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, Lady Gaga, The Smiths, Kate Bush, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Prince, R.E.M., Lana Del Rey, Slowdive, FKA twigs, Kylie Minogue, 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 22/12/25: Merry Christmas all, welcome to the Class of 2025! I think big changes will be afoot in the next year for many old albums. It's going to be harder and harder to justify anything that has even the faintest whiff of stuffy, classic rock appraising aroma about it. Fear it.
Update 10/01/25: WOAH, Nelly!!! This is a real time of change. Lots of movers and shakers. Plenty of stalwarts of the 30-50 positions making way for new stuff. This list must reflect how I'm feeling about music and this is how I feel right now!
Update 06/01/25: Woah, Nelly! So 2024 was casually one of the best years for music in a hot minute, good grief. Five albums of which I couldn't get enough of, and all of which have earned a place in my heart. Some loved ones had to be chucked out for them to make room on this list, but I long since let go of historical weighting. This is about what I want at the end of the day, and the music I'm living with right now is the music that matters to me most.
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 :)
- Chart updated: 12/22/2025 10:45
- (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 58 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show live albums. (Remove this filter)
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Best songs: Little Red Corvette, Computer Blue, Purple Rain (just has to be heard in full frankly)
Yeah, Purple Rain the album is the peak of his studio efforts. But when it's played live, blown up to full scale, and performed the way they performed it on the night in Syracuse, new heights never before conceivable are found. 'Live' is quite simply the summation of human existence: passion, love, expression, sex, energy, more sex, life itself. That 19 minute Purple Rain is nirvana incarnate. Truly an album that makes you want to cry with joy and dance yourself into oblivion in equal measure. [First added to this chart: 10/09/2023]
Yeah, Purple Rain the album is the peak of his studio efforts. But when it's played live, blown up to full scale, and performed the way they performed it on the night in Syracuse, new heights never before conceivable are found. 'Live' is quite simply the summation of human existence: passion, love, expression, sex, energy, more sex, life itself. That 19 minute Purple Rain is nirvana incarnate. Truly an album that makes you want to cry with joy and dance yourself into oblivion in equal measure. [First added to this chart: 10/09/2023]
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Best songs: Wild Is The Wind, Starman, Ziggy Stardust...but in all honesty, the whole thing just has to be experienced in one go.
If you're reading this, I'm sure you're probably little bored of all the Bowie albums on this list. But here me out - you do not get festival headline sets of this calibre very often. Glastonbury 2000 is overwhelmingly perfect, filling you with a sense that you're witnessing an elderstatesmen of all music at one of his absolute high points. Far enough into his career to take full stock of all of his best hits, performed by probably his best band ever (Gail, Earl, Mike, WHAT A COMBO) and twinkingly with that Glastonbury magic, this is peak live Bowie. I well up every time I hear the crowd cheer, it's a touching little reminder of how fucking special David Bowie was and is. [First added to this chart: 02/11/2021]
If you're reading this, I'm sure you're probably little bored of all the Bowie albums on this list. But here me out - you do not get festival headline sets of this calibre very often. Glastonbury 2000 is overwhelmingly perfect, filling you with a sense that you're witnessing an elderstatesmen of all music at one of his absolute high points. Far enough into his career to take full stock of all of his best hits, performed by probably his best band ever (Gail, Earl, Mike, WHAT A COMBO) and twinkingly with that Glastonbury magic, this is peak live Bowie. I well up every time I hear the crowd cheer, it's a touching little reminder of how fucking special David Bowie was and is. [First added to this chart: 02/11/2021]
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Best Songs: Aneurysm, Lithium, About A Girl
77 minutes of speaker-breaking pure adrenaline. [First added to this chart: 05/13/2018]
77 minutes of speaker-breaking pure adrenaline. [First added to this chart: 05/13/2018]
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Best songs: How the hell am I supposed to choose three? Slippery People, Burning Down The House, Life During Wartime, Girlfriend Is Better, Take Me To The River
