1976: Songs of the Year

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102 Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight

101 Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

100 Bob Seger - Night Moves

99 The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop

98 Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing

97 Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle

96 Steve Miller Band - Wild Mountain Honey

95 ELO - Rockaria

94 Orleans - Still the One

93 Al Stewart - Year of the Cat

92 Steve Miller Band - Take the Money and Run

91 Donna Summer - Spring Affair

90 Queen - Tie Your Mother Down

89 Jean-Luc Ponty - Renaissance

88 Hall & Oates - Sara Smile

87 10cc - The Things We Do for Love

86 Henry Gross - Shannon

85 Thin Lizzy - Jail Break

84 Firefall - You Are the Woman

83 Queen - Somebody to Love

82 Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son

81 Chick Corea - Love Castle

80 10cc - I'm Mandy Fly Me

79 Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded By the Light

78 ELO - Livin' Thing

77 Hall & Oates - Rich Girl

76 Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle

75 Brand X - Unorthodox Behaviour

74 Pat Metheny - Road Trip / Broad Blues

73 James Brown - Get Up Offa That Thing / Release That Pressure

72 Heart - Soul of the Sea

71 Blue Oyster Cult - (Don't Fear) the Reaper

70 Led Zeppelin - Hots On for Nowhere

69 Led Zeppelin - Nobody's Fault But Mine

68 Lou Rawls - You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine

67 ELO - Strange Magic

66 Chick Corea - Night Streets

65 Kansas - Miracles Out of Nowhere

64 Stevie Wonder - As

63 Jaco Pastorius - Donna Lee

62 Heart - Magic Man

61 George Benson - Breezin'

60 Chick Corea - Armando's Rhumba

59 Jack Lancaster/Robin Lumley - Realisation

58 The Alan Parsons Project - (The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether

57 Billy Joel - New York State of Mind

56 The Alan Parsons Project - A Dream Within a Dream

55 Rush - Tears

54 Starcastle - Lady of the Lake

53 Styx - Crystal Ball

52 Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke

51 Jack Lancaster/Robin Lumley - Take Off

50 Jon Anderson - Meeting (Garden of Geda) / Sound Out the Galleon

49 Donna Summer - Try Me, I Know We Can Make It

48 Geneiss - One for the Vine

47 Styx - Jennifer

46 Rush - The Twilight Zone

45 Genesis - Eleventh Earl of Mar

44 Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely

43 Genesis - Squonk

42 Rainbow - A Light in the Black

41 Queen - The Millionaire Waltz

40 Jack Lancaster/Robin Lumley - Phobos and Deimos

39 Styx - Claire de lune / Ballerina

38 Heart - Crazy on You

37 Billy Cobham / George Duke - Ivory Tattoo

36 Jon Anderson - Dance of Ranyart / Olias (To Build the Moorglade)

35 Boston - Foreplay / Long Time

34 Jaco Pastorius - Portrait of Tracy

33 Stanley Clarke - School Days

32 Jack Lancaster/Robin Lumley - Homelight

31 Boston - Peace of Mind

30 Styx - Mademoiselle

29 Rush - A Passage to Bangkok

28 Genesis - Afterglow

27 Stevie Wonder - Wish

26 Billy Cobham / George Duke - Almustafa the Beloved

25 Kansas - Cheyenne Anthem

24 Stevie Wonder - Contusion

23 Rush - Something for Nothing

22 Genesis - Entangled

21 David Bowie - Station to Station

20 Steely Dan - Kid Charlemagne

19 Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)

18 Jack Lancaster/Robin Lumley - Hopper

17 Kansas - Magnum Opus

16 Billy Cobham / George Duke - Hip Pocket

15 Genesis - Dance on a Volcano

14 Genesis - Ripples

13 Return to Forever - Sorceress

12 Return to Forever - Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant, Parts I & II

11 Shakti with John McLaughlin - Joy

10 Jack Lancaster/Robin Lumley - Arrival

9 Al Di Meola - Land of the Midnight Sun

8 Rainbow - Stargazer

7 Return to Forever - Medieval Overture

6 Weather Report - Black Market

5 Kansas - The Wall

4 Jon Anderson - QoQuaQ Ën Transic / Naon / Transic Tö

3 Jon Anderson - Flight of the Moorglade

2 Rush - 2112

1 Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand

Meaningful Songs: Styx - Suite Madame Blue

Styx - Suite Madame Blue

I enjoy quite a lot of Styx tunes, but I guess even as popular as this track is, I still consider it their most mesmerizing piece.

The vocal lines and synths alone make this incredibly moving and goose bump worthy.

Cloud Cult - You Never Were Alone + Pain of Salvation

So I'm seeing Cloud Cult play the full The Seeker album tonight at Northrop Auditorium in Minneapolis, with I guess the entire film sync-ed to their performance.

Pretty excited for that, including finally getting to hear/see "You Never Were Alone" live. It'll probably bring me to balling tears, but so be it. This song does every time I hear it as does a lot of the rest of The Seeker.

1 thing though I probably meant-to, but never was able to pinpoint, is a similarity in 1 thing. The little piano section about midway through "You Never Were Alone," is awfully similar to a piano part in Pain of Salvation's song "The Perfect Element."

