Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
EyeKanFly 
First update since 2020 (major or otherwise)
I've decided to include classical music in the chart, that's the biggest change. I've also embraced soundtracks, compilations, and live music more in the past few years and I think my chart reflects that more now.
While I haven't limited myself to 1 album per artist, I have limited myself to 1 version of each album or piece, which mainly applies to classical (otherwise I could've had a dozen recordings of Dvorak's 9th in my top 100) but also when artists have recorded multiple versions of their albums (e.g. studio and live) or cover versions exist.
All of these albums mean something very important to me, even if some of them didn't originate as "albums" (whether they be classical pieces, soundtracks, live sets, or compilations). Along with my companion charts where I've ranked my top albums all the way out to 1000, I think this presents a clear picture of my favorite music.
- Chart updated: 12/26/2023 22:15
- (Created: 04/13/2013 22:22).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 49 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 67 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 Sufjan Stevens. (Remove this filter)
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“We slept in parking lots, I don’t mind…I’ve made a lot of mistakes, in my mind” - Chicago
“Oh God of Progress, have you degraded or forgot us?” - Come On! Feel the Illinoise! (Part I: The World’s Columbian Exposition – Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream)
I have a vision of a film version of the Devil in the White City, or perhaps a musical or a ballet, which is set to the music of this album. The architects and engineers dance around their table to Come On! Feel the Illinoise! H. H. Holmes paces the hallways of his murder hotel to John Wayne Gacy, Jr. The first Ferris wheel is constructed to The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders. Holmes reckons with his murders to They Are Night Zombies!!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come back from the Dead!! Ahhhh! Daniel Burnham surveys his great white city to The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
“Oh God of Progress, have you degraded or forgot us?” - Come On! Feel the Illinoise! (Part I: The World’s Columbian Exposition – Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream)
I have a vision of a film version of the Devil in the White City, or perhaps a musical or a ballet, which is set to the music of this album. The architects and engineers dance around their table to Come On! Feel the Illinoise! H. H. Holmes paces the hallways of his murder hotel to John Wayne Gacy, Jr. The first Ferris wheel is constructed to The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders. Holmes reckons with his murders to They Are Night Zombies!!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come back from the Dead!! Ahhhh! Daniel Burnham surveys his great white city to The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
Year of Release:
2005
Appears in:
Rank Score:
21,348
Rank in 2005:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
168
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“I would say I love you, but saying it out loud is hard. So I won’t say it at all” - Futile Devices
“When I die, when I die I’ll rot, but when I live, when I live I’ll give it all I’ve got” - Age of Adz [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
“When I die, when I die I’ll rot, but when I live, when I live I’ll give it all I’ve got” - Age of Adz [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,601
Rank in 2010:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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“Nothing can be changed. The past is still the past, the bridge to nowhere. I should have wrote a letter explaining what I feel, that empty feeling” - Should Have Known Better
[First added to this chart: 11/20/2019]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,877
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 3. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 1 | 1% | |
| 1950s | 3 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 21 | 21% | |
| 1970s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1980s | 11 | 11% | |
| 1990s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2000s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2010s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2020s | 7 | 7% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Miles Davis | 3 | 3% | |
| Charles Mingus | 3 | 3% | |
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 3% | |
| Sufjan Stevens | 3 | 3% | |
| Muse | 3 | 3% | |
| Queen | 3 | 3% | |
| Belle And Sebastian | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
45 | 45% | |
 |
27 | 27% | |
 |
7 | 7% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 49 from 85th to 36th Joy As An Act Of Resistance. by Idles |
| Up 48 from 89th to 41st The Original Sound Track Of The Movie Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) by Antônio Carlos Jobim & Luiz Floriano Bonfá |
| Up 42 from 69th to 27th Atrocity Exhibition by Danny Brown |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 57 from 34th to 91st Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul by Otis Redding |
| Down 52 from 23rd to 75th Abbey Road by The Beatles |
| Down 47 from 22nd to 69th Die Mensch·Maschine by Kraftwerk |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Album of Every Year 1940-2021 | EyeKanFly | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| BEA 100 (One Album per Artist) |  BozoTyrannus | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | EyeKanFly | 2010s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  22erik22 | Overall chart | 2019 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | jdizzle123456 | Overall chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  Glitterboiii | Overall chart | 2023 | |
| Rearranging the top 100 |  flamingyesdept | Custom chart | 2022 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | EyeKanFly | 1960s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  antiloopje | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| If The BEA Overall Chart Had A One Album Per Artist Rule... |  Romanelli | Custom chart | 2015 | |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 67 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 67 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
80/100  | 03/02/2025 11:18 | SomethingSpecial | | 85/100 |
80/100 | 08/28/2024 11:44 | mianfei | | 62/100 |
85/100 | 08/23/2024 18:36 |  Tamthebam | | 85/100 |
95/100 | 05/13/2024 02:38 |  AvalancheGrips | | 89/100 |
 90/100 | 04/12/2023 20:33 |  pedro1976 | | 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 is rated in the top 5% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.7/100, a mean average of 88.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.6.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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80/100
From mianfei 08/28/2024 11:43
I like the variation — I agree with your change to include classical music as it adds to the perspective needed for an all-time chart.
Even outside the classical choices, I like the diversity in the chart even if I am anything but a fan of some choices like Muse, Queen, Meatloaf, Pulp and Pink Floyd. There are some really noteworthy choices like ‘Black Unity’ and ‘ArchAndroid’ that are not that often seen.
The notes are worthwhile, too.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Mercury 10/23/2021 01:15
Mercury 10/23/2021 01:15
Some how and for some reason I had this as a 80. Must have been a thumb fuck up or I was in some kinda mood, because, despite not having particularly similar tastes on some fundamental levels, this chart is great! Despite only being 8% objectively correct, its great! (lol I kid of course).
Thanks for nudging me to check out Mitski!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From leniad 08/30/2021 20:07
agree with majority
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
seb7 04/15/2021 21:10
seb7 04/15/2021 21:10
Your 60s/70s/80s picks are amazing. I have the inverse problem with your chart that you have with mine, in that a lot of the 00's/10's picks I haven't listened to. Great chart anyways!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
RoundTheBend 01/01/2021 17:58
RoundTheBend 01/01/2021 17:58
In an alternate universe, I could see this being my list. Dig it.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
Larcx13 11/11/2020 12:42
Larcx13 11/11/2020 12:42
Not the biggest fan of some of your choices, but there's still a lot of interesting stuff on here.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From vancevisuals 06/25/2020 21:02
i like the Boss...
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
StefanR10 06/25/2020 19:03
StefanR10 06/25/2020 19:03
Good album chart I like it some classic here and I like very much to see here Elton John good work. A little bit much Muse and the shins but ok good. So I give you 10 points less.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
revolver94 04/14/2020 02:50
revolver94 04/14/2020 02:50
yes agreed!! nice to see another chart very heavy on the past decade. and yes I like my comments too lol, gives a sense of substance without actually having to think to much ;)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From pctrooper 01/25/2020 00:34
Definitely an interesting and unique chart, but this is honestly a bit of a mixed bag for me as there is a lot of stuff I'm not into. Some cool picks nevertheless. I would really like to get into Mitski's work more but whenever I listen to one of her albums I feel like there are a couple amazing songs and the rest is just underwhelming.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.