Saturday Night Fever was the #1 movie in the country, The Sex Pistols played their last live show, and these were the top 10 rock albums on January 12, 1978.
The fifth album from Aerosmith was a study in rock and roll excess. Their manager wanted them to record this album in a three hundred room abandoned convent, far away from the temptations of the big city, but as Steven Tyler said, “drugs can be imported, you know!” There were guns, drugs, and general apathy from Tyler and Perry, but they somehow managed to make Draw The Line, the 10 rock album on the countdown. Here is the rocking title track:
If this album from Styx wasn’t a hit, they’d have likely been dropped by their record company, A&M. Obviously that didn’t happen. In fact, The Grand Illusion was the band’s breakthrough, and on January 12, 1978, it was the #9 rock album.
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan utilized the services of 40 session musicians to make their masterwork, Aja. It remains their biggest seller and bagged them a Grammy as well! It peaked at #3 and, this week, it drops to #8 on our countdown.
Lynyrd Skynyrd brought in legendary producer Tom Dowd to work on what would be their last album with Ronnie, Steve and Cassie, Street Survivors. It hit #5 in December, 1977 and dropped to #7 on January 12, 1978.
After spending what seemed like an eternity at #2 (behind Saturday Night Fever), Billy Joel’s album The Stranger dropped a couple to #6 on our Thursday Top 10 Countdown.
Even though Bob Welch left Fleetwood Mac in 1974, he still remained pals with Christine McVie , Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham. In fact, they ALL play on this track, a reworking of the 1972 Fleetwood Mac track, “Sentimental Lady.” It was Welch’s lone solo hit and his album French Kiss was #5 on January 12, 1978.
Queen stripped down the production on this album, possibly in response to the growing punk rock movement, and it became their biggest seller to date. News Of The World is the #4 rock album on the countdown, and kicks off with this rock anthem:
While in Switzerland writing songs for the next ELO album, Jeff Lynne was hit with a flood of creativity, enough for this album to be a double! At #3 on January 12, 1978, Out Of The Blue.
Rod Stewart began his run of smash albums with Footloose And Fancy Free, his eighth solo album, and it peaked here at #2 on the 12th of January, 1978. From it is this classic Rod rocker:
It was a reality show set to record, one of the most honest collections of breakup songs ever made, as two sets of band members were ending relationships, and marriages, and yet still worked together. That tension created one of rock’s greatest albums, an album that hit #1 and stayed there for over half a year! #1 on January 12, 1978 was Rumours by Fleetwood Mac.
