Any Major Dude With Half A Heart

Sex took over the US singles charts in 1976, with Rod Stewart’s Tonight’s The Night closing the year at #1, with his seduction of a “virgin child” and lots of sex noises. And Starland Vocal Band’s Afternoon Delight became an unlikely chart-topper, with its sunny harmonies camouflaging its subject matter of “rubbin’ sticks and stones together make the sparks ignite”.

Neither of these feature here, but The Who’s Squeeze Box does. Pete Townshend claims it is an innocent song about the joys of playing the accordion. Sure it is. More More More by former porn star Andrea True is more direct. “Just get the cameras rolling, get the action going,” Andrea instructs. The disco track was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

As noted in Any Major Hits from 1976 Vol. 1, disco broke big that year. Diana Ross’ Love Hangover topped the US charts in May. Its slow-burn seduction gives way to a dancefloor groove halfway through. That structural trick — part ballad, part club track — became a template. Thelma Houston’s Don’t Leave Me This Way later in the year followed the same trick. As in the UK, Euro disco was making its mark in the US, with acts like Donna Summer and Silver Convention scoring big hits.

Oddly enough, Johnny Taylor’s Disco Lady, a chart-topper in March, discussed its subject matter over a rather more pedestrian groove; it’s not a pulsating club track.

It was a great year for soul; it is no accident that nine of the present 23 tracks are soul numbers. A quarter of the Billboard Top 100 hits in 1976 were soul or funk tracks (plus several disco tracks).

The charts in 1976 are remarkable for the variety of styles that provided big hits. Soul, disco, soft rock, country crossovers and novelty records all took turns at the top. They key seemed to be simplicity: most hit songs were instantly accessible and radio-friendly.

Links for all past mixes in the series are up.  If you dig the feel of 1976, take a look at the collection of posters from West-Germany’s Bravo magazine in 1976 (other years are available, too)

As with other Any Major Hit mixes, the sequencing is roughly chronological. As far as possible, all versions here are the single versions. The mix is timed to fit on as standard CD-R and includes home-rubbed covers and the above text in a PDF. PW in comments.

1. The O’Jays – I Love Music
2. David Ruffin – Walk Away From Love
3. Rhythm Heritage – Theme From S.W.A.T.
4. The Who – Squeeze Box
5. Gary Wright – Dream Weaver
6. Peter Frampton – Show Me The Way (live)
7. Johnnie Taylor – Disco Lady
8. Elvin Bishop – Fooled Around And Fell In Love
9. John Sebastian – Welcome Back
10. Andrea True Connection – More, More, More
11. The Manhattans – Kiss And Say Goodbye
12. Starbuck – Moonlight Feels Right
13. War – Summer
14. Lou Rawls – You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine
15. Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free
16. Tavares – Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel
17. Daryl Hall & John Oates – She’s Gone
18. Silver – Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang
19. The Spinners – Rubberband Man
20. Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. – You Don’t Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)
21. Burton Cummings – Stand Tall
22. England Dan & John Ford Coley – Nights Are Forever Without You
23. Boston – More Than A Feeling

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Any Major Hits from 1944
Any Major Hits from 1947
Any Major Hits from 1961
Any Major Hits from 1970
Any Major Hits from 1971
Any Major Hits from 1972 Vol. 1
Any Major Hits from 1972 Vol. 2
Any Major Hits from 1973 Vol. 1
Any Major Hits from 1973 Vol. 2
Any Major Hits from 1974 Vol. 1
Any Major Hits from 1974 Vol. 2
Any Major Hits from 1975 Vol. 1
Any Major Hits from 1975 Vol. 2
Any Major Hits from 1976 Vol. 1

A Year in Hits
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