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 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	122	5,215	Voice Of The Xtabay (2,057th)by Yma Sumac
1951	140	4,224	Genius Of Modern Music (2,769th)by Thelonious Monk
1952	150	6,851	Bird & Diz (1,987th)by Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie
1953	193	6,464	Black Coffee With Peggy Lee (1,854th)by Peggy Lee
1954	229	11,203	Chet Baker Sings (674th)by Chet Baker
1955	322	14,878	In The Wee Small Hours (381st)by Frank Sinatra
1956	434	32,558	Elvis Presley (365th)by Elvis Presley
1957	564	45,404	Blue Train (300th)by John Coltrane
1958	564	41,274	Lady In Satin (567th)by Billie Holiday
1959	608	82,126	Kind Of Blue (37th)by Miles Davis
Total	3,326	250,199

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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571.

Top Percussion

Tito Puente

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

7 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

571

Overall Rank:

20,579

Average Rating:

72 (12 votes)

Comments:

572.

The High And Mighty Hawk

Coleman Hawkins

Year of Release:

1958

Appears in:

16 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1958:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

573.

Let's Play Fats Domino

Fats Domino

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

14 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

574.

Music Of The Ituri Forest

Various Artists

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

9 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

574

Overall Rank:

20,786

Average Rating:

68 (7 votes)

Comments:

575.

Great Times!

Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn

Year of Release:

1950

Appears in:

15 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1950:

Rank in 1950s:

575

Overall Rank:

20,859

Average Rating:

69 (11 votes)

Comments:

576.

Hank Mobley And His All Stars

Hank Mobley

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

15 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

576

Overall Rank:

20,891

Average Rating:

74 (12 votes)

Comments:

577.

Belafonte Sings Of The Caribbean

Harry Belafonte

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

8 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

577

Overall Rank:

20,931

Average Rating:

68 (7 votes)

Comments:

578.

A Streetcar Named Desire
Soundtrack

Alex North

Year of Release:

1951

Appears in:

14 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1951:

Rank in 1950s:

578

Overall Rank:

20,941

Average Rating:

72 (13 votes)

Comments:

579.

The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 1

J.J. Johnson

Year of Release:

1954

Appears in:

14 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1954:

Rank in 1950s:

579

Overall Rank:

20,990

Average Rating:

74 (12 votes)

Comments:

580.

Wagner: Das Rheingold

Sir Georg Solti / Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

11 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 58 of 100

Best Albums of the 1950s composition

Year	Albums	%

1950	40	4%
1951	40	4%
1952	58	6%
1953	62	6%
1954	76	8%
1955	86	9%
1956	118	12%
1957	152	15%
1958	174	17%
1959	194	19%

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	19	2%
Billie Holiday	18	2%
Miles Davis	16	2%
Frank Sinatra	15	2%
Sonny Rollins	15	2%
Ella Fitzgerald	13	1%
Elvis Presley	11	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	779	78%
	40	4%
	31	3%
	26	3%
	21	2%
	12	1%
	10	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	943	94%
Yes	57	6%

Live?	Albums	%
No	963	96%
Yes	37	4%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	977	98%
Yes	23	2%

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

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Best Albums of 1956
1. Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley
2. Songs For Swingin' Lovers! by Frank Sinatra
3. Pithecanthropus Erectus by Charles Mingus
4. Ella & Louis by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
5. Ellington At Newport by Duke Ellington And His Orchestra
6. Lady Sings The Blues by Billie Holiday
7. Elvis by Elvis Presley
8. Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book by Ella Fitzgerald
9. J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations by Glenn Gould
10. The Wildest! by Louis Prima
11. This Is Fats Domino! by Fats Domino
12. Music Of India - Three Classical Ragas On Sitar by Ravi Shankar
13. Johnny Burnette And The Rock N' Roll Trio by Johnny Burnette & The Rock 'n Roll Trio
14. Jazz At Massey Hall by The Quintet
15. Bluejean Bop by Gene Vincent
16. Calypso by Harry Belafonte
17. Rock And Rollin' With Fats Domino by Fats Domino
18. Moondog by Moondog
19. Tragic Songs Of Life by The Louvin Brothers
20. Tenor Madness by Sonny Rollins