
Joan Armatrading – Joan Armatrading
10cc – How Dare You!
Graham Parker and The Rumour – Heat Treatment
J.J. Cale – Troubadour
Burning Spear – Man In The Hills
Delroy Wilson – Sarge
Return To Forever – Romantic Warrior
Tom Zé – Estudando O Samba
Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygene
Shakti with John Mclaughlin – Shakti with John Mclaughlin
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Gimme Back My Bullets
Yabby You – Chant Down Babylon Kingdom
Duke Ellington – The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
Aerosmith – Rocks
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band – Night Moves
Van Der Graaf Generator – World Record
Heldon – Un Rêve Sans Conséquence Spéciale | Bandcamp
Jah Lion – Colombia Colly
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band – SAHB Stories
Parliament – The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein
Heldon – Agneta Nilsson | Bandcamp
Steely Dan – The Royal Scam
Al Stewart – Year of the Cat
The Heptones – Night Food
Moxy – Moxy II

See full list here.

Breakdown: Genre Lists

As always, you can deep dive any of these these genres with the list search. While previously I had limited an album to one genre list, it didn’t accurately reflect the multi-genre nature of many of these albums. So this year an album will show up in multiple lists. I have a widget that automatically pulls from the database, so as albums are added and moved around in the future, this will reflect it.

Psychedelic, Prog Pop & Psych Prog

Formed in 1975, Angel’s mix of hard rock, prog and glam was fully formed when they were storming the clubs in the Washington D.C. area, all members clad in celestial white. KISS’ Gene Simmons was a fan, and relentlessly pushed Casablanca to sign them. They eventually did, on the condition that they not open for KISS, as Gene thought they were too good and would blow them off the stage. Obviously their stage performance could not compete with KISS, but their musicianship and songwriting was pretty stellar. Casablanca was still struggling a bit when their released their self-titled debut, but after KISS Alive, they were flush with cash and had no excuse not to properly promote their second album. In a year full of epic length singles like “Blinded by the Light” and “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” their 8:40 long masterpiece “The Fortune” shoulda been a hit. At least they have a cult following that has fanned the flames of their legacy.

Hard Rock | Prog | Glam | AOR | RYM #444

Guitar virtuoso Bill Nelson of Be-Bop Deluxe could deftly navigate between glam, pop rock, prog and metal, sometimes within the same song. He could do everything but write a hit, until the gorgeous “Ships In The Night,” from his band’s third album. He followed it up with Modern Music in October of that same year, which offered more futuristic, glammy prog pop that was just as great, but lacked a single. Drastic Plastic (1978) was also solid, delving in a mix of new wave and art rock, but did not sell. The band broke up, and Nelson pursued a more experimental/avant direction in his solo career.

Art Rock | Glam | Prog | RYM #298 | AOTY #12

Electric Light Orchestra – A New World Record (Jet) | UK
Led Zeppelin – Presence (Swan Song) | UK
Angel – Helluva Band (Casablanca) | USA
Be-Bop Deluxe – Sunburst Finish (EMI) | UK
Genesis – A Trick Of The Tail (Atlantic) | UK
City Boy – Dinner At The Ritz (Vertigo) | UK
Be-Bop Deluxe – Modern Music (EMI) | UK
Popol Vuh – Letzte Tage, Letzte Nächte (United Artists) | Germany
Genesis – Wind & Wuthering (Charisma) | UK
10cc – How Dare You! (Mercury) | UK
Steely Dan – The Royal Scam (MCA) | USA
Al Stewart – Year of the Cat (RCA) | USA
Frob – Frob (ML) | Germany | Bandcamp

Kosmische & Space Rock

Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius changed their sound quite a bit from their first two albums (not counting earlier works as Kluster) to the pure electronic sugar of Zuckerzeit (1974 – the title means “Sugartime”). Sowiesoso continues the tasty melodies and textures. While it didn’t have quite the same revelatory impact on the likes of David Bowie and Brian Eno as the previous album, it’s a must have for fans of the groundbreaking group.

Kosmische, Electronic, Progressive Electronic, Ambient | RYM #90 | AOTY #29

David Bowie – Station To Station (RCA) | UK
Cluster – Sowiesoso (Sky) | Germany
La Düsseldorf – La Düsseldorf (Radar) | Germany
Popol Vuh – Letzte Tage, Letzte Nächte (United Artists) | Germany
Klaus Schulze – Moondawn (Universal) | Germany
Tangerine Dream – Stratosfear (Virgin) | Germany
Frob – Frob (ML) | Germany | Bandcamp
Stomu Yamashta, Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve – Go (Universal) | Japan/UK
Lightshine – Feeling (Treflton) | Germany
Can – Flow Motion (Spoon) | Germany | Bandcamp
Steve Hillage – L (Virgin) | UK
Cybotron – Cybotron (Clear Light of Jupiter) | Australia
Pyramid – Pyramid (Pyramid) | Germany | Bandcamp

Prog

The story of Rush’s fourth album is well known. After growing success with the first two albums, Caress of Steel was a bit of a dud. Their label gave them the ultimatum to get more commercial or they’d be dropped. Instead, they doubled down and featured a side-long prog epic. Honestly there isn’t any track here that surpasses “Finding My Way,” “Working Man” and “Anthem,” but they perform with such a raw, angry energy that fans bought in big time, giving Rush the freedom to do whatever the hell they wanted for the rest of their career. This album can also be credited, or blamed, for inventing prog metal.

The narrative has changed regarding this album over time. For a while it was considered a hard fall from their classic run of six albums. But now it’s more just a gentle downturn after a towering peak, and plenty of fans even prefer this to one or two of their earlier classics. It just depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a swaggering Robert Plant in his golden god era, this isn’t it. Wheelchair bound during these recording sessions, he’s more subdued, but also more emotionally nuanced. But man, Jimmy Page’s guitar tones and riffs are fantastic, and an influence on an unlikely range of musicians including post-punk and noise rock. Bonham and Jones are locked in too, so while there are no radio hits here, “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” and “Achilles Last Stand” are now top tier tracks in their catalog.

