Clockwise from top left, “Ramones,” “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,” “Boston,” “Blondie,” “The Runaways,” “The Modern Lovers,” Graham Parker’s “Howlin’ Wind,” and Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes’ “I Don’t Want to Go Home.”
About a year ago, at the start of 2025, I wrote an article arguing that 1975 — whose 50th anniversary we would be celebrating — was the greatest year ever for albums. I cited works such as Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, The Patti Smith Group’s Horses, Queen’s A Night at the Opera and Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here.
I cannot make a similar claim for 1976, though the year certainly had its share of blockbuster releases (including Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life, Frampton Comes Alive!, The Eagles’ Hotel California, The Steve Miller Band’s Fly Like an Eagle and Wings at the Speed of Sound). But what 1976 did have a lot of, in retrospect, was notable debut albums.
Here are 10 of them, with a video for each one. (Note: I am not including Heart’s 1976 American debut, Dreamboat Annie, because it was released in Canada in 1975).
1. Ramones (released on April 23). You can’t really say that punk started here. As mentioned above, Horses came out in ’75. And you could go back further, as well, to bands such as The Velvet Underground, The Stooges and The New York Dolls. But this is the album that, more than any other, is really responsible for making punk the cultural phenomenon it was in the second half of the ’70s.
Song choice: “Blitzkrieg Bop,” released as a single in February 1976.
2. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (released on Nov. 9). It didn’t have much of an impact right away. But “Anything That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” got some attention in Europe, and “Breakdown,” which had bombed as a U.S. single in ’76, was re-released, and made Top 40 in ’78, and Petty was on his way.
Song choice: “American Girl” (released as a single in February 1977).
3. Boston (released on Aug. 25). Lead single “More Than a Feeling” was one of the songs that dominated FM radio in 1976. Follow-up singles “Long Time” and “Peace of Mind” did well, too. Boston became the best-selling debut album ever, at the time (several debut albums have sold more since then).
Song choice: “Peace of Mind” (released as a single in April 1977).
4. Blondie (released on Dec. 9). Another album that didn’t find its audience right away but was rediscovered later (after Blondie broke through with its third album, 1978’s Parallel Lines).
Song choice: “X Offender” (released as a single in June 1976).
5. I Don’t Want to Go Home, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes (released on June 7). A landmark album for Jersey rock, produced by Stevie Van Zandt and featuring two Bruce Springsteen songs. The Van Zandt-written title track is still the band’s trademark song.
Song choice: “I Don’t Want to Go Home” (released as a single in June 1976).
6. Howlin’ Wind, Graham Parker (released in April). Coming from England, but with a sound not unlike the Jukes’ rock/R&B blend, was Graham Parker & the Rumour. They debuted with this album, which was produced by Nick Lowe and featured Dave Edmunds’ guitar on one song (“Back to Schooldays”).
Song choice: “Back to Schooldays” (not released as a single).
7. The Modern Lovers (released in August). Simple and direct, like Ramones, but more personal, like singer-songwriter music, this album also helped launch the punk movement. It was produced by former Velvet Underground member John Cale and featured future Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison on keyboards, and future Cars member David Robinson on drums.
Song choice: “Roadrunner” (released as a single in October 1976).
8. The Runaways (released on May 17). Another album that helped pave the way for punk, and one of the few rock albums of the era with an all-female lineup: Cherie Currie on lead vocals, Joan Jett on guitar and vocals, Lita Ford on lead guitar, Sandy West on drums and Jackie Fox on bass (though producer Kim Fowley had Nigel Harrison, later of Blondie, do the actual bass playing, uncredited).
Song choice: “Cherry Bomb” (released as a single in June 1976).
9. The Wild Tchoupitoulas (exact release date unknown). The first and only album by The Wild Tchoupitoulas, a group featuring George “Big Chief Jolly” Landry and fellow Mardi Gras Indian performers, as well as members of The Neville Brothers and The Meters. It did not reach a wide audience, then or later, but is one of the greatest albums ever made, in my opinion.
Song choice: “Brother John” (not released as a single).
10. Chestnut Street Incident, Johnny Cougar (released on Oct. 1). John Mellencamp did not have his first hit, “I Need a Lover,” until a few years later. But he debuted, under the name Johnny Cougar, with Chestnut Street Incident, which was widely ignored but offered some hints of his brilliance to come.
Song choice: “American Dream” (not released as a single).
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