Best Albums of the 1950s

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

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	5,233	Voice Of The Xtabay (2,089th)by Yma Sumac
1951	141	4,183	Genius Of Modern Music (2,810th)by Thelonious Monk
1952	151	6,933	Bird & Diz (1,991st)by Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie
1953	194	6,679	Black Coffee With Peggy Lee (1,842nd)by Peggy Lee
1954	230	11,129	Chet Baker Sings (682nd)by Chet Baker
1955	330	14,864	In The Wee Small Hours (381st)by Frank Sinatra
1956	442	32,260	Elvis Presley (364th)by Elvis Presley
1957	573	45,326	Blue Train (308th)by John Coltrane
1958	573	41,323	Lady In Satin (556th)by Billie Holiday
1959	616	81,245	Kind Of Blue (38th)by Miles Davis
Total	3,375	249,175

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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81.

Genius Of Modern Music
Compilation

Thelonious Monk

Year of Release:

1951

Appears in:

95 charts

Rank Score:

545

Rank in 1951:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

2,810

Average Rating:

77 (100 votes)

Comments:

100.

Masterpieces By Ellington

Duke Ellington And His Orchestra

Year of Release:

1951

Appears in:

61 charts

Rank Score:

431

Rank in 1951:

Rank in 1950s:

100

Overall Rank:

3,405

Average Rating:

76 (51 votes)

Comments:

103.

Hank Williams Sings
Compilation

Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys

Year of Release:

1951

Appears in:

67 charts

Rank Score:

407

Rank in 1951:

Rank in 1950s:

103

Overall Rank:

3,588

Average Rating:

75 (54 votes)

Comments:

254.

Ritual Of The Savage

Les Baxter

Year of Release:

1951

Appears in:

31 charts

Rank Score:

137

Rank in 1951:

Rank in 1950s:

254

Overall Rank:

8,848

Average Rating:

72 (31 votes)

Comments:

256.

Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite

Machito

Year of Release:

1951

Appears in:

27 charts

Rank Score:

136

Rank in 1951:

Rank in 1950s:

256

Overall Rank:

8,877

Average Rating:

71 (25 votes)

Comments:

288.

On Moonlight Bay

Doris Day

Year of Release:

1951

Appears in:

27 charts

Rank Score:

121

Rank in 1951:

Rank in 1950s:

288

Overall Rank:

9,801

Average Rating:

70 (22 votes)

Comments:

336.

Lover Man
Compilation

Billie Holiday

Year of Release:

1951

Appears in:

22 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1951:

Rank in 1950s:

336

Overall Rank:

11,797

Average Rating:

73 (19 votes)

Comments:

337.

Les Paul's New Sound, Vol. 2

Les Paul & Mary Ford

Year of Release:

1951

Appears in:

27 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1951:

Rank in 1950s:

337

Overall Rank:

11,839

Average Rating:

72 (21 votes)

Comments:

354.

Satchmo At Symphony Hall
Live

Louis Armstrong

Year of Release:

1951

Appears in:

22 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1951:

Rank in 1950s:

354

Overall Rank:

12,418

Average Rating:

74 (18 votes)

Comments:

375.

Sonatas And Interludes For Prepared Piano By John Cage

Maro Ajemian

Year of Release:

1951

Appears in:

26 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1951:

Rank in 1950s:

375

Overall Rank:

13,225

Average Rating:

68 (26 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 40. Page 1 of 4

Best Albums of the 1950s composition

Year	Albums	%

1950	40	4%
1951	40	4%
1952	58	6%
1953	62	6%
1954	76	8%
1955	85	9%
1956	117	12%
1957	152	15%
1958	172	17%
1959	198	20%

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	18	2%
Billie Holiday	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	%

	779	78%
	39	4%
	32	3%
	26	3%
	21	2%
	12	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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