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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The greatest album ever released! How else can the first on the list be introduced? This truly is the peak of Morrissey and Johnny Marr's careers, both a genius in their own field; Morrissey's words and original vocal delivery and Johnny Marr's endless supply of melodies and great guitar hooks.
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out is as chilling in its sadness as it is uplifting in its romanticism.
Cemetry Gates makes it all seem so easy and natural.
Frankly Mr Shankly has one of the funniest lyrics I have ever heard without making the song novelty.
And with Vicar In A Tutu proving that even the very greatest albums still have at least one filler track, this still blows everything else out of the water. This is art.
Best Tracks:
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
I Know It's Over
Cemetry Gates
Frankly Mr Shankly
The Queen Is Dead [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out is as chilling in its sadness as it is uplifting in its romanticism.
Cemetry Gates makes it all seem so easy and natural.
Frankly Mr Shankly has one of the funniest lyrics I have ever heard without making the song novelty.
And with Vicar In A Tutu proving that even the very greatest albums still have at least one filler track, this still blows everything else out of the water. This is art.
Best Tracks:
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
I Know It's Over
Cemetry Gates
Frankly Mr Shankly
The Queen Is Dead [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
39,125
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
264
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An immaculate album, where it has been said many times that every song here could’ve been a single, and indeed a lot of them were singles in the wilderness years between this release and the spectacularly average Second Coming in 1994 as the record company tried to squeeze this masterpiece dry.
The reissue always seems to include Elephant Stone and Fools Gold which are both great songs but for me, don’t really belong here.
From the unmistakable bass intro of I Wanna Be Adored to the closing epic jam of I Am The Resurrection, this is one hell of a ride which in turn has spawned a thousand crap bands in flares and Beatles haircuts. But we forgive them. The Roses I mean, not the crap bands.
Best Tracks:
Made Of Stone
Waterfall
I Wanna Be Adored
I Am The Resurrection
She Bangs The Drums [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
The reissue always seems to include Elephant Stone and Fools Gold which are both great songs but for me, don’t really belong here.
From the unmistakable bass intro of I Wanna Be Adored to the closing epic jam of I Am The Resurrection, this is one hell of a ride which in turn has spawned a thousand crap bands in flares and Beatles haircuts. But we forgive them. The Roses I mean, not the crap bands.
Best Tracks:
Made Of Stone
Waterfall
I Wanna Be Adored
I Am The Resurrection
She Bangs The Drums [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,874
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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As debut albums go, this is part of an elite few that can be considered an immediate classic. But this album is fairly underrated and never really receives the credit that the Queen Is Dead gets, but this really holds its own alongside those other great debuts like the Velvet Underground & Nico, The Stone Roses, Unknown Pleasures, Never Mind The Bollocks and The Doors.
Lyrically and melodically, almost everything is irresistible here, the production occasionally lets itself down and these songs arguably found a better home with better production on the Hatful Of Hollow compilation that followed, but this is still a monumental recording.
Best Tracks:
Reel Around The Fountain
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
Suffer Little Children
What Difference Does It Make
Still Ill [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
Lyrically and melodically, almost everything is irresistible here, the production occasionally lets itself down and these songs arguably found a better home with better production on the Hatful Of Hollow compilation that followed, but this is still a monumental recording.
Best Tracks:
Reel Around The Fountain
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
Suffer Little Children
What Difference Does It Make
Still Ill [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,645
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Where the debut album was very poetic and reasonably gentle, the follow up here was direct and quite brutal, there seems to be a violent episode in each song, from the tough school regime to a fairground stabbing, from a murdered policeman to someone smoking because they are hoping for an early death, and so on.
Of course the most persistent image of violence is saved for the title track with its battlecry for vegetarians everywhere.
Marr’s writing here was also far removed from his jingly jangly approach previously, whether that be on the complex The Headmaster Ritual or the majestic Well I Wonder.
The production is not as murky as the debut album which would have a lot to do with the onset of Morrissey and Marr’s production credits and this proved to be the perfect bridge between the debut and the Queen Is Dead which would follow later.
‘And if you ever need self-validation, just meet me in the alley by the railway station’
Best Tracks:
Well I Wonder
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
The Headmaster Ritual
I Want The One I Can't Have
Rusholme Ruffians [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
Of course the most persistent image of violence is saved for the title track with its battlecry for vegetarians everywhere.
Marr’s writing here was also far removed from his jingly jangly approach previously, whether that be on the complex The Headmaster Ritual or the majestic Well I Wonder.
The production is not as murky as the debut album which would have a lot to do with the onset of Morrissey and Marr’s production credits and this proved to be the perfect bridge between the debut and the Queen Is Dead which would follow later.
‘And if you ever need self-validation, just meet me in the alley by the railway station’
Best Tracks:
Well I Wonder
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
The Headmaster Ritual
I Want The One I Can't Have
Rusholme Ruffians [First added to this chart: 03/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,856
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Widely regarded as the best Fall album, but not necessarily the one to try first for anyone curious enough to dive in. It doesn't have the more commercial appeal of the Brix influenced albums which followed. Although the word 'commercial' in Fall terms still vastly differs from most other band's definition of commercial.
The kick off of the Classical is a jolting, intense experience and it doesn't really ease up from there, culminating in the relentless And This Day, this is the one track here which I have never particularly cared for but everything else is well worth a listen.
Best Tracks:
Winter
The Classical
Iceland
Hip Priest
Jawbone And The Air Rifle [First added to this chart: 03/30/2013]
The kick off of the Classical is a jolting, intense experience and it doesn't really ease up from there, culminating in the relentless And This Day, this is the one track here which I have never particularly cared for but everything else is well worth a listen.
Best Tracks:
Winter
The Classical
Iceland
Hip Priest
Jawbone And The Air Rifle [First added to this chart: 03/30/2013]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,459
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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A little more gentle on the ear than the fire and brimstone of Hex, Brix's influence can be heard throughout adding a melodic touch to the preceedings. Garden is a particular favourite here, lyrically it baffles and impresses in equal measure like all the great Fall tracks. 'His veiled sex seeps through his management sloth' - there's also some great lines like this delivered in Hexen Definitive/Strife Knot which also gives us two songs for the price of one.
Best Tracks:
Garden
Smile
Eat Y'self Fitter
Hexen Definitive/Strife Knot
Tempo House [First added to this chart: 03/30/2013]
Best Tracks:
Garden
Smile
Eat Y'self Fitter
Hexen Definitive/Strife Knot
Tempo House [First added to this chart: 03/30/2013]
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A precurser to Hex from 1980, track for track it more or less equals anything in the Fall's cannon, except for the inevitable token out-there experimental track of WMC Blob 59 which doesn't really serve much purpose. There's wonderful wordplay in English Scheme and New Face In Hell, tales of Hitler on speed in Gramme Friday and very dark subject matter in Impression Of J Temperance which make this...well, just your typical Fall album I suppose, but one of their best.
Best Tracks:
New Face In Hell
The Container Drivers
English Scheme
The NWRA
Impression Of J Temperance [First added to this chart: 03/30/2013]
Best Tracks:
New Face In Hell
The Container Drivers
English Scheme
The NWRA
Impression Of J Temperance [First added to this chart: 03/30/2013]
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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:
13,095
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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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:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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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
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 22. Page 1 of 3
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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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Radiohead | 4 | 4% | |
| The Beatles | 4 | 4% | |
| David Bowie | 4 | 4% | |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4% | |
| The Doors | 4 | 4% | |
| Leonard Cohen | 4 | 4% | |
| The Smiths | 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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| 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 |