Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
Repo 
- Chart updated: 07/14/2023 11:15
- (Created: 06/17/2014 23:52).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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'63:c It Always Rains in This City
The Setting: It always rains in this city. And it's always nighttime. I have to keep a cigarette lit just to keep warm. Warmth is life. At least, that’s what I tell myself. Maybe I'm just addicted to cigarettes. I see a corner bar up the block. It’s neon sign welcoming me in like the smile of a chorus girl. And I never could resist a chorus girl. I head down the stairs. The tables are arranged around the stage. A red glassed candle on each flickering at me to sit down. “Alright,” I says. “Just one”. At least this place has heat. The band starts playing up on the stage. They feel just like this city. Just like this bar. Ripped from some 40ish black & white film noir. The kind where there’s dames and broads and guys who always have a good quip at the ready. I want to be those guys. And, I want to be with those dames. So I stay. One leads to two. And two naturally leads to three. The cold is gone. A small smile even manages to cross my lips. “This ain’t so bad,” I say to myself. Guess I’ll stay for one more.
The Listen: This is the kind of jazz I picture in my head in those scenes in those old black & whites. You know. The ones on TCM. I don’t care if it’s historically accurate. It’s my head. My picture. It’s what gives those scenes on late night tv that something extra. A certain timelessness. The coolest cats playing the coolest blue jazz. The city is their music. And their music is the city. Interchangeable. Interlinked. You can't have one without the other. Just like this rain. Just like this night. Which is why it always rains in this city. And it's always nighttime.
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil
The Setting: It always rains in this city. And it's always nighttime. I have to keep a cigarette lit just to keep warm. Warmth is life. At least, that’s what I tell myself. Maybe I'm just addicted to cigarettes. I see a corner bar up the block. It’s neon sign welcoming me in like the smile of a chorus girl. And I never could resist a chorus girl. I head down the stairs. The tables are arranged around the stage. A red glassed candle on each flickering at me to sit down. “Alright,” I says. “Just one”. At least this place has heat. The band starts playing up on the stage. They feel just like this city. Just like this bar. Ripped from some 40ish black & white film noir. The kind where there’s dames and broads and guys who always have a good quip at the ready. I want to be those guys. And, I want to be with those dames. So I stay. One leads to two. And two naturally leads to three. The cold is gone. A small smile even manages to cross my lips. “This ain’t so bad,” I say to myself. Guess I’ll stay for one more.
The Listen: This is the kind of jazz I picture in my head in those scenes in those old black & whites. You know. The ones on TCM. I don’t care if it’s historically accurate. It’s my head. My picture. It’s what gives those scenes on late night tv that something extra. A certain timelessness. The coolest cats playing the coolest blue jazz. The city is their music. And their music is the city. Interchangeable. Interlinked. You can't have one without the other. Just like this rain. Just like this night. Which is why it always rains in this city. And it's always nighttime.
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil
4
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THE BATHROOM
Aka Rectangles Don’t Roll
"As a matter of fact, when we cut the tracks they sucked. Jeffrey was stiff. I thought, 'Oh my God… disaster.' I went out and bought him a big bottle of champagne, that’s all I could afford. I said, 'Drink all that and then we’ll cut it, ‘cause I’m not touching the record button until you’re drunk.'" Recollected by Tito Larriva [vocalist & guitarist for The Plugz]
The Setting: It smells. Puddles of piss every which way. The toilet bowl doesn’t even have a lid. You pretty much have to squat just to take a shit. And then, to add insult to injury, good luck wiping it up. Because the toilet paper dispenser is almost always impossible to turn. Yielding nothing but one useless dainty sheet at a time. Just a matter of physics really, as the TP is wedged onto a rectangular wooden block that's been nailed into the wall. So it's NOT on an actual rotating cylinder. Just a rectangle cube nailed into the wall. And rectangles don’t roll!
BUT, us misfits of Reagan’s America wouldn’t have had it any other way. Trust me - those bathrooms kept the Biffs & Heathers FAR away. So for us, it became home. It was a place where people got our jokes. Our sensibilities. Our values. And, not unimportantly, it was a place where you could get $1 dollar PBRs and hear a decent song playing on the jukebox after a long ass day at work.
You see, Jeffrey Lee Pierce – chief resident genius of The Gun Club - didn’t come from the swamps. No. Jeffrey was born from the American Underground and its swamp-ass bathrooms. THIS was a place where even he and his suicidal, self-destructive tendencies could flourish. At least for a day.
