Best Albums of 1978

Explore the best albums of 1978, based on over 2 million album rankings across 61,000 chartsHelp Click to see how the rankings are calculated . Last updated: 53 minutes ago
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1978 year summaryThe best artists of 1978 were Bruce Springsteen, Blondie, The Cars, Elvis Costello, Kraftwerk, Van Halen, Kate Bush, Steve Reich, The Rolling Stones and Talking Heads.
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"This album if full of energy. You listen to it and you feel the power of the sound. Songs like Badlands, Adam Raised a Cain, Racing in the Street, Prove it All Night. This is a 5 star standard bearer for the heart of RockNRoll."  Reply
- SSDBPEARL | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 6 Help 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:
6,938
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Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,161
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"the soundtrack to the 80's... released in 1978? ahead of its time for sure, and underrated. "bye bye love," "let the good times roll," "just what I needed," and "my best friend's girl" get all of the play on the jukebox/radio, but "you're all I've got tonight," "all mixed up," and "moving in ster..."    Reply
- jackbrown8786 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 1 Help 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
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Rank Score:
5,437
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"I dismissed Elvis Costello as a wuss that bohemian girls liked, but nobody else would, until I dated a super-hot bohemian girl who insisted I give him a fair try. Was it my hormones or my brain that convinced me I was wrong? I'd say it was somewhere in my gut. This album should win anyone over."  Reply
- junodog4 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 9 Help 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
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Rank Score:
4,970
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"My favourite Kraftwerk album. The man machine, features beautiful soundscapes combined with a pop mentality. The model, even became a no:1 hit in the U.K. a few years down the line. Perfect late night chill out music. They were so ahead of their time."  Reply
- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 4 Help 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:
4,377
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"It's one of those albums that blows your mind. How could these guys write so many standout songs for their first album. For many bands, the first album is an experiment of sorts, one in which they attempt to find exactly what they're going for and what they will eventually stick with. For Van Hal..."    Reply
- Killerviolin | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 3 Help 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:
4,302
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"Despite being divided into multiple 'sections', Reich's minimalist masterpiece is performed in one take, and so has the curious property of being seemingly immobile and yet constantly washing over you. Listening to the strings undercut the vocals on Section VII has a desperate urgency that is dif..."    Reply
- ForegroundNoise | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 6 Help 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:
3,314
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"Kate Bush's debut album is an excellent collection of slightly quirky songs from one of music's most unique artists. There is a beautiful innocence to some tracks, especially on the lovely, the man with the child in his eyes. Other highlights include, them heavy people, saxophone song, and the ab..."    Reply
- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 6 Help 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:
3,118
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"Muscular and lean, this album packed a lot of punch in a short amount of time. The first Stones album that I loved at first listen. I still have the original vinyl cover with the celebrities photos before they had to redesign the cover."  Reply
- Uncle Bob | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 4 Help 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:
2,983
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Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,710
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 1978 composition

Best Albums of 1978 chart changes

Biggest climbersHelp Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month
Climber Up 3 from 79th to 76th
Climber Up 3 from 57th to 54th
Climber Up 3 from 30th to 27th
Biggest fallersHelp Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month
Faller Down 8 from 75th to 83rd
Faller Down 5 from 62nd to 67th
Faller Down 1 from 7th to 8th