Best Albums of the 1970s
Explore the best albums of the 1970s, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts.
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Last updated: 4 hours ago
Last updated: 4 hours ago
"A great Neil Young album 2nd only to Gold Rush I.M.O. Ambulance Blues, Vampire Blues, Walk On, See the Sky About To Rain are amazing tracks but the title track On The Beach is the best track here. The only slightly low point is For The Turnstiles but this album should be rated much Higher than Ha..." [+] Reply
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Tamthebam | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,128
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"Check out the ferocity of Bruce's guitar on "Adam Raised A Cain". The sheer power of Max Weinberg's drumming on "Candy's Room". The unsurpassed songwriting on "Somewhere In The Night", "Streets Of Fire", and the title track. I still believe that this is one of the most underrated albums of all ti..." [+] Reply
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Romanelli | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 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:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,077
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"This was every teenager's album, including mine. Whenever I was frustrated about anything, I would lock myself in my room and listen to this album all the way through. I still do. Words can't properly express my love for this album. And I thought Tommy was good." Reply
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HyperBully | 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:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,946
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"Not everything that's influential has to be respected. Did it bring rock music back to its basics? Yes. Do I want to go back to "ga ga goo goo" and diapers? No." Reply
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,858
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"Easily Billy Joel's best album. The stranger, sees Joel at the peak of his songwriting powers, in a record that contains all that's great about an incredibly underrated songwriter. Movin'out, kicks the album off in superb style. The title track, another Joel classic, precedes one of his most cele..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,678
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"Brilliant, it is weird and unique yet amazing at the same time. No matter how many times I listen to it, it always leaves me thinking "I love this but I don't know why". This album shows their influence on Radiohead the clearest in my opinion, compared to their other albums. This" Reply
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,595
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"It's not too polished and finds its charm in its imperfection. The songwriting is magnificent and speaks for itself" Reply
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,518
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"This record is so much more loved than many people realize. I recommend sifting through the list of top BEA users; this is a popular choice. Of course, an argument based on authority isn't a good one, but it is telling. 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' is the best double album ever made, featurin..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,444
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"I look at this as kind of a missing link in the evolution of music. Most of the riffs Iomi plays are straight blues. But the dark lyrical content and the heavy distortion make it unlike anything people had previously heard....and pretty much gave birth to modern metal. Not my favourite Sabbath al..." [+] Reply
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Decurso | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 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:
6,373
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Comments:
"Essential listening for all fans of hard rock. There is a reason some of these riffs are the most recognizable in music." Reply
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,316
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 6 of 100
Best Albums of the 1970s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 111 | 11% | |
| 1971 | 101 | 10% | |
| 1972 | 96 | 10% | |
| 1973 | 113 | 11% | |
| 1974 | 95 | 10% | |
| 1975 | 97 | 10% | |
| 1976 | 89 | 9% | |
| 1977 | 91 | 9% | |
| 1978 | 104 | 10% | |
| 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
385 | 39% | |
 |
376 | 38% | |
 |
42 | 4% | |
 |
38 | 4% | |
 |
38 | 4% | |
 |
20 | 2% | |
 |
20 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Best Albums of the 1970s chart changes
| Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 2 from 94th to 92nd |
Up 2 from 89th to 87th |
Up 2 from 65th to 63rd |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 2 from 64th to 66th |
Down 2 from 92nd to 94th |
Down 1 from 13th to 14th |
