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 55,000 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	128	5,257	Voice Of The Xtabay (2,165th)by Yma Sumac
1951	142	4,295	Genius Of Modern Music (2,754th)by Thelonious Monk
1952	155	6,526	Bird & Diz (1,966th)by Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie
1953	198	6,687	Black Coffee With Peggy Lee (1,829th)by Peggy Lee
1954	232	11,090	Chet Baker Sings (666th)by Chet Baker
1955	342	15,140	In The Wee Small Hours (377th)by Frank Sinatra
1956	460	32,706	Elvis Presley (349th)by Elvis Presley
1957	585	46,177	Blue Train (290th)by John Coltrane
1958	604	42,107	Lady In Satin (545th)by Billie Holiday
1959	654	81,895	Kind Of Blue (37th)by Miles Davis
Total	3,500	251,881

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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11.

Lady In Satin

Billie Holiday

Year of Release:

1958

Appears in:

363 charts

Rank Score:

3,252

Rank in 1958:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

545

Average Rating:

80 (372 votes)

Comments:

12.

Songs For Swingin' Lovers!

Frank Sinatra

Year of Release:

1956

Appears in:

316 charts

Rank Score:

2,936

Rank in 1956:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

600

Average Rating:

79 (372 votes)

Comments:

13.

Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

360 charts

Rank Score:

2,852

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

613

Average Rating:

81 (376 votes)

Comments:

14.

Somethin' Else

Cannonball Adderley

Year of Release:

1958

Appears in:

332 charts

Rank Score:

2,836

Rank in 1958:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

619

Average Rating:

82 (311 votes)

Comments:

15.

The "Chirping" Crickets

The Crickets

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

305 charts

Rank Score:

2,753

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

640

Average Rating:

78 (325 votes)

Comments:

16.

Saxophone Colossus

Sonny Rollins

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

361 charts

Rank Score:

2,676

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

659

Average Rating:

82 (383 votes)

Comments:

17.

Chet Baker Sings

Chet Baker

Year of Release:

1954

Appears in:

262 charts

Rank Score:

2,664

Rank in 1954:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

666

Average Rating:

79 (254 votes)

Comments:

18.

Buddy Holly

Year of Release:

1958

Appears in:

300 charts

Rank Score:

2,544

Rank in 1958:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

703

Average Rating:

79 (273 votes)

Comments:

19.

Birth Of The Cool
Compilation

Miles Davis

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

358 charts

Rank Score:

2,459

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

724

Average Rating:

80 (461 votes)

Comments:

20.

Moanin' In The Moonlight
Compilation

Howlin' Wolf

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

298 charts

Rank Score:

2,381

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

749

Average Rating:

80 (296 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 2 of 100

Best Albums of the 1950s composition

Year	Albums	%

1950	40	4%
1951	40	4%
1952	56	6%
1953	61	6%
1954	75	8%
1955	83	8%
1956	118	12%
1957	156	16%
1958	172	17%
1959	199	20%

Artist	Albums	%

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

Country	Albums	%

	783	78%
	34	3%
	32	3%
	27	3%
	18	2%
	12	1%
	11	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	944	94%
Yes	56	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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