Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
9999 
A work in progress.
- Chart updated: 08/30/2020 00:15
- (Created: 07/10/2009 04:08).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 41 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 90 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1990s. (Remove this filter)
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My favourite record from the 90s, hands down. Most of the chord progressions are pretty generic, but the choices in instrumentation are supremely original and textured and the effortless blend of noise and folk gives the songs a very distinctive sound. The lyrics are gorgeous and unbelievably heartbreaking and bittersweet. I get that Jeff Mangum's voice is an acquired taste, but I find it very powerful and emotional. The album as a whole is a musical wonder that never ceases to amaze me.
Favourite track: In the aeroplane over the sea [First added to this chart: 11/16/2010]
Favourite track: In the aeroplane over the sea [First added to this chart: 11/16/2010]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
34,469
Rank in 1998:
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Comments:
430
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I'm very happy that this record is getting more recognition lately, because it was criminally overlooked for a long time. It took me a while to discover it, and I was completely blown away by its beauty. Seriously, it's almost overwhelming how gorgeous this record is. It's not the solid songwriting, it's not the good vocal performances, it's not even the lovely melodies. It's the sound. This album SOUNDS like nothing else. No other record from the nineties sounds like Souvlaki. Not even Slowdive could recapture the magic in their following projects, which, if you ask me, are far from being great. Souvlaki is an anomaly, but it exists nonetheless. And thank God it does.
Favourite track: Machine gun [First added to this chart: 08/18/2015]
Favourite track: Machine gun [First added to this chart: 08/18/2015]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,243
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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Wow. I had heard and enjoyed Smith's debut a couple of years ago, but Either/Or stayed out of my radar for too long. It improves upon its predecessor in every single aspect. Better lyrics, better production and better guitar work (Elliott was a great guitarist). It can get quite depressing, but it's precisely Elliott's pain and vulnerability what makes this album so damn good.
Favourite track: Between the bars [First added to this chart: 06/20/2018]
Favourite track: Between the bars [First added to this chart: 06/20/2018]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,571
Rank in 1997:
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The record that predicted the 21st century. To be honest, I never shared people's extreme worship for Radiohead, but that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate their talent. OK Computer's palette of sounds together with the moody production, the ominous lyrics and Yorke's gorgeous vocal delivery makes for one of the most immersive and profound musical projects from the nineties. It took me a while to dive into it, as it always happens to me with Radiohead, but I finally gave in. So yes, I'll say it: OK Computer for the win.
Favourite track: Paranoid android [First added to this chart: 09/12/2013]
Favourite track: Paranoid android [First added to this chart: 09/12/2013]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
66,670
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Björk is brilliant, we all know that. She's probably one of the most progressive artists of the past thirty years or so. Constantly experimenting with sounds and unleashing that powerful voice that she has, this is usually signaled as her best record, and I have to agree. Homogenic takes artistic risks at every single turn, and all of them pay off. that. Even though I liked most of her following albums, I don't think she'll ever make something as well-rounded as Homogenic, a twenty-year-old record that still sounds ahead of the curve.
Favourite track: Jóga [First added to this chart: 09/25/2014]
Favourite track: Jóga [First added to this chart: 09/25/2014]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,767
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The sound of underground, Dummy is atmospheric, sexy, gloomy, cool as fuck and unmistakably nineties. Dusty drums, jazzy moods and Beth Gibbons's voice. What else can you ask for in a trip hop album?
Favourite track: Glory box [First added to this chart: 10/25/2014]
Favourite track: Glory box [First added to this chart: 10/25/2014]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,877
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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For me, Illmatic marks the beginning of hip hop as a truly respectable music genre. Sure, before Nas there was Dre, and Wu-Tang, and Run-DMC, but in my opinion none of them manage to do what Nas does here. He creates an incredibly vivid fresco of urban life with an army of sharp, captivating lyrics, sick deliveries and insanely ambitious rhyme patters, and what's even more impressive, it still sounds great 20 years later. Brilliant in every possible way.
Favourite track: It ain't hard to tell [First added to this chart: 08/18/2013]
Favourite track: It ain't hard to tell [First added to this chart: 08/18/2013]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,007
Rank in 1994:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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This guys are weird as fuck, and I mean it as a compliment. They can write the heartfelt It's gonna be alright and the humorous Waving my dick in the wind, and they pull both of them off convincingly. They can do it all, and they do it all incredibly well. This record is varied, entertaining and surprisingly consistent.
Favourite track: The mollusk [First added to this chart: 08/27/2015]
Favourite track: The mollusk [First added to this chart: 08/27/2015]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,227
Rank in 1997:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The biggest album from one of the biggest bands of the nineties. Does it deserve the praise? Probably not. But I guess most people, like myself, love it for what it meant to them at one point in their lives. In my case, Morning glory takes me straight to my teenage years. It was one of the records that got me really interested in music, and I'll always have a place in my heart for these tunes. There are too many anthems here to even count.
Favourite track: Wonderwall [First added to this chart: 11/16/2010]
Favourite track: Wonderwall [First added to this chart: 11/16/2010]
Year of Release:
1995
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,821
Rank in 1995:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
66. 
