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.
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Like walking into an empty house after coming straight home from work for the fifth straight night.
I wrote a comment for this album on the album's page and I don't have anything to say that will be better than that so I'll just copy and paste it here if you don't mind. Written when this was number 1 on this chart so make of that what you will:
There are a few words used to describe music that typically indicate I won't like it. Sparse, intimate, and voice-driven are some of them. And all three of them describe this album perfectly - as others have said, it is the sound of an artist laying their life bare with songs reflecting over their experiences. But somehow, in this case, it all comes together and creates what I believe to be the most perfect album ever crafted.
It's one thing to have a great voice, and it's quite another to be able to use that voice and make it sound honest. If there's one word that describes (nearly) all of the music I enjoy it's honest. And if someone is clearing trying to hit high notes and sing in key that honesty is lost; that's why I often prefer bad singers to good ones. But Joni makes hitting the high notes sound incredibly effortless, and she integrates them perfectly into the rest of the song so that they don't stand out as if she's trying to impress with her voice. It's an album that is so well crafted that the voice is irrelevant, but she still manages to sing perfectly.
And the song-writing - the stream-of-consciousness style she writes in is just tremendous. Picture Kurt Cobain if the thoughts in his head actually made sense. There is no pretense, there is no thought. These are the things she is thinking, and she's not manipulating them to sound like poetry. There are moments on this record that are incredibly general and could apply to anyone, and there are moments where the specificity is brilliant ("Richard got married to a figure skater, and he bought her a dishwasher and a coffee percolator"). The songs reflect the era she lived in (Little Green / Blue) and her dreams for the future (River). Even when the lyrics blend into a more manufactured poetry they sound so heartbreakingly beautiful you can't fault it (Case of You). And of course there's a central theme that ties things together nicely - it wouldn't be a true album if the songs didn't feel like they belonged together. Not only is there the general sentiment of heartbreak that is described by colors (Blue and Green, obviously), but each song seems to dwell on a different aspect of the feeling (or the moments leading up to it). The songs also progress nicely, starting off hopeful and glad and then straying into sadness, depression, and what I wouldn't hesitate to call despair. It starts with hopes and dreams (the dream theme culminates in Carey and California) but by the end the illusion is shattered and the truths about love and life come out.
My love for this album goes even beyond words, but somehow it's the one I find the most to say about and the most to discover more in. The number of times I've broken down sobbing to this album is not a single digit number. [First added to this chart: 02/08/2014]
I wrote a comment for this album on the album's page and I don't have anything to say that will be better than that so I'll just copy and paste it here if you don't mind. Written when this was number 1 on this chart so make of that what you will:
There are a few words used to describe music that typically indicate I won't like it. Sparse, intimate, and voice-driven are some of them. And all three of them describe this album perfectly - as others have said, it is the sound of an artist laying their life bare with songs reflecting over their experiences. But somehow, in this case, it all comes together and creates what I believe to be the most perfect album ever crafted.
It's one thing to have a great voice, and it's quite another to be able to use that voice and make it sound honest. If there's one word that describes (nearly) all of the music I enjoy it's honest. And if someone is clearing trying to hit high notes and sing in key that honesty is lost; that's why I often prefer bad singers to good ones. But Joni makes hitting the high notes sound incredibly effortless, and she integrates them perfectly into the rest of the song so that they don't stand out as if she's trying to impress with her voice. It's an album that is so well crafted that the voice is irrelevant, but she still manages to sing perfectly.
And the song-writing - the stream-of-consciousness style she writes in is just tremendous. Picture Kurt Cobain if the thoughts in his head actually made sense. There is no pretense, there is no thought. These are the things she is thinking, and she's not manipulating them to sound like poetry. There are moments on this record that are incredibly general and could apply to anyone, and there are moments where the specificity is brilliant ("Richard got married to a figure skater, and he bought her a dishwasher and a coffee percolator"). The songs reflect the era she lived in (Little Green / Blue) and her dreams for the future (River). Even when the lyrics blend into a more manufactured poetry they sound so heartbreakingly beautiful you can't fault it (Case of You). And of course there's a central theme that ties things together nicely - it wouldn't be a true album if the songs didn't feel like they belonged together. Not only is there the general sentiment of heartbreak that is described by colors (Blue and Green, obviously), but each song seems to dwell on a different aspect of the feeling (or the moments leading up to it). The songs also progress nicely, starting off hopeful and glad and then straying into sadness, depression, and what I wouldn't hesitate to call despair. It starts with hopes and dreams (the dream theme culminates in Carey and California) but by the end the illusion is shattered and the truths about love and life come out.
My love for this album goes even beyond words, but somehow it's the one I find the most to say about and the most to discover more in. The number of times I've broken down sobbing to this album is not a single digit number. [First added to this chart: 02/08/2014]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,064
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
114
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Like walking through a world fair where nearly everyone is British
"Hearing that noise was my first ever feeling" could aptly describe hearing this album for the first time, but instead it's a lyric that gets lost in the shuffle in "Lost In The Supermarket." This album can be challenging at first listen, but only because it's billed as a punk album. When I first listened to it, I was ready to have my ass kicked by the punkiest punk I'd ever heard (having read reviews it was implied that Rise Against and the Offspring were nothing compared to this). The first two tracks blew me away, but what was this "Jimmy Jazz" shit? Keep yelling! Then we get some weird world music sounding songs and, eventually, a song about being disillusioned with the supermarket. After that, I was out.
