| 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 |
| 11 | This One's for You | Barry Manilow |
| 10 | Frampton Comes Alive! | Peter Frampton |
| 9 | Hotel California | Eagles |
| 8 | Boston | Boston |
| 7 | Wings at the Speed of Sound | Wings |
| 6 | Fly Like an Eagle | Steve Miller Band |
A New World Record
Electric Light Orchestra
Jet AL UA-LA679-G
Produced by: Jeff Lynne
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box |
| 5 | 10 |
| U.S. charted singles (Billboard): | Pop | AC |
| Livin' Thing | 13 | 36 |
| Do Ya | 24 | |
| Telephone Line | 7 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Livin' Thing"
"Do Ya"
"Mission (A World Record)"
Breezin'
George Benson
Warner Bros. BS 2919
Produced by: Tommy LiPuma
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box |
| 1 | 5 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★½ |
| Allmusic | ★★★½ |
| Christgau | C |
| U.S. charted singles (Billboard): | Pop | R&B | AC |
| Breezin' | 63 | 55 | 13 |
| This Masquerade | 10 | 3 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Breezin'"
"Affirmation"
"This Masquerade"
Turnstiles
Billy Joel
Columbia PC 33848
Produced by: Billy Joel
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box |
| 122 | 92 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★½ |
| Allmusic | ★★★★½ |
| Christgau | C+ |
| U.S. charted singles (Billboard): |
| none |
Top 3 Tracks
"New York State of Mind"
"Prelude/Angry Young Man"
"Summer Highland Falls"
Silk Degrees
Boz Scaggs
Columbia PC 33920
Produced by: Joe Wissert
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box |
| 2 | 2 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★★ |
| Allmusic | ★★★★★ |
| Christgau | A- |
| U.S. charted singles (Billboard): | Pop | R&B | AC | Dance |
| It's Over | 38 | |||
| Lowdown | 3 | 5 | 11 | 12 |
| Lido Shuffle | 11 | |||
| What Can I Say | 42 | 68 | 35 | 12 |
Top 3 Tracks
"Lido Shuffle"
"Lowdown"
"What Can I Say"
Songs in the Key of Life
Stevie Wonder
Tamla T13-00340
Produced by: Stevie Wonder
U.S. Album Chart Peaks
| Billboard | Cash Box |
| 1 | 1 |
Ratings:
| Rolling Stone | ★★★★★ |
| Allmusic | ★★★★★ |
| Christgau | A |
| U.S. charted singles (Billboard): | Pop | R&B | AC | Dance |
| I Wish | 1 | 1 | 23 | 2 |
| Sir Duke | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Another Star | 32 | 18 | 29 | 2 |
| As | 36 | 36 | 24 | |
| Isn't She Lovely | 23 | 2 |
Top 3 Tracks
"As"
"I Wish"
"Sir Duke"
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.
