Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s
by 
meccalecca 
After years of love and psychedelic drugs, music takes some dark turns. Self-indulgence and excess leads to some prog classics as well as the most bloated wankery the world had ever heard. Bands started building more tension into their songs, while exploring more serious and depressing themes. And Brian Eno had his hands all over everything.
- Chart updated: 06/23/2024 16:45
- (Created: 03/17/2013 19:13).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 13 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 30 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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[First added to this chart: 07/24/2013]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,475
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 03/19/2013]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,338
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 03/19/2013]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
43,364
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 08/11/2014]
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 03/19/2013]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,859
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 03/19/2013]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
30,837
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 05/17/2014]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,755
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 03/19/2013]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,243
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 03/19/2013]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,979
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1971 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1972 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1973 | 4 | 4% | |
| 1974 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1975 | 4 | 4% | |
| 1976 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1977 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1978 | 14 | 14% | |
| 1979 | 15 | 15% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Can | 3 | 3% | |
| Pink Floyd | 3 | 3% | |
| Leonard Cohen | 3 | 3% | |
| David Bowie | 3 | 3% | |
| William Onyeabor | 3 | 3% | |
| The Clash | 2 | 2% | |
| Nick Drake | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
34 | 34% | |
| |
30 | 30% | |
 |
8 | 8% | |
 |
7 | 7% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 8th to 9th Loaded by The Velvet Underground |
| Down 1 from 9th to 10th Here Come The Warm Jets by Eno |
| Down 1 from 10th to 11th Die Mensch·Maschine by Kraftwerk |
| New entries |
|---|
| I'm A Loser by Doris Duke |
| Leavers |
|---|
| This Year's Model by Elvis Costello |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s similar charts
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | chriskarman | 1970s decade chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Albums of the 1970s | Pitchfork | 1970s decade chart | 2004 | |
| Pitchfork: The 100 Best Albums Of The 1970s | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | dwils0891 | 1970s decade chart | 2012 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  Shepard | 1970s decade chart | 2014 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  desh79 | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  Space-Dementia | 1970s decade chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  RichardSauce | 1970s decade chart | 2018 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  CellarDoor | 1970s decade chart | 2013 |  |
| Top 98 Music Albums of the 1970s |  HazeyTwilight | 1970s decade chart | 2016 |  |
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Other decade charts by meccalecca
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2020s | meccalecca | 2020s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | meccalecca | 2010s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | meccalecca | 2000s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | meccalecca | 1990s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | meccalecca | 1980s decade chart | 2024 | |
meccalecca has created 4 other 1970s decade charts - click here to explore them all.
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 30 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 09/28/2025 07:17 |  Purplepash | 1,690 | 88/100 |
| ! | 02/06/2025 23:51 | BorderFreeAndrew | 102 | 81/100 |
| ! | 01/08/2025 20:33 | Moondance | 476 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/08/2025 15:52 | Weepingguitarman | 43 | 95/100 |
| ! | 01/08/2025 11:28 |  Tamthebam | 645 | 85/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 3% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.7/100, a mean average of 91.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.0/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.1.
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s favourites
Showing all 5 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 13 comments |
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From AMS 05/21/2023 06:18 | #297130
I appreciate this individual, concept-based collection. A number of my personal favs as well
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ForegroundNoise 05/20/2020 19:48 | #251764
ForegroundNoise 05/20/2020 19:48 | #251764
Unlike so many of the '70s charts I see on this site this one is just bursting at the seams with personality. Will be sure to be surfing through for some undiscovered gems. Just some notes would top this off as the perfect chart for me!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
911Turbo 05/03/2020 01:45 | #250835
911Turbo 05/03/2020 01:45 | #250835
great list
what a nice surprise to see t-rex slider. dont see that to often and rated fairly high.
i only wish you could have given a personal description for each album.
thankyou for your effort
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From kandykorn32 04/30/2020 23:52 | #250744
I dig it. You got style.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From platus 11/19/2016 08:12 | #178693
Splendid collection
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From WayneMC 11/18/2016 19:13 | #178666
great mix
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From samora 11/18/2016 12:21 | #178640
Fantastic chart, love the strong West African presence!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Norman Bates 09/10/2015 18:14 | #149450
Norman Bates 09/10/2015 18:14 | #149450
Still need to listen to H'art songs... superb chart Jonny.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
greatson 04/21/2015 20:49 | #139983
greatson 04/21/2015 20:49 | #139983
Great Chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
sssvnnn 01/07/2014 12:12 | #100112
sssvnnn 01/07/2014 12:12 | #100112
Brilliant
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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