Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s
by
Robert Anton Wilson 
"Today's Music Ain't Got the Same Soul. I Like My Old Time Rock'n Roll"
- Bob Seger
The 70s, my favorite decade music-wise. Finally made a selection of 100. Tough choices I had to do there. Ordering is the root of all evil in music. Still can't wait to be allowed to do an all prog list.
Eventually I will put different comments for albums duplicated from overall chart but for now here it is, now open for comments.
- Chart updated: 11/03/2012 08:46
- (Created: 12/15/2011 09:25).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 0 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s has an average rating of 86 out of 100 (from 7 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.
There is no Dark Side to the Dark Side of the Moon really, as a matter of fact, it's all brilliant.
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
60,060
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Close to the Edge is my favourite Yes piece but as an album I find Fragile to be the one better put together. Even people who hate Yes or Prog music usually find something to like on this album. Highlights: Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround, Heart of the Sunrise (but only for prog-heads that song).
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,213
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
My favorite of them. A niche album. This is Genesis at its most creative before the recipe crystallized. Highlight: Side 2: Supper`s Ready - of course. If you ever get a chance to see the tribute band 'Over the Garden Wall' do the Foxtrot tout on stage do not miss the occasion. Momentus nothing less, even Peter Gabriel himself took his kids see this show.
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,098
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
After all these years and all these repeated plays, I still feel I haven't heard everything that is recorded on that album. I almost never listen to "Stairway" or "Black Dog" anymore and my current obsession is "When the Levee Breaks". There is much more to this album than appears at first.
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
38,597
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Finally Jim managed to do the album he always wanted. As the personalities and lives grew apart in the band, the musical communion did not falter. To be listened to carefully, this is NOT a "hit" album. This is Jim's testament and his ode of love to the grit and salt of the Earth. This album is the sum of all that came before and is an open door to the future. Then he took a "trip" to Paris. We all knew he never meant to come back.
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,922
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Compare 'Anarchy in the UK' to 'Birthday Girl' and check the dates, no coincidence there, the relationship between prog and punk is more incestuous than the critics like to play it out.
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
The "Wall of Sound" arrangement can be as much a curse as a blessing for an album. This time around, it worked perfectly and made Bruce the Boss, out of the songwriter niche to the forefront of the scene. And what about that saxophone sound ... RIP CC. To be listened to loud. The ultimate album of songs about girls and cars and getting out of here.
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,377
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
I hate including this album on a 70s chart, This album was released December 1979. This is truly an 80s album.
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,121
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
I am an October child and this is an October album. You listen to it and you can't help but get that Fall feeling, leaves yellowing, crops picked up and lots of thanks to be given to the soil, the land, our home. A masterpiece from a great composer. There are no doubts in my mind that they will still listen to that album 300 years from now. Van the Man!!!
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,683
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
'Close to the Edge', the song, is my second favorite musical piece of all. Took me a while to fully get it but it was well worth it. 'And You And I' is the ultimate prog test, if you like that song you like prog but if you don't like prog you will hate that song like no other.
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,894
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1971 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1972 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1973 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1974 | 14 | 14% | |
| 1975 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1976 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1977 | 5 | 5% | |
| 1978 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1979 | 5 | 5% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Pink Floyd | 5 | 5% | |
| Van Der Graaf Generator | 3 | 3% | |
| Yes | 3 | 3% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 3 | 3% | |
| Genesis | 3 | 3% | |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 3% | |
| Harmonium | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s chart changes
| New entries |
|---|
| X-Dreams by Annette Peacock |
| Leavers |
|---|
| Jesus Christ Superstar (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album) by Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 1970s Classic Rock Albums | nas062080 | Custom chart | 2013 | ![]() |
| Top 99 Music Albums of the 1970s | elton229 | 1970s decade chart | 2012 | ![]() |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Overall chart | 2024 | ![]() | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | 1970s decade chart | 2017 | ![]() | |
| Top British Albums of the 1970s | nas062080 | Custom chart | 2013 | ![]() |
| Decade 1970s | fabm0 | Custom chart | 2025 | ![]() |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Manso | 1970s decade chart | 2020 | ![]() |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Siromynian | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | ![]() |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | nas062080 | 1970s decade chart | 2013 | ![]() |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Kettwig | 1970s decade chart | 2017 | ![]() |
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 Robert Anton Wilson
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 81 Music Albums of the 2020s | 2020s decade chart | 2024 | ![]() | |
| Top 93 Music Albums of the 2010s | 2010s decade chart | 2021 | ![]() | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | 2000s decade chart | 2019 | ![]() | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | 1990s decade chart | 2012 | ![]() | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | 1980s decade chart | 2015 | ![]() |
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.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 7 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 09/26/2024 10:06 | 645 | 85/100 | |
| ! | 08/18/2020 17:38 | Chrispeater | 138 | 82/100 |
| ! | 11/04/2012 00:44 | strawberryfields | 273 | 95/100 |
| ! | 08/29/2012 10:30 | 352 | 78/100 | |
| ! | 08/29/2012 08:33 | Deckiller | 38 | 80/100 |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s favourites
Showing all 1 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s comments
Be the first to add a comment for this Chart - add your comment!
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.










