Best Albums of the 1950s
Explore the best albums of the 1950s, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts.
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Last updated: 5 hours ago
Last updated: 5 hours ago
"Absolutely a timeless record. I mean damn,! Her voice is unbelievable, how emotional! "I Love You Porgy" and "My Baby Just Cares For Me" are standout tracks; the rest of the album is great too." Reply
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,346
Rank in 1959:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Better than Clown. Some interesting stuff on here. Sometimes sounds all over the place which can be either amazing or off-putting." Reply
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Larcx13 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1956
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,984
Rank in 1956:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"One of the best of early Miles. Good compositions well delivered, especially by the back line." Reply
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Fischman | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1957
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,859
Rank in 1957:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Early Ray Charles was grittier and more soulful, and therefore better than his late 60s and beyond work. This is an essential album." Reply
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junodog4 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,760
Rank in 1959:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Such a perfect collab makes nearly every song here a classic. Ella's absolutely wonderful Voice and Louis's deep tone, both in his playing and in his singing completes each other in a unique way, never quite to be done again. For the majority of us in this site, this album represents a part of re..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1956
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,691
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"Johnny Cash stripped down to his bedrock. His career has just taken off, but he wasn't an icon. He had to deliver quality to stay on top. Did he ever. His tales of heartbreak, love, and paying his dues are highlighted by his sparse baritone voice and simple song arrangement. Country has never bee..." [+] Reply
- junodog4 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1957
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,683
Rank in 1957:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"The highest rated EAN track on BEA is Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue. The best track of EAN, according to Nape, is Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue. Coincidence? I think NOT!" Reply
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Facetious | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1956
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,654
Rank in 1956:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"There are many reasons this album is one of the truly greats: Marty's song writing; his choice of other western songs;the backup singers; the first rate production; Marty's incredible voice; the fact that it was probably the first concept album. What makes it above others with many impressive qua..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,651
Rank in 1959:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"A fantastic record whose influence cannot be understated. Tracks have been covered by CCR, Captain Beefheart, George Thorogood, and many more. The Bo Diddley beat features in so many pop songs that it’s ingrained in musical culture forever." Reply
Year of Release:
1958
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,651
Rank in 1958:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"This is what I thought all jazz sounded like when I was younger. Not in a bad way. In a great way (also not In a Silent Way). Fast, winding, complex, crazy talented musicians. Yeah, it can be a bit similar to other jazz, but this is what other jazz acts at the time (and now) are aspiring for." Reply
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teague | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1958
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,511
Rank in 1958:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 3 of 100
Best Albums of the 1950s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 48 | 5% | |
| 1951 | 43 | 4% | |
| 1952 | 57 | 6% | |
| 1953 | 61 | 6% | |
| 1954 | 72 | 7% | |
| 1955 | 91 | 9% | |
| 1956 | 117 | 12% | |
| 1957 | 153 | 15% | |
| 1958 | 169 | 17% | |
| 1959 | 189 | 19% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Miles Davis | 22 | 2% | |
| Billie Holiday | 18 | 2% | |
| Frank Sinatra | 16 | 2% | |
| Sonny Rollins | 16 | 2% | |
| Various Artists | 15 | 2% | |
| Thelonious Monk | 14 | 1% | |
| Ella Fitzgerald | 13 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
787 | 79% | |
 |
33 | 3% | |
 |
33 | 3% | |
 |
24 | 2% | |
 |
17 | 2% | |
 |
13 | 1% | |
 |
10 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Best Albums of the 1950s chart changes
| Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 5 from 67th to 62nd |
Up 4 from 101st to 97th |
Up 4 from 29th to 25th |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 5 from 76th to 81st |
Down 5 from 80th to 85th |
Down 4 from 96th to 100th |
| New entries New entries in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 4 from 101st to 97th |
| Leavers Leavers from top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 2 from 99th to 101st |