The Listen: It sounds like it's all about to come undone. Jeffrey staggers, one hand on the mic and one with a death grip on his Boone's and careens & stumbles into drum kit. The drummer's not fazed though. Never even misses a beat. He and the rest of the band have seen, nay endured, this all before. That’s just Jeffery, they collectively shrug. Unfettered. Unchained. And off his rails. You see this is an album of Jeffrey trying to escape. And not realizing that the person he needed to escape from was himself. It's an album of someone who needed music as much as the music needed him. This is the sound of someone killing himself – with alcohol, with drugs – in order to just feel alright. Jeffrey was so repressed, it took a bottle of cheap-ass, piss-poor champagne just to free himself from himself. We all, more or less, have an imprisoned Jeffrey lurking in our brains. Holding us back. Killing us.
Let YOUR Jeffrey free today!
The Verdict: One of the most important albums of the entire American Underground. Right up there with anything by Husker Du, The Minutemen, or even the almighty Black Flag. It is album about escape. And music as the source of that escape. And THAT is what the American Underground was always all about. And until Kurdt broke the code , it was a great place to be. Shitty, broke-ass, cum-shotted bathrooms and all.
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 11/12/2022]
Aka Rectangles Don’t Roll
"As a matter of fact, when we cut the tracks they sucked. Jeffrey was stiff. I thought, 'Oh my God… disaster.' I went out and bought him a big bottle of champagne, that’s all I could afford. I said, 'Drink all that and then we’ll cut it, ‘cause I’m not touching the record button until you’re drunk.'" Recollected by Tito Larriva [vocalist & guitarist for The Plugz]
The Setting: It smells. Puddles of piss every which way. The toilet bowl doesn’t even have a lid. You pretty much have to squat just to take a shit. And then, to add insult to injury, good luck wiping it up. Because the toilet paper dispenser is almost always impossible to turn. Yielding nothing but one useless dainty sheet at a time. Just a matter of physics really, as the TP is wedged onto a rectangular wooden block that's been nailed into the wall. So it's NOT on an actual rotating cylinder. Just a rectangle cube nailed into the wall. And rectangles don’t roll!
BUT, us misfits of Reagan’s America wouldn’t have had it any other way. Trust me - those bathrooms kept the Biffs & Heathers FAR away. So for us, it became home. It was a place where people got our jokes. Our sensibilities. Our values. And, not unimportantly, it was a place where you could get $1 dollar PBRs and hear a decent song playing on the jukebox after a long ass day at work.
You see, Jeffrey Lee Pierce – chief resident genius of The Gun Club - didn’t come from the swamps. No. Jeffrey was born from the American Underground and its swamp-ass bathrooms. THIS was a place where even he and his suicidal, self-destructive tendencies could flourish. At least for a day.
The Listen: It sounds like it's all about to come undone. Jeffrey staggers, one hand on the mic and one with a death grip on his Boone's and careens & stumbles into drum kit. The drummer's not fazed though. Never even misses a beat. He and the rest of the band have seen, nay endured, this all before. That’s just Jeffery, they collectively shrug. Unfettered. Unchained. And off his rails. You see this is an album of Jeffrey trying to escape. And not realizing that the person he needed to escape from was himself. It's an album of someone who needed music as much as the music needed him. This is the sound of someone killing himself – with alcohol, with drugs – in order to just feel alright. Jeffrey was so repressed, it took a bottle of cheap-ass, piss-poor champagne just to free himself from himself. We all, more or less, have an imprisoned Jeffrey lurking in our brains. Holding us back. Killing us.
Let YOUR Jeffrey free today!
The Verdict: One of the most important albums of the entire American Underground. Right up there with anything by Husker Du, The Minutemen, or even the almighty Black Flag. It is album about escape. And music as the source of that escape. And THAT is what the American Underground was always all about. And until Kurdt broke the code , it was a great place to be. Shitty, broke-ass, cum-shotted bathrooms and all.
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 11/12/2022]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,883
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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TRUCK STOP DINER JUKEBOX
These ain’t songs for the Village. There are songs for the backroads of Kentucky. The ultimate 70s AM radio station curated by Dylan himself. This was not some tossed off project. This was not a Fuck You. This was a tribute to the music that Dylan loved that maybe didn’t get so much critical acclaim. It’s essentially like listening to the best damn juke box at some dive bar in eastern Kentucky circa 1974. Songs made for taking it easy while cruising down the highway or belting back some beers. Dylan LOVED these songs. And I do too.
