Best Albums of 1978

Listed below are the best albums of 1978 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 58,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 5 hours ago).
Best albums by year or decade
Decade:
Year:
1978 year summaryThe best artists of 1978 were Bruce Springsteen, Blondie, The Cars, Elvis Costello, Van Halen, Kraftwerk, Kate Bush, Steve Reich, The Rolling Stones and Talking Heads.
View chart at point in time
 Show this chart as it was on the following date
Share this chart
Collector's summary (top 1,000) Help The maximum rank used by the Collector's Summary is configurable from your profile (top 1,000 is currently selected). Log in or register to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!
Sort Sort by
"During the late eighties, Excitable Boy was in heavy rotation at the pizza place in Auburn, Maine, where I worked in the kitchen after school to earn pocket cash. It might have been the only album that was universally liked by all the high school aged staff who worked in the kitchen those years. ..."  [+]  Reply
- buzzdainer | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,295
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Billy Joel's follow up to his artistic and commercial peak, the stranger. 52nd street, is a good album, but it just hasn't quite got the edge that it's predecessor had. The first side of the album though is very good. Opening with one of the best examples of that cynical songwriting Joel is so go..."  [+]  Reply
- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,249
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Lots of people in these comments are saying this album is a disappointment. Completely untrue. Lyrics, musicality and production all much improved from the first album. Sure, it's not as angry or "punk," but at the end of the day, that doesn't matter as much as how enjoyable it is to listen to. A..."  [+]  Reply
- MetaKoopa99 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,244
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
24.
"In 1978 the Queen band came up with an more relaxed and unpretentious album. Although without the complexity of previous albums, JAZZ are one of the most enjoyable albuns of the band. "Don´t Stop Me Now", "Leaving Home Ain't Easy" and my favorite "In Only Seven Days", with sweet and beautiful mel..."  [+]  Reply
- FHCA72 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,049
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"The debut album from The Banshees is one of the great late seventies British releases. A stunning fusion of psychedelic rock, goth, new wave punk, and, pop art, the scream, is not just a great first record, it's also probably the Banshees best LP. Jigsaw feeling, mirage, and, switch, are all exce..."  [+]  Reply
- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,038
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
""Beyond the Realms of Death" is perfect, and one of the best Judas Priest songs. It's guitar solo is the most finest example of Tipton and Downing's musical abilities."  Reply
- marfol | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
992
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"A more accessible Patti Smith album. Easter, is a good record with some fine songs, most notably the Bruce Springsteen collaboration, because the night. Good, but not great."  Reply
- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
979
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"This album is insanely DANGEROUS. This album rocks, shreds, riffs, and kicks ass. The playing is tight, professional, and awesome. Phil Lynott's voice is one of the best in rock, soft, hard, and dynamic at the same time!"  Reply
- Jboy56 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
972
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Blue Valentine turns whatever you're doing into a movie scene. Something late 70s/early 80s, dark and moody, probably set in New York (though any urban area will do). I get in late from work, throw my Harrington on the hanger and whack this on. Turn the lights on low and pour some wine, and settl..."  [+]  Reply
- DeusExMackia | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
964
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
925
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 3 of 100

Best Albums of 1978 composition

Recognised  Decade Charts (2020s)
1. 100 Best Albums of the 2010s: Staff Picks by Billboard (2019)
2. The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s by Pitchfork (2019)
3. Top 50 Albums of the 2010s by The Wild Honey Pie (2019)
4. BrooklynVegan's Top Albums of 2010s by BrooklynVegan (2020)
5. The 50 best albums of the decade – 2010 to 2019 by Independent (2019)
6. The Needle Drop's Top Albums Of The 2010s by The Needle Drop (2019)
7. All The Best Albums Of The 2010s, Ranked by Uproxx (2019)
8. The A.V. Club's 50 best albums of the 2010s by The A.V. Club (2019)
9. Gorilla vs. Bear Albums of the 2010s by Gorilla vs. Bear (2019)
10. NME's Greatest Albums of The Decade: The 2010s by New Music Express (2019)
11. Top 100 Albums of the Decade by Crack Magazine (2019)
12. 100 Best Albums of the 2010s by Rolling Stone (2019)
13. The 101 Best Albums of the 2010s by Spin (2020)
14. The 100 Best Albums Of The 2010s by Stereogum (2019)
15. The 50 Best Albums of the Decade by Deep Cuts (2019)
16. Tiny Mix Tapes 2010s: Favorite 100 Music Releases of the Decade by Tiny Mix Tapes (2019)
17. Die besten Platten 2010-2019 by Spex (2019)
18. Top 100 Albums of the 2010s by Consequence of Sound (2019)
19. BEST OF 2011 - 2020: Die besten Alben des Jahrzehnts by laut (2020)
20. Los 30 mejores discos de la década de 2010 by Esquire España (2023)