Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
benpaco 
Order good words bad but all WIPs are WIPs forever when it comes to me so I might as well not wait to publish this. Hoping to actually write descriptions instead of relying on the ones I wrote in literally high school someday but *shrug*
- Chart updated: 08/03/2019 20:45
- (Created: 07/27/2013 05:01).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 65 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 91 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Lo-fi, Folk
"Someday my pain will mark you"
If the above album is chaos, this is acceptance. Justin wrote this for a high school love, and fittingly, this album found me around the time I fell hard for the first time, entering high school. I heard "RE:Stacks" for the first time on HOUSE and bought the album shortly after. Sent a youtube video of "RE:Stacks" to a friend who was just excited he had a song "named after her" (a running joke).
Fast forward almost 3 years. I'm sitting here today. I'm moved on. This album was the roller coaster that got me through everything everyone knew me as whiny for on this site. This album is to me equal parts love and heartbreak. It's not a tale of maturity - quite the opposite, in fact, Vernon, who'd long since left his "love" has only just realized he's still caught up on someone he never had much of a chance with to begin with - but rather of going "eh, I'm in this, I'll deal". This is the dealing. This is another album which stopped me from doing some stupid things to myself, just because I felt the attachment, felt that someone else had been there.
Favorite song: Terribly difficult choice, but For Emma. Incredibly haunting track, and in context of the album, very different, very built and structured. [First added to this chart: 07/26/2013]
"Someday my pain will mark you"
If the above album is chaos, this is acceptance. Justin wrote this for a high school love, and fittingly, this album found me around the time I fell hard for the first time, entering high school. I heard "RE:Stacks" for the first time on HOUSE and bought the album shortly after. Sent a youtube video of "RE:Stacks" to a friend who was just excited he had a song "named after her" (a running joke).
Fast forward almost 3 years. I'm sitting here today. I'm moved on. This album was the roller coaster that got me through everything everyone knew me as whiny for on this site. This album is to me equal parts love and heartbreak. It's not a tale of maturity - quite the opposite, in fact, Vernon, who'd long since left his "love" has only just realized he's still caught up on someone he never had much of a chance with to begin with - but rather of going "eh, I'm in this, I'll deal". This is the dealing. This is another album which stopped me from doing some stupid things to myself, just because I felt the attachment, felt that someone else had been there.
Favorite song: Terribly difficult choice, but For Emma. Incredibly haunting track, and in context of the album, very different, very built and structured. [First added to this chart: 07/26/2013]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,065
Rank in 2007:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Pop Folk
"Make tiny changes to Earth"
What am I supposed to say now that Scott is gone that hasn't been said? I got to see this album's 10th anniversary tour, which breathed fresh life into an album I already loved. This feels so wrong to listen to at times, and so encouraging at others, and so crushing at other times still. It's a morbid beauty, and one that has brought me such comfort and strength in hard times. [First added to this chart: 11/21/2013]
"Make tiny changes to Earth"
What am I supposed to say now that Scott is gone that hasn't been said? I got to see this album's 10th anniversary tour, which breathed fresh life into an album I already loved. This feels so wrong to listen to at times, and so encouraging at others, and so crushing at other times still. It's a morbid beauty, and one that has brought me such comfort and strength in hard times. [First added to this chart: 11/21/2013]
Year of Release:
2008
Appears in:
Rank Score:
886
Rank in 2008:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Emo, Pop Rock
"I once knew a girl
In the years of my youth
With eyes like the summer
All beauty and truth"
This album came into my life when "Hey There Delilah", David Gray, and Five For Fighting was about all you heard at my house. So I think when I first heard "I Will Follow You Into The Dark", I sort of rolled my eyes that it was just more of my parents music. But I sat down and gave it a proper listen and really fell in love.
