Best Albums of the 1950s

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Listed below are the best albums of the 1950s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 53,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade

Decade:

Year:

1950s decade summary

Year	Albums The number of albums from each year featuring in the greatest album charts.	Score Total rank score for each year (made up of the total rank score from all albums in that year)	Top Ranked Album The top ranked album from each year and where it ranks in the overall chart.
1950	125	5,236	Voice Of The Xtabay (2,074th)by Yma Sumac
1951	141	4,186	Genius Of Modern Music (2,816th)by Thelonious Monk
1952	151	6,929	Bird & Diz (1,985th)by Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie
1953	194	6,687	Black Coffee With Peggy Lee (1,847th)by Peggy Lee
1954	230	11,114	Chet Baker Sings (671st)by Chet Baker
1955	326	14,829	In The Wee Small Hours (382nd)by Frank Sinatra
1956	435	32,215	Elvis Presley (367th)by Elvis Presley
1957	568	45,280	Blue Train (307th)by John Coltrane
1958	570	41,285	Lady In Satin (565th)by Billie Holiday
1959	614	81,428	Kind Of Blue (38th)by Miles Davis
Total	3,354	249,189

The best artists of the 1950s were Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Frank Sinatra, Charles Mingus, Elvis Presley, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Billie Holiday and John Coltrane.

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591.

Haitian Folk Songs

Lolita Cuevas & Frantz Casseus

Year of Release:

1953

Appears in:

16 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1953:

Rank in 1950s:

591

Overall Rank:

21,220

Average Rating:

67 (13 votes)

Comments:

592.

Concorde

The Modern Jazz Quartet

Year of Release:

1955

Appears in:

17 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1955:

Rank in 1950s:

592

Overall Rank:

21,234

Average Rating:

72 (15 votes)

Comments:

593.

Wagner: Das Rheingold

Sir Georg Solti / Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

11 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

594.

The Merle Travis Guitar

Merle Travis

Year of Release:

1956

Appears in:

7 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1956:

Rank in 1950s:

594

Overall Rank:

21,348

Average Rating:

67 (10 votes)

Comments:

595.

Here Stands Fats Domino

Fats Domino

Year of Release:

1958

Appears in:

16 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1958:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

596.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5

Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

11 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

597.

Hairy Jazz

Shel Silverstein And The Red Onions

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

4 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

598.

Calendar Girl

Julie London

Year of Release:

1956

Appears in:

14 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1956:

Rank in 1950s:

598

Overall Rank:

21,524

Average Rating:

71 (14 votes)

Comments:

599.

Indeed!

Lee Morgan

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

16 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

599

Overall Rank:

21,644

Average Rating:

76 (14 votes)

Comments:

600.

Side By Side

Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

17 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 60 of 100

Best Albums of the 1950s composition

Year	Albums	%

1950	41	4%
1951	40	4%
1952	58	6%
1953	62	6%
1954	76	8%
1955	85	9%
1956	117	12%
1957	150	15%
1958	174	17%
1959	197	20%

Artist	Albums	%

Billie Holiday	18	2%
Various Artists	18	2%
Miles Davis	16	2%
Sonny Rollins	15	2%
Frank Sinatra	15	2%
Ella Fitzgerald	13	1%
Sarah Vaughan	11	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	778	78%
	39	4%
	32	3%
	26	3%
	21	2%
	13	1%
	11	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	943	94%
Yes	57	6%

Live?	Albums	%
No	962	96%
Yes	38	4%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	977	98%
Yes	23	2%

« View best albums of the 1940sView best albums of the 1960s »

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Best Albums of 1953
1. Black Coffee With Peggy Lee by Peggy Lee
2. Ellington Uptown by Duke Ellington And His Orchestra
3. Chante Les Chansons Poétiques no1 by Georges Brassens
4. Sonny Rollins With The Modern Jazz Quartet by Sonny Rollins
5. Dean Martin Sings by Dean Martin
6. The Great Artistry Of Django Reinhardt by Django Reinhardt
7. An Evening With Billie Holiday by Billie Holiday
8. Songs By Tom Lehrer by Tom Lehrer
9. Inca Taqui by Yma Sumac
10. Jazz At Oberlin by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
11. Calamity Jane by Doris Day
12. Puccini: Tosca by Maria Callas / Victor De Sabata
13. Nat King Cole Sings For Two In Love by Nat King Cole
14. Moondog And His Friends by Moondog
15. Memorial Album by Hank Williams
16. New Concepts Of Artistry In Rhythm by Stan Kenton
17. Vol. 2 by Georges Brassens
18. The Duke Plays Ellington by Duke Ellington
19. Young Man With A Horn by Miles Davis
20. Chante... Charles Aznavour by Charles Aznavour