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: 02/15/2025 00:45
- (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 122 votes). Please log in or register 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:
6,993
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Rank in 1990s:
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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:
21,823
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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:
28,494
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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:
23,044
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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:
39,894
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Overall Rank:
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:
12,013
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
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:
37,753
Rank in 1991:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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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:
39,162
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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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:
7,950
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Comments:
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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:
15,370
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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 | 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% | |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 2 | 2% | |
| PJ Harvey | 2 | 2% | |
| The Beatles | 2 | 2% | |
| The Jesus And Mary Chain | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
57 | 57% | |
| |
29 | 29% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 76th to 75th Darklands by The Jesus And Mary Chain |
| Up 1 from 73rd to 72nd Specials by The Specials |
| Up 1 from 72nd to 71st Chelsea Girl by Nico |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 2 from 71st to 73rd 13 by Blur |
| Down 1 from 46th to 47th Raise by Swervedriver |
| Down 1 from 66th to 67th Up For A Bit With The Pastels by The Pastels |
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 | 2025 | |
| 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 Best 500 Albums Of All Time (1-100) 2013 | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2016 | |
| NME: The 100 greatest albums of all time | Johnnyo | Custom chart | 2021 | |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
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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.
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 122 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 04/18/2025 20:08 | matterhornrider | 97 | 93/100 |
| ! | 03/21/2025 19:47 | stangetzaway | 173 | 89/100 |
| ! | 02/08/2025 07:26 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 05/27/2024 21:26 |  MadhattanJack | 260 | 85/100 |
| ! | 09/13/2023 22:38 |  hoyquarlow | 34 | 88/100 |
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 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 comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 54 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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Lgk21 01/09/2021 23:22 | #264121
Cool stuff, I really enjoyed your blurbs.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
DeusExMackia 07/15/2020 15:12 | #255629
DeusExMackia 07/15/2020 15:12 | #255629
An alt-rock lover's dream. One of the best lists on the site, love it to bits.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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???
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ExTeaSea 05/03/2020 15:49 | #250849
ExTeaSea 05/03/2020 15:49 | #250849
Cool! Started off like a number of charts but ended up having a bunch of lesser known artists which I appreciate. There's many I need to check out from your chart. Especially since I want to get more familiar with the late eighties and early nineties.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From bonnequestion 04/05/2020 13:23 | #249573
Nice chart with very interesting comments, keep it up!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From pctrooper 09/14/2019 22:48 | #242617
Really cool chart and I also like your notes. The personal anecdotes help me to appreciate where you're coming from with this distinctive taste of yours. I really don't know why I never gave Pavement much of a chance; they're quite enjoyable.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Julelios 12/05/2018 14:35 | #226237
Julelios 12/05/2018 14:35 | #226237
Excellent choices !
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Purplepash 08/17/2018 04:25 | #219775
Purplepash 08/17/2018 04:25 | #219775
Love this chart! Would like to check out some of the few I haven't heard at some stage...and props for Goon Sax and Beach Slang. Not in my faves but I really enjoyed them, and I like seeing some unique choices.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From vancevisuals 08/15/2018 14:32 | #219713
not so much in common but I couldn't agree more with your comments about "the White Album"
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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