Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
corenfro 
*Not necessarily in order yet beyond the top 10-20 or so*
I'm going to try to do the "one album per artist" as much as it pains me to do so. Shoutout to the many albums by The Who, The Beach Boys, Miles Davis, Radiohead, Marvin Gaye, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, David Bowie, Yes, Genesis, and Kendrick Lamar. Some of them were VERY hard to pick a "only album from X artist" since some have 2 (or more) really important albums w/ vastly different stories that deserve inclusion (smile vs. pet sounds, tommy vs. who's next, kid a vs. ok computer, to pimp a butterfly vs. good kid madd city, lonerism vs. currents, sgt. pepper vs. others, kind of blue vs. bitches brew). But until I can unlock decade charts I must do this to fit a wider variety of music (there are well over 100 great albums that I really want to consider a top 100 album).
On a site littered with contrarians I actually tried to make a "top greatest music albums" list as opposed to a "top obscure albums you've never heard of" list. Because of this, when choosing which album from an artist to include, I generally err on the side of the more euphonic record when in doubt.
Hipsters and snobs: feel free to downvote at how mainstream I am.
- Chart updated: 09/15/2023 13:45
- (Created: 06/07/2015 21:31).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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Discovering this album is why I became an active user on this site. After going through lots of lists and listening to thousands of albums, I end up agreeing with the consensus "best ever album" and I love myself some confirmation bias.
Beautiful chord progressions, fantastic productions, lyrics relevant to the information age. Great compositions, wonderful guitar layering. I hear all of this stuff about it being experimental and "out there" and I suppose it is, and when I first listened to it I thought it was honestly pretty terrible. I couldn't get over mostly the yorke-isms and paranoid android had that obnoxious middle-section. But now dozens of listens in I can forgive those aesthetic shortcomings and now it just sounds like really great melodic music to me.
In fact, no other album has had such an influence and shift on the way I see music.
“They’ll think that I’ve finally lost it completely. I’d show them the stars, and the meaning of life. They’d shove me away, but I’d be alright”
From the opening riff of “Airbag”, to the final ding of “The Tourist” this is a musical. OK Computer is a perfect blend of creativity and musical proficiency. While Radiohead certainly has its influences, there is no question that the sheer breadth and intensity of this album is truly theirs and has no predecessor and, to date, no successor.
If there is any concern about the musical complexity of this album, rest assured a phd student from Michigan University published a 204 page dissertation “Coding OK Computer” detailing the music theory behind this incredible 52:27 minutes of bliss. It’s very rare that you see artists in pop music experimenting with microtonalism, atypical time signatures and frequent key modulations. It’s even rarer for an artist to do so with the satisfying success that is demonstrated on this album.
In the history of art, there are many masterpieces that can touch the soul, but very few that have the power to transport to an entire different dimension. The first two tracks provide the high octane liftoff to take the listener away from the ground of his otherwise meaningless existence; sailing into space. Then the guitar delays and reverb of the “Subterranean Homesick Alien” (the best if not most underrated track) will certainly be enough to evoke longings for a distant planet on this journey through this fine hour-long sonic cosmos.
OK Computer is all about distance - distance from society, and distance from the self. It’s simultaneously both detached, yet deeply intimate. It’s both incredibly melancholic and life affirming. All emotions are present in their most poignant form: the simultaneous dread and beauty of "Let Down" and the cathartic and demonic-sounding "Climbing up the Walls".
OK Computer is a piece of art that - like all great artwork - takes time to fully understand and appreciate. One listen will not do it justice, neither will haphazardly paying attention to it while you surf twitter or instagram or whatever meaningless things you do as a substitute for appreciating good art without distraction. OK Computer is not an album that you tell your friends about who are looking for a catchy hook or a headbanger.
There are many things OK computer is not, but what OK Computer is, is a solid candidate for the greatest album ever recorded. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
Beautiful chord progressions, fantastic productions, lyrics relevant to the information age. Great compositions, wonderful guitar layering. I hear all of this stuff about it being experimental and "out there" and I suppose it is, and when I first listened to it I thought it was honestly pretty terrible. I couldn't get over mostly the yorke-isms and paranoid android had that obnoxious middle-section. But now dozens of listens in I can forgive those aesthetic shortcomings and now it just sounds like really great melodic music to me.
In fact, no other album has had such an influence and shift on the way I see music.
