National Lampoon
September 1976
September, 1976. Looking at the Billboard 200 chart, which tracks LP sales, we see that the top 5 albums include some monster records of the decade: Fleetwood Mac, and Frampton Comes Alive. Breezin', by George Benson, is that rare jazz album that makes it into the top 10 of the rock / pop chart.
The latest issue of National Lampoon is out, and it's not very good. The feature articles are pretty lame, as if the editorial team is just going through the motions.
Even the advertising has a tired feel to it. Casablanca records, riding the wave of popularity of Kiss, issues a lavishly packaged three-record album, containing the first three LPs from the band. The deluxe packaging can't obscure the fact that the three LPs all are pretty awful.....
An advertisement for comic book books reminds us that back in '76 there was no such thing as a 'graphic novel,' and much of the stuff featuring comics in hardbound compilations was intended for the nostalgia market. As far the Lampoon's content goes, the comics are the best entries. 'Trots and Bonnie' takes aim at lesbians, while 'Goobers' continues to offend racial sensibilities. That's how they did it, back in September '76..........
