Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
HoldenM 
In progress. Always in progress.
Enjoy!
- Chart updated: 06/18/2017 22:45
- (Created: 03/02/2013 03:49).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 91 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 93 out of 100 (from 141 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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I'm sure that this is an unexpected first choice, because almost no one has actually listened to it. It's a lo-fi, indie masterpiece. Ben Gibbard's lyrics tell one of the most interesting stories of a relationship that I've ever heard. Some expected things happen, but a lot of (mostly terrible) unexpected things happen. There is self discovery and the kind of turmoil that feels so real, and... you know what? I can't say a lot about how important this album has become to me. It's so flawlessly endearing that any mistakes or slipups that are here, which there aren't, are too minuscule for me to believe that this is anything short of my favorite album of all time. Every time I come back to it, I think "What if this lets me down this time? What if I hear it, and it just doesn't sound the same? What if I'm just faking how feel about this album?" In that sense, I have a very real relationship with this album that I trust as such, and I never want it fail. And you know what? It never has. I can come back to We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes any time, and I am never EVER disappointed.
Track picks
1. Title Tracks
3. For What Reason
6. Little Fury Things
7. Company Calls
9. No Joy in Mudville [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Track picks
1. Title Tracks
3. For What Reason
6. Little Fury Things
7. Company Calls
9. No Joy in Mudville [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
926
Rank in 2000:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
9
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Mark Kozelek's perfect blend of lively songwriting, and concept lyricism, Ghosts of the Great Highway stands as one of the most poignant albums of the last fifteen years, and one of the truest folk albums of the modern era.
Track picks
1. Glenn Tipton
2. Carry Me Ohio
5. Floating
8. Duk Koo Kim
10. Pancho Villa [First added to this chart: 04/13/2015]
Track picks
1. Glenn Tipton
2. Carry Me Ohio
5. Floating
8. Duk Koo Kim
10. Pancho Villa [First added to this chart: 04/13/2015]
Year of Release:
2003
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,284
Rank in 2003:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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I'm apprehensive that this is a real punk album, but I don't care. This is a rock album of some kind, one that shows burgeoning maturity, one that can be nonchalant, but is truly introspective in places. What gets this such a high place is that Paul Westerberg and co. craft an album that's so accessible and so irresistibly well written that I've been coming back to it so frequently that it's made its way into my heart.
Track picks
1. I Will Dare
2. My Favorite Thing
3. We're Coming Out
5. Androgynous
8. Seen Your Video [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Track picks
1. I Will Dare
2. My Favorite Thing
3. We're Coming Out
5. Androgynous
8. Seen Your Video [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,901
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The Cure is a group of whom I've listened to much over the years. They were one of my first truly favorite bands, and they've been that way for many years as I've grow to appreciate so much of their catalogue. Disintegration is The Cure at their peak, writing incredible songs, meshing fantastic moods that become sensations, and are nearly devoid of focus. Right there at the edge, it all comes together perfectly.
Track picks
2. Pictures of You
3. Closedown
6. Lullaby
10. Disintegration
11. Homesick [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Track picks
2. Pictures of You
3. Closedown
6. Lullaby
10. Disintegration
11. Homesick [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,785
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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An exploration of folk music, an exploration of Illinois, and an exploration of self. Sufjan Stevens has crafted an epic unlike anything I've heard. For whatever reason, I fell in love with this immediately, and I've been hooked ever since. I love this. It's the epitome of indie folk, and an excellent tribute to a fine state.
Track picks
1. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL
9. Chicago
10. Casimir Pulaski Day
15. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!
22. Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt from My Sandals as I Run [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Track picks
1. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL
9. Chicago
10. Casimir Pulaski Day
15. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!
22. Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt from My Sandals as I Run [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Year of Release:
2005
Appears in:
Rank Score:
23,039
Rank in 2005:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The Dark Side of the Moon taught me to love music, taught me just what scope Pink Floyd had, taught me that songs could work together as one huge statement, and taught me the magic of music recording. That's all without mention of Roger Waters' insightful lyrics and ideas. In the same way this could be fluidly looped forever and ever, this album is timeless. It will continue to inspire and hold weight to humans for generations to come.
Track picks
1. Speak to Me/Breathe
3. Time
4. Great Gig in the Sky
7. Any Color You Like
9. Eclipse [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Track picks
1. Speak to Me/Breathe
3. Time
4. Great Gig in the Sky
7. Any Color You Like
9. Eclipse [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
71,217
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Yoshimi feels like a space opera that, if a film, would be a B-movie produced in the mid 70s. It's an expansive, eclectic collection that amounts to a tragic love story that never feels out of place for The Flaming Lips, but doesn't lack any emotional payoff.
Track picks
1. Fight Test
3. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
5. In the Morning of the Magicians
9. Do You Realize??
10. All We Have Is Now [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Track picks
1. Fight Test
3. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
5. In the Morning of the Magicians
9. Do You Realize??
10. All We Have Is Now [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,106
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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This was an album that I had heard referenced on a reviewing site called Velocities in Music. They originally reviewed the album favorably, but had come up on it, heavily praising it whenever referencing it. Never once have I gotten a better recommendation from that site. I come back to this album, which has since shaped glow-fi music in a low-key way. There's not a song on this album that I at least don't like, even though it's only eight tracks. The best tracks only get better to me, and I'll be listening to this for a long, long time.
Track picks
1. Swimming Field
2. Bicycle
3. Green Knight
7. Plain Material
8. Run Out [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Track picks
1. Swimming Field
2. Bicycle
3. Green Knight
7. Plain Material
8. Run Out [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Buy album
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On There's Nothing Wrong with Love, Doug Martsch continually affirms the title: Nothing is wrong with love. Yet, everything around it seems to be. Forgetting people, coming down from the highs of infatuation, bringing new life into the world, being in different places existentially, getting old, etc. There's Nothing Wrong with Love is a poignant collection of tracks, but one that rocks in every direction it can.
Track picks
2. Reasons
5. Fling
8. Twin Falls
10. Dream Dystopian Girl
11. Israel's Son [First added to this chart: 10/02/2014]
Track picks
2. Reasons
5. Fling
8. Twin Falls
10. Dream Dystopian Girl
11. Israel's Son [First added to this chart: 10/02/2014]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,941
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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I stayed away from this album for a while, and fell out of love with it. After listening to it again (what is now) recently, not only do I realize why I love this record so much, but I actually adore it more than ever. Amazing album that works as nostalgia fodder, and a terrific teenage coming-of-age record.
Track picks
1. Stuck Between Stations
5. First Night
6. Party Pit
7. You Can Make Him Like You
10. Chillout Tent [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Track picks
1. Stuck Between Stations
5. First Night
6. Party Pit
7. You Can Make Him Like You
10. Chillout Tent [First added to this chart: 03/02/2013]
Year of Release:
2006
Appears in:
Rank Score:
910
Rank in 2006:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 3 | 3% | |
| 1970s | 4 | 4% | |
| 1980s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1990s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2000s | 39 | 39% | |
| 2010s | 15 | 15% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The National | 4 | 4% | |
| Death Cab For Cutie | 3 | 3% | |
| Radiohead | 3 | 3% | |
| Pink Floyd | 3 | 3% | |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 3% | |
| Fleet Foxes | 2 | 2% | |
| Sun Kil Moon | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
65 | 65% | |
 |
23 | 23% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 39 from 49th to 10th Boys And Girls In America by The Hold Steady |
| Up 2 from 50th to 48th High Violet by The National |
