1978. Even while the blast of the punk rock’s first wave could still be heard, emerging sounds across post-punk and new wave could be heard. Meanwhile, muscular ‘70s guitar rock was still at its peak.
With all of that going on, it kind of feels right that the singular talent and vision of Elvis Costello emerged as the top album from 1978 by way of the best 1,000 albums ever, a five-year project to catalogue the albums that shaped me, with each getting a standalone article that’s more pop culture-meets-memoir than straight music review.
And ah yes, what about disco from ’78, you ask? While I’m a fan of “Le Freak” by Chic and The Village People generally, no disco album from 1978 quite cracked the best 1,000 albums ever, I’m afraid.
Here we go: the best 15 albums from 1978 ever, with a selected pull quote from the best 1,000 albums ever project for each.
1) Elvis Costello & The Attractions – This Year’s Model (#250 of the best 1,000 albums ever)
What’s perhaps the wildest thing about Elvis Costello is how varied his sound is from song to song and album to album – and I’m super impressed with what the rock-leaning backing band The Attractions does for Costello’s music on This Year’s Model. There’s always a baseline of soulful new wave and rock going on, and then there’s also a striking timelessness to nearly all of his output as well.
2) Talking Heads – More Songs About Buildings and Food (#412)
The propulsive, catchy hook on “The Girl Wants to Be with the Girls” was a gateway into the album for me. The strange staccato rhythms, David Byrne’s oddball delivery, and the overall unusual vibe of the Talking Heads coalesced into a greater, wonderful whole.
3) Foreigner – Double Vision (#438)
The title track, “Double Vision,” is by far my favorite Foreigner song, and in fact it’s one of my favorite songs of the entire 1970s. I didn’t think very much about why, though, until I sat down to write this piece.
I realized that it’s a unique and amazing blend of late ‘70s hard rock with a surprisingly sophisticated drum part by Dennis Elliott and an overall sophistication that feels a little progressive rock-ish. But, critically, overall the pace and structure of the song is airtight, avoiding in my view the meandering excess that “prog rock” can often get derailed by.
And then we get to the horns, the crushing guitar hook, the killer chorus, and Lou Gramm’s great vocals.
4) The Cars – The Cars (#464)
One very easy observation that I can make about The Cars is that their music is flawless.
The hooks are perfect, the production pristine, the vibe an exquisite mix of 1970s guitar-driven rock, new wave, and pop. And Ric Ocasek on lead vocals strikes the perfect balance of charisma and quirky, hipster energy.
5) Midnight Oil – Midnight Oil (#483)
I’m a Midnight Oil superfan who grew up on the band’s 1980s and early 1990s output, so their 1978 self-titled debut can’t help but sound to me like a rawer, punkier version, revved up on late-’70s guitar-rock levels.
6) The Doors – An American Prayer (#527)
An American Prayer is a collection of Jim Morrison’s poetry – recorded by Morrison before his death in 1971 – set to music by the surviving Doors (Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Robby Krieger) years later in 1978.
It’s an unusual record in multiple respects.
Chiefly it’s the surviving Doors honoring a dead friend and bandmate while also keeping the band alive through him. Jim Morrison remains a controversial figure to this day – revered by some, reviled by others. By the late ‘70s, Jim Morrison as myth had taken hold, becoming a staple on dorm room walls, for example (and I can recall one of those “wanted” posters being popular at Binghamton University in the early ‘90s).
It’s the kind of album where that weight and that history all play into how each listener will feel about it.
7) Patti Smith – Easter (#547)
A song title that pushes the line to the extent that I can’t even spell it out, and a song that is about as punk rock as it gets in terms of attitude, lyrics, and music. That it also manages to be endlessly catchy is even more remarkable.
What’s downright breathtaking is how different the other standout track, “Because the Night,” feels in comparison. It’s a hopeful, upbeat, and beautiful anthem that features Smith’s strong and passionate vocals.
8) Blondie – Parallel Lines (#559)
The most striking thing about Parallel Lines – Blondie’s third and arguably best album – is its eclecticism.
9) X-Ray Spex – Germ Free Adolescents (#613)
I know I’m really getting into a band when I start thinking about its influences – how their sound echoes other artists, ties things together, yet still carves out its own unique sound.
With X-Ray Spex, there’s that and then there’s also a part where I think about what future bands and artists they clearly had an influence on.
10) The Police – Outlandos d’Amour (#653)
For most of my life, The Police (and Sting’s solo career, too, for that matter) have been one of those bands I’ve vaguely respected more than passionately loved.
A lot of it stems from a childhood steeped in the band’s hit songs – especially hit songs off of Synchronicity like “Every Breath You Take” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger” – being played ad nauseum on terrestrial radio and MTV.
Therefore, for my money, it’s genuinely thrilling to hear this group of meticulous, super talented musicians absolutely ripping out a blast of post-punk and new wave on their debut album, Outlandos d’Amour.
11) Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (#704)
Devo is a band I both appreciate more and love more as I get older. They wear really well, if that tracks.
12) Ramones – Road to Ruin (#738)
Listening to “I Wanna Be Sedated” with fresh ears in the 2020s, I’m struck by how melodic and pleasing it is. There’s punk rock attitude (especially in terms of the lyrics) and punk rock tempo, but there’s a heavy and very conscious influence of a range of 1950s and 1960s garage rock bands here. And it all just works seamlessly. It’s a perfect song at two minutes and nine seconds.
13) Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine (#805)
“The Robots” puts a grin on my face, imagining what people must have thought about Kraftwerk in 1978, listening to the Germanic intonations of WE ARE THE ROBOTS, with crazy electronic pulses and pops going about. But the song, and The Man-Machine overall, is not a novelty act in the slightest.
14) Generation X – Generation X (#821)
Even before he left Generation X behind and became a huge MTV-era solo star, Billy Idol had the knack for fusing punky edginess with accessible rock and pop.
What’s most helpful, as always and of course, is crafting strong songs with great hooks that are, you know, good and stuff.
15) Sham 69 – Angels with Dirty Faces (#970)
“Borstal Breakout” is a delirious blast of UK punk that ranks with the best of the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, and other comers of the time. And in fact, its furious tempo leans more into the territory of the across-the-pond Ramones in the best kind of way.