1. The Modern Lovers – The Modern Lovers
Laced with darkness, even his messages about positivity, clean living and nostalgia were laced by angry defiance, not to mention a deep hatred of smug hippies.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #modernlovers #protopunk #garage #artpunk #musicsky
Fester's Lucky 13: 1976
Revisiting favorite albums that are 50 years old this year.
fastnbulbous.com/lucky-76/
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #musicsky
2. Electric Light Orchestra – A New World Record
ELO locked in to their signature sound, the strings fused with the rock instrumentation into a seamless whole, studio wizardry creating sheer euphoria. Choon: "So Fine."
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #elo #symphonicrock #poprock #progpop #musicsky
3. Justin Hinds & The Dominoes – Jezebel
First LP after a string of singles since 1964, it positively glowed with sorrow and joy, one of the most beautiful, gently spiritual recordings ever. Best album in the best year for reggae ever.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #justinhinds #rootsreggae #musicsky
4. David Bowie – Station To Station
From plastic soul to Berlin, occultism, Nietzschean philosophy, and cocaine psychosis, he absorbed kosmische, Eno & "Kashmir" and created Teutonic funk with distinct glacial beauty.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #davidbowie #artrock #funkrock #kosmische #musicsky
5. Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak
Thin Lizzy's sixth album was originally envisioned as a full-blown science fiction rock opera. Their breakthrough, with THAT single (morphed from the anti-war "GI Joe"), one of the great hard rock albums.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #thinlizzy #hardrock #musicsky
6. Rainbow – Rising
DIO in his full-throated glory, introducing epic fantasy sword & sorcery lyrics to rock that would become the blueprint for power metal. This ain't quite heavy metal, and yet DIO was.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #rainbow #hardrock #prog #proto-metal #dio #musicsky
7. Fela Kuti and Afrika 70 – Zombie
When is the King of Afrobeat not bravely satirizing and taunting a military dictatorship . . . adorned with only tighty-whities and a spliff as big as a baby’s arm? Zombie stands out for it's title.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #felakuti #afrobeat #musicsky
8. Max Romeo & the Upsetters – War Ina Babylon
Recorded by Lee "Scratch" Perry at his backyard Black Art studio and at his peak, capturing the dark tribal war atmosphere, with dense textures n' echoes.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #maxromeo #rootsreggae #dub #leescratchperry #musicsky
9. Ramones – Ramones
Hey ho, let's go! 14 songs in 29 minutes, melodic bubblegum pop wrapped in buzzsaw guitars at breakneck (for the day) speed. So gloriously simple, thank the demon lords lurking in the sewers for the Ramones.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #ramones #punk #powerpop #cbgbs #musicsky
10. AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
From the title track to "Ain't No Fun (Waitin' Around to be a Millionaire," and the classic "Problem Child," essential grimy, grubby rock 'n' roll for the dirt bag in all of us. Top Choon: "Jailbreak."
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #ac-dc #hardrock #musicsky
11. Thin Lizzy – Johnny The Fox
Ass-whuppin' twin guitar machine with choons for days on their second album of '76. As always, shame on R&R HOF for ignoring them.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #thinlizzy #hardrock #musicsky
12. UFO – No Heavy Petting
Swaggering, almost Southern Rock "Natural Thing" to shoulda been radio hit "I'm a Loser" and blazing "Can You Roll Her." "Belladonna" is a deceptively mellow nearly-ballad that simmers like Free. R&R HOF anyone?
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #ufo #hardrock #musicsky
13. The Abyssinians – Satta Massagana
Dark, ethereal, haunting three-part vocal harmonies and Nyahbinghi drumming by one of the greatest originators of cultural roots reggae.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #abyssinians #rootsreggae #musicsky
14. Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life
When his peers were flailing under drugs and disco, Stevie stayed focused on his art, played with the agile virtuosity of a jazz fusion band, smooth, alluring sounds you want to bathe in.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #steviewonder #soul #funk #musicsky
15. Patti Smith Group – Radio Ethiopia
More musically ambitious, noisier and heavier than the debut. It also features some of her best songs, influencing Siouxsie & the Banshees to the No Wave noise rock scene.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #pattismith #artpunk #proto-punk #poetry #musicsky
16. Joni Mitchell – Hejira
Jaco Pastorius assists with liquidy progressive jazz folk fusion, an account of an epic cross-country road trip told with career peak imagery and poetry.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #jonimitchell #folkrock #jazzrock #musicsky
17. Led Zeppelin – Presence
Jimmy Page's guitar tones and riffs are fantastic, and an influence on an unlikely range of musicians including post-punk and noise rock. Bonham is locked in too.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #ledzeppelin #progmetal #hardrock #rockopera #musicsky
18. Rush – 2112
They perform with such a raw, angry energy that fans bought in big time, giving Rush the freedom to do whatever the hell they wanted for the rest of their career.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #rush #progmetal #hardrock #rockopera #musicsky
19. Judas Priest – Sad Wings Of Destiny
They fully shed the blues influences, making their music unmistakenly nothing but heavy metal with the trademark twin guitars. Half a century later they've still got the goods.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #judaspriest #heavymetal #prog #musicsky
20. Moxy – Moxy
Fully loaded with prime Tommy Bolin riffs and solos, more than competes with the veterans, injecting the scene with a youthful energy. The lost connection between Led Zeppelin, Montrose and early Rush.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #moxy #hardrock #musicsky
21. Sweet – Give Us A Wink
Has career peak single “Action,” focusing on Andy Scott’s great guitar playing, rewarding riff riding fans. Sweet rocks harder than an everlasting gobstopper.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #sweet #hardrock #glam #protometal #musicsky
22. Angel – Helluva Band
Their mix of hard rock, prog and glam was fully formed when Gene Simmons saw them in a D.C. club clad in celestial white. Their 8:40 long masterpiece "The Fortune" shoulda been a hit.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #angel #hardrock #glam #prog #musicsky
23. Scorpions – Virgin Killer
Uli Jon Roth's signature neoclassical Hendrix licks assisted by Rudolf Schenker. For a minute, they were the most fiery, hardest band that wasn't Judas Priest. Prime Scorps before they were defanged.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #scorpions #hardrock #protometal #musicsky
24. AC/DC – High Voltage
The template for their simple but nasty take on rock 'n' roll was already set like a dinosaur footprint in fossilized mud, and would change very little over a half century, with great results.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #ac-dc #hardrock #bluesrock #musicsky
25. Leroy Brown & His Defence Force – Prayer of Peace
Brown's ethereal vocals floating above the exquisitely arranged songs for a heavy spiritual vibe, accented with Nyahbinghi drums. A sublimely haunting atmosphere FFO The Congos.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #leroybrown #rootsreggae #musicsky
26. Toots & the Maytals – Reggae Got Soul
The Jamaican Otis Redding had such a soulful, joyous delivery that would have bathed the world in euphoria had they let him. It has a spiritual roots reggae side and the party side.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #tootsandthemaytals #reggae #soul #musicsky
27. Bob Marley & the Wailers – Rastaman Vibration
Unsung engineer Sylvan Morris set the benchmark for clean, precise rhythm tracks, and the sophistication and arrangements are state of the art. Choon: "Johnny Was."
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #bobmarley #reggae #seaoftranquility #musicsky
28. Be-Bop Deluxe – Sunburst Finish
Guitar virtuoso Bill Nelson could deftly navigate between glam, pop rock, prog and metal. Choon: “Ships In The Night” Modern Music in October offered more futuristic, glammy prog pop.
#festerslucky13 #aoty1976 #bebopdeluxe #ArtRock #glamrock #seaoftranquility
