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 collect them on vinyl again. Yes i do really enjoy Gary Numan's albums.
- Chart updated: 07/02/2026 22:15
- (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 create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Available from 
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]
Available from
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:
1,101
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Available from
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:
1,728
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Available from
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:
1,023
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Available from
A beautiful album with lovely guitar work and storyline led songs. This is atmospheric with a great gatefold album cover and insert with song linking artwork. (owned on 180g vinyl & sacd)
[First added to this chart: 03/23/2010]
Year of Release:
1976
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Rank Score:
2,696
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Available from
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:
1,366
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Available from
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:
17,727
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Available from
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:
12,074
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Available from
A breakthrough commercial album just before their more popular stadium sound era, and my favourite of their many releases. (owned on 180g gold vinyl & cd)
[First added to this chart: 03/26/2010]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,236
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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 | 16 | 32% | |
| 1980s | 21 | 42% | |
| 1990s | 7 | 14% | |
| 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 2 from 35th to 33rd |
Up 1 from 37th to 36th |
Up 1 from 36th to 35th |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 6 from 31st to 37th |
Down 1 from 10th to 11th |
Down 1 from 28th to 29th |
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| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | redfloyd | Overall chart | 2010 | |
| Top 42 Music Albums of 1980 | zowie | 1980 year chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums |  Yoooreds | Overall chart | 2016 | |
| Top 50 Music Albums of the 1980s | Mirek | 1980s decade chart | 2012 |  |
| Top 50 Music Albums of 1982 |  Secondsoul | 1982 year chart | 2015 |  |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | missionbeach99 | Overall chart | 2024 |  |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | Zian94 | Overall chart | 2020 | |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | Zeus | Overall chart | 2020 | |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | Cjde341 | Overall chart | 2016 | |
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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 3 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 | 362 | 86/100 |
| ! | 01/25/2025 14:11 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,088 | 86/100 |
| ! | 02/04/2023 20:49 | 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 has a Bayesian average rating of 82.5/100, 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.
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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 9 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 03/27/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5264): By Crusaderlord
BestEverAlbums 03/27/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5264): By Crusaderlord“Today's chart of the day Top 50 Greatest Music Albums by ) 1. Telekon by Gary Numan (1980) 2. The Pleasure Principle by Gary Numan (1979) 3. Aerial by Kate Bush (2005) 4. Rage In Eden by Ultravox (1981) 5. Replicas by Tubeway Army (1979) 6. ...And Then There Were Three by Genesis (1978) 7. Ultra by…”
(9 mentions across Chart of the Day topics)View latest topic →
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
Kuzh69 10/24/2014 23:45 | #125274
Nice varied , not boring at all........ I will rethink my top 100, because I
Played a ton of ultravox , and omd when I was younger, and they
Deserve another listen. Thanks
P.s --- I love down in the park ( replicas)
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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.
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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.
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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!
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From
poppmusic TOP 100 COMMENTER 07/21/2017 17:44 | #194746
poppmusic TOP 100 COMMENTER 07/21/2017 17:44 | #194746
Very thematically consistent chart. It's really clear what kind of music you like, which is awesome.
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