Clearly I've grown musically since then, and this has become a favorite. Why? Because this isn't a punk album, but rather one of the most genre-diverse albums I've heard. Most of it is built around punk song structure and Joe Strummer's bratty British vocals, but all of the styles combine perfectly into something entirely new. It's perhaps a little too long for it's own good, but I'd rather have it try some things and fail* than be shorter and less interesting. I don't even know what to call some of these since I'm really ignorant of non-American music genres, but I think there's some samba and reggae on here. "Lover's Rock" and "Revolution Rock" are some great low key songs, but punk tracks like "Clampdown" and the title track keep the energy going. It's got tons of personality too, like the random usage of Spanish words on Spanish bombs ("please don't leave the ventana open") and a great use of horns. And as for "Lost In The Supermarket," that's actually one of the best songs here. It's barely even about supermarket; it's really about not being "born, so much as I fell out" and "the people that live on the ceiling". So really I have no idea what it's about.
Best song? "Train In Vain" for sure. No doubt in my mind.
*Everyone seems to have different least favorite tracks on this album, so here are the ones that are mostly forgettable to me: "The Right Profile," "Koka Kola," and "Four Horsemen." [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
"Hearing that noise was my first ever feeling" could aptly describe hearing this album for the first time, but instead it's a lyric that gets lost in the shuffle in "Lost In The Supermarket." This album can be challenging at first listen, but only because it's billed as a punk album. When I first listened to it, I was ready to have my ass kicked by the punkiest punk I'd ever heard (having read reviews it was implied that Rise Against and the Offspring were nothing compared to this). The first two tracks blew me away, but what was this "Jimmy Jazz" shit? Keep yelling! Then we get some weird world music sounding songs and, eventually, a song about being disillusioned with the supermarket. After that, I was out.
Clearly I've grown musically since then, and this has become a favorite. Why? Because this isn't a punk album, but rather one of the most genre-diverse albums I've heard. Most of it is built around punk song structure and Joe Strummer's bratty British vocals, but all of the styles combine perfectly into something entirely new. It's perhaps a little too long for it's own good, but I'd rather have it try some things and fail* than be shorter and less interesting. I don't even know what to call some of these since I'm really ignorant of non-American music genres, but I think there's some samba and reggae on here. "Lover's Rock" and "Revolution Rock" are some great low key songs, but punk tracks like "Clampdown" and the title track keep the energy going. It's got tons of personality too, like the random usage of Spanish words on Spanish bombs ("please don't leave the ventana open") and a great use of horns. And as for "Lost In The Supermarket," that's actually one of the best songs here. It's barely even about supermarket; it's really about not being "born, so much as I fell out" and "the people that live on the ceiling". So really I have no idea what it's about.
Best song? "Train In Vain" for sure. No doubt in my mind.
*Everyone seems to have different least favorite tracks on this album, so here are the ones that are mostly forgettable to me: "The Right Profile," "Koka Kola," and "Four Horsemen." [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
33,007
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Like walking through a sunny meadow and getting a bunch of dirty looks from passers-by
The last time I listened to this album it occurred to me that it was (probably) recorded indoors. Which is crazy to think about, as this is such an outside record. Everything about it screams sun and warmth, and the strings and horns create a very triumphant feeling. Move On Up and Give It Up are jams, and Wild And Free is possibly the most danceable track on the album (those strings are so great). This is the happiest album I know, and I don't know how you couldn't be happy listening to it.
...well, unless you listened to the lyrics. This isn't a super depressing album by any means, but lyrical themes about racial injustice and inequality aren't always terribly uplifting. It at least gets the darkest track out of the way first, in which Mayfield finds solace in the fact that members of all races and religions will be equally damned on judgment day. It's actually a really great track, with its repetition of the phrase "Don't Worry", and it's probably my favorite on the album. Frustratingly it's still largely relevant today as well; the portions about police are hauntingly reminiscent to the widespread police violence still plaguing America. The Other Side Of Town and We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue address different ways that the African American community are singled out as a race, and the chorus of the former ("depression is part of my mind) is a great look into the psyche of a group of people who have historically been oppressed.
But the key to these tracks is that rather than actually being depressing, they're incredibly hopeful. Miss Black America is the greatest example of this, but even the opener has a sense of hope about it, even if it's in kind of a twisted way. And the thing that holds it all together is Mayfield's beautiful voice. I've probably written in other comments how I've always struggled with R&B because of the importance of the singer's voice, so if you don't love the singer it's hard to love the music. It's for this reason why I've never been able to get into some classic singers like Marvin Gaye, but Mayfield's voice is one I could listen to all day. I'm impressed by how high his voice could get, and there's a great deal of passion behind it as well. [First added to this chart: 07/16/2015]
The last time I listened to this album it occurred to me that it was (probably) recorded indoors. Which is crazy to think about, as this is such an outside record. Everything about it screams sun and warmth, and the strings and horns create a very triumphant feeling. Move On Up and Give It Up are jams, and Wild And Free is possibly the most danceable track on the album (those strings are so great). This is the happiest album I know, and I don't know how you couldn't be happy listening to it.