Grade: A. I consider this an essential Dylan album showing yet another side to the enigmatic bard. This is 70s AM radio at its best with great variety which he nails more often than not. Some people would prefer to whittle this down to a single album, but I love it just the way it is. Warts and all. Radio stations back then were messy affairs after all. You just never knew what you were going to get. Far more often than not he nails them. And some of my favorite Dylan songs such as “All the Tired Horses”, “Take Me As I am” and “It Hurts Me too” are on here. Dylan had a love for all kinds of music and that is completely on display here. More so than perhaps any of his other albums. And he plays these songs with conviction and heart. Well except when covering his own “Like a Rolling Stone”. lol. But he more than makes up for it with his rendition of “She Belongs to Me” which showed me that their was a sonic link between Dyan and the Velvet Underground which I had never picked up on before. Long live 70s AM radio! [First added to this chart: 03/04/2016]
These ain’t songs for the Village. There are songs for the backroads of Kentucky. The ultimate 70s AM radio station curated by Dylan himself. This was not some tossed off project. This was not a Fuck You. This was a tribute to the music that Dylan loved that maybe didn’t get so much critical acclaim. It’s essentially like listening to the best damn juke box at some dive bar in eastern Kentucky circa 1974. Songs made for taking it easy while cruising down the highway or belting back some beers. Dylan LOVED these songs. And I do too.
Grade: A. I consider this an essential Dylan album showing yet another side to the enigmatic bard. This is 70s AM radio at its best with great variety which he nails more often than not. Some people would prefer to whittle this down to a single album, but I love it just the way it is. Warts and all. Radio stations back then were messy affairs after all. You just never knew what you were going to get. Far more often than not he nails them. And some of my favorite Dylan songs such as “All the Tired Horses”, “Take Me As I am” and “It Hurts Me too” are on here. Dylan had a love for all kinds of music and that is completely on display here. More so than perhaps any of his other albums. And he plays these songs with conviction and heart. Well except when covering his own “Like a Rolling Stone”. lol. But he more than makes up for it with his rendition of “She Belongs to Me” which showed me that their was a sonic link between Dyan and the Velvet Underground which I had never picked up on before. Long live 70s AM radio! [First added to this chart: 03/04/2016]
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LET IT BLEED
These songs spill blood. They shed tears. Simple, unadorned. Often just vocals and a picking guitar, these songs dig deep into your soul. And bring out the loneliness and pain. The loneliness and heartbreak you thought you had buried. From that girl. From this life. There’s a romance to the loneliness of these songs. Of the love that had to end. Had to die.
Grade: A+. One of the greatest singer-songwriter albums of all time. The lyrics are second to none. But it’s the feeling of the songs that make it something special. Songs that make you reach for that whiskey jar to dull the pain and make you forget that special love you once had. Few albums bare your soul like this one, and it vaults all the way to number one. [First added to this chart: 04/10/2017]
These songs spill blood. They shed tears. Simple, unadorned. Often just vocals and a picking guitar, these songs dig deep into your soul. And bring out the loneliness and pain. The loneliness and heartbreak you thought you had buried. From that girl. From this life. There’s a romance to the loneliness of these songs. Of the love that had to end. Had to die.
Grade: A+. One of the greatest singer-songwriter albums of all time. The lyrics are second to none. But it’s the feeling of the songs that make it something special. Songs that make you reach for that whiskey jar to dull the pain and make you forget that special love you once had. Few albums bare your soul like this one, and it vaults all the way to number one. [First added to this chart: 04/10/2017]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,294
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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FAITH
Faith is not something you can just turn on like a switch. At least not for me. Way too much schooling and thinking knocked it out of me years ago. But faith is real. And it has enormous, even miraculous, power. If you can tap into it. Judge Sill know this. She knows the power of faith and trust in something bigger than herself. And it comes pouring out of her songs. Her voice. Judee knows the way. Because her faith is pure and simple. Like a child’s.
Sometimes in your life you simply need faith. When the waters rise up so high that they become a river and you can no longer just wade through on will power and perseverance. On logic & intellect. When you have to let go, surrender and just let the current take you. Trusting that it will get you to the other shore. The other side. That’s when you need faith to guide you. And Judee Sill and this lovely, honest record can take you there. It can be your raft. If you let it.
Grade: A+. This is folk rock with just the right amount of cosmic country rock to give the songs some heft and ballast so that they stick to your bones and nourish you. The songs are beautiful and her purity of spirit shines though. It’s quite different from any other 70s folk rock to my ears so it took literally multiple tries for this one to click. But like a lot of other albums that take some time to assimilate, when it does, it quickly becomes one of your faves. I’ll be tapping into this and Judee’s faith frequently to guide me on my journey to the other shore. And this swims all the way to number five. [First added to this chart: 05/02/2017]
Faith is not something you can just turn on like a switch. At least not for me. Way too much schooling and thinking knocked it out of me years ago. But faith is real. And it has enormous, even miraculous, power. If you can tap into it. Judge Sill know this. She knows the power of faith and trust in something bigger than herself. And it comes pouring out of her songs. Her voice. Judee knows the way. Because her faith is pure and simple. Like a child’s.
