1976 Music Charts

A sneak-peak at the music charts in both the UK and the USA from this week in 1976 – 50 years ago.

1976 was an amazing year for popular music, and for popular culture in general. Whether it was the best year for music depends of course upon one’s own personal tastes, but there can truly never have been a time when rock, glam, disco and punk drew together so seamlessly to create the unique vibe that was 1976 in the scorching sun.

There are lots of things we remember 1976 for, and for many of us there will never be another year like it. The hits just kept coming, and that we still remember so many with fondness a whole half-century later is surely testimony to their quality and endurance.

UK Singles Chart – 31/10/1976

No.TitleArtistPrevious
1MississippiPussycat1
2If You Leave Me NowChicago3
3When Forever Has GoneDemis Roussos2
4HurtThe Manhattans5
5Don’t Take Away the MusicTavares6
Pussycat
6HowzatSherbet4
7Summer of My LifeSimon May7
8Dancing with the CaptainPaul Nicholas9
9Sailing (1976)Rod Stewart10
10Play That Funky MusicWild Cherry15
11Couldn’t Get it RightClimax Blues Band17
12I’ll Meet You at MidnightSmokie11
13Dancing QueenAbba8
14JawsLalo Schifrin18
15Substitute (1976)The Who36
16You Make Me Feel Like DancingLeo Sayer30
17Girl of My Best FriendElvis Presley12
18The Rubberband ManDetroit Spinners16
19Love and AffectionJoan Armatrading20
20If Not YouDr. Hook46
21Disco DuckRick Dees and His Cast of Idiots13
22Without You (1976)Nilsson28
23Beautiful NoiseNeil Diamond27
24Coming HomeDavid Essex25
25The Best Disco in TownThe Ritchie Family14
26Queen of My SoulThe Average White Band23
27Can’t Get By Without YouThe Real Thing19
28Rock’n’MeThe Steve Miller Band43
29Lost in FranceBonnie Tyler49
30Dance Little Lady DanceTina Charles21
31Fairy TaleDana39
32Remember YesterdayJohn Miles37
33Spinning Rock BoogieHank C. Burnette50
34LowdownBoz Scaggs48
35I Only Wanna Be With YouBay City Rollers26
36Under the Moon of LoveShowaddywaddyNew
37I’d Really Love to See You TonightEngland Dan and John Ford Coley29
38You’re My Best FriendDon Williams42
39I Am a Cider DrinkerThe Wurzels24
40Soul DraculaHot Blood38
41The Tears of a Clown (1976)Smokey Robinson and the Miracles34
42I Can’t Live a DreamThe Osmonds47
43Love MeYvonne EllimanNew
44I’m Still Waiting (1976)Diana Ross41
45So Sad the SongGladys Knight and the PipsNew
46Disco Music – I Like ItJ.A.L.N. Band22
47She’s GoneDaryl Hall and John Oates44
48Love is a Prima DonnaSteve Harley and Cockney RebelNew
49Stoney GroundGuys and DollsNew
45Do You Feel Like We DoPeter FramptonNew

UK Albums Chart – 31/10/1976

No.TitleArtistPrevious
1Soul MotionVarious Artists1
2Songs in the Key of LifeStevie Wonder2
3The Story of The WhoThe Who5
4Greatest HitsAbba3
5The Song Remains the SameLed ZeppelinNew
Soul Motion
6His 20 Greatest HitsGene Pitney6
722 Golden Guitar GreatsBert Weedon14
8The Best of The Stylistics Vol. 2The Stylistics4
9Frampton Comes AlivePeter Frampton21
10LSteve Hillage12
11Johnny the FoxThin LizzyNew
12Joan ArmatradingJoan Armatrading13
13Technical EcstasyBlack SabbathNew
14Forever and EverDemis Roussos15
15Country ComfortVarious Artists8
16Greatest Hits 2Diana Ross16
17One More for the RoadLynyrd SkynyrdNew
18Atlantic CrossingRod Stewart11
19A Night on the TownRod Stewart7
2020 Golden Greats – The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys9
21Blue MovesElton JohnNew
22Sky HighTavares39
23Beautiful NoiseNeil Diamond20
24Laughter and TearsNeil Sedaka26
25StupidityDr. Feelgood10
26A Little Bit MoreDr. Hook37
27Derek and Clive LivePeter Cook and Dudley Moore23
28Best of Tony ChristieTony ChristieNew
29Happy to BeDemis Roussos33
30Hard RainBob Dylan17
31Out on the StreetDavid Essex41
32Their Greatest Hits 1971-75Eagles27
33Free for AllTed Nugent40
34Real ThingReal ThingNew
35Gold on SilverBeverley-Phillips Orchestra25
36Live in LondonJohn Denver43
37DedicationBay City Rollers18
38Wings at the Speed of SoundWings28
39OctoberonBarclay James Harvest19
40Tubular BellsMike Oldfield45
41Albedo 0.39Vangelis22
42The Dark Side of the MoonPink Floyd24
43SpiritJohn Denver30
44The Best of Gladys Knight and the PipsGladys Knight and the Pips36
45Long May You RunStills Young Band44
46Some People Can Do What They LikeRobert PalmerNew
47Forty ManiaVarious ArtistsNew
48The Roaring SilenceManfred Mann’s Earth Band29
49Fleetwood MacFleetwood MacNew
50Great Italian Love SongsVarious Artists34

US Billboard Chart – 31/10/1976

No.TitleArtistPrevious
1Rock’n’MeThe Steve Miller Band3
2Disco DuckRick Dees and his Cast of Idiots2
3The Wreck of the Edmund FitzgeraldGordon Lightfoot4
4If You Leave Me NowChicago1
5Love So RightThe Bee Gees6
Steve Miller Band
6Muskrat LoveThe Captain and Tennille9
7She’s GoneDaryl Hall and John Oates7
8Tonight’s the NightRod Stewart22
9Magic ManHeart10
10Just to Be Close to YouThe Commodores`7
11Do You Feel Like We DoPeter Frampton24
12Don’t Fear the ReaperBlue Oyster Cult14
13Beth/Detroit Rock CityKiss15
14Nadia’s ThemeBarry DeVorzon and Perry Botkin Jr.16
15The Rubberband ManDetroit Spinners21
16FernandoAbba18
17More Than a FeelingBoston19
18You are the WomanFirefall20
19A Fifth of BeethovenWalter Murphy and the Big Apple Band5
20Play That Funky MusicWild Cherry8
21The Best Disco in TownThe Ritchie Family23
22I Only Wanna Be With YouBay City Rollers12
23(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your BootyK.C. and the Sunshine Band13
24Nights are Forever Without YouEngland Dan and John Ford Coley37
25That’ll Be the DayLinda Ronstadt11
26A Dose of Rock’n’RollRingo Starr28
26Still the OneOrleans5
27You Are My StarshipNorman Connors featuring Michael Henderson30
28I Never CryAlice Cooper34
29This One’s for YouBarry Manilow29
30Did You BoogieFlash Cadillac and the Continental Kids31
31You Don’t Have to Be a StarMarilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.35
32Nice’n’NaastyThe Salsoul Orchestra36
33LowdownBoz Scaggs25
34You Male Me Feel Like DancingLeo SayerNew
35Stand TallBurton CummingsNew
36Love BalladL.T.D.New
37Anything You WantJohn Valenti38
38Love MeYvonne EllimanNew
39It’s a Long Way ThereLittle River BandNew
40Give it UpTyrone Davis40