Best Albums of the 1940s

« View best albums of the 1930sView best albums of the 1950s »

Listed below are the best albums of the 1940s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 56,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade

Decade:

Year:

summaryThe best artists of the 1940s were Woody Guthrie, Nat King Cole, Lead Belly, Duke Ellington, Josh White, Charlie Parker, Louis Jordan, Billie Holiday, The King Cole Trio and Frank Sinatra.

View chart at point in time

Share this chart

Collector's summary (top 315)Log in or register to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!

Sort by

91.

Ballads From The Dust Bowl

Woody Guthrie

Year of Release:

1946

Appears in:

8 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1946:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

19,993

Average Rating:

68 (5 votes)

Comments:

92.

Songs For John Doe

Almanac Singers

Year of Release:

1941

Appears in:

10 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1941:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

20,116

Average Rating:

72 (7 votes)

Comments:

93.

Annie Get Your Gun

The Original Broadway Cast

Year of Release:

1946

Appears in:

12 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1946:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

20,188

Average Rating:

72 (11 votes)

Comments:

94.

Chain Gang

Joshua White And His Carolinians

Year of Release:

1940

Appears in:

7 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1940:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

20,793

Average Rating:

74 (9 votes)

Comments:

95.

New York Jazz

James P. Johnson

Year of Release:

1944

Appears in:

9 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1944:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

21,271

Average Rating:

72 (3 votes)

Comments:

96.

Native Brazilian Music, Volume 1
Compilation

Various Artists

Year of Release:

1942

Appears in:

6 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1942:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

21,275

Average Rating:

73 (7 votes)

Comments:

97.

Signs Of The Zodiac Vol. 2

Mary Lou Williams

Year of Release:

1946

Appears in:

8 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1946:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

21,790

Average Rating:

71 (9 votes)

Comments:

98.

The Quintet Of The Hot Club Of France - Volume 2

The Quintet Of The Hot Club Of France

Year of Release:

1943

Appears in:

9 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1943:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

21,947

Average Rating:

74 (5 votes)

Comments:

99.

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 6 In E Minor / Messiaen: L'Ascension (Four Symphonic Meditations For Orchestra)

Leopold Stokowski / Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra Of New York

Year of Release:

1949

Appears in:

6 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1949:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

22,151

Average Rating:

71 (4 votes)

Comments:

100.

Harlem Seen Through Calypso Eyes

Wilmoth Houdini & His Royal Calypso Orchestra

Year of Release:

1940

Appears in:

10 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1940:

Rank in 1940s:

100

Overall Rank:

22,459

Average Rating:

73 (5 votes)

Comments:

« prev
1
...
9
10
11
...
32
next »
Goto Page:

Total albums: 315. Page 10 of 32

Best Albums of the 1940s composition

Year	Albums	%

1940	29	3%
1941	30	3%
1942	24	2%
1943	23	2%
1944	24	2%
1945	25	3%
1946	37	4%
1947	41	4%
1948	38	4%
1949	44	4%

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	11	3%
Josh White	7	2%
Sir Thomas Beecham / The London Philharmonic Orchestra	6	2%
The Original Broadway Cast	6	2%
Frank Sinatra	5	2%
Bing Crosby	5	2%
Woody Guthrie	5	2%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	244	77%
	22	7%
	13	4%
	7	2%
	6	2%
	5	2%
	2	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	298	95%
Yes	17	5%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	309	98%
Yes	6	2%

« View best albums of the 1930sView best albums of the 1950s »

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.

Best Ever Albums
1. OK Computer by Radiohead
2. The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd
3. Abbey Road by The Beatles
4. Revolver by The Beatles
5. In Rainbows by Radiohead
6. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
7. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie
8. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
9. Kid A by Radiohead
10. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico
11. Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) by Led Zeppelin
12. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
13. Nevermind by Nirvana
14. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles
15. Funeral by Arcade Fire
16. The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths
17. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
18. Doolittle by Pixies
19. To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
20. London Calling by The Clash