Some very interesting movies here- "Murder by Death" is one of my favorites of the decade! I always enjoyed "The Omen" and its first sequel as well. William Goldman was a great screenwriter and a terrific novelist as well ("Marathon Man" is a great read.) "Rock & Roll Music" was a good choice for a single but I find it strange that the extended mix (later released on Made in California) wasn't used as it is easily their best version of the song. It's even the take that the backing track on "We Gotta Groove" is sourced from. TM Song is a weird B-side- it's cool that Mike and Al did a different version live on The Mike Douglas Show though. Maybe there is still some unused studio stuff laying around. Great stuff as always, my friend!

I really loved "Family Plot" in fact I went to see it twice,  and I still think that "Murder by death" is one of the all time classic comedy's. " The Omen" was a great horror movies, as was "The Exorsist" which I also went to see twice. I really appreciated the shout out Steve and would just like to say that 1976 was very good year for The Beach Boys in the UK, with "Good Vibrations" re- entering the charts at no 18 & "Rock'n roll music" making the top 40, and as you mentioned "20 Golden greats" no 1 & "15 Big once" also making the album chats. Everybody I knew bought 20 GG. It was a great time to be able to tell people "I told you so".

I saw "The Search for Something Else" on June 22.  It featured a short film of the Beach Boys towards the end.  While "The TM Song" played, there were various shots of the Boys in the studio- singing, rocking back and forth, fooling around, none of it synched.  I don't recall any interviews or explanations of the use of this footage.  It seemed out of place.  I don't think it was ever repeated.

62 year old dad here...took my daughter to the Guts tour....absolutely love her music...her voice is different than any other pop princesses out there in the best way possible, love her writing & choices in production...haven't  been able to score tickets for this tour( yet)...this year we had new albums by McCartney, the Stones & Joe Jackson but Olivia's album is the best album of the year....period...love that she's doing Cigarette Smoke live....it Kills!

Logan's Run is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's so wonderfully cheesy, especially on Michael York's part, Jenny Agutter was lovely and sexy, Peter Ustinov was hilarious and I love that the movie was largely shot in what looked like a 1970s shopping mall, although in actual fact it was a business and trade center in Dallas.

I saw Silent Movie on the big screen back in the day, and I remembering laughing hysterically when the (IIRC) Coke is shooting out of the vending machine. I didn't have nearly the same reaction when I saw it again years later. I recently had the same experience with the 1978 movie Foul Play, When I saw it in the theater, I laughed uncontrollably when the elderly Japanese passengers are enjoying the wild ride Chevy Chase is taking them on because they love the show Kojak (Kojak, bang, bang!). I watched it again recently and now found it just mildly amusing.

Noticed on the Pom Pom Girls poster the music was by Michael Lloyd. He worked with Micky Dolenz on an obscure one single project under the name Starship and then produced some of Mike's most recent solo albums. He was also deeply unhappy with the liner notes for our Micky Dolenz The MGM Singles release.

Nice coverage as usual Steve, some great shows and movies bring back happy memories. Glad you mentioned that Chuck Barris  wrote Palisades Park. Years back I would mention it to friends and they said no way, and they were shocked when they seen it in writing. Continued success.

Steve…… Once again…I lived through this year in my early twenties, but I don’t remember most of what you discussed.  This is so great to be reacquainted with 1976.  I don’t remember all these movies being re-released.  I don’t get it.  But I guess since all the movie companies had to do was re-promote the movie, it probably was a great “cash-grab” for them.  Speaking of movies…. I noticed the Jonathan Winters album in your shadow box.  I became a huge fan of him after seeing him in my all-time favorite movie “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World”.  I saw it when I was 10 at the movie house in my little home town in Idaho.  I laughed so hard I had trouble breathing.  Years later my oldest son and I took our ’75 Corvette on a road trip to San Bernardino to travel on Route 66.  We had recently restored it and needed to give it a good run to earn a Route 66 sticker on the windshield.  Route 66 isn’t exactly near northern Utah.   While there we went to Palm Desert to drive on the Palms to Pines highway where the opening sequences of Mad World was filmed.  We stopped at the very spot where Smiler Grogan(Jimmy Durante) went “sailing out there!”.   Sorry I digress from 1976….but it’s your fault.  You have conjured up many almost forgotten memories.  But that’s what you do each week…..and I thank you for it!  Looking forward to your 15 Big Ones discussion.   Have a great week……Lamont

