Top 50 Greatest Music Albums by
Dingerbell 
My favourite songs:
1. Gold Soundz by Pavement
2. Citizen Erased by Muse
3. Svefn-g-englar by Sigur Ros
4. Vapour Trail by Ride
5. Ceremony by New Order
6. Move on Up by Curtis Mayfield
7. They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
8. Souvlaki Space Station by Slowdive
9. Carry the Zero by Built to Spill
10. Wasted Days by Cloud Nothings
11. Helicopter by Bloc Party
12. Frontier Psychiatrist by The Avalanches
13. Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear
14. Shook Ones Part II by Mobb Deep
15. Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
16. Thirteen by Big Star
17. Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space by Spiritualized
18. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
19. Never Catch Me by Flying Lotus
20. Angeles by Elliott Smith
21. Us by Regina Spektor
22. Diamond Day by Vashti Bunyan
23. Tugboat by Galaxie 500
24. Long Season by Fishmans
25. Fancy Clown by Madvillain
- Chart updated: 07/11/2020 20:15
- (Created: 09/27/2013 19:57).
- Chart size: 50 albums.
There are 62 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 50 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 91 out of 100 (from 77 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Firstly, I would like to thank Le_Samurai, cartoken and pearljammer13 for, unconsciously, introducing me to this album through the “What album are you listening to right now” topic.
Onto the music. The lyrics are perhaps the greatest ever written. They portray a deeply sad and honest story of life and broken dreams, and are incredibly moving. Even without the lyrics, the instrumentation is so great it would definitely be a contender for being one of the greatest albums ever, but the lyrics push it to, for me, my second favourite of all time. The thing is, the instrumentation is so very ironic. In one song, Happy, it goes from the down-tempo and depressing opening to the complete opposite for the glorious outro of the song.
So, there is obviously confusion between the vocals and instruments. But, this confusion is what completely makes this album so great for me, and is what completely sets it apart. The album is completely unique. I’ve never heard, and probably won’t ever hear, anything like this, and it’s unlikely I’ll ever hear as emotionally intense.
Therefore, the album produces a huge variation of emotions for me. If I’m not paying too much attention to the lyrics, the album fills me with joy, yet, if I want to pay closer attention, the album is almost unbearably moving. It is due to this huge contrast that I have put it at the top end of my chart.
Best Moments:
Fade in from The House that Guilt Built to Happy.
Outro of Happy.
Both piano and guitar solos, and the outro in This Boy is Exhausted.
Intro of Hopeless.
The last minute of Faster Gun.
The vocals in Thirteen Grand, especially the harmonies around 2:20.
Boys, You Won’t, especially from 1:00 to 1:50. The guitars are unbelievable.
Outro of Ex-Girl Collection.
The transition from Per Second Second to Everyone Choose Sides.
The outro on 13 Months in 6 Minutes. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
The one thing that strikes me about this album is the quality of the song-writing, which is ridiculously good. The combination between surf rock and college rock just creates the perfect pop songs. The vocals as well, they just are so powerful. Kim Deal and Black Francis just combine beautifully on every song. They have such contrasting voices, but they fit together so perfectly. The lyrics as well are wonderful. Just filled to the brim with charisma and humour. Even the darker songs, in terms of instrumentation, still have amazing lyrics. Not quite the shocking contrast of the Meadowlands, but not too far away. It’s this reason that makes it special compared to other albums that have fantastic music, such as Nevermind, which don’t feel as relaxed, and so feel less charismatic, and so have much less of an emotional impact on me. The album is just so chilled. It must be the surf rock influences.
Basically, the music is just completely brilliant.
In subjective terms, the way this album makes me feel is another factor that makes it special. When I listen, it makes me feel really positive about life, it’s uplifting and it never fails to make me happy. It’s also an album that I can listen to in any mood, and I always find myself coming back to it. It is probably my most frequently played album over the past few months.
Best Moments:
The layering guitars in intro of Debaser.
Various drum fills in I Bleed.
Solo guitars in the first and second verses of Here Comes Your Man.
Pretty much all of Monkey Gone to Heaven.
Guitar intro in Mr. Grieves.
Guitar solo in No. 13 Baby.
Vocals in Hey.
Chorus of Gouge Away. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
Completely unique in its genre, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is unlike any album; never has jazz been so rich, full and powerful. This comes mainly from its unusual use of overdubbing, allowing Mingus to perfect his vision and create a jazz orchestra full of different sounds that have no right to work in harmony so well. But it’s the way in which these sounds are implemented that is so impressive, with the use of huge shifts in dynamics to really highlight the incredible musicianship involved in this album- whether it be the quiet dynamics for Mingus to show-off his bass playing or the loud dynamics to overwhelm your senses with the wind instruments (and lets not forget the huge drumming performance from long-time Mingus accompanier Dannie Richmond). It’s through the extensive use of these dynamics which really sets this album apart from its peers, due to the amount of pure excitement it generates.
The album not only uses dynamics to increase the excitement levels, but the ingenious tempo changes throughout the album gives the listener an out of control feeling, like the music should collapse at any second and no one in the ensemble has any idea where the music’s actually going. It is seemingly only through the tight control of Mingus and his fantastic composing ability that it all stays together. Never knowing where the music will head next, the listener is always kept on the edge of their seat, questioning how music this glorious was even created and how it hasn’t fallen apart yet. But somehow it stays together, and the result is an album which almost transcends music. Completely genius.
Best Moments:
The crescendo halfway through Solo Dancer.
The insanity of the last minute of Solo Dancer.
The speeding up of the tempo in Duet Solo Dancers.
The massive drums after the guitar interlude in Group Dancers.
Mingus’ crazy bass work at the end of Group Dancers.
The guitar interludes in Trio and Group Dancers, but the whole song is genius, with just too many great parts to choose from. [First added to this chart: 01/30/2014]
