Underrated Music Albums From 1976 You Might Have Missed

1976 was the year when Stevie Wonder got even bigger and better, the Ramones released their highly influential debut, and everybody seemed to be buying Boston‘s first album and the Eagles‘ Hotel California.

But other stories were also happening during those 12 months, and artists who weren’t breaking sales records at every turn were releasing records every bit as noteworthy as the ones making headlines, as outlined in the list below of 25 Under-the-Radar Albums From 1976.

Not all of the records were released without fanfare or slipped from public notice; in fact, a handful even reached the Top 10 and eventually went platinum. But shaded in a bigger spotlight — perhaps a hit single helped drive brief popularity, maybe albums the artist released immediately before and after received more attention — they’re not coveted the way best-selling albums by the Eagles, Boston and Peter Frampton were in 1976.

READ MORE: 25 Under-the-Radar Albums From 1975

The list below, like all great music, spans several genres, from jazz, funk and reggae to pop, punk and rock. Some followed up with buzzworthy records that didn’t match the hype of their predecessors; others arrived with hardly any notice at all. But they all have a reputation as underdogs who deserve more attention than they received then or now.

There’s a really good chance that more than one of these underrated albums is a personal favorite. But the conversations surrounding them aren’t nearly on par with the music contained within. These 25 LPs aren’t meant to replace 1976’s undisputably great records. Think of them as supplements to an already overcrowded year of classic albums.