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
- Chart updated: 03/18/2024 05:15
- (Created: 03/18/2014 17:15).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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"Good morn or evening, friends. Here's your friendly announcer. I have serious news to pass on to everybody. What I'm about to say could mean your world's disaster. Could change your joy and laughter to tears and pain. It's that love's in need of love today"
My first favorite musician, Stevie Wonder capped off his run of legendary albums in the 1970's with quite arguably his all time best with Songs. Not a skippable track on the album and each has fantastic melodies, harmonies and instrumentation. No pun intended, truly a wonderful album. Seeing him perform the entire album live in Detroit was truly breathtaking. An all time classic of beauty, love, life, spirituality, and gorgeous, often untouchable music.
This was the album along with Stevie's greatest hits that made me realize what music was in the first place and made me fall in love with it on a grand scale.
From the performances to the writing to the arranging, sequencing, mixing, mastering, artwork... this is a masterpiece so full of life it's hard for me to break down how important it is to me in just a couple paragraphs.
This is not a “concept album” necessarily, but it isn’t not one either. And with a title like Songs in the Key of Life, it would have been disappointing for Stevie to not have taken the challenge to break down the world around him. He did just that through his view on love, life, birth, death, religion, race relation, politics, history.. There is no false advertising in the title. Although Songs was released in 1976, after 2 years of Stevie locking himself in the studio for often times 48+ consecutive hours, this is an album that could be released today and would be no less musically relevant or culturally significant. The messages found throughout this record are too important to ignore and the music is too vibrant not to love and be moved by.
The cohesion in Stevie's writing is more prevalent here than almost anywhere else in his catalog. Never before had he mixed so many styles so effortlessly. Funk (I Wish), soul (Knocks Me Off My Feet), rock (All Day Sucker), jazz fusion (Contusion), and even big band (Sir Duke) and classical influence (Village Ghetto Land) are all on display here, none of them feeling out of place. What's more is the obvious influence it had on the generations to come. The impact this album had on artists like Prince, The Roots, Justin Timberlake, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Michael Jackson, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar and so many others is screamingly obvious and a joy to infer. You've heard Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise, and if you haven't, you've heard Weird Al's Amish Paradise, both of which stem from the original structure of Stevie's Pastime Paradise from this album.
Stevie is such a great lyricist. Forget his superb voice and out of this world ear for melody, how can a blind man write a lyric like "I see us in the park, strolling the summer days of imaginings in my head. And words from our heart told only to the wind felt even without being said" that paints as clear of a picture as any song I've ever heard? Absolute genius.
Aside from what a great listening experience Songs In The Key of Life is, what I love specifically about this album is how it makes me feel as close to spiritual as I've ever been. I'm not a religious person, god to me is any positive person, place, or item I find. Discovering this album changed me and lead me down the path to eventually playing drums, teaching music, and meeting all of the people in my life that are important to me now. Songs in the Key of Life is almost a bible of sorts to me. From the first listen, it was something new and it had a visceral effect on me. It gave me the feeling that I could connect to something, in this case music, and stick with it, which I had never done before. I still feel it whenever I decide to play it. It's my go-to uplifting album.
Bury me with a copy of Songs In The Key of Life, my favorite album of all time.
Favorite tracks: As, Another Star, Knocks Me Off My Feet
Drummer(s): Stevie Wonder, Raymond Pounds, Greg Brown, [First added to this chart: 03/21/2014]
My first favorite musician, Stevie Wonder capped off his run of legendary albums in the 1970's with quite arguably his all time best with Songs. Not a skippable track on the album and each has fantastic melodies, harmonies and instrumentation. No pun intended, truly a wonderful album. Seeing him perform the entire album live in Detroit was truly breathtaking. An all time classic of beauty, love, life, spirituality, and gorgeous, often untouchable music.
This was the album along with Stevie's greatest hits that made me realize what music was in the first place and made me fall in love with it on a grand scale.
