Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
babyBlueSedan 
My favorite albums, or "The 100 albums I'd keep if iTunes had a capacity of 100 albums."
The theme of this update, as with the past couple, is upheaval. Every time I update this I claim to be moving new favorite up higher while still stubbornly putting albums I used to love but never listen to anymore near the top. I won't know for sure if I've been more successful this time around until I update this again. But I hope that this current iteration shook things up a bit and added a bit more variety, even if that variety is in the form of albums most people have heard of. I've tried to include as many artists and genres where possible, partially because I want to appear more interesting than I actually am, but in the end this is still very rock and pop oriented. In particular, this iteration makes obvious my current love of plaintive folk/singer-songwriter stuff.
I've also relaxed my artist limits just a bit to highlight the artists I really love, but I still couldn't include everything I wanted because spots are so limited. In some cases I decided what to include based on what I wanted to write about. I recommend checking out my decade charts for more deep cuts.
Also, I appreciate all the kind and generous comments - they're my main motivation for updating this every couple years or so.
- Chart updated: 05/30/2020 02:15
- (Created: 07/31/2013 04:33).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 98 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 94 out of 100 (from 152 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Like walking through a prehistoric landscape with a horror score playing
Ever since I started listening to Nick Cave, I've preferred his slower, ballad-filled albums to his punk blues and rock material. His voice fits the creepy, sinister vibe of his material perfectly, but it's also great at conveying emotion in songs like The Ship Song. Now let's make something clear: this album has no ballads on it. But it is the darkest album Cave has created, despite the fact that it's devoid of tales of lechery, murder, or mermaids.
The narrative around this album focused heavily on the tragic death of Cave's son about a year before it's release. And while there are several songs that allude to this (more on that later), this narrative ignores the fact that most of the album was written before his son's death. Add in the fact that Cave was already moving in this type of haunting, minimal direction on Push the Sky Away, and it's clear that the tragedy merely provided fuel to a fire that was already burning.
I honestly don't know how to describe this musically. Opener Jesus Alone starts off almost as a drone track, with a mournful violin or something providing accents at the end of each line of lyrics. And...it pretty much stays like this the rest of the way, outside of that almost terrifying sound that I can only describe as a black hole that pops up occasionally. For the most part the album continues in the same vein - minimal compositions that can mostly just be described as dark. Anthrocene introduces some electronics, and on I Need You we get the first somewhat-traditional sounding Nick Cave song. And from there the album gets more hopeful and sunny. Which is a relief considering what the listener just endured.
Lyrically there are references to the death of his son, but if you're not paying close attention you would miss them. Jesus Alone contains the most typical Cave lyrics, with tales of dead druggies and African doctors and men questioning their creators. But the opening lyrics reference someone "crash landing" near the River Adur, which frames the the string of people as referring to Cave and his son. Tracks 4 and 5 contain the most subdued vocals and really show Cave's ability to convey emotion; when he whispers "and one more time with feeling" you can feel the pain in his voice. Later on Distant Sky he sings "They said our dream would outlive us. They said our gods would outlive us, but they lied", which is the most heartbreaking line on the thing.
This is really a tremendous album, and is all the more impressive given that he's been making music for over 30 years. [First added to this chart: 05/29/2020]
Ever since I started listening to Nick Cave, I've preferred his slower, ballad-filled albums to his punk blues and rock material. His voice fits the creepy, sinister vibe of his material perfectly, but it's also great at conveying emotion in songs like The Ship Song. Now let's make something clear: this album has no ballads on it. But it is the darkest album Cave has created, despite the fact that it's devoid of tales of lechery, murder, or mermaids.
The narrative around this album focused heavily on the tragic death of Cave's son about a year before it's release. And while there are several songs that allude to this (more on that later), this narrative ignores the fact that most of the album was written before his son's death. Add in the fact that Cave was already moving in this type of haunting, minimal direction on Push the Sky Away, and it's clear that the tragedy merely provided fuel to a fire that was already burning.
I honestly don't know how to describe this musically. Opener Jesus Alone starts off almost as a drone track, with a mournful violin or something providing accents at the end of each line of lyrics. And...it pretty much stays like this the rest of the way, outside of that almost terrifying sound that I can only describe as a black hole that pops up occasionally. For the most part the album continues in the same vein - minimal compositions that can mostly just be described as dark. Anthrocene introduces some electronics, and on I Need You we get the first somewhat-traditional sounding Nick Cave song. And from there the album gets more hopeful and sunny. Which is a relief considering what the listener just endured.
