Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s
by 
buzzdainer 
I was born and raised in a New England mill town that had seen better days. The textile mills and shoe factories had mostly closed down, and the river that passed through town was rated by the EPA as one of the seven most polluted in the country. My neighborhood was rough by Maine standards: a working-class French Canadian community where teenagers wielding knives roamed the streets looking for trouble. Especially during the summer, though, I spent most of my time outside, building forts in the woods, playing pickup baseball in the sandlot, and swinging like Tarzan on a makeshift rope swing somebody had rigged to a high limb behind the school.
When I was cooped up indoors, I remember playing my parents' records on my own little record player in the basement. My favorite was the Beach Boys, but I also distinctly remember listening to Fleetwood Mac, Boston, Stevie Wonder, the Everly Brothers, Doobie Brothers, Meat Loaf, Jim Croce, America, the Association, Paul Simon, Elton John, the Eagles, Electric Light Orchestra, the Beatles, and many others. I didn't fully develop my own individual musical tastes until I was older, but it's actually quite amazing to me how much of that stuff stuck. With the benefit of hindsight, I've added great artists like Nick Drake and Big Star, whom I never heard at the time, as well as lots of great funk, country, folk, proto-punk, and reggae. I'm a little less enamored of the so-called classic rock from this period, as I think I've been oversaturated with it, thanks to the local radio station, WBLM, the Rock and Roll Blimp, that was wall-to-wall seventies rock. You'll see Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin in my year charts, but I can't get quite excited enough about them to include them here.
- Chart updated: 11/07/2022 20:15
- (Created: 02/16/2016 17:23).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 23 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s has an average rating of 91 out of 100 (from 23 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from The Who. (Remove this filter)
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
21,019
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 03/26/2016]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,010
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 05/19/2016]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
923
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 3. Page 1 of 1
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1971 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1972 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1973 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1974 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1975 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1976 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1977 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1978 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1979 | 9 | 9% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4% | |
| David Bowie | 4 | 4% | |
| Neil Young | 4 | 4% | |
| Emmylou Harris | 3 | 3% | |
| Willie Nelson | 3 | 3% | |
| Big Star | 3 | 3% | |
| Tom Waits | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s chart changes
There have been no changes to this chart.Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  Sean | 1970s decade chart | 2017 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | bertdepoortere | 1970s decade chart | 2023 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | mjbreuer | 1970s decade chart | 2016 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | JeffN999 | 1970s decade chart | 2021 |  |
| Los 100 mejores discos de los años 70 | Diariocrítico | 1970s decade chart | 2016 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | matterhornrider | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Finky | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  junodog4 | 1970s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  imimesis | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  RFNAPLES | 1970s decade chart | 2012 | |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Other decade charts by buzzdainer
buzzdainer has shared 6 more 1970s decade charts with the community. Browse them all here.| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2020s | buzzdainer | 2020s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | buzzdainer | 2010s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | buzzdainer | 2000s decade chart | 2024 | |
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 23 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 11/07/2022 02:25 |  Larcx13 | 1,145 | 86/100 |
| ! | 11/06/2022 20:47 | adbrack1988 | 25 | 97/100 |
| ! | 11/06/2022 20:34 | Johnnyo | 2,565 | 80/100 |
| ! | 11/06/2022 17:07 | Rm12398 | 99 | 89/100 |
| ! | 11/06/2022 11:05 | Moondance | 476 | 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 2% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 91.2/100, a mean average of 93.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 93.5/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.7.
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s favourites
Showing all 2 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 23 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From Larcx13 11/07/2022 02:31 | #291113
Larcx13 11/07/2022 02:31 | #291113
Damn that's some gnarly picks in that top 10. Maytals, The clash, Tom waits, marquee moon & Mothership Connection! Good stuff. This whole list is great.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 11/06/2022 20:35 | #291106
Top notch chart with great notes. Very enjoyable read
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Moondance 11/06/2022 11:14 | #291088
Always enjoy checking out your charts & reading how the albums connect to your life journey. The 70's were such a rich period of music ¬ I sometimes think my top 101-200 is as good as my top 100. We were very fortunate to live that period of music in real time.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From JoeyBones1986 03/10/2022 17:03 | #282644
Great selections, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading your personal notes
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Larcx13 12/05/2020 15:58 | #262061
Larcx13 12/05/2020 15:58 | #262061
I love Closing Time! Im disappointed you dont get Pink Floyd, but good list.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
bobbyb5 06/04/2017 09:17 | #191974
bobbyb5 06/04/2017 09:17 | #191974
Really thoughtful chart and well-condidered, obviously. But you'd never know from it that the 70s was an unbelievably FUN decade for music. Its a little grim considering how raucous and wild and full of variety the 70s was. But people today have an image of the 70s as being depressing, but it was actually a hoot. 70s made music proves this.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
pa 10/12/2016 15:08 | #176752
pa 10/12/2016 15:08 | #176752
yes, that song is absolutely beautiful indeed.
I added Luxury Liner on my chart but Pieces Of The Sky is amazing too. I hope I'll find a place for Willie Nelson on my chart soon ;)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From pa 10/10/2016 13:29 | #176649
pa 10/10/2016 13:29 | #176649
love me some Emmylou Harris <3 <3
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Kuzh69 10/04/2016 05:05 | #176286
Well I figured since we had so many albums and artists in common,
After several passes on resisting for what reason, I have no idea,
I had heard about your number 1, by name only. I finally chilled out and
Listened to tom waits, closing time from start to finish.
The album has left my mouth wide open, I cannot believe how good it is.
I hope I enjoy any of his remaining catalog half as much as I've liked this
One. Thank you.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Tamthebam 07/14/2016 14:21 | #171289
Tamthebam 07/14/2016 14:21 | #171289
27 albums in common and I own 64 that's a lot! Good to see Emmylou near the top and a mention for Van Morrison and Parliament. I'll check out Big Star & Willie Nelson a great chart. Well done.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Your feedback for Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
