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: 03/22/2024 15:45
- (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 31 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This was the first Elton John album I ever heard Caribou being the first I ever owned. It was a double album so a little more expensive back then in 1974. It is without a doubt the best album he has ever released smack in the middle of his golden period 1970-76. It contains a whole load of Elton standards but the "non singles" on this album are some of his best ever songs (Bernie Taupin supplied the lyrics) including Sweet Painted Lady, All the Girls Love Alice, Grey Seal, I've Seen That Movie Too & Harmony. On top of all that is the opening 15 mins Funeral For a Friend/Love lies Bleeding a haunting opening number followed by Candle In The Wind. A truly great album.
[First added to this chart: 08/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,937
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
81
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A great album, not as highly regarded as a lot of his 70's albums but it it is for me one of the best albums he ever made. The Bitch Is Back is a great opener followed by the beautiful track Pinky it also contains the original and best version of Don't Let The Sun..... and an amazing closing track "Ticking".
[First added to this chart: 08/25/2013]
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An autobiographical album telling the story of the early days of the Elton/Bernie partnership. The tracks cover their meeting (the title track), writing to order for other artists (Bitter Fingers) Elton's suicide attempt (Someone Saved My Life Tonight) and various other aspects of their respective experiences/partnership. Another album that transcends time great songs and a great concept.
[First added to this chart: 09/26/2013]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,728
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Overall Rank:
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Comments:
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This album passed me by in 1972 it wasnt until a few years later that I listened to this and his other early albums and discovered he made some great albums before Yellow Brick Road. This was his best album up to this point in his career. Honky Cat, Rocket Man & Amy stand out for me but the best song on this album is Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters the other tracks are solid, no weak track here.
[First added to this chart: 08/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,041
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Rank in 1970s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 02/09/2015]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
415
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 08/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,657
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 12/30/2013]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,805
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 09/26/2013]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
353
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 8. 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 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1973 | 14 | 14% | |
| 1974 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1975 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1976 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1977 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1978 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1979 | 11 | 11% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Elton John | 8 | 8% | |
| David Bowie | 8 | 8% | |
| Pink Floyd | 5 | 5% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 5% | |
| Stevie Wonder | 5 | 5% | |
| T. Rex | 5 | 5% | |
| Joan Armatrading | 4 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 35th to 34th Back To The Night by Joan Armatrading |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 34th to 35th The Kick Inside by Kate Bush |
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Tamthebam (2024)Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s ratings
88/100 (from 31 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 31 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 85/100  | 11/23/2023 11:45 |  Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
| 75/100 | 07/03/2023 17:29 | dukeboxkool | | 75/100 |
| 80/100 | 10/10/2022 01:49 | Moondance | | 84/100 |
| 95/100 | 10/10/2022 00:19 | Rm12398 | | 89/100 |
| 95/100 | 10/09/2022 10:27 | Johnnyo | | 80/100 |
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 7% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.3/100, a mean average of 89.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.0/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.9.
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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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 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!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Johnnyo 10/09/2022 10:28
One of the best ‘70’s charts I’ve come across. Outstanding
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
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?
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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From SamNassiri98 03/13/2018 10:29
lovely!
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.
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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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