Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by zgarrison88

Music ought to serve us. It ought to help us explore ourselves and the world we live in. It ought to express the true excitements of life. It ought to bring clarity to our lives by capturing a moment, an emotion, something beyond ourselves.

These are the Top 100 Albums, in my opinion, that do that best--combining high quality music with the ability to leave the listener better off than when they started.

• Chart updated: 04/26/2021 15:15
• (Created: 01/24/2015 19:20).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

There are 14 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 30 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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2. (=)

OK Computer 

 Radiohead

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Genre: Alternative Rock
Top Tracks: Paranoid Android, Exit Music (For A Film), Karma Police, The Tourist
Parental Advisory: EXPLICIT - (Fitter Happier)

Disjointed lyrics for a fractured, technology-laden society. OK Computer is a must-hear masterpiece.

Best Line: “Hey man, slow down.
Idiot, slow down.” [First added to this chart: 03/22/2016]

Year of Release:

1997

Appears in:

4,335 charts

Rank Score:

76,729

Rank in 1997:

1

Rank in 1990s:

1

Overall Rank:

1

Average Rating:

 92 (5,497 votes)

Comments:

841

3. (=)

The Dark Side Of The Moon 

 Pink Floyd

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Genre: Progressive Rock
Top Track: Brain Damage/Eclipse
Parental Advisory: EXPLICIT - (Speak to Me, Money)

Wonderfully crafted and horribly depressing. This album explores themes of struggle and madness via some of the best songs you've ever heard. Certainly worth a listen, if only to have a black backdrop for the light.

Best Line: “And all that is now and all that is gone
And all that's to come and everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon” [First added to this chart: 03/22/2016]

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

4,043 charts

Rank Score:

71,131

Rank in 1973:

1

Rank in 1970s:

1

Overall Rank:

2

Average Rating:

 92 (5,202 votes)

Comments:

581

5. (=)

Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) 

 Led Zeppelin

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Genre: Hard Rock, Folk, Blues Rock
Top Tracks: Stairway to Heaven, When the Levee Breaks

A (if not THE) quintessential rock-n-roll album. Energetic, creative perfection.

Best Line: “Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.” [First added to this chart: 03/24/2016]

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

3,070 charts

Rank Score:

44,288

Rank in 1971:

1

Rank in 1970s:

4

Overall Rank:

12

Average Rating:

 90 (3,901 votes)

Comments:

300

6. (=)

Abbey Road 

 The Beatles

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Genre: Rock
Top Tracks: Come Together, Here Comes the Sun, You Never Give Me Your Money - The End

This was the end of the Beatles, and they all knew it. It strikes the perfect balance of what the Beatles had always been and lets them go out on the best high note in music history.

Best Line: “Here comes the sun, doo da doo doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right” [First added to this chart: 03/22/2016]

Year of Release:

1969

Appears in:

3,629 charts

Rank Score:

65,423

Rank in 1969:

1

Rank in 1960s:

1

Overall Rank:

3

Average Rating:

 92 (4,509 votes)

Comments:

466

7. (=)

Wish You Were Here 

 Pink Floyd

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Genre: Progressive Rock, Art Rock
Top Track: Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts I-V

A beautiful tribute to former band member Syd Barrett (whose initials are referenced in the title Shine on You crazy Diamond), who left the band after their first album due to mental health issues. A five-song masterpiece.

Best Line: “Remember when you were young
You shone like the Sun
Shine on, you crazy diamond” [First added to this chart: 03/27/2016]

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

2,913 charts

Rank Score:

50,743

Rank in 1975:

1

Rank in 1970s:

2

Overall Rank:

8

Average Rating:

 91 (3,945 votes)

Comments:

308

8. (=)

In Rainbows 

 Radiohead

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Genre: Art Rock, Experimental Rock
Top Tracks: Reckoner, House of Cards, Videotape

Wonderful, beautiful, sonic emotion.

Best Line: “When I'm at the pearly gates
This'll be on my videotape” [First added to this chart: 03/24/2016]

Year of Release:

2007

Appears in:

2,833 charts

Rank Score:

51,102

Rank in 2007:

1

Rank in 2000s:

2

Overall Rank:

6

Average Rating:

 90 (3,835 votes)

Comments:

386

9. (=)

Kid A 

 Radiohead

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Genre: Electronica, Experimental Rock
Top Tracks: Everything In Its Right Place, How To Disappear Completely, Motion Picture Soundtrack

On the verge of mental breakdown after an exhausting OK Computer tour, Radiohead put out this album instead, accompanied by fractured lyrics and an entirely new aesthetic. Upon recently re-listening to it, it is absolutely phenomenal. Bravo!

Best Line: “Who's in a bunker? Who's in a bunker?
Women and children first” [First added to this chart: 03/24/2016]

Year of Release:

2000

Appears in:

3,155 charts

Rank Score:

51,339

Rank in 2000:

1

Rank in 2000s:

1

Overall Rank:

5

Average Rating:

 89 (4,354 votes)

Comments:

551

18. (=)

In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson) 

 King Crimson

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Genre: Progressive Rock
Top Tracks: 21st Century Schizoid Man, The Court Of The Crimson King
Parental Advisory: EXPLICIT - (21st Century Schizoid Man)

The album that started Prog-Rock is infused with allusions to the Vietnam War, elements of folklore, and epic instrumental sections. One of a kind.