From the performances to the writing to the arranging, sequencing, mixing, mastering, artwork... this is a masterpiece so full of life it's hard for me to break down how important it is to me in just a couple paragraphs.
This is not a “concept album” necessarily, but it isn’t not one either. And with a title like Songs in the Key of Life, it would have been disappointing for Stevie to not have taken the challenge to break down the world around him. He did just that through his view on love, life, birth, death, religion, race relation, politics, history.. There is no false advertising in the title. Although Songs was released in 1976, after 2 years of Stevie locking himself in the studio for often times 48+ consecutive hours, this is an album that could be released today and would be no less musically relevant or culturally significant. The messages found throughout this record are too important to ignore and the music is too vibrant not to love and be moved by.
The cohesion in Stevie's writing is more prevalent here than almost anywhere else in his catalog. Never before had he mixed so many styles so effortlessly. Funk (I Wish), soul (Knocks Me Off My Feet), rock (All Day Sucker), jazz fusion (Contusion), and even big band (Sir Duke) and classical influence (Village Ghetto Land) are all on display here, none of them feeling out of place. What's more is the obvious influence it had on the generations to come. The impact this album had on artists like Prince, The Roots, Justin Timberlake, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Michael Jackson, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar and so many others is screamingly obvious and a joy to infer. You've heard Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise, and if you haven't, you've heard Weird Al's Amish Paradise, both of which stem from the original structure of Stevie's Pastime Paradise from this album.
Stevie is such a great lyricist. Forget his superb voice and out of this world ear for melody, how can a blind man write a lyric like "I see us in the park, strolling the summer days of imaginings in my head. And words from our heart told only to the wind felt even without being said" that paints as clear of a picture as any song I've ever heard? Absolute genius.
Aside from what a great listening experience Songs In The Key of Life is, what I love specifically about this album is how it makes me feel as close to spiritual as I've ever been. I'm not a religious person, god to me is any positive person, place, or item I find. Discovering this album changed me and lead me down the path to eventually playing drums, teaching music, and meeting all of the people in my life that are important to me now. Songs in the Key of Life is almost a bible of sorts to me. From the first listen, it was something new and it had a visceral effect on me. It gave me the feeling that I could connect to something, in this case music, and stick with it, which I had never done before. I still feel it whenever I decide to play it. It's my go-to uplifting album.
Bury me with a copy of Songs In The Key of Life, my favorite album of all time.
Favorite tracks: As, Another Star, Knocks Me Off My Feet
Drummer(s): Stevie Wonder, Raymond Pounds, Greg Brown, [First added to this chart: 03/21/2014]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,513
Rank in 1976:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
86
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"Beneath the city, two hearts beat. Soul engines running through a night so tender in a bedroom locked with whispers of soft refusal and then surrender."
I kid you not when I saw Springsteen, that one part before the last verse in Born To Run he extended and just kept conducting the band to keep getting louder and louder until it was this swirling tornado of noise for what was probably an entire minute, maybe more. before masterfully bringing it back to the remainder of the song. It was as loud and heavy as any moment in the Motorhead set I saw in the same arena a few years later.
Springsteen introduced me to live music proper in a way I could have never imagined. That night at the Palace of Auburn Hills was electric. A capacity crowd with a normal stage but seats behind it. I would guess I was one of at least 20,000 souls that night. It was a religious experience the likes of which I had merely read about. He played Born To Run in it's entirety. It changed my life and outlook on music.
Born to Run is youth and opportunity. It’s wise beyond its years yet still captures and explores naivety in such an incredible way. It’s an album that is so easy to get lost in as each set of lyrics paints such vivid imagery and the music never gets in the way of that.
This record is a lot of things to me. An influence, an inspiration, at times a fascination, and it’s most definitely one of my most listened to albums. In fact there were days growing up I would listen to it at least twice a day. If it weren’t for Songs In The Key of Life, this is easily my favorite album. Assuredly my #2, assuredly brilliant.
