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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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1960s. (Remove this filter)
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"Trumpet wails."
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]
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]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,196
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
74
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“Is that the stars in the sky or is it rain falling down?”
A confession to make: the version of this album I love is the Experience Hendrix reissue, with the US album first, making it, arguably, a compilation. Not that I care: the album in this format has been with me for the longest time of all the albums in my top ten, except for Origin of Symmetry, and I’ve listened to the album like this ever since I first heard it, and I’m not going to change my habits now. Even with 17 songs, there’s no filler and no weak tracks, which is outstanding.
Anyway, onto the album. I could be brief, and only highlight the incredible guitar playing- which is undoubtedly the highest quality guitar in any album I’ve ever heard. But we all know the quality of it, so I won’t waste any extra space. The often ignored part of this album is the drumming, which is almost as high a standard as the guitar. Many wonderful drum fills are spread across the album, with the highlight obviously being the incredible Fire. Also, the other extraordinary thing with this album is, sometimes it can be a possibility for bands with incredibly talented musicians to have lacklustre song-writing. However, Jimi Hendrix has to be one of the greatest song-writers as well as guitarists. You’ve got beautiful songs that the hazy guitars greatly complement, such as The Wind Cries Mary, to psychedelic masterpieces like Third Stone from the Sun. The result is an album that’s a complete joy to listen to.
What’s there not to like?
Best Moments (I could literally just say any solo in the whole album):
Purple Haze. Such an iconic first song.
Outro of Manic Depression.
Solo of Hey Joe.
May This Be Love. Possibly the most underrated song on the album.
Intro of The Wind Cries Mary.
The drums in Fire.
The scratching effects in Are You Experienced.
The bass in Stone Free.
Can You See Me. I love it- it sounds like Hendrix doing a Beatles’ song. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
A confession to make: the version of this album I love is the Experience Hendrix reissue, with the US album first, making it, arguably, a compilation. Not that I care: the album in this format has been with me for the longest time of all the albums in my top ten, except for Origin of Symmetry, and I’ve listened to the album like this ever since I first heard it, and I’m not going to change my habits now. Even with 17 songs, there’s no filler and no weak tracks, which is outstanding.
Anyway, onto the album. I could be brief, and only highlight the incredible guitar playing- which is undoubtedly the highest quality guitar in any album I’ve ever heard. But we all know the quality of it, so I won’t waste any extra space. The often ignored part of this album is the drumming, which is almost as high a standard as the guitar. Many wonderful drum fills are spread across the album, with the highlight obviously being the incredible Fire. Also, the other extraordinary thing with this album is, sometimes it can be a possibility for bands with incredibly talented musicians to have lacklustre song-writing. However, Jimi Hendrix has to be one of the greatest song-writers as well as guitarists. You’ve got beautiful songs that the hazy guitars greatly complement, such as The Wind Cries Mary, to psychedelic masterpieces like Third Stone from the Sun. The result is an album that’s a complete joy to listen to.
What’s there not to like?
Best Moments (I could literally just say any solo in the whole album):
Purple Haze. Such an iconic first song.
Outro of Manic Depression.
Solo of Hey Joe.
May This Be Love. Possibly the most underrated song on the album.
Intro of The Wind Cries Mary.
The drums in Fire.
The scratching effects in Are You Experienced.
The bass in Stone Free.
Can You See Me. I love it- it sounds like Hendrix doing a Beatles’ song. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
22,198
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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“The fate of all mankind I see is in the hands of fools.”
Arguably one of the finest prog rock albums of all time. This is completely epic. The first side, especially, is my favourite side of music ever. Does music actually get better than this? This is pretty much the perfect combination of jazz, classical and rock into one album. You never would have thought it would be possible, or that it would work, but by God has this worked. There are literally so many incredible guitar melodies on this album its unbelievable. Imagine hearing this for the first time in 1969. It’s still ahead of its time now, so back then it must have been like alien music. And the standard of musicianship is simply incredible; for Michael Giles to come up with those drums in 21st Century Schizoid is simply amazing. They’re aren’t the kind of drums you ever hear in one solo, let alone for a seven minute song that keeps a drum solo’s variety for the whole song. And then there’s Moonchild. To have such a great sustained improvisation in Moonchild is incredibly commendable, again showing the album’s brilliance and the musician’s competence.