Favorite track: Different Names For The Same Thing. That chorus, vocally, is absolutely crushing. It's just haunting, it's like whistling in an empty, damp house. Oh, chills down my spine. [First added to this chart: 08/01/2013]
"I once knew a girl
In the years of my youth
With eyes like the summer
All beauty and truth"
This album came into my life when "Hey There Delilah", David Gray, and Five For Fighting was about all you heard at my house. So I think when I first heard "I Will Follow You Into The Dark", I sort of rolled my eyes that it was just more of my parents music. But I sat down and gave it a proper listen and really fell in love.
Favorite track: Different Names For The Same Thing. That chorus, vocally, is absolutely crushing. It's just haunting, it's like whistling in an empty, damp house. Oh, chills down my spine. [First added to this chart: 08/01/2013]
Year of Release:
2005
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,204
Rank in 2005:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Alternative Rock
"I'm just a normal boy that sank when I fell overboard"
Damn this album needs some love on this site. I ... there's not words to describe it. It's a kid who got pushed to hard off the swings, bled on the ground and cried for a while, then got up and smiled.
This is an album I really wish I had when I was battling against myself. It's an album that seems to have reached out to a lot of people, just by being general yet universal in its messages. While musically simple (the whole album sticks to the same key signature and largely the same chords in different progressions), there's a deeper feeling here in the voice and in the instrumentation, especially in the strings, that just take this album to an incredible level. Really worth giving a listen to whenever you're struggling in life.
Favorite song: Congratulations. Bittersweet is my favorite emotion, and this captures it beautifully, both in the lyrics and in the pain felt through Justin's voice against the peppiness of Imogen Heap. [First added to this chart: 07/26/2013]
"I'm just a normal boy that sank when I fell overboard"
Damn this album needs some love on this site. I ... there's not words to describe it. It's a kid who got pushed to hard off the swings, bled on the ground and cried for a while, then got up and smiled.
This is an album I really wish I had when I was battling against myself. It's an album that seems to have reached out to a lot of people, just by being general yet universal in its messages. While musically simple (the whole album sticks to the same key signature and largely the same chords in different progressions), there's a deeper feeling here in the voice and in the instrumentation, especially in the strings, that just take this album to an incredible level. Really worth giving a listen to whenever you're struggling in life.
Favorite song: Congratulations. Bittersweet is my favorite emotion, and this captures it beautifully, both in the lyrics and in the pain felt through Justin's voice against the peppiness of Imogen Heap. [First added to this chart: 07/26/2013]
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Post-punk-ish Shoegaze
"Don't frown, don't frown
'Cause everybody's wearing black clothes
And I'm wearing white"
A bizarre little live album with additional demo tracks, only 1000 copies out there and I'd really like one some day, if I can find it. Features 4 tracks from Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters performed live with far more energy than on the album, 2 demos that would come out on their next album, 1 demo never released, a Joy Division cover, a Smiths cover, a YYY cover, and a rare cut from a short film. Truly, truly a gorgeous experience that is equally haunting and exhilarating.
Favorite song: "Walking for Two Hours". That introductory chord, that absolute monster of distortion, I was just instantly blown away. One of the best starts to an album I've ever heard. [First added to this chart: 12/11/2014]
"Don't frown, don't frown
'Cause everybody's wearing black clothes
And I'm wearing white"
A bizarre little live album with additional demo tracks, only 1000 copies out there and I'd really like one some day, if I can find it. Features 4 tracks from Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters performed live with far more energy than on the album, 2 demos that would come out on their next album, 1 demo never released, a Joy Division cover, a Smiths cover, a YYY cover, and a rare cut from a short film. Truly, truly a gorgeous experience that is equally haunting and exhilarating.
Favorite song: "Walking for Two Hours". That introductory chord, that absolute monster of distortion, I was just instantly blown away. One of the best starts to an album I've ever heard. [First added to this chart: 12/11/2014]
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Hip-Hop
"Got more lyrics than the church got Oh Lords"
The album that made hip hop make sense with me. This was the first one that really got to me at all, and has since sparked a real interest in the genre. Thank goodness for it.
