Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
Decurso 
This is an entirely subjective list of my all time favourite albums.These are the albums I can listen to again and again and would want with me if I were stranded on a desert island.
- Chart updated: 04/28/2019 18:15
- (Created: 05/07/2014 11:25).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 33 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 85 out of 100 (from 60 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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The full range of Zeppelin. Epic orchestral numbers, heavy, fast-paced rockers, acoustic numbers, scorching blues, light hearted jams and a touch of world music. My favourite album of all time
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2014]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,691
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Clapton's greatest work by far....but the credit here has to be spread around. A GREAT all around band (Duane Allman smokes, Bobby Whitlock's haunting solo on the title track, Jim Gordon contributing to writing the same song), Patty Boyd for inspiring Clapton to work of this level....and cocaine. The whole band was allegedly wired on the stuff and I have to say that's where much of the raw, edgy sound comes from. The title track is my favourite song of all time, and I've never heard a live performance where Clapton is able to do it quite as good as the original recording
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2014]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,405
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This is the album that made me a die-hard Beatles fan. Before this I mostly knew them from their early 60's hits. I had no idea they did such a broad range of stuff. I REALLY love the Harrison tunes on this one, and McCartney shows why he is a true musical genius by going between hard rockers, light, fluffy pop, humorous folk (Rocky Racoon) and pure noise (Helter Skelter). Such a pity the band never performed these songs live.
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2014]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
35,382
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This is a classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of it's parts. I would not rate any of the songs on this album among my favourite Stones tunes, but this is easily my favourite Stones album. Every song is rock solid....for over 70 minutes! This isn't just an album...it's an experience!
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2014]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,320
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My best friend bought this at a garage sale in 1986. Before that I was aware of Hendrix but didn't really understand what the big deal was. Yeah, he was a great guitar player, but so what? In 1986 this album totally knocked me on my 14 year old ass. I can't imagine the effect it must have had on listeners in 1967.
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2014]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,628
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The greatest achievement by this album is that it has a dark, experimental quality while still having a pop music sensibility that makes it accessible to more casual music fans. Just brilliant stuff.
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2014]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,599
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Probably the record holder for the most classic tracks on a single album. Up Around the Bend, Run Through the Jungle, Who'll Stop the Rain, Travelin' Band, Looking Out My Back Door, I Heard it Through the Grapevine. It's kind of insane that so many universally recognized classics appear on a single album.
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2014]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,007
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[First added to this chart: 05/13/2014]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
36,346
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[First added to this chart: 05/13/2014]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,073
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[First added to this chart: 05/13/2014]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,361
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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 3 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 30 | 30% | |
| 1970s | 32 | 32% | |
| 1980s | 13 | 13% | |
| 1990s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2000s | 7 | 7% | |
| 2010s | 6 | 6% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 5% | |
| The Beatles | 5 | 5% | |
| Metallica | 4 | 4% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 4% | |
| The Kinks | 4 | 4% | |
| Slayer | 3 | 3% | |
| The Doors | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
49 | 49% | |
 |
33 | 33% | |
| |
6 | 6% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 1 from 98th to 99th |
Down 1 from 99th to 100th |
| New entries |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Decurso | 1970s decade chart | 2023 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | AbsurdCheesecake | Overall chart | 2026 | |
| Top 100 Classic Rock albums of all time by DMD | Johnnyo | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Manso | Overall chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | xhitmanx | Overall chart | 2024 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | Decurso | 1960s decade chart | 2023 | |
| Top Hard Rock Albums of All-Time | nas062080 | Custom chart | 2013 | |
| The Greatest Rock Albums | uDiscoverMusic | Overall chart | 2015 | |
| Top 500 Albums of All Time | Rolling Stone | Overall chart | 2003 | |
| The Top 100 Albums | VH1 | Overall chart | 2001 | |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
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Top 100 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 60 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/20/2025 14:45 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,089 | 86/100 |
| ! | 07/31/2020 18:09 | RioBravo | 200 | 84/100 |
| ! | 10/10/2019 19:12 | pctrooper | 332 | 88/100 |
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 84.5/100, a mean average of 83.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.3/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.3.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 2 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 3 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 07/13/2017 08:00 in Chart of the day (#2090): By Decurso
BestEverAlbums 07/13/2017 08:00 in Chart of the day (#2090): By Decurso“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Decurso () 1. Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin (1975) 2. Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek & The Dominos (1970) 3. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles (1968) 4. Exile On Main St. by The Rolling Stones (1972) 5. Are You…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 09/21/2016 08:00 in Chart of the day (#1800): By Decurso
BestEverAlbums 09/21/2016 08:00 in Chart of the day (#1800): By Decurso“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Decurso () 1. Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin (1975) 2. Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek & The Dominos (1970) 3. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles (1968) 4. Exile On Main St. by The Rolling Stones (1972) 5. Are You…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 01/02/2015 09:00 in Chart of the day (#1172): By Decurso
BestEverAlbums 01/02/2015 09:00 in Chart of the day (#1172): By Decurso“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Decurso () 1. Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin (1975) 2. Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek & The Dominos (1970) 3. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles (1968) 4. Exile On Main St. by The Rolling Stones (1972) 5. Are You…”
View forum post →Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
pctrooper 10/10/2019 19:12 | #243631
Very solid top 3.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
mianfei 07/01/2019 02:45 | #238706
This is a very good chart even with almost nothing in common with my own. There is unexpected variety – what I always look for in charts – and some quite interesting selections.
A few albums on your list remind me a little of Joe S. Harrington’s Top 100 Albums from 2001 to 2003, although your chart and Harrington’s posses merely thirteen common artists and nine common albums (‘Are You Experienced’, ‘Never Mind the Bollocks’, ‘Ramones’, ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico’, ‘Ace of Spades’, ‘The Clash’, ‘Machine Head’, ‘Killer’ and ‘Get Your Wings’). This is because both your chart and Harrington’s – which revolutionised my personal thinking about music criticism even if not in the ways Harrington intended – have a focus upon 1970s hard rock and metal that is at least relatively rare here. Although not a fan of those genres, I do without any grudge admit their critical importance to the basics of modern Western culture.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
rockinsteve 12/25/2018 07:00 | #227844
rockinsteve 12/25/2018 07:00 | #227844
Very eclectic list, nicely done! I like that you included Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. They're two of my favorite blues artists, Muddy is my FAVORITE musician all-time, in any genre.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
Dankel 03/10/2018 13:09 | #210544
Dankel 03/10/2018 13:09 | #210544
Great chart - one of the most interesting generalised top 100s I've seen, lots of albums I really relate to.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
NowhereMan 01/02/2018 18:39 | #204437
NowhereMan 01/02/2018 18:39 | #204437
Could not have agreed more about Physical Graffiti and Exile.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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