This album is really stunning in every way imaginable. Great song writing, brilliant melodies and hugely imaginative ideas. The masterpiece of prog came before prog had really even started.
Best Moments:
It doesn’t really get much better, musically, than the various solos in 21st Century Schizoid Man. Its also possibly the best drum song of all time.
The flute solo in I Talk to the Wind. And the ending <3. I love how it just seems to come from nowhere.
The transition from I Talk to the Wind to Epitah.
The crescendo from 3:45 to 4:00 in Epitah, and the following guitar section.
The mellotron solo in Moonchild, from about 1:00 to 1:30.
The solo in The Court of the Crimson King from 4:10 to 5:30. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
Arguably one of the finest prog rock albums of all time. This is completely epic. The first side, especially, is my favourite side of music ever. Does music actually get better than this? This is pretty much the perfect combination of jazz, classical and rock into one album. You never would have thought it would be possible, or that it would work, but by God has this worked. There are literally so many incredible guitar melodies on this album its unbelievable. Imagine hearing this for the first time in 1969. It’s still ahead of its time now, so back then it must have been like alien music. And the standard of musicianship is simply incredible; for Michael Giles to come up with those drums in 21st Century Schizoid is simply amazing. They’re aren’t the kind of drums you ever hear in one solo, let alone for a seven minute song that keeps a drum solo’s variety for the whole song. And then there’s Moonchild. To have such a great sustained improvisation in Moonchild is incredibly commendable, again showing the album’s brilliance and the musician’s competence.
This album is really stunning in every way imaginable. Great song writing, brilliant melodies and hugely imaginative ideas. The masterpiece of prog came before prog had really even started.
Best Moments:
It doesn’t really get much better, musically, than the various solos in 21st Century Schizoid Man. Its also possibly the best drum song of all time.
The flute solo in I Talk to the Wind. And the ending <3. I love how it just seems to come from nowhere.
The transition from I Talk to the Wind to Epitah.
The crescendo from 3:45 to 4:00 in Epitah, and the following guitar section.
The mellotron solo in Moonchild, from about 1:00 to 1:30.
The solo in The Court of the Crimson King from 4:10 to 5:30. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
28,960
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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“This is the time and life that I am living, and I'll face each day with a smile.”
When listening to albums from the 60’s, in inevitable that some of them sound a little outdated. Some of my favourites, even, suffer a little from this. However, this album hasn’t aged a day since it was released. It’s obvious that it was released in the 60’s- I mean you don’t have anything sounding like this being released at the moment- yet it isn’t at all outdated. This is still refreshing after so many years of quality music. This album epitomises late 60’s psychedelic rock. It all sounds so relaxed, so effortless and so carefree. The lyrics are fun and lively, often being completely incoherent and random, but that’s part of the attraction of the album; it’s simply fun to listen to.
And the weird thing about this album is, when listening to the tracks individually there are several I don’t like. However, interestingly, when listening to the album as a whole, I love each and every song; it’s as if the songs only make sense when in the context of the album. And I don’t mind that at all; I mean, why would you even want to listen to the songs on their own?
And you can see the success of having such a large ensemble for recording this album- five core members of the band as well a considerable number of orchestrated part. The fact that there are three guitars allows for wonderful guitar solos, whilst still keeping the rhythm going throughout, and the strings fit in absolutely perfectly into the songs.
And what else can you possibly say about one of the greatest albums of all-time?
Best Moments:
The trumpet solo in Alone Again Or.
The guitar solo in A House Is Not a Motel.