“They’ll think that I’ve finally lost it completely. I’d show them the stars, and the meaning of life. They’d shove me away, but I’d be alright”
From the opening riff of “Airbag”, to the final ding of “The Tourist” this is a musical. OK Computer is a perfect blend of creativity and musical proficiency. While Radiohead certainly has its influences, there is no question that the sheer breadth and intensity of this album is truly theirs and has no predecessor and, to date, no successor.
If there is any concern about the musical complexity of this album, rest assured a phd student from Michigan University published a 204 page dissertation “Coding OK Computer” detailing the music theory behind this incredible 52:27 minutes of bliss. It’s very rare that you see artists in pop music experimenting with microtonalism, atypical time signatures and frequent key modulations. It’s even rarer for an artist to do so with the satisfying success that is demonstrated on this album.
In the history of art, there are many masterpieces that can touch the soul, but very few that have the power to transport to an entire different dimension. The first two tracks provide the high octane liftoff to take the listener away from the ground of his otherwise meaningless existence; sailing into space. Then the guitar delays and reverb of the “Subterranean Homesick Alien” (the best if not most underrated track) will certainly be enough to evoke longings for a distant planet on this journey through this fine hour-long sonic cosmos.
OK Computer is all about distance - distance from society, and distance from the self. It’s simultaneously both detached, yet deeply intimate. It’s both incredibly melancholic and life affirming. All emotions are present in their most poignant form: the simultaneous dread and beauty of "Let Down" and the cathartic and demonic-sounding "Climbing up the Walls".
OK Computer is a piece of art that - like all great artwork - takes time to fully understand and appreciate. One listen will not do it justice, neither will haphazardly paying attention to it while you surf twitter or instagram or whatever meaningless things you do as a substitute for appreciating good art without distraction. OK Computer is not an album that you tell your friends about who are looking for a catchy hook or a headbanger.
There are many things OK computer is not, but what OK Computer is, is a solid candidate for the greatest album ever recorded. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
76,742
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
841
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“In the morning, I’ll be alright my friend, but soon the night will bring the pain. Flying high in the friendly sky”
What do you get when you combine the smoothest voice in the history of music with the greatest bass lines in the history of music, and hotbox a Motown studio full of marijuana? An album that is better than anything in its genre and in its decade - which is saying a lot when you consider all that happened in the 1970’s.
If heroin could sing, it still wouldn’t sound as good as Marvin Gaye. I stand very firmly behind my opinion that Marvin Gaye possessed the greatest voice of all time. There are countless things to love about this album musically. There are entire albums' worth of super tight bass lines in like 8 bars of James Jamerson's mastery of the instrument. The smooth aesthetic is the quintessential soul sound. For 1971, it is a crazy well mixed assortment of wind and stringed instruments, and the variety of percussion. However, it’s Marvin’s show, and it’s his voice that carries the listener through the album. The man clearly had enormous talent, and it is displayed in its entirety on “What’s Going On”.
Listening to Marvin Gaye perform live must have been similar to watching Michael Jordan make the final shot of the 1998 NBA finals, or watching Aaron Rodgers play quarterback except better by several orders of magnitude because music is clearly a domain of excellence far superior to sports. One of his studio assistants was questioned at one point what the most difficult thing was when working with Marvin Gaye. The response was that it was so difficult to select which takes of his voice to keep and which to discard, because they were all so beautiful that it felt wrong to delete anything that he recorded.
“What’s Going On” is about discontent - with culture, with politics, with discrimination, with the imperfect self. It came at a time when the Barry Gordy’s Motown record label was interested only in pumping out radio hits for profit and wasn’t interested in any of this introspective, challenging music. Gaye demanded it be released as he envisioned it and was nearly close to breaking ties with the record label.
Marvin Gaye had a wild and remarkable career, plagued by the internal conflict which is was clear from his art, as well as his ongoing struggle with depression and multiple suicide attempts and drug addiction. It’s this struggle that fuels the beauty that is his music. His angelic voice carries just enough of a painful undertone to send shivers down the listener’s spine. That’s “What’s Going On” [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
What do you get when you combine the smoothest voice in the history of music with the greatest bass lines in the history of music, and hotbox a Motown studio full of marijuana? An album that is better than anything in its genre and in its decade - which is saying a lot when you consider all that happened in the 1970’s.
