rw2516

Going through my collection it seems more classic rock got released that year than any other. Not the best stuff but the most. There's probably a ton more but these are just the ones I've got, including live:

AC/DC- High Voltage/Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Aerosmith - Rocks
Allman Bros. - Wipe The Windows...
Bad Company - Run With The Pack
Black Sabbath - Technical Ectasy
Blue Oyster Cult-Agents of Fortune
Boston
Bowie-Station To Station
Clapton-No Reason To Cry
Deep Purple-Made In Europe
Doobie Bros.-Taking It To The Streets
Eagles-Hotal California
ELO-New World Record
Firefall
Foghat-Night Shift
Frampton Comes Alive
Rory Gallagher-Calling Card
J. Geils Band-Blow Your Face Out
Genesis-Trick Of The Tail
Sammy Hagar-Nine On A Ten Scale
George Harrison-Thirty Three and 1/3
Head East-Get Yourself Up
Heart-Dreamboat Annie
Jefferson Starship-Spitfire
Jethro Tull-Too Old To Rock and Roll...
Kansas-Leftoverture
Kiss-Destroyer
Led Zeppelin-Presence/The Song Remains The Same
Lynard Skynard-One More From The Road
Marshall Tucker Band-Long Hard Ride
Steve Miller Band-Fly Like An Eagle
Montrose-Jump On It
Nazareth-Close Enough For Rock 'n' Roll
Ted Nugent-Free For All
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Queen-Day At The Races
Rainbow-Rising
REO-REO
Roling Stones-Black and Blue
Linda Ronstadt-Hasten Down The Wind
Rush-2112/All The World's A Stage
Bob Seeger-Live Bullit/Night Moves
Steely Dan-The Royal Scam
Al Stewart-Year Of The Cat
Rod Stewart-Night On The Town
Stills Young Band-Long May You Run
Styx-Crystal Ball
T Rex-Futuristic Dragon
Thin Lizzy-Jailbreak/Johnny The Fox
Robin Trower-Long Misty Days/Live
UFO-No Heavy Petting
Uriah Heep-High And Mighty
Joe Walsh-You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind
McCartney & Wings-At The Speed Of Sound/Wings Over America
Johnny Winter-Captured Live
Wishbone Ash-Locked In/New England
ZZ Top-Tejas

wendersfan

A wonderful example of quantity, not quality.

The Bus

Yes, it does seem like a year where a lot of albums were released.

Larry C.

Ditto

nothingfails

I think 1977 as a whole is a much stronger year. Low, Heroes, Rumours, The Clash, My Aim Is True, The Stranger, Aja, Saturday Night Fever, Never Mind The Bullocks, Talking Heads '77, etc....

btw, I am shocked you omitted Songs In The Key Of Life for 1976, that's one of the best albums of the entire decade IMO

Flashback

Meh. But I do see (scanning) 4 great live albums.

Seger - Live Bullet
J Geils - Blow Your Face Out
Rush - All The Worlds A Stage
Skynard - One More From The Road

rw2516

I just listed the ones I had. I was pointing to the sheer volume of releases. Just about every one of those artists has a better album than the one from that year.

Matt

No Frampton?

DVD Josh

I wonder if we are going to see any support for this statement, like, for example, which of these album were not "quality".

Jason

Technical Ecstacy.

zombeaner

I hate classic rock. 1976 was significant musically because it saw the release of the Ramones first album. End of story

Drop

That just sounds so ignorant. Bowie's Station to Station also came out that year, and as much as I love the Ramones, I'd rather listen to the Bowie album.

I don't like most of the bands in the OP's list, but I understand the importance of those releases.

DVD Josh

It's definitely an interesting album for the band. If you are a fan of the band, and I don't mean a fan of their hits, but the band, then you'd probably appreciate that album. It's probably one of the weaker albums on this list, but that's just 1 out of what, 35-40?

B5Erik

You forgot...

KISS - Rock and Roll Over (Late '76 release, better album than Destroyer, IMO.)

Hollowgen

I'm a big fan of the band (Ozzy's years) and that album is horrible. It makes me want to scratch my eyes out!

In any case, I second the idea that '77 was a better year. UFO? Really?

hasslein

I have said for years that popular music peaked in 76 then crashed and burned...

CRM114

There are some bonafide classic albums on that list but you could say the same for any year in the decade. It was just a great time for music when "rock" was being defined. A great time to be alive too.

atlantamoi

Wow, my favorite years are the ones right after 1976.

atlantamoi

Other great albums from this year:

Blondie - Blondie
Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers (though recorded years before)
Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action
Peter Tosh - Legalize It

CRM114

I don't have any "favorite" years anymore. I like 60's psychedelia, 70's rock, punk and new wave. Everything after was based on those foundations. Not that that is a bad thing.

DVD Josh

I just think alot of people wanted to hear Paranoid and Sweet Leaf.

Anyway, I'll agree it's one of the weaker albums on this list, for sure.

Flashback

I did say "scanning" because I definitely knew I would pass over a couple. Oh and yes I would have to add that one as well.

wendersfan

Of the ones listed, I would say the Aerosmith, Zeppelin, Bowie, Steely Dan, and Tom Petty albums are quality. Nothing else on the list is, IMO, worthwhile at all. Other artists, like Blondie, Dylan, Graham Parker, Tom Waits, and Warren Zevon all released excellent albums in 1976.

CRM114

You include Aerosmith but exclude bands like Boston, Queen and Kansas? There are a number of albums on that list which I consider "classic" and have quality in their own ways. If you don't like or appreciate 70's rock, I can understand how you'd think it was all rubbish.

Rush's 2112 and Zappa's Zoot Allures are notable albums missing from the list.

(Personal anecdote. I bought my first two albums that year. My sister took me to a record store/head shop and I bought Aerosmith Rocks and Heart - Dreamboat Annie.)

Interesting. I never considered the Modern Lovers album to be from 1976. I thought it was much earlier than that.

slop101

My favorite year of album releases (and the year of my birth), 1971, kills '76 in terms of quality:

Led Zeppelin IV
Sticky Fingers
Hunky Dory
Who's Next
What's Going On
Electric Warrior
Maggot Brain
Imagine
Pearl
Every Picture Tells a Story
A Nod is as Good as a Wink
Madman Across the Water
Paranoid
Muswell Hillbillies
Meddle
Nilsson Schmilsson
Aqualung
Allman Bros @ Filmore

There's even more, but I think you get the point.