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 51,000 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	1,983	262,998	Paranoid (58th)by Black Sabbath
1971	2,077	337,660	Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) (12th)by Led Zeppelin
1972	2,103	266,259	The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stard... (9th)by David Bowie
1973	2,021	272,970	The Dark Side Of The Moon (2nd)by Pink Floyd
1974	1,890	141,161	Red (149th)by King Crimson
1975	2,056	231,372	Wish You Were Here (8th)by Pink Floyd
1976	2,052	153,380	Songs In The Key Of Life (87th)by Stevie Wonder
1977	2,064	261,697	Rumours (23rd)by Fleetwood Mac
1978	2,090	146,686	Darkness On The Edge Of Town (198th)by Bruce Springsteen
1979	2,027	217,553	London Calling (20th)by The Clash
Total	20,363	2,291,736

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

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The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

4,024 charts

Rank Score:

74,674

Rank in 1973:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

92 (5,165 votes)

Comments:

577

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

2,894 charts

Rank Score:

52,492

Rank in 1975:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

91 (3,910 votes)

Comments:

306

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

David Bowie

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

2,921 charts

Rank Score:

51,857

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

90 (3,414 votes)

Comments:

296

Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV)

Led Zeppelin

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

3,055 charts

Rank Score:

45,827

Rank in 1971:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

2,737 charts

Rank Score:

37,989

Rank in 1979:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

87 (3,061 votes)

Comments:

255

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

2,178 charts

Rank Score:

34,688

Rank in 1977:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

2,185 charts

Rank Score:

30,875

Rank in 1979:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

87 (3,381 votes)

Comments:

260

Animals

Pink Floyd

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

1,696 charts

Rank Score:

26,308

Rank in 1977:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

1,908 charts

Rank Score:

25,867

Rank in 1979:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

87 (2,252 votes)

Comments:

185

10.

Who's Next

The Who

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

2,122 charts

Rank Score:

25,065

Rank in 1971:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

86 (2,466 votes)

Comments:

199

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Total albums: 975. Page 1 of 98

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Year	Albums	%

1970	106	11%
1971	102	10%
1972	103	10%
1973	109	11%
1974	99	10%
1975	105	11%
1976	89	9%
1977	92	9%
1978	106	11%
1979	99	10%

Artist	Albums	%

David Bowie	12	1%
Genesis (UK)	10	1%
Jethro Tull	9	1%
Joni Mitchell	8	1%
Electric Light Orchestra	8	1%
Pink Floyd	8	1%
Yes	8	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	388	38%
	380	38%
	42	4%
	39	4%
	32	3%
	24	2%
	21	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	985	98%
Yes	25	2%

Live?	Albums	%
No	953	94%
Yes	57	6%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	998	99%
Yes	12	1%

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

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Best Ever Albums
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5. Kid A by Radiohead
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