Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
JMGL95 
MASSIVE UPDATE ALERT! (PLACEMENTS: COMPLETE - 100%, LYRICS: COMPLETE - 100% but under revision)
I've just entirely remade this chart because I've been relistening to all of the albums here and many other favourites and rerating them. This chart somehow seemed not really up to date with my tastes, as it was more similar to what I liked three or four years ago. Hope your ratings are still valid for this new chart or, if they aren't, feel free to drop/raise the rating at ease :P
I also added the rating of the album (and plan to add some lyrics). About my rating system: the first albums here are my perfect 10s. They are the ones that set the max note, so to say, in opposition to what would be considered a 0. Then, the rest of the albums are rated in comparison to those perfect 10s and placed somewhere in between them and the 0. I have taken into consideration my individual track average rating, the consistency/flow and lenght, my personal liking to the musical style and lyrics, the influence and relevance of the album, the innovation and uniqueness, the fun I had listening, etc.
Tbh, I'm not a big album listener. I usually tend to listen to playlists of the songs I consider memorable, so the albums are a gate for me to listen to more memorable songs to add to playlists. For that reason, I haven't listened to any of these albums more than four or five times (although I have heard to the top ones probable much more times as they're almost perfect for me). Because of that and because I don't have actually any idea about music theory or production, I won't be making any commentary. I couldn't really say something besides "I think the guitars sound nice" or "the lyric themes here are really cool", so I'll abstain from doing it, as it isn't really interesting.
EXTRA! Top 101-200: https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=47083
- Chart updated: 09/07/2023 22:45
- (Created: 05/29/2014 15:12).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 30 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 71 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 53,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
Buy album 
- #Sponsored
"I should have known better
Nothing can be changed
The past is still the past
The bridge to nowhere"
My rating: 10
Genres: Indie folk, Chamber folk
Favourite songs: Should Have Know Better, The Only Thing, Fourth of July
I feel that I need to write something special here for Carrie & Lowell. This is the only album of a bit more than 700 (at this moment) that I have rated 100/100. First time I heard this album I got literally obsessed with it. I had never heard before an album that had such a stunningly beautiful lyricism and at the same time it was so profoundly painful and deep. You can feel Sufjan's soul in every track, every ounce of pain he felt after he lost his mother. But at the same time it feels so relaxing that each songs haunts you in a spiral of bittersweet feelings that is almost magical. It's even incredibly solid, I can't find a weak song here. Sure there's some standouts, but every track has something special. To me this is the pinnacle of popular music. It's amazing how much can do just and artist, his guitar and not much more. [First added to this chart: 08/08/2015]
Nothing can be changed
The past is still the past
The bridge to nowhere"
My rating: 10
Genres: Indie folk, Chamber folk
Favourite songs: Should Have Know Better, The Only Thing, Fourth of July
I feel that I need to write something special here for Carrie & Lowell. This is the only album of a bit more than 700 (at this moment) that I have rated 100/100. First time I heard this album I got literally obsessed with it. I had never heard before an album that had such a stunningly beautiful lyricism and at the same time it was so profoundly painful and deep. You can feel Sufjan's soul in every track, every ounce of pain he felt after he lost his mother. But at the same time it feels so relaxing that each songs haunts you in a spiral of bittersweet feelings that is almost magical. It's even incredibly solid, I can't find a weak song here. Sure there's some standouts, but every track has something special. To me this is the pinnacle of popular music. It's amazing how much can do just and artist, his guitar and not much more. [First added to this chart: 08/08/2015]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,366
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
157
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"A heart that's full up like a landfill
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won't heal"
My rating: 10
Genres: Alternative rock, Art rock
Favourite songs: Paranoid Android, Karma Police, No Surprises [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won't heal"
My rating: 10
Genres: Alternative rock, Art rock
Favourite songs: Paranoid Android, Karma Police, No Surprises [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
76,742
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"Don't get any big ideas
They're not gonna happen"
My rating: 10
