Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by TheSmiths82-87 
A maximum of four albums per artist
- Chart updated: 01/18/2022 22:45
- (Created: 03/25/2013 15:38).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 74 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 86 out of 100 (from 154 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Like Nick Drake, Tom Waits seems to have flown under my radar for so many years, but unlike Nick Drake, Waits has an enormous wealth of treasures to discover. For me, lyrically, I would place him just after Morrissey but up there with Dylan, Cohen, Lou Reed etc – he really is an original beat poet. And the one thing in common with all those lyricists is their sense of humour and the ability to interject this into a song that often takes you by surprise.
I had Swordfishtrombones for about 15 years before I truly appreciated it and I suppose like many, the voice was the main hurdle to begin with, and it is an acquired taste of course. It’s a bit like when you have your first beer, you think how the hell can I ever like this, but then after a while it becomes a big part of your life!
The early albums feature some great songwriting such as Martha, Looking For The Heart Of Saturday Night and Ol’ ’55, the more recent albums still feature some of his greatest tracks like Hoist That Rag, God’s Away On Business and Take It With Me, but for me his greatest period are the trilogy of albums in the 80’s and Rain Dogs is the pick of the bunch. The first 5 songs are incredible and there are still many delights to follow.
Best Tracks:
Tango Till They're Sore
Singapore
Cemetery Polka
Jockey Full Of Bourbon
Time [First added to this chart: 09/29/2014]
I had Swordfishtrombones for about 15 years before I truly appreciated it and I suppose like many, the voice was the main hurdle to begin with, and it is an acquired taste of course. It’s a bit like when you have your first beer, you think how the hell can I ever like this, but then after a while it becomes a big part of your life!
The early albums feature some great songwriting such as Martha, Looking For The Heart Of Saturday Night and Ol’ ’55, the more recent albums still feature some of his greatest tracks like Hoist That Rag, God’s Away On Business and Take It With Me, but for me his greatest period are the trilogy of albums in the 80’s and Rain Dogs is the pick of the bunch. The first 5 songs are incredible and there are still many delights to follow.
Best Tracks:
Tango Till They're Sore
Singapore
Cemetery Polka
Jockey Full Of Bourbon
Time [First added to this chart: 09/29/2014]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,091
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
85
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The most highly regarded album by the Fall on this particular site, and this album does still have much to shout about, it is better for example than the further trio of Brix albums that followed it. However, in my opinion it cannot compete with the likes of Grotesque, Hex or Perverted By Language, the songs aren't quite as good.
As an album it is quite consistent but it doesn't have that one truly exceptional Fall track on it, it has about five tracks that are very good which is almost enough really.
Best Tracks:
My New House
Paintwork
Barmy
I Am Damo Suzuki
Spoilt Victorian Child
Bombast
What You Need [First added to this chart: 03/01/2018]
As an album it is quite consistent but it doesn't have that one truly exceptional Fall track on it, it has about five tracks that are very good which is almost enough really.
Best Tracks:
My New House
Paintwork
Barmy
I Am Damo Suzuki
Spoilt Victorian Child
Bombast
What You Need [First added to this chart: 03/01/2018]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,892
Rank in 1985:
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Morrissey's solo debut pretty much carried on where the Smiths left off, it was certainly on a par with Strangeways Here We Come, which had appeared only 6 months prior. This was a very nostalgic collection of songs for Morrissey which very clearly reached back into the early 70's.
Viva Hate was Morrissey's first number 1 album since Meat Is Murder with the Smiths and it spawned two top ten singles in Suedehead and the majestic Everyday Is Like Sunday.
Best Tracks:
Everyday Is Like Sunday
Suedehead
Late Night Maudlin Street
Dial A Cliché
The Ordinary Boys [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
Viva Hate was Morrissey's first number 1 album since Meat Is Murder with the Smiths and it spawned two top ten singles in Suedehead and the majestic Everyday Is Like Sunday.
Best Tracks:
Everyday Is Like Sunday
Suedehead
Late Night Maudlin Street
Dial A Cliché
The Ordinary Boys [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,583
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The Smiths final studio album. Both Morrissey and Marr have previously stated this is their favourite Smiths album. It does have some wonderful tracks like Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me, Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before and Paint A Vulgar Picture. I Won't Share You is the perfect closing track for the final album.