Hard Rock | Blues Rock | Prog | RYM #512 | AOTY #153

Rainbow – Rising (Polydor) | UK
Led Zeppelin – Presence (Swan Song) | UK
Rush – 2112 (Mercury) | Canada
Judas Priest – Sad Wings Of Destiny (Columbia) | UK | Bandcamp
Triumph – Triumph (Attic) | Canada
Genesis – A Trick Of The Tail (Atlantic) | UK
Camel – Moonmadness (Decca) | UK
Horslips – The Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony (DJM) | Ireland
Genesis – Wind & Wuthering (Charisma) | UK
Van Der Graaf Generator – Still Life (Charisma) | UK
Jon Anderson – Olias of Sunhillow (Atlantic) | UK
Tangerine Dream – Stratosfear (Virgin) | Germany
Return To Forever – Romantic Warrior (Polydor) | USA

Glam

Despite the fact that their bubblepunk singles of the early 70s were as hard as they were chewy, Sweet found themselves in the annoying position as the whipping boys of the glam scene, due to their initial reliance on songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. The band wrote their own B-sides, and even the singles started to get harder, like “Blockbuster,” “Hell Raiser” and “Ballroom Blitz.” Snubbed by fellow musicians such as Bryan Ferry, Bowie and Marc Bolan, they thought Robert Plant was taking the piss when he said “Ballroom Blitz” was one of Led Zep’s favorite records. While the only single on this album was the career peak of “Action,” it focuses on Andy Scott’s great guitar playing, rewarding riff riding fans in the UK, and the handful of Americans in the know. “Lies in Your Eyes,” “Cockroach,” most of the tracks retain a high killer to filler ratio. So for those who still need a reminder, Sweet rocks harder than an everlasting gobstopper.

Glam | Hard Rock | Proto-Metal | RYM #178

Sweet – Give Us A Wink (RCA) | UK
Angel – Helluva Band (Casablanca) | USA
Be-Bop Deluxe – Sunburst Finish (EMI) | UK
Starz – Starz (Capitol) | USA
City Boy – Dinner At The Ritz (Vertigo) | UK
Be-Bop Deluxe – Modern Music (EMI) | UK
T. Rex – Futuristic Dragon (Mercury) | UK
Ian Hunter – All American Alien Boy (CBS) | UK
10cc – How Dare You! (Mercury) | UK
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band – SAHB Stories (Vertigo) | UK
City Boy – City Boy (Vertigo) | UK
Dwight Twilley Band – Sincerely (Island) | USA
Sparks – Big Beat (Island) | USA

Pub Rock, Power Pop, Rock & Roll & Proto-Punk

The backlash and massive misogyny aimed at Patti Smith, astoundingly, continues a half century later. There was massive whinge of disappointment expressed when the followup to Horses was released. People had such unreasonable expectations for her to save rock and roll, to revolutionize it, to rewrite history, that they didn’t even notice that’s basically what she did, just a bit more low key. Her scrappy garage rock band is more musically ambitious, noisier and heavier here. It also features some of her best songs in the rockers “Ask the Angels” and “Pumping (My Heart),” and the art rocker “Distant Fingers.” The more experimental “Poppies” leads into the powerful rage-ballad “Pissing in a River.” The album’s epic title track and “Abyssinia” influenced everyone from Siouxsie & the Banshees to the No Wave noise rock scene. A classic that still challenges people 50 years later.

The Modern Lovers – The Modern Lovers (Beserkley) | USA
Ramones – Ramones (Sire) | USA
AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Albert Productions) | Australia
Patti Smith Group – Radio Ethiopia (Arista) | USA
Boston – Boston (Epic) | USA
Starz – Starz (Capitol) | USA
Artful Dodger – Honor Among Thieves (Columbia) | USA
Blondie – Blondie (Chrysalis) | USA
The Flamin’ Groovies – Shake Some Action (Aim) | USA
Graham Parker – Howlin’ Wind (Mercury) | UK
Graham Parker and The Rumour – Heat Treatment (Mercury) | UK
Dwight Twilley Band – Sincerely (Island) | USA
Sparks – Big Beat (Island) | USA

Hard Rock & Proto-Metal

Here we enter the hall of Valhalla of the metal gods. Not only were Judas Priest from Birmingham, the same place as Black Sabbath, but both bands also formed in 1969, Sabbath in August, Priest in September, albeit with a completely different lineup. In 1976, Sabbath were on their seventh album and past their classic run, while Priest were just getting started, their second album arguably being the first fully fledged heavy metal album. There’s many ways you can make the case — all the other bands of that era flat-out rejected the heavy metal label and identity (favoring hard rock or downer rock), whereas Judas Priest embraced it. Secondly, Priest was the first to fully shed the blues influences, making their music unmistakenly nothing but heavy metal with the trademark twin guitars. They would go on to pioneer the iconic metal fashions, and the album art of Sad Wings is pure metal. “Victim of Changes” remains an all-time anthem for them, and a huge influence on the NWOBHM scene, along with “Tyrant” and “The Ripper.” The only reason parts of the album sound slightly dated is that the band themselves would further hone their sound and style to a harder metallic edge on subsequent albums. Half a century later they’ve still got the goods, both on new recordings and live.

Heavy Metal | Prog | RYM #15 | Acclaimed #78 | AOTY #91

Moxy top the list of relatively undersung hard rock bands who have had a growing cult following over the half-century. Like Heart, their debut was released in Canada in 1975, and in the U.S. in 1976. Unlike Heart, they didn’t have any radio hits, so they remained under the radar, except for those who followed the career of Iowa born guitar wizard Tommy Bolin. He may only have released two solo albums before his untimely death in December ’76, but he was also briefly in The James Gang, Deep Purple and the first Moxy album. The tracks are fully loaded with prime Bolin riffs and solos, with solid songwriting that can more than compete with the veterans, injecting the scene with a youthful energy. They sounded like the lost connection between Led Zeppelin, Montrose and early Rush, and had they retained this lineup with Jack Douglas producing their second album, perhaps they could have been as big as Van Halen, or at least those dolts in Aerosmith.