...well, unless you listened to the lyrics. This isn't a super depressing album by any means, but lyrical themes about racial injustice and inequality aren't always terribly uplifting. It at least gets the darkest track out of the way first, in which Mayfield finds solace in the fact that members of all races and religions will be equally damned on judgment day. It's actually a really great track, with its repetition of the phrase "Don't Worry", and it's probably my favorite on the album. Frustratingly it's still largely relevant today as well; the portions about police are hauntingly reminiscent to the widespread police violence still plaguing America. The Other Side Of Town and We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue address different ways that the African American community are singled out as a race, and the chorus of the former ("depression is part of my mind) is a great look into the psyche of a group of people who have historically been oppressed.
But the key to these tracks is that rather than actually being depressing, they're incredibly hopeful. Miss Black America is the greatest example of this, but even the opener has a sense of hope about it, even if it's in kind of a twisted way. And the thing that holds it all together is Mayfield's beautiful voice. I've probably written in other comments how I've always struggled with R&B because of the importance of the singer's voice, so if you don't love the singer it's hard to love the music. It's for this reason why I've never been able to get into some classic singers like Marvin Gaye, but Mayfield's voice is one I could listen to all day. I'm impressed by how high his voice could get, and there's a great deal of passion behind it as well. [First added to this chart: 07/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,552
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Like walking into a bar and passing an old lover as you walk through the door
There are albums about breakups, and there are breakup albums. Sorry, I wanted to start this blurb off with a pseudo-intellectual attention grabber. But in a way it's true: there are albums about breakups - albums that look back on past relationships or lovers and reflect on what was learned. And then there are breakup albums - albums where the artist is still wallowing in the shock or dismay of the event, albums where there are no answers or lessons to be learned, albums where the pain is too fresh and the artist is trying to figure out not only what to do next, but how to continue doing anything. This is a breakup album.
Dylan actually fiercely denies this album is autobiographical, but I'm not sure how he could have written this from a third-person perspective or about fictional events. It's too immersive and complete. There are too many details. I read an interesting quote from Dylan about this album:
"A lot of people tell me they enjoy that album. It's hard for me to relate to that. I mean... people enjoying that type of pain, you know?"
This quote tells me two things: 1) Dylan thinks this is an unbearably sad album. And 2) I guess I'm a freak. But I've always felt it's easier to convey extreme sadness than extreme joy, and extreme sadness is more easy relatable. Seriously, listen to Tangled Up in Blue. The singing is so uneven, the lyrics twist and wind and sound like rambling, and "spits out" would be an appropriate term to describe how Dylan delivers the "Tangled Up in Blue" parts. Simple Twist of Fate is an interesting song, one which deals with the forces out of our control that keep us from being with other people. It's such a cool concept and honestly I think it's one of the most creative and relatable songs I've heard. Who hasn't been in a situation where they're pursuing someone and one stroke of bad luck - a meeting at the wrong time, a flat tire, a job offer in another town - completely derails it. And the heart of the album is Idiot Wind: the first time I heard the last, switched-up chorus I'm pretty sure I missed the next song because that's all I could think about.
Dylan's voice is a love it or hate it thing, but even if you hate it you have to admit it works with the ragged songs here. Musically is straddles the line between folk-protest Dylan and electric Dylan, but leans mostly towards the former. Which for me at least is a big plus. [First added to this chart: 03/07/2014]
There are albums about breakups, and there are breakup albums. Sorry, I wanted to start this blurb off with a pseudo-intellectual attention grabber. But in a way it's true: there are albums about breakups - albums that look back on past relationships or lovers and reflect on what was learned. And then there are breakup albums - albums where the artist is still wallowing in the shock or dismay of the event, albums where there are no answers or lessons to be learned, albums where the pain is too fresh and the artist is trying to figure out not only what to do next, but how to continue doing anything. This is a breakup album.
Dylan actually fiercely denies this album is autobiographical, but I'm not sure how he could have written this from a third-person perspective or about fictional events. It's too immersive and complete. There are too many details. I read an interesting quote from Dylan about this album:
"A lot of people tell me they enjoy that album. It's hard for me to relate to that. I mean... people enjoying that type of pain, you know?"
This quote tells me two things: 1) Dylan thinks this is an unbearably sad album. And 2) I guess I'm a freak. But I've always felt it's easier to convey extreme sadness than extreme joy, and extreme sadness is more easy relatable. Seriously, listen to Tangled Up in Blue. The singing is so uneven, the lyrics twist and wind and sound like rambling, and "spits out" would be an appropriate term to describe how Dylan delivers the "Tangled Up in Blue" parts. Simple Twist of Fate is an interesting song, one which deals with the forces out of our control that keep us from being with other people. It's such a cool concept and honestly I think it's one of the most creative and relatable songs I've heard. Who hasn't been in a situation where they're pursuing someone and one stroke of bad luck - a meeting at the wrong time, a flat tire, a job offer in another town - completely derails it. And the heart of the album is Idiot Wind: the first time I heard the last, switched-up chorus I'm pretty sure I missed the next song because that's all I could think about.