A very sad, emotional piano part, that totally works incredibly well on both songs. And oddly enough, it was just earlier this year I heard a similarity in a Pain of Salvation song "The Taming of the Beast" with Cloud Cult's song "Sleepwalker."

The 2 bands I'm sure are totally unaware of each other, but odd how I hear these little similarities that are almost eerie.

More to add maybe at a later time about this song, but I can say, I had another dream last night where I was hanging out with Kevin Gilbert and I suggested he cover a Styx song ("Babe"? maybe) among a list I gave him some how of songs. And he was kind of laughing at me and asking me "are you serious?"..why this relates to this song, is kind of related to the whole The Seeker concept about time/space and reality. People who were gone before, and people who will come in the future.

Deepak Chopra. If ever get a chance to talk to Craig Minowa, I hope I remember to ask him about Deepak and Metaphysics.

The Year 1978 Albums Calendar and Rankings

1978, a year that saw many big names release albums, including many solo albums, but given it was in the late 70's, a lot of those artists either were just starting out, or following up a few years before, some of their best work.

Rush and Styx oddly, put out 2 of the best albums that year. Hemispheres, becoming my favorite Rush record among a catalog of 19 proper studio albums. Why that is? to me, it's their peak into doing progressive rock, and when they did it well, there's not many who did it better.

It came out in around Halloween, so it might have hit me like a ton of bricks after the rest of the year.

1978 was the age of Disco and Punk and even New Wave of British Heavy Metal I suppose was coming, so progressive rock and classic rock was fading a bit. A lot of good Jazz-Fusion as well, although not classics really, but still some decent stuff.

1. Rush - Hemispheres
2. Styx - Pieces of Eight
3. Alec R. Costandinos and The Syncophonic Orchestra - Romeo and Juliet
4. Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses
5. Kansas - Two for the Show
6. Renaissance - A Song for All Seasons
7. U.K. - U.K.
8. Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
9. Bruford - Feels Good to Me
10. Al Di Meola - Casino
11. Van Halen - Van Halen
12. The Who - Who Are You
13. Yes - Tormato
14. Happy the Man - Crafty Hands
15. The Police - Outlandos d'Amour
16. Genesis - ...And Then There Were Three...
17. Pat Metheny Group - Pat Metheny Group
18. Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Scratch)
19. Chic - C'est Chic
20. Queen - Jazz
21. Boston - Don't Look Back
22. Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
23. Elvis Costello - This Year's Model
24. Alan Parsons Project - Pyramid
25. Steve Hackett - Please Don't Touch
26. Journey - Infinity
27. Dire Straits - Dire Straits
28. XTC - White Music
29. The Rutles - The Rutles





Bruford - Feels Good to Me
rel January 6, 1978



Alec R. Costandinos and The Syncophonic Orchestra - Romeo and Juliet
rel January 16, 1978


Journey - Infinity
rel January 20, 1978


XTC - White Music
rel January 20, 1978


Van Halen - Van Halen
rel February 10, 1978


The Rutles - The Rutles
rel February 24, 1978


Al Di Meola - Casino
rel February 25, 1978


Genesis - ...And Then There Were Three...
rel March 1, 1978


Elvis Costello - This Year's Model
rel March 17, 1978



Pat Metheny Group - Pat Metheny Group
rel March 1978


Renaissance - A Song for All Seasons
rel March 1978


U.K. - U.K.
rel March 1978


Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses
rel April 10, 1978


Max Webster - Mutiny Up My Sleeve
rel April 15, 1978


Steve Hackett - Please Don't Touch
rel May 1978


Kaipa - Solo
rel May 1978


Anthony Phillips - Wise After the Event
rel May 1978


Alan Parsons Project - Pyramid
rel June 1, 1978


Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Scratch)
rel June 2, 1978


Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
rel June 2, 1978


Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
rel July 7, 1978


Boston - Don't Look Back
rel August 2, 1978


Chic - C'est Chic
rel August 11, 1978


The Who - Who Are You
rel August 18, 1978


Styx - Pieces of Eight
rel September 1, 1978


Brand X - Masques
rel September 8, 1978

 
Happy the Man - Crafty Hands
rel September 21, 1978


Yes - Tormato
rel September 22, 1978


XTC - Go 2
rel October 6, 1978


Dire Straits - Dire Straits
rel October 7, 1978


Billy Joel - 52nd Street
rel October 13, 1978


Rush - Hemispheres
rel October 29, 1978


Kansas - Two for the Show
rel October 1978


The Police - Outlandos d'Amour
rel November 2, 1978


Queen - Jazz
rel November 10, 1978


Anthony Phillips - Private Parts and Pieces
rel November 30, 1978


The Doobie Brothers - Minute by Minute
rel December 1, 1978


Chick Corea - Friends
rel 1978



Paco de Lucía - Paco de Lucía interpreta a Manuel de Falla
rel 1978



Eric Johnson - Seven Worlds
rel 1978


John McLaughlin - Electric Guitarist
rel 1978


Annette Peacock - X-Dreams
rel 1978