Best Albums of the 1950s

Listed below are the best albums of the 1950s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 54,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade
Decade:
Year:
1950s 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.
19501265,247
19511424,225
19521537,017
19531976,737
195423211,097
195534214,922
195645432,500
195758345,559
195860141,570
195964481,492
Total3,474250,367

The best artists of the 1950s were Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Frank Sinatra, Charles Mingus, Elvis Presley, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Billie Holiday and John Coltrane.
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Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1958
Appears in:
Rank Score:
100
Rank in 1958:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1956
Appears in:
Rank Score:
100
Rank in 1956:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
333.
Lover Man 
Compilation
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1951
Appears in:
Rank Score:
99
Rank in 1951:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1957
Appears in:
Rank Score:
98
Rank in 1957:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
98
Rank in 1959:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1951
Appears in:
Rank Score:
96
Rank in 1951:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • eBay
  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1957
Appears in:
Rank Score:
96
Rank in 1957:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • eBay
  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1954
Appears in:
Rank Score:
96
Rank in 1954:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
96
Rank in 1959:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
96
Rank in 1959:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 34 of 100

Best Albums of the 1950s composition

Year Albums %


1950 40 4%
1951 40 4%
1952 59 6%
1953 63 6%
1954 76 8%
1955 82 8%
1956 116 12%
1957 154 15%
1958 172 17%
1959 198 20%
Country Albums %


United States 777 78%
Mixed Nationality 36 4%
France 34 3%
United Kingdom 27 3%
Brazil 19 2%
Canada 13 1%
Austria 11 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 943 94%
Yes 57 6%
Live? Albums %
No 962 96%
Yes 38 4%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 977 98%
Yes 23 2%
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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