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 1970s. (Remove this filter)
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“To interest me, not even curiosity. It's not animosity, it's just you don't interest me.”
This album is a punk classic, but not in the same way that others from the same period were regarded as such. For example, the Sex Pistols gave an air of rebellion, and that has become the punk way. However, this album feels remarkably unpunkish, despite the obvious telling signs of short song lengths, often aggressive vocals and instrumentation and very basic guitar patterns. It feels artier and more intelligent than it’s punk contemporaries, often being much more experimental (Strange, Reuters and Pink Flag) whilst also embracing pop (Ex-Lion Tamer, Fragile and Mannequin).
That aside, the main thing that I love about this album- and something that completely sets it apart from other punk albums, or any other album I’ve heard for that matter- is the sheer number of songs and the intelligence in which they’re used. Wire waste no time at all, often restricting songs to minute long ideas, and maintaining a relentless pace, before quickly moving onto the next song.
And I must briefly mention my absolute adoration for the last six songs on the album, especially. An incredible combination of Pink Flag’s pop sensibilities (Fragile and Mannequin, which are my standouts from the album and possibly my favourite two song combo ever) and pure punkish aggression (12 X U), with the other three songs lying somewhere between those two extremes.
Best Moments (as I briefly implied earlier, pretty much every song on here is a highlight, so I’ll only mention my absolute favourite moments):
The extended second chorus/solo of Ex-Lion Tamer.
That huge guitar riff in Lowdown.
The (slightly creepy) second half of 106 Beats That.
Fragile is perfection; easily my favourite song under two minutes.
Mannequin. Somehow manages to outdo Fragile.
The intro to 12 X U (obviously) and the massive final chorus. [First added to this chart: 12/08/2013]
This album is a punk classic, but not in the same way that others from the same period were regarded as such. For example, the Sex Pistols gave an air of rebellion, and that has become the punk way. However, this album feels remarkably unpunkish, despite the obvious telling signs of short song lengths, often aggressive vocals and instrumentation and very basic guitar patterns. It feels artier and more intelligent than it’s punk contemporaries, often being much more experimental (Strange, Reuters and Pink Flag) whilst also embracing pop (Ex-Lion Tamer, Fragile and Mannequin).
That aside, the main thing that I love about this album- and something that completely sets it apart from other punk albums, or any other album I’ve heard for that matter- is the sheer number of songs and the intelligence in which they’re used. Wire waste no time at all, often restricting songs to minute long ideas, and maintaining a relentless pace, before quickly moving onto the next song.
And I must briefly mention my absolute adoration for the last six songs on the album, especially. An incredible combination of Pink Flag’s pop sensibilities (Fragile and Mannequin, which are my standouts from the album and possibly my favourite two song combo ever) and pure punkish aggression (12 X U), with the other three songs lying somewhere between those two extremes.
Best Moments (as I briefly implied earlier, pretty much every song on here is a highlight, so I’ll only mention my absolute favourite moments):
The extended second chorus/solo of Ex-Lion Tamer.
That huge guitar riff in Lowdown.
The (slightly creepy) second half of 106 Beats That.
Fragile is perfection; easily my favourite song under two minutes.
Mannequin. Somehow manages to outdo Fragile.
The intro to 12 X U (obviously) and the massive final chorus. [First added to this chart: 12/08/2013]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,177
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
4821. (=)
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[First added to this chart: 04/16/2014]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,661
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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“I don't want to grow up, there's too much contradiction.”
This album is so ahead of its time it’s referred to as post-punk, even though it came before punk. That just says it all, really. Even now, it feels ridiculous that this was released in 1977; it sounds so fresh, so imaginative today, so imagine it back when it was released. It’s nothing like anything that was released after it, as well as anything before it. How often can you say that about a rock album? After so many styles are copied and re-done, this still is completely unique. No wonder I loved this from the first listen. Full of wonderful pop hooks and impelling vocals, I’m not quite sure how you couldn’t like this.
Possibly the album’s greatest strength, though, is the quality of the guitars. It is undoubtedly one of the best guitar albums ever. I would say that this album is only second to Are You Experienced, in terms of guitars alone. The quantity of the solos is crazy, but the quality is also top-notch as well. The guitars are completely faultless for me.
But, like Are You Experienced, the quality of the guitars doesn’t at all detract from the quality of the song writing, whether it being the two long, sprawling stand-out tracks, Marquee Moon and Torn Curtain, or the equally great shorter songs, the song writing is absolutely exquisite.
Best Moments:
The guitar solo in See No Evil.
The outro of Venus.
2:30 to 3:10 in Friction.
Marquee Moon. Every single second is perfect. How many ten-minute songs can you say that about? It was done in one take as well. Extraordinary.
The chorus of Elevation.
The guitars in 3:10 to 3:35 in Guiding Light. Possibly the best use of guitars in the whole album.
The chorus of Prove It.
Torn Curtain. Like Marquee Moon, every second is perfect. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
This album is so ahead of its time it’s referred to as post-punk, even though it came before punk. That just says it all, really. Even now, it feels ridiculous that this was released in 1977; it sounds so fresh, so imaginative today, so imagine it back when it was released. It’s nothing like anything that was released after it, as well as anything before it. How often can you say that about a rock album? After so many styles are copied and re-done, this still is completely unique. No wonder I loved this from the first listen. Full of wonderful pop hooks and impelling vocals, I’m not quite sure how you couldn’t like this.
Possibly the album’s greatest strength, though, is the quality of the guitars. It is undoubtedly one of the best guitar albums ever. I would say that this album is only second to Are You Experienced, in terms of guitars alone. The quantity of the solos is crazy, but the quality is also top-notch as well. The guitars are completely faultless for me.
But, like Are You Experienced, the quality of the guitars doesn’t at all detract from the quality of the song writing, whether it being the two long, sprawling stand-out tracks, Marquee Moon and Torn Curtain, or the equally great shorter songs, the song writing is absolutely exquisite.
Best Moments:
The guitar solo in See No Evil.
The outro of Venus.
2:30 to 3:10 in Friction.
Marquee Moon. Every single second is perfect. How many ten-minute songs can you say that about? It was done in one take as well. Extraordinary.
The chorus of Elevation.
The guitars in 3:10 to 3:35 in Guiding Light. Possibly the best use of guitars in the whole album.
The chorus of Prove It.
Torn Curtain. Like Marquee Moon, every second is perfect. [First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,590
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 09/27/2013]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,063
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 08/31/2015]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,480
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 08/31/2015]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,816
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Sigur Rós | 1 | 2% | |
| Muse | 1 | 2% | |
| Television | 1 | 2% | |
| Slint | 1 | 2% | |
| John Coltrane | 1 | 2% | |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1 | 2% | |
| The Wrens | 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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