Favorite tracks: Thunder Road, Born to Run, Jungleland
Drummer(s): Max Weinberg, Earnest "Boom" Carter [First added to this chart: 03/21/2014]
I kid you not when I saw Springsteen, that one part before the last verse in Born To Run he extended and just kept conducting the band to keep getting louder and louder until it was this swirling tornado of noise for what was probably an entire minute, maybe more. before masterfully bringing it back to the remainder of the song. It was as loud and heavy as any moment in the Motorhead set I saw in the same arena a few years later.
Springsteen introduced me to live music proper in a way I could have never imagined. That night at the Palace of Auburn Hills was electric. A capacity crowd with a normal stage but seats behind it. I would guess I was one of at least 20,000 souls that night. It was a religious experience the likes of which I had merely read about. He played Born To Run in it's entirety. It changed my life and outlook on music.
Born to Run is youth and opportunity. It’s wise beyond its years yet still captures and explores naivety in such an incredible way. It’s an album that is so easy to get lost in as each set of lyrics paints such vivid imagery and the music never gets in the way of that.
This record is a lot of things to me. An influence, an inspiration, at times a fascination, and it’s most definitely one of my most listened to albums. In fact there were days growing up I would listen to it at least twice a day. If it weren’t for Songs In The Key of Life, this is easily my favorite album. Assuredly my #2, assuredly brilliant.
Favorite tracks: Thunder Road, Born to Run, Jungleland
Drummer(s): Max Weinberg, Earnest "Boom" Carter [First added to this chart: 03/21/2014]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,233
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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"Can't you feel our souls ignite? Shedding ever-changing colors in the darkness of the fading night. Like the river joins the ocean, and the germ in a seed grows, we've finally been freed to get back home."
A work of art. A criminally underrated album in my opinion, although Supper's Ready has been (rightfully so) acknowledged as one of the all time great prog tracks. That's certainly not the only bright spot on this record though. The opening track, Watcher of the Skies is an epic marvel, and Get Em Out By Friday is one of the more underrated and gallivanting tracks of the Peter Gabriel era.
The production value has this rugged DIY charm even when they are reaching for the heavens sonically and thematically. Production on prog records from this time can be a huge turn off for me, but man I love the sound and feel of this record.
I decided a while ago this record eclipsed Selling England for me. While I still love that album (and the other PG era records), Foxtrot is my most listened and most beloved. This album has been with me before I could count Apocalypse in 9/8. Incredible, fantastical, transcendental, and so important to me.
Favorite tracks: Watcher of the Skies, Get Em Out By Friday, Supper's Ready.
Drummer: Phil Collins [First added to this chart: 10/03/2015]
A work of art. A criminally underrated album in my opinion, although Supper's Ready has been (rightfully so) acknowledged as one of the all time great prog tracks. That's certainly not the only bright spot on this record though. The opening track, Watcher of the Skies is an epic marvel, and Get Em Out By Friday is one of the more underrated and gallivanting tracks of the Peter Gabriel era.
The production value has this rugged DIY charm even when they are reaching for the heavens sonically and thematically. Production on prog records from this time can be a huge turn off for me, but man I love the sound and feel of this record.
I decided a while ago this record eclipsed Selling England for me. While I still love that album (and the other PG era records), Foxtrot is my most listened and most beloved. This album has been with me before I could count Apocalypse in 9/8. Incredible, fantastical, transcendental, and so important to me.
Favorite tracks: Watcher of the Skies, Get Em Out By Friday, Supper's Ready.
Drummer: Phil Collins [First added to this chart: 10/03/2015]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,882
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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"A touch of rain and sunshine made the flowers grow into a lovely smile that’s blooming. And it’s so clear to me you’re my dream come true. There’s no way that I’ll be losing."
It's really quite fitting that Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life are so close on our overall chart. They are both SO phenomenal. You all know my favorite of the two (my favorite of all time) but this record might be the single greatest soul/funk/r&b of all time. From top to bottom, there isn't anything more complete in that genre, not SITKOL, not What's Going On?, not anything. I listen to it in sheer wonder.
