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.
1940691,774
1941751,346
194275755
194377596
1944761,293
1945791,090
19461021,815
19471021,738
19481021,449
19491041,980
Total86113,837

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 317)Log in or register to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!
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Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1947
Appears in:
Rank Score:
57
Rank in 1947:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1942
Appears in:
Rank Score:
54
Rank in 1942:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1948
Appears in:
Rank Score:
54
Rank in 1948:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1945
Appears in:
Rank Score:
54
Rank in 1945:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1944
Appears in:
Rank Score:
53
Rank in 1944:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1940
Appears in:
Rank Score:
53
Rank in 1940:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1949
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51
Rank in 1949:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1941
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51
Rank in 1941:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1946
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51
Rank in 1946:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1946
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51
Rank in 1946:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 317. Page 9 of 32

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%
Germany 2 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 299 95%
Yes 17 5%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 310 98%
Yes 6 2%
Best Albums of 1966
1. Revolver by The Beatles
2. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
3. Blonde On Blonde by Bob Dylan
4. Sounds Of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel
5. Aftermath by The Rolling Stones
6. Freak Out! by The Mothers Of Invention
7. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme by Simon & Garfunkel
8. Face To Face by The Kinks
9. Wild Is The Wind by Nina Simone
10. The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators by 13th Floor Elevators
11. Ascension by John Coltrane
12. Fresh Cream by Cream
13. If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears by The Mamas And The Papas
14. Black Monk Time by Monks (US)
15. Fifth Dimension by The Byrds
16. Speak No Evil by Wayne Shorter
17. Sunshine Superman by Donovan
18. Blues Breakers by John Mayall & Eric Clapton
19. Da Capo by Love
20. Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo [The Good, The Bad & The Ugly] by Ennio Morricone
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