The All-Time Great Albums From 1976 That Turn 50

In the year 1976, the music industry was abuzz with a plethora of diverse albums that pushed the boundaries of rock and roll. Vinyl records were at their peak in popularity, and the artists making records seemed to know it. They crafted nearly every corner of rock, from stadium-sized hits to prog epics and a crowd of scrappy debuts that barely touched the charts.

Each album from that year still holds significance 50 years later, primarily because 1976 wasn't one sound; it was a multitude of artists refusing to sound like anyone else.

The biggest album of 1976 was Hotel California by the Eagles. Released on December 8, the album has sold more than 28 million copies and has been certified 28x Platinum. The band, which began as Linda Ronstadt's backing band and was signed with Asylum Records in 1971, continues to perform. Their farewell tour began in 2023, outlasting its own end date and settling into a residency at Sphere in Las Vegas, expected to end in January 2027.

The second place goes to the better story of Boston's debut album, recorded by guitarist Tom Scholz in his Massachusetts basement. Initially rejected by Epic Records, the album was released in August 1976 and went Platinum by November. Since then, it has sold more than 17 million copies. The band's journey was marked by lineup changes and the untimely death of vocalist Brad Delp in 2007.