Dylan's voice is a love it or hate it thing, but even if you hate it you have to admit it works with the ragged songs here. Musically is straddles the line between folk-protest Dylan and electric Dylan, but leans mostly towards the former. Which for me at least is a big plus. [First added to this chart: 03/07/2014]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
22,174
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Like walking along a beach alone, stoned out of your mind, then tripping and lying in the sand as the waves caress you
Neil Young originally wanted to flip sides A and B of this album, and after deciding to release it as it is said he regretted the choice. To which I say: Mr. Young, you're a smarter man than I for having made this album, but it's perfect the way it is. Seriously, Walk On is an amazing opener and Ambulance Blues is an otherworldly closer. Vampires Blues should not be the closer. I guess the lesson here is that sometimes an artist not getting their way (or being talked out of their way) can be a good thing.
Neil Young might be best known for Heart Of Gold, a phenomenal track from an overly sentimental album that unfortunately has become widely considered his best. And the fact that this one wasn't released on CD until 2003 probably accounts for the fact that this one is often overlooked. In the digital age that's not an issue, and I'll gladly take "pissed off, gloomy Neil Young" over "backing strings Neil Young" any day. This isn't quite as gloomy as it's follow-up, Tonight's the Night, but it's way more pissed off which makes it feel energetic despite its grim subject matter.
Walk On is a quick, rocking opener that is actually kind of an optimistic song. The rest of the album, however, returns to Young's folkier sound, and the transition is quick - See The Sky About To Rain sucks any hope out of the room that the opener might have created. Three of the song titles end with "Blues". Revolution Blues is from the perspective of some trailer trash dude who wants to kill a bunch of celebrities. But Ambulance Blues is the best song here; the title comes from the lyrics "an ambulance can only go so fast", which is a pretty heavy thing, but it only gets worse with "it's easy to get buried in the past when you try to make a good thing last." But the part that always hits me the hardest is
"You're all just pissing in the wind
You don't know it but you are
And there's nothing like a friend
Who can tell you you're just pissing in the wind" [First added to this chart: 10/06/2018]
Neil Young originally wanted to flip sides A and B of this album, and after deciding to release it as it is said he regretted the choice. To which I say: Mr. Young, you're a smarter man than I for having made this album, but it's perfect the way it is. Seriously, Walk On is an amazing opener and Ambulance Blues is an otherworldly closer. Vampires Blues should not be the closer. I guess the lesson here is that sometimes an artist not getting their way (or being talked out of their way) can be a good thing.
Neil Young might be best known for Heart Of Gold, a phenomenal track from an overly sentimental album that unfortunately has become widely considered his best. And the fact that this one wasn't released on CD until 2003 probably accounts for the fact that this one is often overlooked. In the digital age that's not an issue, and I'll gladly take "pissed off, gloomy Neil Young" over "backing strings Neil Young" any day. This isn't quite as gloomy as it's follow-up, Tonight's the Night, but it's way more pissed off which makes it feel energetic despite its grim subject matter.
Walk On is a quick, rocking opener that is actually kind of an optimistic song. The rest of the album, however, returns to Young's folkier sound, and the transition is quick - See The Sky About To Rain sucks any hope out of the room that the opener might have created. Three of the song titles end with "Blues". Revolution Blues is from the perspective of some trailer trash dude who wants to kill a bunch of celebrities. But Ambulance Blues is the best song here; the title comes from the lyrics "an ambulance can only go so fast", which is a pretty heavy thing, but it only gets worse with "it's easy to get buried in the past when you try to make a good thing last." But the part that always hits me the hardest is
"You're all just pissing in the wind
You don't know it but you are
And there's nothing like a friend
Who can tell you you're just pissing in the wind" [First added to this chart: 10/06/2018]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,766
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Like walking through a shadowy catacomb
I read somewhere that Leonard Cohen was a writer before starting his music career, and listening to his early albums that makes a lot of sense. I like to give my favorite artists compliments that sound like criticisms, so here we go: on this album, it almost seems like Cohen has no idea what he's doing. In a way it almost feels like he decided to make an album without ever hearing one before. Now that's an exaggeration, because it's not like this is The Shagg's Philosophy of the World or Krull or something. But there's something about it that makes it stand out quite a bit from the other albums of its time.
First, you have the lyrics. I mentioned Cohen being a writer because sometimes these lyrics don't feel like song lyrics. Instead, they read as pure poetry. Now, you're probably wondering what the hell the difference is. Well, as poetic as a lot of lyrics are, they're usually at least straightforward enough that you can grasp what the author is talking about just by listening to them. After all, while you're listening the music doesn't pause so you can reflect on the words you just heard. Instead, these lyrics seem like something you should sit down and take your time with, going back to read previous lines to piece together the meaning. It takes a few listens to really understand what these songs are about, and even then they're so abstract that while I can gather what Cohen was feeling as he wrote each song there are always lines I'm not quite sure about.
