Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by AAL2014

Thanks for checking out my chart! BEA is a godsend of a website for me and has been for close to a decade now. I’ve spent countless hours of my free time here organizing my thoughts and checking out music that’s new to me. Very much in the same way listening to albums is respite for me, ranking them and arranging my thoughts is just the same.

Here you'll find some of that taking shape. My Top 100 will always be a work in progress, as I imagine anyone's would. But here's a couple things you'll find with my chart in particular:

---- My favorite (or thereabouts) lyric from each non-instrumental album.

----Being a drummer for going on 15 years, here you'll find the drummer(s) who played on each of my top 100 records to give a some due credit or to shoutout a hero.

—— As of 7/9/22, I am no longer enforcing 1 entry per artist in the top 25. I want the albums I love the most to be represented the way that accurately depicts what they’ve meant in my life.

Hope you enjoy. Let me know of any thoughts or if you have any recommendations for me in the comments. I’d love to hear them!

CHART OF THE DAY- 8/9/18, 5/10/21, 3/1/22, 10/13/22, 5/1/23

There are 49 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 83 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from The Beatles. (Remove this filter)

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"Didn't anybody tell her? Didn't anybody see? Sunday's on the phone to Monday, Tuesday's on the phone to me."

You could call Abbey Road the greatest album of all time and I wouldn’t give you much push back. My first listen of this record was profound. It left me feeling enlightened and happy, but most of all it was the album to make me go “So, these are The Beatles huh?” and set me on an unalterable path down their catalog and so much more music at large.

Every. Single. Track… adds something to the Abbey Road stew. Whether it be the foreboding and metallic She’s So Heavy, the auditory vitamin D of Here Comes the Sun, or the jaw-dropping medley, Abbey Road track list offers something for every type of listener. This is also a reflection of how John, Paul, and George were all peaking as songwriters during or around this time, a phenomenal capturing of a time in history.

Paul's vocals (blues mastery of Oh Darling!, gorgeous ballideering on Golden Slumbers) kick ass on this album, maybe his best album vocal-wise. The guitars are beautiful and utilized in ways not as explored on previous releases, Ringo’s drumming is smart and his tone warm and welcoming, and the production is out of this world tasteful.

So yeah.. greatest album of all time or not, there are hardly any albums I love more. Few records have single-handedly had a greater impact on me. Abbey Road is, at large, synonymous with music and all that I love about it.

Favorite tracks: Oh! Darling, I Want You (She's So Heavy), and the Abbey Road Medley (the entire medley).

Drummer: Ringo Starr
[First added to this chart: 12/30/2014]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
65,800
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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“You tell me that you’ve heard every sound there is and your bird can swing, but you can’t hear me.”

While not my absolute favorite from the Fab 4, it's essentially as close to perfection as a rock record has achieved in the genre's history. The Beatles pushed a lot of boundaries here and really influenced everyone, themselves included, in terms of songwriting and production.

Every song on here is great, and makes for a pretty perfect listening experience. Eleanor Rigby is one of the finest tracks I've ever heard. I remember hearing it on the radio long before ever giving a crap about The Beatles and trying to keep my jaw off the floor. Chilling. It also shows Paul's genius as a writer and narrator.

Favorite tracks: Eleanor Rigby, And Your Bird Can Sing, Tomorrow Never Knows

Drummer: Ringo Starr
[First added to this chart: 10/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
57,223
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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“..And though the holes were rather small, they had to count them all. Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.”

This was the first Beatles album I ever heard all the way through. That's a special moment in anyone's life, mine all the same. I found the album to be interesting and musically very unique but then A Day in the Life kicked in and I forgot about any other song ever made.. ever.

Some may say that this record is overrated or it's importance is overstated, etc etc.. But to me it's pretty much right where it needs to be and deserves its place in music history. Maybe the single most recognized album cover of all time.. okay second to Dark Side of the Moon, but it's still close. I think people get too up in arms about this album. It's not worth it. Just listen to the art, man. For a fresh listen, I recommend to most recent remix.

Favorite tracks: A Day in the Life, She's Leaving Home, Sgt Peppers...