The guitar solo in Andmoreagain.
The strings in Old Man.
The outro of The Red Telephone.
The guitar solo in Maybe the People…
The chaotic ending in The Good Humour Man…
The beautiful last couple of minutes in You Set the Scene. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
When listening to albums from the 60’s, in inevitable that some of them sound a little outdated. Some of my favourites, even, suffer a little from this. However, this album hasn’t aged a day since it was released. It’s obvious that it was released in the 60’s- I mean you don’t have anything sounding like this being released at the moment- yet it isn’t at all outdated. This is still refreshing after so many years of quality music. This album epitomises late 60’s psychedelic rock. It all sounds so relaxed, so effortless and so carefree. The lyrics are fun and lively, often being completely incoherent and random, but that’s part of the attraction of the album; it’s simply fun to listen to.
And the weird thing about this album is, when listening to the tracks individually there are several I don’t like. However, interestingly, when listening to the album as a whole, I love each and every song; it’s as if the songs only make sense when in the context of the album. And I don’t mind that at all; I mean, why would you even want to listen to the songs on their own?
And you can see the success of having such a large ensemble for recording this album- five core members of the band as well a considerable number of orchestrated part. The fact that there are three guitars allows for wonderful guitar solos, whilst still keeping the rhythm going throughout, and the strings fit in absolutely perfectly into the songs.
And what else can you possibly say about one of the greatest albums of all-time?
Best Moments:
The trumpet solo in Alone Again Or.
The guitar solo in A House Is Not a Motel.
The guitar solo in Andmoreagain.
The strings in Old Man.
The outro of The Red Telephone.
The guitar solo in Maybe the People…
The chaotic ending in The Good Humour Man…
The beautiful last couple of minutes in You Set the Scene. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,684
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 10/01/2013]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
40,998
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 05/04/2014]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,387
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 6. Page 1 of 1
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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Antlers | 1 | 2% | |
| My Bloody Valentine | 1 | 2% | |
| Love | 1 | 2% | |
| Burial | 1 | 2% | |
| Boards Of Canada | 1 | 2% | |
| King Crimson | 1 | 2% | |
| Madvillain | 1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
27 | 54% | |
| |
13 | 26% | |
 |
3 | 6% | |
 |
1 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 2 from 50th to 48th Reign In Blood by Slayer |
| Up 2 from 49th to 47th Tago Mago by Can |
| Up 2 from 48th to 46th Turn On The Bright Lights by Interpol |
| New entries |
|---|
 Relationship Of Commandby At The Drive-In |
| Geogaddi by Boards Of Canada |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Écailles De Luneby Alcest |
| The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers |
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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums ratings
91/100 (from 77 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 77 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |  Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
80/100 | 07/12/2020 01:10 | RioBravo | | 84/100 |
 95/100 | 06/18/2020 21:30 |  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 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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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums comments
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100/100
From Larcx13 12/21/2022 21:06
Larcx13 12/21/2022 21:06
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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
EyeKanFly 06/18/2020 13:07
EyeKanFly 06/18/2020 13:07
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
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
StefanR10 06/18/2020 11:18
StefanR10 06/18/2020 11:18
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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Reppu1976 01/16/2019 01:13
Really nice chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 01/11/2018 10:55
DommeDamian 01/11/2018 10:55
Unique chart, thanks for the surprise of The Avalanches
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
JulianR 08/31/2017 05:19
JulianR 08/31/2017 05:19
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
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
75/100
From RandolphCarterJr 07/15/2017 03:26
I was getting nervous till I saw Doolittle at 3. Solid and interesting chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
Onater 07/15/2017 03:12
Onater 07/15/2017 03:12
Much better than I expected for a chart with Muse at #1
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
Davy 07/14/2017 21:00
Davy 07/14/2017 21:00
Mhm, great top 10 :D
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From benschrier00 07/14/2017 16:57
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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