Sometimes in your life you simply need faith. When the waters rise up so high that they become a river and you can no longer just wade through on will power and perseverance. On logic & intellect. When you have to let go, surrender and just let the current take you. Trusting that it will get you to the other shore. The other side. That’s when you need faith to guide you. And Judee Sill and this lovely, honest record can take you there. It can be your raft. If you let it.
Grade: A+. This is folk rock with just the right amount of cosmic country rock to give the songs some heft and ballast so that they stick to your bones and nourish you. The songs are beautiful and her purity of spirit shines though. It’s quite different from any other 70s folk rock to my ears so it took literally multiple tries for this one to click. But like a lot of other albums that take some time to assimilate, when it does, it quickly becomes one of your faves. I’ll be tapping into this and Judee’s faith frequently to guide me on my journey to the other shore. And this swims all the way to number five. [First added to this chart: 05/02/2017]
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CRIPPLED KIDS OF THE WORLD UNITE
It sucks being sick. People treat you different. Even doctors. Even your family. Brandon Cox aka Deerhunter knows this frustration. He knows the despair. Of being alienated, ostracized. But he’s done something extraordinary with this anger and frustration. He’s channeled it into a rallying cry. He’s taken his weakness and turned it into strength. Took fear and turned it into faith. In himself. In his abilities. Fading Frontier is nothing short of rallying cry for the sick & disabled. Anthems to get you fired up that you are important. That you matter. That no one is defined by anything or limited by anything. That one can surpass labels and diagnoses. And do something amazing.
Pretty impressive for a pop album. And this is a pop album at its heart. And it works. Anthems were made to be heard on FM radio after all. And in a different universe, those first three songs would be staples on the radio. Not all the songs work. Snakeskin’s 70s T-Rex stomp has never quite won me over. But, the rest is near perfect indie pop.
Grade: B+. This is essential indie pop. These are songs for when the world wrongs you. For when you’re not understood. For when people don’t recognize the strength it takes to just keep on fighting and instead only sees weakness. Illness. This album picks you up, pats you on the back and inspires you to fight back. [First added to this chart: 03/16/2016]
It sucks being sick. People treat you different. Even doctors. Even your family. Brandon Cox aka Deerhunter knows this frustration. He knows the despair. Of being alienated, ostracized. But he’s done something extraordinary with this anger and frustration. He’s channeled it into a rallying cry. He’s taken his weakness and turned it into strength. Took fear and turned it into faith. In himself. In his abilities. Fading Frontier is nothing short of rallying cry for the sick & disabled. Anthems to get you fired up that you are important. That you matter. That no one is defined by anything or limited by anything. That one can surpass labels and diagnoses. And do something amazing.
Pretty impressive for a pop album. And this is a pop album at its heart. And it works. Anthems were made to be heard on FM radio after all. And in a different universe, those first three songs would be staples on the radio. Not all the songs work. Snakeskin’s 70s T-Rex stomp has never quite won me over. But, the rest is near perfect indie pop.
Grade: B+. This is essential indie pop. These are songs for when the world wrongs you. For when you’re not understood. For when people don’t recognize the strength it takes to just keep on fighting and instead only sees weakness. Illness. This album picks you up, pats you on the back and inspires you to fight back. [First added to this chart: 03/16/2016]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
570
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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THE CONVERSATION (1963)
It’s not sex. It’s just a conversation. Three people. Telling stories on the spot. Ellington, the gregarious one. Mingus ever the contrarian. And the ever flowing host of the party, Roach. Pouring drinks for everyone. “Can’t we all just get along, fellas!" Smooth. Mellow. There with that gentle, affirming laugh or "Oh yeah!" just when the conversation needed it. Keeping the glasses filled. But not TOO fill.
The Verdict: I can already tell this might be my gold standard. Three legends at the top of their respective games. Ellington pushing everyone just enough [First added to this chart: 08/23/2022]
It’s not sex. It’s just a conversation. Three people. Telling stories on the spot. Ellington, the gregarious one. Mingus ever the contrarian. And the ever flowing host of the party, Roach. Pouring drinks for everyone. “Can’t we all just get along, fellas!" Smooth. Mellow. There with that gentle, affirming laugh or "Oh yeah!" just when the conversation needed it. Keeping the glasses filled. But not TOO fill.
