Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s
by 
Hayden 
This list is very silly because it could be 500+ albums and I'd still be missing stuff.
- Chart updated: 11/07/2025 16:45
- (Created: 12/04/2011 22:40).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 12 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 33 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Buy album 
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[First added to this chart: 03/04/2018]
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 12/18/2011]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,887
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 12/23/2014]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,164
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 06/14/2019]
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 05/04/2021]
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 03/04/2018]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 03/04/2018]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
476
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 12/18/2011]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,746
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2011]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,685
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 03/30/2012]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,516
Rank in 1970:
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 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1971 | 16 | 16% | |
| 1972 | 14 | 14% | |
| 1973 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1974 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1975 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1976 | 5 | 5% | |
| 1977 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1978 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1979 | 10 | 10% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Jorge Ben | 2 | 2% | |
| Tom Waits | 2 | 2% | |
| Don Cherry | 2 | 2% | |
| Fela Ransome-Kuti & The Africa '70 | 2 | 2% | |
| Nick Drake | 2 | 2% | |
| Steve Reich | 2 | 2% | |
| Fela Kuti & Africa 70 | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
41 | 41% | |
 |
12 | 12% | |
 |
9 | 9% | |
 |
8 | 8% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
| |
4 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 3 from 52nd to 49th Drumming / Music For Mallet Instruments, Voices And Organ / Six Pianos by Steve Reich & Musicians |
| Up 2 from 80th to 78th Sun Bear Concerts by Keith Jarrett |
| Up 2 from 79th to 77th Atomic Bomb by William Onyeabor |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 36 from 45th to 81st Peace And Love by Dadawah |
| Down 14 from 54th to 68th Sing For Very Important People by The Free Design |
| Down 4 from 20th to 24th What Color Is Love by Terry Callier |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Hayden | Overall chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | brun027 | 1970s decade chart | 2017 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | juanr1096 | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  Jimmy Dread | 1970s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Albums Of The 1970s, 1-100 | saacsquatch | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  alelsupreme | 1970s decade chart | 2016 | |
| Top 96 Music Albums of the 1970s |  baystateoftheart | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Jamie | 1970s decade chart | 2024 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  Norman Bates | 1970s decade chart | 2025 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  flamingyesdept | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
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Other decade charts by Hayden
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2020s | Hayden | 2020s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | Hayden | 2010s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | Hayden | 2000s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | Hayden | 1990s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | Hayden | 1980s decade chart | 2025 | |
Hayden 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 33 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 07/19/2024 14:30 |  LedZep | 1,104 | 84/100 |
| ! | 01/11/2024 09:55 | Norman Bates | 150 | 96/100 |
| ! | 01/09/2024 10:46 |  Tamthebam | 645 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/09/2024 10:23 | Johnnyo | 2,557 | 80/100 |
| ! | 05/07/2021 13:29 | jackq | 273 | 92/100 |
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 89.5/100, a mean average of 90.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.6.
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
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From Johnnyo 01/09/2024 10:23 | #301014
Very cool chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
NJ 12/09/2020 02:20 | #262318
NJ 12/09/2020 02:20 | #262318
Great list! A lot I still have to check out. Unfortunately I kind of skipped over the 70s.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Thad 12/11/2018 19:30 | #226795
Great chart -- acknowledges classics, makes unexpected picks, incorporates sometimes-overlooked genres and countries of origin. Probably my favorite 70's chart, leaves me with a lot to check out.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ForegroundNoise 12/11/2018 09:18 | #226770
ForegroundNoise 12/11/2018 09:18 | #226770
Really love this chart; great mix of the classics with underground favourites, great to see The Sinking Of The Titanic and Pavilion Of Dreams both so high. I think the chart greatly benefits from your international diversity; far too often do I see 'Best of the 70s' charts that fail to have anything not from US/UK/Canada. Would love to see some notes (à la your overall chart) for a perfect score!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Boltzmann 03/04/2018 21:18 | #210107
Boltzmann 03/04/2018 21:18 | #210107
Interesting list, can't blame ya for putting Unknown Pleasures on the #1 spot (I should put it on my list too actually, totally forgot about that album). I hope I remember checking out the stuff from here I don't know yet.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Ulf 03/04/2018 20:23 | #210101
Very nice 70s chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From SamNassiri98 03/04/2018 11:16 | #210070
Lovely chart! (Maybe check out mine?)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Antonio-Pedro 10/27/2013 18:04 | #89470
Antonio-Pedro 10/27/2013 18:04 | #89470
I f you are looking for a musical vision of the 70s that is one of these
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
sssvnnn 09/30/2013 21:12 | #87272
sssvnnn 09/30/2013 21:12 | #87272
Great
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From armoury 04/05/2012 14:23 | #39445
anything which has loaded deserves a decent rating
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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