The other thing that's slightly off about this album is the song structure. While Cohen's debut had the same lyrical style as this one, the songs still felt like folk songs in a way and had, you know, choruses. Most songs on this one forego verses and choruses altogether, with the one main exception being "Diamonds In the Mine" (which is an exception for other reasons as well). Then there's the instrumentation. "Avalanche" is probably my favorite song here, and it's carried by a simple repeated guitar strum that doesn't change much the entire time. It's not avant-garde by any means, but it's still pretty bizarre for what seems to sell itself as your average singer-songwriter album.
So I've talked a lot about why this album is the uncanny valley of folk albums, but why do I like it? One reason is the way the lyrics conjure images of sadness and despair, but in a very vague way. It conveys that kind of general dread that isn't due to any one event but just kind of lingers with you. The music definitely compliments this well, as the bleak guitar of Avalanche is indicative of what you'll find on the rest of these songs. And more specifically, these songs just have some really great moments. Cohen's not a great singer but I love his voice, especially when he belts out the chorus to "Diamonds In the Mine." "Love Calls You By Your Name" has a great almost-chorus with the way each verse ends with "between the .... and the ...." and then leads to the song's title. The backing vocals come in at all the right times, especially at the end of "Sing Another Song Boys," where Cohen sounds even more unhinged than on "Diamonds." But the best memory I have of listening to this album was listening to "Last Year's Man" while driving home from a job I hated around 7 PM in the dead of winter. I was thinking a lot about how much I preferred an old job I left, and "the rain falls down on last year's man" really felt like it was written about me in that moment. I like a lot of super-specific lyrics, but sometimes it's the vague ones that connect the most. [First added to this chart: 05/29/2020]
I read somewhere that Leonard Cohen was a writer before starting his music career, and listening to his early albums that makes a lot of sense. I like to give my favorite artists compliments that sound like criticisms, so here we go: on this album, it almost seems like Cohen has no idea what he's doing. In a way it almost feels like he decided to make an album without ever hearing one before. Now that's an exaggeration, because it's not like this is The Shagg's Philosophy of the World or Krull or something. But there's something about it that makes it stand out quite a bit from the other albums of its time.
First, you have the lyrics. I mentioned Cohen being a writer because sometimes these lyrics don't feel like song lyrics. Instead, they read as pure poetry. Now, you're probably wondering what the hell the difference is. Well, as poetic as a lot of lyrics are, they're usually at least straightforward enough that you can grasp what the author is talking about just by listening to them. After all, while you're listening the music doesn't pause so you can reflect on the words you just heard. Instead, these lyrics seem like something you should sit down and take your time with, going back to read previous lines to piece together the meaning. It takes a few listens to really understand what these songs are about, and even then they're so abstract that while I can gather what Cohen was feeling as he wrote each song there are always lines I'm not quite sure about.
The other thing that's slightly off about this album is the song structure. While Cohen's debut had the same lyrical style as this one, the songs still felt like folk songs in a way and had, you know, choruses. Most songs on this one forego verses and choruses altogether, with the one main exception being "Diamonds In the Mine" (which is an exception for other reasons as well). Then there's the instrumentation. "Avalanche" is probably my favorite song here, and it's carried by a simple repeated guitar strum that doesn't change much the entire time. It's not avant-garde by any means, but it's still pretty bizarre for what seems to sell itself as your average singer-songwriter album.
So I've talked a lot about why this album is the uncanny valley of folk albums, but why do I like it? One reason is the way the lyrics conjure images of sadness and despair, but in a very vague way. It conveys that kind of general dread that isn't due to any one event but just kind of lingers with you. The music definitely compliments this well, as the bleak guitar of Avalanche is indicative of what you'll find on the rest of these songs. And more specifically, these songs just have some really great moments. Cohen's not a great singer but I love his voice, especially when he belts out the chorus to "Diamonds In the Mine." "Love Calls You By Your Name" has a great almost-chorus with the way each verse ends with "between the .... and the ...." and then leads to the song's title. The backing vocals come in at all the right times, especially at the end of "Sing Another Song Boys," where Cohen sounds even more unhinged than on "Diamonds." But the best memory I have of listening to this album was listening to "Last Year's Man" while driving home from a job I hated around 7 PM in the dead of winter. I was thinking a lot about how much I preferred an old job I left, and "the rain falls down on last year's man" really felt like it was written about me in that moment. I like a lot of super-specific lyrics, but sometimes it's the vague ones that connect the most. [First added to this chart: 05/29/2020]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,692
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Like walking into a record store to buy some albums none of your friends have ever heard of
I don't watch a lot of music documentaries, though I wish I did. So I can't accurately say that Nothing Will Hurt Me, a documentary about Big Star, is the best music documentary ever. But I don't see how it can't be. Big Star was the classic critics band, one which received widespread acclaim but very little popular success. These days there are tons of bands who have carved out this niche, as critical acclaim usually spreads quickly over the Internet and attracts a certain kind of music fan. In the 70s, it guaranteed nothing, as evidenced by Big Star. The band fell apart over the course of three albums and then called it a day. But as far as soulful rock and power pop goes, few bands can top them.