The Verdict: I can already tell this might be my gold standard. Three legends at the top of their respective games. Ellington pushing everyone just enough [First added to this chart: 08/23/2022]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
625
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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ZEN MASTER CALLAHAN
I started out in search of ordinary things
Like how much a tree bends in the wind… (Jim Cain)
Love is the king of the beasts
And when it gets hungry it must kill to eat (Eid Mad Clack Shaw)
Bill callahan is a naturalist. An observer of life. Like some modern day equivalent of Thoreau hanging out at Walden’s. His observations are both objective and reflective. He’s the observer from without looking within. Not passing judgement. Just observing. Detached. Allowing the world to come to him at its own pace. In its own time. Just simply observing how life is instead of how he wants it to be. Callahan’s easily one of the finest lyricists of the last twenty-some years. Each time I listen to a line from one of his songs it has the ability to take on new meaning. Like the poetry of a zen master, his poetry is endless. Expansive. Taking you deeper & deeper with each reading. Each spin.
And Callahan has also mastered a genre I never would have thought I of all people would even tolerate never mind LOVE - Adult Contemporary! Mind you, this is adult contemporary for FREAKS. And somehow, someway he even one ups the mighty Nick Cave as the best adult contemporary artist of the indie kingdom. Which is saying a shitload because, let’s be honest, Nick Cave invented this genre for pete’s sakes.
And each song offers up many a hidden treasure. Chocked filled with little touches. Little embellishments. For instance, in “Eid Ma Clack Shaw” he occasionally shouts out a “Pow! POW!” as if he’s karate chopping some old Ikea furniture. to bits. (Please do NOT inform me that he’s really just saying “How”. Jeez don’t ruin it for me. That’s not nearly as cool. xp) Or take the drums on “All Thoughts Are Prey.” They start as gently echoes as some hallucinating guitar winds through the song, but then all of sudden at about the one minute mark the drums become maniacal, a beast coming to life, frothing and whipping itself into a fury as the song progresses. Becoming more & more chaotic. Free. And all the songs are tricked out like this. Subtle intricate beauty that slowly reveals and unfolds upon the listener. Seemingly changing with each spin. Yes, these songs are alive. And Callahan’s simply channeling what he feels into these songs. Normally I HATE when an album is embellished with strings and horns and the like. I mean they can sound so fake. So Phony. But not here. Oh No! They’re inventive. Constantly changing as the songs need them to. Unlike so many string arrangement that sound just thrown in as an afterthought by some producer who doesn’t even understand the song nor the artist. No. These arrangements are clearly part of the song themselves. Living, breathing entities that shift and change as the song does. As the song breathes. And just perhaps these are the most tasteful strings ever done for a rock record EVER.
Grade: A+. The finest adult contemporary recording ever recorded. It stands as the gold standard for the entire genre. A touchstone with which to compare similar entities such as Lambchop or Tindersticks and yes even the master himself, Nick Cave. And I seriously thought about vaulting this fully realized album all the way to number ONE. But… Not yet. And so it perches itself like a bird in a tree at number three. [First added to this chart: 03/22/2016]
I started out in search of ordinary things
Like how much a tree bends in the wind… (Jim Cain)
Love is the king of the beasts
And when it gets hungry it must kill to eat (Eid Mad Clack Shaw)
Bill callahan is a naturalist. An observer of life. Like some modern day equivalent of Thoreau hanging out at Walden’s. His observations are both objective and reflective. He’s the observer from without looking within. Not passing judgement. Just observing. Detached. Allowing the world to come to him at its own pace. In its own time. Just simply observing how life is instead of how he wants it to be. Callahan’s easily one of the finest lyricists of the last twenty-some years. Each time I listen to a line from one of his songs it has the ability to take on new meaning. Like the poetry of a zen master, his poetry is endless. Expansive. Taking you deeper & deeper with each reading. Each spin.
And Callahan has also mastered a genre I never would have thought I of all people would even tolerate never mind LOVE - Adult Contemporary! Mind you, this is adult contemporary for FREAKS. And somehow, someway he even one ups the mighty Nick Cave as the best adult contemporary artist of the indie kingdom. Which is saying a shitload because, let’s be honest, Nick Cave invented this genre for pete’s sakes.
