Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
ffudnebbuh 
I used to be a buyer for one of the largest record chains in the Midwest and had access to every album that one can imagine. So my chart is a strange collection of genres, well known albums and not so well known, from the highly regarded to the disdained..I went through my soul/r&b phase beginning in 1958(which I am still moving through), Beatles, Stones, etc, Simon/Garfunkel phase, Parliament/Funkadelic etc phase, Sex Pistols, Wire,Joy Division,Talking Heads phase, then Cocteau Twins, JMC, Pixies, MBV phase etc, and now my list is just what I am listening to the most at any moment. My interest in popular music is split between jazz, blues, and r/b on one hand and pop/rock on the other. I have an undergrad degree in classical piano. My chart is based partly on being in record retail for so many years(20) and having heard almost every album made and being bored with most of it...but is also informed from a performer's perspective, how I feel that a given artist is successful in communicating the particular ideas in words, music and arrangement and production regardless of genre.
When I left retail for graduate school in 1994, I became relatively out of touch with the music catalogue. I have been using Pandora more, so I feel that I am now caught up with most of the music from all music genres over the past 15 years.
- Chart updated: 9 hours ago
- (Created: 09/25/2009 19:15).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 265 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 252 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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[First added to this chart: 11/12/2009]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,079
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Rank in 1960s:
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[First added to this chart: 11/12/2009]
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[First added to this chart: 06/25/2010]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
29,704
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[First added to this chart: 11/12/2009]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,953
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[First added to this chart: 11/12/2009]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,234
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[First added to this chart: 07/17/2023]
Year of Release:
1956
Appears in:
Rank Score:
915
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[First added to this chart: 11/12/2009]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,097
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[First added to this chart: 10/29/2011]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
620
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[First added to this chart: 04/20/2010]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
38,499
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[First added to this chart: 11/12/2009]
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,900
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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 6 | 6% | |
| 1960s | 19 | 19% | |
| 1970s | 40 | 40% | |
| 1980s | 16 | 16% | |
| 1990s | 7 | 7% | |
| 2000s | 6 | 6% | |
| 2010s | 4 | 4% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Beatles | 3 | 3% | |
| Tom Waits | 2 | 2% | |
| Miles Davis | 2 | 2% | |
| Stevie Wonder | 2 | 2% | |
| Bob Dylan | 2 | 2% | |
| Elvis Costello | 2 | 2% | |
| Joni Mitchell | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| New entries |
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| Leavers |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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Showing latest 3 ratings for this chart. | Show all 252 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/31/2026 15:23 | jnmayles | 36 | 91/100 |
| ! | 12/28/2025 10:08 | Exist-en-ciel | 165 | 97/100 |
| ! | 08/18/2025 05:54 |  LadyGodiva | 96 | 97/100 |
Rating metrics:
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This chart is rated in the top 9% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.1/100, a mean average of 87.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.1.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 22 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 09/30/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5451): By ffudnebbuh
BestEverAlbums 09/30/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5451): By ffudnebbuh“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by ffudnebbuh () 1. by (1967) 2. by (1975) 3. by (1972) 5. by (1956) 6. by (1968) 7. (1981) 8. by by (1991) 10. by (2010) 11. by (2009) 12. (1977) 13. by (2015) 14. by (1989) 15. by (1964) 16. by (1998) 17. by (1973) 18. by (1963) 19. by (1977)…”
(21 mentions across Chart of the Day topics)View latest topic →
From 
RFNAPLES 08/08/2010 17:49 in Favorite/Helpful User Charts
RFNAPLES 08/08/2010 17:49 in Favorite/Helpful User Charts“These charts are also great:”
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From
ffudnebbuh TOP 100 COMMENTER 05/13/2013 12:21 | #75987
ffudnebbuh TOP 100 COMMENTER 05/13/2013 12:21 | #75987
Drakonium, what does "xD" mean?
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From
ffudnebbuh TOP 100 COMMENTER 07/03/2022 18:37 | #287065
ffudnebbuh TOP 100 COMMENTER 07/03/2022 18:37 | #287065
Peter, first are you from England? there is a big difference in what English and Americans were exposed to since the late 50s. I bought my first record at 4, my first soul record at 6. and Have never stopped listening to all kinds of music and buying it since then. It is an unusual chart. It is difficult to pick only 100 albums over 60 years. I saw the Beatles on TV for the first time when I was 9, so grew up with them throughout their career...The sixties were amazing, so much going on. all of the great music was made by independent labels. As a teenager, I had a real interest in R&B and soul. I received an undergraduate in classical piano and then went to work at the second largest record retail outlet in our midwest..So was exposed to everything.. My taste really changed. It is a long story, but thanks for your comments. I am trying to keep up with indie for the last 20 years, but the station we have is difficult to get here.
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From
hairymarx1 TOP 100 COMMENTER 08/02/2011 07:33 | #25532
Interesting additions..I can't say that I agree with most of them, but that's what makes this site so great. I agree with your comments about Lou Reed. He is truelly one of the greatest artists of all-time. I was fortunate enough to see Iggy, Lou and Patti (Smith) on the same bill recently at the Hop Farm festival in Kent, England. Morrissey headlined but was disappointing. He came on STAGE after Iggy and the Stooges and couldn't live up to them. The organizer's got it wrong.
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From
monosyllables 12/08/2011 21:57 | #32301
Seems pretty weighted toward the earlier decades, but you certainly don't just stick to all the old accepted classics! Plenty of picks I've never even heard of, but that's kinda what I like about it! Reminds me that there's always music out there to listen to.
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From
harv 07/02/2013 13:14 | #80233
I really enjoyed browsing this chart. A lot of classic stuff that I have in my collection but a lot of stuff I haven't heard too. I will be adding a number of these albums to my list of music to research/add.
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