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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“You ain’t a beauty but hey, you’re alright, and that’s alright with me” - Thunder Road
“There’s an opera out on the turnpike, there’s a ballet being fought out in the alley” - Jungleland
“It’s a town full of losers, and I’m pulling out of here to win” - Thunder Road
Almost every album I’ve listened to has moments that aren’t as good as others. This album is 110% all the way through. There’s no sour spots; every lyric, every measure, every beat is intentional and perfectly executed. Bruce Springsteen wanted to make an album that sounded like it was written by Bob Dylan, produced by Phil Specter, and sung by Roy Orbison. I don’t know if he got the Orbison bit down, but the rest is uncanny, it’s a holy combination of all the greatest elements of rock music, plus something so unique to Springsteen that can make anyone identify with the down-on-his-luck loser growing up in a working-class New Jersey factory town, longing to get out and do something greater. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
“There’s an opera out on the turnpike, there’s a ballet being fought out in the alley” - Jungleland
“It’s a town full of losers, and I’m pulling out of here to win” - Thunder Road
Almost every album I’ve listened to has moments that aren’t as good as others. This album is 110% all the way through. There’s no sour spots; every lyric, every measure, every beat is intentional and perfectly executed. Bruce Springsteen wanted to make an album that sounded like it was written by Bob Dylan, produced by Phil Specter, and sung by Roy Orbison. I don’t know if he got the Orbison bit down, but the rest is uncanny, it’s a holy combination of all the greatest elements of rock music, plus something so unique to Springsteen that can make anyone identify with the down-on-his-luck loser growing up in a working-class New Jersey factory town, longing to get out and do something greater. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,423
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
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Comments:
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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:
20,366
Rank in 2005:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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“He just smoked my eyelids and punched my cigarette” - Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
“I didn't mean to make you so sad. You just happened to be there, that's all” - One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)
The poet is at his lyrical best here. I don’t claim to understand every single lyric, but what I can say is that Dylan sings of love, loss, life, humanity, and hope for a better tomorrow for all of us. And that all resonates with me here more so than on any of his other albums. My late uncle was a massive Dylan fan, and while I never got the chance to talk to him about what were his favorite songs or albums, I’m happy to continue his interests. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
“I didn't mean to make you so sad. You just happened to be there, that's all” - One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)
The poet is at his lyrical best here. I don’t claim to understand every single lyric, but what I can say is that Dylan sings of love, loss, life, humanity, and hope for a better tomorrow for all of us. And that all resonates with me here more so than on any of his other albums. My late uncle was a massive Dylan fan, and while I never got the chance to talk to him about what were his favorite songs or albums, I’m happy to continue his interests. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
24,900
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Rank in 1960s:
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“I wrote the music for dancing and listening. It is true music with much and many of my meanings. It is my living epitaph from birth til the day I first heard of Bird and Diz. Now it is me again.” - Charles Mingus, March 13, 1963 (from the liner notes)
This wasn’t my introduction to jazz. It wasn’t even my introduction to Mingus. But my first time listening to this album was what really cemented my love for jazz, the last great pillar of music which I’d yet to devote a significant amount of my listening time to. This is also the only album I’ve ever listened to where after the first time, I thought “holy shit, this needs to go into my top 10 of all time”. And on every subsequent re-listen, I’ve thought “well deserved, maybe this should be higher than #8” or something of similar sentiment. [First added to this chart: 12/26/2023]
This wasn’t my introduction to jazz. It wasn’t even my introduction to Mingus. But my first time listening to this album was what really cemented my love for jazz, the last great pillar of music which I’d yet to devote a significant amount of my listening time to. This is also the only album I’ve ever listened to where after the first time, I thought “holy shit, this needs to go into my top 10 of all time”. And on every subsequent re-listen, I’ve thought “well deserved, maybe this should be higher than #8” or something of similar sentiment. [First added to this chart: 12/26/2023]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,001
Rank in 1963:
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Comments:
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“You lose your way, just take my hand. You're lost at sea, then I’ll command your boat to me. Don't look too far, right where you are, that's where I am” - Mariners Apartment Complex
“You’re beautiful and I’m insane. We’re American-made” - Venice Bitch
“If this is it, I’m signing off. I miss doing nothing most of all” - The Greatest
The waves of ennui shifted dramatically in late 2019. [First added to this chart: 11/20/2019]
“You’re beautiful and I’m insane. We’re American-made” - Venice Bitch
