Top 75 Greatest Music Albums
by 
bigeyedfish 
My favorite albums. I get that there's not a lot of variety and that many artists are heavily represented. I think this is OK, since I'm setting out to actually rank my favorite albums and not to demonstrate how totally impressive and diverse my tastes are.
Currently Under Construction
- Chart updated: 07/18/2014 20:15
- (Created: 12/02/2013 01:31).
- Chart size: 75 albums.
There are 9 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 75 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 85 out of 100 (from 13 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
The entries in this chart have a zero rank score because the chart has not been updated within the last ten years (points from overall charts are decayed over a ten year period).
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from Dave Matthews Band. (Remove this filter)
Buy album 
- #Sponsored
My favorite album. This may not have changed the course of music like so many of the greatest, but I find it to be the all-time pinnacle of songwriting and musicianship. Not just a perfect album, but THE perfect album. From the welcoming introduction of the title track to the mind-shattering finale of "Bartender," every song is one of my favorites. In years to come, DMB will be praised far more than today.
[First added to this chart: 12/01/2013]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
A masterwork of songwriting and instrumentation, with profound, often dark lyrics that reflect Matthews' underrated genius. The album, of course, is not only a result of Matthews' brilliance but the capabilities of the entire band. Perhaps the most essential DMB album, and their first real studio effort. The music is intricately complex, yet the complication is never forced. Difficult time signatures and virtuosic solos never get in the way of purely good songs and emotional impact.
[First added to this chart: 12/01/2013]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
568
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
The deep cuts album from the Dave Matthews Band, and the typical fan favorite. While Crash represented an evolution, Before These Crowded Streets marked the first major departure for the artists. Never again would DMB be so bold, crafting their most artistic and sophisticated songs ('The Last Stop," "The Stone," "The Dreaming Tree" to name just a few.") and often their least accessible ("Halloween," "The Last Stop" again). Not all the tracks are dark and difficult, however. The opening pair of "Pantala Naga Pampa" and "Rapunzel" (to be heard together) welcomes the listener with joyous funk and soaring melodies, while "Stay (Wasting Time)" is an absolute feel-good track with an irresistibly bouncy jam. The album is a carefully sequenced masterpiece, swinging between brooding reflections and thrilling celebrations in a display of the human condition. In the complex depth of its vision, Before These Crowded Streets is as moving as life itself, and as beautiful. This glorious opus does not simply play; Before These Crowded Streets, if you can truly understand it, will become a part of you.
[First added to this chart: 12/02/2013]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
485
Rank in 1998:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
The second album from the Dave Matthews Band is another classic. Staple DMB songs like "Two Step," "So Much to Say" and "Tripping Billies" pick up where Under the Table and Dreaming left off, spinning the original DMB sound in a new direction. Some compositions introduce whole new elements to the DMB sound, such as "#41" and "Cry Freedom," while the group's ability to build a great jam is exemplified in "Proudest Monkey" and "Lie in Our Graves," amongst others. Crash also spawned DMB's biggest hit, "Crash into Me," which builds masterfully and is most definitely the creepiest wedding song of all time. Built from consistently great songwriting, astounding instrumentation and striking originality, Crash is remarkable and perhaps the essential DMB album - if you want to hear 'the' DMB sound, this is the place to go.
[First added to this chart: 12/02/2013]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,000
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Hailed by fans as a return to form for the Dave Matthews Band and called their best since 1998's Before These Crowded Streets, Away From the World was a major success for a band many consider past its prime. Adding elements of the electric rock pursued on 2009's Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King to the classic sound of their 1990's 'Big 3' albums, Away From the World, musically, feels largely like those early albums, but is starkly different lyrically. Even if the band can write like their younger selves, Matthews is a middle-aged father now, and his lyrics reflect that. Political activism, marriage, and fatherhood all find their way into Away From the World as the singer's main concern becomes his family and the world in which their future lies. What remains constant is a clear and intelligent worldview, imbuing every song with a ringing truth. "Belly Belly Nice" and "Gaucho" dig into the musical stylings of older albums, "Broken Things" and "Rooftop" provide just the right blend of classic and new, and "Snow Outside" and "Drunken Soldier" take a fresh approach to the band's instrumentals and become instant classics in the process. Very mature, and one of the best albums from a still-talented band.
[First added to this chart: 12/02/2013]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
The Dave Matthews Band's 2009 album was a reinvigoration of their studio vitality, even though it remained a far shot from their original sound and the sessions suffered from the tragic loss of saxophonist Leroi Moore, for whom the album is partially named. Rest in peace, Roi. Even without the Groo Grux King himself on some tracks, DMB delivered a winner. A straight-up electric-guitar rock sound is employed much more successfully than on 2001's Everyday (which, though filled with great songs, was hurt by rushed sessions, production mismatched with DMB, and a lack of input from the band). Rob Cavallo brings the album together marvelously, and it really does feel solid and complete. From the fast-rocking "Shake Me Like a Monkey" to introspective and gentle jewels like "Baby Blue" and "Lying in the Hands of God," Big Whiskey covers quite a bit of material unlike anything from the band's previous albums, and it's all very, very good. The lyrics are highly world-conscious at times, and completely the opposite at others. The big, multi-horn sound of this record is now integrated into the band's live setup and gives every song a fuller feeling than the albums of the past. Though Roi's loss is felt, Jeff Coffin (of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones) stands in excellently. Roi can still be found throughout Big Whiskey, whether in tribute songs ("Why I Am") or the parts he was able to record, most noticeably the opening "Grux" and the hidden "#35," a brief sax jam attached after silence at the end of the closer, "You and Me." Despite the struggles surrounding it and its standing below the classic records of the 90's, Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King was a great success for the Dave Matthews Band.
