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.
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 1990s. (Remove this filter)
When Soundgarden made their big comeback a number of years back, I was intrigued. I had heard Black Hole Sun before, but I wanted to hear more. Luckily my dad had a copy of Superunknown in his collection. At the time, that album was just what I needed. Every song really struck me as a musician and a listener and, to me, Soundgarden will always be top dogs of the "grunge" movement if for no other reason than their willingness to expand the limits of where the genre could go. Case and point, 1994’s Superunknown.
Superunknown is lightning in a bottle start to finish. 4th of July and Like Suicide take me to a truly dark place but Black Hole Sun and Fell On Black Days pull me back into other ones.
When the world lost Chris, I took it quite hard. His voice was more familiar to me than some family members'. His lyrics and delivery of them spoke to me in a way that so few ever have. I'm sad he's no longer here. I'm ecstatic he existed. We miss you, Chris.
Favorite tracks: Fell On Black Days, 4th of July, Like Suicide.
Drummer: Matt Cameron [First added to this chart: 03/21/2014]
Chaos, Debauchery, Disaster, Catastrophes, Disorder, Despair.. on one record, personified through instruments by 4 incredible personalities. Tool's musicianship is supreme and this is where they started to take hold of it completely. As loud, rude, and unapologetic as it is. I view Ænima and Lateralus as brother/sister albums. Ænima of course being the fucking bastard brother.
Tool went from a band I couldn't get into for the life of me, to a band I couldn’t stop listening to which I attribute to, in part, the people who finally helped make them click for me.
Tool’s music has this oddly satisfying element of life-affirmation to it, of course approached much differently than, say, Stevie Wonder might. Regardless, there is something in Tool's music that makes it speak differently than any other band and Ænima is the prime example of that. This record offers a catharsis that is seldom ever reached in their absolutely brilliant catalog or anybody else’s.
Favorite Tracks: Pushit, Eulogy, Ænema
Drummer: Danny Carey [First added to this chart: 11/17/2016]
Dream Theater's magnum opus and one of the greatest stories ever told on an album. Every song has a hand in telling part of the story, partly set in the present, other parts set in 1928. Fantastic songs, melodies, and of course playing from the powerhouses of Myung, Petrucci, LaBrie, Ruddess, and Portnoy. My favorite part about Dream Theater is when the powerhouse playing meets melody, harmony, and musicality. This record is the best of both DT worlds. This is the concept album I hold all other rock concept albums up against.
Favorite tracks: Strange Deja Vu, the Dance of Eternity, Finally Free. (But really, listen to the whole album)
Drummer: Mike Portnoy [First added to this chart: 03/21/2014]
My first couple of go-arounds with In The Aeroplane.. were, well.. not so favorable. I didn’t get it, nor did I resonate with it.
About once a year since 2015 I’ve revisited this album and got something more out of it each time. Recently, it finally fully clicked with me and I’m incredibly happy it has. This is a marvelous and daring and moving and unique masterpiece of the album medium.
ITAOTS offers outstanding pacing, gorgeous instrumentation that toes the line between uplifting and downtrodden, and personally I would put it up there with the greatest works of lyrics on an album ever. Some of Mangum’s poetics, mixed with his not so traditionally brilliant voice, have caused me to weep.
I’m not sure what part of “How strange it is to be anything at all.” didn’t resonate with my 20 year old self. But it sure did with my 27 year old self and I’m happy about that.
Favorite Tracks: In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, Oh Comely, King of Carrot Flowers Pt 1 [First added to this chart: 07/01/2022]
The Low End Theory is what happens when youth meets maturity, the past meets the present, and potential meets the pavement. From the jump, this record is such an iconic listen.
The first notes of TLET feature a sample from the god Ron Carter on standup bass. It’s dark and moving and slightly mysterious giving way to a legendary Q-Tip monologue and one of my favorite intro stanzas ever. As the album goes on, the best of both Tribe worlds come clashing as the record marvelously sequences Tip and Phife in a way that neither of the main MC’s voices or lyrical approaches get old.
I adore the feel and the vibe of this record, with the excellent jazz sampling The Low End Theory feels vintage but excitingly new every time. So many quotables, so many great verses including some legendary features, such a great listen from beginning to end.