Although I do love this album, for me it does contain a couple of filler tracks in Death At Ones Elbow and Unhappy Birthday. Now, filler for the Smiths is still a good deal better than most bands best tracks but overall this LP doesn't quite compete with The Queen Is Dead, Meat Is Murder or The Smiths.
Best Tracks:
I Won't Share You
Paint A Vulgar Picture
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
Although I do love this album, for me it does contain a couple of filler tracks in Death At Ones Elbow and Unhappy Birthday. Now, filler for the Smiths is still a good deal better than most bands best tracks but overall this LP doesn't quite compete with The Queen Is Dead, Meat Is Murder or The Smiths.
Best Tracks:
I Won't Share You
Paint A Vulgar Picture
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,376
Rank in 1987:
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Best Tracks:
Gimme Shelter
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Midnight Rambler
Let It Bleed
Live With Me [First added to this chart: 03/26/2013]
Gimme Shelter
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Midnight Rambler
Let It Bleed
Live With Me [First added to this chart: 03/26/2013]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,818
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Possibly underrated if that can ever be said of the Velvet Underground, as they are held in the highest esteem by critics and your more serious music fan, but of course they never had any commercial success.
This album does not include any anthems like White Light White Heat, Sister Ray, Sweet Jane or anything off the first album. Pale Blue Eyes is possibly the finest track here but there is a consistency throughout the track listing. The songs are more mellow and reflective, of course John Cale had left and taken the drone from his viola with him. There is still not a bad track here, Murder Mystery is a good idea, but is perhaps more interesting than enjoyable, but everything else is great.
Best Tracks:
Pale Blue Eyes
What Goes On
Some Kinda Love
Beginning To See The Light
I'm Set Free [First added to this chart: 03/26/2013]
This album does not include any anthems like White Light White Heat, Sister Ray, Sweet Jane or anything off the first album. Pale Blue Eyes is possibly the finest track here but there is a consistency throughout the track listing. The songs are more mellow and reflective, of course John Cale had left and taken the drone from his viola with him. There is still not a bad track here, Murder Mystery is a good idea, but is perhaps more interesting than enjoyable, but everything else is great.
Best Tracks:
Pale Blue Eyes
What Goes On
Some Kinda Love
Beginning To See The Light
I'm Set Free [First added to this chart: 03/26/2013]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,789
Rank in 1969:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Excellent 3rd album from Leonard Cohen, lyrically dazzling as you would expect, but it also has quite a rich sound despite the sparse instrumentation. Like this album, I think Cohen's voice is quite underrated.
Only 8 tracks is its only downfall, but it does contain two of his best in Last Years Man and Famous Blue Raincoat, but I get the feeling that in years to come a song like Joan Of Arc will have grown on me in stature.
Best Tracks:
Famous Blue Raincoat
Last Years Man
Joan Of Arc
Avalanche
Dress Rehearsal rag [First added to this chart: 03/30/2013]
Only 8 tracks is its only downfall, but it does contain two of his best in Last Years Man and Famous Blue Raincoat, but I get the feeling that in years to come a song like Joan Of Arc will have grown on me in stature.
Best Tracks:
Famous Blue Raincoat
Last Years Man
Joan Of Arc
Avalanche
Dress Rehearsal rag [First added to this chart: 03/30/2013]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,861
Rank in 1971:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The Doors arrived fully formed, three great musicians along with Jim Morrison, the Lizard King who oozed charisma and wrote dark poetry.
And they created this wonderful debut album with almost every track their own work. Jim’s poetry defined the darker songs like The End, The Crystal Ship and Break On Through but the album also included the more commercial Robbie Krieger penned Light My Fire which is of course their biggest hit.
They went on to release another 4 excellent albums but this one for me still has the edge on the others.
Best Tracks:
The End
The Crystal Ship
Break On Through
Light My Fire
Take It As It Comes [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
And they created this wonderful debut album with almost every track their own work. Jim’s poetry defined the darker songs like The End, The Crystal Ship and Break On Through but the album also included the more commercial Robbie Krieger penned Light My Fire which is of course their biggest hit.
They went on to release another 4 excellent albums but this one for me still has the edge on the others.
