Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by DeusExMackia

Yo! Thanks for checking out my list of my favourite albums ever. Like most people on BEA, I listen to an absolute ton of music, a lot of which isn't on here. This then is a list of what I consider to be give or take the best music ever made (in my humble opinion).


As of 28th November 2022, this is the rough outline:
- Positions 1 to 20 are as good as it gets. Ordered based on what I'd choose with a gun to my head, so the ones nearer the top are 'better', but it's all relative.

- 20 to ~60 are the albums I'd consider "runner-up best albums ever", a.k.a. "there's not enough room to fit everything into the top 10" and really might as well just be one big joint position.

- Everything below is structured to reflect how highly I regard it, but all can be considered "albums to listen to before you die (in my humble opinion)".


Also, the comments I have made about each album; for some records I could wax lyrical about them for days, and for others I can barely say a word. This, however, in no way determines whether I like a record more than another. And for quite a few of them, I can't even properly articulate why I love them.

For something extra, here are my favorite artists of all time. It's not properly reflected in my choice of albums.
In a rough-but-no-particular order:

David Bowie, The Smiths, Sonic Youth, Kate Bush, Nirvana, Prince, R.E.M., Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Slowdive, FKA twigs, New Order, The Doors, Suede, Beyoncé/Destiny's Child, The Prodigy, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Joy Division, Fontaines DC, Charli XCX, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Nina Simone, Diana Ross/The Supremes, Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, The Clash, Gorillaz, Pet Shop Boys, The Rolling Stones, Chet Baker, Oscar Peterson, George Michael, The KLF, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Idles, Lou Reed, Talking Heads, Madonna, Squid, Little Simz, Kendrick Lamar, The Notorious B.I.G., Girls Aloud, Bruce Springsteen, Paramore, Pavement, SOPHIE, System Of A Down, Grace Jones, Kraftwerk, MBV, Missy Elliott

----
Update 23/04/24: Welcome Hounds Of Love to the top 10. It's been a long time coming. Kate Bush is never far from my rotation at any given point, but something about my recent listening to her has hit harder than before. 'The Big Sky' is genuinely insane, and that alone might be why I've finally decided the album deserves to be here. I love it so much.

Update 12/11/23: Some big ol' changes in the midfield. With the leaves falling off the trees I've conveniently remembered how obsessed with Slowdive I've always been, so welcome Souvlaki to the top 20 at last. A few other big moves.

Update 21/09/23: Welcome back Wish You Were Here, gone for 2.5 years, and now back on here because I don't think life is quite right without it. Far lower than before, but that's okay. A recent spur of 60s and 70s listening for me has led to the Stones gaining a new entry, and OK Computer making a return too. Two 2010s EPs from some of the most exciting artists living today - Miss Azealia and Miss Twigs - join the mid-pack in the form of 1991 and M3LL155X respectively.

Update 28/11/22: A great purge has occurred. Wholesale reorder. New entries from across the universe. Shock and Awe in the top 20 - I've finally let go of DSOTM's number 2 spot. It better reflects who I am now and what I love. The beautiful thing with a having a list like this is the work it takes to cultivate it and keep it in tune with who you are. See the previous versions of this chart for my older notes :)

Update 21/01/22: Things continues to move with the addition of albums from 2020 and 2021. We're well on the way to seeing the records from the last 30 years outweighing the records older than 30 years.

Update 30/03/21: It's a shock twist! The Top 10 has been updated for the first time since December 2017. Truly glacial pace of change up there, and not without good reason. Lou Reed's Transformer drops 1 place to 11, and still means the world to me. Welcome in our new Number 10 album, Loveless by My Bloody Valentine. A long time in the climbing for this position, I've finally accepted that I love this album more than ranking will ever be able to quantify, and that it deserves to be up there.

Update 09/02/21: Farewell to Wish You Were Here. Tough decision, but I haven't revisited it for so long now. Having it in the Top 20 seemed hard enough, but to be honest, my taste has changed. Welcoming in Bowie's Glastonbury 2000 set and Talking Heads's Stop Making Sense. Two pieces of absolute live perfection to enjoy whilst we aren't allowed to go to real gigs.