Lyrically there are references to the death of his son, but if you're not paying close attention you would miss them. Jesus Alone contains the most typical Cave lyrics, with tales of dead druggies and African doctors and men questioning their creators. But the opening lyrics reference someone "crash landing" near the River Adur, which frames the the string of people as referring to Cave and his son. Tracks 4 and 5 contain the most subdued vocals and really show Cave's ability to convey emotion; when he whispers "and one more time with feeling" you can feel the pain in his voice. Later on Distant Sky he sings "They said our dream would outlive us. They said our gods would outlive us, but they lied", which is the most heartbreaking line on the thing.
This is really a tremendous album, and is all the more impressive given that he's been making music for over 30 years. [First added to this chart: 05/29/2020]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,437
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 4 | 4% | |
| 1970s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1980s | 8 | 8% | |
| 1990s | 23 | 23% | |
| 2000s | 28 | 28% | |
| 2010s | 28 | 28% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Modest Mouse | 3 | 3% | |
| Kanye West | 2 | 2% | |
| Songs: Ohia | 2 | 2% | |
| Sufjan Stevens | 2 | 2% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 2% | |
| Failure | 1 | 1% | |
| The Velvet Underground & Nico | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 44 from 79th to 35thE•Mo•Tion by Carly Rae Jepsen |
| Up 35 from 45th to 10thSongs About Leaving by Carissa's Wierd |
| Up 29 from 76th to 47thThe Glow Pt. 2 by The Microphones |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 32 from 57th to 89thDig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney |
| Down 29 from 26th to 55thThe Suburbs by Arcade Fire |
| Down 29 from 52nd to 81stCrack The Skye by Mastodon |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite Album Covers | babyBlueSedan | Custom chart | 2018 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | babyBlueSedan | 2000s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | babyBlueSedan | 2010s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | bkogz | Overall chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | blackflag29 | Overall chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  Mattdup279 | Overall chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | babyBlueSedan | 1990s decade chart | 2021 | |
| BEA Forum Regulars' Top 100 (2015) |  HigherThanTheSun | Custom chart | 2015 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | gravityrider999 | Overall chart | 2019 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  ledemoncleaner | Overall chart | 2018 | |
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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 152 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/25/2025 19:59 | DrewHamster | 317 | 79/100 |
| ! | 01/15/2025 16:18 | Exist-en-ciel | 147 | 98/100 |
| ! | 06/25/2024 09:53 |  ssteve | 207 | 92/100 |
| ! | 01/16/2023 22:04 | Johnnyo | 2,568 | 80/100 |
| ! | 05/21/2022 09:11 |  Timestarter | 114 | 90/100 |
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 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 93.7/100, a mean average of 93.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 94.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.6.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From Johnnyo 01/16/2023 22:05 | #292938
Great chart and the work that has gone into each entry. Wow! Brilliant stuff
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From leniad 08/31/2021 21:02 | #273144
good writing and good taste
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Keatownrodriguez 10/28/2019 21:19 | #244221
Keatownrodriguez 10/28/2019 21:19 | #244221
Any chart with this much time put into it is so cool to me
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From pctrooper 10/04/2019 19:23 | #243384
These notes are so detailed and helpful for advocating your choices. You must really know how to listen to music and listen to it hard. Great albums, too.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From eharrell 07/24/2019 00:02 | #240304
Best Chart ever
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From tk421ucopy 07/23/2019 19:24 | #240298
incredible. you have a different taste in music, but wow these descriptions are prime
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
DommeDamian 07/23/2019 12:00 | #240231
DommeDamian 07/23/2019 12:00 | #240231
Is there a limit of how much inspiration, this chart can give?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From xXhermitXx 10/18/2018 04:05 | #222709
Holy crap what a chart, have a bunch in common with me and a whole list of new ones to check out, i also loved your descriptions.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
jdenny2018 10/18/2018 01:19 | #222704
jdenny2018 10/18/2018 01:19 | #222704
This is one of the most amazing things I've ever read
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From manurock 10/16/2018 20:07 | #222633
+5 for this chart, I am sure it has improved a lot since I visited it. You clearly have a vast knowledge of albums and the chart is very well written. I love your comments for On the Beach, which is also my favourite Neil Young album.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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