Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by manurock 
More than "100 best-ever albums" this chart is better defined as "The 100 albums that I have so far most enjoyed listening to", it doesn't necessarily mean that they are the most talented music (in that case I would have included much more jazz and classical music!).
Chart of the day 9 times (04/2014, 10/2017, 07/2018, 09/2019, 08/2020 , 02/2022, 05/2023, 08/2023 and 02/2024). Since November 2019, Doomsday Afternoon has risen to #1. I still think that Pink Floyd is the best band ever and I am sure that they were required for Phideaux to make such a great album, but this album makes me feel like no other so it deserves to be #1.
Thank you so much for rating it so well and for giving me such nice comments and good recommendations :)
- Chart updated: 02/23/2024 18:45
- (Created: 03/06/2014 19:42).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 57 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 96 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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PLEASE listen to this album. You can see some Camel, Mike Oldfield and classical music influences but still this concept album is unique. Great vocals and instrumentation all throughout; piano, mellotron, violin and flute are more prominent than guitars. The first song is a long track which introduces you to the rest of the album and shows how well you can combine so many instruments together.
I remember when I watched them at Summer's End Festival in the UK. They were very nervous, still it was beautiful to hear these 10 people play their best songs, including nearly all of this album. After the show, I was able to talk with Phideaux Xavier and he was really nice with me. They weren't gonna make any profit from this concert, but they found the experience of playing in Europe fascinating. Nearly as fascinating as this concept album, which I agree with him, is his masterpiece.
Now, a decade after, my skin still shivers when I listen to it. That is why it has risen to #1. [First added to this chart: 03/06/2014]
I remember when I watched them at Summer's End Festival in the UK. They were very nervous, still it was beautiful to hear these 10 people play their best songs, including nearly all of this album. After the show, I was able to talk with Phideaux Xavier and he was really nice with me. They weren't gonna make any profit from this concert, but they found the experience of playing in Europe fascinating. Nearly as fascinating as this concept album, which I agree with him, is his masterpiece.
Now, a decade after, my skin still shivers when I listen to it. That is why it has risen to #1. [First added to this chart: 03/06/2014]
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Fantastic psychedelic/blues rock album. Jim Morrison's bluesy voice is unique and the instrumentation is great, especially Ray Manzarek's keyboards (mainly organ). I have to praise their two well known upbeat songs; the catchy "Break on Through" and the elaborate "Light my Fire", but please listen to the whole album because you'll find some other treasures like "The Crystal Ship" or "Take it as it Comes". I can't believe that this classic album is one of the oldest I have in my chart, it sounds so fresh...
[First added to this chart: 03/07/2014]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,834
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
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Solid classic album which I discovered quite late (2022!), although I knew some of its landmarks. Everything from beginning to end is worthy of listening to, from the western piano and whistling in the title track to the saxophone solo in "just the way you are", with special mention of one of the best songs ever written called "Vienna".
[First added to this chart: 03/08/2023]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,843
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This album is such a big surprise for me. It has been a while since I have heard an album of more than an hour of music and have liked every track, and I would even say every minute of it. She is really a talented artist with a lovely mellow sound. I am glad to see she is having success in today's generally noisy and impersonal pop. I think that Joni Mitchell and many others she draws inspiration from would be very proud of her.
[First added to this chart: 04/18/2020]
Year of Release:
2019
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,603
Rank in 2019:
Rank in 2010s:
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For me, this forgotten album is the Jayhawks' best album. Clearly underrated, maybe because their audience didn't expect these country-rock masters to react to the co-vocalist and co-songwriter leave by including a darker tone with psychedelic rock influences. It has a strong "feeling"; from Louris' vocals and guitars and Grotberg's keyboards, maybe due to the leaving of Olson. The best example is "Trouble", possibly their best song. Don't throw away their last songs; they may seem strange but you end up liking them as much (or more) as their first more single-type songs.
[First added to this chart: 03/06/2014]
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My favourite album discovery of 2018 Combining solemn folk with lush orchestal tracks, it is so pleasant, so ambitious, so well flowing... Thank you BEA!
Can't choose best tracks as this is a concept album but the best moments may be on tracks 3-5, 9 and 16. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2018]
Can't choose best tracks as this is a concept album but the best moments may be on tracks 3-5, 9 and 16. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2018]
Year of Release:
2005
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,361
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This album marked the end of the folk rock trilogy of the 60's and I consider it to be a milestone in the American folk rock music. Outstanding lyrics and a 11 minute song which flies away like it lasted half the time.
Best tracks: Sad eyed lady of the lowlands, Visions of Johanna, Stuck inside... [First added to this chart: 06/10/2018]
Best tracks: Sad eyed lady of the lowlands, Visions of Johanna, Stuck inside... [First added to this chart: 06/10/2018]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
24,985
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Overall Rank:
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Great album, the best by RHCP and a trademark in rock history. A combination of funk rock and more melodic parts which fit in very well. Lots of energy and lots of care for the music. The best track is it's title track, with moving music and lyrics and a few rythm changes and guitar riffs. Other songs like Road Trippin', Scar Tissue, Around the World... are unforgettable too.
