Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
O.T. 
I remember lying on our kitchen floor, listening to the music from the radio. It was the only source for musical experiences in our small flat. The Beatles had split up only about a year ago, their first recordings were already played in the oldies show - they weren't even ten years old! Music enchanted me. My first clear memory of a new song comes from about two years later, it was Elton John singing "Crocodile Rock". Maybe its playful urgency got me, maybe I felt the nostalgic melancholy in it too but I thought: "How amazing! The world has just begun!" I didn't know, that I was late.
The New Wave from 1980 onwards took me out of childhood. Yes, I was late, too late for Punk for instance, but I witnessed to more or less extend the second round of New Wave with it's wonderful artificial Pop, the evolution of Hip Hop, the arrival of Gothic, the postmodern "New Traditional" Country and the short third wave of Música Popular Brasileira and of course the developments of electronic music: Post-Industrial, EBM, House, Techno. As formative to me were the Revival cultures of the 80s, with their distinct groups, that got into fights each time they met in the streets, as if it was an explosion, the physical result of a clash in the time-space-continuum. In fact it was an implosion.
My list is mostly about Rock and all the music that grew around it, maybe sometimes it's more about that "around". I guess from a cultural historical point of view it's the music of the greatest migration and abduction of people in history, an unbelievable mix of cultures, taking place in the USA and Brazil.
We can watch different musical styles evolve, then an immense technical evolution pushed them forward, created an industry, created wonderful sounds and melodies and as all cultural movements, ran out of ideas at a certain point.
Maybe it's just me getting old, but I was 17 when I first thought, something might be missing. On the other hand the High-Renaissance with its classic works by Leonardo or Michelangelo lasted just about 30 years, the most inspirational eras of art are only short episodes in history.
Some suggested in their comments, I should add more recent releases and when I was able to extend my list to 100 entries, I was sure, it would happen. But it didn't. I wanted to name the music, that impressed me the most, I hope I did and sadly, yet even to my surprise, there was no space for the newer records.
When I raved in the Acid House craze of '88 I thought again, the world had just begun, I was sad, it turned out differently, but I am happy about what I lived or discovered, like all the Hippie records, which were so "forbidden" in the Post Punk ethos (pathos?) of my early youth, then they became a secret treasure, finding out about MPB was similar. I will never remember "when Rock was young" but surely I had a lot of fun - I will listen on. Rock on!
- Chart updated: 09/06/2026 19:45
- (Created: 01/08/2010 23:41).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 29 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 45 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Available from 
[First added to this chart: 01/08/2010]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
471
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Comments:
2. (=)
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[First added to this chart: 08/03/2017]
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[First added to this chart: 01/08/2010]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,460
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Available from
[First added to this chart: 01/08/2010]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,502
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Available from
[First added to this chart: 01/08/2010]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
798
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Available from
[First added to this chart: 01/08/2010]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,690
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Available from
[First added to this chart: 01/08/2010]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,249
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Available from
[First added to this chart: 01/08/2010]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,516
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Available from
[First added to this chart: 07/31/2017]
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[First added to this chart: 08/02/2017]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,971
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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 | 2 | 2% | |
| 1960s | 22 | 22% | |
| 1970s | 45 | 45% | |
| 1980s | 31 | 31% | |
| 1990s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2000s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2010s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Grateful Dead | 6 | 6% | |
| Prefab Sprout | 4 | 4% | |
| Joni Mitchell | 3 | 3% | |
| Siouxsie And The Banshees | 3 | 3% | |
| The Band | 3 | 3% | |
| Tuxedomoon | 3 | 3% | |
| Elis Regina | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
47 | 47% | |
 |
25 | 25% | |
 |
11 | 11% | |
 |
7 | 7% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
Up 8 from 74th to 66th |
Up 5 from 75th to 70th |
Up 5 from 68th to 63rd |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 1 from 96th to 97th |
| New entries |
|---|
| Leavers |
|---|
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | O.T. | 1970s decade chart | 2026 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | O.T. | 1980s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | O.T. | 1960s decade chart | 2026 | |
| 200 Greatest albums of all time (1 - 100) - Uncut 2016 | Johnnyo | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| 200 Greatest Albums of All Time | Uncut | Overall chart | 2016 | |
| Two albums per artist |  flamingyesdept | Custom chart | 2017 | |
| Greatest albums of the 1960s | Ultimate Record Collection (Magazine) | 1960s decade chart | 2022 | |
| The Greatest Albums Of The 1960s | Uncut | 1960s decade chart | 2022 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | joshbrooker2001 | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| If I only allowed one album per artist... | flamingyesdept | Custom chart | 2018 | |
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 3 ratings for this chart. | Show all 45 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/05/2026 18:35 | Olli | 30 | 73/100 |
| ! | 08/04/2026 18:19 |  Cheddar | 18 | 100/100 |
| ! | 11/25/2025 00:54 | BorderFreeAndrew | 118 | 82/100 |
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 4% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.2/100, a mean average of 88.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.0/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 11.9.
