THE BEST ALBUMS OF 1976
I feel like doing something very different today. Since the 2026 Grammy Awards are coming up this weekend, my curiosity plunged me deep down the rabbit hole of a musical retro-rediscovery. The result is this list and ranking of outstanding albums from 50 years ago.
I know — it’s hard to believe all of these albums are now half a century old. Geez.
For me, 1976 was a year of awakening. A coming of age. At 14 while a freshman in high school, like most kids back then, I became a serious music fan. The roots of an amateur pop music critic were planted. I could barely afford to buy an album at the time. Listening to music took scrimping and saving. We sometimes borrowed albums from our friends. Great music was the reward from yard work and the occasional side job.
Remember, there was no Internet nor streaming services nor Youtube, back then. The only options to hear your favorite music were buying the albums (or singles) at the record store or listening to the radio and hoping they’d play your song.
I don’t remember 1976 as being a particularly great year in popular music. But come to find out — it was! Should you doubt this, then check out the list of albums released that year. And, you should also see the albums that didn’t make my Top-20! (it was tough to leave out Kiss and Bob Dylan, who both released memorable albums that year).
Of course, this list is entirely subjective. Admittedly, I’m very biased. The rankings reflect my musical tastes. But, I also try to acknowledge albums that were monumentally influential and have proven their staying power
(The Ramones’ self-titled debut album immediately comes to mind, a group I didn’t like but everyone else agrees was a force). See where you agree, or disagree.
Here’s my countdown of the “Best Twenty” albums of 1976:
20. Troubadour…..J.J. Cale
19. 2112.….Rush
18. Hejira.….Joni Mitchell
17. Wings Over America…..Paul McCartney and Wings
16. Wanted! The Outlaws…..Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, Tompall Glaser
15. Dirty Deeds Done Cheap…..AC/DC (U.K. release)
14. Night Moves…..Bob Seger
13. Sad Wings of Destiny…..Judas Priest
12. Rastman Vibration…..Bob Marley
11. A New World Record…..Electric Light Orchestra
10. Dreamboat Annie.….Heart
9. Fly Like an Eagle.….Steve Miller Band
8. The Ramones.….The Ramones
7. Arrival…..Abba
6. Breezin’.….George Benson
5. Blondie…..Blondie
4. Frampton Comes Alive…..Peter Frampton
3. Songs in the Key of Life…..Steve Wonder
2. A Day at the Races…..Queen
1. Hotel California…..The Eagles
Special prize for worst album: Disco Duck by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots
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Note: I was going to write something about each album but this became too much a chore. Here are my lazy comments on a few picks, for those interested as to why they were selected.
Wings over America (Paul McCartney and Wings)
– Paul McCartney’s live triple-album packed a heavy trunk of both new material and old chestnuts. This album plucked the best live recordings of Wings’ 1976 summer tour, which was the first time McCartney played in the United States since The Beatles’ final live performance 10 years earlier in 1966. It instantly rocketed to #1 when released in December 1976.
Wanted! The Outlaws (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, Tompall Glaser)
– An unlikely quartet entered the studio and churned out and album for the ages, topping country charts, going mainstream, and spinning off several hit singles the artists performed for the rest of their careers. This album also proved that “supergroups” could be massively successful since they jettisoned fans (and album buyers) of artists behind a singular musical collaborative product.
Hotel California (The Eagles)
– When we talk about albums with staying power, here’s one of the very best examples. Released at the height of their popularity, “Hotel California” still sounds fresh and is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums in history (#49 on Rolling Stones’ all-time list).