Top 50 Greatest Music Albums
by experiencemusic

If you've made an albums chart for yourself, then you know how difficult it is to judge your favorite musical works against one another. I will continue modifying my chart to reflect ever changing musical tastes. The top ten albums are interchangeable since choosing a favorite album feels impossible. I hope you may discover and enjoy new music from looking at my albums chart.

NOTE:
1. I've excluded compilation, live, and soundtrack albums from the chart.
2. I'm using the one album per artist rule to give the chart a bit more diversity.
3. I've decided to exclude albums that are less than 20 years old to make things easier.

• Chart updated: 11/25/2024 21:45
• (Created: 12/06/2010 01:34).
• Chart size: 50 albums.

There are 36 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 50 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 86 out of 100 (from 71 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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1. (=)

The Velvet Underground & Nico 

 The Velvet Underground & Nico

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These hip bohemian New Yorkers created a true experimental masterpiece. This album is one of the greatest records of the sixties, despite the fact that not many people knew about them until after they broke up. Although the band would eventually splinter apart and Lou Reed/John Cale/Nico would pursue solo careers, the band's music would soon inspire countless musicians (including CBGB mainstays the Ramones, Television, Talking Heads, Patti Smith). [First added to this chart: 12/21/2010]

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

3,045 charts

Rank Score:

40,638

Rank in 1967:

2

Rank in 1960s:

4

Overall Rank:

10

Average Rating:

 89 (3,546 votes)

Comments:

354

2. (=)

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars 

 David Bowie

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David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" character is one of the most beloved stage personas in popular music. Any time I put this album on I am reminded of his songwriting genius. All the songs are carefully refined to glam/pop/rock perfection. [First added to this chart: 12/31/2012]

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

3,012 charts

Rank Score:

44,322

Rank in 1972:

1

Rank in 1970s:

3

Overall Rank:

7

Average Rating:

 90 (3,537 votes)

Comments:

304

3. (=)

Revolver 

 The Beatles

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What can I say about The Beatles? Possibly the most beloved rock band of all time and not without good reason. Revolver to me represents an exciting evolution in the band's sound. I hear more willingness to experiment with weird ideas and interesting song topics outside the realms of love and romance. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2010]

Year of Release:

1966

Appears in:

3,575 charts

Rank Score:

50,356

Rank in 1966:

1

Rank in 1960s:

2

Overall Rank:

4

Average Rating:

 91 (4,581 votes)

Comments:

486

4. (=)

Unknown Pleasures 

 Joy Division

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The legendary post-punk/proto-goth classic "Unknown Pleasures" manages to create its relentlessly dark and foreboding atmosphere by combining Ian's baritone voice with the unique stop-start drumming of Stephen Morris, Peter Hook's driving bass lines, and Bernard Sumner's sharp and aggressive guitar work. [First added to this chart: 12/21/2010]

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

1,986 charts

Rank Score:

22,333

Rank in 1979:

3

Rank in 1970s:

9

Overall Rank:

38

Average Rating:

 86 (2,334 votes)

Comments:

190

5. (=)

OK Computer 

 Radiohead

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The most acclaimed record from what might be the most beloved group of the post-britpop/progressive rock era along with maybe Coldplay . Another heavily praised classic well deserving of its adoration. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2010]

Year of Release:

1997

Appears in:

4,411 charts

Rank Score:

65,109

Rank in 1997:

1

Rank in 1990s:

1

Overall Rank:

1

Average Rating:

 92 (5,631 votes)

Comments:

853

6. (=)

The Dark Side Of The Moon 

 Pink Floyd

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Enter Pink Floyd's existential magnum opus. Every track on this album flows effortlessly into the next. The band's relaxed yet progressive style gives me the impression of old wise men jamming out somewhere in deep space. You can still hear traces of their 1960's psychedelic past. Every heartbeat resonates with vibrations of cosmic awareness. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2010]

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

4,127 charts

Rank Score:

61,433

Rank in 1973:

1

Rank in 1970s:

1

Overall Rank:

2

Average Rating:

 92 (5,329 votes)

Comments:

592

7. (=)

Paranoid 

 Black Sabbath

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Black Sabbath are considered to be one of the first heavy metal bands along with contemporaries like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Tony Iommi's heavy guitar riffs, Geezer Butler's thick slabs of bass, Bill Ward's masterful drum work, and Ozzy's apocalyptic wailing are all on display on this album. This band would influence countless bands for decades to come. Tracks like "War Pigs" and "Paranoid" would become classic rock radio staples. A great introduction to the early days of heavy metal for anyone who may be interested. [First added to this chart: 12/21/2010]

