| 17 | A Secret Place | Grover Washington, Jr. |
| 16 | Hasten Down the Wind | Linda Ronstadt |
| 15 | Bigger Than Both of Us | Daryl Hall & John Oates |
| 14 | Takin' It to the Streets | Doobie Brothers |
| 13 | Spirit | Earth, Wind & Fire |
| 12 | Song of Joy | Captain & Tennille |
This One's for You
Barry Manilow
Arista AL 4090
Produced by: Ron Dante & Barry Manilow
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box |
| 6 | 4 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★½ |
| Allmusic | ★★★★½ |
| Christgau | - |
| U.S. charted singles (Billboard): | Pop | AC |
| This One's for You | 29 | 1 |
| Weekend in New England | 10 | 1 |
| Looks Like We Made It | 1 | 1 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Weekend in New England"
"Daybreak"
"Looks Like We Made It"
Frampton Comes Alive!
Peter Frampton
A&M SP-3703
Produced by: Peter Frampton
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box |
| 1 | 3 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★ |
| Allmusic | ★★★★½ |
| Christgau | B- |
| U.S. charted singles (Billboard): | Pop | AC |
| Baby, I Love Your Way | 12 | 28 |
| Do You Feel Like We Do | 10 | |
| Show Me the Way | 6 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Do You Feel Like We Do"
"Show Me the Way"
"Baby, I Love Your Way"
Hotel California
Eagles
Asylum 7E-1084
Produced by: Bill Szymczyk
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box |
| 1 | 1 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★★ |
| Allmusic | ★★★★★ |
| Christgau | B |
| U.S. charted singles (Billboard): | Pop | AC |
| New Kid in Town | 1 | 2 |
| Hotel California | 1 | 10 |
| Life in the Fast Lane | 11 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Life in the Fast Lane"
"New Kid in Town"
"Hotel California"
Boston
Boston
Epic JE 34188
Produced by: John Boylan & Tom Scholz
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box |
| 3 | 2 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★½ |
| Allmusic | ★★★★½ |
| Christgau | C |
| U.S. charted singles (Billboard): | Pop |
| More Than a Feeling | 5 |
| Long Time | 22 |
| Peace of Mind | 38 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Foreplay/Long Time"
"Smokin'"
"More Than a Feeling"
Wings at the Speed of Sound
Wings
Capitol SW-11525
Produced by: Paul McCartney
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box |
| 1 | 1 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★ |
| Allmusic | ★★ |
| Christgau | B- |
| U.S. charted singles (Billboard): | Pop | AC |
| Silly Love Songs | 1 | 1 |
| Let 'Em In | 1 | 1 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Silly Love Songs"
"Let 'Em In"
"She's My Baby"
Fly Like an Eagle
Steve Miller Band
Capitol ST-11497
Produced by: Steve Miller
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box |
| 3 | 4 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★★ |
| Allmusic | ★★★★½ |
| Christgau | B+ |
| U.S. charted singles (Billboard): | Pop | AC |
| Take the Money and Run | 11 | |
| Rock'n Me | 1 | |
| Fly Like an Eagle | 2 | 38 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Rock'n Me"
"Take the Money and Run"
"Fly Like an Eagle"
These are my personal top 17 albums released in 1976. The following criteria was used on a very slippery sliding scale:
- How often I enjoyed the album at the time of release
- How often I've enjoyed the album over the past 40 years
- Overall quality of the album
References:
- Billboard magazine chart information is available from the Billboard website, the American Radio History archives, Google Books, or any of the wonderful Record Research books.
- The Cash Box chart information was taken from The Cash Box Album Charts, 1976-1985 (1987).
- The Rolling Stone ratings were taken from either the Rolling Stone Album Guide or the Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999).
- The Robert Christgau ratings were taken from his comprehensive website.
Forty years on and we're still rocking to a few of these. Eagerly anticipation the Top 5.
ReplyDeleteEagles "Hotel California" is by far my number 1 of 1976/1977. In fact, it is one of my top 5 albums of all time. It is now, as then, an album that I have to listen to from beginning to end (like Sgt. Peppers or Dark Side of the Moon) and every song is awesome.
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