| Up 1 from 31st to 30th Plans by Death Cab For Cutie |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 33 from 28th to 61st Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division |
| Down 17 from 34th to 51st Late Registration by Kanye West |
| Down 12 from 6th to 18th Bon Iver, Bon Iver by Bon Iver |
| New entries |
|---|
 Heartbreakerby Ryan Adams |
| A Crow Looked At Me by Mount Eerie |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heavenby Godspeed You! Black Emperor |
| The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
93/100 (from 141 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 141 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100/100  | 04/06/2023 10:54 |  melisandre | | 88/100 |
90/100 | 12/08/2020 22:56 |  Keatownrodriguez | | 94/100 |
100/100 | 03/13/2020 18:16 |  craola | | 96/100 |
90/100 | 01/28/2020 22:28 | pctrooper | | 88/100 |
100/100 | 11/25/2019 15:34 |  kynes | | 94/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 92.8/100, a mean average of 93.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 93.3/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.6.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 91 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
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100/100
From melisandre 04/06/2023 10:54
melisandre 04/06/2023 10:54
i like seeing Yoshimi up there for some reason. i have good memories of that one
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Keatownrodriguez 12/08/2020 22:57
Keatownrodriguez 12/08/2020 22:57
Mostly classics, in a very cool order though, going against the grain a little with your top 10 (we have the facts is easily top 3 Death Cab records, glad you love it like I do)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From pctrooper 01/28/2020 22:40
This feels like the most objective list I have ever seen that still deviates from the overall chart. Even if I'm not in love with all of these albums, I have to admit that I find almost all of them impressive. Your notes are the best part, though. Simple and relatable, written like a true music lover. I also used to do homework to "Wish You Were Here" when I was younger, then fall asleep to it hoping it would influence my dreams. I agree, it never gets old each time one comes back!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From kynes 11/25/2019 15:36
kynes 11/25/2019 15:36
This has been a great chart since back in like...2013, when I made my first bea account. It never disappoints.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 06/14/2018 08:38
DommeDamian 06/14/2018 08:38
Why have I not discovered this amazing chart, 'til now?
You deserve your average rating!!!!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
95/100
From michael44bishop 05/23/2018 04:19
We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes is very underrated on this site. Plans and Transatlanticism are very good but WHTFAWVY is just as good if not better. It might be due to the fact that the album came out before Death Cab For Cutie was on every critic's radar. A lot of other very good choices in the chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From badger 08/30/2017 20:14
Great chart, little from the 60s and 70s but plenty of everything else. Great descriptions and reasons given of the albums too, I'll be taking some of these as recommendations
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
TheHolyKiwi 05/25/2017 11:58
TheHolyKiwi 05/25/2017 11:58
Only chart where I can excuse the repetition and re-use of artist albums. Because damn this shit is fucken diverse, grand, and entirely unique, great job.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From ThomBjork 04/04/2017 07:36
Hey, thanks for the kind comment!
Charts like these are the best part of this site - lots of albums I've never heard of, but your write-ups make me want to give all of them a listen.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From HoldenM 03/28/2017 17:15
HoldenM 03/28/2017 17:15
I think music can be about serious lyrics. If music is music, then it can be anything. The albums I enjoy--whether it's because I'm used to a certain way of listening to an album, or because these really are transcendent in one way or another--are the ones I like. That's all I care about. If you disagree wit that, I totally get it. Lyrics are often important. Clearly, they're not the only important thing, but they can elevate a record, as I believe they do with these records.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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| Best Artists of 1980 | |
|---|---|
| 1. Talking Heads | |
| 2. Joy Division | |
| 3. AC/DC | |
| 4. David Bowie | |
| 5. Dead Kennedys | |
| 6. Peter Gabriel | |
| 7. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 8. The Cure | |
| 9. Rush | |
| 10. Pretenders | |
| 11. Dire Straits | |
| 12. The Feelies | |
| 13. The Clash | |
| 14. Black Sabbath | |
| 15. Motörhead | |
| 16. U2 | |
| 17. Genesis | |
| 18. Elvis Costello | |
| 19. Steely Dan | |
| 20. Elvis Costello And The Attractions |