Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by ObsoleteEntity

I began this chart by trying to remain as objective as possible. I wanted to make a chart that highlighted the most influential music of all time, but I quickly realized that music is anything but objective. It is personal. So, simply stated, this chart is the soundtrack of my life, balanced against the objective measures of its impact on the future, the influence on others, the overall message (as I believe greatness must have a message), the consideration of being "ahead of its time", and the talent/genius it took to create and implement the vision of sound.

FYI: I could add, but will not, all the albums from Led Zep, Beatles, Hendrix, Marley, Doors, and Smiths.

There is more than one album per artist.
There are 14 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 47 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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Collector's summary (filtered)Log in or register to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1960s. (Remove this filter)
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Buy album United States
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Have YOU ever been to Electric Ladyland? I have. Incredible use of studio effects. [First added to this chart: 03/22/2015]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,514
Rank in 1968:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (86/100 - 1982 votes)  86 (1,982 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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A masterpiece, a game changer. [First added to this chart: 03/22/2015]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
43,609
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (90/100 - 4589 votes)  90 (4,589 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Break on through....baby. Their first album. What a great way to start. [First added to this chart: 07/28/2015]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,988
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (87/100 - 2846 votes)  87 (2,846 votes)
Comments:
8. (=)
Howlin' Wolf 
Compilation
Buy album United States
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Camping with Kevvy!! The Wolf is unlike any other. If you listen intently, you will see that he throws everything at you, including the kitchen sink. [First added to this chart: 06/29/2015]
Year of Release:
1962
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,270
Rank in 1962:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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The start of a new direction in music. It's way ahead of its time. [First added to this chart: 03/22/2015]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
50,008
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (91/100 - 4582 votes)  91 (4,582 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Dylan is, in my opinion, the greatest song writer to have ever lived. Yes, I realize the impact of this statement. [First added to this chart: 03/22/2015]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,495
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (89/100 - 2815 votes)  89 (2,815 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Simply a mind bending, mature piece of art. As some would say-Heavy. [First added to this chart: 03/22/2015]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,705
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (87/100 - 1503 votes)  87 (1,503 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Another incarnation. It's just way ahead of its time. [First added to this chart: 03/22/2015]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,988
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (88/100 - 3372 votes)  88 (3,372 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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It sounds more modern than modern day music. Not a bad track. [First added to this chart: 08/02/2015]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
21,742
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (87/100 - 2491 votes)  87 (2,491 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
You must listen to this a minimum of 5 to 7 times before judging. It is not background music. It demands full attention. Understand that this sound is fully intentional. Every note is intended to be exactly where it is. [First added to this chart: 08/22/2015]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,306
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 23. Page 1 of 3
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade Albums %


1930s 0 0%
1940s 0 0%
1950s 2 2%
1960s 23 23%
1970s 38 38%
1980s 23 23%
1990s 7 7%
2000s 6 6%
2010s 1 1%
2020s 0 0%
Artist Albums %


The Beatles 6 6%
The Cure 3 3%
The Smiths 3 3%
Neil Young 3 3%
Bob Dylan 3 3%
The Doors 3 3%
Miles Davis 3 3%
Show all
Country Albums %


United States 56 56%
United Kingdom 33 33%
Canada 4 4%
Jamaica 3 3%
Mixed Nationality 3 3%
Germany 1 1%
Compilation? Albums %
No 98 98%
Yes 2 2%
Live? Albums %
No 98 98%
Yes 2 2%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 99 99%
Yes 1 1%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Climber Up 21 from 92nd to 71st
July
by July
Climber Up 21 from 91st to 70th
Breathe Awhile
by Arcadium
Biggest fallers
Faller Down 2 from 70th to 72nd
The Stooges
by The Stooges
Faller Down 2 from 71st to 73rd
Blood On The Tracks
by Bob Dylan
Faller Down 2 from 72nd to 74th
Songs About Fucking
by Big Black
TitleSourceTypePublishedCountry
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s ObsoleteEntity1970s decade chart2021
AllMusic's Greatest Albumsmusicologist97Custom chart2019
Top 100 Greatest Music Albumsalbum guru joeOverall chart2013
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums StefanR10Overall chart2020
TOP 100 IN THE FUTURE exileonthehellCustom chart2016
BEA+RYM Overall RankImaybeparanoidCustom chart2017Unknown
Most Acclaimed Music AlbumsImaybeparanoidCustom chart2015Unknown
An Objective Ranking Of BEA'S Top 100... covecoveCustom chart2017
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums RFNAPLESOverall chart2013
An Objective Ranking of the BEA Top 100PaperVinnieCustom chart2018

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


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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
89/100 (from 47 votes)
  Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
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 47 ratings for this chart.

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RatingDate updatedMemberChart ratingsAvg. chart rating
 
85/100
 !
03/20/2025 15:23 SomethingSpecial   1,10685/100
 
85/100
 !
02/27/2022 18:47 dougcummings   2270/100
 
85/100
 !
09/08/2021 19:49 RioBravo   20184/100
 
100/100
 !
09/08/2021 19:02 desh79   1,27893/100
 
95/100
 !
09/08/2021 11:23 Cytoma   17190/100

Rating metrics: Help 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 89.1/100, a mean average of 88.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 14.8.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 14 comments |
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(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
100/100
From 07/29/2021 00:47 | #272026
Great chart! Any chart with July on it, is lovely.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 12/10/2020 19:56 | #262496
Interesting list
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 11/21/2018 22:11 | #225422
Like the chart
Electric Ladyland is my favorite Hendrix as well
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 11/21/2018 09:16 | #225382
Really great picks and love the notes you've put to (almost) all the albums. Keep it up!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 12/23/2017 20:54 | #203780
I think I'm in love
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 10/09/2017 17:42 | #199316
Inspiring Collection!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 07/11/2017 18:59 | #194078
Insanely great chart. Love seeing MBM, Ministry and DRI so high!!! Camping with Kevvvy is always a good idea. lol. Really awesome chart. Feel free to leave me some mellow recs in The Mellow Zone (it;s in the Music Diaries portion of the forum.) I LOVE your taste, Peace, brother!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 02/12/2017 13:21 | #185461
Diverse, and I haven't listened to many albums here but I like the outlook. I'm also a metal fan (at least for the criteria on this page) so I like most of your choices
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 01/29/2017 22:55 | #184538
Love the comments. Lots of great stuff from the 60's / 70's.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
5/100
From 12/21/2016 02:00 | #180636
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -14 votes (0 helpful | 14 unhelpful)
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