If heroin could sing, it still wouldn’t sound as good as Marvin Gaye. I stand very firmly behind my opinion that Marvin Gaye possessed the greatest voice of all time. There are countless things to love about this album musically. There are entire albums' worth of super tight bass lines in like 8 bars of James Jamerson's mastery of the instrument. The smooth aesthetic is the quintessential soul sound. For 1971, it is a crazy well mixed assortment of wind and stringed instruments, and the variety of percussion. However, it’s Marvin’s show, and it’s his voice that carries the listener through the album. The man clearly had enormous talent, and it is displayed in its entirety on “What’s Going On”.
Listening to Marvin Gaye perform live must have been similar to watching Michael Jordan make the final shot of the 1998 NBA finals, or watching Aaron Rodgers play quarterback except better by several orders of magnitude because music is clearly a domain of excellence far superior to sports. One of his studio assistants was questioned at one point what the most difficult thing was when working with Marvin Gaye. The response was that it was so difficult to select which takes of his voice to keep and which to discard, because they were all so beautiful that it felt wrong to delete anything that he recorded.
“What’s Going On” is about discontent - with culture, with politics, with discrimination, with the imperfect self. It came at a time when the Barry Gordy’s Motown record label was interested only in pumping out radio hits for profit and wasn’t interested in any of this introspective, challenging music. Gaye demanded it be released as he envisioned it and was nearly close to breaking ties with the record label.
Marvin Gaye had a wild and remarkable career, plagued by the internal conflict which is was clear from his art, as well as his ongoing struggle with depression and multiple suicide attempts and drug addiction. It’s this struggle that fuels the beauty that is his music. His angelic voice carries just enough of a painful undertone to send shivers down the listener’s spine. That’s “What’s Going On” [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,711
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Lonerism is a profound listen if you give it some time. Tame Impala is a pseudonym for Kevin Parker, the writer and producer of every song as well as playing every instrument.
Not sure if most of my millennial peers have the background to fully appreciate this thing. But I show it to my Dad who grew up in the 60's and he instantly grasped the genius of this piece. Parker wears his influences on his sleve, as far as 60's/70's psychedelic/progressive rock. Lots of sources claim comparison to the Beatles, and now that I've studied both artist's catelogues I can see it. But it wasn't apparent to me at first listen, because this is so much more sonically immersive than the beatles.
Parker doesn't "hide" his influences because he doesn't need to - he's created a whole new landscape with his guitars/synths/arpegiators and the production is otherworldly as far how he uses effects to expand the dimensions of the music in different ways. The masterful production is only fully appreciated through a quality set of headphones/speakers and a quality DAC + preamp, because what he does to the mix is truly incredible. Phaser, flanger, filter, envelope, reverb, panning, all these things are floating around in sonic perfection. Even if you don't appreciate this kind of music, you can't deny this is a remarkable piece of engineering.
Musically he comes up with the most infectious, and emotional chord progressions / harmonys / melodies that I honestly can't make it through this album without crying. Songs rarely stay in one key and even if they are there're often chords that don't belong in the key but it's KP so it just works. And it's not always the vocals providing the melodies. The interactions of the instruments, particularly the bass lines, that weave in and out of the unique chord progressions is truly remarkable.
Tame Impala is also without a doubt the best live band I've ever seen. His meticulous approach to perfection is tweaked perfectly for a live setting. The painstaking effort that is put in to the live show is far to great to detail on this already massive album comment, but let's just say if you have a chance to see him live, take it. If it's within a day's drive do it. Take a vacation day for afterwards because you won't want to do anything other than reflect.
KP writes music as good as any rock artist who has ever done it. Currents will get knocked for it's already-aging aesthetic but the songwriting and meticulous production is there all the same. KP please keep making music. [First added to this chart: 05/15/2016]
Not sure if most of my millennial peers have the background to fully appreciate this thing. But I show it to my Dad who grew up in the 60's and he instantly grasped the genius of this piece. Parker wears his influences on his sleve, as far as 60's/70's psychedelic/progressive rock. Lots of sources claim comparison to the Beatles, and now that I've studied both artist's catelogues I can see it. But it wasn't apparent to me at first listen, because this is so much more sonically immersive than the beatles.
Parker doesn't "hide" his influences because he doesn't need to - he's created a whole new landscape with his guitars/synths/arpegiators and the production is otherworldly as far how he uses effects to expand the dimensions of the music in different ways. The masterful production is only fully appreciated through a quality set of headphones/speakers and a quality DAC + preamp, because what he does to the mix is truly incredible. Phaser, flanger, filter, envelope, reverb, panning, all these things are floating around in sonic perfection. Even if you don't appreciate this kind of music, you can't deny this is a remarkable piece of engineering.
