The Best Albums of 1976
The mid-to-late 1970s Australian band AC/DC became one of the most popular and successful acts in Australia, scoring a string of hits, albums, and singles. They made their international debut in 1976 with High Voltage. The band quickly became successful outside their home country; the Highway to Hell album from 1979 peaked at number 13 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart and they would continue as one of the most popular rock groups in the world through the following decade. Here are all of the 1976 albums ranked.
Don’t miss out on the TIMELESS songs of 1976 below! Click to experience the best of this year!
10. A New World Record (Electric Light Orchestra)
“This is one amazing album! From top to bottom not a single weak point. Packed with so many hits any one of them could be on the greatest hits. Also, Mission (A World Record) is a deep cut that I adore. Very psychedelic for ELO”
9. A Trick Of The Tail (Genesis)
“One of the easiest Genesis albums to listen to all the way through. A pleasant acoustic, pastoral sound is the trademark of this album but the usual prog antics show up again in tracks like Dance on a Volcano and Robbery Assault and Battery. Decent”
8. Desire (Bob Dylan)
“Dylan is so good at retooling his whole sound and presentation from album to album without sacrificing any quality. Desire is a masterpiece that captures a mood like nothing else that came before it or has come since.”
See more: Bob Dylan Albums Ranked
7. The Modern Lovers (The Modern Lovers)
“No question, this album hits the mark repeatedly. Not widely known, it’s a brilliant reminder of how intelligent and raw rock’n’roll can be. And Pablo Picasso is one of the relatively-unknown masterpieces in popular music. A “must” album for anyone interested in the history of rock.”
6. 2112 (Rush)
“You can’t deny the sheer brilliance of this record. I personally quite like the mythical narrative that Hemispheres/Cygnus stuff has but this isn’t all that much worse for it, the end result is still a load of incredible, soaring riffs accompanied by hugely memorable singular tracks. Rush has this uncanny ability to paint incredibly vivid settings to experience and live through, musically, all while not using any defined thematic. I just struggle to qualify and put words to how much this album moved and shaped me, and just how to freak in incredible it is.”
5. Boston (Boston)
“Great playing and vocals, good writing, EXCELLENT sonic arranging, and production, but like with a lot of classic rock, the lyrics aren’t a strong point for me. Regardless, this is one of those albums you have to hear.”
4. Hotel California (Eagles)
“The title track “Hotel California” (one of the best songs ever written) also has some of the finest solos and fills ever recorded on electric guitar, the recording quality of the album is superb, and even listening to the first cd mastering done (I do not have a version in vinyl or cd), the instruments and voices are very defined, besides the title track there are sublime ballads like “New Kids in Town” and “Try and Love Again” (with sweet guitar tones Gretsch), sticky riffs of “Life in the Fast Lane” and “Victim of Love” leave no forget that also is a rock album, the vocals of “Wasted Time” and the beautiful string arrangement on “Wasted Time (Reprise)” is the basis for the perfect melody, “The Last Resort” full of variation and dynamics closes the album.”
See more: The Eagles Albums Ranked
3. Ramones (Ramones)
“My all-time favorite album. An absolute classic and I learned to play guitar by listening to this. Johnny’s relentless down picking was awesome, and there’s something about Joey’s vocals that really fit the crazy lyrics and made me love his vocals even more.”
2. Station To Station (David Bowie)
“What an album. The first, 10 minute plus track is operatic on its scale and ambition. Forget bloody Bohemian Rhapsody, this is how you produce originality in the mid70s. Every song after that is superb, climaxing in his take on Nina Simon’s ‘Wild is the Wind’, one of the best covers I’ve ever heard.”
1. Songs In The Key Of Life (Stevie Wonder)
“This album has such a broad range of aspects. Social and political commentary on inequality, the joy of life collide alongside each other, but above all beautiful music expertly crafted, played and produced, a wonderful listen.”
