Top 50 Greatest Music Albums
by Crusaderlord 
This list is personal favourites and is not trying to be a greatest album list, although some may qualify. The late seventies and early eighties were my teenage era and my list really reflects this, and I believe the nostalgia and influence of that age plays a huge role in what albums remain personal classics. Over the years i have tried to broadened my taste a little, and am constantly revamping the lower end of the list, and yes i do really enjoy Gary Numan's albums.
- Chart updated: 1 hour ago
- (Created: 03/24/2010 01:53).
- Chart size: 50 albums.
There are 27 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 50 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 83 out of 100 (from 58 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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A more intricate use of keyboard overlaid sounds, and an album which at the time excluded the two chart singles, now included on the latest releases. (owned on 180g vinyl & cd)
[First added to this chart: 03/23/2010]
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A ground breaking electronic record which underpinned a new era of synth based music. With its swirling chords and great rhythms, it is an album that for me still sounds pretty unique. (owned on 180g vinyl & cd)
[First added to this chart: 03/23/2010]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,151
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A double album mixing brooding tracks with simple piano pieces, including a wonderful concept jazz inflected songbird journey. Great packaging, book and photos, especially the double vinyl album. (owned on 180g vinyl & cd)
[First added to this chart: 03/23/2010]
Year of Release:
2005
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,767
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A definitive synth programmed album, using repetitive rhythms and soaring keyboards. An album that has the feel of a complete blended work of music rather than individual tracks. (owned on 180g white vinyl & cd)
[First added to this chart: 03/23/2010]
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My first listen as a teenager gave me goosebumps, i loved the new darker synth sound and sci-fi themes and the great album cover which ties in with the track lyrics. (owned on 180g vinyl & cd)
[First added to this chart: 03/23/2010]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,069
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This album has a lovely ambiance throughout via keyboard chords and wonderful storyline led songs. (owned on 180g vinyl & sacd)
[First added to this chart: 03/23/2010]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
750
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Dark electronics mixed with guitar rifts, this was a slightly mature sound for Depeche Mode. (owned on sacd)
[First added to this chart: 03/23/2010]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,307
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Kate's most popular album and arguably the most creative and varied, a series of great story led songs on side one, along with a conceptual journey on the other that mixes up the styles. (owned on 180g marbled vinyl & cd)
[First added to this chart: 03/23/2010]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,148
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Depeche Mode's best selling album and a definitive electronic synth classic blending a darker tone. (owned on sacd)
[First added to this chart: 03/23/2010]
Year of Release:
1990
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,239
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This album has recently jumped higher in my charts. A themed album from the 70's with great driving rock tracks and neat keyboard atmosphere. (owned on 180g remix vinyl and cd)
[First added to this chart: 08/15/2014]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
22,676
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Total albums: 50. Page 1 of 5
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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1970s | 15 | 30% | |
| 1980s | 23 | 46% | |
| 1990s | 6 | 12% | |
| 2000s | 2 | 4% | |
| 2010s | 2 | 4% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 4% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Gary Numan | 5 | 10% | |
| Kate Bush | 5 | 10% | |
| Depeche Mode | 4 | 8% | |
| Ultravox | 3 | 6% | |
| Genesis | 3 | 6% | |
| Pink Floyd | 3 | 6% | |
| Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark | 2 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 39th to 38th Nightflight To Venus by Boney M. |
| Up 1 from 38th to 37th Can't Buy A Thrill by Steely Dan |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 2 from 37th to 39th I, Assassin by Gary Numan |
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| Top 50 Music Albums of the 1980s | Mirek | 1980s decade chart | 2012 |  |
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| Top 50 Music Albums of 1982 |  Secondsoul | 1982 year chart | 2015 |  |
| Top 40 Music Albums of the 1980s | crisscrass | 1980s decade chart | 2012 | |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | Zeus | Overall chart | 2020 | |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | Zian94 | Overall chart | 2020 | |
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Top 50 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 58 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 06/14/2025 08:13 |  MadhattanJack | 260 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/25/2025 14:11 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 02/04/2023 20:49 | Moondance | 476 | 85/100 |
| ! | 02/04/2023 16:24 | Johnnyo | 2,557 | 80/100 |
| ! | 02/04/2023 15:56 |  Goliath | 351 | 86/100 |
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 has a Bayesian average rating of 82.6/100, a mean average of 82.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 82.0/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.8.
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 4 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From Moondance 02/04/2023 20:56 | #293591
Can't argue with personal favourite lists ~ so I make a couple of observations. Nice to see a few less charted artists like The Beloved. Curious that you have 3 Alanis Morissette albums but exclude 'Jagged Little Pill'. Would be nice to see a full 100 album chart and some broader exploration of albums outside the UK & (especially) south of the Tropic of Cancer.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
CharlieBarley 06/03/2022 18:54 | #285954
CharlieBarley 06/03/2022 18:54 | #285954
Great to see KT Tunstall and The Beloved and especially Kate Bush. I like Gary Numan very much too.
Cool chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Boltzmann 02/08/2020 22:15 | #247609
Boltzmann 02/08/2020 22:15 | #247609
I like it, it's got a lot of personality.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ExTeaSea 02/08/2020 14:22 | #247600
ExTeaSea 02/08/2020 14:22 | #247600
It's awesome how much you like Gary Numan, OMD and Ultravox. Trick of the Tail is in my top ten as well, nice. I still haven't really listened to Kate Bush much but I should.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Thad 11/13/2019 17:35 | #244776
This is a solid chart of British 70s/80s electronic, pop and some prog. While it isn't diverse, these are very good choices considering the small pool of albums we seem to be choosing from.
It's actually kind of impressive how dedicated you seem to be to avoiding every other kind of music. Like, every album is english speaking yet barely any are even American, let alone another kind of foreign? This is a man who either really knows what he likes.. or doesn't have a clue. Hahaha.
Regardless, a unique chart. It would be scored higher if it had more diversity, but its an interesting read, clearly authentic, and like I said, good choices for the era, country, and genres that do appear.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Liedzeit 02/04/2018 10:56 | #207140
Liedzeit 02/04/2018 10:56 | #207140
As much as I despise Depeche Mode and Duran Duran, I like it that someone has the guts to stand for his favorite artist. Who in this case seems to be Gary Numan.
Brave. Also, including Sparks is always a bright idea.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
bobbyb5 08/31/2017 12:13 | #197017
bobbyb5 08/31/2017 12:13 | #197017
Its awesome that you have Replicas and Telekon in your top 10. not to mention you also have things like Visage and Madness in your chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Helios 07/22/2017 05:45 | #194760
Helios 07/22/2017 05:45 | #194760
Any chart with Gary Numan and Depeche Mode deserve to be Chart of the Year. Perfect!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
poppmusic 07/21/2017 17:44 | #194746
poppmusic 07/21/2017 17:44 | #194746
Very thematically consistent chart. It's really clear what kind of music you like, which is awesome.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From platus 07/21/2017 16:03 | #194740
I like your chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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| Best Artists of the 1980s | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Smiths | |
| 2. Prince | |
| 3. Pixies | |
| 4. The Cure | |
| 5. Talking Heads | |
| 6. U2 | |
| 7. Metallica | |
| 8. Kate Bush | |
| 9. R.E.M. | |
| 10. The Stone Roses | |
| 11. Sonic Youth | |
| 12. Michael Jackson | |
| 13. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 14. Iron Maiden | |
| 15. Prince And The Revolution | |
| 16. Tom Waits | |
| 17. Joy Division | |
| 18. New Order | |
| 19. Talk Talk | |
| 20. Rush |
