Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
Arthurknight 
This chart has evolved a lot over the near decade its existed. I think in the past I used to try a lot harder at curating what was more a "recommendations" list, where I'd show off my esoteric finds and scatter in my favourite underrated greats . Other times I told myself the function of a good list was to be in contention with the Overall chart on this site; to be anti conventional music journalism and resist milquetoast taste. Nowadays I'm less ideological about it. To me, this chart is my music-hobbyist refuge where I delight in organising my own personal world of sounds. In short, it may well be the 100 greatest albums of all time (I certainly think so), but that's secondary to it being an outlet for creative expression. I've curated a display that says more about me than the music, to be glanced over by the few fellow BEA users who peruse it and friends at a bar who don't know what they're getting into when they ask me what I listen to.
~~ One Album per Artist. ~~
Notes:
Should you consider it a great injustice that there is very little emphasis on more recent music here, feel free to check out my 21st century decade charts. I'm also very active in making end of year charts which is really where all my heart and soul is poured into with BEA these days.
No Jazz, Hip-Hop, or Electronic albums feature in this chart simply because if they did 100 albums would barely suffice. I find it particularly difficult to compare these genres with other forms of popular music broadly or with each-other (I've similarly exempted classical recordings I especially enjoy for the same reason, but am too lazy to make a classical chart, for now...). In the past I have included these genres, but I've come to dislike it because the limits of 100 albums begins to feel too claustrophobic. Instead, I have made each their own respective custom chart, which you can find here:
Greatest 100 Jazz Albums: https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=32925
Greatest 100 Hip-Hop Albums: https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=32704
Greatest 100 Electronic/IDM Albums: https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=42751
- Chart updated: 07/16/2023 09:15
- (Created: 07/26/2014 08:45).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 68 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 93 out of 100 (from 119 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
"Keep me out of country and the word
Wheel of fortune's leading us absurd."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 10/15/2014]
Wheel of fortune's leading us absurd."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 10/15/2014]
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,642
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
94
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"There'll be icicles and birthday clothes
And sometimes there'll be sorrow."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 10/10/2014]
And sometimes there'll be sorrow."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 10/10/2014]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,076
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"Seinem Geiste bekenne ich mich
Ein Sehnen verzehret sein schönes Gesicht
Das ermattet, von Güte beschattet, allmächtig ist
Sein Körper bewegt sich nicht."
"His spirit I plead
A tendon devoured his beautiful face
The exhausted, shaded by kindness, is almighty.
His body does not move."
9.5/10
Warhollian damsel, rocking harmonium player, and lowkey nazi, the one and only Christa Päffgen (??), produces an ethereally voiced, mysterious, and mesmerising record that is always a delight to listen to.
_ [First added to this chart: 02/13/2016]
Ein Sehnen verzehret sein schönes Gesicht
Das ermattet, von Güte beschattet, allmächtig ist
Sein Körper bewegt sich nicht."
"His spirit I plead
A tendon devoured his beautiful face
The exhausted, shaded by kindness, is almighty.
His body does not move."
9.5/10
Warhollian damsel, rocking harmonium player, and lowkey nazi, the one and only Christa Päffgen (??), produces an ethereally voiced, mysterious, and mesmerising record that is always a delight to listen to.
_ [First added to this chart: 02/13/2016]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,234
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"We shall walk and talk
In gardens all misty and wet with rain
And I will never, never, never
Grow so old again."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]
In gardens all misty and wet with rain
And I will never, never, never
Grow so old again."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,732
Rank in 1968:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"I know because I'm like the train shooting down the mainline
I know because I'm the Indian wind along the telegraph lines."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 04/26/2015]
I know because I'm the Indian wind along the telegraph lines."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 04/26/2015]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,882
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
56. (=)
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Buy album
- #Sponsored
"Do something pretty while you can
Don't be afraid
Skating a pirouette on ice is cool."
9.5/10
Teen angst that an angsty teen liked and a slightly less so but still angsty adult likes indulging in as a way to harp back to being back at high school.