And each song offers up many a hidden treasure. Chocked filled with little touches. Little embellishments. For instance, in “Eid Ma Clack Shaw” he occasionally shouts out a “Pow! POW!” as if he’s karate chopping some old Ikea furniture. to bits. (Please do NOT inform me that he’s really just saying “How”. Jeez don’t ruin it for me. That’s not nearly as cool. xp) Or take the drums on “All Thoughts Are Prey.” They start as gently echoes as some hallucinating guitar winds through the song, but then all of sudden at about the one minute mark the drums become maniacal, a beast coming to life, frothing and whipping itself into a fury as the song progresses. Becoming more & more chaotic. Free. And all the songs are tricked out like this. Subtle intricate beauty that slowly reveals and unfolds upon the listener. Seemingly changing with each spin. Yes, these songs are alive. And Callahan’s simply channeling what he feels into these songs. Normally I HATE when an album is embellished with strings and horns and the like. I mean they can sound so fake. So Phony. But not here. Oh No! They’re inventive. Constantly changing as the songs need them to. Unlike so many string arrangement that sound just thrown in as an afterthought by some producer who doesn’t even understand the song nor the artist. No. These arrangements are clearly part of the song themselves. Living, breathing entities that shift and change as the song does. As the song breathes. And just perhaps these are the most tasteful strings ever done for a rock record EVER.
Grade: A+. The finest adult contemporary recording ever recorded. It stands as the gold standard for the entire genre. A touchstone with which to compare similar entities such as Lambchop or Tindersticks and yes even the master himself, Nick Cave. And I seriously thought about vaulting this fully realized album all the way to number ONE. But… Not yet. And so it perches itself like a bird in a tree at number three. [First added to this chart: 03/22/2016]
Year of Release:
2009
Appears in:
Rank Score:
817
Rank in 2009:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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TO LOVE AND LET IT GO
Here I am believin' words again
Here I am tryin' to find your love again
Here I am down on my knees again
Prayin' for a love
That we used to know
Both of us know
How hard it is to love
And let it go
Both of us know
How hard it is to go on living that way - I Must Have Been Blind
Then just like the river
I can change my ways - The River
To love and let it go. All of us have to go through this. It is part of being human. And it is one of the hardest things to do. And it is the central theme of this incredible album. Loving & letting go. And how we can blind ourselves. Deceive ourselves for a long, long time of the necessity to move on. But just like the river that provides the setting for so many of these beautiful, mournful songs - we can change our ways. We can move on. It can be so hard to believe that someone we feel so strongly about does not feel the same way. Does not reciprocate that love that we feel so deeply in our bones. We go into denial. And get stuck. Stagnate. And that’s disastrous for our soul. For our spirit. Luckily, Tim made this album for us during these these difficult times. Its an album that proves that we are not alone in this plight. That everyone loses love. That the feeling of love lost is universal. And we can go to that river that runs through all of us. Dance by the river's edge. And move on. Because just like the river, we can change our ways.
Grade: A+. I don’t know what this is. Is it Jazz? Folk? Who cares! Albums that bend and blur the genre lines are so often the best and this of course is no exception. Tim shows yet again that he was (by far!) the best vocalist of the folk rock kingdom for that era or really any era. His vocal prowess has really been unmatched. ( And if it has, school me! Please.) It was a singular instrument - sensuous yet longing. Full of vitality yet also vulnerable. Especially on Blue Afternoon - which even though he’s venturing even further into jazz terrain, it’s actually his most accessible and mellow album. Accessible is sometimes used as a four letter word. But, it really shouldn’t be. It just means it’s a natural fit. Like love should be! So sure Buckley has more challenging albums, more avant-garde albums such as BEA/Scaruffi faves like Lorca and Starsailor, but this is by far my favorite. It’s the perfect album to snuggle up with on this rainy, overcast morning with a cup of Numi's Aged Earl Gray. (I’m off coffee. Aargh!… Doctor’s orders, I’m afraid. Thanks for the tea recs, Paul & Jimmy!). And it meanders like a river all the way up to number six. [First added to this chart: 08/29/2016]
Here I am believin' words again
Here I am tryin' to find your love again
Here I am down on my knees again
Prayin' for a love
That we used to know
Both of us know
How hard it is to love
And let it go
Both of us know
How hard it is to go on living that way - I Must Have Been Blind
Then just like the river
I can change my ways - The River
To love and let it go. All of us have to go through this. It is part of being human. And it is one of the hardest things to do. And it is the central theme of this incredible album. Loving & letting go. And how we can blind ourselves. Deceive ourselves for a long, long time of the necessity to move on. But just like the river that provides the setting for so many of these beautiful, mournful songs - we can change our ways. We can move on. It can be so hard to believe that someone we feel so strongly about does not feel the same way. Does not reciprocate that love that we feel so deeply in our bones. We go into denial. And get stuck. Stagnate. And that’s disastrous for our soul. For our spirit. Luckily, Tim made this album for us during these these difficult times. Its an album that proves that we are not alone in this plight. That everyone loses love. That the feeling of love lost is universal. And we can go to that river that runs through all of us. Dance by the river's edge. And move on. Because just like the river, we can change our ways.
