by Dave White

1967 - Summer of Love
1969 - Summer of Woodstock
1970 - Summer of Discontent
1972 - Summer of Transition
1976 - Summer of Platinum

1976 – Summer of Platinum

Rock music was thriving in the summer of ’76. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) added a new award – platinum – to honor 1-million sales, and awarded the first one to The Eagles for Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) (Listen/Download | Compare CD Prices). It remains the best selling album of all time (in the U.S.) according to the RIAA.

The self-titled debut album from Boston (Listen/Download | Compare CD Prices), released in the summer of ’76, eventually went 17x platinum (17-million sold) making it the fastest selling debut album of any American band, and placing it at #11 on the RIAA’s list of the Top 100 bestselling albums. Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled midsummer release (Compare CD Prices) set a record for the most weeks on the chart before reaching #1, and sold more than 5-million.

Paul McCartney’s Wings Over America summer tour marked the first time McCartney had performed in the States since the Beatles' last U.S. concert in 1966. Late summer in London saw the 100 Club Punk festival, headlined by The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks and The Damned.

Sounds of the Summer of ’76:

Blue Öyster Cult – Agents of Fortune - Compare CD Prices
AC/DC – High Voltage - Listen/Download | Compare CD Prices
Aerosmith – Rocks - Compare CD Prices
Steve Miller Band – Fly Like An Eagle - Compare CD Prices
KISS – Destroyer - Listen/Download | Compare CD Prices

Top Movies of 1976

Timeline of the 20th Century: 1970-1979

1972 - 11th Day of Christmas Past

1967 - Summer of Love
1969 - Summer of Woodstock
1970 - Summer of Discontent
1972 - Summer of Transition
1976 - Summer of Platinum