Best Non-Hip Hop Albums of the 1950's

The 50's was the decade when albums became a common way to release music, and almost all of the albums released were jazz albums. Album releases were rare before the 50's, and I haven't heard any albums from before then, so this is the final list. For the first half of the decade I couldn't come up with respectable top 10 lists for each year (or even top 5 lists for some years), so I made one top 10 list for 1950-1955. The last three years save it from being a forgettable decade. Sorry if there's anybody reading this expecting to see Elvis albums. He's only worth listening to in greatest hits form, and none of his studio albums are that good. The best album of the 50's is Time Out by Dave Brubeck.

Albums highlighted in yellow are DD-Cup/5 Mech classics

1950-1955

1. Bud Powell - The Amazing Bud Powell (1951) (Jazz)
2. Frank Sinatra - Songs for Young Lovers (1954) (Vocal Pop/Vocal Jazz)
3. Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan (1954) (Vocal Jazz)
4. Louis Armstrong - European Concert Recording by Ambassador Satch (1955) (Jazz)
5. Horace Silver - Horace Silver & The Jazz Messengers (1955) (Jazz)
6. Theolnious Monk - Plays the Music of Duke Ellington (1955) (Jazz)
7. Miles Davis - Blue Moods (1955) (Jazz)
8. Horace Silver - Introducing the Horace Silver Trio (1953) (Jazz)
9. Charlie Parker & Dizzie Gillespie - Bird & Diz (1952) (Jazz)
10. Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Clifford Brown & Max Roach (1955) (Jazz)

1956

1. Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus (Jazz)
2. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings (Vocal Jazz)
3. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Ella & Louis (Vocal Jazz)
4. Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus (Jazz)
5. Odetta - Sings Ballads and Blues (Folk)
6. Horace Silver - Six Pieces of Silver (Jazz)
7. Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers (Vocal Pop/Vocal Jazz)
8. Duke Elington - Ellington at Newport (Jazz)
9. Bud Powell - Jazz Giant (Jazz)
10. Stan Getz - Stan Getz Plays (Jazz)

1957

1. Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (Jazz)
2. Odetta - At the Gate of Horn (Folk)
3. Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool (Jazz)
4. John Coltrane - Blue Train (Jazz)
5. Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (Jazz)
6. Miles Davis - Miles Ahead (Jazz)
7. Thelonious Monk - Monk's Music (Jazz)
8. Charles Mingus - The Clown (Jazz)
9. Miles Davis - Round About Midnight (Jazz)
10. Sun Ra - Super-Sonic Jazz (Jazz)

1958

1. Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue (Vocal Jazz)
2. Frank Sinatra - Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (Vocal Pop/Vocal Jazz)
3. Miles Davis - Milestones (Jazz)
4. Allen Toussaint - The Wild Sounds of New Orleans (Jazz)
5. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly (Rock and Roll)
6. Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin (Vocal Jazz)
7. Art Blakey - Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk (Jazz)
8. Frank Sinatra - Come Fly with Me (Vocal Pop/Vocal Jazz)
9. Cannonball Adderly - Somethin' Else (Jazz)
10. Nelson Riddle - Sea of Dreams (Orchestral Music)

1959

1. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (Jazz)
2. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (Jazz)
3. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (Jazz)
4. Yusef Lateef - Cry! Tender (Jazz)
5. Horace Silver - Blowin' the Blues Away (Jazz)
6. Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come (Free Jazz)
7. Sun Ra - Jazz in Silhouette (Jazz)
8. Bo Diddley - Go Bo Diddley (Rock & Roll/Blues)
9. Blue Mitchell - Blue Soul (Jazz)
10. João Gilberto - Chega de Saudade (Boss Nova)