Rolling Stone’s 2025 ranking puts Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks at No. 1, then ranges across punk, disco, reggae, funk, country, art rock, jazz, soul and more. It is an editorial selection—not a universal verdict—but its 75 entries make a useful map for exploring the music of 1975, from familiar hits to lesser-known records.
What this 1975 albums list is—and how to use it
Rolling Stone published “The 75 Best Albums of 1975” on April 17, 2025. The ranking looks back at albums attributed to 1975 and reflects the magazine’s judgment; the order is not an objective measure or a cross-publication consensus. The selection mixes famous classics with cult favorites, buried treasures, rarities and one-offs.
Rolling Stone presents the list with notes on the albums and a playlist of key tracks. That makes it useful both as a ranked set of recommendations and as a way to sample the range of music the magazine associates with the year. The source frames 1975 as a moment when disco, punk, reggae and metal were rising, while also pointing to progressive rock, dub, Afrobeat, German art rock, soul, pop, jazz, honky-tonk and Brazilian psychedelia. That is the magazine’s framing, not a complete census of the year’s releases.
Where to begin: three notable entries
No. 1: Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks
Dylan’s album occupies the top spot in Rolling Stone’s ranking. If you want one starting point for the list, begin here, then use the playlist and entry notes to branch into different sounds and artists.
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Patti Smith, Horses
Smith’s album is among the ranking’s notable entries and offers a route into the punk and proto-punk territory represented in the list.
Parliament, Mothership Connection
Parliament’s record is another highlighted selection, pointing toward the list’s funk side and the broader musical range beyond rock and pop.
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How to choose what to listen to next
Use the album notes and key-track playlist to follow the kind of listening experience you want rather than treating the ranking as the only route through the records.
- For a change in sound: Explore by style, moving among punk or proto-punk, country, funk, reggae and art rock, or into the list’s wider mix of dub, Afrobeat, jazz and soul.
- For familiar entry points: Look for records with recognizable singles. Rolling Stone connects ABBA’s album with “Mamma Mia” and “SOS,” and discusses the Ohio Players’ Honey in terms of funk and crossover appeal.
- For deeper discovery: Try the cult favorites, buried treasures, rarities and one-offs included alongside better-known records.
- For a particular format or approach: Consider whether you want a studio album, live record, soundtrack or concept-oriented work; the list spans different kinds of album experiences.
- For reflective listening: The entry on Crosby and Nash’s Wind on the Water connects the record with the aftermath of CSNY and themes including death and the environment.
Why the ranking is best treated as a guide, not a final verdict
A ranked list inevitably turns different genres, moods and kinds of albums into one sequence. Rolling Stone’s broad selection is most useful as an invitation: take the No. 1 album as the magazine’s starting recommendation, then follow the playlist and notes toward the sounds or artists that interest you. The ranking does not establish universal agreement, nor does it claim to verify every album’s release date independently.
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Read Rolling Stone’s full ranking and album notes.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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