Hard Rock | RYM #273

After honing Uli Jon Roth’s signature neoclassical Hendrix licks assisted by Rudolf Schenker on their third album In Trance (1975), the Scorpions held their peak through this album and fifth album Taken By Force (1978) before devolving their sound to the popular glam pop metal style of the 80s. For a minute, they were the most fiery, hardest band that wasn’t Judas Priest, and this album is underappreciated, possibly because of the controversial early cover, where they thought it would be a good idea to not only have a photo of a naked child, but with the context of implied impending violence. The 70’s man, it was a different time, when kids were severely beaten in public streets and it was just another Tuesday. Anyway, this is prime Scorps before they were defanged.

Hard Rock | Proto-Metal | RYM #200

High Voltage is a compilation of tracks picked from AC/DC’s first two Australian albums, T.N.T. and High Voltage, both from 1975. While it cherry picks most of the strongest tracks, the ones left behind are well worth hearing, like their interesting stab at a ballad with “Love Song,” and a smmmokin’ cover of “Baby Please Don’t Go.” But yeah, “It’s a Long Way to the Top” is a perfect opener, and “T.N.T.” is an all-time favorite, one I used to play repeatedly on the jukebox at a mangy little bar in northern Wisconsin while on a lakefront vacation as a kid. The template for their simple but nasty take on rock ‘n’ roll was already set like a dinosaur footprint in fossilized mud, and would change very little over a half century. Their single-mindedness was admired by both punks and metalheads, foreshadowing their massive crossover success four years later.

Hard Rock | Blues Rock | Rock & Roll | RYM #14 | Acclaimed #49

Bubbling Under: Good Rats, Artful Dodger, Dictators, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Bad Company, Moxy, Aerosmith, Robin Trower, KISS, Rainbow, AC/DC, Jethro Tull, Status Quo., More.

Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak (Mercury) | Ireland
Rainbow – Rising (Polydor) | UK
AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Albert Productions) | Australia
Thin Lizzy – Johnny The Fox (Vertigo) | Ireland
UFO – No Heavy Petting (Chrysalis) | UK
Led Zeppelin – Presence (Swan Song) | UK
Rush – 2112 (Mercury) | Canada
Moxy – Moxy (Mercury) | Canada
Sweet – Give Us A Wink (RCA) | UK
Angel – Helluva Band (Casablanca) | USA
Scorpions – Virgin Killer (RCA) | Germany
AC/DC – High Voltage (Atlantic) | Australia
Boston – Boston (Epic) | USA
Triumph – Triumph (Attic) | Canada
Starz – Starz (Capitol) | USA
Artful Dodger – Honor Among Thieves (Columbia) | USA
Black Sabbath – Technical Ecstasy (WB) | UK
Ted Nugent – Free-For-All (Epic) | USA
Yesterday and Today – Yesterday and Today (London) | USA
Point Blank – Point Blank (Arista) | USA
Robin Trower – Long Misty Days (Chrysalis) | UK
ZZ Top – Tejas (WB) | USA
Horslips – The Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony (DJM) | Ireland
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Gimme Back My Bullets (MCA) | USA
Aerosmith – Rocks (Columbia) | USA

Blues Rock & Boogie Rock

One of my favorite rediscoveries from this year, I first heard the Point Blank album about eight years ago. I was stunned that this band from Irving, TX remained under the radar, as their debut scratched that itch for more stuff like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackfoot and ZZ Top, but rocked even harder.

Southern Rock | Blues Rock | Hard Rock | RYM #252

AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Albert Productions) | Australia
Led Zeppelin – Presence (Swan Song) | UK
Point Blank – Point Blank (Arista) | USA
Robin Trower – Long Misty Days (Chrysalis) | UK
ZZ Top – Tejas (WB) | USA
J.J. Cale – Troubadour (Shelter) | USA
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Gimme Back My Bullets (MCA) | USA
Aerosmith – Rocks (Columbia) | USA
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band – Night Moves (Capitol) | USA
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band – SAHB Stories (Vertigo) | UK
Jeff Beck – Wired (Epic) | UK
Slade – Nobody’s Fools (Polydor) | UK
Rory Gallagher – Calling Card (Chrysalis) | Ireland

Avant, Experimental, Modern Classical, Drone

Starting with Électronique Guerilla (1974), Richard Pinhas from Paris has been an important pioneer in fusing prog rock, space rock and progressive electronic music with modular synths with both solo albums and as Heldon. Think Karl Schulze and Fripp in space smoking a doob. He was on a productive tear, releasing four albums in 1975 and 76, setting the groundwork for a creative peak, incorporating avant-prog with Zeuhl, Berlin School electronic, drone and even noise rock, industrial and post-metal.

Heldon – Un Rêve Sans Conséquence Spéciale (Cobra) | France | Bandcamp
Heldon – Agneta Nilsson (Urus) | France | Bandcamp
Debris’ – Static Disposal (Anopheles) | USA
The Residents – The Third Reich ‘n’ Roll (Ralph) | USA
Turnabout – Electronic Music (Turnabout) | Spain/Turkey/Germany/USA
Area – Maledetti (Maudits) (Cramps) | Italy
Miles Davis – Pangaea (Columbia) | USA
Chrome – The Visitation (Siren ) | USA | Bandcamp
Geino Yamashirogumi – Osorezan (Invitation) | Japan
Ornette Coleman – Dancing In Your Head (A&M) | USA
Frederic Rzewski & Marc-André Hamelin – The People United Will Never Be Defeated (Hyperion) | USA

Ambient & New Age

Unlike Tangerine Dream’s increasingly wallpapery late 70s New Age, Popol Vuh are often considered to be at their peak at the time. With over 20 albums to choose from, there’s lots of options. Here we have Florian Fricke as a sort of cosmic music archeologist, investigating ancient Eastern music and applying it to soothing music perfectly suited to film scores, particularly Werner Herzog’s Aguirre (1976). It’s a deep pool, so don’t be afraid to dive in.

