Best Albums of the 1970s

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Listed below are the best albums of the 1970s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 53,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade

Decade:

Year:

1970s 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.
1970	2,038	258,674	Paranoid (56th)by Black Sabbath
1971	2,134	328,384	Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) (12th)by Led Zeppelin
1972	2,175	258,631	The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stard... (9th)by David Bowie
1973	2,061	266,194	The Dark Side Of The Moon (2nd)by Pink Floyd
1974	1,951	139,049	Red (144th)by King Crimson
1975	2,105	225,620	Wish You Were Here (8th)by Pink Floyd
1976	2,093	150,112	Songs In The Key Of Life (86th)by Stevie Wonder
1977	2,111	255,830	Rumours (21st)by Fleetwood Mac
1978	2,155	145,465	Darkness On The Edge Of Town (203rd)by Bruce Springsteen
1979	2,082	212,495	London Calling (20th)by The Clash
Total	20,905	2,240,455

The best artists of the 1970s were Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, The Who and Genesis.

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The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars

David Bowie

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

2,936 charts

Rank Score:

49,988

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

90 (3,449 votes)

Comments:

299

12.

Exile On Main St.

The Rolling Stones

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,912 charts

Rank Score:

22,514

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

15.

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,505 charts

Rank Score:

20,125

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

87 (1,805 votes)

Comments:

142

24.

Close To The Edge

Yes

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,134 charts

Rank Score:

14,379

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

85 (1,419 votes)

Comments:

115

30.

Harvest

Neil Young

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,322 charts

Rank Score:

13,149

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

107

Average Rating:

84 (1,668 votes)

Comments:

35.

Transformer

Lou Reed

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,211 charts

Rank Score:

11,102

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

137

Average Rating:

83 (1,509 votes)

Comments:

58.

Machine Head

Deep Purple

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

778 charts

Rank Score:

7,067

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

244

Average Rating:

83 (989 votes)

Comments:

73.

Thick As A Brick

Jethro Tull

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

622 charts

Rank Score:

6,124

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

291

Average Rating:

83 (822 votes)

Comments:

77.

Foxtrot

Genesis

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

600 charts

Rank Score:

5,844

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

310

Average Rating:

82 (820 votes)

Comments:

82.

Ege Bamyası

Can

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

603 charts

Rank Score:

5,638

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

320

Average Rating:

83 (701 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Year	Albums	%

1970	107	11%
1971	102	10%
1972	100	10%
1973	107	11%
1974	97	10%
1975	99	10%
1976	92	9%
1977	91	9%
1978	107	11%
1979	99	10%

Artist	Albums	%

David Bowie	11	1%
Genesis	10	1%
Jethro Tull	9	1%
Joni Mitchell	8	1%
Pink Floyd	8	1%
Yes	8	1%
AC/DC	8	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	387	39%
	373	37%
	42	4%
	38	4%
	36	4%
	24	2%
	21	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	973	97%
Yes	28	3%

Live?	Albums	%
No	942	94%
Yes	59	6%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	989	99%
Yes	12	1%

« View best albums of the 1960sView best albums of the 1980s »

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