Year of Release:

1970

Appears in:

1,728 charts

Rank Score:

18,987

Rank in 1970:

1

Rank in 1970s:

16

Overall Rank:

50

Average Rating:

 86 (2,099 votes)

Comments:

139

8. (=)

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Nevermind 

 Nirvana

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This album helped bring grunge to national attention. A few Seattle guys team up to play some sludge influenced punk rock and the chemistry is undeniable. Kurt Cobain's songwriting abilities along with a desire to appeal to a wider demographic via MTV would cause an unexpected obsession with the Seattle sound. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2010]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

3,217 charts

Rank Score:

38,484

Rank in 1991:

1

Rank in 1990s:

2

Overall Rank:

13

Average Rating:

 87 (4,332 votes)

Comments:

413

9. (10) 1

Are You Experienced 

 The Jimi Hendrix Experience

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The legendary Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding, and Mitch Mitchell are all at the top of their game on this legendary debut. Hendrix's soulful vocals and unparalleled blues guitar create a sound which is bursting with imagination. [First added to this chart: 12/21/2010]

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

2,214 charts

Rank Score:

21,938

Rank in 1967:

4

Rank in 1960s:

12

Overall Rank:

39

Average Rating:

 87 (2,489 votes)

Comments:

169

10. (9) 1

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Surfer Rosa 

 Pixies

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I just can't seem to pin down the sound of this band. In any case, they became a massive influence to innumerable indie/underground/alternative bands in the 1990's and beyond. [First added to this chart: 08/21/2011]

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

1,309 charts

Rank Score:

12,182

Rank in 1988:

2

Rank in 1980s:

13

Overall Rank:

105

Average Rating:

 84 (1,867 votes)

Comments:

112

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Total albums: 50. Page 1 of 5

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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade	Albums	%
1930s	0	0%
1940s	0	0%
1950s	2	4%
1960s	9	18%
1970s	12	24%
1980s	11	22%
1990s	12	24%
2000s	4	8%
2010s	0	0%
2020s	0	0%

Artist	Albums	%
Wu-Tang Clan	1	2%
The Jimi Hendrix Experience	1	2%
Dead Kennedys	1	2%
Slint	1	2%
Curtis Mayfield	1	2%
Pixies	1	2%
Björk	1	2%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	29	58%
	16	32%
	2	4%
	1	2%
	1	2%
	1	2%

Top 50 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Up 1 from 10th to 9th Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Biggest fallers
Down 1 from 9th to 10th Surfer Rosa by Pixies

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Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	angusmayo	Overall chart	2021

Top 50 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)

Top 50 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 71 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
85/100	10/20/2025 08:13	MadhattanJack	249	85/100
85/100	03/22/2025 12:08	SomethingSpecial	1,108	85/100
85/100	03/22/2025 08:40	NowhereMan	291	82/100
85/100	02/27/2024 19:59	Sonoffatboy	7	89/100
80/100	02/27/2023 08:08	Moondance	476	85/100

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 has a Bayesian average rating of 86.3/100, a mean average of 86.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 86.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.9.

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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums comments

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Rating:  

80/100

From Moondance 02/27/2023 08:10

Nice enough chart given the rules you have imposed on constructing the chart. Would like to see how your chart develops once you have added #51 - #100.

#294497 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

85/100

From sssvnnn 02/26/2023 10:40

very classical chart - fine

#294467 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

85/100

From Johnnyo 11/28/2022 21:13

Really nice chart. Would love to see 51 - 100

#291632 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

95/100

From bobnickmad 04/25/2022 08:30

One of the best charts on this site.

#284615 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From thirstyDog 08/13/2017 19:56

Wow, nice chart! Good stuff

#196028 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From LedZep 08/13/2017 16:21

Very interesting chart as a whole, many genres and classics along with great underground choices. Descriptions are so nice too

#196015 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

75/100

From platus 08/13/2017 08:27

Good start!

#196009 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

From boyd94 08/12/2016 19:35

Really appreciate this chart, my top 50 has 16 albums in common with yours, 19 artists.

#172812 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From LordMark 01/26/2016 08:20

11 albums in common, 7 of which are in your top 12.

#157773 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From phantom1305 01/26/2016 01:30

Great chart! I especially love your top 10! Personally, I'm not a huge Beach Boys fan, but I can appreciate it! ^^
Also love that you included Metric too!

#157747 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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