Favorite tracks: Living For The City, All in Love is Fair, Higher Ground
Drummer: Stevie Wonder (Yes, on every single track) [First added to this chart: 10/08/2015]
It's really quite fitting that Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life are so close on our overall chart. They are both SO phenomenal. You all know my favorite of the two (my favorite of all time) but this record might be the single greatest soul/funk/r&b of all time. From top to bottom, there isn't anything more complete in that genre, not SITKOL, not What's Going On?, not anything. I listen to it in sheer wonder.
Favorite tracks: Living For The City, All in Love is Fair, Higher Ground
Drummer: Stevie Wonder (Yes, on every single track) [First added to this chart: 10/08/2015]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,950
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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"It was cold and it rained so I felt like an actor, and I thought of ma and I wanted to get back there. Your face, your race, the way that you talk. I'll kiss you, you're beautiful! I want you to walk! We've got Five Years!!"
So much to say about such an iconic record. But here we are I guess.
Over time, David Bowie’s work has purveyed my taste and listening habits more and more substantially until, overwhelmingly, he became a top tier favorite.
It started with Hunky Dory, one of my favorites in its own right. In fact, Hunky Dory was my top Bowie choice on this chart for years until recently, reaching as high as 13 or 14 I believe. But in recent years, I haven’t returned to that record (as fabulous an album as it is) as much as I have records like Station To Station and this one, the marvelous Ziggy Stardust.
Okay okay so yeah Ziggy is an androgynous alien sent to inform the planet blah blah blah.. we all know the story (one that actually holds up conceptually and thematically better than I think some people give it credit for). What we should acknowledge is how the story is one of a few key elements that makes The Rise and Fall such a brilliant album for AND ahead of the time it was released. He’s leading the glam rock charge while elevating the genre out of the streets and clubs and into the stratosphere.
Musically, the arrangements and orchestral passages serve as music that so mesmerizingly has one foot on Earth’s soil and the other one high above the clouds. Mick Ronson’s beautiful outro to Moonage Daydream is just one example of what I’m talking about. The majestic opener Five Years is another.
Lyrically, Bowie polished some absolute gems on this album too. Going back to Five Years, a song about and dripping in foreboding and impending catastrophe, the lyrics are so provocatively descriptive. Even down to the most minute but somehow very important details.. “Think I saw you at an ice cream parlor. Drinking milkshakes cold and long. Smiling and waving and looking so fine. Didn’t think you knew you were in this song.” Bowie is placing us not only in the song, but unexpected witnesses to the oncoming devastation of Earth. And if that’s not an example of how moving words in a song can be, I’m not really sure what is.
I really think this album excels fantastically with its pacing and having an overall high quality track list, one of the best in fact. For me, Ziggy Stardust is unequivocally and undeniably a 10 and one of this life’s great recordings. I only love it more as time goes on.
Favorite tracks: Five Years, Moonage Daydream, Rock & Roll Suicide
Drummer: Mick Woodsmansy [First added to this chart: 10/04/2015]
So much to say about such an iconic record. But here we are I guess.
Over time, David Bowie’s work has purveyed my taste and listening habits more and more substantially until, overwhelmingly, he became a top tier favorite.
It started with Hunky Dory, one of my favorites in its own right. In fact, Hunky Dory was my top Bowie choice on this chart for years until recently, reaching as high as 13 or 14 I believe. But in recent years, I haven’t returned to that record (as fabulous an album as it is) as much as I have records like Station To Station and this one, the marvelous Ziggy Stardust.
Okay okay so yeah Ziggy is an androgynous alien sent to inform the planet blah blah blah.. we all know the story (one that actually holds up conceptually and thematically better than I think some people give it credit for). What we should acknowledge is how the story is one of a few key elements that makes The Rise and Fall such a brilliant album for AND ahead of the time it was released. He’s leading the glam rock charge while elevating the genre out of the streets and clubs and into the stratosphere.
