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.

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Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 11/12/2009]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
46,459
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 11/12/2009]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
200
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 06/25/2010]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,696
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 11/12/2009]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
22,619
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 07/17/2023]
Year of Release:
1956
Appears in:
Rank Score:
848
Rank in 1956:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 11/12/2009]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,899
Rank in 1968:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 10/29/2011]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
645
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
8. (=)
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 04/20/2010]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51,673
Rank in 2000:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 01/11/2016]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,352
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 06/20/2022]
Year of Release:
1961
Appears in:
Rank Score:
91
Rank in 1961:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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 7 7%
1960s 21 21%
1970s 34 34%
1980s 14 14%
1990s 9 9%
2000s 8 8%
2010s 6 6%
2020s 1 1%
Country Albums %


United States 59 59%
United Kingdom 25 25%
Canada 7 7%
Mixed Nationality 5 5%
Germany 3 3%
Iceland 1 1%
Compilation? Albums %
No 97 97%
Yes 3 3%
Live? Albums %
No 98 98%
Yes 2 2%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 99 99%
Yes 1 1%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

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


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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
88/100 (from 248 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 248 ratings for this chart.

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95/100
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10/11/2022 05:42 leniad  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 68785/100
  
90/100
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07/03/2022 17:39 PeterSmith  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 6982/100
  
95/100
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02/09/2022 21:34 Larcx13  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,07286/100
  
90/100
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11/27/2021 13:43 craab  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1495/100
  
100/100
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10/28/2021 15:49 Cytoma  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 17190/100

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 10% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.0/100, a mean average of 87.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.1.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 264 comments |
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Rating:  
95/100
From 10/11/2022 05:42
updating my score, 95/100
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 07/03/2022 18:37
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.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 07/03/2022 17:47
I was drawn to your chart when you slated LCD Soundsystem and demanded the 6 minutes of listening back! I thought - who is this not loving LCD? But love your intro and chart - big respect for your journey. Would love to hear your views on your picks and why? - Bet there are some great stories in there....
I know over half of the albums you have in your chart and like them all - and have 11 of your albums in my own top 100 - although funnily enough they are mostly from post 80's when your choices start to dry up - so I kinda feel vindicated that they are great albums if they merit a breach into your predominantly pre-80s list.
As for LCD Soundsystem - it's been a while since I hit a club and I suspect it's a bit longer for you :-)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 11/27/2021 13:44
This is a really great chart! I don't like your #1 but apart from that I am really impressed by the depth and breadth. I got some good ideas for listening from this chart.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 11/03/2020 20:37
liked your choices
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 05/07/2019 19:38
One of the best charts on bEA.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 02/22/2019 03:31
great chart. we have lots of similar tastes in music.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 02/21/2019 16:17
This charte is really great... I love Velvet Underground, Pixies. Very interesting picks
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 02/12/2019 14:08
yes I am still here, Love your chart, Thanks for commenting..and you are still here as well.
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Rating:  
90/100
From 01/11/2018 18:51
May disagree with like Velvet Underground, but you still got many albums that I love here. Awesome to see Doolittle, The White Album and Blood On The Tracks in the top 10 =)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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