The song structures are incredible as: they’re either sprawling epics with one idea (such as Randy Describes Eternity) or a combination of several ideas in one song (such as Out of Site). It’s weird, as it’s clearly an indie rock album, but features strong references to prog and jazz song structures. Another reason for the comparison is the songs having such prolonged solos. For example, I Would Hurt a Fly features one lead guitar that solos for the whole song, as well as a cello, that similarly solos throughout the song. Then there’s the awesome coda, which again features incredible soloing from the lead guitar. And as the rhythm section keeps in a indie rock style, it allows not only for the long solos to sound so unbelievably natural, but also for the fantastic combination between indie rock sounding songs with jazz song structures and soloing.
Another thing I love about this album is its quirky ideas and innovations that I have not heard being done before. Things like the quiet intro in Made-up Dreams and the fade-out-fade-in outro of Stop the Show are incredible unique, and work fantastically well.
And, I can safely say, this is one of the only albums that I like the fade-outs from; it beautifully adds to the feeling of the songs sprawling on forever.
Best Moments (I’ll only do one per song before this gets out of hand):
The intro of Randy Described Eternity. Coolest intro ever.
The outro of I Would Hurt a Fly. Coolest outro ever.
Outro to Stop the Show, starting from the short solo at 5:20 to the incredible fade-out-fade-in at the very end.
The last 20 seconds of Made-up Dreams.
The guitar solo (so pretty much the whole song!) in Velvet Waltz.
Out of Site is so incredible, but my personal favourite moment is the solo after the first chorus.
4:20 to the end in Kicked It In The Sun.
The repeated moment that first appears during 0:45 to 1:10 in Untrustable/Part 2. [First added to this chart: 10/01/2013]
There are so many ways in which the album sets it apart from so many other post-rock albums. I mean, on paper its fairly similar, with there being odd time signatures and a lack of song structure, so what makes this album so revolutionary, unique and different? Well, the obvious difference is the vocals. The contrast between the whispered and the shouted vocals is really effective at creating the creepy mood of the album. Combined with the complex guitar riffs- which are incredible- the effect is chilling, and that effect means it’s completely set apart from all other albums of it’s genre. However, as much as I love the guitars, the best part of the whole album, and definitely the most underrated, is the drumming. Without doubt some of the best drumming I’ve ever heard. The fills are superb.
On a personal level, the album is intimidating, and sometimes even scary, but it always seems to relax me. I can feel the intensity, for sure, but I don’t, myself, feel intense when I listen. It’s as if I feel almost the opposite of what Slint intended. So for that reason, it has to go high on my chart, as it’s such a weird feeling of calmness I get, when I listen, that’s unlike anything I’ve experienced. And, as you’ve seen with my comments on the Meadowlands and Doolittle, I like albums that give me unique feelings. Although, it must be said, Good Morning, Captain does scare the crap out of me. :P
Best Moments:
Breadcrumb Trail. The whole song is just amazing.
Chorus of Nosferatu Man.
3:10 to 5:00 of Nosferatu Man. Possibly the best part of the album.
The intro and outro riffs in Don, Aman.
The guitar solo in Washer.
The "I Miss You" section in Good Morning, Captain. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
This is surely the definitive indie rock album; containing unbelievably varied song structures, great use of interesting instruments (such as lap steel guitars and violins) and intelligent lyrics, what is there to criticize? Each song is completely different, yet they are all so successful. There’s not one weak moment on this album, and for a fifteen song album that’s an hour long, that’s some feat. And the guitar tones are incredibly unique, giving the album a one of a kind psychedelic feel- best highlighted in Gravity Rides Everything, The Stars are Projectors and I Came as a Rat. And then there’s Isaac Brook’s unique vocal style, that I love so much, but I couldn’t possibly say why. I guess that it may be due to its diversity- I mean, who else in indie rock has a flow that’s comparable to a rapper’s?
The most annoying thing that people say about this album is that it’s over after the first three songs, which is absolute rubbish. In fact, I wouldn’t even say the first three songs is the best three song combo on this album- I would give it to A Different City to Alone Down There.
But, putting what fools say about this album aside, this album is genuinely one of the most diverse and entertaining of all time.
Best Moments:
The whole of 3rd Planet. Everything about this song is incredible.
The chorus of Dark Centre of the Universe.
The solo in A Different City.
The violins in The Cold Part.
The solo in Alone Down There.
The Stars are Projectors. A musical journey.
Wild Pack of Family Dogs. I know it’s meant to be sad, but it really makes me laugh.
1:55 to the end in I Came as a Rat. The most experimental and psychedelic section of the album.
The last minute of Lives.
What People are Made of. This is, like, the most powerful closing song ever. The bass, especially, is amazing. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums composition
Decade | Albums | % | |
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1930s | 0 | 0% | |
1940s | 0 | 0% | |
1950s | 1 | 2% | |
1960s | 6 | 12% | |
1970s | 6 | 12% | |
1980s | 5 | 10% | |
1990s | 16 | 32% | |
2000s | 12 | 24% | |
2010s | 4 | 8% | |
2020s | 0 | 0% |
Artist | Albums | % | |
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Electric Wizard | 1 | 2% | |
Flying Lotus | 1 | 2% | |
Fela Kuti & Africa 70 | 1 | 2% | |
The Replacements | 1 | 2% | |
A Tribe Called Quest | 1 | 2% | |
Eno | 1 | 2% | |
Sigur Rós | 1 | 2% | |
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Country | Albums | % | |
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27 | 54% | |
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13 | 26% | |
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3 | 6% | |
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1 | 2% | |
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1 | 2% | |
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1 | 2% | |
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1 | 2% | |
Show all |
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
Biggest climbers |
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![]() Reign In Blood by Slayer |
![]() Tago Mago by Can |
![]() Turn On The Bright Lights by Interpol |
New entries |
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![]() by At The Drive-In |
![]() by Boards Of Canada |
Leavers |
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![]() by Alcest |
![]() by The Modern Lovers |
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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums ratings