Musically, the arrangements and orchestral passages serve as music that so mesmerizingly has one foot on Earth’s soil and the other one high above the clouds. Mick Ronson’s beautiful outro to Moonage Daydream is just one example of what I’m talking about. The majestic opener Five Years is another.
Lyrically, Bowie polished some absolute gems on this album too. Going back to Five Years, a song about and dripping in foreboding and impending catastrophe, the lyrics are so provocatively descriptive. Even down to the most minute but somehow very important details.. “Think I saw you at an ice cream parlor. Drinking milkshakes cold and long. Smiling and waving and looking so fine. Didn’t think you knew you were in this song.” Bowie is placing us not only in the song, but unexpected witnesses to the oncoming devastation of Earth. And if that’s not an example of how moving words in a song can be, I’m not really sure what is.
I really think this album excels fantastically with its pacing and having an overall high quality track list, one of the best in fact. For me, Ziggy Stardust is unequivocally and undeniably a 10 and one of this life’s great recordings. I only love it more as time goes on.
Favorite tracks: Five Years, Moonage Daydream, Rock & Roll Suicide
Drummer: Mick Woodsmansy [First added to this chart: 10/04/2015]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
50,096
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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"The roses in the window box are tilted to one side, everything about this house was born to grow and die. Oh, it doesn't seem a year ago to the very day, you said, 'I'm sorry honey if I don't change my pace, I can't face another day."
It’s strange to say it, but this album seems so underrated. I say it’s strange because Yellow Brick Road has been such a staple in my life, a record I loved on first listen and have returned to so many times over the years. But it doesn’t get anywhere near the credit it deserves, especially as a double record.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road begins with what I feel is Elton’s best track. Love Lies Bleeding appeals to the progger, the rocker, and the songwriting enthusiast in me. It is simply one of the greatest opening tracks you can write for a record. The brilliance doesn’t end there as the next handful of tracks have all experienced long lasting radio play and deservingly so. As the record moves along, the deeper cuts offer some of my favorite Elton songs including I’ve Seen That Movie Too, This Song Has No Title, and All The Girls Love Alice.
Elton’s songwriting is in top form, there are some incredible Bernie Taupin lyrics, and Elton’s band have some iconic and fiery moments all over this album.
This record has had a true impact on me and possibly even before my birth. My whole family loved this record when it came out and my mom references it as a favorite to this day. My aunts and uncles, same story. A number of my friends through the years have expressed adoration for this masterpiece too.
Take some time to take this one in. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
Favorite tracks: Each of the first 4 songs, This Song Has No Title, All The Young Girls Love Alice
Drummer: Nigel Olsen [First added to this chart: 04/15/2015]
It’s strange to say it, but this album seems so underrated. I say it’s strange because Yellow Brick Road has been such a staple in my life, a record I loved on first listen and have returned to so many times over the years. But it doesn’t get anywhere near the credit it deserves, especially as a double record.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road begins with what I feel is Elton’s best track. Love Lies Bleeding appeals to the progger, the rocker, and the songwriting enthusiast in me. It is simply one of the greatest opening tracks you can write for a record. The brilliance doesn’t end there as the next handful of tracks have all experienced long lasting radio play and deservingly so. As the record moves along, the deeper cuts offer some of my favorite Elton songs including I’ve Seen That Movie Too, This Song Has No Title, and All The Girls Love Alice.
Elton’s songwriting is in top form, there are some incredible Bernie Taupin lyrics, and Elton’s band have some iconic and fiery moments all over this album.
This record has had a true impact on me and possibly even before my birth. My whole family loved this record when it came out and my mom references it as a favorite to this day. My aunts and uncles, same story. A number of my friends through the years have expressed adoration for this masterpiece too.