Grade: A+. I don’t know what this is. Is it Jazz? Folk? Who cares! Albums that bend and blur the genre lines are so often the best and this of course is no exception. Tim shows yet again that he was (by far!) the best vocalist of the folk rock kingdom for that era or really any era. His vocal prowess has really been unmatched. ( And if it has, school me! Please.) It was a singular instrument - sensuous yet longing. Full of vitality yet also vulnerable. Especially on Blue Afternoon - which even though he’s venturing even further into jazz terrain, it’s actually his most accessible and mellow album. Accessible is sometimes used as a four letter word. But, it really shouldn’t be. It just means it’s a natural fit. Like love should be! So sure Buckley has more challenging albums, more avant-garde albums such as BEA/Scaruffi faves like Lorca and Starsailor, but this is by far my favorite. It’s the perfect album to snuggle up with on this rainy, overcast morning with a cup of Numi's Aged Earl Gray. (I’m off coffee. Aargh!… Doctor’s orders, I’m afraid. Thanks for the tea recs, Paul & Jimmy!). And it meanders like a river all the way up to number six. [First added to this chart: 08/29/2016]
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'47:a Riffin' the Scotch
aka Better To Burn Out...
He's hot as Hades
A lady's not safe in his arms when she's kissed
But I'm afraid that when he's cooled off
And maybe I'm ruled off his list
I'll never be missed - I MUST Have That Man (Billie Holiday)
People forget. They just do. Jazz was the Devil’s music. It wasn’t no place for a “Lady.” Day or night. These people lived hard. Partied harder. And you know who ruled that scene back in the thirties? Came in and turned everything upside down. A young Billie Holiday. The tempestuous Lady Day!
We tend to be too referential of the old-timers. Especially if they were a Lady. But there’s no denying it. Billie Holliday was a badass. She could zip when Teddy & his gang would zag. Her improvisational skills & riffing changed jazz forever. And she could drink you under the table while doing it. Don’t ever forget that. That would be cheapening her legacy.
And before I bid you good night, remember this as well, Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra was just positively sick => Benny Goodman on clarinet. Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge on trumpet, & Ben Webster on tenor sax. Those three are household names for a reason. Billie's early recording sessions were positively oozing with talent.
Try just a little taste & you'll see what "just a little moonlight can do"... [First added to this chart: 09/07/2022]
aka Better To Burn Out...
He's hot as Hades
A lady's not safe in his arms when she's kissed
But I'm afraid that when he's cooled off
And maybe I'm ruled off his list
I'll never be missed - I MUST Have That Man (Billie Holiday)
People forget. They just do. Jazz was the Devil’s music. It wasn’t no place for a “Lady.” Day or night. These people lived hard. Partied harder. And you know who ruled that scene back in the thirties? Came in and turned everything upside down. A young Billie Holiday. The tempestuous Lady Day!
We tend to be too referential of the old-timers. Especially if they were a Lady. But there’s no denying it. Billie Holliday was a badass. She could zip when Teddy & his gang would zag. Her improvisational skills & riffing changed jazz forever. And she could drink you under the table while doing it. Don’t ever forget that. That would be cheapening her legacy.
And before I bid you good night, remember this as well, Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra was just positively sick => Benny Goodman on clarinet. Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge on trumpet, & Ben Webster on tenor sax. Those three are household names for a reason. Billie's early recording sessions were positively oozing with talent.