[First added to this chart: 12/02/2013]
Total albums: 6. Page 1 of 1
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 75 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 20 | 27% | |
| 1970s | 27 | 36% | |
| 1980s | 4 | 5% | |
| 1990s | 5 | 7% | |
| 2000s | 15 | 20% | |
| 2010s | 4 | 5% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| David Bowie | 11 | 15% | |
| Dave Matthews Band | 6 | 8% | |
| Pink Floyd | 5 | 7% | |
| The Beatles | 5 | 7% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 5% | |
| The Doors | 4 | 5% | |
| Rilo Kiley | 3 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 75 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 44 from 54th to 10th Is This It by The Strokes |
| Up 4 from 17th to 13th Scary Monsters by David Bowie |
| Up 3 from 37th to 34th Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 52 from 20th to 72nd The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn by Pink Floyd |
| Down 48 from 26th to 74th Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Down 7 from 18th to 25th Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd |
Top 75 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 75 Greatest Music Albums | Wingman | Overall chart | 2017 |  |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | elephanttalkmag | Overall chart | 2010 | |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | ankurphx | Overall chart | 2010 | |
| Top 70 Greatest Music Albums | lockyer.andy | Overall chart | 2012 |  |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | pittsford | Overall chart | 2013 | |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | NMHohyeah | Overall chart | 2013 | |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | Whiskas13 | Overall chart | 2011 |  |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | harrisfan | Overall chart | 2013 | |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | lesbeat | Overall chart | 2010 |  |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | shutupnoonecares | Overall chart | 2013 | |
Top 75 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Top 75 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 13 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 02/18/2017 13:28 | Seab | 2,005 | 93/100 |
| ! | 07/17/2014 12:35 |  Laurence | 149 | 86/100 |
| ! | 06/03/2014 04:46 |  Decurso | 171 | 82/100 |
| ! | 04/24/2014 07:53 |  pavelthevelvet | 52 | 85/100 |
| ! | 04/19/2014 03:21 | panman36 | 10 | 85/100 |
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 has a Bayesian average rating of 84.7/100, a mean average of 84.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 83.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.8.
Top 75 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Top 75 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing all 9 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From Decurso 06/03/2014 04:55 | #113588
Decurso 06/03/2014 04:55 | #113588
I appreciate the notes, even though I don't necessarily agree with all of them. However, there is not really a lot of variety here. Bowie, Mathews and Floyd alone account for 18 spots altogether. Throw in 5 from The Beatles and 4 from VU and that's 5 artists taking up over half your list.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Anti 04/18/2014 23:53 | #109536
Anti 04/18/2014 23:53 | #109536
AHHHHHHH YYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From panman36 01/27/2014 03:04 | #101611
4 DMB in the Top 10?? Nice! :)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
sssvnnn 01/05/2014 22:42 | #99955
sssvnnn 01/05/2014 22:42 | #99955
Good classical choices, maybe a bit to many Dave Matthews Band Albums.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From gtroda 12/27/2013 22:03 | #98916
I like most of the music here and I like to see DMB finally getting some love around here. We have 12 albums in common and almost all of them I've heard. That being said, I think maybe your chart could benefit from a little variety. As big a DMB fan as I am, I don't think 7 (8 really with the Dave solo) of their albums are in the top 50. Maybe you'd like some other jam bands? The Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule, Pat McGee Band, The Black Crowes, etc.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
tgarritsen 12/07/2013 02:55 | #96614
tgarritsen 12/07/2013 02:55 | #96614
Great list, I loved the comments on the album. I do think the charts needs a more variety in artists. I totally agree on the comment you gave about Magical Mystery Tour. It's often overlooked (as far that's possible for a Beatles album), while it's on of their best. I never heard of the dave matthews band or the Pretenders but I checked them out and they sound really good. I'm definitely goin to explore their music more.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
antiloopje 12/02/2013 21:07 | #96095
antiloopje 12/02/2013 21:07 | #96095
You sure put a lot of work in those comments. nice.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Antonio-Pedro 12/02/2013 18:07 | #96073
Antonio-Pedro 12/02/2013 18:07 | #96073
Ps amazing comments
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Antonio-Pedro 12/02/2013 18:06 | #96071
Antonio-Pedro 12/02/2013 18:06 | #96071
Great chart some variety in bands and some albums that i never saw before great chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Your feedback for Top 75 Greatest Music Albums
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