• Chart updated: 11/24/2024 16:15
• (Created: 10/20/2014 19:43).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

There are 23 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 55 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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1. (=)

Hunky Dory 

 David Bowie

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Best Songs: Oh! You Pretty Things, Life On Mars?, The Bewlay Brothers...and maybe Quicksand? Queen B*tch? There's far too many here to choose from.

This is it. The one record I'd recommend to absolutely anyone as a must-listen. Bowie's dip into something more gentle and singer-songwriter-esque might be the best thing record music has ever produced.

100/100 [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,832 charts

Rank Score:

21,246

Rank in 1971:

3

Rank in 1970s:

14

Overall Rank:

46

Average Rating:

 87 (2,406 votes)

Comments:

159

2. (=)

The Smiths 

 The Smiths

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Best Songs: This Charming Man, Still Ill, Hand In Glove

Did you know? This world sucks. It is really godawful and full of rubbish. So, rather than getting worked up about it, come and relish in it, because by god, the music that attitude produces is what makes life worth living for.

100/100 [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]

Year of Release:

1984

Appears in:

963 charts

Rank Score:

8,512

Rank in 1984:

3

Rank in 1980s:

23

Overall Rank:

186

Average Rating:

 83 (1,462 votes)

Comments:

86

3. (=)

Daydream Nation 

 Sonic Youth

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Best Songs: 'Cross The Breeze, Hey Joni, Candle, Trilogy (best finale on any record ever frankly)

I'm still not sure why I love Daydream Nation. Maybe I relate to its lyrics on some level, maybe the scale of its sound makes it fun to reminisce about the depression of late-Reagan era America, or maybe I just really, really like Kim Gordon's voice. Daydream Nation is noisy, crammed and epic, and then it some how manages to be one of the most rewarding albums ever.

100/100 [First added to this chart: 03/29/2015]

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

1,565 charts

Rank Score:

16,834

Rank in 1988:

1

Rank in 1980s:

8

Overall Rank:

72

Average Rating:

 84 (1,846 votes)

Comments:

147

4. (=)

Hounds Of Love 

 Kate Bush

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Best Songs: Cloudbusting, And Dream Of Sheep, Hello Earth

Eccentric, sensual, a true feast for the ears; Bush's knack for musical narrative is on full display here, telling stories of love and the ocean. The quirkiness of her previous material is shed for exquisite art pop perfection, and you have no choice but to completely submerge yourself in her world. Indeed I find it makes me tear up a lot, simply by virtue of how overwhelming it is. Power from all corners, every extent of life glowing, delivering a joy very little other music has come close to. It really is the finest moment of one of Britain's greatest ever solo artists.

Edit: Welcome to the top 10 baby, it's been a long time coming, and I love you so much. <3 [First added to this chart: 11/25/2014]

Year of Release:

1985

Appears in:

1,382 charts

Rank Score:

19,205

Rank in 1985:

1

Rank in 1980s:

7

Overall Rank:

54

Average Rating:

 85 (1,373 votes)

Comments:

101

5. (=)

The Doors 

 The Doors

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Best Songs: Soul Kitchen, Light My Fire, The End

Suave and full of guts. The Doors' debut isn't the most emotional album ever, or the most innovative or even the most interesting. But as a 45-minute package of music, it's nigh-on perfect. It oozes 1967 from every angle, but its tight psychedlic and blues structures still sound so damn good today. I could put this on repeat forever, no problem at all.
On a side note, listen to how the entire mood of the album changes throughout; starting from punchy and energetic, before ending with the deepest reaches of darkness.

100/100 [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

2,370 charts

Rank Score:

28,431

Rank in 1967:

3

Rank in 1960s:

10

Overall Rank:

30

Average Rating:

 87 (2,805 votes)

Comments:

207

6. (=)

Substance 1987 
Compilation

 New Order

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Best Songs: Blue Monday, Thieves Like Us, Bizarre Love Triangle

Substance is more than just a compilation or 'best of' album; it's the New Order bible.

