Best Albums of the 1970s
Listed below are the best albums of the 1970s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 4 hours ago).
"During the late eighties, Excitable Boy was in heavy rotation at the pizza place in Auburn, Maine, where I worked in the kitchen after school to earn pocket cash. It might have been the only album that was universally liked by all the high school aged staff who worked in the kitchen those years. ..." [+] Reply
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buzzdainer | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,278
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Comments:
"Rundgren's master stroke. It should be called Something/Everything since he pretty much does it all on this inspired smorgasbord of styles, ranging from hard rock and ballads to blue-eyed soul and grunge. And, of course, that tape hiss. Hugely influential, it is a miniature pop world unto itself." Reply
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,272
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"I never thought this album could be so good ! It’s almost as good as BIA for me. The tracklist is nice: starting with a classic happy hit of Supertramp, then great varied songs from both singers, and the incredible Fool’s Overture, one of their most accomplished song IMO. Standouts: Give a Little..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,270
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"It's hard to put a finger on XTC. I understand why some people don't love them. They manage to be disorienting without the traditional means. The guitars frequently enter into repetitive hypnotic states, with a jagged bounce. Drums & Wires may be their finest collection, and a solid entry point f..." [+] Reply
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meccalecca | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (8 helpful | 2 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:
1,256
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Comments:
"This album shows off everything that's great about The Beach Boys: the fact that they could do almost any genre from that time (maybe they should've left rock & roll, but okay); Brian Wilson's genius production techniques; Brian Wilson's out of the box thinking, he basically made Shoegazing with ..." [+] Reply
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Boltzmann | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 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.
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,247
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Comments:
"Billy Joel's follow up to his artistic and commercial peak, the stranger. 52nd street, is a good album, but it just hasn't quite got the edge that it's predecessor had. The first side of the album though is very good. Opening with one of the best examples of that cynical songwriting Joel is so go..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,237
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Comments:
"Lots of people in these comments are saying this album is a disappointment. Completely untrue. Lyrics, musicality and production all much improved from the first album. Sure, it's not as angry or "punk," but at the end of the day, that doesn't matter as much as how enjoyable it is to listen to. A..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,235
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"Released 5 months after Rust Never Sleeps, an almost live album with studio overdubs and removed crowd noise, Young released the fully live Live Rust. Starting off with Young playing solo, he is joined by Carzy Horse and turns in a rocking performance. The song selection is key, and it's mostly g..." [+] Reply
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Romanelli | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 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.
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,229
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Average Rating:
Comments:
""Katy Lied" is one of Steely Dan's great classic albums ( OK, they all are!) from when they were still a real band, and not "just" the Becker/Fagen duo. The Becker/Fagen aim for perfection is very much apparent here. Great production and playing. Inspired songwriting and dark thought-provoking ly..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,226
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"Ramones second and more of the same, possibly even better than the first album. I bought this and Ramones in early 77 as US import pressings and they were barely off my turntable for the whole year – best band ever and a soundtrack to my youth." Reply
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Dankel | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 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.
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,222
Rank in 1977:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 27 of 100
Best Albums of the 1970s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 110 | 11% | |
| 1971 | 100 | 10% | |
| 1972 | 97 | 10% | |
| 1973 | 111 | 11% | |
| 1974 | 93 | 9% | |
| 1975 | 98 | 10% | |
| 1976 | 91 | 9% | |
| 1977 | 92 | 9% | |
| 1978 | 105 | 11% | |
| 1979 | 103 | 10% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| David Bowie | 11 | 1% | |
| Yes | 9 | 1% | |
| Genesis | 9 | 1% | |
| Miles Davis | 8 | 1% | |
| Electric Light Orchestra | 8 | 1% | |
| Pink Floyd | 8 | 1% | |
| AC/DC | 8 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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 |
387 | 39% | |
 |
375 | 38% | |
 |
42 | 4% | |
 |
39 | 4% | |
 |
38 | 4% | |
 |
21 | 2% | |
 |
20 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
