Best Albums of the 1940s

Listed below are the best albums of the 1940s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 53,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade
Decade:
Year:
1940s decade summary
YearAlbums 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.
1940691,779
1941731,331
194272755
194372582
1944731,296
1945761,091
19461011,821
19471021,720
19481021,451
19491041,981
Total84413,806

The best artists of the 1940s were Woody Guthrie, Nat King Cole, Lead Belly, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Josh White, Louis Jordan, The King Cole Trio, The Original Broadway Cast and Hazel Scott.
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Collector's summary (top 246) (filtered)Log in or register to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!

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Year of Release:
1940
Appears in:
Rank Score:
388
Rank in 1940:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1940
Appears in:
Rank Score:
345
Rank in 1940:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1941
Appears in:
Rank Score:
316
Rank in 1941:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1944
Appears in:
Rank Score:
273
Rank in 1944:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1947
Appears in:
Rank Score:
258
Rank in 1947:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1945
Appears in:
Rank Score:
249
Rank in 1945:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1949
Appears in:
Rank Score:
209
Rank in 1949:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1944
Appears in:
Rank Score:
205
Rank in 1944:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1947
Appears in:
Rank Score:
197
Rank in 1947:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • eBay
  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1946
Appears in:
Rank Score:
195
Rank in 1946:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 246. Page 1 of 25

Best Albums of the 1940s composition

Year Albums %


1940 29 3%
1941 28 3%
1942 24 2%
1943 23 2%
1944 25 3%
1945 25 3%
1946 38 4%
1947 40 4%
1948 39 4%
1949 45 5%
Country Albums %


United States 246 78%
Mixed Nationality 20 6%
United Kingdom 13 4%
France 7 2%
Spain 6 2%
Cuba 5 2%
Mexico 2 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 299 95%
Yes 17 5%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 310 98%
Yes 6 2%
Recognised  Year Charts (2023)
1. Top 40 Albums of 2023 by Decibel (2023)
2. Top 10 Albums of the Year 2023 by Bleep (2023)
3. 30 Best Albums of 2023 by Revolver (2023)
4. NME Albums Of The Year 2023 by New Music Express (2023)
5. The 80 Best Albums Of 2023 by PopMatters (2023)
6. Les Inrocks Albums of the Year 2023 by Les Inrocks (2023)
7. Best Albums of 2023 by Norman Records (2023)
8. Albums of the year 2023 by The Line Of Best Fit (2023)
9. The 50 Best Albums Of 2023 by Complex (2023)
10. Loud And Quiet Albums of the Year 2023 by Loud And Quiet (2023)
11. The 20 best albums of 2023 by Dazed (2023)
12. Uncut Best 75 Albums Of The Year 2023 by Uncut (2023)
13. The 30 best albums of 2023 by Time Out (2023)
14. Albums Of The Year 2023 by Rough Trade (2023)
15. Quietus Albums Of The Year 2023 by The Quietus (2023)
16. The 100 Best Albums of 2023 by Rolling Stone (2023)
17. Top 100 Albums of 2023 by Piccadilly Records (2023)
18. Best Albums of 2023 by Northern Transmissions (2023)
19. The 20 Best Albums of 2023 by Esquire (2023)
20. Top 55 Albums of 2023 by The Alternative (2023)
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