1976
The biggest rock and metal albums of 1976: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Presence and A Day at the Races and 3 more.
Nineteen seventy-six was the year Apple Computer was formed in California and Harold Wilson stepped down, leaving James Callaghan in Downing Street. Britain, meanwhile, sent Brotherhood of Man to win Eurovision with "Save Your Kisses for Me", and the Cray-1 supercomputer went on sale, though few record collectors noticed.
Hard rock held the middle ground while the edges began to stir. Led Zeppelin put out Presence in March and, in October, the concert film soundtrack The Song Remains the Same. Queen closed the year with A Day at the Races, and Black Sabbath turned up with Technical Ecstasy in September. AC/DC were the busy newcomers, with High Voltage in May and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in September. Elsewhere the Ramones released their debut in April, and the founding of Accept, Diamond Head, Ratt and Rose Tattoo hinted at what was coming next. Dave Murray joined Iron Maiden, and "Fast" Eddie Clarke became Motörhead's second guitarist, shortly after which Larry Wallis left and the classic trio took shape.
The mood was less cheerful off the stage. Deep Purple split, and Tommy Bolin, who had played guitar in the band, died in December at 25 after an overdose. Uriah Heep parted ways with vocalist David Byron because of his heavy drinking. Steppenwolf and the New York Dolls also called it a day, though both would return later.
