Best Albums of the 1970s

Listed below are the best albums of the 1970s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 53,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade
Decade:
Year:
1970s 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.
19702,020259,558
19712,121330,509
19722,154260,454
19732,050267,766
19741,933139,569
Red (144th)by King Crimson
19752,095227,007
19762,088151,311
19772,101257,216
19782,133145,721
19792,066213,585
Total20,7612,252,696

The best artists of the 1970s were Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, The Who and Genesis.
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Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
367
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
366
Rank in 1976:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
366
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
366
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
685.
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
366
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
359
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
359
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
688.
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
358
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
357
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
690.
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
357
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 69 of 100

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Year Albums %


1970 106 11%
1971 101 10%
1972 101 10%
1973 108 11%
1974 97 10%
1975 99 10%
1976 93 9%
1977 92 9%
1978 105 11%
1979 99 10%
Artist Albums %


David Bowie 11 1%
Genesis 10 1%
Jethro Tull 9 1%
The Rolling Stones 8 1%
Wishbone Ash 8 1%
Joni Mitchell 8 1%
Pink Floyd 8 1%
Show all
Country Albums %


United Kingdom 386 39%
United States 373 37%
Canada 42 4%
Germany 38 4%
Mixed Nationality 33 3%
Brazil 26 3%
Jamaica 21 2%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 974 97%
Yes 27 3%
Live? Albums %
No 941 94%
Yes 60 6%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 989 99%
Yes 12 1%
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4. NME Albums Of The Year 2023 by New Music Express (2023)
5. The 80 Best Albums Of 2023 by PopMatters (2023)
6. Les Inrocks Albums of the Year 2023 by Les Inrocks (2023)
7. Best Albums of 2023 by Norman Records (2023)
8. Albums of the year 2023 by The Line Of Best Fit (2023)
9. The 50 Best Albums Of 2023 by Complex (2023)
10. Loud And Quiet Albums of the Year 2023 by Loud And Quiet (2023)
11. The 20 best albums of 2023 by Dazed (2023)
12. Uncut Best 75 Albums Of The Year 2023 by Uncut (2023)
13. The 30 best albums of 2023 by Time Out (2023)
14. Albums Of The Year 2023 by Rough Trade (2023)
15. Quietus Albums Of The Year 2023 by The Quietus (2023)
16. The 100 Best Albums of 2023 by Rolling Stone (2023)
17. Top 100 Albums of 2023 by Piccadilly Records (2023)
18. Best Albums of 2023 by Northern Transmissions (2023)
19. The 20 Best Albums of 2023 by Esquire (2023)
20. Top 55 Albums of 2023 by The Alternative (2023)
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