Best Albums of the 1970s

Listed below are the best albums of the 1970s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 54,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade
Decade:
Year:
1970s 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.
19702,088255,245
19712,183324,144
19722,247255,820
19732,132261,479
19742,036138,473
Red (140th)by King Crimson
19752,163220,495
19762,178149,228
19772,180252,036
19782,231145,298
19792,154208,664
Total21,5922,210,881

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 Stevie Wonder.
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Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
214
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
214
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
213
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
213
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
213
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • eBay
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
213
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
997.
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
213
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
998.
Live 
Live
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
213
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
213
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
212
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 100 of 100

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Year Albums %


1970 107 11%
1971 97 10%
1972 102 10%
1973 108 11%
1974 99 10%
1975 100 10%
1976 89 9%
1977 90 9%
1978 110 11%
1979 99 10%
Artist Albums %


David Bowie 12 1%
Genesis 10 1%
Jethro Tull 9 1%
Elton John 8 1%
AC/DC 8 1%
The Rolling Stones 8 1%
Miles Davis 8 1%
Show all
Country Albums %


United Kingdom 387 39%
United States 369 37%
Canada 42 4%
Germany 37 4%
Mixed Nationality 36 4%
Brazil 24 2%
Jamaica 21 2%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 977 98%
Yes 24 2%
Live? Albums %
No 941 94%
Yes 60 6%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 989 99%
Yes 12 1%
Popular  Charts
1. The Top 100 Albums by VH1 (2001)
2. 200 Greatest Albums of All Time by Uncut (2016)
3. The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (2020)
4. 100 Best Albums - 2024 Edition by Apple Music (2024)
5. The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time by New Music Express (2013)
6. Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums by Virgin (2000)
7. Top 100 Albums by ABC (2006)
8. The Definitive 200 by National Association of Recording Merchandisers (2007)
9. Die 100 besten Platten des Jahrhunderts by Wiener (1999)
10. Los 48 mejores discos de la historia by Esquire España (2022)
11. The 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time by Absolute Radio (2012)
12. 100 Greatest Albums Ever by Q (2006)
13. The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time (1-100) by Paste (2024)
14. Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Melody Maker (2000)
15. The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time by Consequence of Sound (2022)
16. Die 100 besten Alben der Musikgeschichte by radioeins (2019)
17. Die 20 besten Alben der Geschichte by Musikexpress.de (2011)
18. Mojo Readers: The 100 Greatest Albums Ever Made by Mojo (1996)
19. Greatest 100 Albums of All Time by The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums with NME (2006)
20. The Greatest Rock Albums by uDiscoverMusic (2015)
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