Best Albums of the 1970s

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

Listed below are the best albums of the 1970s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 58,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 7 hours ago).

Best albums by year or decade

Decade:

Year:

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

View chart at point in time

Share this chart

Collector's summary (top 1,000) (filtered) Log in or register to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!

This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from United States. (Remove this filter)

Sort by

11.

Blood On The Tracks

Bob Dylan

"1 December 2013 "Blood On The Tracks". It's an album almost synonymous with maturity and the absolute expression of all the nuances of love and loss. It's an album that I notice I love more and more as my life ticks along. When I first heard it at the age of 12 I didn't get it. I didn't see what ...""1 December 2013 "Blood On The Tracks". It's an album almost synonymous with maturity and the absolute expression of all the nuances of love and loss. It's an album that I notice I love more and more as my life ticks along. When I first heard it at the age of 12 I didn't get it. I didn't see what was so great about it. And even now to this day, I feel their is a more relatable feeling I get from his 60s music. I am 24 years old as I write this. Dylan was 21 and 24 when he made my other 2 favorite albums of his. Is that all it comes down to? Perhaps. As for this album, well it's a legendary piece of art. It transcends my amateur description. There are just so many themes and details and emotions that are expressed here. The album is a roller coaster, it takes you through all the highs of love found and all the lows of regret. And in the end you leave this record wiser than when you entered. To name the highlights is basically to name off every track. It's literally that great. The songs that just absolutely gut me every time I hear them are "Simple Twist of Fate" (perhaps one of the most sobering songs ever), "You're A Big Girl Now", "Meet Me In The Morning" (so simple and beautiful and the fucking steel guitar and slide guitar at the end is pure aesthetic perfection), "Shelter From The Storm", and the closer "Buckets of Rain". Oh and about this closer...it's perfect. I use that word "perfect" too much, I know. But this song AS A CLOSER is perfection. It's like a little nugget of almost simpleton-level wisdom that floats in and soothes us after the emotional journey of the rest of the album that just ended. It's so damn simple and playful and REAL. This album feels so absolutely relaxed and natural. It's a grand example of the plain expression of very exact and thought-out art. It's an album that opens up more and more not only with each listen but also with each passing year of living. It's an album that is always there to help get me through. Thanks, Bob. Grade 100/100" [+] Reply

Mercury | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

1,868 charts

Rank Score:

20,330

Rank in 1975:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

12.

"One of the interesting things about this album is that it is punk while bearing many opposite qualities from what you traditionally associate with punk. Punk is thought of as short songs, aggressive, political, rudimentary, whereas Marquee Moon has a song approaching 11 minutes, is often laid-bac..." [+] Reply

colonelchibbers | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

1,809 charts

Rank Score:

19,389

Rank in 1977:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

15.

"“In the morning, I’ll be alright my friend, but soon the night will bring the pain. Flying high in the friendly sky” What do you get when you combine the smoothest voice in the history of music with the greatest bass lines in the history of music, and hotbox a Motown studio full of marijuana? An ...""“In the morning, I’ll be alright my friend, but soon the night will bring the pain. Flying high in the friendly sky” What do you get when you combine the smoothest voice in the history of music with the greatest bass lines in the history of music, and hotbox a Motown studio full of marijuana? An album that is better than anything in its genre and in its decade - which is saying a lot when you consider all that happened in the 1970’s. If heroin could sing, it still wouldn’t sound as good as Marvin Gaye. I stand very firmly behind my opinion that Marvin Gaye possessed the greatest voice of all time. There are countless things to love about this album musically, the tight bass lines, the smooth aesthetic, the jazz feel, liberal use of assorted wind and stringed instruments, and the variety of percussion the crystal clear production that sounds as incredible in 2015 as it did in 1971. However, it’s Marvin’s show, and it’s his voice that carries the listener through the album. The man clearly had enormous talent, and it is displayed in its entirety on “What’s Going On”. Listening to Marvin Gaye perform live was akin to watching Michael Jordan make the final shot of the 1998 NBA finals, except better by several orders of magnitude because music is clearly a domain of excellence far superior to sports. One of his studio assistants was questioned at one point what the most difficult thing was when working with Marvin Gaye. The response was that it was so difficult to select which takes of his voice to keep and which to discard, because they were all so beautiful that it felt wrong to delete anything that he recorded. “What’s Going On” is about discontent - with culture, with politics, with discrimination, with the imperfect self. It came at a time when the Barry Gordy’s Motown record label was interested only in pumping out radio hits for profit and wasn’t interested in any of this introspective, challenging music. Gaye demanded it be released as he envisioned it and was nearly close to breaking ties with the record label. Marvin Gaye had a wild and remarkable career, plagued by the internal conflict which is was clear from his art, as well as his ongoing struggle with depression and multiple suicide attempts and drug addiction. It’s this struggle that fuels the beauty that is his music. His angelic voice carries just enough of a painful undertone to send shivers down the listener’s spine. That’s “What’s Going On”" [+] Reply

corenfro | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,656 charts

Rank Score:

18,834

Rank in 1971:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

85 (1,971 votes)

Comments:

146

21.

