Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s
by 
Jimmy Dread 
Ahhh the 70s - my favourite musical decade by far, and so much so there's at least another 50 albums/artists that could easily be in here without a moment's hesitation. Born on the day before the year that punk broke, you could argue that I was destined to fall in love with the decade of my birth. But look at the variety - folk, funk, MPB, soul, punk, jazz, disco, post-punk, and critically the emergence of Jamaica as a bona fide musical contender. All find a home here, and rightly so. Forever finding nuggets to shoehorn into this chart so likely to be pretty fluid - if you'd told me I'd have a smattering of jazz LPs in here a couple of years ago I'd have scoffed. Repetitions with my overall 100 generally ignored, and more comments to follow (in addition to those that have probably been here since the earth cooled). Feedback, criticisms, recommendations all welcome (unless it's anything to do with listening to The Wall, Springsteen or ELP - there's a whole slew of boring dad-rockers on BEA if that's your bag). Jimmy, January 2021
- Chart updated: 01/22/2021 15:15
- (Created: 01/24/2012 18:55).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 7 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 18 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.
Buy album 
- #Sponsored
PICK - Ark Of The Covenant. Hands-down the finest album to come out of Jamaica. Scratch's production is peerless. Roots Reggae's finest half-hour-and-a-bit.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2012]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,777
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
10
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Fill Your Heart. It was via my favourite Welshcake Eilir that I discovered Bowie, admittedly far too late. Deep in his dungeon/bunker in halls at Uni he was busy making odd noises with a battered microphone and a Tascam 4-track. I was intrigued and upon burying my nose in his record collection found an LP I really should have listened to before attempting to digest the likes of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and Datblygu...
[First added to this chart: 05/31/2012]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,788
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Jah Promise. University saw me fall in love with Studio One, primarily through the essential compilations Soul Jazz Records puts out on a regular basis. Johnny Osbourne has a voice that could melt the hardest of hearts, the riddims are immense, and the album is a peach. Respect is indeed overdue.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2012]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Black Man. One of a handful of LPs I own in 3 formats (CD, vinyl, MP3), and one album that my ex will not taint my adoration of. I picked this up in a charity shop for a quid (all intact, with inner booklet and bonus 7") and played it incessantly, even ending my sets with Another Star when I used to DJ in the early 2000s. Jamiroquai's hijacking of half this LP and attempting to pass it off as his own still doesn't taint its appeal. Probably owned 3 copies on vinyl over the years (keeps turning up in collections I acquire).
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2012]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,883
Rank in 1976:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Old World. Discovered on same CD as Television and Nick Drake (as well as the New York Dolls, Husker Du and Sonic Youth - quite some compy!), it took me an age to get round to laying hands on a copy of The Modern Lovers, and about twice as long to fall head-over-heels in love with it. Chuck this and the 3rd Velvets album together and you've got two records that could pretty much be proto-twee pop. That's assuming anyone's looking for such a thing.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2012]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,683
Rank in 1976:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Conquering Dub. Regular visitors to the House of Dread are more than likely acutely aware of my love of Yabby's stuff, but this Tubby dub (plucked out of obscurity by the good folk at Blood and Fire in the mid-90s) is outside of ...Meets Rockers Uptown his finest work, taking cuts from Conquering Lion and blasting them through a tube so that they come out dripping with bass and echo. A top-drawer set from the dub organizer himself.
[First added to this chart: 10/19/2017]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 05/01/2015]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - From The Morning. First heard Nick Drake on same compilation that spawned my love of Television (the band, not the medium). I vividly remember my mum coming up to my room one day and hearing me play this, remarking on how different it was to the 'usual rubbish' (my Dad's favourite phrase) that normally eminated from my boombox. I used to lead a one-man crusade at Uni to persuade more people to get into Nick. Those who listened got invited to my wedding. I haven't spoken to the rest in over 10 years.