_ [First added to this chart: 04/27/2015]
Don't be afraid
Skating a pirouette on ice is cool."
9.5/10
Teen angst that an angsty teen liked and a slightly less so but still angsty adult likes indulging in as a way to harp back to being back at high school.
_ [First added to this chart: 04/27/2015]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,973
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"All those whose mind entitles themselves,
And whose main entitle is themselves,
Shall feel the wrath of my bombast!"
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 11/26/2014]
And whose main entitle is themselves,
Shall feel the wrath of my bombast!"
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 11/26/2014]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,892
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"Well, show me the way
To the next whisky bar
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]
To the next whisky bar
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
29,091
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"Can you see the real me, can you, can you?"
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 07/03/2015]
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 07/03/2015]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,457
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
"An ambulance can only go so fast
It's easy to get buried in the past
When you try to make a good thing last."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 09/08/2016]
It's easy to get buried in the past
When you try to make a good thing last."
9.5/10
_ [First added to this chart: 09/08/2016]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,910
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 6 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1970s | 28 | 28% | |
| 1980s | 20 | 20% | |
| 1990s | 29 | 29% | |
| 2000s | 8 | 8% | |
| 2010s | 1 | 1% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Talking Heads | 1 | 1% | |
| The Fall | 1 | 1% | |
| Swans | 1 | 1% | |
| Pink Floyd | 1 | 1% | |
| David Bowie | 1 | 1% | |
| Scott Walker | 1 | 1% | |
| Karate | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
40 | 40% | |
 |
26 | 26% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
| |
3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
There have been no changes to this chart.Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
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- Best Artists by
flamingyesdept (2023) - PPV Overall Ranking by bea (2021)
- BEA Forum Regulars' Top 100 (2015) by
HigherThanTheSun (2015) - Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
93/100 (from 119 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 119 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
80/100  | 03/19/2024 11:07 |  Tamthebam | | 85/100 |
85/100 | 03/05/2024 19:32 | martintho | | 74/100 |
90/100 | 02/18/2024 09:24 | Tuur | | 86/100 |
 85/100 | 07/02/2023 08:02 |  MadhattanJack | | 84/100 |
| 100/100 | 11/10/2022 16:03 | Rm12398 | | 89/100 |
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 93.2/100, a mean average of 93.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 93.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.2.
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Showing latest 20 members who have added this chart as a favourite | Show all 28 members
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 68 comments |
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100/100
From Rm12398 11/10/2022 16:03
Love the Murmur- R.E.M. placement here! Have always felt that was my favourite record of theirs, so it's nice to see my opinion validated with your chart. “La Máquina De Hacer Pájaros” is fantastic to see here as well. Massively underrated on this site in my opinion. Love the multicultural feel of the list as well. Have recently been trying to get into more international music so your chart may be a great help to do that.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From 
cartoken 11/10/2022 09:53
cartoken 11/10/2022 09:53
Thanks for the comment and the rating.
Great tastes as well, very heavy on classical rock but still very sold chart
Kudos for including Youth of America 👌
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Johnnyo 11/09/2022 08:36
Fabulous chart. One of the best on the site
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From Moondance 11/09/2022 02:54
Was really hoping to see a few more exceptional Australian albums in the chart. Otherwise, cool chart and appreciate the effort in putting together your comments.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
100/100
From flamingyesdept 10/05/2022 08:04
flamingyesdept 10/05/2022 08:04
Still my favourite chart! SMiLE Sessions really is the greatest thing in popular music ♥
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From rubysmith 07/21/2022 11:17
Nice.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
peate754 12/21/2021 00:48
peate754 12/21/2021 00:48
Wow Great job and very good list
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
seb7 12/07/2020 19:34
seb7 12/07/2020 19:34
one of the best lists on the site. Creative, methodical, and just overall cool
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
EyeKanFly 09/11/2020 16:18
EyeKanFly 09/11/2020 16:18
I'll definitely use this for recs!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 09/11/2020 08:48
DommeDamian 09/11/2020 08:48
Brrrrrrravo!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.