HA! Your comment at the end of your "Pom Pom Girls" segment was hilarious! Excellent episode, Steve. BTW - Nice hat! 😉

Hi Steve. Your year in review episodes are always interesting.  I watched much more TV back then than listening to music. I remember most of the TV show in ‘76 but only a few of the top songs. Even 50 years later some of the more obscure albums your review I’ve still never heard of.  lol

In typical Beach Boys fashion 50 Golden Greats must have been compiled by the same guy who put the wrong Help Me Ronda on Endless Summer.  The label has I Get Around and Fun Fun Fun from 1962.  Good Vibrations and Do Its Again are wrong too.  Have a great week!

Hey Steve! First, your shirt. Have you ever heard of a 1960s band out of Indianapolis called "The Boys Next Door," also known previously as "The Four Wheels?" They released a song called "Cold 45" - an obvious reference to Colt 45 Malt Liquor. They were highly influenced by The Beach Boys - including striped shirts - and sang similar songs including one about CULOTTES. Do you remember those? Reminds me of The Beach Boy's tune "The Shift."  FYI - my wife's great-grandfather was a doctor in Houston and delivered Howard Hughes when he was born in 1905. I read the book "Helter Skelter" in high school. It helped me when I presented my oral report on The Beach Boys and their influence  (my term paper) in the Spring of 1976 when the teacher asked me about the band's connection to Charles Manson. It still gives me creeps to think about Dennis Wilson getting an envelope in the mail that contained a bullet. However, I really like the movie "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood," and Tarantino's take on those events. I am looking forward to your take on "15 Big Ones." I wasn't too keen on their version of "Rock and Roll Music." Of course, it's hard to top Chuck Berry! You mentioned Beatles wigs. My red-headed cousin had one back in 1964. What a hoot! Thanks, as always, Steve!

There are several positive and negative aspects of 20 Golden Greats. Two negatives: I'm sure the sound wasn't great as it has 20 songs on one disc, and of course there's the fake stereo on several tracks. It also has Then I Kissed Her, which was a reminder of when EMI angered the group by releasing the song as a single in the UK to fill the time gap between Good Vibrations and Heroes and Villains. The good is that it covers a longer time period, and includes my favourite BB song Break Away. Of course, that track listing could not have been released in the U.S. as Warner-Reprise had the rights to the post-Party tracks, with the exception of Break Away, unless Warner and Capitol had agreed to collaborate on such a release.

Great stuff Steve! I love Blazing Saddles. I use to watch In Search Of all the time. It didn't hurt that I loved Star Trek. I never saw Silent Movie but I do have it on Blu-ray. Josey Wales is one of my favorite westerns. Also liked watching the Gong Show. I do like The Beach Boys version of Palisades Park but I don't think many other people do, haha. It was definitely a great time to be alive. Even though I rarely pull out 15 Big Ones, can't wait till you cover it. Thanks as always for the nostalgic look back. Have a great week as well.

I was a regular Gong Show watcher. An overexuberant Jaye P. Morgan was fired from the show after exposing her top in the show's final minutes.

Forgot what great movies that year “MJ& S “ one of my favorite under the radar movies. “Murder By Death & Omen” all time classics!! I had a thing for Jenny A in my yoot! “ Outlaw Of Josey Wales” the greatest western of all time in my opinion. “ Helter Skelter” was a big deal on TV.

The “ Brian’s Back “ era was initially a very hopeful time for Beach Boys fans .  Articles in Crawdaddy & Rolling Stone ….. the parody on SNL  all suggested that the group’s return to prominence was eminent . The compilation , Endless Summer began that period of time . ( I wasn’t even aware of “ 20 Golden Greats “ and its success in the U.K. ! )  The future release of “ 15 Big Ones “ was hyped everywhere .
When the single , “ Rock & Roll Music “ , was released as a sample of what was to come , my expectations were crushed .  I was accustomed to Beach Boy’s covers being BETTER than the originals ! …. Sloop John B. …. Do You Wanna Dance …. Hushabye , for example . Their R&R Music simply felt dated and tired.  
Is it possible that the record buying public did not remember C. Berry’s original or even The Beatle’ outstanding cover of that song ?

I saw The Exorcist II: The Heretic on the big screen and was highly disappointed, especially in Richard Burton's overacting and repeating of his lines for (bad) effect.