Take some time to take this one in. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
Favorite tracks: Each of the first 4 songs, This Song Has No Title, All The Young Girls Love Alice
Drummer: Nigel Olsen [First added to this chart: 04/15/2015]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,937
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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"In the end, we'll agree, we'll accept, we'll immortalize, that the truth of the man maturing in his eyes, all complete in the sight of seeds of life with you."
I love the Yes Album and Fragile is great too, but I think as a fan of prog rock, I can't go against one of the finest works in the genre's history, Close To The Edge. This album is absolutely mystical. Close to the Edge is brilliant, And You And I is beautiful, and Siberian Khatru is simply wild with one of the band’s best riffs. What a work of art. OH, and it's another album I saw played in it's entirety!
Favorite track: And You And I
Drummer: Bill Bruford [First added to this chart: 12/02/2014]
I love the Yes Album and Fragile is great too, but I think as a fan of prog rock, I can't go against one of the finest works in the genre's history, Close To The Edge. This album is absolutely mystical. Close to the Edge is brilliant, And You And I is beautiful, and Siberian Khatru is simply wild with one of the band’s best riffs. What a work of art. OH, and it's another album I saw played in it's entirety!
Favorite track: And You And I
Drummer: Bill Bruford [First added to this chart: 12/02/2014]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,455
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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**Largely Instrumental**
A perfect mix of blues, rock, funk and jazz. Certainly one of Jeff Beck's best albums and one of the finest examples of the fusion era with amazing grooves, hooks, and melodies. To me, these performances are a world away from his first blues rock offerings.
Blow By Blow was one of those game changing records for me as a young drummer, and of course I still draw inspiration from it today. Really, a great listen and a lot of fun every time.
Favorite tracks: Cause We've Ended As Lovers, Thelonious, Constipated Duck
Drummer: Richard Bailey [First added to this chart: 03/21/2014]
A perfect mix of blues, rock, funk and jazz. Certainly one of Jeff Beck's best albums and one of the finest examples of the fusion era with amazing grooves, hooks, and melodies. To me, these performances are a world away from his first blues rock offerings.
Blow By Blow was one of those game changing records for me as a young drummer, and of course I still draw inspiration from it today. Really, a great listen and a lot of fun every time.
Favorite tracks: Cause We've Ended As Lovers, Thelonious, Constipated Duck
Drummer: Richard Bailey [First added to this chart: 03/21/2014]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
688
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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“You’re in my blood like holy wine, you taste so bitter and so sweet. I could drink a case of you and I would still be on my feet, I would still be on my feet.”
Blue is not only Joni’s overall finest effort, I’d consider it purely one of the greatest collections of songs a writer has ever compiled. My emotions flow and my voice cracks as I try to sing along. This is fragility on display. Opening yourself up in ways that are frankly fucking alien to me, but I’ll be damned if it’s not been therapeutic for me in those regards.
All I Want opens the album in a fashion that only this album deserves. It’s a wandery ride of uncertainty anchored by a certainly fantastic set of chords and choice of instrumentation. From there, songs such as Carey, California, and A Case Of You provide me with lyrics and melodies I will never forget.
I’ve said this about a number of albums on this chart, but hey… I adore this record.
Favorite Tracks: All I Want, Carey, A Case of You [First added to this chart: 01/19/2021]
Blue is not only Joni’s overall finest effort, I’d consider it purely one of the greatest collections of songs a writer has ever compiled. My emotions flow and my voice cracks as I try to sing along. This is fragility on display. Opening yourself up in ways that are frankly fucking alien to me, but I’ll be damned if it’s not been therapeutic for me in those regards.
All I Want opens the album in a fashion that only this album deserves. It’s a wandery ride of uncertainty anchored by a certainly fantastic set of chords and choice of instrumentation. From there, songs such as Carey, California, and A Case Of You provide me with lyrics and melodies I will never forget.
I’ve said this about a number of albums on this chart, but hey… I adore this record.