“If this is it, I’m signing off. I miss doing nothing most of all” - The Greatest
The waves of ennui shifted dramatically in late 2019. [First added to this chart: 11/20/2019]
Year of Release:
2019
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,642
Rank in 2019:
Rank in 2010s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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“How does it feel to be on your own with no direction home?” - Like a Rolling Stone
“When you asked me how I was doing, was that some kind of joke?” - Desolation Row [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
“When you asked me how I was doing, was that some kind of joke?” - Desolation Row [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,388
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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“Remembrances of holy days in Tarrytown and Rye, I don’t want to live like this, but I don’t want to die”
“You ought to spare your face the razor, because no one’s going to spare their time for you” - Obvious Bicycle [First added to this chart: 11/20/2019]
“You ought to spare your face the razor, because no one’s going to spare their time for you” - Obvious Bicycle [First added to this chart: 11/20/2019]
Year of Release:
2013
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,342
Rank in 2013:
Rank in 2010s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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“When they said ‘sit down’ I stood up. Ooh growin’ up” - Growin’ Up
The storytelling on Growin' Up and The River presents some of the best I've ever heard, despite not being lyrics to the songs. [First added to this chart: 12/26/2023]
The storytelling on Growin' Up and The River presents some of the best I've ever heard, despite not being lyrics to the songs. [First added to this chart: 12/26/2023]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
447
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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“Love in our life is just too valuable, oh, to feel for even a second without it. But life without death is just impossible, oh, to realize something is ending within us” - Feeling Yourself Disintegrate
“Is it getting heavy? Well, I thought it was already as heavy as can be” - Waitin’ for a Superman
Another excellent recording: The Soft Bulletin Recorded Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, by The Flaming Lips featuring the Colorado Symphony (2019) [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
“Is it getting heavy? Well, I thought it was already as heavy as can be” - Waitin’ for a Superman
Another excellent recording: The Soft Bulletin Recorded Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, by The Flaming Lips featuring the Colorado Symphony (2019) [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,973
Rank in 1999:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The 1998 re-release is essential because it presents the full concert, including “Walkin’” and “En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor (adagio from Concierto de Aranjuez)”. That said, I own the original 1962 LP version, and it’s still wonderful without these tracks and the edited setlist.
Total albums: 45. Page 1 of 5
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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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Sufjan Stevens | 3 | 3% | |
| Muse | 3 | 3% | |
| Queen | 3 | 3% | |
| Miles Davis | 3 | 3% | |
| Charles Mingus | 3 | 3% | |
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 3% | |
| King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | 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
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | EyeKanFly | 2010s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  22erik22 | Overall chart | 2019 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | EyeKanFly | 1960s decade chart | 2024 | |
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Top 100 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.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 67 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/02/2025 11:18 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,105 | 85/100 |
| ! | 08/28/2024 11:44 | mianfei | 168 | 62/100 |
| ! | 08/23/2024 18:36 |  Tamthebam | 633 | 85/100 |
| ! | 05/13/2024 02:38 |  AvalancheGrips | 128 | 89/100 |
| ! | 04/12/2023 20:33 |  pedro1976 | 107 | 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
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 49 comments |
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From mianfei 08/28/2024 11:43 | #304995
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)
From 
Mercury 10/23/2021 01:15 | #275281
Mercury 10/23/2021 01:15 | #275281
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)
From leniad 08/30/2021 20:07 | #273081
agree with majority
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
seb7 04/15/2021 21:10 | #268587
seb7 04/15/2021 21:10 | #268587
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)
From 
RoundTheBend 01/01/2021 17:58 | #263587
RoundTheBend 01/01/2021 17:58 | #263587
In an alternate universe, I could see this being my list. Dig it.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Larcx13 11/11/2020 12:42 | #260622
Larcx13 11/11/2020 12:42 | #260622
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)
From vancevisuals 06/25/2020 21:02 | #254508
i like the Boss...
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
StefanR10 06/25/2020 19:03 | #254502
StefanR10 06/25/2020 19:03 | #254502
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)
From 
revolver94 04/14/2020 02:50 | #249913
revolver94 04/14/2020 02:50 | #249913
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)
From pctrooper 01/25/2020 00:34 | #247143
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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