Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
Jimmy Dread 
COMPYS INCLUDED SINCE 2018. And why not?
AKA 100 LPs to Save When the World Caves In, or at least the 100 I currently have with me in my pocket squashed onto my iPhone (and hence carry everywhere). Inspired in equal parts by John Peel, my dear late mother, countless friends I've met over the years and music magazines/internet sites, as well as a couple of BEAutiful souls from this very site.
My chart is hardly definitive (strictly one album per act) and by no means representative of 'the greatest' albums per se, but certainly indicative of the LPs that mean the most to me right now. Think of me as an anorak-clad indie-popper with dreadlocks, buffalo sandals, ripped jeans and a set of glowsticks and you'd get some sort of idea of not only my musical tastes, but why I now let my wife choose my wardrobe. Constantly on the hunt for something new to make my soul sing, so if you think you can help, drop me a line. Jimmy, May 2021.
- Chart updated: 05/22/2021 21:45
- (Created: 11/04/2010 18:06).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 98 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 92 out of 100 (from 141 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from Jamaica. (Remove this filter)
Buy album 
- #Sponsored
PICK - Ark Of The Covenant; FIRST HEARD: off back of Rough Trade 25 Years compy. The zenith of my roots reggae years, the best thing that the spectral hand of Lee 'Scratch' Perry ever touched, and the most spiritually uplifting album I'll ever likely listen to from start to finish.
[First added to this chart: 11/04/2010]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,765
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Pretty Looks Isn't All; FIRST HEARD: not sure, but bought from Dub Vendor on Clapham High Street. Out of all the constituent musical styles that make up what the vast majority know as 'reggae' (a lazy term adopted by psueds and heathens for pretty much any music from Jamaica), I often viewed rocksteady with disdain. No idea why, but that soon changed when I fell in love with this, Studio One's finest hour. One of the sweetest, grooviest and most soulful records that Coxsone Dodd ever put out, which is saying something considering how much amazing stuff came out from Brentford Road. Cocktail recipe - can of Red Stripe.
[First added to this chart: 11/07/2011]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - We Need Love; FIRST HEARD: off back of 100% Dynamite compy. One of Jamaica's most under-rated singers and Studio One riddims to die for. Soul meets reggae and comes out smiling. Shame bugger all people know about it.
[First added to this chart: 11/04/2010]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Run Come Rally; FIRST HEARD: Heard 'Jesus Dread' compilation on listening post in Sounds of the Universe, Broadwick Street, Soho. My favourite record shop by a long chalk - friendly staff, in-house record label which does a fine line in VERY good compilations and a great roots reggae section to boot. Finally found it on vinyl after a bit of hunting - along with the dubwise version (King Tubby's Prophesy of Dub) which is equally as stupendous.
[First added to this chart: 11/04/2010]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Young Generation Dub; FIRST HEARD: Uni. I lay my love of all Jamaican music (yes, even Sean Paul) firmly at my late mother's door. She was a massive ska fan (Prince Buster's Al Capone being her all-time favourite track). Dub came eventually, and this proved to be the start of a very beautiful love affair.
[First added to this chart: 03/06/2011]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
598
Rank in 1976:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Transport Connection; FIRST HEARD: 300% Dynamite compy on Soul Jazz. Nothing but positive vibrations from the self-proclaimed only woman DJ with degree. Criminally under-rated/ignored in what is after all a very male-dominated genre, Nancy was the first lady of proto-dancehall and her debut LP sits head and shoulders over the vast majority of her peers. They'd call her style 'swagger' these days - bollocks to that, she flows with the best of 'em.
[First added to this chart: 08/30/2011]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Demateralise; FIRST HEARD: via GTA3 Soundtrack. All of Scientist's Greensleeves LPs are essential, but whilst the majority will more than likely plump for ...Rids The World, this has always been my favourite, and even more so now I've tracked the original down in a record shop on the backstreets of Norwich.
[First added to this chart: 11/14/2015]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Tan and See; FIRST HEARD: Off back of Scratch Perry's Arkology compilation. Like with Heart Of The Congos (see near the top of the chart), War Ina Babylon benefits from an A1 production job from the spectral hand of Lee 'Scratch' Perry. Scratch was once asked why, amongst other things, he kept a toaster on his front gate outside The Black Ark. His response? "I AM A TOASTER". Genius.
[First added to this chart: 09/24/2011]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Poison Flour; FIRST HEARD: reggae obsession, early 00s. Mad as a hatter and responsible for one of the greatest LP titles of all-time, the good Doctor is a toaster par excellance. The version of John Holt's Ali Baba is ace, as is the album's finest moment, where he babbles over Horace Andy's Boy Next Door as if it were his own to start with. The missing link between U-Roy and Yellowman - essential listening.
[First added to this chart: 08/09/2014]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
PICK - Bom Dub; FIRST HEARD: via dividesbyzero on BEA. Heavyweight dub killer courtesy of Brother Gabe. Kicks like a mule. Tubby and Scientist. Sly & Robbie and the Roots Radics. If you know, you know. If you don't, don't turn up the bass too high or you'll wake the neighbours.