Cluster – Sowiesoso (Sky) | Germany
Popol Vuh – Letzte Tage, Letzte Nächte (United Artists) | Germany
Jon Anderson – Olias of Sunhillow (Atlantic) | UK
Klaus Schulze – Moondawn (Universal) | Germany
Tangerine Dream – Stratosfear (Virgin) | Germany
Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygene (Polydor) | France
Mort Garson – Mother Earth’s Plantasia (Homewood) | Canada | Bandcamp
Pyramid – Pyramid (Pyramid) | Germany | Bandcamp
Edgar Froese – Macula Transfer (Virgin) | Germany
Vangelis – Albedo 0.39 (RCA) | Greece

Art Rock & Pop

Quickly following up their debut from the same year, it’s as if City Boy were playing catch up with ELO and Queen, offering their own twist of mixing Supertramp with 10cc and Sparks influences. Perhaps too quirky for mainstream success, it’s a rewarding listen for those who give it a chance, particularly with “State Secrets,” “Narcissus” and “The Violin.”

Art Rock | Glam | Prog Pop | AOR | RYM #289

Electric Light Orchestra – A New World Record (Jet) | UK
David Bowie – Station To Station (RCA) | UK
Patti Smith Group – Radio Ethiopia (Arista) | USA
Joni Mitchell – Hejira (Asylum) | Canada
Be-Bop Deluxe – Sunburst Finish (EMI) | UK
City Boy – Dinner At The Ritz (Vertigo) | UK
Be-Bop Deluxe – Modern Music (EMI) | UK
Blondie – Blondie (Chrysalis) | USA
Van Der Graaf Generator – Still Life (Charisma) | UK
10cc – How Dare You! (Mercury) | UK
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band – SAHB Stories (Vertigo) | UK
Steely Dan – The Royal Scam (MCA) | USA
801 – 801 Live (Island) | UK

Reggae & Dub

Toots Hibbert formed the Maytals in 1962, and had more of an immediate impact in the development of Jamaican music from ska to rocksteady to reggae than the Wailers, who formed the next year. While Chris Blackwell made Bob Marley a global phenomenon, marketing him as a nearly messianic figure, he neglected his other Island artist who was essentially the Jamaican Otis Redding, and had such a soulful, joyous delivery that would have virtually bathed the world in euphoria had Blackwell just given him more support. This album may not be quite as packed with classic bangers as Funky Kingston/In the Dark (1974), but it’s still an all-time classic during the peak year for reggae. The first side is gorgeously laidback roots reggae with impeccable arrangements from a brass sextet that includes Bobby Ellis and Tommy McCook. The flipside is the party side, kicked off by the exuberant “Reggae Got Soul,” sweet lovers rock “Everybody Needs Lovin'” and the magnificent “Living in the Ghetto,” a song that would make Stevie Wonder envious. Toots has brightened my life for decades, saw him live three times, and I feel sorry for anyone who would willfully miss out. Reggae for sure got soul.

Roots Reggae | Soul | RYM #447 | AOTY #103

After Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the band before Natty Dread (1974), Bob Marley slowed his release schedule down from averaging two albums a year to just one, and in 1975 none. Yet that’s when he broke through to the mainstream, with his Live (1975) album, specifically “No Woman No Cry.” An underrated element to the success of these albums was “My Operator,” “the Original Scientist,” the unsung engineer Sylvan Morris. State of the art 16 track Harry J Studios had just opened, and thanks to his reputation at Studio One, Morris was selected to assist on The Wailers’ records from Catch A Fire (1973) through Rastaman Vibration (1976). Those four albums represent a huge breakthrough for reggae, achieving for the first time a sound comparable to the most advanced American studios of the day. Morris set the benchmark for clean, precise rhythm tracks that helped establish Marley’s foundation of popularity in the international marketplace. It marked a big departure from the distorted drum & bass sound and muddy sound of most Jamaican productions. Also the sophistication and arrangements are state of the art, incorporating hints of jazz-funk and fusion just as well as Santana and Stevie Wonder. Packed with classics, I always had a soft spot for “Johnny Was,” probably because my first exposure was from a cover by Stiff Little Fingers.