Best Tracks:
The End
The Crystal Ship
Break On Through
Light My Fire
Take It As It Comes [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
29,102
Rank in 1967:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
39. (=)
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Best Tracks:
The State I Am In
Expectations
We Rule The School
She's Losing It
I Don't Love Anyone [First added to this chart: 03/26/2013]
The State I Am In
Expectations
We Rule The School
She's Losing It
I Don't Love Anyone [First added to this chart: 03/26/2013]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,974
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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Lou Reed's Bowie produced masterpiece, this was still from the same dark side of the street where the Velvet Underground roamed but it was made a little more alluring for a wider audience. Contains the big three solo songs - Walk On The Wild Side, Satellite Of Love and Perfect Day, but there is also very little filler here, maybe Wagon Wheel.
Best Tracks:
Perfect Day
Walk On The Wild Side
Satellite Of Love
Vicious
Hangin' Round [First added to this chart: 03/30/2013]
Best Tracks:
Perfect Day
Walk On The Wild Side
Satellite Of Love
Vicious
Hangin' Round [First added to this chart: 03/30/2013]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,138
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 4 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 21 | 21% | |
| 1970s | 36 | 36% | |
| 1980s | 22 | 22% | |
| 1990s | 16 | 16% | |
| 2000s | 4 | 4% | |
| 2010s | 1 | 1% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Smiths | 4 | 4% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 4 | 4% | |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4% | |
| U2 | 4 | 4% | |
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 4% | |
| The Fall | 4 | 4% | |
| Morrissey | 4 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 9 from 60th to 51st Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young & Crazy Horse |
| Up 7 from 87th to 80th After The Gold Rush by Neil Young |
| Up 2 from 81st to 79th Lifes Rich Pageant by R.E.M. |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 6 from 90th to 96th I'm Your Man by Leonard Cohen |
| Down 3 from 78th to 81st Sweet Baby James by James Taylor |
| Down 3 from 79th to 82nd Funeral by Arcade Fire |
| New entries |
|---|
 Moondanceby Van Morrison |
| Harvest by Neil Young |
| Veedon Fleece by Van Morrison |
| On The Beach by Neil Young |
| Saint Dominic's Preview by Van Morrison |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Is This Itby The Strokes |
| Get Happy!! by Elvis Costello And The Attractions |
| Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon by James Taylor |
| Happy Sad by Tim Buckley |
| Forever Breathes The Lonely Word by Felt |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
86/100 (from 154 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 154 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
90/100  | 08/30/2022 10:53 | Thearei30ee | | 88/100 |
 95/100 | 08/14/2021 00:25 | stangetzaway | | 89/100 |
| 70/100 | 06/14/2021 16:14 |  seb7 | | 91/100 |
| 90/100 | 11/29/2020 10:32 |  Goliath | | 86/100 |
| 90/100 | 11/11/2020 23:16 | leniad | | 85/100 |
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 has a Bayesian average rating of 86.5/100, a mean average of 86.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 86.5/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.0.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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70/100
From seb7 06/11/2021 17:03
seb7 06/11/2021 17:03
wow, a whole 10/10 of the top ten of the overall chart, and your own top ten has nothing under the top 100! so original! And, you feature a whole 88 albums sitting within the top 1000.
It did surprise me that you favor the 70s like I do, but it's the same 70s albums that every basic user puts into their chart.
edit: discovered that it's actually 20/20 of the overall chart. Good job, Morrisey Simp
Honestly, I am just salty that you left the 75/100 and left no explanation or comment.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
90/100
From leniad 11/11/2020 23:16
like
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
90/100
From WillyMac 05/04/2020 17:05
I really like your chart and your commentaries. There are 19 albums the same as my chart. It's not just the usual suspects though but things like King of America and The Life Pursuit. Many of your other albums are bubbling under my top 100. Good to see Leonard Cohen getting some love...
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Strattonfox 07/31/2019 20:10
A truly excellent chart with some interesting views
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From Globe02 07/05/2019 22:29
I really enjoyed your write ups for your chart, especially Dark Side.
Cheers!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
gidgidi 06/11/2019 22:23
gidgidi 06/11/2019 22:23
Nice rock picks, cool chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From hailey 01/28/2019 15:51
Pretty great chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
75/100
From 
Julelios 11/09/2018 13:25
Julelios 11/09/2018 13:25
Nice chart !
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
Medelsvensson 10/29/2018 18:41
Medelsvensson 10/29/2018 18:41
Where is the hip hop? And the jazz?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
75/100
From jeffrey-hodgson 10/12/2018 13:06
Don't completely agree but interesting choices
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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