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 54,000 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	2,075	257,091	Paranoid (52nd)by Black Sabbath
1971	2,174	325,183	Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) (12th)by Led Zeppelin
1972	2,230	257,053	The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stard... (9th)by David Bowie
1973	2,114	263,022	The Dark Side Of The Moon (2nd)by Pink Floyd
1974	2,028	138,611	Red (140th)by King Crimson
1975	2,152	221,755	Wish You Were Here (7th)by Pink Floyd
1976	2,159	149,466	Songs In The Key Of Life (84th)by Stevie Wonder
1977	2,164	253,459	Rumours (21st)by Fleetwood Mac
1978	2,216	145,538	Darkness On The Edge Of Town (207th)by Bruce Springsteen
1979	2,148	210,205	London Calling (20th)by The Clash
Total	21,460	2,221,382

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 Stevie Wonder.

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50.

Darkness On The Edge Of Town

Bruce Springsteen

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

873 charts

Rank Score:

7,865

Rank in 1978:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

207

Average Rating:

82 (1,143 votes)

Comments:

69.

Parallel Lines

Blondie

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

817 charts

Rank Score:

6,292

Rank in 1978:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

273

Average Rating:

81 (949 votes)

Comments:

74.

The Cars

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

694 charts

Rank Score:

5,916

Rank in 1978:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

301

Average Rating:

81 (781 votes)

Comments:

77.

This Year's Model

Elvis Costello

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

714 charts

Rank Score:

5,751

Rank in 1978:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

314

Average Rating:

81 (878 votes)

Comments:

93.

Die Mensch·Maschine [The Man-Machine]

Kraftwerk

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

628 charts

Rank Score:

4,828

Rank in 1978:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

369

Average Rating:

83 (710 votes)

Comments:

94.

Van Halen

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

673 charts

Rank Score:

4,705

Rank in 1978:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

380

Average Rating:

80 (862 votes)

Comments:

125.

Some Girls

The Rolling Stones

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

594 charts

Rank Score:

3,284

Rank in 1978:

Rank in 1970s:

125

Overall Rank:

545

Average Rating:

80 (940 votes)

Comments:

127.

The Kick Inside

Kate Bush

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

474 charts

Rank Score:

3,223

Rank in 1978:

Rank in 1970s:

127

Overall Rank:

551

Average Rating:

80 (588 votes)

Comments:

129.

Music For 18 Musicians

Steve Reich

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

286 charts

Rank Score:

3,220

Rank in 1978:

Rank in 1970s:

129

Overall Rank:

554

Average Rating:

83 (314 votes)

Comments:

136.

More Songs About Buildings And Food

Talking Heads

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

512 charts

Rank Score:

3,034

Rank in 1978:

Rank in 1970s:

136

Overall Rank:

579

Average Rating:

80 (740 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 109. Page 1 of 11

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Year	Albums	%

1970	108	11%
1971	97	10%
1972	101	10%
1973	108	11%
1974	99	10%
1975	99	10%
1976	89	9%
1977	91	9%
1978	109	11%
1979	99	10%

Artist	Albums	%

David Bowie	12	1%
Genesis	10	1%
Jethro Tull	9	1%
AC/DC	8	1%
Pink Floyd	8	1%
Yes	8	1%
Elton John	8	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	387	39%
	369	37%
	42	4%
	37	4%
	36	4%
	24	2%
	21	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	975	98%
Yes	25	3%

Live?	Albums	%
No	940	94%
Yes	60	6%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	988	99%
Yes	12	1%

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

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