Top Ten Rock Albums of Each Year - 1970-1979

Criteria: These albums were chosen for their initial and lasting popularity and their influence and impact on rock music in general.

Top Ten Rock Albums of 1970

1. Paranoid
Black Sabbath
2. Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
3. After The Gold Rush
Neil Young
4. Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon
5. Moondance
Van Morrison
6. Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
7. Live at Leeds
The Who
8. Déjà Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
9. All Things Must Pass
George Harrison
10. Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
Top Ten Rock Albums of 1971

1. What's Going On
Marvin Gaye
2. Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
3. Who's Next
The Who
4. Blue
Joni Mitchell
5. There's A Riot Goin' On
Sly And The Family Stone
6. Tapestry
Carole King
7. Sticky Fingers
Rolling Stones
8. L.A. Woman
The Doors
9. Live at the Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
10. Imagine
John Lennon
Top Ten Rock Albums of 1972

1. Exile On Main Street
Rolling Stones
2. Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars
David Bowie
3. Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
4. Machine Head
Deep Purple
5. Harvest
Neil Young
6. Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
7. Something/Anything
Todd Rundgren
8. Eat A Peach
Allman Brothers Band
9. I'm Still in Love With You
Al Green
10. Honky Chateau
Elton John
Top Ten Rock Albums of 1973

1. Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
2. Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
4. Quadrophenia
The Who
5. Pronounced Leh'-nerd Skin-'nerd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
6. Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
7. Call Me
Al Green
8. Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
9. Band On The Run
Paul McCartney & Wings
10. New York Dolls
New York Dolls
Top Ten Rock Albums of 1974

1. Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
2. Heart Like A Wheel
Linda Ronstadt
3. Court and Spark
Joni Mitchell
4. Natty Dread
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5. Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
6. Can't Get Enough
Barry White
7. Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
8. Nightbirds
Labelle
9. 461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
10. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Genesis
Top Ten Rock Albums of 1975

1. Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
2. Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
3. A Night At The Opera
Queen
4. Horses
Patti Smith
5. Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
6. Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
7. Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith
8. Alive!
KISS
9. Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
10. The Basement Tapes
Bob Dylan and the Band
Top Ten Rock Albums of 1976

1. Songs In The Key Of Life
Stevie Wonder
2. Hotel California
The Eagles
3. Ramones
Ramones
4. Boston
Boston
5. Mothership Connection
Parliament
6. Rocks
Aerosmith
7. Frampton Comes Alive
Peter Frampton
8. Dreamboat Annie
Heart
9. Station to Station
David Bowie
10. Night Moves
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Top Ten Rock Albums of 1977

1. Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
2. Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
3. The Clash
The Clash
4. My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
5. Marquee Moon
Television
6. Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack
The Bee Gees (and others)
7. Low - David Bowie
8. Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
9. Exodus
Bob Marley & the Wailers
10. The Stranger
Billy Joel
Top Ten Rock Albums of 1978

1. This Year's Model
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2. Van Halen
Van Halen
3. One Nation Under A Groove
Funkadelic
4. Parallel Lines
Blondie
5. The Cars
The Cars
6. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Bruce Springsteen
7. Outlandos D'Amour
The Police
8. Some Girls
Rolling Stones
9. More Songs About Buildings and Food
Talking Heads
10. 52nd Street
Billy Joel
Top Ten Rock Albums of 1979

1. London Calling
The Clash
2. The Wall
Pink Floyd
3. Off the Wall
Michael Jackson
4. Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
5. The Pretenders
The Pretenders
6. Highway To Hell
AC/DC
7. Damn The Torpedoes
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
8. Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
9. The B-52's
The B-52's
10. Reggatta de Blanc
The Police

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Last Updated: 2015-08-30