Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s
by 
Tamthebam 
This is my favourite decade my chart is dominated by Bowie, Elton John & Stevie Wonder but hey its the 70's. Electric Warrior was the first album I ever owned, so it has a special meaning for me, I still have the original vinyl copies of 50% of these albums. I have included some iconic "Best Of" albums that are regarded very highly, I love all types of music and I loved exploring music recommended by others, I discovered Soul and Country-Rock during this decade.
- Chart updated: 10/30/2025 09:45
- (Created: 08/24/2013 13:28).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 16 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 33 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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The trio of Berlin albums (Low Heroes & Lodger) are the best set of concept albums ever recorded, by anyone. Low & Heroes were released in 1977 within 8 months of each other. Heroes is my favourite of these three it is rougher round the edges than Low, Side 2 (tracks 6-10) create an atmosphere that could be the soundtrack of a horror movie an amazing sound that is deeper than anything on Low and on top of that there is the title track and the forgotten classic Beauty & The Beast.
[First added to this chart: 08/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,196
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
80
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A break thru album this is the album that brought Bowie to a wider audience. The first 4 tracks are legendary especially Starman & Moonage Daydream, it then tails of a little before hitting you with the last 3 tracks Ziggy, Suffragette City & Rock n Roll Suicide. It is regarded as his best album rightly so, it is just not my favourite.
[First added to this chart: 08/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
44,225
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This was the first Bowie album I owned and still to this day a favourite. It was labelled as the "Ziggy Goes To America " album as the sound and atmosphere created was heavier and darker than anything he had done before. I unlike so many others like his reworking of Lets Spend The Night Together it fits this album. There are so many classic Bowie tracks here all of Side 1 (1-5) and Time ,The Jean Genie & Lady Grinning Soul make this a Classic must have album.
[First added to this chart: 08/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,539
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Another great Bowie album from the 70's (1971) this was the album before Ziggy and contains the standards Life On Mars, Changes & Oh You Pretty Things. But the album is more than that it shows Bowie progressing as a singer & songwriter Quicksand & The Bewlay Brothers are brilliant tracks and along with Queen Bitch & Andy Warhol make this a must have album.
[First added to this chart: 08/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,569
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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An amazing album so far ahead of its time. The instrumentals on Side 1 which open & close Side 1 are brilliant and there is Sound & Vision & Be My Wife I don't think Side 2 on low is as good as "side 2" on heroes and that pulls the album below Heroes.
[First added to this chart: 09/26/2013]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,230
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Another Bowie album from the 70's they came thick & fast back then. Station To Station has only 6 tracks but all of these are essential, this album carries on where Young Americans left of - Golden Years and gives an insight into where he was going next with LOW/Heroes in the tracks Station to Station & Stay.
[First added to this chart: 09/26/2013]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,143
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Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 09/07/2016]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,269
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Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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A heavier sounding Bowie album than practically anything else he did. It is one of my favourite Bowie albums as it has an overall cohesive feel. Best tracks are All The Madmen, Black Country Rock , The Man Who Sold The World & After All.
[First added to this chart: 09/26/2013]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,719
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Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,721
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 01/02/2014]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,738
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Comments:
Total albums: 10. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1970 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1971 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1972 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1973 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1974 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1975 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1976 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1977 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1978 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1979 | 10 | 10% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| David Bowie | 10 | 10% | |
| Elton John | 7 | 7% | |
| Joni Mitchell | 5 | 5% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 5% | |
| Stevie Wonder | 5 | 5% | |
| Pink Floyd | 5 | 5% | |
| T. Rex | 5 | 5% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 29th to 28th Baby It's Me by Diana Ross |
| Up 1 from 11th to 10th Aladdin Sane by David Bowie |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 10th to 11th Joan Armatrading by Joan Armatrading |
| Down 1 from 28th to 29th Animals by Pink Floyd |
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Other decade charts by Tamthebam
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 90 Music Albums of the 2020s | Tamthebam | 2020s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | Tamthebam | 2010s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | Tamthebam | 2000s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | Tamthebam | 1990s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | Tamthebam | 1980s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Tamthebam | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | Tamthebam | 1960s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1950s | Tamthebam | 1950s decade chart | 2025 | |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s ratings
88/100 (from 33 votes)
where:
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 33 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 80/100  | 03/14/2025 12:20 |  SomethingSpecial | | 85/100 |
| 85/100 | 02/21/2025 22:19 | mrmcrook | | 92/100 |
| 85/100 | 11/23/2023 11:45 |  Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
| 75/100 | 07/03/2023 17:29 | dukeboxkool | | 73/100 |
| 80/100 | 10/10/2022 01:49 | Moondance | | 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 9% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.0/100, a mean average of 88.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.8.
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s comments
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75/100
From dukeboxkool 07/03/2023 17:30
Overall, this is a very good chart.
#297928 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From Moondance 10/10/2022 02:06
We both have the 70's as our favourite decade and the number of exceptional albums to choose from is simply outrageous. That said, we have 25 albums in common ~ interestingly your #100: Dylan's Blood On The Tracks is my #1 ~ and that, better than anything, explains where our personal musical journey takes a different route. I was surprised to see some classic, in my mind, 70's UK artists missing ~ Jethro Tull, Cat Stevens, The Who, The Clash (to name but a few). Overall a nice chart that I enjoyed wandering through.
#290321 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Rm12398 10/10/2022 00:19
Almost a third of the chart in common. Very good music taste in my opinion! Great list!
#290320 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Johnnyo 10/09/2022 10:28
One of the best ‘70’s charts I’ve come across. Outstanding
#290310 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
seb7 12/14/2020 16:42
seb7 12/14/2020 16:42
simply a great list
#262687 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From vancevisuals 07/20/2020 21:18
could not agree with you more about the 70's
No Frank Zappa?
#255886 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From 
Boltzmann 03/13/2018 21:04
Boltzmann 03/13/2018 21:04
Nice list, I like that you put “Heroes” above all other Bowie albums. That one seems to get a lot of hate lately.
#210851 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From SamNassiri98 03/13/2018 10:29
lovely!
#210807 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Ulf 03/13/2018 08:02
very fine stuff would love to see some descriptions.
#210803 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Ashmark 02/17/2018 00:04
This is a phenomenal list. Almost every album is deep on substance. Then there are some that are just great to listen to. Their substance comes from just how damn great they sound and make you feel (Rumours for example). Awesome.
#208496 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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