Top 25 Music Albums of 1978
by mrmcrook 
What a shit hot year for album releases. Absolutely fantastic year for music. Usually the last 10-20% or so at the end of a year chart are duds. The below average. Not so with this year. Apart from the top place, it was very hard to place all the rest in an order of favoritism as they are all really great albums.
My top 10 favorite songs of 1978
1. AC/DC - Down Payment Blues (plus everything else on this album)
2. Blondie - Picture This (plus everything else on this album)
3. Thin Lizzy - = placing; Are You Ready. + The Rocker.
4. The Rolling Stones - = placing; Shattered. + Respectable
5. The Who - Who Are You
6. The Cars - = placing; Good Times Roll. + My Best Friends Girl
7. Judas Priest - Beyond the Realm of Death
8. Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights
9. Ted Nugent - Great White Buffalo
10. Van Halen - You Really Got Me
- Chart updated: 11/21/2025 02:15
- (Created: 09/30/2020 03:31).
- Chart size: 25 albums.
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94.16* The ultimate of anything New Wave. It's bloody brilliant. Magnificent listen from start to finish. Not one filler track among them. All tracks well slotted to make this an all time classic. Nothing else she done comes close. Fantastic. Just bloody fantastic 02/25
[First added to this chart: 10/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,134
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85.55 This always seems to be forgotten about in the subject of greatest ever debut albums. The opening three songs alone cement that. Way, way better than expected. The tracks I didn't know previously are as good as the ones I did. Bloody fantastic album. Reminded me of Devo in parts.
[First added to this chart: 09/13/2022]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,622
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Comments:
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84.09 A fantastic live album. Good showcase of a 70's guitar king
[First added to this chart: 10/30/2020]
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83.63 Van Halen's magnum opus. They would be at the top of the list for any band whose debut album was their best. By far. This is when they were at their hard rock guitar driven best. I'd actually forgotten how good this was after a lengthy period between hearings
[First added to this chart: 10/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,470
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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78.00 An often overlooked album. It's not up to the same caliber of his earlier albums but it's still worthy of adding to a collection if your an Alice fan. Another interesting concept piece, joy of the nut house. Not as rock as previous outings but flows alright with the slower softer songs fitting in well.
[First added to this chart: 10/30/2020]
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Not as epic as the albums that came before but still bloody great. Hence the mightiness on The Ramones. Love their cover of 'Needles and Pins' 09/25
[First added to this chart: 09/12/2025]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
875
Rank in 1978:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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74.444* Pretty standard Southern Rock but with a heavier edge. Not that that's a bad thing. Very good enjoyable album. Lot of catchy rhythms. Just nothing that makes it jump out and separate it from other albums of this genre. 11/25
[First added to this chart: 10/30/2020]
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[First added to this chart: 10/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,067
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Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 10/30/2020]
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Very entertaining. Very prog with the template for a lot of symphonic metal. Phil Lynott's one of the players on it. Now that adds a touch of cool. I like the narrated storyline as well. It helps thick cunts like me follow what's going on unlike some rock operas/concept albums where the vocals sung lose me 01/25
[First added to this chart: 01/18/2025]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
670
Rank in 1978:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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Total albums: 12. Page 1 of 2
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Top 25 Music Albums of 1978 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Judas Priest | 2 | 8% | |
| AC/DC | 2 | 8% | |
| Blondie | 1 | 4% | |
| Alice Cooper | 1 | 4% | |
| Thin Lizzy | 1 | 4% | |
| Ramones | 1 | 4% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 1 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 25 Music Albums of 1978 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 3 from 21st to 18thMolly Hatchet by Molly Hatchet |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 18th to 19thQ: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! by Devo |
| Down 1 from 19th to 20thMove It On Over by George Thorogood & The Destroyers |
| Down 1 from 20th to 21stJeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds by Jeff Wayne |
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Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 07/09/2021 20:11 |  Rhyner | 1,457 | 99/100 |
| ! | 07/09/2021 04:11 | svk4ever | 14 | 83/100 |
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