Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by jdenny2018

An ever changing collection of my favorite albums, come back to see any future updates. Also lookout for when I get access to decade charts!

**Chart of the Day #2657: 31 Jan 2019**
**Chart of the Day #2955: 25 Nov 2019**

Also, here's an extensive thread I've started talking about my Top 100 albums
http://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20448&highlight=

(Updated 25 Nov 2019)

There are 15 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 91 out of 100 (from 32 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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Buy album United States
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My first band that I ever truly loved, Rush will always have an important place in my heart. This, their masterwork, and album that almost sent them careening off a cliff of shear madness to record one single song (La Villa Strangiato) does not hit a false note the entire time.

Key tracks: All of them, there's only 4
[First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,749
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Buy album United States
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This is, quite simply, a perfect album. There is a song for every possible situation in life. Want to get right with Jesus? Well, might I direct you to "Have a talk with God." Want to protest social inequalities? "Village Ghetto Land" is your choice. Want to celebrate the beauty and joy and magnificence that is music? Well, most of the album is like that, but "Sir Duke" is particularly joyful. Take some time and enjoy this behemoth of an album, it'll be time well spent.

Key tracks: All of them
[First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,002
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Buy album United States
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Probably Rush's best album if I'm being objective. This album is a whirlwind of happiness, contemplation, intensity, and killer instrumentation. Short but powerful album, and this, like Hemispheres, will always be an all-time great for me. [First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,095
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Buy album United States
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What a perfect album to listen to at night. Dark, mysterious, moody, and sometimes scary, Bitches Brew is peak electric Miles. Slightly more concise than other albums (Jack Johnson, notably) BB is an album I can always throw on and be completely consumed by, even after my 100th listen. [First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,555
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Buy album United States
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Every song on this album shakes me to my core. There's a point in every song where the music builds and builds until it reaches a cathartic release of musical perfection where you feel as though your heart is lifted upwards towards the heavens. [First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,023
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Buy album United States
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The best live Zeppelin. Period. Great acoustic set on this album, in addition to all their harder stuff. [First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
2003
Appears in:
Rank Score:
757
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Comments:
7. (8) Up1
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 10/31/2018]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,093
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Buy album United States
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Best opener, best closer. Probably the best flowing album ever. [First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
63,150
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Buy album United States
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This album got me into ambient music. Despite not really being "ambient," Philip Glass opened me to Steve Reich, Brian Eno, the Berlin era of Bowie, and so on. A great album to sit and contemplate existential dread. [First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,020
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Buy album United States
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Yes' first masterpiece, their second great album (Time and a Word.) Even though this isn't their peak lineup, it's still a fantastic representation of the lineup, and a good sign for things to come. [First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,582
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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade Albums %


1930s 0 0%
1940s 0 0%
1950s 5 5%
1960s 17 17%
1970s 50 50%
1980s 15 15%
1990s 2 2%
2000s 3 3%
2010s 8 8%
2020s 0 0%
Artist Albums %


The Replacements 6 6%
Led Zeppelin 5 5%
The Beatles 5 5%
Pink Floyd 5 5%
Rush 5 5%
Miles Davis 4 4%
John Coltrane 3 3%
Show all
Country Albums %


United States 50 50%
United Kingdom 36 36%
Canada 6 6%
Mixed Nationality 5 5%
Germany 2 2%
Netherlands 1 1%
Compilation? Albums %
No 97 97%
Yes 3 3%
Live? Albums %
No 96 96%
Yes 4 4%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 96 96%
Yes 4 4%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Climber Up 17 from 31st to 14th
Red
by King Crimson
Climber Up 7 from 51st to 44th
Exile On Main St.
by The Rolling Stones
Climber Up 4 from 41st to 37th
Radio City
by Big Star
Biggest fallers
Faller Down 17 from 11th to 28th
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
by Kendrick Lamar
Faller Down 13 from 80th to 93rd
Vessel
by Twenty One Pilots
Faller Down 13 from 81st to 94th
Led Zeppelin
by Led Zeppelin
TitleSourceTypePublishedCountry
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s jdenny20181970s decade chart2019
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums GlitterboiiiOverall chart2023
Top 100 Greatest Music AlbumsNkelleyslcOverall chart2024
Top 100 Greatest Music Albumsstryker700Overall chart2021Unknown
Ya joking? Should've been higher! All Time edition PurplepashCustom chart2025
BEA Top 100 Reorganized According To My TastebonnequestionCustom chart2025
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s flyingcitrus1970s decade chart2018Unknown
My Personal Ranking of Best Ever Albums' Top 100 Xxnu99etxXCustom chart2022
Going With My Gut: The Overall Chart Top 100 Re-ranked CharlieBarleyCustom chart2024
My Ranking of the BEA top 100 sszwalbenestCustom chart2021

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)


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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
91/100 (from 32 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
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90/100
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06/12/2025 05:33 Johnnyo  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,47480/100
 
90/100
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06/20/2020 14:27 WillyMac  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 9586/100
 
100/100
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04/18/2020 10:51 migl  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1199/100
 
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03/10/2020 21:23 dihansse  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 30984/100
 
85/100
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11/25/2019 19:35 Thad  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 15179/100

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).
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This chart is rated in the top 2% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 90.7/100, a mean average of 92.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 92.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.2.

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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 15 comments |
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Rating:  
90/100
From 06/12/2025 05:33
Great chart.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 06/20/2020 14:34
You know your stuff. You are more into jazz and prog rock than I am. Having said that, Neil Peart needs to be acknowledged as a genius even by those of us who are not in love with prog and jazz. Ghost Rider is one of my favourite books by a musician, and I've read lots. I suspect you've read it, but if you haven't, you must.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 03/10/2019 11:20
Love the Big Star inclusions ( no 3rd? ) and REM’s ‘ Lifes Rich Pageant ‘ , I’m an REM nut and it really is their best album
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 02/01/2019 05:02
Excellent choices! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with on your decade charts.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 01/31/2019 09:59
Wow really great mix of jazz and prog and having had a cursory glance at the forum thread you shared your genuine love for music really comes through!! Will have to give that thread a proper once over when I have a minute or two ... looked like great stuff.
There'd be no point me recommending any jazz or prog since your knowledge of those genres probably way outdoes me, but I thought since you've got a couple of Kendrick Lamar picks and The Low End Theory you might enjoy some of these hip hop albums that are on the more experimental (dare I say proggier??) side. From your own admission on your notes on GKMC you seem like someone whose mind is open to different things, let me know what you think of these!!

cLOUDDEAD -cLOUDDEAD (2001)
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein (2001)
Death Grips - Exmilitary (2011)
Danny Brown - XXX (2011)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 01/27/2019 23:00
Fantastic. Glad someone else appreciates Croce.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 10/06/2018 19:06
Great list, love all the 70's albums i too feel it is easily the best decade for albums.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 07/28/2018 20:42
The chart is very 70's oriented but no problem from me, I find it the best music decade. I really need to start with Rush.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 06/11/2018 18:50
Thanks for reviewing my chart! Great picks from you as well. Love the descriptions. :)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 06/05/2018 02:08
Solid selections.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of the 1960s
1. Abbey Road by The Beatles
2. Revolver by The Beatles
3. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
4. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico
5. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
6. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles
7. In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson) by King Crimson
8. Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan
9. Rubber Soul by The Beatles
10. The Doors by The Doors
11. Blonde On Blonde by Bob Dylan
12. Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
13. Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin
14. Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
15. Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones
16. Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin
17. Astral Weeks by Van Morrison
18. A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
19. Forever Changes by Love
20. Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles
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