Musically he comes up with the most infectious, and emotional chord progressions / harmonys / melodies that I honestly can't make it through this album without crying. Songs rarely stay in one key and even if they are there're often chords that don't belong in the key but it's KP so it just works. And it's not always the vocals providing the melodies. The interactions of the instruments, particularly the bass lines, that weave in and out of the unique chord progressions is truly remarkable.
Tame Impala is also without a doubt the best live band I've ever seen. His meticulous approach to perfection is tweaked perfectly for a live setting. The painstaking effort that is put in to the live show is far to great to detail on this already massive album comment, but let's just say if you have a chance to see him live, take it. If it's within a day's drive do it. Take a vacation day for afterwards because you won't want to do anything other than reflect.
KP writes music as good as any rock artist who has ever done it. Currents will get knocked for it's already-aging aesthetic but the songwriting and meticulous production is there all the same. KP please keep making music. [First added to this chart: 05/15/2016]
Year of Release:
2012
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,822
Rank in 2012:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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I've had encounters with Jimi through this album, through his other albums through documentaries and experiences that I simply can't describe with words. It's cliche to say that an artist lives on through their music, but it's the truth because Jimi is the truth. His confidence that oozes out of every measure of his music has been rebirthed inside of me, and the countless people who have connected so intimately with his music.
Establishing the connection is so easy because it's so clear that Jimi was doing exactly what he was meant to do. Because he was so obviously fulfilling his divine purpose, if you will, he was able to put so much of his personality into his music and convey everything he needed to so effectively in such a short period of time.
Jimi's lesson was so poignant: find what you are meant to do and do it because it's all you can do. You are a part of radiant cosmic energy that is unstoppable there is no birth or death or life there is only being. Birth, death and rebirth are only heuristics to help us understand the essence of being.
I may or may not have been tripping hard upon this discovery, but I don't think I'm wrong. [First added to this chart: 01/01/2019]
Establishing the connection is so easy because it's so clear that Jimi was doing exactly what he was meant to do. Because he was so obviously fulfilling his divine purpose, if you will, he was able to put so much of his personality into his music and convey everything he needed to so effectively in such a short period of time.
Jimi's lesson was so poignant: find what you are meant to do and do it because it's all you can do. You are a part of radiant cosmic energy that is unstoppable there is no birth or death or life there is only being. Birth, death and rebirth are only heuristics to help us understand the essence of being.
I may or may not have been tripping hard upon this discovery, but I don't think I'm wrong. [First added to this chart: 01/01/2019]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
24,240
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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I believe this is possibly the most underrated album of all time. This album seemed quirky at first, but like other "quirky" albums that are actually classics, it becomes the new normal when I now listen. This is an acoustic-guitar driven / orchastra / horns driven pop album trying to be psychedelic.
Wonderfully crafted songs, with mysterious well-written lyrics, this was the last album featuring both Arthur and Bryan. Forever Changes requires the listener to adjust, but doing so pays off greatly. Some of the greatest moments from this genre and the 60's in general lie on this piece and most people have never heard of it.
Move over Sloop John B - Andmoreagain is the best Carol Kaye bass line and I will take that to my grave. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
Wonderfully crafted songs, with mysterious well-written lyrics, this was the last album featuring both Arthur and Bryan. Forever Changes requires the listener to adjust, but doing so pays off greatly. Some of the greatest moments from this genre and the 60's in general lie on this piece and most people have never heard of it.
Move over Sloop John B - Andmoreagain is the best Carol Kaye bass line and I will take that to my grave. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,128
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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This thing rocks! You get hit by a sample Boris Gardiner sample proclaiming "Ever ni**a is a star" which is a introduction to the listener that Kendrick's is going to be going further through the black experience than he did in his 2012 release of the out-of-order concept album "Good Kid Madd City" of the story of losing his virginity to a girl in a different gang, then commandeering his Mom's van to meet up with his friends then get peer pressured into a drive by shooting, later exploring the death of a family member related to gang violence.
But back to TPAB: this is wider in scope than his earlier work. He addresses the identity politics of race and a more sociopolitical level, but also addresses his personal experience of coping with fame and the life of materialistic abundance. There is a tension between his newfound life of wealth, fame, and touring the world and his obligations to his friends and family back in Compton. As a white male in a yuppie affluent utopia tech city I can say with 100% certainty that I don't fully appreciate the lyrical themes on this album, but it expands my consciousness of his world, and somehow it weirdly resonates with me still.
