Best Albums of the 1940s

Listed below are the best albums of the 1940s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 53,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade
Decade:
Year:
1940s decade summary
YearAlbums The number of albums from each year featuring in the greatest album charts. Score Total rank score for each year (made up of the total rank score from all albums in that year) Top Ranked Album The top ranked album from each year and where it ranks in the overall chart.
1940691,777
1941751,330
194275755
194376582
1944761,295
1945791,090
19461021,820
19471021,738
19481021,451
19491041,980
Total86013,819

The best artists of the 1940s were Woody Guthrie, Nat King Cole, Lead Belly, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Josh White, Louis Jordan, The King Cole Trio, The Original Broadway Cast and Hazel Scott.
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Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1949
Appears in:
Rank Score:
77
Rank in 1949:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1942
Appears in:
Rank Score:
47
Rank in 1942:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1942
Appears in:
Rank Score:
39
Rank in 1942:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1940
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27
Rank in 1940:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1947
Appears in:
Rank Score:
22
Rank in 1947:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1949
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18
Rank in 1949:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1942
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14
Rank in 1942:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • eBay
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1941
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13
Rank in 1941:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1942
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12
Rank in 1942:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1941
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11
Rank in 1941:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 11. Page 1 of 2

Best Albums of the 1940s composition

Year Albums %


1940 29 3%
1941 28 3%
1942 24 2%
1943 23 2%
1944 25 3%
1945 25 3%
1946 38 4%
1947 40 4%
1948 39 4%
1949 45 5%
Country Albums %


United States 246 78%
Mixed Nationality 20 6%
United Kingdom 13 4%
France 7 2%
Spain 6 2%
Cuba 5 2%
Germany 2 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 299 95%
Yes 17 5%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 310 98%
Yes 6 2%
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