Best Albums of the 1970s
Explore the best albums of the 1970s, based on over 2 million album rankings across 59,000 charts.
Last updated: 52 minutes ago.
Last updated: 52 minutes ago.
"I once stated that I thought that this is the only album that really has a claim to the title 'greatest album ever.' I am not really sure that I would phrase that statement with such tenacity and chutzpah now, but I do feel that my point remains viable: There are no other albums out there that ar..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1973
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Rank Score:
57,048
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"This used to be my favorite record, and honestly I still don't really understand how someone couldn't like it. Of course opinions are subjective, but what is to dislike about this record? Even the longer tracks, which some more casual listeners don't find enjoyable in general, are made in the fas..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1975
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Rank Score:
42,505
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"Sadly, I discovered how important Bowie's music is, especially this album, only after he died. I've always been a fan, but I feel slightly guilty for listening mostly to his "hits" prior to his death, leaving me unaware of many great tracks until more recently." Reply
Year of Release:
1972
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Rank Score:
41,240
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"This album has some of the best songs ever made. Stairway to Heaven is a magical masterpiece that gets better with each listen and When the Levee Breaks is so loud and heavy it almost makes your ear drums bleed when you are listening through the headphones. One of the most influential albums of i..." [+] Reply
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mayonaise93 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (10 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
36,949
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"What can you say about Rumours that has not already been said? One of the most beautiful and yet bittersweet collection of songs ever put on record. It's impossible to pick standout tracks because they are all equally good but different to each other. How the record shifts from Chrissy's heartbre..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1977
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Rank Score:
29,697
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"A punk album that everyone can truly find something to enjoy with. It traverses genres like 50s old school rock, pop, ska, and ragae among others. This album is insanely entertaining and is filled to the brim with energy. On top of that, a lot of the songs have strong meanings, like Spanish Bombs..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
29,349
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"The Wall always reminds me of "The White Album" by the Beatles because, aside from the obvious things like the white cover and the double disc, they're both huge collections of very diverse songs, with some of the band's lowest points and also some of their most brilliant." Reply
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swhaze | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (9 helpful | 1 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.
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
23,851
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"It often gets overshadowed, being sandwiched in between WYWH and the Wall, but it's still as good as the rest of their 70's output. In fact, I rank it above the Wall by a good margin." Reply
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
21,351
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"A brooding masterpiece. Like Jim Morrison and The Doors captured L.A in their music and lyrics, so Ian Curtis and Joy Division do the same with Manchester. Unknown pleasures, is a dark record of alienation, loneliness and foreboding. You cannot fail to be drawn into the eerie atmosphere as Curtis..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,836
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"Amazing, birthed from Townsend's obtuse and failed lifehouse project. Yet The Who's finest collection of individual original songs. Doesn't have the conceptual grandiosity of Quadrophenia and Tommy, but great deep tracks as well as the classics that I long ago burned out on from overlistening." Reply
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,524
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100
Best Albums of the 1970s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 111 | 11% | |
| 1971 | 101 | 10% | |
| 1972 | 97 | 10% | |
| 1973 | 111 | 11% | |
| 1974 | 93 | 9% | |
| 1975 | 97 | 10% | |
| 1976 | 91 | 9% | |
| 1977 | 91 | 9% | |
| 1978 | 106 | 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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 |
385 | 38% | |
 |
376 | 38% | |
 |
42 | 4% | |
 |
39 | 4% | |
 |
38 | 4% | |
 |
22 | 2% | |
 |
20 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