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Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 77 ratings for this chart.
Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
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100/100 ![]() | 02/10/2025 09:42 | SomethingSpecial | ![]() | 85/100 |
100/100 ![]() | 01/15/2025 17:03 | Exist-en-ciel | ![]() | 99/100 |
100/100 ![]() | 12/21/2022 21:03 | ![]() | ![]() | 86/100 |
80/100 ![]() | 07/12/2020 01:10 | RioBravo | ![]() | 84/100 |
95/100 ![]() | 06/18/2020 21:30 | ![]() | ![]() | 99/100 |
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This chart is rated in the top 2% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 90.8/100, a mean average of 91.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.4.
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Came here because I didn't like some of your album ratings lol.
Nice chart. Good work put in too. I'm sorry you have an easier time disliking albums I tend to find great, but glad we still have a few in Common... Good job on the 1 album per artist too.

Really awesome chart. So much thought put into all your comments, and I love the "top moments" idea rather than top tracks (which doesn't make sense for some albums with only 1-3 tracks). Definite favorite

I find it good there a albums i have and most of them i knew. Really good i give you a high rating for such classic music pieces.
Really nice chart!

Unique chart, thanks for the surprise of The Avalanches

I've gotta say... this is one of my favorite charts. Even with Muse at #1. The in depth reviews are great. And it's funny, I had the exact same idea for the best moments thing; I got so tired of seeing the "top three tracks:..." thins everywhere
I was getting nervous till I saw Doolittle at 3. Solid and interesting chart.

Much better than I expected for a chart with Muse at #1

Mhm, great top 10 :D
Really good chart, not only some of my favorites but also a reminder of some albums I've been meaning to check out. I really like the idea of "favorite moments" as well, and I especially agree with things like Sometimes from Loveless and the crescendo in Epitaph.
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