Roots Reggae | RYM #77 | Acclaimed #60 | AOTY #66

Justin Hinds & The Dominoes – Jezebel (Island) | Jamaica
Max Romeo & the Upsetters – War Ina Babylon (Mango) | Jamaica
The Abyssinians – Satta Massagana (Heartbeat) | Jamaica
Leroy Brown & His Defence Force – Prayer of Peace (Caturna) | Jamaica
Toots & the Maytals – Reggae Got Soul (Mango) | Jamaica
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Rastaman Vibration (Tuff Gong) | Jamaica
Bunny Wailer – Blackheart Man (Island) | Jamaica
Bob Andy – The Music Inside Me (Jigsaw) | Jamaica
Lee Perry & The Upsetters – Super Ape (Mango) | Jamaica
Rico – Man From Wareika (Island) | Jamaica
Peter Tosh – Legalize It (Columbia) | Jamaica
The Gladiators – Trenchtown Mix Up (Front Line) | Jamaica
The Mighty Diamonds – Right Time (Shanachie) | Jamaica
The Skatalites Meet King Tubby – Herb Dub – Collie Dub (Jigsaw) | Jamaica
Third World – Third World (Island) | Jamaica
The Meditations – Message From The Meditations (UA) | Jamaica
Harry Mudie – Harry Mudie Meets King Tubby In Dub Conference, Vol. 1 (Moodisc) | Jamaica
Johnny Clarke – Rockers Time Now (Front Line) | Jamaica
King Tubby & Yabby You – King Tubby’s Prophecy Of Dub (Blood & Fire) | Jamaica
Burning Spear – Man In The Hills (Mango) | Jamaica
Delroy Wilson – Sarge (Charmers/JAS) | Jamaica
Yabby You – Chant Down Babylon Kingdom (Prophet) | Jamaica
Jah Lion – Colombia Colly (Mango) | Jamaica
The Heptones – Night Food (Mango/Island) | Jamaica
Burning Spear – Garvey’s Ghost (Mango) | Jamaica
The Wailing Souls – The Wailing Souls (Studio One) | Jamaica
Johnny Clarke – Authorized Version (Front Line) | Jamaica
Serge Gainsbourg – L’ Homme a Tete De Chou (Philips Fr) | France
Can – Flow Motion (Spoon) | Germany | Bandcamp
The Gladiators – Studio One Presenting 1969-76 (Studio One) | Jamaica
Cornell Campbell – The Gorgon (Total Sounds) | Jamaica
Aswad – Aswad (Island) | UK
Martha Veléz – Escape From Babylon (Sire) | USA
Inner Circle – Reggae Thing (Capitol) | Jamaica
Freddie McKay – Fire Is Burning (Amethyst) | Jamaica
Big Youth – Natty Cultural Dread (Trojan) | Jamaica
Wayne Wade – Black Is Our Colour (Grove) | Jamaica
The Heptones – Unreleased Night Food & Rare Black Ark Session (Auralux) | Jamaica
John Holt – Up Park Camp (Channel One) | Jamaica
Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus – Tribute To The Emperor (Trojan) | Jamaica
The Mighty Diamonds – Stand Up To Your Judgment (Channel One) | Jamaica
Prince Jazzbo – Natty Passing Thru/Ital Corner (Black Wax/Clocktower) | Jamaica
Keith Hudson – Too Expensive (Virgin) | Jamaica
The Heptones – The Meaning Of Life: Best Of 1966-76 (Trojan/Sanctuary) | Jamaica
Inner Circle – Reggae Thing (Capitol) | Jamaica

Global & Afrobeat

The legendary innovator of Tropicália and Avant-Folk Samba has been active since 1965, and yet it took David Byrne reissuing chunks of this album on Luaka Bop’s Brazil Classics 4: The Best of Tom Zé in 1990 for Americans to belatedly discover him. Better late than never. Kind of the Captain Beefheart of the scene in relation to the more easily listenable Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé attempted to work within the confines of mainstream MPB (Música popular brasileira) on his most highly rated album. Still, he subverts expectations with his avant-folk treatments of Samba, and it’s not always smooth going. A fun listen for those who like a challenge.

Fela Kuti – Zombie (Universal) | Nigeria | Bandcamp
Tom Zé – Estudando O Samba (EW) | Brazil
Serge Gainsbourg – L’ Homme a Tete De Chou (Philips Fr) | France
Jorge Ben – África Brasil (Philips) | Brazil
Airto – Promises of the Sun (Arista) | Brazil
WITCH – Lukombo Vibes (Zambezi/Now-Again) | Zambia | Bandcamp
Elis Regina – Falso brilhante (Philips) | Brazil
Bariş Manço – 2023 (Yavuz) | Turkey
Jabula – Thunder Into Our Hearts (Caroline) | UK
Fela Kuti – Upside Down (Celluloid) | Nigeria | Bandcamp
Fela Kuti – Unnecessary Begging (Universal) | Nigeria | Bandcamp
Fela Kuti – Yellow Fever (Universal) | Nigeria | Bandcamp
Fela Kuti – Na Poi (Universal) | Nigeria | Bandcamp

Electronic

Continuing in his more energetic, punky side two of Neu! 75, Klaus Dinger recorded three stunning albums as La Düsseldorf, including Viva (1978) and Individuellos (1981). With his singing and relatively catchy melodies, some might argue that these albums have as much to do with Krautrock as Kraftwerk’s late 70s synth albums. However, La Düsseldorf has too long been ignored, and have enough in common with Neu! to highly recommend to fans. Sadly, Dinger’s death in early 2008 dashed hopes for any Neu! or La Düsseldorf reunion.

Electronic | Kosmische | Space Rock | RYM #189 | AOTY #98

Cluster – Sowiesoso (Sky) | Germany
La Düsseldorf – La Düsseldorf (Radar) | Germany
Jon Anderson – Olias of Sunhillow (Atlantic) | UK
Klaus Schulze – Moondawn (Universal) | Germany
Tangerine Dream – Stratosfear (Virgin) | Germany
Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygene (Polydor) | France
Heldon – Un Rêve Sans Conséquence Spéciale (Cobra) | France | Bandcamp
Heldon – Agneta Nilsson (Urus) | France | Bandcamp
Stomu Yamashta, Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve – Go (Universal) | Japan/UK
Mort Garson – Mother Earth’s Plantasia (Homewood) | Canada | Bandcamp
Cybotron – Cybotron (Clear Light of Jupiter) | Australia
Edgar Froese – Macula Transfer (Virgin) | Germany
Vangelis – Albedo 0.39 (RCA) | Greece

R&B & Soul

My appreciation of this album took a long roundabout path. I used to favor pretty much any of his albums, even Where I’m Coming From (1971), over this. There wasn’t a single album that I loved every track, and my aversion to his ballads was colored in hindsight by his appallingly awful collaborations with Paul McCartney. In the early 70s, I preferred Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, Donny Hathaway, Bill Withers, Terry Callier, pretty much all the big guns except for Marvin Gaye, who was one of the first to succumb to what would eventually hinder most of these artists — cocaine, disco or both. But not Stevie. He stayed clear of drugs and disco, and stayed focused on his art. The result is a sprawling double album that takes risks that nearly always pay off, played with the agile virtuosity of a jazz fusion band, smooth, alluring sounds you want to bathe in. Everything except “Isn’t She Lovely.” F**k that song.

Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life (Motown) | USA
Leroy Brown & His Defence Force – Prayer of Peace (Caturna) | Jamaica
Graham Parker – Howlin’ Wind (Mercury) | UK
Joan Armatrading – Joan Armatrading (A&M) | UK
Graham Parker and The Rumour – Heat Treatment (Mercury) | UK
Etta James – Etta is Bettah Than Evah! (Chess) | USA
Johnny Guitar Watson – Ain’t That a Bitch (DJM) | USA
Funkadelic – Hardcore Jollies (WB) | USA
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes – I Don’t Want to Go Home (Epic) | USA
Mother’s Finest – Mother’s Finest (Epic) | USA
The Wild Tchoupitoulas – The Wild Tchoupitoulas (Antilles) | USA
Jackie Wilson – Nobody But You (Brunswick) | USA
Bobby Womack – Home Is Where the Heart Is (United Artists) | USA

Disco & Funk

Sandwiched between the classics Mothership Connection (1975) and Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome (1977), not to mention two Funkadelic albums, George Clinton is showing cracks in his creative arc, but he was an unstoppable funky force with his troupe of colorful alien costumes, sci fi stage sets, and four hour long concerts. Yeah cocaine is a helluva drug. No big hits, just a chaotic, fun party album.

P-Funk | Progressive Soul | Funk | RYM #175

Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life (Motown) | USA
Parliament – The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein (Casablanca) | USA
Santana – Amigos (Columbia) | USA
Jorge Ben – África Brasil (Philips) | Brazil
Etta James – Etta is Bettah Than Evah! (Chess) | USA
Johnny Guitar Watson – Ain’t That a Bitch (DJM) | USA
Funkadelic – Hardcore Jollies (WB) | USA
The Wild Tchoupitoulas – The Wild Tchoupitoulas (Antilles) | USA
Bobby Womack – Home Is Where the Heart Is (United Artists) | USA
Bootsy’s Rubber Band – Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band (WB) | USA
Bill Withers – Naked & Warm (Columbia) | USA
Guru Guru – Tango Fango (Brain) | Germany
Betty Davis – Is It Love Or Desire (Light In The Attic) | USA

Jazz-Funk & Soul Jazz

Influenced by Mahavishnu Orchestra and other greats, Brand X provided a great gateway to fusion from prog fans via Phil Collins’ participation. Despite Collins later being associated with MOR, this isn’t watered down at all. It’s full-on fusion performed with ego-less, frenzied abandon.

Jazz Fusion | Jazz-Rock | Prog | Jazz-Funk | RYM #123

Brand X – Unorthodox Behaviour (Charisma) | UK
Jeff Beck – Wired (Epic) | UK
Jaco Pastorius – Jaco Pastorius (Epic) | USA
Jan Hammer Group – Oh Yeah? (Nemporer) | Czechia
Mahavishnu Orchestra / John McLaughlin – Inner Worlds (CBS ) | UK/USA
Weather Report – Black Market (Columbia) | USA
Jean-Luc Ponty – Aurora (Atlantic) | France
Invisible – El jardín de los presentes (CBS) | Argentina
Maynard Ferguson – Primal Scream (Columbia) | Canada
George Benson – Breezin’ (WB) | USA
Bobby Hutcherson – Waiting (Blue Note) | USA
Oneness Of Juju – Space Jungle Luv (Black Fire) | USA
The Eleventh House featuring Larry Coryell – Aspects (Arista) | USA

Jazz & Fusion

Joni Mitchell leaned more into jazz fusion with the previous year’s The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975). It turned out to be a warmup for arguably her artistic pinnacle here, where she enlists the talents of Jaco Pastorius and a load of other ace musicians. No slouch on guitar herself, it’s the only album she composed fully on and for guitar. It’s liquidy progressive jazz folk fusion fuels a personal account of an epic cross-country road trip after the end of an affair. The restrained virtuosity in the interplay between Mitchell, guitarist Larry Carlton and Pastorius provides the perfect backing for her career peak imagery and poetry.

Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life (Motown) | USA
Joni Mitchell – Hejira (Asylum) | Canada
Henri Texier – Amir (JMS) | France
Tom Waits – Small Change (Elektra) | USA | Bandcamp
Return To Forever – Romantic Warrior (Polydor) | USA
Shakti with John Mclaughlin – Shakti with John Mclaughlin (Columbia) | USA
Duke Ellington – The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse (Fantasy) | USA
Dave Holland & Sam Rivers – Dave Holland & Sam Rivers Vols. 1 & 2 (IAI) | USA
Brand X – Unorthodox Behaviour (Charisma) | UK
Esther Phillips – Confessin’ the Blues (Atlantic) | USA
Stomu Yamashta, Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve – Go (Universal) | Japan/UK
801 – 801 Live (Island) | UK
Patrick Moraz – The Story of I (Charisma) | Switzerland

Pop Rock & Power Pop

DIY home recordings brings to mind crap sounding indie albums. And yet an MIT-trained mechanical engineer at Polaroid revolutionized what could be accomplished in a basement, influencing the direction and sound of countless arena rockers from Journey to Def Leppard. Signed to the Epic label as Boston, they insisted he use Capitol Studios in L.A. with producer John Boylan. But the technology was not up to snuff. Good thing Tom Scholz is a friggin genius. He went home to his own 12-track studio in his basement that he perfected between 1969-75, including his own effects that would result his inventions like the Hyperspace Pedal, the Power Soak and The Rockman for his signature creamy but clean, compressed “liquid lead” guitar tones. Other effects were creative, but extremely analog, such as putting his finger on the tape reel for pitch-bending effects on guitar solos, not unlike the techniques Lee “Scratch” Perry was employing down in Jamaica at the same time. It only cost $2,000 to record. Boylan rented a truck to snake the 12-track recordings to a 24-track tape via a cable through Scholz’ basement window. He then returned to L.A. to record Brad Delp’s vocals and mix it, fooling the label until well after the album was released and a hit. Scholz was still working at Polaroid when he heard “More Than A Feeling” on a co-worker’s radio. Aside from some drum tracks, it was all Scholz, with half the album stacked with timeless tunes, the other half “merely” great.

