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.
There are 7 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 40 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 86 out of 100 (from 9 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1950s. (Remove this filter)
Albums from rock and roll's pioneer days were crafted by record company executives, not the performers. So perhaps it's unfair to include Elvis' first hits + filler collection on a list like this. But one man's filler is another man's hit, and Elvis' feet never touched the ground between 1954 and 1956. RCA had just purchased Elvis' contract from Sun Records (for the Ruthian sum of $35,000) with a handful of his unreleased Sun recordings to boot, some of which are included here. His one stumble is a watery cover of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," leaving Elvis sounding about as clueless as Pat Boone. Everywhere else, he triumphs, covering Ray Charles ("I Got a Woman"), Clyde McPhatter ("Money Honey"), and, best of all, transforming a song that had already been a huge hit for Carl Perkins ("Blue Suede Shoes") into his own signature tune. Not for nothing was he the King.
[First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]
Year of Release:
1956
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,002
Rank in 1956:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Another cheat, maybe, but put "Maybelline," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Johnny B. Goode," "Carol," and "Almost Grown" on the same non-greatest hits disc, and the only question can be: Why doesn't this rank higher? The answer: "Hey Pedro," a cringe-inducing Mexican caricature that showed that racism was an equal-opportunity venture in 1960.
[First added to this chart: 03/14/2013]
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,548
Rank in 1959:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
This long player was cobbled together two years after Little Richard began recording songs for Specialty Records -- time enough for him to have changed the music irrevocably with the likes of "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," "Ready Teddy," and "Rip It Up." The mainstream had already tried and failed to quiet his wild sound; Richard claimed that he'd recorded "Long Tall Sally" to frustrate the cover market after hearing Pat Boone's white-bread-and-mayonnaise version of "Tutti Frutti." But if he ever worried about history, he needn't have. Rock and roll has sped up since then, but it's never surpassed this intensity. Now shut up.
[First added to this chart: 03/29/2013]
Year of Release:
1957
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,199
Rank in 1957:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 3. Page 1 of 1
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Top 40 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 3 | 8% | |
| 1960s | 14 | 35% | |
| 1970s | 21 | 53% | |
| 1980s | 1 | 3% | |
| 1990s | 1 | 3% | |
| 2000s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2010s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Beatles | 4 | 10% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 4 | 10% | |
| The Clash | 2 | 5% | |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 1 | 3% | |
| Bob Dylan | 1 | 3% | |
| David Bowie | 1 | 3% | |
| The Beach Boys | 1 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
There have been no changes to this chart.Top 40 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
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Top 40 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
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Top 40 Greatest Music Albums ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 9 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/14/2016 09:05 | TheSmiths82-87 | 1,829 | 83/100 | |
| 05/13/2013 17:42 |  junodog4 | 712 | 73/100 | |
| 04/17/2013 17:56 |  BasdeWit97 | 448 | 89/100 | |
| 03/30/2013 04:55 |  MCOTho | 48 | 91/100 | |
| 03/27/2013 10:33 | Boo69 | 37 | 81/100 |
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing all 7 comments |
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From 
CA Dreamin 06/23/2014 20:17 | #115092
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)
From junodog4 05/13/2013 17:42 | #76004
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)
From MCOTho 03/30/2013 04:55 | #70529
MCOTho 03/30/2013 04:55 | #70529
Kinda cliche but still good taste
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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)
From 
SingingPeasant96 03/22/2013 06:04 | #69493
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)
From 
Jasonconfused 03/09/2013 02:21 | #67499
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)
From 
Cymro2011 03/02/2013 17:10 | #66702
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)
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| Best Ever Artists | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Beatles | |
| 2. Radiohead | |
| 3. Pink Floyd | |
| 4. David Bowie | |
| 5. Bob Dylan | |
| 6. Led Zeppelin | |
| 7. The Rolling Stones | |
| 8. Arcade Fire | |
| 9. Neil Young | |
| 10. Nirvana | |
| 11. The Velvet Underground | |
| 12. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 13. Miles Davis | |
| 14. The Smiths | |
| 15. R.E.M. | |
| 16. The Beach Boys | |
| 17. Kanye West | |
| 18. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 19. The Cure | |
| 20. Pixies |
