Some days the record shops of 1976 must have struggled to fit everything in the racks. Friday 22 October 1976 was one of them: Led Zeppelin, Elton John and Bob Seger all have albums dated to that day, and on Thursday 22 October 2026 all three turn 50.
Quick facts
- Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains The Same (Swan Song, UK cat. SSK 89402): a double live soundtrack recorded at Madison Square Garden on 27–29 July 1973. It went to No.1 in the UK.
- Elton John – Blue Moves (Rocket, UK cat. ROSP 1): a double album and his first on his own Rocket label. It reached No.3 in the UK.
- Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Night Moves (Capitol): the first Seger studio album to credit the Silver Bullet Band, and his first US top ten album (No.8 on the Billboard 200).
Led Zeppelin: the band's first live album
The Song Remains The Same was the soundtrack to the concert film of the same name and Led Zeppelin's first live record, taken from three nights in New York in July 1973. On the original double LP, "Dazed And Confused" fills the whole of side two. Swan Song announced the album in late September 1976, and most sources, including the Discogs entry for the UK first pressing, give the release date as 22 October.
Elton John: four sides, and the Top Gear theme
Blue Moves was Elton's second double album and the first on Rocket. Its instrumental "Out Of The Blue" went on to become the closing theme of BBC's Top Gear. We've written a full guide to the album, its singles and what to check on a ROSP 1 copy: Elton John's Blue Moves Turns 50.
Bob Seger: the one that broke him nationally
Night Moves was recorded in three places. The Silver Bullet Band cut their songs in Michigan, four tracks were made in Alabama with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, and the title song was recorded in Toronto. Both "Night Moves" and "Mainstreet" were released as singles.
What to listen to on vinyl
These are on the shelf right now. Every record is one of a kind, so once it's gone, it's gone.
- Elton John – Blue Moves, UK 2LP (ROSP 1)
- Elton John – Blue Moves, US 2LP (2-11004)
- Elton John – Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy
- Bob Seger – Main Street, UK 7" (Capitol CL 15895)
- Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – The Distance
No Zeppelin in the crates today, but new stock lands every week, so keep an eye on the shop or tell us what you're after on our wanted list.
Every record we sell is hand-graded and deep-cleaned on our Degritter Mark 2 before it's posted. New customers get 10% off their order with code Autumn10.
Sources: Wikipedia (The Song Remains The Same, Blue Moves, Night Moves); Official Charts; Discogs (Swan Song SSK 89402, UK 1976); ledzeppelin.com (Swan Song press release, 24 Sep 1976); eltonjohn.com; AllMusic; myplastic.app (22 October anniversaries).
