Best Albums of the 1970s
Explore the best albums of the 1970s, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts.
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Last updated: 4 hours ago
Last updated: 4 hours ago
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"Band on the run, is quite rightly regarded as Paul McCartney's best album. You may prefer other records but, band on the run, has got to be the best. It's a thoroughly consistent album from start to finish, every song is potentially a highlight. The title track and, jet, are two of McCartney's be..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,168
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"Often dismissed as being too lightweight and stupid...this is a fantastic album! Really one of the most melodic albums I've ever heard, and this thing's criticized and constantly compared negatively to Plastic Ono Band. They're too different to compare!!! McCartney didn't want to make a depressin..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,865
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Comments:
"A bit of a hodge podge, but enjoyable. Two absolute stunners in Maybe I'm Amazed and Junk, and then some solid tracks and some forgettable tracks. A somewhat inauspicious solo debut for McCartney, but in its way that's pretty radical considering what people must have expected from a Beatle. Defin..." [+] Reply
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indieshins | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,090
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"Released right in the midst of Wings' peak. So many great tracks on here: Letting Go, Call Me Back Again, Magneto and Titanium Man, Listen to What the Man Said, etc. One of McCartney's best." Reply
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
681
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"A good album contains the massive hits Silly Love Songs & Let 'Em In. The rest of the album is a mixture of Paul McCartney songs where the lead vocal is given to other members of Wings even Linda McCartney has a lead vocal. Denny Laine wrote and sings Time To Hide. Wino Junko is written and sung ..." [+] Reply
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Tamthebam | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
330
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Average Rating:
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"It's Macca. Even at his worst, he's usually pretty charming - because there's something so beautiful about how effortless he makes it all sound. I don't think this his worst record. His previous record, Wild Life, is worse, for one... It's not his strongest, either - not by a long shot. But it's ..." [+] Reply
- indieshins | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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"This album is a bit weird, filled with different music styles (rock, pop, ballads) and a couple a folk songs (stronger ones in my opinion) that don't match with the album tittle "London Town". In the time the album was released, punk was taking over the London music scene, and Paul released this ..." [+] Reply
"With Frampton Comes Alive, one of the best live album you can find. Paul took some songs, like Venus and Mars/Rock Show, Maybe I'm Amazed, and gave them new life here. Long and Winding Road is so good on here. Actually all the songs he does from the Venus and Mars album, sound so much better on t..." [+] Reply
"Definitely messy, and one of Paul's weakest of this period (I'd still take it over Wild Life and possibly also Red Rose Speedway, though). As usual, even on a weaker Macca album like this one, there are still some great individual tracks. Getting Closer is a fun power pop tune, Denny Laine's Agai..." [+] Reply
- indieshins | 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.
Total albums: 9. Page 1 of 1
Best Albums of the 1970s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 111 | 11% | |
| 1971 | 101 | 10% | |
| 1972 | 96 | 10% | |
| 1973 | 112 | 11% | |
| 1974 | 94 | 9% | |
| 1975 | 97 | 10% | |
| 1976 | 90 | 9% | |
| 1977 | 91 | 9% | |
| 1978 | 105 | 11% | |
| 1979 | 103 | 10% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Neil Young | 11 | 1% | |
| David Bowie | 11 | 1% | |
| Frank Zappa | 11 | 1% | |
| Bob Marley | 9 | 1% | |
| Paul McCartney | 9 | 1% | |
| Yes | 9 | 1% | |
| Genesis | 9 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
385 | 39% | |
 |
375 | 38% | |
 |
42 | 4% | |
 |
38 | 4% | |
 |
38 | 4% | |
 |
21 | 2% | |
 |
20 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Best Albums of the 1970s chart changes
| Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 2 from 89th to 87th |
Up 1 from 100th to 99th |
Up 1 from 91st to 90th |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 2 from 87th to 89th |
Down 1 from 20th to 21st |
Down 1 from 37th to 38th |
Best Ever
Artists
1.
The Beatles
2.
Radiohead
3.
Pink Floyd
4.
David Bowie
5.
Bob Dylan
6.
Led Zeppelin
8.
Arcade Fire
9.
Neil Young
10.
Nirvana