Try just a little taste & you'll see what "just a little moonlight can do"... [First added to this chart: 09/07/2022]
Total albums: 49. Page 1 of 5
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 1 | 1% | |
| 1950s | 3 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1970s | 29 | 29% | |
| 1980s | 37 | 37% | |
| 1990s | 3 | 3% | |
| 2000s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2010s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Real Estate | 3 | 3% | |
| Scorpions | 2 | 2% | |
| Bert Jansch | 2 | 2% | |
| Bob Dylan | 2 | 2% | |
| Townes Van Zandt | 2 | 2% | |
| Saint Vitus | 2 | 2% | |
| Accept | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
49 | 49% | |
 |
29 | 29% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 88 from 94th to 6th Self Portrait by Bob Dylan |
| Up 81 from 93rd to 12th Fading Frontier by Deerhunter |
| Up 43 from 62nd to 19th Cluster & Eno by Cluster & Eno |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 39 from 60th to 99th Rock Until You Drop by Raven (UK) |
| Down 4 from 16th to 20th Hank Williams Sings by Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys |
| Down 4 from 17th to 21st Johnny Burnette And The Rock N' Roll Trio by Johnny Burnette & The Rock 'n Roll Trio |
| New entries |
|---|
 Midnight Blueby Kenny Burrell |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
95/100 (from 72 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 72 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 85/100  | 10/09/2023 08:40 | Moondance | | 84/100 |
| 85/100 | 10/28/2022 03:30 | mianfei | | 61/100 |
| 100/100 | 08/29/2022 05:28 |  seb7 | | 91/100 |
| 100/100 | 06/20/2022 08:31 |  Applerill | | 75/100 |
| 100/100 | 04/04/2022 13:11 |  arthurbittencour | | 90/100 |
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 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 95.2/100, a mean average of 95.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 96.5/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.2.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 51 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
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100/100
From 
DommeDamian 10/09/2023 09:56
DommeDamian 10/09/2023 09:56
Have I ever properly thanked you for making me check out Mazzy Star, Yo La Tengo, Real Estate early 70s-era Dylan, as well as revisiting Townes Van Zandt? Either way, thank you again.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Foxforce5 06/28/2023 09:46
There are 3 elements to a great chart for me.
1. Some great words to tell us why the album is there.
2. A similar taste to your own - a musical message in a bottle
3. Some new picks for my own wish list.
This chart is bristling with new recommendations for my playlist. Whole genres I’ve never explored.
2 out of 3 ain’t bad.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From mianfei 10/28/2022 03:50
One really interesting and diverse list, quite unlike anything I have ever seen here or anywhere else! Many very unusual choices and genres make this a great list. The chart has virtually nothing in common with my own chart or other lists by major magazines, Joe S. Harrington, David Keenan or Piero Scaruffi.
The notes are better than anything I have seen outside of Harrington or Keenan, too.
A minor quibble of mine is the way in which albums of the same genre are clustered together. (When I see that I always wonder if the compiler is not being careful enough to be sure they are being ranked as accurately as thought possible.) even with this reservation, it is an exceptionally interesting and well-written list.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From DommeDamian 10/25/2022 08:24
DommeDamian 10/25/2022 08:24
Still wanna the greatest charts ever made on both this site and others like RYM. I think you've inspired me to do the same one day by making a chart of lesser known records, and outta those picks, create an alternate universe so flamboyant, colorful, and exciting based on descriptions and stuff.
I think something in the beautiful Donovan description summed it up "these songs doesn't know that radio exists", because some of the favorites on this chart raises this question; what would musicians/artists do if radio never existed". The answer lies in that they probably would make something so flamboyantly authentic as a lotta these wondrous records, and we could only listen to music by hand and choice etc.
God bless!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From Moondance 10/24/2022 03:20
What I like about this chart:
1. we have ZERO albums in common:
2. we have only 4 artists in common, and that may very well become 1 artist in common when I do a review of my chart over the next month;
3. the 1 artist we have in common is Dylan - although our album preferences differ significantly (I am sure that doesn't come as any surprise - you can check out my '64 Dylan albums rated' chart if you have time :));
4. this chart oozes someone who actually breathes, eats, smells, tastes, touches, feels music more than hears it;
5. knowing the effort needed to make even short comments on album choices, the EFFORT in this chart is EXTRAordinary;
6. rather than a regurgitation of the BEA top 100, this chart has only 6 albums rated in the top 1000! and the highest ranking album is at #197 on the overall chart;
7. this chart actually made me go on a wild musical album/artist discovery hunt - I didn't actually find anything that I 'fell in love with' but sometimes the journey is more valuable than the end point ~ at least it gave me a few hours of hope; that maybe out there, somewhere, there is an artist/album undiscovered in my musical universe who will excite me in ways that I cannot explain;
8. ...and finally, the 2 Australian albums - excellent choices!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From seb7 08/29/2022 05:28
seb7 08/29/2022 05:28
super frikin interesting. love this chart!!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
SuedeSwede 07/11/2022 09:17
SuedeSwede 07/11/2022 09:17
naang naang!! <3 hope ur doing well friend
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From seb7 02/16/2022 00:47
seb7 02/16/2022 00:47
man this is great. I can't even say I agree with A SINGLE ONE of your picks but damn this is very well put together chart. Just the passion you seem to have for music is insane and I love it!!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Timestarter 08/05/2021 09:25
Timestarter 08/05/2021 09:25
What a unique list :)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
StefanR10 04/03/2021 23:24
StefanR10 04/03/2021 23:24
Interesting choices, the number 1 is very unique and the rest is metal at the most. I know much of them and i like them some kind of diversive chart. Nice to see such things here.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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