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 different bodies of musical work 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: I've decided to exclude compilation and live albums from the chart. I'm also using the one album per artist rule to give the chart a bit more diversity. I've also decided to exclude albums that have been around for less than ten years (i.e. 2013-present).

• Chart updated: 04/21/2023 15:45
• (Created: 12/06/2010 01:34).
• Chart size: 50 albums.

There are 34 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 50 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 86 out of 100 (from 68 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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1. (3) 2

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

 David Bowie

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Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" character is one of the most electric stage personas in popular music. I can put this album on at almost any point of the week/month/year and come out feeling a little better. All the songs are carefully refined to near perfection. [First added to this chart: 12/31/2012]

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

2,933 charts

Rank Score:

50,096

Rank in 1972:

1

Rank in 1970s:

3

Overall Rank:

9

Average Rating:

 90 (3,444 votes)

Comments:

298

2. (1) 1

The Velvet Underground & Nico 

 The Velvet Underground & Nico

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These hip bohemian art schoolers created a true experimental masterpiece. This album is one of the most influential records of the sixties, despite the fact that not many people knew about them until after they broke up. Although the album sold poorly during its initial release it quickly inspired many musicians including CBGB mainstays the Ramones, Television, David Byrne, Patti Smith, along with countless others. [First added to this chart: 12/21/2010]

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

2,978 charts

Rank Score:

46,102

Rank in 1967:

2

Rank in 1960s:

4

Overall Rank:

10

Average Rating:

 89 (3,454 votes)

Comments:

350

3. (4) 1

Are You Experienced 

 The Jimi Hendrix Experience

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The legend himself, 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:

2,163 charts

Rank Score:

24,274

Rank in 1967:

4

Rank in 1960s:

12

Overall Rank:

39

Average Rating:

 87 (2,418 votes)

Comments:

169

4. (5) 1

The Dark Side Of The Moon 

 Pink Floyd

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Enter Pink Floyd's magnum opus. Every track on this album flows effortlessly into the next. The band's relaxed yet progressive style gives the impression this record has hardly aged. You can still hear traces of their spacey psychedelic past. Every heartbeat resonates with vibrations of cosmic empathy. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2010]

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

4,041 charts

Rank Score:

71,264

Rank in 1973:

1

Rank in 1970s:

1

Overall Rank:

2

Average Rating:

 92 (5,200 votes)

Comments:

580

5. (8) 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 realm of love and romance. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2010]

Year of Release:

1966

Appears in:

3,478 charts

Rank Score:

57,015

Rank in 1966:

1

Rank in 1960s:

2

Overall Rank:

4

Average Rating:

 91 (4,473 votes)

Comments:

477

6. (2) 4

Unknown Pleasures 

 Joy Division

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The legendary post-punk 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 aggressive guitar work. Props to producer Martin Hannett as well. [First added to this chart: 12/21/2010]

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

1,917 charts

Rank Score:

24,984

Rank in 1979:

3

Rank in 1970s:

9

Overall Rank:

38

Average Rating:

 87 (2,270 votes)

Comments:

188

7. (6) 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. Whatever they are, they became a massive influence to innumerable indie/alternative bands in the 1990's and 2000's. [First added to this chart: 08/21/2011]

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

1,289 charts

Rank Score:

13,558

Rank in 1988:

2

Rank in 1980s:

12

Overall Rank:

98

Average Rating:

 85 (1,822 votes)

Comments:

112

8. (7) 1

OK Computer 

 Radiohead

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The most acclaimed record from what might be the most beloved band of the past twenty years. Another heavily praised classic well deserving of its constant adoration. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2010]

Year of Release:

1997

Appears in:

4,334 charts

Rank Score:

76,947

Rank in 1997:

1

Rank in 1990s:

1

Overall Rank:

1

Average Rating:

 92 (5,496 votes)

Comments:

841

9. (=)

Nevermind 

 Nirvana

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This album brought grunge to the mainstream. A few Seattle kids team up to play the new west coast 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:

3,107 charts

Rank Score:

41,981

Rank in 1991:

1

Rank in 1990s:

2

Overall Rank:

14

Average Rating:

 87 (4,233 votes)

Comments:

407

10. (=)

Paranoid 

 Black Sabbath

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Considered by many to be the first great heavy metal band. Tony Iommi's massive guitar riffs, Geezer Butler's thick slabs of meaty bass, Bill Ward's masterful drum fills, and Ozzy's apocalyptic lyrics are all on display. This band would influence countless hard rock and heavy metal bands for decades to come. Cuts like "Iron Man" and "Paranoid" would become classic rock radio staples. A great introduction to metal for anyone not familiar with the dark side of rock music. [First added to this chart: 12/21/2010]

Year of Release:

1970

Appears in:

1,643 charts

Rank Score:

19,384

Rank in 1970:

1

Rank in 1970s:

18

Overall Rank:

56

Average Rating:

 86 (2,028 votes)

Comments:

136

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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	10	20%
1970s	11	22%
1980s	11	22%
1990s	11	22%
2000s	5	10%
2010s	0	0%
2020s	0	0%

Artist	Albums	%
John Coltrane	1	2%
Marvin Gaye	1	2%
Wire	1	2%
Pixies	1	2%
New Order	1	2%
Led Zeppelin	1	2%
Kanye West	1	2%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	32	64%
	13	26%
	2	4%
	1	2%
	1	2%
	1	2%

Top 50 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Up 8 from 44th to 36th This Nation's Saving Grace by The Fall
Up 8 from 36th to 28th Pink Flag by Wire
Up 8 from 35th to 27th Raw Power by Iggy And The Stooges

Biggest fallers
Down 12 from 25th to 37th Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by Wu-Tang Clan
Down 7 from 13th to 20th Either/Or by Elliott Smith
Down 7 from 43rd to 50th The College Dropout by Kanye West

New entries
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye

Leavers
ATLiens by OutKast

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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 68 ratings for this chart.

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• Date updated
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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
85/100	02/27/2024 19:59	Sonoffatboy	6	90/100
80/100	02/27/2023 08:08	Moondance	454	84/100
85/100	11/28/2022 21:12	Johnnyo	2,013	80/100
95/100	04/25/2022 08:30	bobnickmad	23	88/100
95/100	10/18/2017 18:01	animals0809	57	93/100

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 86.4/100, a mean average of 86.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 86.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.1.

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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums favourites

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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.

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

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

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Rating:  

95/100

From bobnickmad 04/25/2022 08:30

One of the best charts on this site.

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

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

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Rating:  

75/100

From platus 08/13/2017 08:27

Good start!

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Rating:  

90/100

From LordMark 01/26/2016 08:20

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

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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!

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

Rating:  

80/100

From forzautregivo 01/25/2016 14:35

Good chart. Maybe a little bit obvious choices, but still it won't be a punishment at all if they drop me on a desert island with only these records!

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