Drummer: Ringo Starr (and probably Paul McCartney)
[First added to this chart: 12/02/2014]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51,238
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 3. Page 1 of 1

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade Albums %


1930s 0 0%
1940s 0 0%
1950s 1 1%
1960s 10 10%
1970s 34 34%
1980s 13 13%
1990s 21 21%
2000s 13 13%
2010s 6 6%
2020s 2 2%
Artist Albums %


Rush 4 4%
Metallica 3 3%
Tool 3 3%
Genesis 3 3%
Stevie Wonder 3 3%
David Bowie 3 3%
The Beatles 3 3%
Show all
Country Albums %


United States 58 58%
United Kingdom 28 28%
Canada 6 6%
Mixed Nationality 3 3%
Australia 2 2%
Germany 1 1%
Japan 1 1%
Show all
Live? Albums %
No 98 98%
Yes 2 2%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 99 99%
Yes 1 1%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Climber Up 7 from 97th to 90th
Nevermind
by Nirvana
Climber Up 7 from 88th to 81st
Electric Ladyland
by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Climber Up 3 from 83rd to 80th
Hounds Of Love
by Kate Bush
Biggest fallers
Faller Down 5 from 86th to 91st
White Pony
by Deftones
Faller Down 3 from 80th to 83rd
Mingus Ah Um
by Charles Mingus
Faller Down 3 from 81st to 84th
The Marshall Mathers LP
by Eminem
New entries
New entryTo Be Kind
by Swans

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)


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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
90/100 (from 83 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
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).
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03/06/2024 20:43 Moondance  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 45084/100
  
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05/02/2023 03:05 ffudnebbuh  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 65291/100
  
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03/04/2023 19:28 bobnickmad  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2388/100
  
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01/30/2023 16:43 Goliath  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 34786/100
  
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10/13/2022 20:00 BLO  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2791/100

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This chart is rated in the top 2% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 90.3/100, a mean average of 90.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.4.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 49 comments |
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Rating:  
90/100
From 05/02/2023 03:05
nice variety
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 05/01/2023 12:32
5 stars just for time and effort given to your chart. Some absolute beautiful albums in your Top 100.?
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 03/04/2023 19:28
Great chart both on diversity and quality.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 10/13/2022 16:55
Great chart and really diggin the notes accompanying the albums. Trying to do more of this myself but failing miserably
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 10/13/2022 09:12
Fascinating chart. Enjoyed the intro & album commentary ~ and appreciate the effort required to put the chart together. The chart is far too US-centric for my tastes - but I respect your choices, however they fall. Interestingly, you have Born To Run at #2 & I have it at #3; and the line you quote from the album is also my favourite line ~ so we have that and another 9 albums in common.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 07/10/2022 01:29
i have to give your chart a 100, excellent albums you choose, steview wonder along with prince and bowie are for me top 3 solo artists ever, if you count jazz then is bowie, miles davis, stevie and prince
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 07/06/2022 07:43
Hey man, I've come back to your chart - somehow on a first glance I gave it a 95, but it easily deserves a 100. This is the best chart I have read. Love your work - many similar tastes to mine, and the descriptions and stories within are awesome. From a bass player to a drummer - rock on dude!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 03/01/2022 12:05
Love it!
Great taste and like your writing , keep going
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 11/22/2020 01:30
You put a lot of effort on this chart and you have a lot of really good picks. Really good chart!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 11/02/2020 13:10
11/2/2020

The chart is yet again in transition mode (as always, but now moreso than in a while). Been taking in a lot of music new to me, a lot of music that I'm loving and resonating with. The chart will slowly but surely show that and the specific examples of what I'm talking about.

Just wanted to reach out to everybody who has given me high scores recently, it's always cool to see that every once in a while. However, there's more additions to include, more rearranging to be done, and much better descriptions. I've been feeling very motivated recently.

And look at that.. only 435 chart versions in....
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Ever Albums
1. OK Computer by Radiohead
2. The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd
3. Abbey Road by The Beatles
4. Revolver by The Beatles
5. Kid A by Radiohead
6. In Rainbows by Radiohead
7. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
8. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
9. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie
10. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico
11. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
12. Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) by Led Zeppelin
13. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles
14. Nevermind by Nirvana
15. Funeral by Arcade Fire
16. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
17. The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths
18. Doolittle by Pixies
19. To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
20. London Calling by The Clash
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