I'm ranking the full setlist from the film version here, as the shorter vinyl release simply doesn't do justice to what Talking Heads achieve here. Deliberate theatrics, an unbelievably powerful sense of rhythmn, and good lord, so much community and friendship on stage. Every musician here just sounds and looks like they're having the most fun they've ever had, and my god do the Talking Heads clean up when it comes to live energy. Compels you to dance no matter where you're listening to it. Awe inspiring live music perfection. [First added to this chart: 02/11/2021]
I'm ranking the full setlist from the film version here, as the shorter vinyl release simply doesn't do justice to what Talking Heads achieve here. Deliberate theatrics, an unbelievably powerful sense of rhythmn, and good lord, so much community and friendship on stage. Every musician here just sounds and looks like they're having the most fun they've ever had, and my god do the Talking Heads clean up when it comes to live energy. Compels you to dance no matter where you're listening to it. Awe inspiring live music perfection. [First added to this chart: 02/11/2021]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,296
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Best songs: Flawless/Feeling Myself, Deja Vu, Say My Name
An absolute phenomenon of an album and film, uncompromisingly celebrating black expression, packing truly one of the greatest set lists of the 21st century thus far. A documentation of nigh-on the biggest entertainer of the last 25 years, capturing every one of her greatest hits, and performed with the kind of energy that definitively affirms the sheer impact that Beyonce has had. [First added to this chart: 10/10/2021]
An absolute phenomenon of an album and film, uncompromisingly celebrating black expression, packing truly one of the greatest set lists of the 21st century thus far. A documentation of nigh-on the biggest entertainer of the last 25 years, capturing every one of her greatest hits, and performed with the kind of energy that definitively affirms the sheer impact that Beyonce has had. [First added to this chart: 10/10/2021]
Total albums: 5. Page 1 of 1
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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 | 18 | 18% | |
| 1980s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1990s | 15 | 15% | |
| 2000s | 8 | 8% | |
| 2010s | 22 | 22% | |
| 2020s | 16 | 16% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| David Bowie | 7 | 7% | |
| Radiohead | 4 | 4% | |
| Fontaines D.C. | 3 | 3% | |
| Nirvana | 3 | 3% | |
| FKA Twigs | 3 | 3% | |
| Lana Del Rey | 3 | 3% | |
| The Smiths | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 4 from 54th to 58thAM by Arctic Monkeys |
| Down 4 from 77th to 81stSeventeen Going Under by Sam Fender |
| Down 3 from 66th to 69thAnimals by Pink Floyd |
| New entries |
|---|
| Mayhem by Lady Gaga |
| Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny |
| Eusexua Afterglow by FKA Twigs |
| Leavers |
|---|
| Die Mensch·Maschine by Kraftwerk |
| Damn. by Kendrick Lamar |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 58 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 01/31/2025 01:58 | BorderFreeAndrew | 103 | 81/100 |
| ! | 01/30/2025 10:40 |  MadhattanJack | 264 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/25/2025 14:14 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 11/07/2024 09:39 |  eclab | 43 | 79/100 |
| ! | 07/24/2024 19:58 | bwoodlan | 32 | 70/100 |
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).
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This chart is rated in the top 3% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.3/100, a mean average of 88.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 11.1.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From Johnnyo 03/30/2024 17:17 | #302762
Great chart. Lovin the accompanying notes
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Rm12398 07/26/2022 00:35 | #287823
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)
From 
Keatownrodriguez 01/05/2021 22:37 | #263881
Keatownrodriguez 01/05/2021 22:37 | #263881
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)
From Timooosterink 12/02/2019 12:17 | #245302
Gorillaz! I love every chart with gorillaz!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From rnanderson8 06/05/2019 17:15 | #237143
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 
ramthecowy 10/08/2018 14:42 | #222220
ramthecowy 10/08/2018 14:42 | #222220
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)
From ramthecowy 10/08/2018 14:40 | #222218
ramthecowy 10/08/2018 14:40 | #222218
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)
From 
nocturnaldelight 09/11/2018 21:54 | #220906
nocturnaldelight 09/11/2018 21:54 | #220906
A well curated collection with good descriptions. The "best songs" for every album are very helpful.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From PaperVinnie 08/30/2018 03:39 | #220249
Fantastic ranking and write-ups, this chart totally deserves more attention.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
JulianR 01/13/2018 22:51 | #205427
JulianR 01/13/2018 22:51 | #205427
respectable choices all around
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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