Favorite song: "Accordion". It's short, it's fun, and it's lyrically insanely dense. Just like this whole album. [First added to this chart: 03/29/2014]
"Got more lyrics than the church got Oh Lords"
The album that made hip hop make sense with me. This was the first one that really got to me at all, and has since sparked a real interest in the genre. Thank goodness for it.
Favorite song: "Accordion". It's short, it's fun, and it's lyrically insanely dense. Just like this whole album. [First added to this chart: 03/29/2014]
Year of Release:
2004
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,313
Rank in 2004:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
19. (=)
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Garage Rock
"Can't you see I'm trying?
I don't even like it. I just lied to
Get to your apartment, now I'm staying
Here just for a while"
This album feels like such a struggle. But in a good way. It feels like some sort of attempt to find ones sound over an album, and at the same time to find oneself. *insert other attempts at BS here* but it really is a good album.
Favorite song: "Someday". First song I learned all the words to and was able to perform solo on bass. [First added to this chart: 07/26/2013]
"Can't you see I'm trying?
I don't even like it. I just lied to
Get to your apartment, now I'm staying
Here just for a while"
This album feels like such a struggle. But in a good way. It feels like some sort of attempt to find ones sound over an album, and at the same time to find oneself. *insert other attempts at BS here* but it really is a good album.
Favorite song: "Someday". First song I learned all the words to and was able to perform solo on bass. [First added to this chart: 07/26/2013]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
28,407
Rank in 2001:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Post-Punk Revival
"And you didn't even notice
When the sky turned blue
And you couldn't tell the difference
Between me and you
And I nearly didn't notice
The gentlest feeling"
This album goes back and forth between really loud out of control punk to some really nice ballads and then right back to the energy without batting an eyelid. Has a huge variety to it, and while it's clearly derivative of a lot of things, it sounds like they're still doing their own thing.
Favorite song: "She's Hearing Voices". Feels like they really tried to capture scizophrenia in a special way, and as someone with family and friends who struggle from that, I'd say they did well. [First added to this chart: 08/13/2013]
"And you didn't even notice
When the sky turned blue
And you couldn't tell the difference
Between me and you
And I nearly didn't notice
The gentlest feeling"
This album goes back and forth between really loud out of control punk to some really nice ballads and then right back to the energy without batting an eyelid. Has a huge variety to it, and while it's clearly derivative of a lot of things, it sounds like they're still doing their own thing.
Favorite song: "She's Hearing Voices". Feels like they really tried to capture scizophrenia in a special way, and as someone with family and friends who struggle from that, I'd say they did well. [First added to this chart: 08/13/2013]
Year of Release:
2005
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,477
Rank in 2005:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Post-Punk
"In the shadowplay acting out your own death"
This album had been suffering from something in my chart I could never explain - why I didn't have live albums. It didn't feel right. This has been a favorite for a little more than a year, though, as it conveys some world to itself that just doesn't show up on either of their studio releases. This creates some kind of its own world, it's angry, it's chaotic, and it's beautiful. Should've done this long ago.
Favorite song: New Dawn Fades. Something beautiful happens either in the recording or in the sound equipment and everything breaks right towards the end of this and there's something so much darker about the sound after it. It's wonderful. [First added to this chart: 07/12/2014]
"In the shadowplay acting out your own death"
This album had been suffering from something in my chart I could never explain - why I didn't have live albums. It didn't feel right. This has been a favorite for a little more than a year, though, as it conveys some world to itself that just doesn't show up on either of their studio releases. This creates some kind of its own world, it's angry, it's chaotic, and it's beautiful. Should've done this long ago.