What I can respond to is the music though. This is a perfectly eclectic mix of hip hop, jazz, funk, neo-soul, and experimentation. He literally has the father of funk, George Clinton himself, on the first track (which is a banger by the way) along with a variety of expert producers: thundercat, flying lotus, pharrell williams, terrance martin, and not least the great saxophonist kamasi washington.
Kendrick is the hottest rapper in the industry now, and one of the greatest of all time, and his rapping is not even close to my favorite part of this record. The songs are just - good. It takes all it's influences from the genres it does, and the samples it uses (which is another review entirely) but there is a distince "kendrick" sound to it. Imitators (anderson paak?) and the industry as a whole are already starting to take influence from this eclectic "all of the above" blend of genres that's itself become a staple of how experimental jazz hip hop can, and will sound.
Just take a look at 2016: Beyonce's "Lemonade", Solange's "A Seat at the Table", Bowie's "Blackstar", Kanye's "Pablo", Frank Ocean's "Blonde", Tribe's "We got it" all take influence from this in some way or another (if not having directly having Kendrick on one of their tracks).
There's much more that could be said about this album, and this was all from memory I'm sure a little research could spawn several more paragraphs of material for me to suffice it. But let's face it to say Kendrick is taking this decade by storm for better or for worse, and the TPAB is so far the pinnacle of that. The TPAB recording sessions were so great that the untitled unmastered b-sides got released a year later and made many top albums lists. They had an outstanding group of producers and musicians in on this. Unreal. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
But back to TPAB: this is wider in scope than his earlier work. He addresses the identity politics of race and a more sociopolitical level, but also addresses his personal experience of coping with fame and the life of materialistic abundance. There is a tension between his newfound life of wealth, fame, and touring the world and his obligations to his friends and family back in Compton. As a white male in a yuppie affluent utopia tech city I can say with 100% certainty that I don't fully appreciate the lyrical themes on this album, but it expands my consciousness of his world, and somehow it weirdly resonates with me still.
What I can respond to is the music though. This is a perfectly eclectic mix of hip hop, jazz, funk, neo-soul, and experimentation. He literally has the father of funk, George Clinton himself, on the first track (which is a banger by the way) along with a variety of expert producers: thundercat, flying lotus, pharrell williams, terrance martin, and not least the great saxophonist kamasi washington.
Kendrick is the hottest rapper in the industry now, and one of the greatest of all time, and his rapping is not even close to my favorite part of this record. The songs are just - good. It takes all it's influences from the genres it does, and the samples it uses (which is another review entirely) but there is a distince "kendrick" sound to it. Imitators (anderson paak?) and the industry as a whole are already starting to take influence from this eclectic "all of the above" blend of genres that's itself become a staple of how experimental jazz hip hop can, and will sound.
Just take a look at 2016: Beyonce's "Lemonade", Solange's "A Seat at the Table", Bowie's "Blackstar", Kanye's "Pablo", Frank Ocean's "Blonde", Tribe's "We got it" all take influence from this in some way or another (if not having directly having Kendrick on one of their tracks).
There's much more that could be said about this album, and this was all from memory I'm sure a little research could spawn several more paragraphs of material for me to suffice it. But let's face it to say Kendrick is taking this decade by storm for better or for worse, and the TPAB is so far the pinnacle of that. The TPAB recording sessions were so great that the untitled unmastered b-sides got released a year later and made many top albums lists. They had an outstanding group of producers and musicians in on this. Unreal. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,203
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Pet Sounds was a classic and a monumental album. No offense to Rubber Soul but Pet Sounds is to my ears the first *great* art album. I was able to see one of the final performances of pet sounds and it was played with a more modern mix w/ a punchier bass guitar, it sounded great with the upgrade in technology even if Brian's voice isn't what it once was.
Pet sounds is the best album of the 60's - and it was all Wilson. Plagued with mental health issues his whole life, there was a time period where he was able to utilize his wonderfully unique brain to create just some very stunning art. Three things drive this album: vocal harmonies, chord progressions, and aesthetic.
