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	2,061	257,498	Paranoid (52nd)by Black Sabbath
1971	2,164	325,775	Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) (12th)by Led Zeppelin
1972	2,208	258,206	The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stard... (9th)by David Bowie
1973	2,100	263,994	The Dark Side Of The Moon (2nd)by Pink Floyd
1974	2,017	139,233	Red (142nd)by King Crimson
1975	2,143	222,965	Wish You Were Here (6th)by Pink Floyd
1976	2,144	149,853	Songs In The Key Of Life (85th)by Stevie Wonder
1977	2,151	254,044	Rumours (21st)by Fleetwood Mac
1978	2,199	145,551	Darkness On The Edge Of Town (208th)by Bruce Springsteen
1979	2,136	211,273	London Calling (20th)by The Clash
Total	21,323	2,228,392

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 Genesis.

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The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

4,075 charts

Rank Score:

69,297

Rank in 1973:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

92 (5,236 votes)

Comments:

584

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

2,938 charts

Rank Score:

49,672

Rank in 1975:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

91 (3,971 votes)

Comments:

309

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

David Bowie

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

2,956 charts

Rank Score:

48,924

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

90 (3,465 votes)

Comments:

299

Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV)

Led Zeppelin

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

3,091 charts

Rank Score:

43,174

Rank in 1971:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

2,783 charts

Rank Score:

35,239

Rank in 1979:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

87 (3,102 votes)

Comments:

256

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

2,225 charts

Rank Score:

33,707

Rank in 1977:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

2,218 charts

Rank Score:

29,242

Rank in 1979:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

86 (3,430 votes)

Comments:

262

Animals

Pink Floyd

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

1,727 charts

Rank Score:

24,940

Rank in 1977:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

1,937 charts

Rank Score:

24,325

Rank in 1979:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

86 (2,285 votes)

Comments:

189

10.

Who's Next

The Who

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

2,139 charts

Rank Score:

23,410

Rank in 1971:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

86 (2,496 votes)

Comments:

200

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Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Year	Albums	%

1970	108	11%
1971	98	10%
1972	102	10%
1973	107	11%
1974	99	10%
1975	98	10%
1976	90	9%
1977	91	9%
1978	109	11%
1979	98	10%

Artist	Albums	%

David Bowie	12	1%
Genesis	10	1%
Jethro Tull	9	1%
Wishbone Ash	8	1%
The Rolling Stones	8	1%
Electric Light Orchestra	8	1%
Miles Davis	8	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	387	39%
	370	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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Best Albums of 1982
1. Thriller by Michael Jackson
2. The Dreaming by Kate Bush
3. The Number Of The Beast by Iron Maiden
4. Pornography by The Cure
5. Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen
6. 1999 by Prince
7. Avalon by Roxy Music
8. Rio by Duran Duran
9. Love Over Gold by Dire Straits
10. The Nightfly by Donald Fagen
11. Combat Rock by The Clash
12. Imperial Bedroom by Elvis Costello And The Attractions
13. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) by Simple Minds
14. Peter Gabriel IV by Peter Gabriel
15. English Settlement by XTC
16. Big Science by Laurie Anderson
17. Bad Brains by Bad Brains
18. Screaming For Vengeance by Judas Priest
19. Hex Enduction Hour by The Fall
20. The Lexicon Of Love by ABC