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

"I don't care what anyone says, this is a top 100 album of all time. No question. Hands down. Let's move on. It is so much better than many albums ahead of it on our website. Objectively I would put it in the top 50. Anyway, this is an album any fan of music should take in at some point. It is Ste..." [+] Reply

AAL2014 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1976

Appears in:

1,324 charts

Rank Score:

15,665

Rank in 1976:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

85 (1,375 votes)

Comments:

22.

Born To Run

Bruce Springsteen

"Bruce Springsteen's most iconic album, and his breakthrough. It's amazing to think now, that he could have been dropped from his record label if this album had flopped. Fortunately for Springsteen and for us, it didn't, and we have one of the greatest careers in rock/pop music to enjoy. Born to r..." [+] Reply

- garycottier | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (10 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

1,613 charts

Rank Score:

15,068

Rank in 1975:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

25.

"Probably Stevie Wonder's most perfect record. Innervisions, May not be your favourite Wonder LP, and you may not even think it's his best, but it is his one album that ticks all the boxes. It doesn't feel indulgent or overlong, there's no filler, weak tracks or any missteps, it's simply Stevie Wo..." [+] Reply

- garycottier | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

1,221 charts

Rank Score:

12,256

Rank in 1973:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

85 (1,340 votes)

Comments:

29.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Simon & Garfunkel

"These songs seem to have always existed, perhaps even before they were written... timeless Classics on an album which I think, let me check, ... yes, it is law to own a copy." Reply

badfaith | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1970

Appears in:

1,294 charts

Rank Score:

11,918

Rank in 1970:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

104

Average Rating:

84 (1,555 votes)

Comments:

36.

Transformer

Lou Reed

"There's always been something of the urban hipster in Lou Reed's aesthetic, and as a result I've always felt there was something about his musical style that misaligns with my tastes. That said, I've always found a way to like him nonetheless. I first came to appreciate him in high school when I ..." [+] Reply

buzzdainer | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,247 charts

Rank Score:

9,599

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

143

Average Rating:

83 (1,550 votes)

Comments:

37.

Aja

Steely Dan

"This album is brilliant from the the first bass notes of "Black Cow" to the last notes of "Josie." "Deacon Blues" is one of my all-time favorite songs." Reply

- stevierox526 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

835 charts

Rank Score:

9,267

Rank in 1977:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

148

Average Rating:

83 (1,023 votes)

Comments:

40.

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis

"One of the best jazz albums out there. Basically everyone here has that one album that got them into jazz, and it usually holds a dear position in their mind. I see for a lot of people that that album is Kind of Blue, and sometimes A Love Supreme. They're good albums, but when I listned to them b..." [+] Reply

JulianR | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1970

Appears in:

966 charts

Rank Score:

9,102

Rank in 1970:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

155

Average Rating:

84 (1,209 votes)

Comments:

« prev
1
2
3
4
...
38
39
next »
Goto Page:

Total albums: 388. Page 1 of 39

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Year	Albums	%

1970	111	11%
1971	99	10%
1972	97	10%
1973	113	11%
1974	94	9%
1975	97	10%
1976	89	9%
1977	93	9%
1978	106	11%
1979	104	10%

Artist	Albums	%

David Bowie	11	1%
Yes	9	1%
Genesis	9	1%
Miles Davis	8	1%
Electric Light Orchestra	8	1%
Pink Floyd	8	1%
AC/DC	8	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	389	39%
	373	37%
	43	4%
	39	4%
	38	4%
	20	2%
	20	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	979	98%
Yes	24	2%

Live?	Albums	%
No	947	94%
Yes	56	6%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	989	99%
Yes	14	1%

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

If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.

A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(

We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.

Best Albums of 1958
1. Blue Train by John Coltrane
2. Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
3. Lady In Satin by Billie Holiday
4. Somethin' Else by Cannonball Adderley
5. Buddy Holly by Buddy Holly
6. Bo Diddley by Bo Diddley
7. Milestones by Miles Davis
8. Ascenseur Pour L'échafaud by Miles Davis
9. Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely by Frank Sinatra
10. Little Richard by Little Richard
11. One Dozen Berrys by Chuck Berry
12. Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra
13. The Everly Brothers by The Everly Brothers
14. Jerry Lee Lewis by Jerry Lee Lewis
15. Basie by Count Basie And His Orchestra & Neal Hefti
16. The Best Of Muddy Waters by Muddy Waters
17. Elvis' Golden Records by Elvis Presley
18. Please Please Please by James Brown And His Famous Flames
19. Relaxin' With The Miles Davis Quintet by Miles Davis Quintet
20. Dance Mania by Tito Puente