Music ads from 1976

Linda Ronstadt - Hasten Down the Wind

Tom Jans - Dark Blonde

KGB - Motion
Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Best of BTO (So Far)

Dalton & Dubarri - Success & Failure

John Cale - Troubadour

Lynyrd Skynyrd - One More from the Road

Ry Cooder - Chicken Skin Music
Boston - Boston

Tommy Bolin - Private Eyes

Top Albums of September '78

Let's take a look at what was topping the various album charts on September 16, 1978.

	Billboard	CashBox	Record World
1	Don't Look Back Boston	Grease Soundtrack	Grease Soundtrack
2	Some Girls Rolling Stones	Don't Look Back Boston	Don't Look Back Boston
3	Double Vision Foreigner	Some Girls Rolling Stones	Double Vision Foreigner
4	Grease Soundtrack	Double Vision Foreigner	Some Girls Rolling Stones
5	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Soundtrack	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Soundtrack	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Soundtrack
6	Natural High Commodores	Natural High Commodores	Natural High Commodores
7	Blam! Brothers Johnson	Worlds Away Pablo Cruise	Worlds Away Pablo Cruise
8	Who Are You The Who	Who Are You The Who	Who Are You The Who
9	A Taste of Honey A Taste of Honey	Blam! Brothers Johnson	Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack
10	The Stranger Billy Joel	Shadow Dancing Andy Gibb	Stranger in Town Bob Seger

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Exclusive MFD meta-analysis of the above charts:

1. Don't Look Back (28 pts)
2. Grease (27 pts)
3. Some Girls (24 pts)
4. Double Vision (23 pts)
5. Sgt. Pepper (18 pts)
6. Natural High (15 pts)
7. Who Are You (9 pts)
8. Worlds Away (8 pts)
9. Blam! (6 pts)
10. A Taste of Honey (2 pts)
11. Saturday Night Fever (2 pts)
12. (Tie) The Stranger, Shadow Dancing, Stranger in Town (1 pt)

Too Cool 4 School - 1976 Edition

To a ten year old kid, there's nobody cooler than people in their late teens - at least that's the way it was to me when I was a ten year old kid in 1976. Those teenagers with their cool cars, cool shades, the latest slang, and, since we're talking '76, shaggy hair and hip clothes. They tried to capture that vibe in That '70s Show, but didn't quite nail it.

In my little part of the world, the cool kids all attended Permian High School or had recently graduated from there and now worked in the nearby oilfields. Yes, I'm referring to the Permian High School featured in the book and subsequent motion picture, Friday Night Lights. As you can see in the map below, the elementary school I attended in 1976 (Burnet), was in close proximity to those cool kids, so they passed me in their cars, stereos blasting, as I walked to school each day.

From my 40 year old memories, here's the music I imagine blasting from the cool kids' Pontiac T-Top Firebirds as they passed me by on their way to school or to hang out at the Taco Villa.
An admittedly predictable list - if you were born in the years 1956-1960, feel free to suggest additions.

	Dreamboat Annie Heart Billboard #7 Cash Box #6		Hotel California Eagles Billboard #1 Cash Box #1
Boston Boston Billboard #3 Cash Box #2		Frampton Comes Alive! Peter Frampton Billboard #1 Cash Box #1
	Destroyer Kiss Billboard #11 Cash Box #7		Takin' It to the Streets The Doobie Brothers Billboard #8 Cash Box #9
Wings at the Speed of Sound Wings Billboard #1 Cash Box #1		Jailbreak Thin Lizzy Billboard #18 Cash Box #35
	Fly Like an Eagle Steve Miller Band Billboard #3 Cash Box #4		Wired Jeff Beck Billboard #16 Cash Box #12
A New World Record Electric Light Orchestra Billboard #5 Cash Box #10		Leftoverture Kansas Billboard #5 Cash Box #5
	Tejas ZZ Top Billboard #17 Cash Box #10		Silk Degrees Boz Scaggs Billboard #2 Cash Box #2
Songs in the Key of Life Stevie Wonder Billboard #1 Cash Box #1		and for the ladies: X Chicago Billboard #3 Cash Box #3

Also in my imaginary memories, a few of the very cool kids listened to these albums at home:

Station to Station
David Bowie

Ramones
Ramones

The Royal Scam
Steely Dan

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As I was neither cool nor a teenager, none of these albums were in my house at the time (especially the Kiss album - what would my parents think?!? The world's gone to hell in a handbasket!). I've done my best to catch up with them over the past 40 years.

Looking for a playlist? Just turn on your local FM "Classic Rock" station and you'll hear at least one tune from one the above albums within the hour. Let's put my arbitrary theory to the test with my own local station, Q107.7: Boom! First song I hear is Hotel California. Would love to hear reports of your own tests of this theory.

CD Longbox #6

Boston (1976)

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Exclusive photo courtesy of the Hambonian Archives.