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Best albums of 1978

Punk's speed ran out quickly and post-punk started before anyone had finished mourning: the same energy, stranger shapes, considerably more space in the recordings. Arena rock was simultaneously having its most profitable year, which the punk histories tend to leave out.

According to Riffiter listeners, the best album of 1978 is The Man·Machine by Kraftwerk, rated 4.9/5 by 5 listeners.

  1. The Man·Machine cover№ 1The Man·MachineKraftwerk · 19784.4Weighted score4.9 avg · 5 ratings
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  1. 2To the Limit coverTo the LimitJoan Armatrading · 19784.3 score · 4.7 avg · 5 ratings
  2. 3Van Halen coverVan HalenVan Halen · 19784.3 score · 4.4 avg · 21 ratings
  3. 4Modern Man coverModern ManStanley Clarke · 19784.3 score · 4.8 avg · 4 ratings
  4. 5Ambient 1: Music for Airports coverAmbient 1: Music for AirportsBrian Eno · 19784.2 score · 4.4 avg · 8 ratings
  5. 6Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? coverWhatever Happened to Benny Santini?Chris Rea · 19784.1 score · 4.2 avg · 5 ratings
  6. 7We Came to Play coverWe Came to PlayTower of Power · 19784.1 score · 4.2 avg · 6 ratings
  7. 8Destiny coverDestinyThe Jackson 5 · 19784.0 score · 4.2 avg · 3 ratings
  8. 9999 cover999999 · 19784.0 score · 4.1 avg · 5 ratings
  9. 10Darkness on the Edge of Town coverDarkness on the Edge of TownBruce Springsteen · 19784.0 score · 4.1 avg · 8 ratings
  10. 11The Kick Inside coverThe Kick InsideKate Bush · 19784.0 score · 4.0 avg · 5 ratings
  11. 12Natural High coverNatural HighCommodores · 19784.0 score · 4.0 avg · 5 ratings
  12. 13Toto coverTotoToto · 19784.0 score · 4.0 avg · 3 ratings
  13. 14Viva coverVivaLa Düsseldorf · 19784.0 score · 4.0 avg · 3 ratings
  14. 15"X" cover"X"Klaus Schulze · 19783.9 score · 3.9 avg · 4 ratings
  15. 16Jazz coverJazzQueen · 19783.9 score · 3.8 avg · 3 ratings
  16. 17Love Tracks coverLove TracksGloria Gaynor · 19783.9 score · 3.8 avg · 6 ratings
  17. 18Killing Machine coverKilling MachineJudas Priest · 19783.9 score · 3.8 avg · 8 ratings
  18. 19Separates coverSeparates999 · 19783.8 score · 3.7 avg · 3 ratings
  19. 20Central Heating coverCentral HeatingHeatwave · 19783.8 score · 3.7 avg · 5 ratings
  20. 21Hot Streets coverHot StreetsChicago · 19783.8 score · 3.6 avg · 4 ratings
  21. 22Stained Class coverStained ClassJudas Priest · 19783.8 score · 3.8 avg · 14 ratings
  22. 23Dire Straits coverDire StraitsDire Straits · 19783.8 score · 3.8 avg · 26 ratings
  23. 24Powerage coverPowerageAC/DC · 19783.8 score · 3.8 avg · 40 ratings
  24. 25Give 'Em Enough Rope coverGive 'Em Enough RopeThe Clash · 19783.8 score · 3.5 avg · 3 ratings
  25. 26Golden Time of Day coverGolden Time of DayMaze · 19783.7 score · 3.6 avg · 6 ratings
  26. 27Parallel Lines coverParallel LinesBlondie · 19782 ratings
  27. 28Adventure coverAdventureTelevision · 19782 ratings
  28. 29So Alone coverSo AloneJohnny Thunders · 19782 ratings
  29. 302 Hot! cover2 Hot!Peaches & Herb · 19782 ratings
  30. 31After the Heat coverAfter the HeatBrian Eno · 19782 ratings
  31. 32The Only Ones coverThe Only OnesThe Only Ones · 19782 ratings
  32. 33Reed Seed coverReed SeedGrover Washington, Jr. · 19782 ratings
  33. 34Never Say Die! coverNever Say Die!Black Sabbath · 19782 ratings
  34. 35Shot of Love coverShot of LoveLakeside · 19782 ratings
  35. 36Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! coverQ: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!DEVO · 19782 ratings
  36. 37Easter coverEasterPatti Smith · 19782 ratings
  37. 38Some Girls coverSome GirlsThe Rolling Stones · 19781 rating
  38. 39Outlandos d'Amour coverOutlandos d'AmourThe Police · 19781 rating
  39. 40Long Live Rock 'n' Roll coverLong Live Rock 'n' RollRainbow · 19781 rating
  40. 41The Gambler coverThe GamblerKenny Rogers · 19781 rating
  41. 42Hemispheres coverHemispheresRush · 19781 rating
  42. 43Nightflight to Venus coverNightflight to VenusBoney M. · 19781 rating
  43. 44Don't Look Back coverDon't Look BackBoston · 19781 rating
  44. 45Bush Doctor coverBush DoctorPeter Tosh · 19781 rating
  45. 46Here, My Dear coverHere, My DearMarvin Gaye · 19781 rating
  46. 47"But Seriously, Folks..." cover"But Seriously, Folks..."Joe Walsh · 19781 rating
  47. 48Chairs Missing coverChairs MissingWire · 19781 rating
  48. 49Street Hassle coverStreet HassleLou Reed · 19781 rating
  49. 50Back on the Streets coverBack on the StreetsGary Moore · 19781 rating

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Best albums of 1978 by genre

The genres that carried the period here, each with what listeners rate highest inside it.

The artists of 1978

Everyone who put a record out then, ordered by how listeners rate their catalog rather than by that one release.

Every artist of 1978, ranked →

1978, month by month

Not everything that came out, just where the weight fell. Some months carried a year; some were quiet and worth knowing about.

FAQ

What are the best albums of 1978?
On Riffiter, the highest-rated album of 1978 is The Man·Machine by Kraftwerk (4.9/5). The ranking below orders the year's releases by community rating.
How is the 1978 ranking decided?
By Riffiter listeners. Each album's community rating sets its place. Until a release has enough ratings, its popularity stands in, and the order shifts as more people rate.
Does the best-of-1978 list change?
Yes. It's built from live community ratings, so the order updates as people rate 1978 releases. The page refreshes a few times a day.