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 46,000 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	1,676	286,114	Paranoid (64th)by Black Sabbath
1971	1,745	379,196	Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) (11th)by Led Zeppelin
1972	1,782	296,863	The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stard... (9th)by David Bowie
1973	1,711	307,834	The Dark Side Of The Moon (2nd)by Pink Floyd
1974	1,592	148,008	Red (161st)by King Crimson
1975	1,760	259,768	Wish You Were Here (8th)by Pink Floyd
1976	1,680	156,027	Songs In The Key Of Life (110th)by Stevie Wonder
1977	1,727	287,363	Rumours (26th)by Fleetwood Mac
1978	1,729	154,452	Darkness On The Edge Of Town (190th)by Bruce Springsteen
1979	1,730	245,483	London Calling (18th)by The Clash
Total	17,132	2,521,108

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

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The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

3,779 charts

Rank Score:

93,656

Rank in 1973:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

92 (4,795 votes)

Comments:

534

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

2,692 charts

Rank Score:

63,648

Rank in 1975:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

91 (3,595 votes)

Comments:

280

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

David Bowie

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

2,722 charts

Rank Score:

62,829

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

90 (3,135 votes)

Comments:

271

Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV)

Led Zeppelin

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

2,877 charts

Rank Score:

57,918

Rank in 1971:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

2,585 charts

Rank Score:

48,262

Rank in 1979:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

2,070 charts

Rank Score:

39,046

Rank in 1979:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

86 (3,162 votes)

Comments:

237

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

2,015 charts

Rank Score:

38,365

Rank in 1977:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

1,803 charts

Rank Score:

32,872

Rank in 1979:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

87 (2,081 votes)

Comments:

176

Animals

Pink Floyd

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

1,555 charts

Rank Score:

30,938

Rank in 1977:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

88 (2,461 votes)

Comments:

177

10.

Who's Next

The Who

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,982 charts

Rank Score:

30,711

Rank in 1971:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

86 (2,316 votes)

Comments:

185

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Year	Albums	%

1970	107	11%
1971	101	10%
1972	102	10%
1973	112	11%
1974	92	9%
1975	96	10%
1976	89	9%
1977	94	9%
1978	108	11%
1979	99	10%

Artist	Albums	%

David Bowie	11	1%
Jethro Tull	9	1%
Yes	9	1%
Elton John	9	1%
Genesis	9	1%
Neil Young	8	1%
Pink Floyd	8	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	391	39%
	376	38%
	41	4%
	39	4%
	38	4%
	24	2%
	21	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	976	98%
Yes	24	2%

Live?	Albums	%
No	948	95%
Yes	52	5%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	990	99%
Yes	10	1%

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

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