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Doggystyle's lyrics may have aged pretty poorly, both content and qualitywise, but the rest has stood the test of time better than almost any other rap album from the nineties that I can think of. The beats still sound amazing, and it's an incredibly groovy and fun listen through and through. I've loved this record for years, and I don't know why I kept it out of the top 100 for this long, to be honest. Anyway, better late than never, I guess.
Favourite track: Who I am (What's my name) [First added to this chart: 08/18/2013]
Favourite track: Who I am (What's my name) [First added to this chart: 08/18/2013]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,480
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 16. Page 1 of 2
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 1 | 1% | |
| 1960s | 8 | 8% | |
| 1970s | 19 | 19% | |
| 1980s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1990s | 16 | 16% | |
| 2000s | 19 | 19% | |
| 2010s | 28 | 28% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
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|
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| David Bowie | 3 | 3% | |
| The Beatles | 3 | 3% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 2 | 2% | |
| Kanye West | 2 | 2% | |
| Eminem | 2 | 2% | |
| LCD Soundsystem | 2 | 2% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
53 | 53% | |
 |
29 | 29% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
| |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 44 from 76th to 32nd Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe |
| Up 41 from 70th to 29th Art Angels by Grimes |
| Up 35 from 57th to 22nd Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 53 from 24th to 77th If You're Feeling Sinister by Belle And Sebastian |
| Down 39 from 16th to 55th Sound Of Silver by LCD Soundsystem |
| Down 38 from 55th to 93rd Pearl by Janis Joplin |
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| BEA 100 (One Album per Artist) |  BozoTyrannus | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
| BEA Top 100 Reorganized According To My Taste | bonnequestion | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| Ya joking? Should've been higher! All Time edition |  Purplepash | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| Going With My Gut: The Overall Chart Top 100 Re-ranked |  CharlieBarley | Custom chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Jamie | Overall chart | 2021 | |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
88/100 (from 90 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 90 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
85/100  | 03/20/2025 22:27 | SomethingSpecial | | 85/100 |
85/100 | 10/24/2021 16:26 |  Goliath | | 86/100 |
90/100 | 06/28/2021 11:41 |  Cytoma | | 90/100 |
85/100 | 06/27/2021 03:08 | Moondance | | 85/100 |
 100/100 | 04/21/2019 03:25 |  Rhyner | | 99/100 |
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 13% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 87.6/100, a mean average of 86.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 87.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 11.8.
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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 41 comments |
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85/100
From Moondance 06/27/2021 03:08
Cool chart. Nice to see Lorde get 2 albums in the top 100.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Glitterboiii 07/20/2019 23:38
Glitterboiii 07/20/2019 23:38
35 in common! Great chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
80/100
From vancevisuals 04/20/2019 19:24
13 in common
Like the comments
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 04/20/2019 14:27
DommeDamian 04/20/2019 14:27
You got some good albums, you got some good descriptions = everything is on point
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 04/20/2019 13:56
ForegroundNoise 04/20/2019 13:56
Your notes are something to be truly proud of even if the picks are a little *ahem* safe. Great mix of classics young and old - would be nice to see some jazz sneak in :)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Rivera 04/20/2019 13:38
Brilliant chart with excellent selections. For sure I'm going to have to check out your Spanish artists.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
95/100
From PeterSmith 10/26/2018 21:48
Hola, I really like your chart. It is a really good mix of decades and genres. I recognised and have many of the albums and on many occasions have similar favourite tracks you mention and equally also don't love some you call out.
I especially love your comments throughout and I actually read them all because they were so interesting and personal.
Unfortunately I am struggling with your number 1 - it's just not landing with me (yet?).
There are a number I have on my list for later listening and I'll come back later to check some of your other picks that I don't know.
Given some of your choices I was maybe a little surprised that Bon Iver never made it - but hey there is only room for 100. But if you haven't heard them give them a listen especially For Emma Forever Ago. You might also like Sigur Ros - very ethereal and electronic.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From cobbo95 01/09/2017 00:40
I really enjoyed reading you chart picks and the descriptions. Nice to see some similarities too with St. Vincent, War on Drugs and Oasis amongst others :)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From hahol 01/08/2017 22:34
Eclectic chart. Joni at the top is just awesome. Great comments too.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From platus 01/08/2017 19:33
Very good chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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| Best Artists of 1998 | |
|---|---|
| 1. Neutral Milk Hotel | |
| 2. Massive Attack | |
| 3. Air | |
| 4. Lauryn Hill | |
| 5. OutKast | |
| 6. Boards Of Canada | |
| 7. Elliott Smith | |
| 8. Madonna | |
| 9. Mercury Rev | |
| 10. Eels | |
| 11. Lucinda Williams | |
| 12. Placebo | |
| 13. The Smashing Pumpkins | |
| 14. Pulp | |
| 15. Refused | |
| 16. Belle And Sebastian | |
| 17. System Of A Down | |
| 18. Tortoise | |
| 19. Duster | |
| 20. Black Star |