Best Albums of the 1970s

Listed below are the best albums of the 1970s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 3 hours ago).
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1970s decade summaryThe best artists of the 1970s were Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, The Clash, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder and The Who.
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"I really like how minimalistic and raw this feels, paired with the screeching, dissonant VU-esque violins in here every so often, it really has this really great quirky vibe to it. I can imagine just a bunch of friends jamming in a garage and thinking "fuck it, let's get it recorded". Also it's p..."  [+]  Reply
- SuedeSwede | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (3 helpful | 2 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:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
633
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"One of the few live albums that really captures everything great about its band, recorded during the undeniable peak of the Stones’ career (before the world came crashing around them at Altamont, just over a week after this album’s concerts were performed). This, Let it Bleed, and The Singles Col..."  [+]  Reply
- Big A2 | 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:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
629
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"One of the essential guitar records of all time, packed to the brim with hard rock, blues, and prog in germinal form. It's crazy to me how underrated and forgotten Wishbone Ash has become when you can put an album like this on and enjoy every second of it. Let's get these guys some more recogniti..."  [+]  Reply
- MetaKoopa99 | 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:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
629
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"App, what happened with me is that I started out loving it and it slowly started to irritate me the more I listened. So it might go the opposite direction with you :)"  Reply
- 40footwolf | 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:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
629
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"Really can't believe how underrated this album is. "Blue" was my intro to Joni, I just melted. But I grew out of it, it was just too sad. I wanted redemption. This is what Mitchell gives us in "For The Roses". It's a masterpiece depicting the light at the end of the tunnel. Banquet is phenomenal,..."  [+]  Reply
- ethweg123 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 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:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
627
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Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
623
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"Brilliant first album by Foreigner. I think the later efforts possibly have greater highs but no album beats this one as all tracks are of a consistently high quality. Favourites are obviously the hits but also The Damage Is Done, Fool For You Anyway and I Need You."  Reply
- stevengnz | 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:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
622
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"One can hardly accuse King Crimson to be coquettish and play on safe keys. Very often the group has given even the most beautiful melodies a twist or edge which contrasts the ugly and the beautiful. This tendency, or intention, is also very evident in this, the group's fourth album. The group mix..."  [+]  Reply
- Rovers | 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:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
622
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"This is the sunniest collection from a master, and this album is also notable for the restraint he exercises here - no song is longer than four minutes. I love the opening of "Starting a New Life"...."when I hear that robin sing, well, I know it's coming on spring..." Later in the album he sings ..."  [+]  Reply
- jhuik | 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:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
621
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
619
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 46 of 100

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Best Artists of the 1980s
1. The Smiths
2. Prince
3. The Cure
4. Pixies
5. Talking Heads
6. U2
7. Metallica
8. Kate Bush
9. R.E.M.
10. The Stone Roses