The voice of Brian Wilson along with the other beach boys are just tremendous. They weave through the chord progressions adding and subtracting different notes, it's just wonderful. The mostly major chord progressions will change key without the uncritical listener noticing much of a difference because Wilson does it so smoothly. I'm no music theory expert, but the "God Only Knows" has such a beauty in how it moves between different keys. When I go to play it on piano I'm amazed by it's beautiful simplicity.
Pet Sounds was revolutionary as far as the recording technology that went into it. It sounds a little dated, but there are so many bands today trying to get a similar aesthetic that it's hard to knock him for that. So many different instruments were used for various purposes. You will get a 7 million part harmony on the hook from "You still believe in me" then occasionally music will cut out and have just a bass and piano along Brian's vocals like in the "Here Today" pre-chorus.
This thing is trippy! The debate rages on whether this is psychedelic or pre-psych or whatever but there are many parts on this where you just want to zone in and feel your body reverberate with the music. "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" was WAY more psychedelic live and I felt like I was tripping my balls off when they played it.
Pet Sounds MADE the Beatles start to be more artistic (they took influence from Zappa as well for this) The Beatles, Animal Collective, Tame Impala, Radiohead, Brian Eno, and may others have the Beach Boys to thank.
SHOUT OUT TO SMILE - BEST UNRELEASED ALBUM OF ALL TIME. IT PAINS ME TO NOT INCLUDE THAT IN THIS LIST!! [First added to this chart: 05/15/2016]
Pet sounds is the best album of the 60's - and it was all Wilson. Plagued with mental health issues his whole life, there was a time period where he was able to utilize his wonderfully unique brain to create just some very stunning art. Three things drive this album: vocal harmonies, chord progressions, and aesthetic.
The voice of Brian Wilson along with the other beach boys are just tremendous. They weave through the chord progressions adding and subtracting different notes, it's just wonderful. The mostly major chord progressions will change key without the uncritical listener noticing much of a difference because Wilson does it so smoothly. I'm no music theory expert, but the "God Only Knows" has such a beauty in how it moves between different keys. When I go to play it on piano I'm amazed by it's beautiful simplicity.
Pet Sounds was revolutionary as far as the recording technology that went into it. It sounds a little dated, but there are so many bands today trying to get a similar aesthetic that it's hard to knock him for that. So many different instruments were used for various purposes. You will get a 7 million part harmony on the hook from "You still believe in me" then occasionally music will cut out and have just a bass and piano along Brian's vocals like in the "Here Today" pre-chorus.
This thing is trippy! The debate rages on whether this is psychedelic or pre-psych or whatever but there are many parts on this where you just want to zone in and feel your body reverberate with the music. "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" was WAY more psychedelic live and I felt like I was tripping my balls off when they played it.
Pet Sounds MADE the Beatles start to be more artistic (they took influence from Zappa as well for this) The Beatles, Animal Collective, Tame Impala, Radiohead, Brian Eno, and may others have the Beach Boys to thank.
SHOUT OUT TO SMILE - BEST UNRELEASED ALBUM OF ALL TIME. IT PAINS ME TO NOT INCLUDE THAT IN THIS LIST!! [First added to this chart: 05/15/2016]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
45,081
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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What can I say about DSotM that hasn't been said? Pink Floyd may not have invented the concept album, but they perfected it. Groundbreaking at the time, The Dark side of the moon redefined what it meant to make music listening a truly immersive experience. The songs are often separated by eerie interludes of synths and sound effects painting landscapes of paranoia, escapism, and mental illness. If there’s one word that comes to mind when thinking about Dark Side of the Moon it’s: “Classic”
On one hand, its rock music, all the elements you expect are there: guitars, bass, drums, vocals, etc. And when taken out of context, none of the songs jump out as remarkable. The beauty lies in the experience. One can get lost in the landscape of “Us and Them” and “The Great Gig in the Sky” and feel haunted by the anxiety provoking “On the Run” and relate to the insanity of “Brain Damage”
All great albums are great because of the story, and how well the individual elements of the story transition and build on one another. This is especially true of The Dark Side of the Moon. There’s a narrator in the background occasionally murmuring a sort of choppy, almost disturbing narrative. This compliments the music which has this feel of slight disturbance, a discontent with the status quo. The album is a testament to the temporal nature of things. The anxiety and stress put into work to obtain money, dealing with the insanity of life to build an empire of wealth, running like a madman while struggling to breathe. “And everything under the sun is in tune. But the sun is eclipsed by the moon” the listener is reminded, as the sound of a heart beat fades out to close the album. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
On one hand, its rock music, all the elements you expect are there: guitars, bass, drums, vocals, etc. And when taken out of context, none of the songs jump out as remarkable. The beauty lies in the experience. One can get lost in the landscape of “Us and Them” and “The Great Gig in the Sky” and feel haunted by the anxiety provoking “On the Run” and relate to the insanity of “Brain Damage”
All great albums are great because of the story, and how well the individual elements of the story transition and build on one another. This is especially true of The Dark Side of the Moon. There’s a narrator in the background occasionally murmuring a sort of choppy, almost disturbing narrative. This compliments the music which has this feel of slight disturbance, a discontent with the status quo. The album is a testament to the temporal nature of things. The anxiety and stress put into work to obtain money, dealing with the insanity of life to build an empire of wealth, running like a madman while struggling to breathe. “And everything under the sun is in tune. But the sun is eclipsed by the moon” the listener is reminded, as the sound of a heart beat fades out to close the album. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
71,161
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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"Are you really going to put 2 hip hop albums from the 2010s in your top 10?"