[First added to this chart: 03/06/2014]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,371
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Average Rating:
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Thanks to BEA for showing me that the genearlly underrated Jackson Browne had other great folk-rock albums apart from "Running on Empty". Jackson Browne has composed some of the best country/folk tracks, yet he isn't too well known. This is his first album chronologically after the self-titled. Some of the songs are a first step to their later successful albums while others show a different folk-rock sound to what we're used to from him. The first two and last two tracks blend together and have a great sound, they may be the highlights of the album.
More than 40 years later, Browne is still playing these songs, and it was a pleasure to attend to a concert of his in Madrid. More from Browne in the next few pages... [First added to this chart: 06/26/2015]
More than 40 years later, Browne is still playing these songs, and it was a pleasure to attend to a concert of his in Madrid. More from Browne in the next few pages... [First added to this chart: 06/26/2015]
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This album, highlighted by many as his masterpiece, starts with the calm and beautiful (both lyrically and musically) title track to go on to a faster tempo "Fountain of Sorrow" which uses that Dylan trick of continuing when you think it's over. These two may be the best tracks here but the album flows well till the end.
Apart from the classic album era, I reccommend his last album "Standing in the Breach", which partly returns to this sound as well as including political themes as he has done lately. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2015]
Apart from the classic album era, I reccommend his last album "Standing in the Breach", which partly returns to this sound as well as including political themes as he has done lately. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2015]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
809
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Total albums: 26. Page 1 of 3
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1970s | 30 | 30% | |
| 1980s | 2 | 2% | |
| 1990s | 16 | 16% | |
| 2000s | 26 | 26% | |
| 2010s | 17 | 17% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4% | |
| Muse | 3 | 3% | |
| Supertramp | 3 | 3% | |
| Jackson Browne | 3 | 3% | |
| The Beatles | 3 | 3% | |
| Camel | 2 | 2% | |
| Riverside (PL) | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
48 | 48% | |
| |
26 | 26% | |
| |
6 | 6% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Leavers |
|---|
| Mellom Oss by Kerrs Pink |
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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 96 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 02/20/2025 10:14 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/27/2025 14:34 | DrewHamster | 317 | 79/100 |
| ! | 02/23/2024 21:45 |  EyeKanFly | 209 | 88/100 |
| ! | 02/23/2024 15:24 |  desh79 | 1,278 | 93/100 |
| ! | 02/23/2024 09:50 | Moondance | 476 | 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 is rated in the top 5% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.7/100, a mean average of 89.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.0/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.9.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From EyeKanFly 02/23/2024 21:46 | #302178
EyeKanFly 02/23/2024 21:46 | #302178
Awesome chart, lots of prog-rock but also super diverse and pushing the boundaries of rock at all ends. So much that I love here, that you've inspired me to wishlist pretty much everything I haven't heard. I'm listening to Doomsday Afternoon right now as I type this, and it's as awesome as you describe
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Moondance 02/23/2024 09:54 | #302157
Really enjoyed reading the comments that explain your selections - this is what makes a chart stand out for me. Liked seeing artists spread across the planet....although somewhat disappointed that there were no Australian artists in your top 100. Overall, a chart that kept my attention as I worked through your entire top 100.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 05/08/2023 11:09 | #296744
Great chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Larcx13 02/06/2022 21:27 | #280883
Larcx13 02/06/2022 21:27 | #280883
Nice effort put in! Not a lot of picks in common but a lot of picks I don't know yet, which is good. I think these charts should be personal, It would be boring to see the same kind of chart over and over,
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From KineticEchoes02 02/02/2022 10:43 | #280467
This is great! Nice descriptions for the albums, and was happy to see the love for Dire Straits, Jarre, Air and Camel. Obviously for Pink Floyd too, and I would agree they are the best band ever. Will need to check out some of the artists you've got here that I haven't heard yet.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From pctrooper 10/19/2019 01:27 | #243892
Jackson Browne is a master songwriter.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Keatownrodriguez 09/23/2019 14:25 | #242972
Keatownrodriguez 09/23/2019 14:25 | #242972
Surprisingly great variety, seeing DSOTM at #1 too often results in a boring list, but I really like yours
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From LankyLen 09/23/2019 13:43 | #242971
Great eclectic collection!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Ledgin72 09/23/2019 11:12 | #242966
Ledgin72 09/23/2019 11:12 | #242966
Love the personal feel. A lot of stuff I haven’t heard before, but judging from what I have heard, I’m looking forward to exploring some new music based on your suggestions.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From PeterSmith 06/30/2019 18:09 | #238686
I like your chart. There is homage to some big early albums in there but even as you get into the 70's it's not all the classics you expect.
You are short on 80's stuff - but there isn't enough time to consume everything. I would suggest a couple of albums from this era that you might like:
Making Movies by Dire Straits since you already called them out
Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Joy Division - Closer
Simple Minds - Street Fighting Years
The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow
Loving the love for Supertramp and Muse. Floyd are amazing.
I'm in a slightly different zone for your more recent albums but things like Steven Wilson are on my agenda and will get to some of your picks since I like what you choose that I do know.
Loving the comments - I think it adds so much to see why someone picked it and give us an idea what to expect.
Oh and I'm still not digging Joni Mitchell's Blue nor really focusing on the lyrics - it still feels like a sad album to me - lol
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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| 3. Tame Impala | |
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