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.

There are 48 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 63 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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Collector's summary (filtered)Log in or register to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!

This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1980s. (Remove this filter)

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Buy album United States
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“I am convinced that the future music of this country must be founded on what are called Negro melodies. These can be the foundation of a serious and original school of composition, to be developed in the United States. These beautiful and varied themes are the product of the soil. They are the folk songs of America and your composers must turn to them.” - Antonín Dvořák to Jeanette Thurber, 1892

Sometimes it takes an immigrant to show America what it truly is and what it can be. This monumental symphony soars tall above all others that came before, and in my view marks the epitome and end of the classical era and ushers in a new era, both modern classical music and the dominance of jazz as an art form. This album is here because of the flawless recording of Dvořák’s 9th Symphony, but using Smetana’s Die Moldau as the companion piece is a wonderful complement.

Other excellent recordings: Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic (1962); István Kertész / London Symphony Orchestra (1967)
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
179
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Buy album United States
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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]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
501
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Comments:
32. (50) Up18
Stop Making Sense 
Live soundtrack
Buy album United States
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“This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, this ain’t no fooling around. No time for dancing, or lovey-dovey, I ain’t got time for that now” - Life During Wartime [First added to this chart: 11/20/2019]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,376
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Average Rating:
Comments:
40. (20) Down20
Buy album United States
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“For he who grew up tall and proud in the shadow of the mushroom cloud, convinced our voices can’t be heard: we just wanna scream it louder and louder and louder!” - Hammer to Fall [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,092
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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“Have you seen or have you heard the way she plays? There are no words to describe the way I feel” - She Bangs the Drums [First added to this chart: 04/13/2013]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,015
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Comments:
Buy album United States
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“Teenage kicks can’t die” - Goodbye, our Pastels Badges / さようならパステルズ・バッヂ
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
85
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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“You can’t start a fire without a spark” - Dancing in the Dark [First added to this chart: 11/20/2019]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,295
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
73. (37) Down36
Rio 
Buy album United States
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“I’m on the hunt, I’m after you. Mouth is alive with juices like wine” - Hungry Like the Wolf [First added to this chart: 11/20/2019]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,158
Rank in 1982:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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“In the land of the blind be…king, king, king, king” - Dominion / Mother Russia
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,144
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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While Mozart’s last symphonies (~Nos. 32-40) are most typically considered his greatest, Nos. 25 & 29 are by far my favorites.
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
36
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 11. Page 1 of 2

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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%
Country Albums %


United States 45 45%
United Kingdom 27 27%
Mixed Nationality 7 7%
Japan 5 5%
Germany 4 4%
France 2 2%
Canada 2 2%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 97 97%
Yes 3 3%
Live? Albums %
No 97 97%
Yes 3 3%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 93 93%
Yes 7 7%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest fallers
Faller Down 57 from 34th to 91st
Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul
by Otis Redding
Faller Down 52 from 23rd to 75th
Abbey Road
by The Beatles
Faller Down 47 from 22nd to 69th
Die Mensch·Maschine [The Man-Machine]
by Kraftwerk
New entries
New entryDvořák: Symphonie No. 9; Bedřich Smetana: Die Moldau
by Herbert von Karajan / Wiener Philharmoniker
New entryBeethoven: 9 Symphonien
by Herbert Von Karajan / Berliner Philharmoniker
New entryI'm In Your Mind Fuzz
by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
New entryCamera Talk
by Flipper's Guitar
New entryMiles Davis At Carnegie Hall
by Miles Davis
New entryAfrique Victime
by Mdou Moctar
New entryElgar: Cello Concerto; Sea Pictures
by Sir John Barbirolli / London Symphony Orchestra / Jacqueline Du Pré / Janet Baker
New entryBrahms: Symphonie Nr. 4
by Herbert Von Karajan / Berliner Philharmoniker
New entryParadigmes
by La Femme
New entryGreatest Hits
by Diana Ross & The Supremes
New entryTen Love Songs
by Susanne Sundfør
New entryPastel Blues
by Nina Simone
New entryKhachaturian: Concerto For Piano And Orchestra
by Serge Koussevitzky / Boston Symphony Orchestra / William Kapell
New entryRachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff: The 4 Piano Concertos & Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini
by Eugene Ormandy / Sergei Rachmaninoff / Leopold Stokowski / The Philadelphia Orchestra
New entryThree Cheers For Our Side
by Flipper's Guitar
New entryBizet: Carmen
by Sir Georg Solti / The London Philharmonic Orchestra / Tatiana Troyanos / Placido Domingo / Kiri Te Kanawa / José Van Dam
New entryFolklore
by Taylor Swift
New entryStar Wars
by John Williams (US)
New entryFantasma
by コーネリアス [Cornelius]
New entry10 000 Lépés
by Omega (HU)
New entryPunisher
by Phoebe Bridgers
New entryFloodland
by The Sisters Of Mercy
New entryMozart: Symphonies Nos. 25, 28 & 29
by Sir Charles Mackerras / Prague Chamber Orchestra
New entrySuper Mario Galaxy: Original Soundtrack
by Mario Galaxy Orchestra
New entrySex, Death And The Infinite Void
by Creeper
New entryWest Side Story (The Original Sound Track Recording)
by Various Artists
New entryBlack Unity
by Pharoah Sanders
New entryOmnium Gatherum
by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
New entryMendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3, 4, 5
by Wolfgang Sawallisch / New Philharmonia Orchestra
New entryDifferent Class
by Pulp
New entryPromises
by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
89/100 (from 63 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
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 63 ratings for this chart.

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RatingDate updatedMemberChart ratingsAvg. chart rating
  
90/100
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04/12/2023 20:33 pedro1976  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 8584/100
  
100/100
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04/03/2022 13:13 pa  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 46391/100
  
100/100
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10/23/2021 01:10 Mercury  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 25695/100
  
95/100
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08/30/2021 20:07 leniad  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 68785/100
  
85/100
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04/22/2021 16:16 WillyMac  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 9686/100

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 88.9/100, a mean average of 88.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.7.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 48 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
100/100
From 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)
Rating:  
95/100
From 08/30/2021 20:07
agree with majority
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 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)
Rating:  
90/100
From 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)
Rating:  
90/100
From 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)
Rating:  
85/100
From 06/25/2020 21:02
i like the Boss...
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 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)
Rating:  
100/100
From 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) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 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)
Rating:  
95/100
From 02/09/2015 02:55
theres a typo in the description of dark side just as a heads up
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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