Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
calsper 
The difficult task of turning something as subjective as the power of music into an objective measure seems both arbitrary and heuristic if one is to avoid leaving readers with an undifferentiated overview.
In this chart I try to take into consideration certain aspects that I regard as crucial in order to rank the top 100 albums in music history, in which I believe a multifaceted approach is needed.
I rank by taking into account components of the individual album related to:
- Memories: my personal testemonies, confessions and experiences related to the music album as a listener, musician and human being
- History: the significance of music history and the vast impact and ways that single recordings have echoed throughout time as seminal artistic testamonies
- State-dependent emotion: the creative impact that I experience in listening and the emotional states that emerge during the course of the album's runtime
- Production: the soundstage, instrumentation, transparency and mastering of certain albums inducted into this chart as musical detail and presence to me is a highly enriching aspect of experiencing music.
This is a wonderful website. I am honored to be part of it and to have the privilege of being inspired by the whole-hearted music lovers in it. ..Enjoy
Best Casper
- Chart updated: 06/01/2022 08:45
- (Created: 03/09/2015 01:47).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 40 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 67 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This is a fantastic and perfect combination of a band in a situation that forces a magnificent concept album born and this same band being artists at the top of their careers.
At the time, Fleetwood Mac consisted of Buckingham, Fleetwood, the McVies, and Nicks.
After a long period of non-stop touring and prior to the release, the McVies divorced, and completely stopped talking. Buckingham and Nicks had an on/off relationship that led to continuous fights. To top all of this, Fleetwood's wife Jenny had had an affair with his best friend.
These facts make it hard to deny that something great was to be made - and it was. Out of all of the members' chaotic stories and lack of love in their lives, this pearl was born - and this is as serious as a pop album get's.
The way the songs are highly energetic and driven by a very optimist soundscape creates a huge contrast to the devastating stories behind most of the album.
The songs are all great, and this album is so important to me. Formidable production is the cherry on top of this ruby. [First added to this chart: 03/10/2015]
At the time, Fleetwood Mac consisted of Buckingham, Fleetwood, the McVies, and Nicks.
After a long period of non-stop touring and prior to the release, the McVies divorced, and completely stopped talking. Buckingham and Nicks had an on/off relationship that led to continuous fights. To top all of this, Fleetwood's wife Jenny had had an affair with his best friend.
These facts make it hard to deny that something great was to be made - and it was. Out of all of the members' chaotic stories and lack of love in their lives, this pearl was born - and this is as serious as a pop album get's.
The way the songs are highly energetic and driven by a very optimist soundscape creates a huge contrast to the devastating stories behind most of the album.
The songs are all great, and this album is so important to me. Formidable production is the cherry on top of this ruby. [First added to this chart: 03/10/2015]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
31,657
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
186
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This album hides wonderful stories behind an even bigger sound and revolution in music history.
Although produced by genius Warhol, "The Velvet Underground & Nico" sold extremely poorly with ~30,000 initial LP's.
What no one had any idea of in 1967 was the huge influence this recording would come to have a vast array of artists, the list goes on and on.
This album embodies everything that was considered highly inappropriate in '67. Directly relating to domestic violence, serious substance abuse and S&M, the album knows no shame and became defining in lyrical expression and bluntness.
Instrumentally, this also has inspired many different genres, punk, various genres of psychedelia, this list also goes on and on.
The music is dark and near, production is great and soundstage is hammer-in-your-head up front, and the only Lo-Fi album that I really love for its production.
I am truly glad being able to enjoy this great, but demanding, album. [First added to this chart: 03/25/2015]
Although produced by genius Warhol, "The Velvet Underground & Nico" sold extremely poorly with ~30,000 initial LP's.
What no one had any idea of in 1967 was the huge influence this recording would come to have a vast array of artists, the list goes on and on.
This album embodies everything that was considered highly inappropriate in '67. Directly relating to domestic violence, serious substance abuse and S&M, the album knows no shame and became defining in lyrical expression and bluntness.
Instrumentally, this also has inspired many different genres, punk, various genres of psychedelia, this list also goes on and on.
The music is dark and near, production is great and soundstage is hammer-in-your-head up front, and the only Lo-Fi album that I really love for its production.
I am truly glad being able to enjoy this great, but demanding, album. [First added to this chart: 03/25/2015]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
41,596
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1964 was the year when bossanova went bananza. Stan Getz was the famous saxophone crooner already having presented "Jazz Samba" two years earlier which he performed with Antonio Carlos Jobim (and which by the way is a fantastic record).
Few people in America knew what would come with this release. In Brazil, João Gilberto was already an established star in the domestic signature musical genre. Astrud, João's wife, had never before sung publicly and only in the couple's home. Getz grew fond of her voice as he by a sheer coincidence heard her singing in the studio and immediately wanted her to sing on the lead single, "The Girl From Ipanema". As she wasn't proficient in English, she initially refused but was subsequently convinced to perform.
Getz' sax is mellow and warm, facilitated by wonderful melodies and guitar playing by Gilberto, not to mention Gilberto's incredibly airy and heated voice. Wife Astrud's performance is simply stunning and one of my favourite vocal efforts.
