On this week’s Thursday Top 10 Countdown, it’s MGK’s Top 10 rock albums from October 12, 1978.

While we were enjoying these incredible albums, a lot was going on. President Jimmy carter signed into law a bill that allowed home brewing of beer! Pope John Paul II became the first Polish Pope, succeeding John Paul I. The Phillies made it all the way to the NLCS that year, losing to the Dodgers in four games.

At the Spectrum, there were shows by Jethro Tull (Uriah Heep opening), Heart (with special guests Ambrosia!) and Frank Zappa! The price of gas was around 70 cents a gallon, and you could buy a new car for under $7000. A brand new home averaged around $55,000, and the average salary in 1978 was around $15,000 per year.

Some of the movies we went out to see in October, 1978 were “Halloween,” (The OG!) “Midnight Express,” and “The Wiz.” If you were like most people, you were watching “Laverne And Shirley,” “Three’s Company” and “Mork And Mindy” on TV. In local TV, Jim Gardner had just completed his first year on Action News, at the same time Lisa Thomas-Laury joined the station.

Disco was peaking, but there was plenty of rock and roll out there. Here are MGK’s Top 10 Rock Albums from October 12, 1978 on our Thursday Top 10 Countdown:

• 10. The Cars - The Cars

  Kicking things off this week is the debut album by The Cars, which showed no signs of leaving the top 10 anytime soon. It’s #10 on the countdown this week.

• 9. Pieces Of Eight- Styx

  Styx’s third album with Tommy Shaw on lead guitar was an instant hit, following up on the success of The Grand Illusion. Pieces Of Eight is the #9 rock album on October 12, 1978, on its way to peaking at #6.

• 8. Worlds Away - Pablo Cruise

  Formed in San Francisco in 1973, Pablo Cruise scored their biggest success with their fourth album called Worlds Away. After peaking at #6, it drops to #8 on October 12, 1978.

• 7. Stranger In Town - Bob Seger And the Silver Bullet Band

  After Night Moves made Bob Seger an international superstar, he went back into the studio with both the Silver Bullet Band and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and produced Stranger In Town. It would be Seger’s biggest album, selling over 6 million copies and yielding three hit singles. This was one of them from the album, which is #7 this week.

• 6. The Stranger - Billy Joel

  Even though Billy Joel’s 52nd Street album had just been released days prior, it didn’t make the cut for the chart this week. That’s fine, because Billy’s previous album The Stranger was still firmly in the top 10. On October 12, 1978, it was #6.

• 5. Nightwatch - Kenny Loggins

  By 1978, Fleetwood Mac were in high demand. You can hear members on “Sentimental Lady” by Bob Welch, “Gold” by John Stewart, and this track, “Whenever I Call You Friend” by Kenny Loggins..featuring Stevie Nicks! It’s from Kenny’s album Nightwatch, #5 on MGK’s Thursday Top 10 Countdown.

• 4. Some Girls - The Rolling Stones

  We’re a little more than a week away from The Rolling Stones’ new album Hackney Diamonds. Until then, here is the sixth of eight Rolling Stones albums in a row to hit #1, Some Girls, #4 on October 12, 1978.

• 3. Who Are You - The Who

  It would be the last Who album with their classic lineup, as we’d lose Keith Moon just three weeks after its release. At #3 on MGK’s Thursday Top 10 Countdown this week, Who Are You.

• 2. Double Vision - Foreigner

  Taking its name from a hard hockey hit the band members saw on a recording studio TV set, Double Vision was another stellar release from Foreigner, peaking here at #2 on October 12, 1978. Here is the title track.

• 1. Don't Look Back - Boston

  Our #1 rock album this week was one of the most anticipated album releases ever. It followed a truly remarkable debut album, but took quite a bit of time to complete, owing to the perfectionist nature of the group’s leader. While it didn’t sell quite as much as its predecessor, the album was still solid, and topped the chart for just this one week. The #1 rock album on October 12, 1978 was Don’t Look Back by Boston.

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