The Soundtrack of 1976: What A Year To Be Born

1976 was a year of extremes. At the top of the charts, everything gleamed. ABBA were at the absolute peak of their powers, delivering Fernando and Dancing Queen within months of each other. Disco was in full swing, Queen were becoming arena gods, and the airwaves were thick with the warm, polished sound of a music industry that had never felt more confident.

And then, in the basement clubs and rehearsal rooms, something else entirely was taking shape. The Ramones released their debut album. The Sex Pistols put out Anarchy in the UK. The Damned released New Rose, widely considered Britain’s first punk single. None of these records troubled the top of the charts, but all of them changed music permanently. By the end of 1976, it was clear that the cosy consensus of the early seventies was finished.

In between, there was an enormous amount happening. David Bowie released Station to Station and began his Berlin period. Peter Frampton’s live album became one of the best-selling records of the decade. Fleetwood Mac were on the verge of their commercial breakthrough. Rod Stewart had a US number one. And in the soul and funk world, the music was as rich and inventive as it had ever been.

This playlist captures all of it: the pop perfection and the punk fury, the disco and the soul, the stadium rock and the quiet moments. 1976 was the last year before everything changed.

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