This is one of the ~40 albums that I consistently play +50 times a year - have done that with this one since my mid teens. Many aspects come together in creating this masterpiece and one of my favourite albums. [First added to this chart: 03/10/2015]
Few people in America knew what would come with this release. In Brazil, João Gilberto was already an established star in the domestic signature musical genre. Astrud, João's wife, had never before sung publicly and only in the couple's home. Getz grew fond of her voice as he by a sheer coincidence heard her singing in the studio and immediately wanted her to sing on the lead single, "The Girl From Ipanema". As she wasn't proficient in English, she initially refused but was subsequently convinced to perform.
Getz' sax is mellow and warm, facilitated by wonderful melodies and guitar playing by Gilberto, not to mention Gilberto's incredibly airy and heated voice. Wife Astrud's performance is simply stunning and one of my favourite vocal efforts.
This is one of the ~40 albums that I consistently play +50 times a year - have done that with this one since my mid teens. Many aspects come together in creating this masterpiece and one of my favourite albums. [First added to this chart: 03/10/2015]
Year of Release:
1964
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,455
Rank in 1964:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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"Loveless" was a huge and overwhelming experience for me that I have probably never experienced this intensely before on a first listen.
The sounds are so chaotic, yet distinctively clear in its melodies. A masterpiece in production. It took 21 different studios, a drenched amount of mastering and a bill that almost cancelled the entire release to create this masterpiece.
Kevin Shield's voice is so great on this - feminine, vulnerable, yet powerful. All of the songs I think are strong and catchy.
The album is so paradoxical, really; stripped down in basic structures, yet covered in a massive and frightening wall of sound that never allows these structures falling apart. They are drenched in layers of warped guitar noise and sampled orchestra, which keeps the lush sound echoing in my ears long after the record is finished. Foggy, really.
A masterpiece that opened my eyes to shoe-gaze for the first time. [First added to this chart: 03/10/2015]
The sounds are so chaotic, yet distinctively clear in its melodies. A masterpiece in production. It took 21 different studios, a drenched amount of mastering and a bill that almost cancelled the entire release to create this masterpiece.
Kevin Shield's voice is so great on this - feminine, vulnerable, yet powerful. All of the songs I think are strong and catchy.
The album is so paradoxical, really; stripped down in basic structures, yet covered in a massive and frightening wall of sound that never allows these structures falling apart. They are drenched in layers of warped guitar noise and sampled orchestra, which keeps the lush sound echoing in my ears long after the record is finished. Foggy, really.
A masterpiece that opened my eyes to shoe-gaze for the first time. [First added to this chart: 03/10/2015]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
29,972
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 03/10/2015]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,269
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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 | 3 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 17 | 17% | |
| 1970s | 27 | 27% | |
| 1980s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1990s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2000s | 11 | 11% | |
| 2010s | 19 | 19% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Beatles | 5 | 5% | |
| Radiohead | 4 | 4% | |
| Steely Dan | 3 | 3% | |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 2 | 2% | |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 2% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 2 | 2% | |
| Talk Talk | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
51 | 51% | |
 |
31 | 31% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 25th to 26th Histoire De Melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg |
| Down 1 from 26th to 27th Skylarking by XTC |
| Down 1 from 27th to 28th The Doors by The Doors |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Astral Weeksby Van Morrison |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
90/100 (from 67 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 67 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
85/100  | 03/20/2025 22:50 | SomethingSpecial | | 85/100 |
100/100 | 11/08/2022 02:33 | Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
80/100 | 11/07/2022 21:53 | Moondance | | 85/100 |
95/100 | 11/07/2022 14:04 |  flamingyesdept | | 84/100 |
 90/100 | 01/03/2022 17:10 |  Goliath | | 86/100 |
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 2% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 90.4/100, a mean average of 90.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.0.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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80/100
From Moondance 11/07/2022 21:57
Some terrific comments that I enjoyed reading. The chart reads like a reshuffling of the best of the best BEA rated albums - which is fine....but the chart didn't excite me like the more adventurous charts do.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 04/28/2022 12:13
DommeDamian 04/28/2022 12:13
Nærmest endnu bedre end 4 år siden.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Goliath 01/03/2022 17:11
Goliath 01/03/2022 17:11
22 in common, contains many classics, as it should.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
65/100
From 
Boltzmann 09/02/2018 11:20
Boltzmann 09/02/2018 11:20
The most PC chart I have ever seen on this site, and that’s saying something. Do you even have a taste of your own?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (1 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
100/100
From DommeDamian 11/23/2017 11:09
DommeDamian 11/23/2017 11:09
11 albums og 18 kunstnere. Vi har virkeligt meget til fælles. Fed liste og endnu bedre beskrivelser, homie
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From CharlieBarley 11/16/2017 19:57
CharlieBarley 11/16/2017 19:57
Good chart like the notes plenty of heavy hitters
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From platus 11/16/2017 18:33
very nice chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
PanheadWarrior 08/02/2017 22:33
PanheadWarrior 08/02/2017 22:33
A lot of great albums and some albums I will have to check out! I liked reading your album reviews. Very good stuff!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From LedZep 05/01/2017 12:18
LedZep 05/01/2017 12:18
It's got all the classics but that's just it, not a single choice I didn't see on basically every chart ever. This is good and bad at the same time. The second thing is that I don't like some of the choices, but descriptions compensate for that. Not that diverse, but still very charming. I'm confused.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From 
Liedzeit 04/28/2017 07:52
Liedzeit 04/28/2017 07:52
Too many albums that everybody seems to like, for my taste. No wonder it resembles the Top 100 rearranged most. Only 2 2digits albums (in less than 100 charts). This is hard too understand for me. There is joy in loving albums that are obscure.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 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.