Top 40 Greatest Music Albums
by oldehamme

Studio albums only. No live albums or greatest hits compilations. This is also limited to rock; no jazz or country. Nothing against them. That's just not the focus here.

This is not a list of my favorite albums. This is my ranking of the best I've heard. There are a few albums here I'm not crazy about -- Pet Sounds, for example -- but I appreciate their artistry and have included them to give the list more depth and diversity than a list of my favorites would allow.

• Chart updated: 07/09/2025 23:45
• (Created: 03/01/2013 07:57).
• Chart size: 40 albums.

• Summary
• Composition
• Ratings
• Favourites
• Comments
• Your feedback

View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.

Sort by

• Overall Rank
• Num. Charts
• Avg. Rating
• Num. Ratings
• Release Date
• Title
• Artist

1. (=)

Revolver 

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

Song for song, the best album by the best band of all. It was the first Beatles album to truly break free from their 2 guitar + bass + drum arrangements, showing how they would come to master so many idioms beyond pop music. Every new arrangement bears fruit: the unaccompanied string octet on "Eleanor Rigby," the brass section that punctuates "Got To Get You Into My Life," the reversing tape loops on "Tomorrow Never knows," and so on. And no one remembered after Sgt. Pepper, but this was truly the first Beatles record that treated the album as a complete piece. Individually, the songs are remarkable; as a group, they achieve perfection. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]

Year of Release:

1966

Appears in:

3,588 charts

Rank Score:

49,607

Rank in 1966:

1

Rank in 1960s:

2

Overall Rank:

4

Average Rating:

 91 (4,585 votes)

Comments:

486

2. (=)

The Beatles (The White Album) 

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

No other band could have done it: an encyclopedia of popular (and not-so-popular) music, all crafted out of original songs. As with Revolver, the Beatles triumph over every genre they tackle, from folk ("Mother Nature's Son") to country ("Don't Pass Me By") to psychedelia ("Glass Onion") to musique concrete ("Revolution 9"). And along the way, they toss off affectionate pastiches of Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys ("Back in the U.S.S.R."), the British blues boom ("Yer Blues"), the Gershwins ("Honey Pie"), and the burgeoning hard rock scene ("Helter Skelter"). There are bound to be weak songs on any double album, but here, they provide context and breathing space between the Olympian heights of, say, "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and "Blackbird." And the album cover is a work of genius. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]

Year of Release:

1968

Appears in:

2,949 charts

Rank Score:

37,294

Rank in 1968:

1

Rank in 1960s:

6

Overall Rank:

14

Average Rating:

 89 (3,823 votes)

Comments:

342

3. (=)

Exile On Main St. 

 The Rolling Stones

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

This is the densest, most demanding, and by far, the longest studio album in the Rolling Stones' catalogue. It's also the apotheosis of their long study of American black music and it shows them executing songs that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best work of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson and Slim Harpo (the last two of whom are covered here). The mix is famously sludgy, but that only adds to the thrill when Mick Taylor's guitar or Mick Jagger's vocals occasionally pierce the din with a singular turn of phrase, musical or lyrical. It's also the last time they deserved to be called the "World's Greatest." And then along came "Angie." [First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,967 charts

Rank Score:

19,707

Rank in 1972:

2

Rank in 1970s:

13

Overall Rank:

45

Average Rating:

 85 (2,352 votes)

Comments:

210

4. (=)

Highway 61 Revisited 

 Bob Dylan

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

There's no consensus on the issue, but for my money, this is the album that marked the transformation of "rock and roll" into "rock." Dylan had experimented with rock instrumentation on his previous studio album, but this is a mature effort that instantly and forever changed the parameters of popular song lyrics. And Dylan may have been backed by more empathetic musicians on other albums, but this one featured the tightest band of studio aces who ever managed to put up with him: drummer Bobby Gregg (briefly of the Hawks, soon to be the Band), amateur organist Al Kooper, and best of all, firebrand lead guitarist Mike Bloomfield, who had backed Dylan during his electric debut at the Newport Folk Festival. Bloomfield's stinging lead on "Tombstone Blues" transforms a merely great song into a career highlight, for both himself and Dylan -- no small feat. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]

Year of Release:

1965

Appears in:

2,365 charts

Rank Score:

27,383

Rank in 1965:

1

Rank in 1960s:

8

Overall Rank:

27

Average Rating:

 89 (2,819 votes)

Comments:

228

5. (=)

Are You Experienced 

 The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

A debut album that plays like a greatest hits collection: "Purple Haze," "Manic Depression," "Hey Joe," "The Wind Cries Mary," "Fire," "Foxy Lady"...they're all here. And the rest of the album demonstrates a whole new way to listen to and play rock's predominant instrument, the electric guitar. It's a whole new language for the blues, too, taking the decades-old 12-bar structure and adding beats that stretch the possibilities of both the melody and the lyrics. All three of his studio albums are exceptional, but this one showcases the full measure of the revolutionary ideas he'd been crafting for years and years behind the scenes. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

2,218 charts

Rank Score:

21,556

Rank in 1967:

4

Rank in 1960s:

12

Overall Rank:

39

Average Rating:

 87 (2,493 votes)

Comments:

169

6. (=)

The Velvet Underground & Nico 

 The Velvet Underground & Nico

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

Like Highway 61 Revisited, this album changed the rules. Where Dylan used his lyrical gifts to conceal meaning and identity, Lou Reed and his cohorts conversed in a candid, direct language -- musically and lyrically -- that was downright disturbing. In songs whose subject matter rarely strayed from drugs, sex, drugs, the bohemian underworld, and more drugs, they pretty much invented "alternative" rock as it's come to be understood. This fusion of rock and the avant garde still sounds ahead of its time. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