Michael Lee Smith toiled for seven years with earlier incarnations of the band, Looking Glass (1967-74) and Fallen Angels (1974-75). By the time the Starz debut was released, the songs were well-crafted and polished to a sharp chrome gleam. It was a similar story to Cheap Trick, except that Starz, like contemporaries Moxy and Artful Dodger, didn’t have much commercial success. Thankfully they’ve not been completely forgotten, with a couple reissues meeting demands of growing interest in the band. His younger brother is Rex Smith, who also debuted this year with Rex, and would become a bit of a star.

Hard Rock | Glam | Power Pop | RYM #300

Pop Rock, Folk Rock, Hard Rock, Prog | RYM #136 | AOTY #28

Electric Light Orchestra – A New World Record (Jet) | UK
Ramones – Ramones (Sire) | USA
Boston – Boston (Epic) | USA
Starz – Starz (Capitol) | USA
Artful Dodger – Honor Among Thieves (Columbia) | USA
T. Rex – Futuristic Dragon (Mercury) | UK
Blondie – Blondie (Chrysalis) | USA
Warren Zevon – Warren Zevon (Asylum) | USA
The Flamin’ Groovies – Shake Some Action (Aim) | USA
Graham Parker – Howlin’ Wind (Mercury) | UK
Joan Armatrading – Joan Armatrading (A&M) | UK
10cc – How Dare You! (Mercury) | UK
Graham Parker and The Rumour – Heat Treatment (Mercury) | UK

AOR & Soft Rock

Former Mott the Hoople frontman followed up his successful solo debut with this, a really odd, interesting mix of talent that includes session work from Jaco Pastorius, Aynsley Dunbar, and freakin’ Queen on backing vocals! That said, it took me years to get into. Like Warren Zevon, some of his songwriting, as acclaimed as it is, whizzes past my head. But I can still appreciate his qualities without fully connecting.

Singer-Songwriter | Glam | Piano Rock | Soft Rock | RYM #270

Angel – Helluva Band (Casablanca) | USA
Boston – Boston (Epic) | USA
City Boy – Dinner At The Ritz (Vertigo) | UK
Ian Hunter – All American Alien Boy (CBS) | UK
Styx – Crystal Ball (A&M) | USA
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – The Roaring Silence (Bronze) | UK
Kansas – Leftoverture (Kirschner/Epic) | USA
Wishbone Ash – New England (MCA) | UK
Lake – Lake (CBS) | Germany
The Babys – The Babys (Chrysalis) | UK
Poco – Rose of Cimarron (MCA) | USA
Pavlov’s Dog – At the Sound of the Bell (Columbia) | USA
Uriah Heep – High and Mighty (Bronze) | UK

Folk & Americana

Terry Reid, who famously turned down the job singing with Led Zeppelin, I’m sure kicked himself occasionally. But this album produced by Graham Nash and influenced by the Laurel Canyon folk rock scene, is quite nice, just as great as the criminally underrated River (1973). Enigmatic like Emmit Rhodes, every time I hear this album I wonder why I don’t listen to him more.

Singer-Songwriter | Folk Rock | Country Rock | RYM #148

Joni Mitchell – Hejira (Asylum) | Canada
Terry Reid – Seed Of Memory (ABC) | UK
Horslips – The Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony (DJM) | Ireland
Joan Armatrading – Joan Armatrading (A&M) | UK
J.J. Cale – Troubadour (Shelter) | USA
Socrates – Phos (Vertigo) | Greece
Bob Dylan – Desire (Columbia) | USA
Norman Blake – Whiskey Before Breakfast (Rounder) | USA | Bandcamp
June Tabor – Airs and Graces (Topic) | UK
Kate & Anna McGarrigle – Kate & Anna McGarrigle (WB) | Canada
Selda – Selda (B-Music) | Turkey
Spriguns – Revel, Weird & Wild (Decca) | UK
Anthony Moore – Out (Virgin) | UK | Bandcamp

Bubbling under: Kebnekaise, Hedgehog Pie, Steeleye Span, Ted Lucas, James Talley, Allen Touissant, Joan Baez, Spriguns Of Tolgus, Van Dyke Parks. | More.

Country, Country Blues/Psych/Rock/Soul

I’m fussy when it comes to singer-songwriters. I really don’t listen to them very often, and have had many starts and stops trying to absorb Warren Zevon’s catalog. I’ve persisted, and of course the acclaim for his songwriting is well deserved. His sly satire has more in common with Randy Newman than his friend (and producer) Jackson Browne, but he has a completely unique musical persona.

Terry Reid – Seed Of Memory (ABC) | UK
Warren Zevon – Warren Zevon (Asylum) | USA
Gary Stewart – Steppin’ Out (RCA) | USA
Bob Dylan – Desire (Columbia) | USA
George Jones – Alone Again (Epic) | USA
Mallard – In a Different Climate (Virgin) | USA
Bobby Womack – B.W. Goes C&W (United Artists) | USA
Emmylou Harris – Luxury Liner (WB) | USA
George Jones – The Battle (Epic) | USA
Kate & Anna McGarrigle – Kate & Anna McGarrigle (WB) | Canada
The Charlie Daniels Band – High Lonesome (Epic) | USA
Poco – Rose of Cimarron (MCA) | USA
Eagles – Hotel California (Asylum) | USA

Live Albums

This supergroup with Mahavishnu Orchestra’s John McLaughlin, Shankar, Zakir Hussain and others is a scorching document of their live set before they released two acclaimed studio albums the next year. For fans of both Indo Jazz and Jazz Fusion, not to mention all things McLaughlin, this is absolutely essential.