[First added to this chart: 03/07/2014]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,163
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Tan and See. I borrowed my parents' MX-5 one day to drive my dear friend Hayley and I over to her place in the gorgeous Surrey of Albury. A singer by profession (and a bloody good one at that), she was immediately taken with not only a spot of (roof)topless driving, but also some rather natty roots reggae I had pumping out of the particularly crude stereo with speakers in the headrests. After Heart of The Congos, Scratch's best production job.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2012]
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 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1972 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1973 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1974 | 4 | 4% | |
| 1975 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1976 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1977 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1978 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1979 | 18 | 18% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Milton Nascimento / Lô Borges | 1 | 1% | |
| Iggy And The Stooges | 1 | 1% | |
| Cortex (FR) | 1 | 1% | |
| Johnny Osbourne | 1 | 1% | |
| Marvin Gaye | 1 | 1% | |
| John Lennon | 1 | 1% | |
| Heaven & Earth (1970s) | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
38 | 38% | |
| |
28 | 28% | |
 |
15 | 15% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 42 from 88th to 46th Metal Box by Public Image Ltd. |
| Up 8 from 44th to 36th Journey In Satchidananda by Alice Coltrane |
| Up 6 from 36th to 30th Blackboard Jungle Dub by The Upsetters |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 27 from 41st to 68th Estudando O Samba by Tom Zé |
| Down 27 from 62nd to 89th London Calling by The Clash |
| Down 22 from 77th to 99th Refuge by Heaven & Earth (1970s) |
| New entries |
|---|
 Sorrow Tears And Bloodby Fela Kuti & Africa 70 |
| Harlem Bush Music - Uhuru by Gary Bartz NTU Troop |
| Progress by Tony Allen & Africa 70 |
| Maulawi by Maulawi |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Zombieby Fela Kuti & Africa 70 |
| One Nation Under A Groove by Funkadelic |
| First Utterance by Comus |
| Disco Club by Black Devil Disco Club |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  meccalecca | 1970s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  Norman Bates | 1970s decade chart | 2025 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Weepingguitarman | 1970s decade chart | 2024 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | badger | 1970s decade chart | 2021 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | brun027 | 1970s decade chart | 2017 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  LadyGodiva | 1970s decade chart | 2015 |  |
| Albums Of The 1970s, 1-100 | saacsquatch | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| Greatest albums of the 1970s | Ultimate Record Collection (Magazine) | 1970s decade chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | maxjelbart | 1970s decade chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  Patman360 | 1970s decade chart | 2018 |  |
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 Jimmy Dread
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 80 Music Albums of the 2010s | Jimmy Dread | 2010s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | Jimmy Dread | 2000s decade chart | 2015 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | Jimmy Dread | 1990s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s | Jimmy Dread | 1980s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Jimmy Dread | 1970s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | Jimmy Dread | 1960s decade chart | 2021 | |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s ratings
89/100 (from 18 votes)
where:
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 18 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 09/23/2020 07:14 |  Purplepash | | 88/100 |
| 100/100 | 09/22/2020 17:19 |  DommeDamian | | 89/100 |
| 95/100 | 09/22/2020 08:55 | BraddlesHendo | | 91/100 |
| 100/100 | 09/22/2020 08:29 |  desh79 | | 93/100 |
| 90/100 | 02/06/2020 22:37 |  Rhyner | | 99/100 |
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 4% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.3/100, a mean average of 92.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.4.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
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 all 7 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
100/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 02/06/2020 10:00
ForegroundNoise 02/06/2020 10:00
Your charts are always a joy to behold Jimmy, but this one happens to shine particularly bright. For a list that's limited to 1970-1979, you delicately interweave decades of memories so that your relationship with a time you experienced mostly second hand somehow transcends the limits its releases are bound to, the 70s' shockwaves rippling through your life long after 1980 came rolling around. A pleasure to thumb through- though should I really be surprised at this point?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From WayneMC 10/20/2016 19:32
I've invested in 3 or 4 in your list....thanks. All Brazilian albums. Now I'll check some of the reggae albums I don't know. I would have rated this 95/100 with a bit more soul.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From meccalecca 06/27/2016 16:17
meccalecca 06/27/2016 16:17
Amazing chart. Still needs more funky stuff from Africa, especially William Onyeabor
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
baystateoftheart 06/26/2016 21:33
baystateoftheart 06/26/2016 21:33
Amazing chart and great comments! So much to add to my wishlist!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From WayneMC 05/15/2016 01:02
A few I don't know, however I'll be checking some out, certainly the Brazilian albums.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
neilgee 09/25/2015 17:18
neilgee 09/25/2015 17:18
Interesting 100 Jim. There's certainly a few I've missed there, which is embarrassing because I was buying records in that era (I bought my first single in 1973 when you weren't yet born), but I'll mention Sugar Minott because I only first heard him in 1980 (on the John Peel show). In fact it's mostly the raggae stuff I've missed because 80 was when I went through my raggae phase and most of my collection is from 80 and after. Didn't know much about it before then (outside of Bob Marley) so it's good to find someone who has listened to what I missed and has rated it for me!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From daveybaker 04/26/2013 15:56
Great chart, I shall dig out my copy of "Heart of the Congos" tonight and give it a spin. Have to agree about Chic too.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a 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.