[First added to this chart: 05/03/2019]
Total albums: 11. Page 1 of 2
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 15 | 15% | |
| 1970s | 33 | 33% | |
| 1980s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1990s | 18 | 18% | |
| 2000s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2010s | 2 | 2% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Nick Drake | 1 | 1% | |
| Marine Girls | 1 | 1% | |
| Dr. Alimantado | 1 | 1% | |
| Sidan | 1 | 1% | |
| The Garlands | 1 | 1% | |
| Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes | 1 | 1% | |
| The Roches | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
41 | 41% | |
| |
29 | 29% | |
 |
11 | 11% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 16 from 56th to 40thMarquee Moon by Television |
| Up 10 from 38th to 28thKing Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown by Augustus Pablo |
| Up 7 from 96th to 89thThe Piper At The Gates Of Dawn by Pink Floyd |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 24 from 28th to 52ndThe Feeding Of The 5000 by Crass |
| Down 21 from 74th to 95thRed, Yellow & Blue by Born Ruffians |
| Down 8 from 92nd to 100th...And Don't The Kids Just Love It by Television Personalities |
| New entries |
|---|
| Scott 4 by Scott Walker |
| Extensions by McCoy Tyner |
| Crazy Rhythms by The Feelies |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Top 100 On Vinyl Challenge | Jimmy Dread | Custom chart | 2017 | |
| NME Best Albums Of All Time 2003 | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2019 | |
| NME 's 100 Best Albums Of All Time | New Music Express | Overall chart | 2003 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Jimmy Dread | 1970s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Very Good Plus - Vital Vinyl (Collector's Edition) | Jimmy Dread | Custom chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Melody Maker | Overall chart | 2000 | |
| Melody Maker 100 Greatest Albums of All Time (2000) | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2019 | |
| Letting Someone Else Do a Chart for Me |  btener11 | Custom chart | 2013 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Wallerand | Overall chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  Hanshiro | Overall chart | 2019 |  |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
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.
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 141 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/20/2025 14:40 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/15/2025 16:13 | Exist-en-ciel | 147 | 98/100 |
| ! | 10/15/2023 16:31 |  joyofdivision | 2 | 98/100 |
| ! | 08/13/2021 00:45 |  Anti | 356 | 87/100 |
| ! | 07/04/2021 04:08 | RioBravo | 201 | 84/100 |
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 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 92.2/100, a mean average of 92.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 92.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 11.0.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing latest 20 members who have added this chart as a favourite | Show all 41 members
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 98 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From joyofdivision 10/15/2023 16:33 | #299498
joyofdivision 10/15/2023 16:33 | #299498
You cheeky monkey. Have updated my chart to include Wham!'s 'The Final', Tame Impala's 'Currents', Bob Marley & The Wailers 'Reggae Owes Me Money' and Joy Division's 'Further'
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From RioBravo 07/04/2021 04:17 | #271315
What a generous personal chart. Thank you for sharing all of that. Nice to see a fellow Room To Live fan.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
StefanR10 06/10/2020 12:29 | #253235
StefanR10 06/10/2020 12:29 | #253235
Cool album chart. I like it and gave you 90 points. Only one point Led Zeppelin is missing but ok that is my mind. But I like very much that you have THE GO! Team so i gave you for that 90 points. The Beatles are here is also ok. I can´t give you full 100 points because there other albums maybe seen on this list.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
gidgidi 08/17/2019 14:46 | #241319
gidgidi 08/17/2019 14:46 | #241319
This is absolutely amazing!!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ForegroundNoise 09/17/2018 10:28 | #221202
ForegroundNoise 09/17/2018 10:28 | #221202
An absolute joy to behold.
Not sure why it took me so long to rate this chart but I'm glad I've finally found myself here. Everything I've not already reviewed added to my to do list <3
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
DeusExMackia 07/23/2018 10:09 | #218683
DeusExMackia 07/23/2018 10:09 | #218683
The Smiths' debut in the top 10, you have my approval that's for sure.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 07/21/2018 19:23 | #218620
Just realise when we were talking earlier that I hadn’t visited your chart. Kick ass man. Great diversity. Top chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From SamNassiri98 03/01/2018 18:14 | #209866
Lot of obscure stuff, should definitely check these out...
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Hayden 07/08/2017 17:19 | #193935
Hayden 07/08/2017 17:19 | #193935
Yeah... I deserved that shooting down. Glad I came around eventually. A couple of summers back it just finally clicked. Quite glad it did, I'm even finding myself still growing more appreciation over her lyrics with every listen. Anywho, thanks. Been meaning to give my chart a small revamp as of late...
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
TheHolyKiwi 07/08/2017 00:05 | #193909
TheHolyKiwi 07/08/2017 00:05 | #193909
Perfection. Absolute perfection. I need more charts like this on this website... for my own sanity in the least.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Your feedback for Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
