Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by buzzdainer

There are so many ways to make a "100 Greatest Albums" list. What do we mean, after all, by "greatest"? Do we mean most important? Most popular? Most influential? I'd end up with very different lists for each of those questions. What I've done is select the albums that are most meaningful to me personally, the ones I keep wanting to hear time and time again. These are the albums that have fed my soul in some way, often riding in the car or spacing out on my bed. My tastes lean toward Americana, but you'll see multiple genres represented here. In general, I prefer sincerity over sarcasm, earnestness over cynicism, sentiment over cleverness, and subtlety over bombast (though I'm sure you'll see exceptions). I've included no more than one album by any primary artist, which is an accurate reflection of my tastes: I like to listen to many different artists as opposed to concentrating on only a few. That's the college DJ in me coming out, I suppose. I invite your feedback and (especially) your music recommendations. Enjoy!

As difficult as it is to rank albums, it's probably even more difficult to rate other people's charts. Really, it all comes down to taste, which is subjective, or at least a product of our own individual listening experiences, preferences, biases, phobias, and desires. If you like the Cramps and I don't, who's to say who's correct? As Public Image Ltd. put it so many years ago, "I could be right; I could be wrong." Originally I tried to evaluate the quality of the albums on user charts, but I have learned that doing so was basically impossible. Now it seems to me that charts that are lovingly created, and with a sense of some depth and breadth of knowledge, are, by definition, good. I don't use my ratings and comments to try to police other people's tastes, but instead to seek common ground and spark conversation.

There are 122 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 92 out of 100 (from 116 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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This album was the soundtrack for a long drive from the Adirondacks in upstate New York down to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee for a backpacking trip with a woman I loved at the time. We sang at the top of our lungs all the way down. I think now, though, that she might have thought I identified a little too much with the opening lines to the rollicking banjo stomper "Bloody 98": "I got a wife in Hattiesburg and a lover in Mobile." For the record, I don't, never did, and don't want to. As for the album itself, this is one of the best entries in the alt-country genre in the nineties, a collection of well-written songs with effects like barking dogs as a constant reminder of the Mississippi woods from which these songs originated. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2016]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
123
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
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 14 14%
1980s 16 16%
1990s 21 21%
2000s 17 17%
2010s 22 22%
2020s 6 6%
Country Albums %


United States 78 78%
United Kingdom 10 10%
Jamaica 2 2%
Canada 2 2%
Mixed Nationality 2 2%
Australia 2 2%
Ireland 2 2%
Show all
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 99 99%
Yes 1 1%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Climber Up 1 from 49th to 48th
Mothership Connection
by Parliament
Biggest fallers
Faller Down 1 from 48th to 49th
Funeral
by Arcade Fire

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)


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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
92/100 (from 116 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 116 ratings for this chart.

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90/100
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01/12/2024 16:35 joathome  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 17880/100
  
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06/26/2023 07:17 Applerill  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 97675/100
  
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02/19/2023 13:32 BraddlesHendo  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 49091/100
  
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06/26/2022 02:53 Rm12398  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 9989/100
  
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02/02/2022 23:12 Moondance  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 45184/100

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 91.6/100, a mean average of 91.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 92.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 12.0.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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From 10/02/2022 18:32
Thank you for your kind comment, DiogoSRNunes! I don't consciously avoid the albums that are more popular and conventional, but I just think my tastes gravitate to the things that are less mainstream. That said, a Taylor Swift album just recently cracked my top ten of all time. So maybe I'm becoming more of a pop music fan in my old age.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 10/02/2021 17:16
Thank you for that generous and insightful comment, Mercury. Like you, I love March 16, 1992, and there are things about that album that I love even more than Anodyne. Albums that contain a lot of covers tend to get less attention on my charts than albums of mostly originals, which partially explains my preference for Anodyne. On that note, I have Uncle Tupelo, among others, to thank for my love of all things Gram Parsons. They recorded a version of "Blue Eyes," an early Gram Parsons tune, on one of the Gram Parsons tribute albums that came out in the early nineties. That led me on a search to hear more of his stuff, and the rest is history. If you love the Americana and alt-country movements, you can't help but love just about everything Gram Parsons ever did.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 09/18/2021 18:12
Well, jeez, not sure how I have never come by your chart, my friend. Considering how many time while scrolling all 100 albums I was nodding appreciatively I am surprised we *only* have 8 albums in common. This is a downright excellent chart, and especially love the down and gritty americana/alt-country/folk tradition that is so beautifully shown throughout this album. Oh and that tasty tasty Gram Parsons run from 24 to 26 was beautiful to see :). Love this, truly.

And yeah, Anodyne is a great record. I may slightly prefer March 16-20 1992, but they are neck and neck. I consider Tweedy/Farrar royalty in the alt-country kingdom. the last guy who commented is a character lol.

Oh and I meant to leave a comment on your 2020s chart but its not open for such at this time, and I wanted to thank you for the kind and enthusiastic comment on my 2020s chart. Agreed Stapleton and Starting Over are treasures. I need to listen to it a few more times, as I think I am not giving it nearly enough love and attention. A Truly resonant album and indeed a great stable rock in music form for these crazy times we are all experiencing. The album I've gleaned the most comfort and reassurance from in this young and chaotic decade so far is ... hmm, none from the decade lol. My top albums have been pretty damn bleak, harsh or escapist.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 07/20/2021 00:52
StreakyNuno, can you show me on the doll where Jeff Tweedy hurt you?
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
45/100
From 07/18/2021 20:08
Anodyne by Uncle tupelo ........best album ever.ahahahahaahaha
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From 07/11/2021 20:30
If Okkervil River’s The Silver Gymnasium and Drive-By Truckers’ The Dirty South aren't on your 5 best albums ever, I don't know what you know about music?
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
45/100
From 07/07/2021 16:23
For some reason my comment was banned indicating that you rated me 55 for revenge. DSOTM and WYWH by Pink Floyd if they aren't on the 5 best albums ever, I don't know what you know about music?
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (0 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
From 04/20/2021 17:25
StreakyNuno, I have the utmost respect for your chart. But Pink Floyd best ever album and Pink Floyd in second ???? Sorry, I respect but I don't feel like listening to the other albums in your chart.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
45/100
From 04/19/2021 18:45
for vengeance you ranked my chart with 55 ... that's not liking music and sharing music.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (1 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
Rating:  
45/100
From 04/19/2021 18:44
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