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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 11 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 08/04/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5394): By O.T.
BestEverAlbums 08/04/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5394): By O.T.“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by ) 1. by (1975) 2. by (1959) 3. by (1970) 4. by (1975) 5. by (1969) 6. (1976) 7. (1969) 8. by (1968) 9. by (1976) 10. by (1967) 11. by (1975) 12. by (1969) 13. by (1972) 14. by (1968) 15. by by (1964) 17. by (1972) 18. (1982) 19. by (1975)…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 11/24/2025 09:00 in Chart of the day (#5141): By O.T.
BestEverAlbums 11/24/2025 09:00 in Chart of the day (#5141): By O.T.“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by ) 1. The Sun Sessions by Elvis Presley (1976) 2. The Original Sound Track Of The Movie Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) by Antônio Carlos Jobim & Luiz Floriano Bonfá (1959) 3. Workingman's Dead by Grateful Dead (1970) 4. The Basement Tapes by Bob…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 04/23/2025 08:00 in Chart of the day (#4928): By O.T.
BestEverAlbums 04/23/2025 08:00 in Chart of the day (#4928): By O.T.“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by O.T. () 1. The Sun Sessions by Elvis Presley (1976) 2. The Original Sound Track Of The Movie Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) by Antônio Carlos Jobim & Luiz Floriano Bonfá (1959) 3. Workingman's Dead by Grateful Dead (1970) 4. The Basement Tapes…”
View forum post →Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
Arthurknight 02/20/2018 03:30 | #208899
Arthurknight 02/20/2018 03:30 | #208899
Honestly I cannot dispute with you the very recognisable cut-off point, you write of it expressly, and with command. If that was the beginning, what of? Did we fall astray? is that even something either you, myself, or anyone could say of music?
It's interesting how your timing for the beginning of something was, to a lot of disciplines, the end. History unfolding to an "end of civilisation," the digital age resoundingly seeming to be not only the next zeitgeist but the death of the real; a post-modern world. The Millennium approached, and yet here we are still trudging along, what then of the music of this trudging?
I may hold a more optimistic idea of our cultural output in the new century, but that could be down our differing ages and experiences. Regardless, I love what you have here, particularly your delicate selection of Brazil's greats: Lo Borges, Milton Nascimento and Caetano Veloso. The influence is clear: humanist and primal; hippie and rock. You demonstrate here a supple blurring of the two, where rock meets the "forbidden."
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 5
From
Taric 06/29/2011 19:40 | #23665
Taric 06/29/2011 19:40 | #23665
This is actually a great chart. For someone who has died in 1989. They didn't stop making music you know.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 5
From
ForegroundNoise 02/19/2018 10:56 | #208812
ForegroundNoise 02/19/2018 10:56 | #208812
Difficult to reconcile the lack of post-80s stuff for someone who has knowledge of so many musical movements but hey whatever floats your boat
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 3
From
ffudnebbuh TOP 100 COMMENTER 10/23/2010 14:13 | #15886
ffudnebbuh TOP 100 COMMENTER 10/23/2010 14:13 | #15886
Glad to see someone else who like "Hissing of summer lawns"..I think that there are 5 joni albums that I could put in my top 50..and of course, "Northern lights" and "The Band" are both in my top 50..love the Band. "Acadian Driftwood" is a masterpiece.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 2
From
bobbyb5 08/13/2017 18:35 | #196026
bobbyb5 08/13/2017 18:35 | #196026
I like it. I cannot believe someone besides me has Chic Laura Nyro in their top 100 and a Joni Mitchell album besides blue. not to mention Lizzy Mercier descloux, section 25, Joy of Cooking, Allen Toussaint. You never these things around herhere.esome.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 2
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