100/100 [First added to this chart: 06/26/2015]

Year of Release:

1987

Appears in:

321 charts

Rank Score:

2,918

Rank in 1987:

10

Rank in 1980s:

92

Overall Rank:

603

Average Rating:

 84 (471 votes)

Comments:

36

7. (=)

Loveless 

 My Bloody Valentine

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Best Songs: Only Shallow, To Here Knows When, Sometimes

̶H̶a̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶p̶e̶r̶l̶y̶ ̶l̶i̶s̶t̶e̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶L̶o̶v̶e̶l̶e̶s̶s̶,̶ ̶I̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶f̶u̶l̶l̶ ̶w̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶p̶e̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶n̶e̶x̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶w̶ ̶y̶e̶a̶r̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶e̶ ̶f̶u̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶u̶n̶t̶a̶g̶g̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶g̶a̶r̶g̶a̶n̶t̶u̶a̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶d̶e̶e̶p̶ ̶t̶a̶n̶g̶l̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶d̶ ̶g̶u̶i̶t̶a̶r̶s̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶y̶ ̶h̶e̶c̶k̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶f̶u̶n̶.̶ ̶S̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶l̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶i̶n̶t̶?̶

Edit: Ignore my previous comments, it all makes sense now. Loveless makes you feel things music shouldn't be allowed to make you feel, in ways that words will never be able to convey. Hence I'm moving it from 44 to 25.

Edit: and now to 22! Ranking it seems obsolete to be honest; it deserves to be in a separate category titled "Incomparable to anything else humans will ever be able to create".

Edit: AND NOW TO 10! Once again would like to iterate that ranking doesn't really matter with Loveless, it's entirely without contemporary or comparison. I've spent a lot of time wraggling over putting Loveless this high on my list, it takes a lot of courage to change yer Top 10 afterall. As well as that, I've been scared of disregarding all the hours and love I've poured into the records this high up simply for the sake of acknowledging *how* Loveless makes me feel. Guess all it took was one relisten. 3 years on from first discovering this thing and here it is, where it deserves to be, among my most treasured albums of all time.

100/100 (although that's arbitrary in this case) [First added to this chart: 05/13/2018]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

2,147 charts

Rank Score:

32,057

Rank in 1991:

2

Rank in 1990s:

4

Overall Rank:

22

Average Rating:

 86 (2,447 votes)

Comments:

311

8. (=)

Endtroducing..... 

 DJ Shadow

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Best Songs: Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt, Midnight In A Perfect World, Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain

Just thinking about Endtroducing gives me gooesbumps. I was listening to this in the car late one night on a quiet, long drive, and it just dropped for me. No other music could have suited that drive better. The more I listen, the more I realise every song on here is complete and utter genius.

100/100 [First added to this chart: 10/11/2015]

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

964 charts

Rank Score:

10,024

Rank in 1996:

3

Rank in 1990s:

31

Overall Rank:

150

Average Rating:

 84 (1,103 votes)

Comments:

65

9. (=)

Station To Station 

 David Bowie

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Best Songs: Station to Station, Golden Years, Wild Is The Wind

This is beyond mad. It's an album that turns you into a fanatic. The darkness, despair, the longing and the decrepit insanity of The Thin White Duke, presented in masterful, theatrical style. Keep listening to this, even if you can't quite get into it. Eventually, the penny will drop - and it drops hard - and you will see that this is an absolute masterpiece.

100/100 [First added to this chart: 10/02/2015]

Year of Release:

1976

Appears in:

1,081 charts

Rank Score:

12,984

Rank in 1976:

2

Rank in 1970s:

27

Overall Rank:

101

Average Rating:

 85 (1,526 votes)

Comments:

97

10. (=)

Transformer 

 Lou Reed

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Best Songs: Walk On The Wild Side, Perfect Day, Hangin' Round

Whatever the mood, whatever the time, Transformer somehow just fits in. Back at No. 10, its mere existence as a peep into the strange world of queer New York in the 70s means more than my words could ever attest. God I miss you Lou.

