Top Albums of 1979





Rank All Time Rank Artist Album Genres
1
7
The Clash London Calling Punk Rock
2
78
Joy Division Unknown Pleasures Post-Punk
3
103
Michael Jackson Off the Wall Disco, Pop
4
158
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Rust Never Sleeps Country Rock, Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter
5
166
Pink Floyd The Wall Art Rock, Progressive Rock, Rock Opera
6
171
Gang of Four Entertainment! Post-Punk
7
198
The Specials Specials 2 Tone
8
244
Public Image Ltd. Metal Box/Second Edition Experimental Rock, Post-Punk
9
283
Talking Heads Fear of Music New Wave, Post-Punk
10
286
AC/DC Highway to Hell Hard Rock
11
418
The Police Reggatta de Blanc New Wave, Pop Rock
12
426
Elvis Costello and The Attractions Armed Forces New Wave, Pop Rock
13
441
The B-52's The B-52's New Wave
14
513
Chic Risqué Disco
15
574
The Undertones The Undertones Pop Punk
16
606
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Damn the Torpedoes Heartland Rock, Pop Rock
17
625
Marianne Faithfull Broken English Art Pop, New Wave
18
654
The Slits Cut Post-Punk
19
772
Madness One Step Beyond... 2 Tone
20
913
Supertramp Breakfast in America Pop Rock, Progressive Pop
21
914
Stiff Little Fingers Inflammable Material Punk Rock
22
952
XTC Drums and Wires New Wave, Pop Rock, Post-Punk
23
965
Graham Parker & The Rumour Squeezing Out Sparks Power Pop, Pub Rock
24
971
The Cure Three Imaginary Boys/Boys Don't Cry Post-Punk
25
996
Donna Summer Bad Girls Disco
26
1033
The Pop Group Y Art Punk, Experimental Rock, Post-Punk
27
1123
Wire 154 Art Punk, Post-Punk
28
1145
Throbbing Gristle 20 Jazz Funk Greats Industrial
29
1184
Ramones It's Alive Punk Rock
30
1212
Joe Jackson Look Sharp! New Wave, Power Pop
31
1230
The Jam Setting Sons Mod Revival, New Wave
32
1313
Motörhead Overkill Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
33
1355
Serge Gainsbourg Aux armes et caetera Reggae
34
1432
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Live Rust Country Rock, Singer/Songwriter
35
1440
Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones Jazz Pop, Singer/Songwriter
36
1479
Philip Glass Einstein on the Beach Minimalism, Opera
37
1508
Betty Carter The Audience with Betty Carter Vocal Jazz
38
1701
The Raincoats The Raincoats Art Punk, Post-Punk
39
1754
Sister Sledge We Are Family Disco, Pop Soul
40
1759
Camarón La leyenda del tiempo Flamenco Nuevo
41
1781
Germs (GI) Hardcore Punk
42
1947
Fleetwood Mac Tusk Pop Rock
43
2169
Ry Cooder Bop Till You Drop Roots Rock
44
2178
ZZ Top Degüello Blues Rock, Southern Rock
45
2267
The Roches The Roches Folk Pop
46
2302
Cabaret Voltaire Mix-Up Industrial, Minimal Wave
47
2330
Air [USA] Air Lore Avant-Garde Jazz
48
2375
The Residents Eskimo Experimental
49
2394
Van Morrison Into the Music Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter
50
2416
Tubeway Army Replicas New Wave, Synthpop
51
2418
Linton Kwesi Johnson Forces of Victory Dub Poetry
52
2508
Scorpions Lovedrive Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
53
2528
Lucio Dalla Lucio Dalla Pop, Singer/Songwriter
54
2551
Art Ensemble of Chicago Nice Guys Avant-Garde Jazz
55
2594
Blondie Eat to the Beat New Wave, Pop Rock
56
2635
The Fall Live at the Witch Trials Post-Punk
57
2637
The Damned Machine Gun Etiquette Punk Rock
58
2679
The Stranglers The Raven New Wave, Post-Punk
59
2682
Dave Edmunds Repeat when Necessary Rock & Roll, Roots Rock
60
2685
David Bowie Lodger Art Rock
61
2686
The Fall Dragnet Post-Punk
62
2746
Robert Fripp Exposure Art Rock, Experimental Rock
63
2876
Yellow Magic Orchestra Solid State Survivor Synthpop
64
2942
Van Halen Van Halen II Hard Rock
65
2993
Nick Lowe Labour of Lust Power Pop, Pub Rock

Albums "bubbling under" the all-time top 3000:
James Chance & The Contortions Buy No Wave
Earth, Wind & Fire I Am Disco, Funk
Thin Lizzy Black Rose - A Rock Legend Hard Rock
Tom Verlaine Tom Verlaine Art Punk, Post-Punk
Joe Jackson I'm the Man New Wave, Power Pop
Bob Marley and The Wailers Survival Roots Reggae
Gary Numan The Pleasure Principle New Wave, Synthpop
The Ruts The Crack Punk Rock
This Heat This Heat Experimental Rock
Magazine Secondhand Daylight Art Punk, Post-Punk
Frank Zappa Sheik Yerbouti Art Rock, Experimental Rock
Buzzcocks A Different Kind of Tension Punk Rock
The Human League Reproduction Minimal Synth, New Wave, Synthpop
Iggy Pop New Values New Wave, Punk Rock
Bob Dylan Slow Train Coming Christian Rock, Singer/Songwriter
UFO Strangers in the Night Hard Rock
Old and New Dreams Old and New Dreams [1979] Avant-Garde Jazz
Ebba Grön We're Only in It for the Drugs Punk Rock
Judas Priest Unleashed in the East - Live in Japan Heavy Metal
Frank Zappa Joe's Garage, Act 1 Comedy Rock, Experimental Rock, Rock Opera
Holger Czukay Movies Art Rock, Krautrock
The Cars Candy-O New Wave, Pop Rock
The Only Ones Even Serpents Shine New Wave, Power Pop
Sarah Vaughan Duke Ellington Song Book One Vocal Jazz
Sarah Vaughan Duke Ellington Song Book Two Vocal Jazz
Chrome Half Machine Lip Moves Experimental Rock, Post-Punk
Japan Quiet Life Art Pop, New Romantic
Pere Ubu New Picnic Time Art Punk, Post-Punk
Ornette Coleman & Charlie Haden Soapsuds Soapsuds Free Jazz
Smokey Robinson Where There's Smoke.. Soul
The Crusaders Street Life Jazz Pop
Lowell George Thanks, I'll Eat It Here Pop Rock
Swell Maps A Trip to Marineville Art Punk, Post-Punk
Squeeze Cool for Cats New Wave