Genres: Art rock, Alternative rock
Favourite songs: Jigsaw Falling Into Place, Bodysnatchers, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (hard to pick 3 here, so consistent) [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
They're not gonna happen"
My rating: 10
Genres: Art rock, Alternative rock
Favourite songs: Jigsaw Falling Into Place, Bodysnatchers, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (hard to pick 3 here, so consistent) [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51,117
Rank in 2007:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"The boy with the thorn in his side
Behind the hatred there lies
A murderous desire for love"
My rating: 9.91
Genres: Jangle pop, Indie pop
Favourite songs: The Boy With The Thorn In His Side, Cemetery Gates, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
Behind the hatred there lies
A murderous desire for love"
My rating: 9.91
Genres: Jangle pop, Indie pop
Favourite songs: The Boy With The Thorn In His Side, Cemetery Gates, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
39,101
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"Now that I'm older
My heart's colder
And I can see that it's a lie"
My rating: 9.86
Genres: Chamber pop, Indie rock, Art pop
Favourite songs: Rebellion (Lies), Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), Wake Up [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
My heart's colder
And I can see that it's a lie"
My rating: 9.86
Genres: Chamber pop, Indie rock, Art pop
Favourite songs: Rebellion (Lies), Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), Wake Up [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
Year of Release:
2004
Appears in:
Rank Score:
41,731
Rank in 2004:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"Pushing through the market square, so many mothers sighing
News had just come over, we had five years left to cry in
News guy wept and told us, earth was really dying
Cried so much his face was wet, then I knew he was not lying "
My rating: 9.70
Genres: Pop rock, Art rock, Glam rock
Favourite songs: Ziggy Stardust, Starman, Five Years [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
News had just come over, we had five years left to cry in
News guy wept and told us, earth was really dying
Cried so much his face was wet, then I knew he was not lying "
My rating: 9.70
Genres: Pop rock, Art rock, Glam rock
Favourite songs: Ziggy Stardust, Starman, Five Years [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
50,098
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"I never was a gangbanger, I mean I was never stranger to the funk neither
I really doubt it
Rush a nigga quick and then we laugh about it
That’s ironic ‘cause I’ve never been violent, until I’m with the homies"
My rating: 9.63
Genres: Conscious hip hop
Favourite songs: Sing About Me/I'm Dying of Thirst, Swimming Pools (Drank), The Art of Peer Presure [First added to this chart: 01/01/2016]
I really doubt it
Rush a nigga quick and then we laugh about it
That’s ironic ‘cause I’ve never been violent, until I’m with the homies"
My rating: 9.63
Genres: Conscious hip hop
Favourite songs: Sing About Me/I'm Dying of Thirst, Swimming Pools (Drank), The Art of Peer Presure [First added to this chart: 01/01/2016]
Year of Release:
2012
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,748
Rank in 2012:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"Now then Mardy Bum
I've seen your frown
And it's like looking down the barrel of a gun
And it goes off"
My rating: 9.55
Genres: Indie rock, Garage rock revival, Post-punk revival
Favourite songs: A Certain Romance, Mardy Bum, I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
I've seen your frown
And it's like looking down the barrel of a gun
And it goes off"
My rating: 9.55
Genres: Indie rock, Garage rock revival, Post-punk revival
Favourite songs: A Certain Romance, Mardy Bum, I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
Year of Release:
2006
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,430
Rank in 2006:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"I'm not here
This isn't happening"
My rating: 9.48
Genres: Art rock, Experimental rock, Electronic
Favourite songs: How To Dissapear Completely, Idioteque, Everything Is In It's Right Place [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
This isn't happening"
My rating: 9.48
Genres: Art rock, Experimental rock, Electronic
Favourite songs: How To Dissapear Completely, Idioteque, Everything Is In It's Right Place [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51,355
Rank in 2000:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"Oh, I'll settle down with some old story
About a boy who's just like me
Thought there was love in everything and everyone
You're so naive!"
My rating: 9.48
Genres: Chamber pop, Twee pop, Indie pop
Favourite songs: Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying, Like Dylan In The Movies, Seeing Other People [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
About a boy who's just like me
Thought there was love in everything and everyone
You're so naive!"
