Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s
by Johnnyo 
The rules are; I have to own it, the odd compliation is allowed but no greatest hits / best of's.
- Chart updated: 10/24/2025 19:45
- (Created: 12/06/2011 03:44).
- 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 87 out of 100 (from 15 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from 1973. (Remove this filter)
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[First added to this chart: 12/20/2011]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
60,265
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 12/20/2011]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,430
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 12/20/2011]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
This is my third favourite Sabb album coming in a very closely behind the self-titled album with Paranoid @ no. 1
Substance abuse issues that the band had had on previous albums and that apparently continued here.
In just three years the band had produced four fantastic, ground-breaking albums and undertaken extensive tours and then came into the studio to produce their fifth album in just over three years.
By all accounts, the initial attempts to write songs for Sabbath Bloody Sabbath were unsuccessful. Tony Iommi said "Ideas weren't coming out the way they were on Vol. 4 and we really got discontent. Everybody was sitting there waiting for me to come up with something. I just couldn't think of anything. And if I didn't come up with anything, nobody would do anything” Not too surprising when you consider the workload of the previous few years.
For me, sometimes you’re in the right frame of mind for you to have an instant connection to an album, sometimes it takes a little longer. With this album, my connection was instantaneous. I thought that it was the most mature album up to that point and possibly of their whole career.
One final anecdote about the album. Rick Wakeman was brought in as a session player, appearing on "Sabbra Cadabra". He refused payment from the band and was ultimately compensated with beer for his contribution. So Rock N Roll.
One last word from Ozzy. He said that Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was "the beginning of the end" for Black Sabbath's original line-up. Speaking to Mojo he said "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was really the album after which I should have said goodbye because after that I really started unravelling. Then we ended up falling out of favour with each other."
I think that makes total sense as I would argue that this is the last great Sabbath album (although there were others which were good). [First added to this chart: 12/20/2011]
Substance abuse issues that the band had had on previous albums and that apparently continued here.
In just three years the band had produced four fantastic, ground-breaking albums and undertaken extensive tours and then came into the studio to produce their fifth album in just over three years.
By all accounts, the initial attempts to write songs for Sabbath Bloody Sabbath were unsuccessful. Tony Iommi said "Ideas weren't coming out the way they were on Vol. 4 and we really got discontent. Everybody was sitting there waiting for me to come up with something. I just couldn't think of anything. And if I didn't come up with anything, nobody would do anything” Not too surprising when you consider the workload of the previous few years.
For me, sometimes you’re in the right frame of mind for you to have an instant connection to an album, sometimes it takes a little longer. With this album, my connection was instantaneous. I thought that it was the most mature album up to that point and possibly of their whole career.
One final anecdote about the album. Rick Wakeman was brought in as a session player, appearing on "Sabbra Cadabra". He refused payment from the band and was ultimately compensated with beer for his contribution. So Rock N Roll.
One last word from Ozzy. He said that Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was "the beginning of the end" for Black Sabbath's original line-up. Speaking to Mojo he said "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was really the album after which I should have said goodbye because after that I really started unravelling. Then we ended up falling out of favour with each other."
I think that makes total sense as I would argue that this is the last great Sabbath album (although there were others which were good). [First added to this chart: 12/20/2011]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,313
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 02/07/2012]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 12/31/2011]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,033
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 06/22/2019]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 12/31/2011]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,402
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 11/23/2021]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 03/06/2023]
Total albums: 11. Page 1 of 2
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1971 | 26 | 26% | |
| 1972 | 14 | 14% | |
| 1973 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1974 | 5 | 5% | |
| 1975 | 5 | 5% | |
| 1976 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1977 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1978 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1979 | 6 | 6% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 4% | |
| Traffic | 4 | 4% | |
| AC/DC | 4 | 4% | |
| The Allman Brothers Band | 3 | 3% | |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 3% | |
| Various Artists | 3 | 3% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
44 | 44% | |
| |
32 | 32% | |
 |
8 | 8% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 2nd to 1st Darkness On The Edge Of Town by Bruce Springsteen |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 1st to 2nd Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s similar charts
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | adbrack1988 | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | matterhornrider | 1970s decade chart | 2025 |  |
| Top 1970s Classic Rock Albums | nas062080 | Custom chart | 2013 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Rivera | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Finky | 1970s decade chart | 2023 | |
| Top 99 Music Albums of the 1970s | LosWochos | 1970s decade chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | pdapperens | 1970s decade chart | 2014 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  StefanR10 | 1970s decade chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | bertdepoortere | 1970s decade chart | 2023 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Madrocker | 1970s decade chart | 2019 | |
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Other decade charts by Johnnyo
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2020s | Johnnyo | 2020s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | Johnnyo | 2010s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | Johnnyo | 2000s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | Johnnyo | 1990s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | Johnnyo | 1980s decade chart | 2025 | |
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 15 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/08/2024 20:47 |  pedro1976 | 107 | 85/100 |
| ! | 05/19/2024 01:19 | mrmcrook | 737 | 92/100 |
| ! | 09/08/2022 17:23 |  CharlieBarley | 477 | 94/100 |
| ! | 09/06/2022 22:20 | Moondance | 476 | 85/100 |
| ! | 09/06/2022 09:59 | Thearei30ee | 17 | 88/100 |
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 has a Bayesian average rating of 86.9/100, a mean average of 87.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 87.7/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.8.
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s comments
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From pedro1976 08/08/2024 20:48 | #304685
pedro1976 08/08/2024 20:48 | #304685
great chart - surprised only 28 albums in common. a few for me to investigate further
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 02/16/2024 14:01 | #302032
A major revamp of my chart (especially towards the lower end) after couple of minor revamps in 2023. Hope that people still like it.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 09/08/2022 18:14 | #289504
Thanks Charlie. Appreciate you leaving a comment.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From CharlieBarley 09/08/2022 17:24 | #289503
CharlieBarley 09/08/2022 17:24 | #289503
top chart! some fantastic albums though I haven't heard them all
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Moondance 09/06/2022 22:27 | #289439
Hey Johnnyo ~ as always, a thoughtful chart. Good to see CSNY in there as a group and also solo (almost) ~ except, I see you had no room for Graham Nash's 'Songs For Beginners'? Totally agree with Sticky Fingers as the Stones best: and liked seeing John Martyn, Wishbone Ash & Thin Lizzy (Black Rose - sensational!). I would have rated Born To Run much much higher ~ but it did come out when I was 19 and it was like a revelation of the highest order ~ so it holds a special place for me.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 06/22/2019 07:34 | #238055
Tamthebam you should definitely check out Can. I don’t like everything that they have ever done but they are always an interesting listen. Hope you find something that grabs you
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Tamthebam 05/03/2019 09:10 | #235794
Tamthebam 05/03/2019 09:10 | #235794
23 albums in common not bad ! The 70's were a great period in music. Most of these albums still sound great today I must check out Can again I've always meant to and these days its so easy to listen to albums without purchasing them ! Great Chart .
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
bobbyb5 04/22/2018 13:55 | #213409
bobbyb5 04/22/2018 13:55 | #213409
You have awesome taste in 70s music.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
buzzdainer 06/24/2016 03:12 | #169597
buzzdainer 06/24/2016 03:12 | #169597
Excellent chart! I love Darkness on the Edge of Town and On the Beach. Enjoyed comparing your selections to some of mine.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 11/21/2014 12:37 | #127613
Personality! I like that description. Your very kind Decurso. The 70's was my favourite era so these are many of my favourite albums.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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