Radio City was the band's second of three albums, recorded after founder Chris Bell left the band. The band's first album was a jubilant entry, and their last album was a deranged, scattered mess. This album falls somewhere in between. It retains the triumphant power pop sound of their first album while leaning lyrically towards themes of isolation and withdrawal. Backed by a crunching guitar, "Life Is White" starts out with the line "Don't want to see your face, don't want to see you talk at all." The next track, "Way Out West," turns 180 degrees around and is built around a chorus that asks "Why don't you come on back from way out west? And love me, we can work out the rest." After a mournful 36 minutes Radio City wraps up with a minute long track called "I'm In Love With A Girl" which thematically is the opposite of the rest of the album. But somehow it always manages to cheer me up and make me forget about the bad things in life.
By all means Big Star is what classic rock should have sounded like, but instead we got Kiss and Aerosmith and Rush. I guess we can't win them all, but at least we still have Radio City. (parting fun fact: Katy Perry's "California Gurls" is spelled wrong because Big Star member Alex Chilton had recently died and Perry or her manager or someone wanted to pay homage to the song "September Gurls") [First added to this chart: 01/30/2014]
I don't watch a lot of music documentaries, though I wish I did. So I can't accurately say that Nothing Will Hurt Me, a documentary about Big Star, is the best music documentary ever. But I don't see how it can't be. Big Star was the classic critics band, one which received widespread acclaim but very little popular success. These days there are tons of bands who have carved out this niche, as critical acclaim usually spreads quickly over the Internet and attracts a certain kind of music fan. In the 70s, it guaranteed nothing, as evidenced by Big Star. The band fell apart over the course of three albums and then called it a day. But as far as soulful rock and power pop goes, few bands can top them.
Radio City was the band's second of three albums, recorded after founder Chris Bell left the band. The band's first album was a jubilant entry, and their last album was a deranged, scattered mess. This album falls somewhere in between. It retains the triumphant power pop sound of their first album while leaning lyrically towards themes of isolation and withdrawal. Backed by a crunching guitar, "Life Is White" starts out with the line "Don't want to see your face, don't want to see you talk at all." The next track, "Way Out West," turns 180 degrees around and is built around a chorus that asks "Why don't you come on back from way out west? And love me, we can work out the rest." After a mournful 36 minutes Radio City wraps up with a minute long track called "I'm In Love With A Girl" which thematically is the opposite of the rest of the album. But somehow it always manages to cheer me up and make me forget about the bad things in life.
By all means Big Star is what classic rock should have sounded like, but instead we got Kiss and Aerosmith and Rush. I guess we can't win them all, but at least we still have Radio City. (parting fun fact: Katy Perry's "California Gurls" is spelled wrong because Big Star member Alex Chilton had recently died and Perry or her manager or someone wanted to pay homage to the song "September Gurls") [First added to this chart: 01/30/2014]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,068
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Like sitting unsteadily on a barstool as the piano player warps up for evening, unsure if you'll be able to walk home
Need further proof that I'm a boring music fan? Well, my favorite Tom Waits album is Closing Time. Closing Time! Sure, picking Rain Dogs would be more boring from a popularity / generally accepted opinion perspective, but surely this is more boring from a music perspective. Let me assure you that this opinion isn't because I can't stand Waits's voice or that I haven't explored his discography; somehow, Waits was my most listened artist of the decade on Spotify despite me never listening to him until 2017. If Mule Variations was shorter or Swordfishtrombones was more consistent, one of them might sit here. But of all of Waits's iterations, I find his impression of piano player in a smoky bar the best. Why?
Well, it's partially the songs. Obvious standouts include "Ol 55" and "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You," which a lot of people have probably heard (though maybe not performed by Waits). But the album is incredibly deep, with the jazzy "Grapefruit Moon" and country themed "Old Shoes (And Picture Postcards)" also being above average songs. In fact, the album has a fantastic hit-miss rate with the only miss being "Ice Cream Man" (yeesh). But it's not just that the album has great songs, it's that they all feel connected, like you could go to a bar and hear Waits run through the songs from start to finish. It really puts you in its world, and while Waits has played a lot of characters throughout his career none of them feel quite as authentic as this. It makes me wonder a bit how his debut album sounds the most mature, like it could have been written by a guy in his 60s who's full of regrets. I guess Waits is just that good at playing his characters.
