Best Albums of the 1940s

« View best albums of the 1930sView best albums of the 1950s »

Listed below are the best albums of the 1940s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 53,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade

Decade:

Year:

1940s 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.
1940	69	1,804	Dust Bowl Ballads - Volume 1 (3,655th)by Woody Guthrie
1941	75	1,356	The Midnight Special (And Other ... (4,432nd)by Lead Belly
1942	75	785	Her Second Album Of Piano Solos ... (8,701st)by Hazel Scott
1943	77	602	Songs By Lead Belly: Accompanied... (8,773rd)by Lead Belly
1944	76	1,294	An Album Of Outstanding Arrangem... (4,994th)by Glenn Miller
1945	79	1,112	Merry Christmas (5,399th)by Bing Crosby
1946	102	1,842	The Voice Of Frank Sinatra (6,349th)by Frank Sinatra
1947	105	1,756	Teddy Wilson - Billie Holiday (5,218th)by Teddy Wilson And His Orchestra F...
1948	104	1,464	Chansons Des Cafés De Paris (5,930th)by Édith Piaf
1949	106	1,991	Bird Blows The Blues (6,209th)by Charlie Parker
Total	868	14,007

The best artists of the 1940s were Woody Guthrie, Nat King Cole, Lead Belly, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Josh White, Bing Crosby, Louis Jordan, The King Cole Trio and The Original Broadway Cast.

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21.

Empress Of The Blues

Bessie Smith

Year of Release:

1940

Appears in:

21 charts

Rank Score:

137

Rank in 1940:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

8,859

Average Rating:

72 (24 votes)

Comments:

22.

Calypso

Lord Invader And Lord Beginner With Felix And His Internationals

Year of Release:

1946

Appears in:

11 charts

Rank Score:

134

Rank in 1946:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

9,031

Average Rating:

69 (8 votes)

Comments:

23.

8 To The Bar (Two Piano Boogie Woogie For Dancing)

Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons

Year of Release:

1941

Appears in:

17 charts

Rank Score:

131

Rank in 1941:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

9,193

Average Rating:

72 (16 votes)

Comments:

24.

Blues

Lonnie Johnson

Year of Release:

1947

Appears in:

15 charts

Rank Score:

129

Rank in 1947:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

9,294

Average Rating:

73 (9 votes)

Comments:

25.

Stravinsky: Petrouchka; Scenes De Ballet

Igor Stravinsky / The Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra Of New York

Year of Release:

1948

Appears in:

11 charts

Rank Score:

121

Rank in 1948:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

9,787

Average Rating:

74 (9 votes)

Comments:

26.

Up Swing

Tommy Dorsey / Glenn Miller / Benny Goodman / Artie Shaw

Year of Release:

1944

Appears in:

13 charts

Rank Score:

115

Rank in 1944:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

10,205

Average Rating:

70 (8 votes)

Comments:

27.

You're My Thrill

Doris Day

Year of Release:

1949

Appears in:

17 charts

Rank Score:

115

Rank in 1949:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

10,240

Average Rating:

72 (17 votes)

Comments:

28.

Mahler: Symphony No. 5

Bruno Walter / New York Philharmonic

Year of Release:

1947

Appears in:

11 charts

Rank Score:

114

Rank in 1947:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

10,280

Average Rating:

73 (7 votes)

Comments:

29.

Kiss Me Kate

The Original Broadway Cast

Year of Release:

1949

Appears in:

9 charts

Rank Score:

113

Rank in 1949:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

10,336

Average Rating:

70 (12 votes)

Comments:

30.

Black, Brown And Beige (1945)

Duke Ellington

Year of Release:

1945

Appears in:

13 charts

Rank Score:

110

Rank in 1945:

Rank in 1940s:

Overall Rank:

10,652

Average Rating:

70 (12 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 321. Page 3 of 33

Best Albums of the 1940s composition

Year	Albums	%

1940	29	3%
1941	30	3%
1942	24	2%
1943	24	2%
1944	25	3%
1945	26	3%
1946	38	4%
1947	40	4%
1948	40	4%
1949	45	5%

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	11	3%
Josh White	7	2%
The Original Broadway Cast	6	2%
Sir Thomas Beecham / The London Philharmonic Orchestra	6	2%
Bing Crosby	6	2%
Woody Guthrie	5	2%
Almanac Singers	5	2%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	250	78%
	20	6%
	14	4%
	7	2%
	6	2%
	5	2%
	2	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	303	94%
Yes	18	6%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	315	98%
Yes	6	2%

« View best albums of the 1930sView best albums of the 1950s »

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