Favorite Tracks: Excursions, Check The Rhime, Vibes and Stuff [First added to this chart: 10/10/2020]
Nevermind is a masterpiece, as well as a game changer, yes. But ever since listening to this album all the way through for the first time, In Utero has been my favorite Nirvana album. It's raw, it's heavy, it's angry, it's honest, and it just does not give a fuck. One of my favorite things about the record is that Grohl and Noveselic also have a writing credit!
Favorite tracks: Scentless Apprentice, Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle, All Apologies
Drummer: Dave Grohl [First added to this chart: 12/03/2014]
If you have to ask why this album is so high up on my chart, you'll never know. This is one of those albums that has been like a friend to me over the years, thanks in large part to sharing it with so many friends of my own.
Is it too long? Yeah.. (all RHCP records are too damn long). Cut it down even just by 3 songs and we're talking a sock-off masterpiece. With that said, however, I still love just about everything this album has to offer.
BSSM has been important to me in so many different regards and has different moods to match moods of my own. Funky, powerful, and excitable one song, forlorn and heartfelt the next. One thing is for sure, it's a landmark in funk rock and in my listening. I'd say they made the funk gods proud with this one.
There is also not a note out of place from Chad Smith. An EXCELLENT drum album.
Favorite tracks: The Power of Equality, Suck My Kiss, Sir Psycho Sexy
Drummer: Chad Smith [First added to this chart: 12/04/2014]
36 Chambers was an album I loved from the very first moments of my very first listen. Bring Da Ruckus smashed into me like an audible freight train as I sat back wide-eyed and aghast at the attitude blaring out of Ghostface Killah’s excellent first verse of the album and into my earbuds. It was a music memory and first listen I will never forget. I found everything about 36 Chambers, from its overall structure to its dark as fuck atmosphere, to of course the sheer astounding number of crafty bars to be nothing short of iconic. Since then, those feelings have only been amplified.
The Wu-Tang debut is a 1/1 and a phenomenal one at that. There’s nothing I’ve come across that gives me quite what this one does.
Favorite Tracks: Bring Da Ruckus, 7th Chamber, Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin’ To Fuck With [First added to this chart: 06/24/2020]
Symbolic is legitimately one of the best records top to bottom of any kind, any era, any genre. This album flys by even as I study the meticulous mastery set out by Chuck and company on each second of these tracks. To me, this is the shimmering apex of what can be made when the accessible and the extreme come crashing together.
Favorite Tracks: Symbolic, Zero Tolerance, 1,000 Eyes
Drummer: The absolutely mighty Gene Hoglan [First added to this chart: 03/21/2018]
Not too many albums like this. Not too many albums as good as this one. So eclectic, so inspiring and emotive, so fucking painful to listen to but beautiful at the same time. Buckley's voice is so one of a kind and he used it incredibly here. Great guitarist too! Not to mention, his backing band provides so much sound so well. I did not expect the drums on this album to be so good but they are by all accounts, incredible. Mojo Pin is one of the most underrated songs ever.
Favorite tracks: Mojo Pin, Last Goodbye, Hallelujah
Drummer: Matt Johnson [First added to this chart: 10/04/2015]
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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% | |
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 | % | |
---|---|---|---|
|
|||
58 | 58% | ||
28 | 28% | ||
6 | 6% | ||
3 | 3% | ||
2 | 2% | ||
1 | 1% | ||
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 Kind by Swans |
Leavers |
---|
Temple Of The Dog by Temple Of The Dog |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
03/06/2024 20:43 | Moondance | 454 | 84/100 | |
05/02/2023 03:05 | ffudnebbuh | 653 | 91/100 | |
03/04/2023 19:28 | bobnickmad | 23 | 88/100 | |
01/30/2023 16:43 | Goliath | 348 | 86/100 | |
10/13/2022 20:00 | BLO | 27 | 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 comments
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nice variety
5 stars just for time and effort given to your chart. Some absolute beautiful albums in your Top 100.?
Great chart both on diversity and quality.
Great chart and really diggin the notes accompanying the albums. Trying to do more of this myself but failing miserably
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.
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
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!
Love it!
Great taste and like your writing , keep going
You put a lot of effort on this chart and you have a lot of really good picks. Really good chart!
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....
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