The 25 best albums of 1979

29 August 2023, 18:21 | Updated: 30 October 2023, 15:26

Take a trip back to the final days of the 1970s, with classic albums from The Cure, The Jam, The Police, Joy Division, The Clash, Pink Floyd and more.

By Radio X

@RadioX

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1. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Armed Forces: release date 5th January 1979

   Costello's third album featured the hits Accidents Will Happen and Oliver's Army.

   

2. Sparks - No 1 In Heaven: release date 1st March 1979

   American brothers Ron and Russell Mael had something of a dry spell following their hits in the early 70s, but they came storming back with this hugely influential collection of synth-pop anthems, produced by German techno genius Giorgio Moroder. Singles included Tryouts For The Human Race, Beat The Clock and the epic Number One Song In Heaven.

   

3. Supertramp - Breakfast In America: release date 16th March 1979

   The sixth studio album by the British rock band was a huge international hit thanks to the memorable title track plus the singles Take The Long Way Home and The Logical Song.

   

4. The Cure - Three Imaginary Boys: release date 11th May 1979

   Robert Smith and his band from Crawley, Sussex, released their debut album in 1979 with a perplexing cover with no proper track titles listed. The LP didn't even include the single Boys Don't Cry, which was issued a month later.

   

5. David Bowie - Lodger: release date 25th May 1979

   Bowie's thirteenth album and the last of his "Berlin trilogy" (alongside Low and "Heroes") included DJ, Look Back In Anger and Boys Keep Swinging.

   

6. Electric Light Orchestra - Discovery: release date 31st May 1979

   The eighth studio album from the symphonic rockers led by Jeff Lynne followed up the classic Out Of The Blue and was the band's first No 1 album. Singles included Don't Bring Me Down, Confusion and The Diary Of Horace Wimp.

   

7. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures: release date 15th June 1979

   The legendary Manchester band released their timeless debut album on Factory Records in June 1979. The album included Disorder, New Dawn Fades and She's Lost Control. An accompanying single, Transmission, was released later in the year.

   

8. The B-52's - The B-52's: release date 6th July 1979

   The debut album from the Athens, Georgia new wave quintet included the singles 52 Girls, Dance This Mess Around, Planet Claire and the eternal dancefloor favourite Rock Lobster.

   

9. ABBA - Voulez Vous: release date 23rd July 1979

   The sixth album from the Swedish superstars included the hits Chiquitita, Does Your Mother Know, I Have A Dream and the powerhouse title track.

   

10. The Stranglers - The Raven: release date 15th September 1979

    The British post-punk band's fourth album included the singles Duchess, Don't Bring Harry and Nuclear Device (The Wizard Of Aus).

    

11. Talking Heads - Fear Of Music: release date 3rd August 1979

    The New York art rockers released their third album, which included the classic Life During Wartime and the single Cities.

    

12. Michael Jackson - Off The Wall: release date 10th August 1979

    Now 21, the former child prodigy was on his way to superstardom with this peerless collection of hits: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Girlfriend, Rock With You and She's Out of My Life all featured.

    

13. Led Zeppelin - In Through The Out Door: release date 22nd August 1979

    The final album from the British rock legends included Fool In The Rain/Hot Dog and was issued a couple of weeks after their legendary Knebworth show. Following the death of drummer John Bonham in September 1980, there'd be one more album of outtakes, entitled Coda (1982).

    

14. Gary Numan - The Pleasure Principle: release date 7th September 1979

    Having dropped the band name Tubeway Army, Numan reinvented himself as a solo artist and achieved a No 1 hit with the single Cars.

    

15. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Join Hands: release date 7th September 1979

    The second album from the post-punk titans unfortunately saw the departure of guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris shortly after release. Playground Twist was the single to be taken from the LP.

    

16. Blondie - Eat To The Beat: release date 28th September 1979

    The band's fourth album features the huge hit Atomic (released as a single in 1980), Dreaming and Union City Blue.

    

17. The Police - Reggatta de Blanc: release date 5th October 1979

    The second album from Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland spawned two No 1 hits in Message In A Bottle and Walking On The Moon.

    

18. Fleetwood Mac - Tusk: release date 19th October 1979

    The band were always going to struggle in following the monster hit Rumours, and this ambitious double album confused many fans. The title track was a solid hit, as was Stevie Nicks' song Sara.

    

19. The Specials - The Specials: release date 19th October 1979

    The debut album from the Coventry ska band included the classic single A Message To You Rudy, plus a cover of Toots & The Maytals' Monkey Man.

    

20. The Boomtown Rats – The Fine Art of Surfacing: release date 2nd November 1979

    The third album from Bob Geldof's post-punks included the single Someone's Looking At You, plus the No 1 hit I Don't Like Mondays.

    

21. The Jam - Setting Sons: release date 16th November 1979

    The band's fourth album featured the massive hit Eton Rifles, and rode the wave of the Mod revival which came to a climax with the release of the Quadrophenia movie that year.

    

22. Public Image Ltd - Metal Box: release date 23rd November 1979

    John Lydon's post-Sex Pistols, post-punk collective released their second album, which originally came in a metal tin containing the album across three 12" singles. The track Radio 4 gave the New York band their name, while the song Poptones inspired the name of Alan McGee's post-Creation label.

    

23. Pink Floyd - The Wall: release date 30th November 1979

    The prog legends released one of their most famous albums, a double concept piece about personal alienation, which was accompanied by a typically lavish live show. The LP included the No 1 hit Another Brick In The Wall Part II and Comfortably Numb.

    

24. The Clash - London Calling: release date 14th December 1979

    The punk legends issued their third album was a double and featured the title track and the tracks Guns Of Brixton and Train In Vain.

    

25. The Pretenders - Pretenders: release date 27th December 1979

    The debut album from Chrissie Hynde's new wave band included the singles Stop Your Sobbing, Kid and the No 1 Brass In Pocket.