Jazz Fusion | Indo Jazz | Hindustani Classical | Live Album | RYM #739

Shakti with John Mclaughlin – Shakti with John Mclaughlin (Columbia) | USA
801 – 801 Live (Island) | UK
Rush – All The World’s A Stage (Mercury) | Canada
Roxy Music – Viva! Roxy Music (Island) | UK
Lynyrd Skynyrd – One More From the Road (MCA) | USA
Robin Trower – Live (Chrysalis) | UK
Renaissance – Live at Carnegie Hall (Sire) | UK
Wings – Wings Over America (Columbia) | UK
Johnny Winter – Captured Live! (Epic) | USA
Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive! (A&M) | UK
J. Geils Band – Live! Blow Your Face Out (Atlantic) | USA
Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains The Same (Swan Song) | UK
Kedama – Live At Sunrise Studios (Black Rills/Castle Face) | Switzerland

Singles

In tribute to all the vinyl community YouTubers who have been entertaining me while I cook and clean up in the kitchen, I made a list of the the coolest singles as actual singles, not just favorite tracks (which you can find in the playlist). I did own the Television and Pere Ubu singles at one time, but stupidly sold them for way too little in the 90s. Not only are they a hint of the new wave to come, they also basically leapfrog punk, which technically hasn’t been documented yet aside from a handful of shows at CBGBs, right into post-punk. Down in Jamaica, reggae was also gearing up for an all-time great year in 1976.

Television – “Little Johnny Jewel (Part One) / (Part Two)” (Ork)
Pere Ubu – “30 Seconds Over Tokyo / Heart of Darkness” (Hearpin)
Roky Erickson & Bleibalien = “Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog) / Starry Eyes” (Mars)
Neu! – “Isi / After Eight” (United Artists)
Patti Smith – “Gloria” (Arista)
Augustus Pablo – “King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown / Baby I Love You So” (Island)
AC/DC – “Jailbreak / Fling Thing” (Albert)
Brian Eno – “The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) / I’ll Come Running (To Tie Your Shoes)” (Island)
Fela Ransome Kuti & Africa 70 – “Expensive Shit / Water No Get Enemy”
Max Romeo – “Revelation Time / Hammer & Sickle” (Black Time)
Burning Spear – “Marcus Garvey / Version” (Fox)
Sweet – “Action / Sweet F.A.” (RCA)
Hawkwind – “Kings of Speed / Motorhead” (United Artists)

Movies

Kind of a lost classic, Murder By Death is a great murder mystery comedy with an incredible allstar cast including Peter Sellers, Alec Guinnes, Peter Falk, Maggie Smith, Truman Capote and more. What can we say about Taxi Driver that hasn’t already been said?

Murder By Death – Robert Moore (comedy/crime/mystery)
Taxi Driver – Martin Scorsese (crime/drama)
All the President’s Men – Alan J. Pakula (docudrama/thriller)
Rocky – John D. Alvidson (drama)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie – John Cassavetes (crime/drama/thriller)
Marathon Man – John Schlesinger (drama/thriller/crime)
The Omen – Richard Donner (thriller/horror)
Network – Sidney Lumet (drama)
The Man Who Fell to Earth – Nicholas Roeg (sci fi/drama)
Carrie – Brian De Palma (horror)
The Pink Panther Strikes Again – Blake Edwards (comedy/crime)
The Enforcer – James Fargo (crime/action)
The Front – Martin Ritt (drama/comedy).

Television

Just as I was outgrowing Sesame Street as I was starting 2nd grade, along came The Muppet Show, seemingly made just for me, but also for adults who appreciate a bit of silly whimsey and sometimes alarming chaos and nearly dada-esque humor. The series of shorts was my introduction to Paddington Bear, and also my requests to stock the fridge with marmalade.

The Muppet Show
Paddington Bear
Ultraman
Space: 1999
Doctor Who
The Six Million Dollar Man
Saturday Night Live
Jabberjaw
Charlie’s Angels
The Bionic Woman
Hawaii Five-O
The Mary Tyler-Moore Show
The Kroft Supershow

Books

Tom Robbins’ second book is a classic of counterculture, and one of his most enjoyable, with his quirktastic whimsey, surrealism and hippie philosophy in full bloom. Through Sissy Hankshaw he examines sexuality, rebellion and feminism as she encounters The Chink and the cowgirls at the Rubber Rose Ranch amidst a battle with the FBI.

Tom Robbins – Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Anne Rice – Interview With a Vampire
Roger Zelazny – The Hand of Oberon
Kurt Vonnegut – Slapstick
Barry N. Malzberg – Chorale
Derek Raymond – He Died with His Eyes Open (Factory #1)
Mick Farren – The Quest of the DNA Cowboys
Michael Butterworth – Time of the Hawklords
John Crowley – Beasts
Samuel R. Delaney – Trouble on Titan
Tanith Lee – Don’t Bite the Sun
Michael Moorcock – The Adventures of Una Persson and Catherine Cornelius in the Twentieth Century (Jerry Cornelius #5)
Michel Foucault – The History of Sexuality

Bubbling Under: Agatha Christie, Joan Samson, David Seltzer, Erma Bombeck, Anne McCaffrey, Frank Herbert, Alex Haley, Pat Conroy, Judith Guest, Raymond Carver.

Posted in: Bandcamp, Books, Features, Film, Listicles, Lucky 13, News, Rants, Reissues, Reviews, TV, Videos/Singles

Other

Stuff

April 6, 2026

The Big Wave: Brigitte Calls Me Baby, Cardinals, The Twilight Sad, Bad//Dreems

April 2, 2026

Fester’s Lucky 13: 1986

January 30, 2026

Fester’s Lucky 13: 1966

Ranking the Oscar Nominees

Fester’s Lucky 13: 1976