But of all of the reasons I love this album, the biggest one is "Martha," which I haven't mentioned yet because it deserves its own paragraph. "Martha" is such a sublime song. How sublime? Once after listening to it I decided to make a list of "songs that if you don't like them I don't trust your opinions on music." It wasn't meant to be a list of my favorite songs; rather, it would be a list of songs that seemed so fundamentally good that anyone should like them, no matter your tastes. I went through a bunch of possible songs that I loved, and for all of them I could find a reason why someone wouldn't like the song. All metal, country, and hip hop is pretty much out because of various prejudices people have. Songs could be too loud, too slow, too repetitive, or too profane and turn someone off. In the end, I abandoned the list because "Martha" was the only song I could find that seemed universally un-hateable. I mean, listen to it. The way the piano jumps up an octave during the second half off the main melody. The way the choruses rise and swell but not so much so that it sounds like a climax, just a rising wave. The way you kind of know the narrator is going to confess his love but the way it hits you when he seems to stumble over his words: "Martha, ...Martha...I love you can't you see?" The way it starts a final verse but then just ends, as if the narrator was so overwhelmed he couldn't continue. "Martha" is not my favorite Tom Waits song, but it (and several other songs on this album) are so gripping, heartbreaking, and immediate that they stand up to even Waits's most adventurous material.
Need further proof that I'm a boring music fan? Well, my favorite Tom Waits album is Closing Time. Closing Time! Sure, picking Rain Dogs would be more boring from a popularity / generally accepted opinion perspective, but surely this is more boring from a music perspective. Let me assure you that this opinion isn't because I can't stand Waits's voice or that I haven't explored his discography; somehow, Waits was my most listened artist of the decade on Spotify despite me never listening to him until 2017. If Mule Variations was shorter or Swordfishtrombones was more consistent, one of them might sit here. But of all of Waits's iterations, I find his impression of piano player in a smoky bar the best. Why?
Well, it's partially the songs. Obvious standouts include "Ol 55" and "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You," which a lot of people have probably heard (though maybe not performed by Waits). But the album is incredibly deep, with the jazzy "Grapefruit Moon" and country themed "Old Shoes (And Picture Postcards)" also being above average songs. In fact, the album has a fantastic hit-miss rate with the only miss being "Ice Cream Man" (yeesh). But it's not just that the album has great songs, it's that they all feel connected, like you could go to a bar and hear Waits run through the songs from start to finish. It really puts you in its world, and while Waits has played a lot of characters throughout his career none of them feel quite as authentic as this. It makes me wonder a bit how his debut album sounds the most mature, like it could have been written by a guy in his 60s who's full of regrets. I guess Waits is just that good at playing his characters.
But of all of the reasons I love this album, the biggest one is "Martha," which I haven't mentioned yet because it deserves its own paragraph. "Martha" is such a sublime song. How sublime? Once after listening to it I decided to make a list of "songs that if you don't like them I don't trust your opinions on music." It wasn't meant to be a list of my favorite songs; rather, it would be a list of songs that seemed so fundamentally good that anyone should like them, no matter your tastes. I went through a bunch of possible songs that I loved, and for all of them I could find a reason why someone wouldn't like the song. All metal, country, and hip hop is pretty much out because of various prejudices people have. Songs could be too loud, too slow, too repetitive, or too profane and turn someone off. In the end, I abandoned the list because "Martha" was the only song I could find that seemed universally un-hateable. I mean, listen to it. The way the piano jumps up an octave during the second half off the main melody. The way the choruses rise and swell but not so much so that it sounds like a climax, just a rising wave. The way you kind of know the narrator is going to confess his love but the way it hits you when he seems to stumble over his words: "Martha, ...Martha...I love you can't you see?" The way it starts a final verse but then just ends, as if the narrator was so overwhelmed he couldn't continue. "Martha" is not my favorite Tom Waits song, but it (and several other songs on this album) are so gripping, heartbreaking, and immediate that they stand up to even Waits's most adventurous material.
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,291
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Like walking into a high school history class where the stoner kid who sits in the back is ranting about how communism is a good idea in theory
I don't come from a musical background, despite three-ish years of piano lessons, so when I write about music I find it difficult to talk about fancy music terms. I can't identify what key a song is in, and half the time I'm not sure if I'm using words like "dissonance" and "chord" correctly. Most of the time I just talk about lyrics and atmosphere and hope no one catches on. But luckily music writers have invented ways to described music that don't require a musical background. Like, did you know there's a genre called Zolo that RYM describes as being characterized by "polka dot drums"? Crazy. Another one of my favorites is "angular guitars." I have no idea how to technically describe that phenomenon, but I can definitely identify a guitar that jerks back and forth between notes and call it "angular."
And on that note, this might be the most "angular" album of all time. Gang of Four gets lumped in with the other post punk bands of its era, like Joy Division, quite a lot. But musically, this album has almost nothing in common with the gloomy echoing rock of the rest of that genre. This is basically dance music made for a dance before the world ends. Damaged Goods, the best song here, makes me want to get up and move every time. But if it came out when I was on the dance floor I'm not sure whether I would know how. And I'd also probably tire myself out in about 30 seconds (because the song is fast, I am in decent shape). And best of all, there's no "minimal atmospheric song with the sound of breaking glass" on this album like there is on a lot of post punk albums. It's all killer no filler.