Best Line: “Death seed, blind man's greed
Poets' starving, children bleed
Nothing he's got he really needs
Twenty-first century schizoid man” [First added to this chart: 03/24/2016]

Year of Release:

1969

Appears in:

1,985 charts

Rank Score:

31,591

Rank in 1969:

2

Rank in 1960s:

7

Overall Rank:

25

Average Rating:

 89 (2,349 votes)

Comments:

219

24. (=)

Odessey And Oracle 

 The Zombies

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Genre: Psychedelic Pop
Top Tracks: Care of Cell 44, This Will Be Our Year, Time of The Season

This album is 95% about love, and 5% about the horrors of World War I. Gotta give them credit, it works. Even with the lines about how the singer's whole body won't stop shaking in terror, this album provides an extremely pleasant, happy-go-lucky listening experience.

Best Line: “The warmth of your love's like the warmth of the sun
And this will be our year, took a long time to come” [First added to this chart: 08/26/2019]

Year of Release:

1968

Appears in:

1,257 charts

Rank Score:

15,338

Rank in 1968:

4

Rank in 1960s:

21

Overall Rank:

87

Average Rating:

 85 (1,312 votes)

Comments:

118

27. (=)

The Bends 

 Radiohead

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Genre: Alternative Rock
Top Tracks: Planet Telex, High and Dry, Just
Parental Advisory: EXPLICIT - (My Iron Lung)

A bit of a downer, but ultra-self-reflective and highly artistic.

Best Line: "You can crush it but it's always near
Chasing you home
Saying
Everything is broken
Everyone is broken” [First added to this chart: 03/28/2016]

Year of Release:

1995

Appears in:

2,625 charts

Rank Score:

33,187

Rank in 1995:

1

Rank in 1990s:

5

Overall Rank:

23

Average Rating:

 87 (3,828 votes)

Comments:

312

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Total albums: 27. Page 1 of 3

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade	Albums	%
1930s	0	0%
1940s	1	1%
1950s	3	3%
1960s	13	13%
1970s	20	20%
1980s	5	5%
1990s	12	12%
2000s	24	24%
2010s	21	21%
2020s	1	1%

Artist	Albums	%
Radiohead	5	5%
Bob Dylan	5	5%
Josh Garrels	4	4%
Switchfoot	4	4%
Sufjan Stevens	3	3%
Pink Floyd	3	3%
U2	3	3%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	60	60%
	27	27%
	4	4%
	3	3%
	3	3%
	2	2%
	1	1%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Up 1 from 96th to 95th Where The Light Shines Through by Switchfoot

Biggest fallers
Down 1 from 95th to 96th Vice Verses by Switchfoot

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

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 30 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
95/100	12/25/2021 07:00	craab	14	95/100
80/100	11/29/2021 12:42	Cytoma	171	90/100
85/100	11/25/2021 16:40	Tamthebam	553	85/100
100/100	11/25/2021 13:20	desh79	1,281	93/100
90/100	02/25/2021 02:51	RoundTheBend	374	92/100

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 12% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 87.8/100, a mean average of 85.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 17.1.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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Rating:  

95/100

From craab 12/25/2021 07:00

I love the values vision of your chart. Thank you! I LOVE Switchfoot, and am glad to see another fan out there on BEA! Based on your chart, I think you should check out the Hold Steady album: Separation Sunday.

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Rating:  

90/100

From Keatownrodriguez 02/24/2021 20:39

Illinois is so deserving of a number 1 spot. Nice chart

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

From AMEIER 02/24/2021 17:05

What a beautiful and honest chart! Love it!!
Strong to your beliefs this is good.
Also enjoyed seeing Switchfoot getting the credit they deserve. Cheers

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

Rating:  

65/100

From mrmcrook 01/27/2021 01:24

The joy of music is how varied it is and how different people's tastes are. Fascinating list. I've never seem one before with so many Christmas based albums in it. I liked your notes indicating what genre each album was in. And as you said, 'what makes the best music for each one of us is it's ability to leave us feeling better off than when they started'.

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

Rating:  

90/100

From Larcx13 11/19/2020 23:21

You like it epic.
Good list

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

Rating:  

90/100

From leniad 11/12/2020 03:45

what is Switchfoot?
the rest good

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

Rating:  

5/100

From ThuramThugood 04/17/2020 07:03

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Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -5 votes (0 helpful | 5 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From martinjaa 04/16/2020 23:59

Pretty good! You cant go wrong with these albums

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

Rating:  

100/100

From 911Turbo 04/16/2020 19:36

you have alot of great albums and a few surprises.
im definitely going to have to listen to switchfoot- since you give it such high value.
i think all the critics/members will be faced with this observation.
But, thank you, for making me aware of switchfoot. i hope it is as good as you think it is.

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

Rating:  

75/100

From LankyLen 10/09/2019 13:02

Love your list. Need to check out Switchfoot, though

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

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