Best Albums of the 1940s

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
YearAlbums 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.
1940701,804
1941751,355
194275785
194377602
1944771,294
1945801,112
19461031,842
19471061,756
19481051,464
19491081,990
Total87614,005

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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Collector's summary (top 321)Log in or register to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!
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Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1940
Appears in:
Rank Score:
399
Rank in 1940:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1940
Appears in:
Rank Score:
355
Rank in 1940:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1941
Appears in:
Rank Score:
316
Rank in 1941:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1944
Appears in:
Rank Score:
271
Rank in 1944:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1947
Appears in:
Rank Score:
257
Rank in 1947:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1945
Appears in:
Rank Score:
247
Rank in 1945:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1947
Appears in:
Rank Score:
227
Rank in 1947:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1948
Appears in:
Rank Score:
221
Rank in 1948:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1949
Appears in:
Rank Score:
210
Rank in 1949:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1946
Appears in:
Rank Score:
204
Rank in 1946:
Rank in 1940s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 321. Page 1 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%
Country Albums %


United States 250 78%
Mixed Nationality 20 6%
United Kingdom 14 4%
France 7 2%
Spain 6 2%
Cuba 5 2%
Hungary 2 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 303 94%
Yes 18 6%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 315 98%
Yes 6 2%
Best Albums of the 2000s
1. Kid A by Radiohead
2. In Rainbows by Radiohead
3. Funeral by Arcade Fire
4. Is This It by The Strokes
5. Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
6. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco
7. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys
8. Madvillainy by Madvillain
9. Turn On The Bright Lights by Interpol
10. Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
11. Sound Of Silver by LCD Soundsystem
12. A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay
13. For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver
14. Elephant by The White Stripes
15. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips
16. Songs For The Deaf by Queens Of The Stone Age
17. Amnesiac by Radiohead
18. Demon Days by Gorillaz
19. Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes
20. Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective
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