Best Albums of the 1970s

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

Listed below are the best albums of the 1970s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 53,000 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	2,040	260,264	Paranoid (54th)by Black Sabbath
1971	2,138	329,039	Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) (12th)by Led Zeppelin
1972	2,178	260,303	The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stard... (9th)by David Bowie
1973	2,061	267,477	The Dark Side Of The Moon (2nd)by Pink Floyd
1974	1,951	139,611	Red (144th)by King Crimson
1975	2,105	226,221	Wish You Were Here (7th)by Pink Floyd
1976	2,100	150,257	Songs In The Key Of Life (86th)by Stevie Wonder
1977	2,112	256,202	Rumours (21st)by Fleetwood Mac
1978	2,157	145,855	Darkness On The Edge Of Town (203rd)by Bruce Springsteen
1979	2,086	212,850	London Calling (20th)by The Clash
Total	20,928	2,248,077

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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991.

Spectres

Blue Öyster Cult

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

73 charts

Rank Score:

218

Rank in 1977:

Rank in 1970s:

991

Overall Rank:

6,002

Average Rating:

75 (111 votes)

Comments:

992.

Elegant Gypsy

Al Di Meola

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

61 charts

Rank Score:

217

Rank in 1977:

Rank in 1970s:

992

Overall Rank:

6,018

Average Rating:

79 (80 votes)

Comments:

993.

Slayed?

Slade

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

64 charts

Rank Score:

217

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

994.

Greetings From L.A.

Tim Buckley

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

79 charts

Rank Score:

216

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

995.

Live
Live

Genesis

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

57 charts

Rank Score:

216

Rank in 1973:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

996.

Quiet Life

Japan

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

74 charts

Rank Score:

216

Rank in 1979:

Rank in 1970s:

996

Overall Rank:

6,049

Average Rating:

75 (93 votes)

Comments:

997.

The Six Wives Of Henry VIII

Rick Wakeman

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

69 charts

Rank Score:

215

Rank in 1973:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

998.

Estudando O Samba

Tom Zé

Year of Release:

1976

Appears in:

47 charts

Rank Score:

215

Rank in 1976:

Rank in 1970s:

998

Overall Rank:

6,076

Average Rating:

75 (79 votes)

Comments:

999.

The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome

Van Der Graaf Generator

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

42 charts

Rank Score:

214

Rank in 1977:

Rank in 1970s:

999

Overall Rank:

6,087

Average Rating:

74 (50 votes)

Comments:

1000.

All The World's A Stage
Live

Rush

Year of Release:

1976

Appears in:

43 charts

Rank Score:

214

Rank in 1976:

Rank in 1970s:

1,000

Overall Rank:

6,094

Average Rating:

76 (74 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 100 of 100

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Year	Albums	%

1970	107	11%
1971	100	10%
1972	102	10%
1973	108	11%
1974	97	10%
1975	99	10%
1976	90	9%
1977	91	9%
1978	107	11%
1979	99	10%

Artist	Albums	%

David Bowie	12	1%
Genesis	10	1%
Jethro Tull	9	1%
Elton John	8	1%
The Rolling Stones	8	1%
Wishbone Ash	8	1%
Joni Mitchell	8	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	389	39%
	371	37%
	42	4%
	37	4%
	36	4%
	24	2%
	20	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	974	97%
Yes	26	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 1961
1. My Favorite Things by John Coltrane
2. King Of The Delta Blues Singers by Robert Johnson
3. Sunday At The Village Vanguard by Bill Evans Trio
4. Free Jazz by Ornette Coleman Double Quartet
5. The Blues And The Abstract Truth by Oliver Nelson
6. Olé Coltrane by John Coltrane
7. Africa/Brass by John Coltrane Quartet
8. Eastern Sounds by Yusef Lateef
9. Showcase by Patsy Cline
10. The Genius Sings The Blues by Ray Charles
11. Someday My Prince Will Come by The Miles Davis Sextet
12. Two Steps From The Blues by Bobby Bland
13. This Is Our Music by Ornette Coleman
14. West Side Story (The Original Sound Track Recording) by Various Artists
15. Djangology by Django Reinhardt
16. Lonely And Blue by Roy Orbison
17. Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane by Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane
18. Out Of The Cool by Gil Evans Orchestra
19. Time Further Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
20. A Night In Tunisia by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers