Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by LittleM1971 
hope you enjoy...slowly adding more comments for each choice (I'll get there in the end)
- Chart updated: 10/10/2026 21:15
- (Created: 11/06/2013 13:03).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 54 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 91 out of 100 (from 121 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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The single Trigger Cut was already on heavy rotation for me so when this album was released I was really excited and it didn't disappoint. I must have played it 4 times on that day alone and was immediately hooked. 20+ years on and I still love it to bits, for me it somehow just retains that freshness. It's an absolute joy which for me they would never better. For years I've avoided putting this album top of my list, always going for something more widely respected like Pet Sounds or something. Not anymore and with amazing tracks like Summer Babe / Trigger Cut / In the Mouth a Desert through to beautiful songs like Here, Zurich is Stained and fuzzy gems like Perfume it's just brilliant. I'm standing up and claiming this to be the greatest album of all time and that feels good.
[First added to this chart: 11/11/2013]
Year of Release:
1992
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,792
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Because we all need somewhere dark to go every once in a while. It's one of those albums that you can easily forget just how incredible it is until you listen again.
[First added to this chart: 12/02/2013]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,317
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Available from
The thing I love about My Bloody Valentine is that they never lose sight of the melody. They may bend it and twist it but it's always there. To Here Knows When sounded so strange when it came out, I still enjoy peoples reaction when they hear it for the first time now. As a footnote MBV remain the only band that have actually made me black out at a gig! The Rollercoaster Tour, what a line-up that was...The Mary Chain, MBV, Dinosaur Jr and Blur.
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2013]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,670
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I was a few months short of turning 18 when this album came out and Bang!...the indie landscape had changed forever in Britain. In one sweep all those great British bands we all loved suddenly sounded dated, The Smiths, The Wedding Present, The House of Love, The Cure, Mary Chain etc, we even started dressing and dancing differently such was the impact of this album. It's brilliant from start to finish with perhaps Shoot You Down suffering from being dwarfed by everything else. The running order of the album is also perfect and I sometimes still get goosebumps thinking about the needle hitting this record for the first time as the start of I Wanna Be Adored built up. Lots of love for this album.
[First added to this chart: 11/15/2013]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
21,866
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Just brilliant from start to finish and I absolutely love Lou Reeds voice.
[First added to this chart: 11/18/2013]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,051
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Average Rating:
Comments:
6. (=)
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As soon as I put this outstanding album on the turntable I immediately begin to question my decision to rank Doolittle higher. This normally results in me then having to play Doolittle to double check which is a win win situation really. (Edit) Changed my mind again...this is better than Doolittle.
[First added to this chart: 11/14/2013]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,815
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Average Rating:
Comments:
7. (=)
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Much like The Stone Roses a huge impact album which fortunately arrived in the prime of my youth. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, My Generation, Anarchy In The UK...Smells Like Teen Spirit, yep it was and still is that important!!! The album itself is so strong and sounds huge and I count my blessings that I was lucky enough to catch them at the Reading Festival in 1992.
[First added to this chart: 11/10/2013]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
35,862
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Available from
I first heard this album sometime around 1991 and instantly fell in love with it. An incredible piece of work with stunning arrangements of jaw dropping beauty.
[First added to this chart: 11/11/2013]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
36,182
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What can I say about how important The Smiths are to me. From about the 3rd year of secondary school up until the Stone Roses shook things up it would be quicker to count the days I didn't play The Smiths than to those when I did. I remember precisely when I bought this album holding this in one hand and Hatful of Hollow in the other for an eternity trying to figure out which one to buy. To be honest either The Queen is Dead or Meat Is Murder could occupy this spot but this will always be that little more special to me...first love and all that.
[First added to this chart: 11/11/2013]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,565
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Available from
An amazing album...has that rare quality of being able to take me away somewhere else. Spellbinding!!!
[First added to this chart: 12/06/2013]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,764
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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 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 10 | 10% | |
| 1970s | 17 | 17% | |
| 1980s | 29 | 29% | |
| 1990s | 28 | 28% | |
| 2000s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2010s | 6 | 6% | |
| 2020s | 1 | 1% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Pixies | 4 | 4% | |
| The Smiths | 4 | 4% | |
| The Jam | 3 | 3% | |
| The Jesus And Mary Chain | 2 | 2% | |
| The Cure | 2 | 2% | |
| Joy Division | 2 | 2% | |
| My Bloody Valentine | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
56 | 56% | |
| |
30 | 30% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
Up 7 from 49th to 42nd |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melody Maker 100 Greatest Albums of All Time (2000) | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Melody Maker | Overall chart | 2000 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | LittleM1971 | 1990s decade chart | 2026 | |
| NME Best Albums Of All Time 2003 | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2019 | |
| NME 's 100 Best Albums Of All Time | New Music Express | Overall chart | 2003 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | LittleM1971 | 1980s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | DanielU | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| New Musical Express Writers Top 100 Albums | New Music Express | Overall chart | 1993 | |
| NME: The 100 greatest albums of all time | Johnnyo | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| NME Best 500 Albums Of All Time (1-100) 2013 | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2016 | |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
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m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
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Showing latest 3 ratings for this chart. | Show all 121 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 04/18/2025 20:08 | matterhornrider | 104 | 93/100 |
| ! | 03/21/2025 19:47 | stangetzaway | 175 | 89/100 |
| ! | 02/08/2025 07:26 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,088 | 86/100 |
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).
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This chart is rated in the top 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 91.3/100, a mean average of 90.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.9.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 8 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 05/17/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5315): By LittleM1971
BestEverAlbums 05/17/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5315): By LittleM1971“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by ) 1. Slanted And Enchanted by Pavement (1992) 2. Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division (1979) 3. Loveless by My Bloody Valentine (1991) 4. The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses (1989) 5. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground &…”
(8 mentions across Chart of the Day topics)View latest topic →
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
Moondance 12/28/2022 00:12 | #292269
An exciting chart - love having so many outliers and how each means something uniquely special to you. If I had been born about 20 years later I could easily imagine this would be my chart! We do have 2 albums in common despite the difference! Glad to see one Aussie & one NZ album in the mix. (Edited)
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From
LedZep TOP 100 COMMENTER 03/21/2017 22:45 | #187845
LedZep TOP 100 COMMENTER 03/21/2017 22:45 | #187845
Nice to see PJ Harvey and so many Pixies records! Can't agree more with your description of Nevermind. Smells Like Teen Spirit may not be their best song but it shaped not a year, but A DECADE and the whole generation...
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From
LadyGodiva 02/22/2015 23:54 | #135494
LadyGodiva 02/22/2015 23:54 | #135494
i love this chart... So many of the experiences you describe resonate with me and I can totally see why you have picked every album! Great job! :)
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From
ForegroundNoise 05/20/2020 19:36 | #251763
ForegroundNoise 05/20/2020 19:36 | #251763
Just a gorgeous, personal, vitality-inducing chart. Can't believe it was created seven years ago and I'm only finding it now??? (Edited)
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From
CharlieBarley 09/25/2016 14:57 | #175773
CharlieBarley 09/25/2016 14:57 | #175773
Great chart man. Love your description of playing the Stone Roses' debut for the first time. I was the only one in our school class I think, apart from a girl Emma, who liked the Roses. I taped it off her Step Brother. 2 or 3 years later and everybody loved the Roses. I have the remaster now and on vinyl. Like all of your selection that I know. Will check out the Pavement album and others.
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