Lyrically this album is incredibly political, and it's got some lyrics that are good for singing along to. Even if the politics are a little...overbearing? The first verse of I Found That Essence Rare has great flow and rhymes:
"Aim for the body rare, you'll find it on the TV
The worst thing in 1954 was the bikini
See the girl on the TV dressed in a bikini
She doesn't think so but she's dressed for the H-bomb"
But the way it switches to being about the H-bomb could give one whiplash (bikini is the bikini atoll, get it?). Part of my likes this though, as the twist feels just as herky jerky as the music, so it fits well. [First added to this chart: 03/01/2014]
I don't come from a musical background, despite three-ish years of piano lessons, so when I write about music I find it difficult to talk about fancy music terms. I can't identify what key a song is in, and half the time I'm not sure if I'm using words like "dissonance" and "chord" correctly. Most of the time I just talk about lyrics and atmosphere and hope no one catches on. But luckily music writers have invented ways to described music that don't require a musical background. Like, did you know there's a genre called Zolo that RYM describes as being characterized by "polka dot drums"? Crazy. Another one of my favorites is "angular guitars." I have no idea how to technically describe that phenomenon, but I can definitely identify a guitar that jerks back and forth between notes and call it "angular."
And on that note, this might be the most "angular" album of all time. Gang of Four gets lumped in with the other post punk bands of its era, like Joy Division, quite a lot. But musically, this album has almost nothing in common with the gloomy echoing rock of the rest of that genre. This is basically dance music made for a dance before the world ends. Damaged Goods, the best song here, makes me want to get up and move every time. But if it came out when I was on the dance floor I'm not sure whether I would know how. And I'd also probably tire myself out in about 30 seconds (because the song is fast, I am in decent shape). And best of all, there's no "minimal atmospheric song with the sound of breaking glass" on this album like there is on a lot of post punk albums. It's all killer no filler.
Lyrically this album is incredibly political, and it's got some lyrics that are good for singing along to. Even if the politics are a little...overbearing? The first verse of I Found That Essence Rare has great flow and rhymes:
"Aim for the body rare, you'll find it on the TV
The worst thing in 1954 was the bikini
See the girl on the TV dressed in a bikini
She doesn't think so but she's dressed for the H-bomb"
But the way it switches to being about the H-bomb could give one whiplash (bikini is the bikini atoll, get it?). Part of my likes this though, as the twist feels just as herky jerky as the music, so it fits well. [First added to this chart: 03/01/2014]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,821
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 9. 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% | |
| Songs: Ohia | 2 | 2% | |
| Sufjan Stevens | 2 | 2% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 2% | |
| Kanye West | 2 | 2% | |
| Carissa's Wierd | 1 | 1% | |
| At The Drive-In | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 44 from 79th to 35th E•Mo•Tion by Carly Rae Jepsen |
| Up 35 from 45th to 10th Songs About Leaving by Carissa's Wierd |
| Up 29 from 76th to 47th The Glow Pt. 2 by The Microphones |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 32 from 57th to 89th Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney |
| Down 29 from 26th to 55th The Suburbs by Arcade Fire |
| Down 29 from 52nd to 81st Crack The Skye by Mastodon |
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| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | babyBlueSedan | 1990s decade chart | 2021 | |
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| BEA Forum Regulars' Top 100 (2015) |  HigherThanTheSun | Custom chart | 2015 |  |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
94/100 (from 152 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 152 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100/100  | 03/25/2025 19:59 | DrewHamster | | 79/100 |
100/100 | 01/15/2025 16:18 | Exist-en-ciel | | 99/100 |
100/100 | 06/25/2024 09:53 |  ssteve | | 92/100 |
90/100 | 01/16/2023 22:04 | Johnnyo | | 80/100 |
90/100 | 05/21/2022 09:11 |  Timestarter | | 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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(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
90/100
From Johnnyo 01/16/2023 22:05
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)
95/100
From leniad 08/31/2021 21:02
good writing and good taste
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From weyesgroove 09/29/2020 16:32
cool chart man. love the descriptions.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Keatownrodriguez 10/28/2019 21:19
Keatownrodriguez 10/28/2019 21:19
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)
95/100
From pctrooper 10/04/2019 19:23
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)
100/100
From eharrell 07/24/2019 00:02
Best Chart ever
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From tk421ucopy 07/23/2019 19:24
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)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 07/23/2019 12:00
DommeDamian 07/23/2019 12:00
Is there a limit of how much inspiration, this chart can give?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From xXhermitXx 10/18/2018 04:05
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)
100/100
From 
jdenny2018 10/18/2018 01:19
jdenny2018 10/18/2018 01:19
This is one of the most amazing things I've ever read
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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| Best Ever Artists | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Beatles | |
| 2. Radiohead | |
| 3. Pink Floyd | |
| 4. David Bowie | |
| 5. Bob Dylan | |
| 6. Led Zeppelin | |
| 7. The Rolling Stones | |
| 8. Arcade Fire | |
| 9. The Velvet Underground | |
| 10. Nirvana | |
| 11. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 12. Neil Young | |
| 13. Miles Davis | |
| 14. The Smiths | |
| 15. The Beach Boys | |
| 16. Kanye West | |
| 17. R.E.M. | |
| 18. Pixies | |
| 19. Jimi Hendrix | |
| 20. Bruce Springsteen |