Favorite song: New Dawn Fades. Something beautiful happens either in the recording or in the sound equipment and everything breaks right towards the end of this and there's something so much darker about the sound after it. It's wonderful. [First added to this chart: 07/12/2014]
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Alternative Hip-Hop
[First added to this chart: 12/11/2014]
Total albums: 31. Page 1 of 4
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 7 | 7% | |
| 1970s | 5 | 5% | |
| 1980s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1990s | 11 | 11% | |
| 2000s | 31 | 31% | |
| 2010s | 32 | 32% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Beatles | 5 | 5% | |
| The Smiths | 3 | 3% | |
| Bon Iver | 3 | 3% | |
| Nirvana | 2 | 2% | |
| XTC | 2 | 2% | |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 2% | |
| The Antlers | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 48 from 96th to 48thNothing Was Missing, Except Me by Hightide Hotel |
| Up 44 from 97th to 53rdNaturally by Hightide Hotel |
| Up 36 from 79th to 43rdElectro-Shock Blues by Eels |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 14 from 66th to 80thMeat Is Murder by The Smiths |
| Down 13 from 68th to 81stThe Freed Man by Sebadoh |
| Down 13 from 70th to 83rdEyes Open by Snow Patrol |
| New entries |
|---|
| Going By by Told Slant |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 74 Music Albums of the 2000s | benpaco | 2000s decade chart | 2016 | |
| My Top 100 Greatest Albums of All Time (One Album Per Artist) | Rm12398 | Custom chart | 2023 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | FlapJackJoey | Overall chart | 2025 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | tim0505 | Overall chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | elton229 | Overall chart | 2023 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Mannyb | Overall chart | 2021 | |
| BEA's Top 100 re-ranked |  EyeKanFly | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| Overall for yours truly |  RoundTheBend | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| Rearrange Top 100 |  Larcx13 | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
| BEA's Top 100 - The Correct Order |  babyBlueSedan | Custom chart | 2020 | |
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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 91 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/20/2025 14:45 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 02/17/2021 06:03 |  pjohnsongolf | 272 | 89/100 |
| ! | 05/14/2020 16:53 |  Keatownrodriguez | 84 | 95/100 |
| ! | 01/28/2020 08:36 |  Liedzeit | 76 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/28/2020 08:28 |  DommeDamian | 1,004 | 89/100 |
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 3% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.8/100, a mean average of 90.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.3/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.4.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From Keatownrodriguez 05/14/2020 16:53 | #251432
Keatownrodriguez 05/14/2020 16:53 | #251432
I knew you had a special chart, but then I saw you but the Kimi No Na Wa soundtrack, major props
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From DommeDamian 01/28/2020 08:29 | #247245
DommeDamian 01/28/2020 08:29 | #247245
Massive respect your way!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ForegroundNoise 01/27/2020 09:47 | #247211
ForegroundNoise 01/27/2020 09:47 | #247211
Sure, I'd be lying if I said these albums were my kinda thing. And yeah, maybe it'd be nice to see a few less American albums dominating the roster. But goddamn, how can I give a chart anything less than perfect when that 'Disorder' anecdote makes me brim with joy like that?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Antonio-Pedro 01/13/2019 04:03 | #229615
Antonio-Pedro 01/13/2019 04:03 | #229615
Miss you Ben, hope everything is going well with life, wishing you the best <3
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Reppu1976 02/10/2018 00:42 | #207505
Nice chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From lobotheduck21 11/07/2017 03:09 | #200876
Good to see more appreciation of Norwegian Wood
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
JulianR 09/30/2017 08:12 | #198914
JulianR 09/30/2017 08:12 | #198914
I can tell you put effort into it, which is what really counts
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Repo 08/21/2017 04:14 | #196439
Repo 08/21/2017 04:14 | #196439
Hey Ben! How are you doing? It's Repo. Don't know if you found that out yet or not. Anyways, love your chart as always. Great to see Tuxedo Moon still so high. Totally love your write-up for Rubber soul!! Peace, brother! Keep up the good fight.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
craola 08/20/2017 14:03 | #196389
craola 08/20/2017 14:03 | #196389
i love this chart, and i'm sorry i haven't been here before (?) not sure how that's possible?
and for as little overlap as we have, i love most of the albums here (that i've listened to).
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Steppenwolf666 05/18/2017 16:20 | #191013
Very interesting, I must investigate some of this stuff.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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