Favorite Tracks: All I Want, Carey, A Case of You [First added to this chart: 01/19/2021]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,095
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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What can one say at this point about such an omnipresent, iconoclastic piece of work? Well, let me make the attempt.
Every good word uttered about The Dark Side of the Moon is earned. Immersive and expansive only begin to scratch the surface of what this record is and what it has to offer. As an album experience, it is unmatched in its completeness and its heady intensity. From the ominous tolling of Time to the batshit vocal performance that leaves me breathless on Great Gig in the Sky to the one-two outro punch of Brain Damage/Eclipse closing the album with a preposterous amount of grandiosity, there’s nothing quite like Dark Side of the Moon.
With headphones, Dark Side is like staring into the void for 40 minutes, coming out on the other side with something that resembles a lesson. And the lesson I continue to take from it is life, while cacophonous and just straight looney at times, is all we have and it’s precious.
Don’t discredit it just because of its popularity. 10/10 is not enough for this album.
Favorite Tracks: Time, The Great Gig in the Sky, Brain Damage/Eclipse
Drummer: Nick Mason [First added to this chart: 12/02/2014]
Every good word uttered about The Dark Side of the Moon is earned. Immersive and expansive only begin to scratch the surface of what this record is and what it has to offer. As an album experience, it is unmatched in its completeness and its heady intensity. From the ominous tolling of Time to the batshit vocal performance that leaves me breathless on Great Gig in the Sky to the one-two outro punch of Brain Damage/Eclipse closing the album with a preposterous amount of grandiosity, there’s nothing quite like Dark Side of the Moon.
With headphones, Dark Side is like staring into the void for 40 minutes, coming out on the other side with something that resembles a lesson. And the lesson I continue to take from it is life, while cacophonous and just straight looney at times, is all we have and it’s precious.
Don’t discredit it just because of its popularity. 10/10 is not enough for this album.
Favorite Tracks: Time, The Great Gig in the Sky, Brain Damage/Eclipse
Drummer: Nick Mason [First added to this chart: 12/02/2014]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
71,264
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 34. Page 1 of 4
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Rush | 4 | 4% | |
| The Beatles | 3 | 3% | |
| Metallica | 3 | 3% | |
| Tool | 3 | 3% | |
| Genesis | 3 | 3% | |
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 3% | |
| David Bowie | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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58 | 58% | |
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28 | 28% | |
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6 | 6% | |
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3 | 3% | |
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2 | 2% | |
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1 | 1% | |
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1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 7 from 97th to 90th Nevermind by Nirvana |
| Up 7 from 88th to 81st Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience |
| Up 3 from 83rd to 80th Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 5 from 86th to 91st White Pony by Deftones |
| Down 3 from 80th to 83rd Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus |
| Down 3 from 81st to 84th The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem |
| New entries |
|---|
 To Be Kindby Swans |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Temple Of The Dogby Temple Of The Dog |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
90/100 (from 83 votes)
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).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 83 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 03/06/2024 20:43 | Moondance | | 84/100 |
| 90/100 | 05/02/2023 03:05 |  ffudnebbuh | | 91/100 |
| 100/100 | 03/04/2023 19:28 | bobnickmad | | 88/100 |
| 90/100 | 01/30/2023 16:43 |  Goliath | | 86/100 |
| 100/100 | 10/13/2022 20:00 | BLO | | 91/100 |
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 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 favourites
Showing all 18 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 49 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
90/100
From ffudnebbuh 05/02/2023 03:05
ffudnebbuh 05/02/2023 03:05
nice variety
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From BraddlesHendo 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)
100/100
From bobnickmad 03/04/2023 19:28
Great chart both on diversity and quality.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Johnnyo 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)
90/100
From Moondance 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)
100/100
From leniad 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)
100/100
From KineticEchoes02 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)
100/100
From leniad 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)
100/100
From 
Larcx13 11/22/2020 01:30
Larcx13 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 AAL2014 11/02/2020 13:10
AAL2014 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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