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	70	1,804	Dust Bowl Ballads - Volume 1 (3,659th)by Woody Guthrie
1941	75	1,355	The Midnight Special (And Other ... (4,436th)by Lead Belly
1942	75	785	Her Second Album Of Piano Solos ... (8,703rd)by Hazel Scott
1943	77	602	Songs By Lead Belly: Accompanied... (8,768th)by Lead Belly
1944	77	1,294	An Album Of Outstanding Arrangem... (4,995th)by Glenn Miller
1945	80	1,112	Merry Christmas (5,405th)by Bing Crosby
1946	103	1,842	The Voice Of Frank Sinatra (6,340th)by Frank Sinatra
1947	106	1,756	Teddy Wilson - Billie Holiday (5,222nd)by Teddy Wilson And His Orchestra F...
1948	105	1,464	Chansons Des Cafés De Paris (5,933rd)by Édith Piaf
1949	108	1,990	Bird Blows The Blues (6,201st)by Charlie Parker
Total	876	14,005

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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311.

The Wayfaring Stranger

Burl Ives

Year of Release:

1941

Appears in:

4 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1941:

Rank in 1940s:

311

Average Rating:

70 (5 votes)

Comments:

312.

Hot Jazz

Jelly Roll Morton

Year of Release:

1945

Appears in:

3 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1945:

Rank in 1940s:

312

Average Rating:

70 (4 votes)

Comments:

313.

We Called It Music

Eddie Condon And His Orchestra

Year of Release:

1947

Appears in:

4 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1947:

Rank in 1940s:

313

Average Rating:

70 (3 votes)

Comments:

314.

Jewish And Palastinian Folk Songs

Ruth Rubin

Year of Release:

1947

Appears in:

3 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1947:

Rank in 1940s:

314

Average Rating:

70 (2 votes)

Comments:

315.

Tschaikowsky: Serenade In C Major (Op. 48)

Sir Adrian Boult / BBC Symphony Orchestra

Year of Release:

1943

Appears in:

3 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1943:

Rank in 1940s:

315

Average Rating:

71 (1 vote)

Comments:

316.

Cowboy Favorites

Tex Ritter

Year of Release:

1946

Appears in:

3 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1946:

Rank in 1940s:

316

Average Rating:

70 (3 votes)

Comments:

316.

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 In E-Flat - Emperor

Bruno Walter / Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra Of New York / Rudolf Serkin

Year of Release:

1941

Appears in:

3 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1941:

Rank in 1940s:

316

Average Rating:

71 (1 vote)

Comments:

318.

Distinctive Song Stylings

Billie Holiday

Year of Release:

1948

Appears in:

4 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1948:

Rank in 1940s:

318

Average Rating:

70 (3 votes)

Comments:

319.

Stella Brooks

Year of Release:

1946

Appears in:

3 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1946:

Rank in 1940s:

319

Average Rating:

71 (2 votes)

Comments:

320.

Join The Band

Billy May And His Orchestra

Year of Release:

1948

Appears in:

3 charts

Rank Score:

Rank in 1948:

Rank in 1940s:

320

Average Rating:

71 (3 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 321. Page 32 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%
Almanac Singers	5	2%
Frank Sinatra	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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Best Albums of 1958
1. Lady In Satin by Billie Holiday
2. Somethin' Else by Cannonball Adderley
3. Buddy Holly by Buddy Holly
4. Bo Diddley by Bo Diddley
5. Milestones by Miles Davis
6. Ascenseur Pour L'échafaud by Miles Davis
7. Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely by Frank Sinatra
8. Little Richard by Little Richard
9. Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra
10. One Dozen Berrys by Chuck Berry
11. The Everly Brothers by The Everly Brothers
12. Basie by Count Basie And His Orchestra & Neal Hefti
13. Jerry Lee Lewis by Jerry Lee Lewis
14. Elvis' Golden Records by Elvis Presley
15. Relaxin' With The Miles Davis Quintet by Miles Davis Quintet
16. Cool Struttin' by Sonny Clark
17. Dance Mania by Tito Puente
18. Songs By Sam Cooke by Sam Cooke & Bumps Blackwell Orchestra
19. King Creole by Elvis Presley
20. Please Please Please by James Brown And His Famous Flames