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:
The Smiths, David Bowie, Sonic Youth, Joy Division, Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac, R.E.M., Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Diana Ross, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Idles, Fontaines D.C., Lou Reed, Nirvana, Radiohead, New Order, The Doors, The Clash, Prince, Gorillaz, Pet Shop Boys, Suede, The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Madonna, Squid, Little Simz, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Pavement, Sophie, Beyoncé, Grace Jones, Lana Del Rey, Kraftwerk, FKA twigs, Slowdive, 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: 6 hours ago
- (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 54 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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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]
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:
Rank Score:
22,096
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Comments:
159
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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]
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:
Rank Score:
8,645
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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]
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:
Rank Score:
2,907
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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]
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:
Rank Score:
19,255
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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]
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:
Rank Score:
13,314
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Best Songs: Disorder, New Dawn Fades, She's Lost Control
It's easy to call this album "depressing" and "dark", but that is far too simple and besides the point. Unknown Pleasures is drenched in a unique aura and sound that can only be attributed to this album, and it far surpasses almost anything else in terms of precision and effect. Nothing before sounded like it, and truth be told, nothing has since.
100/100 [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]
It's easy to call this album "depressing" and "dark", but that is far too simple and besides the point. Unknown Pleasures is drenched in a unique aura and sound that can only be attributed to this album, and it far surpasses almost anything else in terms of precision and effect. Nothing before sounded like it, and truth be told, nothing has since.
100/100 [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
24,935
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Best Songs: Drive-In Saturday, Time, Jean Genie
If ever there was monument to the beauty of Glam Rock, this was it. The showmanship, the sheer scale of the energy, the swagger of that riff on Jean Genie and - holy mother of god - Bowie's voice on Drive-In Saturday. Few things come even remotely close to Aladdin Sane.
100/100 [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]
If ever there was monument to the beauty of Glam Rock, this was it. The showmanship, the sheer scale of the energy, the swagger of that riff on Jean Genie and - holy mother of god - Bowie's voice on Drive-In Saturday. Few things come even remotely close to Aladdin Sane.
100/100 [First added to this chart: 10/23/2014]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,939
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Comments:
14. (=)
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Best pieces: Fantasia On A Theme by Thomas Tallias, The Lark Ascending
Nigh-on impossible to describe the reverie that these four pieces create. Music beyond the confines of language. Utter heartbreak and boundless love far above what my little brain can fathom. Life is better with the knowledge that these recordings exist. [First added to this chart: 02/20/2023]
Nigh-on impossible to describe the reverie that these four pieces create. Music beyond the confines of language. Utter heartbreak and boundless love far above what my little brain can fathom. Life is better with the knowledge that these recordings exist. [First added to this chart: 02/20/2023]
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Best Songs: Feel Good Inc, DARE, Demon Days
The mid-noughties needed a fresh, invigorating album. This was it. A towering pinnacle of modern music culture. [First added to this chart: 12/25/2014]
The mid-noughties needed a fresh, invigorating album. This was it. A towering pinnacle of modern music culture. [First added to this chart: 12/25/2014]
Year of Release:
2005
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,327
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Best songs: We Are The Pigs, The Wild Ones, The Power
Queerness with the campiness turned entirely negative and positively dystopian. Suede's second outing reaches the very highest heights of Britpop perfection. An industrial, grey-washed look at nineties Britain, led by Brett Anderson's dark flamboyance and backed by the band's unrivaled instrumentation. An underground force seems to be the backbone of this record, leaving you to journey with the band to find its source. Dog Man Star is like lifting the veil to reveal a whole different world you didn't even realise you were already in. [First added to this chart: 07/07/2020]
Queerness with the campiness turned entirely negative and positively dystopian. Suede's second outing reaches the very highest heights of Britpop perfection. An industrial, grey-washed look at nineties Britain, led by Brett Anderson's dark flamboyance and backed by the band's unrivaled instrumentation. An underground force seems to be the backbone of this record, leaving you to journey with the band to find its source. Dog Man Star is like lifting the veil to reveal a whole different world you didn't even realise you were already in. [First added to this chart: 07/07/2020]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,716
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 51. Page 1 of 6
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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 | 20 | 20% | |
| 1980s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1990s | 20 | 20% | |
| 2000s | 7 | 7% | |
| 2010s | 25 | 25% | |
| 2020s | 7 | 7% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| David Bowie | 7 | 7% | |
| Radiohead | 4 | 4% | |
| The Smiths | 3 | 3% | |
| Sonic Youth | 3 | 3% | |
| Pink Floyd | 3 | 3% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 3 | 3% | |
| Nirvana | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 37th to 38th Nevermind by Nirvana |
| Down 1 from 38th to 39th Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino by Arctic Monkeys |
| Down 1 from 39th to 40th The Bends by Radiohead |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 54 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 54 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 03/30/2024 17:17 | Johnnyo | | 80/100 |
| 100/100 | 07/26/2022 00:35 | Rm12398 | | 89/100 |
| 90/100 | 07/25/2022 12:05 | wizardalien | | 88/100 |
| 90/100 | 12/07/2021 12:35 |  Cytoma | | 90/100 |
| 85/100 | 06/12/2021 14:46 | bobnickmad | | 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 89.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.1.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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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
AlvaroIesus 11/02/2023 09:12
So no Beatles?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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)
100/100
From 
Keatownrodriguez 01/05/2021 22:37
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)
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)
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
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
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) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
ramthecowy 10/08/2018 14:42
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)
95/100
From ramthecowy 10/08/2018 14:40
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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