100/100 [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,219 charts

Rank Score:

10,579

Rank in 1972:

6

Rank in 1970s:

35

Overall Rank:

138

Average Rating:

 83 (1,518 votes)

Comments:

89

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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	0	0%
1960s	3	3%
1970s	19	19%
1980s	18	18%
1990s	20	20%
2000s	8	8%
2010s	24	24%
2020s	8	8%

Artist	Albums	%
David Bowie	7	7%
Radiohead	4	4%
Sonic Youth	3	3%
Kendrick Lamar	3	3%
Pink Floyd	3	3%
Nirvana	3	3%
Lana Del Rey	3	3%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	50	50%
	38	38%
	6	6%
	2	2%
	2	2%
	1	1%
	1	1%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Up 18 from 68th to 50th Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
Up 11 from 86th to 75th Seventeen Going Under by Sam Fender
Up 10 from 95th to 85th Breakfast In America by Supertramp

Biggest fallers
Down 27 from 64th to 91st Rodeo by Travis Scott
Down 13 from 46th to 59th The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
Down 10 from 45th to 55th Sister by Sonic Youth

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums	jwalsh97		2024
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Going With My Gut: The Overall Chart Top 100 Re-ranked	CharlieBarley	custom chart	2024
Ya joking? Should've been higher! All Time edition	Purplepash	custom chart	2024
BEA Top 100 Reorganized According To My Taste	bonnequestion	custom chart	2024
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums	halloallesgoed		2018
Most listened to Albums by BEA members 2014 - 2024	Liedzeit	custom chart	2024

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)

Other overall charts by DeusExMackia

Title	Source	Type	Published	Country
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums	DeusExMackia		2024

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 55 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
90/100	11/07/2024 09:39	eclab	42	79/100
50/100	07/24/2024 19:58	bwoodlan	32	70/100
90/100	03/30/2024 17:17	Johnnyo	2,151	80/100
100/100	07/26/2022 00:35	Rm12398	99	89/100
90/100	07/25/2022 12:05	wizardalien	31	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 is rated in the top 4% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.3/100, a mean average of 89.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.8.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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Rating:  

90/100

From Johnnyo 03/30/2024 17:17

Great chart. Lovin the accompanying notes

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

From AlvaroIesus 11/02/2023 09:12

So no Beatles?

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From Rm12398 07/26/2022 00:35

Picks are absolutely fantastic and the commentary on how your music taste changes throughout must be great to look back on from a personal perspective. Great list!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From Keatownrodriguez 01/05/2021 22:37

Any chart with this much commentary attached to it is an amazing one in my book!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From Timooosterink 12/02/2019 12:17

Gorillaz! I love every chart with gorillaz!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From rnanderson8 06/05/2019 17:15

Nice chart, I like a lot of your picks for best tracks, crazy how you're so into Bowie, only think a couple of his albums are really up there with the best of all time

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

From DeusExMackia 11/13/2018 09:04

@Sandinistar very good question, they're up there mainly for personal reasons, as in they have personal meaning to myself. They all mean a lot to me in one way or another.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

From Sandinistar 11/13/2018 01:34

I'm intrigued, because almost all of your Top 10 are highly regarded albums that I like okay and think are good but think are overrated because they fail as cohesive albums. Would like to understand why you think they're all great, because I'm not opposed to that view I just don't fully get it.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

95/100

From ramthecowy 10/08/2018 14:42

Ha it's taken me long enough to figure out how this site works, but here I am bby xoxo
Love your music, you're such an inspiration, I can't wait for Saturday Night Alternative to start up again.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

95/100

From ramthecowy 10/08/2018 14:40

Ha it's taken me long enough to figure out how this site works, but here I am bby xoxo
Love your music, you're such an inspiration, I can't wait for Saturday Night Alternative to start up again.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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