5 Rock Songs From 1976 That Sound Even Cooler Today

When it comes to '70s rock music, 1976 was arguably the most seismic year of that decade. Indeed, the rock music industry hadn't seen such radical changes to the musical landscape since the dawn of Beatlemania more than a decade earlier, which opened the door to the British Invasion. That was the year punk exploded, returning to rock music the primitive rawness that characterized many of its pioneering artists, reminding the world that anyone, regardless of ability, could transform themselves into a rock star with only a few chords and a rebellious attitude. Though considered nothing more than a fad by certain portions of the music press, the dawn of punk has continued to exert an enormous influence on rock musicians ever since.

It is arguably only a small exaggeration to say that punk changed everything. However, the truth is that for many established strands of rock music, such as hard rock, business carried on as usual, with such sounds continuing to find large, enthusiastic audiences. Here are five songs from 1976, both punk and non-punk, that have stood the test of time.

The ultimate U.S. punk number, The Ramones' breakout single encapsulates everything that was exciting about the new genre. The New York band had formed in 1974 as a trio, but added manager Tommy Ramone (all members had adopted the name for the stage) as drummer and quickly established itself as one of the most exciting acts on the scene, thanks to its ferocious embrace of proto-punk influences and a notable residency at the famous CBGB club. 

Having signed a record deal — the first for a punk band — at the start of 1976, The Ramones released its debut album, "Ramones," in the spring of that year, with "Blitzkrieg Bop" as the record's opening track. With its infectious "Hey! Ho! Let's go!" chant and its simple, aggressive three-chord structure, it was a statement of intent and a call to arms for would-be punks everywhere. Though the debut album would stall at No. 111 on the Billboard 200 — and "Blitzkrieg Bop" never made the charts at all — it would prove to be a huge hit in the U.K., and become especially influential for a number of bands that would then turn punk rock to their own ends.

One of the bands that proved instrumental in moulding the sound of U.K. punk was the Sex Pistols. Fronted by the mercurial vocalist Johnny Rotten, the Sex Pistols was a snarling unit that signalled danger to the British establishment of the mid-1970s, with "Anarchy in the U.K." seeming to suggest that the band intended to destroy the status quo exactly in the manner that the British tabloid press feared.

That the song was an undeniable rocker, with far more in common with the hard rock of the early 1970s than the new generation of punks might have liked to have admitted at the time, goes some way to explaining how it managed to be such a huge commercial hit, for a time at least. Signed to record label EMI, the band released "Anarchy" as their debut single amid a storm of controversy: it managed to sell 55,000 copies in Britain and hit No. 38 in the singles charts, before it was banned by the BBC and pulled from sale by the band's label, which also dropped Sex Pistols from its roster.

Perhaps because of the controversy, the Sex Pistols became the de facto British punk band of the generation. The ensuing album, "Never Mind the B*******, Here's The Sex Pistols," which was released on the Virgin label, contained the banned single and has gone down as a classic punk album. Though the Sex Pistols failed to establish any real longevity, the fear instilled in some sections of the public by the release of the band's first single, which has lost none of its snarl, demonstrated punk's aggressive power.

In 1976, hard rock was continuing to hit huge commercial heights, as demonstrated by Irish band Thin Lizzy's international smash "The Boys Are Back in Town." The song, which remains as catchy as anything released in the mid-1970s, has become a bona fide classic, featuring prominently in the hit movie "Toy Story" and remaining a crowd-pleasing feature at public events, particularly in the world of sports.

"The Boys Are Back in Town" is now so universally loved that it might seem unbelievable that at the time of its release, "Thin Lizzy" was struggling to establish itself as an international hard rock band of note. Apart from their cover of the trad Irish song "Whiskey in the Jar," which charted across Europe earlier in the decade, they had failed to capitalize on its success with any world-beating hits, with U.S. audiences generally ambivalent. Until, that is, the arrival of "The Boys Are Back in Town," which climbed to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and buoyed its parent album, "Jailbreak," which eventually went gold in the U.S.

Thin Lizzy's most timeless year remains 1976, and the upbeat "The Boys Are Back in Town" is emblematic of what made the band so great, with its combination of tough-guy lyricism, upbeat tempo, and irresistible hooks. For a harder version you may not be as familiar with, try 1979's "Live and Dangerous," the live album that may be Thin Lizzy's masterpiece.

Hard rock isn't generally known for using existential angst as subject matter, but Blue Öyster Cult was a more ambitious unit. The Long Island band had a wide range of subject matter that might have made it more akin to a prog rock band, if it weren't for its ability to treat audiences to irresistible grooves. And no track encapsulates what made Blue Öyster Cult special quite like the band's biggest hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," a 1976 single that spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 12. 

"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" was named Rolling Stone magazine's song of the year, which is quite an achievement in a year bursting at the seams with incredible rock music. Few songs with death as the subject have enjoyed such commercial success, but "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" has proven irresistible to generations of listeners thanks to its unique jaunty-yet-melancholic atmosphere, iconic riffs, heart-pounding guitar solo, and memorable vocal performances.

Boston's "More Than A Feeling" is somewhat controversial among fans of classic rock. For some, the 1976 hit, which hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, is reflective of the slick, bloated style that other, more cutting-edge musicians were working against. Indeed, the fact that "More Than A Feeling" became a radio staple for years after its release also resulted in a certain amount of animosity. 

But the fact is that Boston's biggest track — the stand-out of the band's debut album — is a masterclass in emotionally charged power balladry, with lead singer Brad Delp's powerful vocals layered multiple times to create incredible harmonies on the song's soaring chorus. Paired with the guitar stylings of Tom Scholz — the Boston founder and principal songwriter who reportedly spent around five years crafting "More Than A Feeling" — it is an undeniable crowd-pleaser that sounds utterly pristine to modern ears.