3,052 charts

Rank Score:

39,924

Rank in 1967:

2

Rank in 1960s:

4

Overall Rank:

10

Average Rating:

 89 (3,550 votes)

Comments:

354

7. (=)

Ramones 

 Ramones

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

Many have played faster, many more have played louder, but none have matched the two with as much heart as the Ramones did on this unforgettable debut. 14 songs hurtle along like a runaway subway train, with the whole ride clocking in at just under 30 minutes. But every track is memorable. If Martians landed on Earth tomorrow and demanded to understand rock and roll, we could do a lot worse than to play them The Great Twenty-Eight, Fun House, and this masterpiece. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]

Year of Release:

1976

Appears in:

1,047 charts

Rank Score:

6,898

Rank in 1976:

3

Rank in 1970s:

54

Overall Rank:

234

Average Rating:

 80 (1,302 votes)

Comments:

104

8. (=)

Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) 

 Led Zeppelin

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

With the Balkanization of the album form that's occurred in the age of iTunes, it's easy to forget how many albums were crafted as units, even if they're ultimately comprised of individual songs. Led Zeppelin considered themselves an album band and never issued any of these classics as a single -- even, perversely, "Stairway to Heaven." The very structure of the album (two uptempo rockers+one acoustic interlude+one side-ending epic, repeat) demands respect for the order. And if the album had only consisted of "Black Dog," "Rock and Roll," "The Battle of Evermore," "Stairway to Heaven," "Misty Mountain Hop," "Four Sticks," and "Goin' to California," it would deserve a high place on this list. But then they added "When the Levee Breaks." [First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

3,156 charts

Rank Score:

38,678

Rank in 1971:

1

Rank in 1970s:

4

Overall Rank:

12

Average Rating:

 90 (3,999 votes)

Comments:

306

9. (=)

The Doors 

 The Doors

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

For better or worse, "Light My Fire" is the song that's come to define this band's themes and intentions, and that's the weakest song on this remarkable debut. Jim Morrison reached for high drama on every one of these 11 tracks (including two covers and Robbie Krieger's "Light My Fire") and only on "The End" does he stumble into melodrama. Which was kind of the point. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

2,422 charts

Rank Score:

26,869

Rank in 1967:

3

Rank in 1960s:

9

Overall Rank:

28

Average Rating:

 87 (2,849 votes)

Comments:

208

10. (=)

The Clash 

 The Clash

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

When Johnny Rotten screamed "I am the Anti-Christ," he sounded like an angry child intending to provoke. When Joe Strummer bellowed "I wanna riot," he sounded like a grown man who felt betrayed, alienated, threatened, and righteously aggrieved at the forces responsible. He and his mates maintained that level of genuine, heartfelt rage throughout every song (the album gives you one chance to catch your breath -- an ace cover of Junior Murvin's "Police and Thieves"). It's exhilarating rather than exhausting, though, because the musicianship is so winning. Mick Jones, for example, deserves scads of credit for demonstrating that a punk guitar solo could be soaring, inspiring, and whimsical, instead of just nasty, brutish, and short. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

903 charts

Rank Score:

5,903

Rank in 1977:

10

Rank in 1970s:

69

Overall Rank:

280

Average Rating:

 82 (1,297 votes)

Comments:

75

• « prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• next »

Total albums: 40. Page 1 of 4

Top 40 Greatest Music Albums composition

Country	Albums	%
	20	50%
	18	45%
	2	5%

Top 40 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Top 40 Greatest Music Albums similar charts

Title	Source	Type	Published	Country
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	chrono331	Overall chart	2013
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	smithc4jc	Overall chart	2014
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	IgorRed94	Overall chart	2013
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	music789	Overall chart	2010
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	shutupnoonecares	Overall chart	2013
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	mikpertt	Overall chart	2015
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	nicholasbertagna	Overall chart	2011
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	harrisfan	Overall chart	2013
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	NEWWAV63	Overall chart	2010
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	deaano4	Overall chart	2013

Top 40 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)

Top 40 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 9 ratings for this chart.

Sort by

• Rating
• Date updated
• Member

Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
90/100  !	09/14/2016 09:05	TheSmiths82-87	1,831	83/100
70/100  !	05/13/2013 17:42	junodog4	712	73/100
95/100  !	04/17/2013 17:56	BasdeWit97	448	89/100
85/100  !	03/30/2013 04:55	MCOTho	48	91/100
70/100  !	03/27/2013 10:33	Boo69	37	81/100

• Related links:
• Top charts

Top 40 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing all 7 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

From CA Dreamin 06/23/2014 20:17 | #115092

Very good taste, but according to your ratings, you haven't listened to almost anything since the '70s. Why not?

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

70/100

From junodog4 05/13/2013 17:42 | #76004

Pretty conventional. I'd be more interested in a chart of your favourites.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

85/100

From MCOTho 03/30/2013 04:55 | #70529

Kinda cliche but still good taste

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

70/100

From Boo69 03/27/2013 10:36 | #70127

Too heavily focused on 60s and 70s for me. I agree that this was the golden era for albums but there are plenty of records from the last 30 years that should be on a best album list.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

80/100

From SingingPeasant96 03/22/2013 06:04 | #69493

It seems pretty conventional,
but nice chart actually.
I just hope you try post-70's.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From Jasonconfused 03/09/2013 02:21 | #67499

Already one of my favorite. Can't wait to see it grow.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From Cymro2011 03/02/2013 17:10 | #66702

Really good chart, looking forward to see this expanded to 100.

Welcome to BEA!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Your feedback for Top 40 Greatest Music Albums

Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!