My rating: 9.48
Genres: Chamber pop, Twee pop, Indie pop
Favourite songs: Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying, Like Dylan In The Movies, Seeing Other People [First added to this chart: 05/29/2014]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,990
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 13 | 13% | |
| 1970s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1980s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1990s | 22 | 22% | |
| 2000s | 22 | 22% | |
| 2010s | 18 | 18% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Radiohead | 6 | 6% | |
| Arctic Monkeys | 4 | 4% | |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4% | |
| The Beatles | 4 | 4% | |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 3% | |
| Nacho Vegas | 3 | 3% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
43 | 43% | |
| |
36 | 36% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
| |
4 | 4% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 69 from 95th to 26th Merveilles by Malice Mizer |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 26th to 27th Ten by Pearl Jam |
| Down 1 from 27th to 28th Please Mr. Lostman by The Pillows |
| Down 1 from 28th to 29th My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
- JMGL95's Top 100: One Album per Artist Ver. by JMGL95 (2020)
- Going With My Gut: The Overall Chart Top 100 Re-ranked by
CharlieBarley (2024) - My Personal Ranking of Best Ever Albums' Top 100 by
Xxnu99etxX (2022) - BEA top 100 reranked - 2023 by
LedZep (2023) - Ya joking? Should've been higher! All Time edition by
Purplepash (2024) - BEA top 100 reranked - 2020 by LedZep (2023)
- My Ranking of the BEA top 100 by
sszwalbenest (2021) - Re-Ranking BEA's Top 100 by sunnydhamm (2020)
- BEA's Top 100 - The Correct Order by
babyBlueSedan (2020) - BEA's Top 100 re-ranked by
EyeKanFly (2020)
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 71 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 71 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 02/21/2022 19:16 |  Cytoma | | 90/100 |
| 95/100 | 05/07/2021 13:29 | jackq | | 92/100 |
| 80/100 | 02/28/2021 17:39 |  Helios | | 70/100 |
| 100/100 | 01/22/2021 20:53 |  Glitterboiii | | 92/100 |
| 100/100 | 10/26/2020 04:35 | Seventiesfan | | 92/100 |
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 6% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.5/100, a mean average of 88.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.7.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 7 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 30 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 leniad 10/25/2020 23:10
good chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
ExTeaSea 05/23/2020 15:34
ExTeaSea 05/23/2020 15:34
Cool chart, 17 artists in common! I'll have to check out Nacho Vegas because that name alone is awesome haha. I think it's cool that you have two Pillows albums on here because they are fun and unheard of. Also nice to see that Chameleons album because it's excellent.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Christovskee 02/15/2019 15:59
Christovskee 02/15/2019 15:59
Soooo... we pretty much have the same top ten :)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Rivera 02/15/2019 14:05
Very interesting and unique chart. Well done!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 02/15/2019 10:24
ForegroundNoise 02/15/2019 10:24
Absolutely love how you come across in your chart's bio, and appreciate the delicacy with which you've picked your favourite albums. Given the way you write about Carrie & Lowell, please please write more!! Don't be put off by music snobs toting about theory etc., you clearly have a talent when it comes to conveying your love of music.
I've noticed that the chart is a little more weighted to the last three decades, so here's a few older underground records that you might be missing out on:
Nico - Chelsea Girl (1967)
Brigitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio (1969)
Steve Reich - Music For 18 Musicians (1978)
Roy Harper - Stormcock (1971)
Comus - First Utterance (1971)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Reppu1976 05/26/2018 01:46
Good chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From vancevisuals 05/20/2017 01:07
Like Magical Mystery Tour getting some notice
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
75/100
From LedZep 05/19/2017 23:13
LedZep 05/19/2017 23:13
That Porcupine Tree album creeping in at 27... Fantastic choice, and the chart is exactly what you said it would be, classics along with personal choices. Great
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
75/100
From platus 05/19/2017 18:06
Good chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
buzzdainer 06/05/2016 19:55
buzzdainer 06/05/2016 19:55
Really good chart! I appreciate the lesser known titles ranked alongside more obvious classics such as Funeral and London Calling.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment
Your feedback for Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.