Musical spirit of 1976

Those were the good 'ole days
Daniel Brock, Opinion Columnist

I continually bemoan the state of modern music. I despise rap music, Greenday is a bunch of hacks and Emo kids just bring me down. The incoherent mumbling of Fifty Cent, the grating screams of Thursday and the rudimentary chords of Gavin Rossdale leave me wondering what happened to eight minute guitar solos and strutting front men. Give me Bad Company ahead of Bad Religion, and Led Zeppelin instead of Lloyd Banks. I don't know why music is terrible, and why people's musical taste is terrible but it certainly wasn't that way in 1976.

There weren't just a few good albums in '76 there were a plethora. And while '76 wasn't the monster that some of years earlier in the decade were, it still held it's own. Let's take a look back at some of '76's biggest hits

Peter Frampton- Frampton Comes Alive: Hands down the greatest live album ever, this record epitomizes 1970's rock. Rock, ballads and pop are all crafted perfectly, and the three big hits "Baby, I Love Your Way," "Show Me the Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do?" were a perfect soundtrack to the centennial summer.

AC/DC- High Voltage: As the mellow sounds of Frampton wafted across parks and parades, Bon Scott and crew came thunderin' from down under. With Malcom and Angus Young shredding guitars and a drummer pounding his kit with tree trunks, the Australian quintet was indeed electric. This record is TNT, dynamite.

Stevie Wonder- Songs in The Key of Life: Stevie Wonder's high water mark was a breathtaking effort in scope. The double LP's range of style and mood shows a vision that makes up for his lack of sight. Hit's like "Isn't She Lovely" were weighted by cold tunes like "Village Ghetto Land." Coolio even based his song "Gangsta's Paradise" on "Past Time Paradise."

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: This record continues to be a classic. Upon its release, this record was well received by ... well, everyone. "Breakdown" and "American Girl" are poetic garage-rock music. Using different guitar styles of the day, and a rocking attitude Tom Petty and Co. established themselves as a band of the future.

Fleetwood Mac- Fleetwood Mac: When the remaining members of Fleetwood Mac joined forces with Lyndsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, few new the fireworks that would ensue. With three tremendous songwriters, a searing guitarist, and solid rhythm section, not to mention the sultry Nicks, the Mac lit the fuse on an explosive career to come.

Those were the top five of '76, but that was merely the tip of the iceberg. The following list is mind blowing, and makes me wonder why I couldn't have been living then. All of these albums were released in 1976: AC/DC- High Voltage, Aerosmith- Rocks, Blondie- Blondie, Boston- Boston, David Bowie- Station to Station, Chicago- Chicago X, Alice Cooper- Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, Kiss- Destroyer, Bob Dylan- Desire, The Eagles- Their Greatest Hits, The Eagles- Hotel California, Foreigner- Foreigner, Jennings/Nelson- Wanted! The Outlaws, Journey- Look Into the Future, Led Zeppelin- Presence, One More from the Road- Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Marley- Rastaman Vibration, Wings- Wings at the Speed of Sound, Steve Miller Band- Fly Like an Eagle, The Ramones- The Ramones, The Rolling Stones- Black & Blue, Rush- 2112.

With albums like those, no wonder 1976 is now, and will forever be, known as the greatest year in music there ever was.