No.
Igor is not a hip hop album plain and simple. Yes there's rapping at times but this is a synth pop / RnB / soul album at it's core and to categorize it as hip hop doesn't do it justice.
1 part in a 3 part trilogy of really great albums from Tyler the Creator to solidify him in the hip hop album trilogy hall of fame along with Kanye, Outkast, and Kendrick Lamar.
Tyler is cooking up what other people can't do and the combination of sounds here ends up being entirely unique. Do I agree with every mixing decision? No. But ultimately this is a musical masterpiece that you'd be deaf to not head bang too.
Oh and those chord progressions and synth arrangements? To die for. [First added to this chart: 10/24/2022]
No.
Igor is not a hip hop album plain and simple. Yes there's rapping at times but this is a synth pop / RnB / soul album at it's core and to categorize it as hip hop doesn't do it justice.
1 part in a 3 part trilogy of really great albums from Tyler the Creator to solidify him in the hip hop album trilogy hall of fame along with Kanye, Outkast, and Kendrick Lamar.
Tyler is cooking up what other people can't do and the combination of sounds here ends up being entirely unique. Do I agree with every mixing decision? No. But ultimately this is a musical masterpiece that you'd be deaf to not head bang too.
Oh and those chord progressions and synth arrangements? To die for. [First added to this chart: 10/24/2022]
Year of Release:
2019
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,749
Rank in 2019:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
10. 
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I will fill this out at some point, but I was actually really surprised to realize I hadn't updated this chart to put Charli on here...
This just shows how much my tastes have changed since I started this list: it's gone from a rough re-organization of the overall list to something very very different as I've worked on this chart for nearly a decade.
Most of this site is older people who like older music. I've always prided myself on liking older music, much of the music I enjoy is even older than the music on this site (like centuries older) so I have no qualms about older music.
That said, Charli is the future.
Charli XCX, Forever.
This just shows how much my tastes have changed since I started this list: it's gone from a rough re-organization of the overall list to something very very different as I've worked on this chart for nearly a decade.
Most of this site is older people who like older music. I've always prided myself on liking older music, much of the music I enjoy is even older than the music on this site (like centuries older) so I have no qualms about older music.
That said, Charli is the future.
Charli XCX, Forever.
Year of Release:
2020
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,429
Rank in 2020:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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|
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| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 1 | 1% | |
| 1960s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1970s | 24 | 24% | |
| 1980s | 10 | 10% | |
| 1990s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2000s | 18 | 18% | |
| 2010s | 17 | 17% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Massive Attack | 1 | 1% | |
| Jethro Tull | 1 | 1% | |
| The Who | 1 | 1% | |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 1 | 1% | |
| Brand New | 1 | 1% | |
| Marvin Gaye | 1 | 1% | |
| Beyoncé | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
57 | 57% | |
 |
28 | 28% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 2 from 8th to 6th To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar |
| Up 1 from 10th to 9th Igor by Tyler, The Creator |
| Up 1 from 6th to 5th Forever Changes by Love |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 3 from 4th to 7th Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys |
| Down 2 from 9th to 11th Heaven Or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins |
| Down 1 from 7th to 8th The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd |
| New entries |
|---|
| How I'm Feeling Now by Charli XCX |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
90/100 (from 72 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 72 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 85/100  | 01/01/2024 07:49 | Moondance | | 84/100 |
| 90/100 | 01/26/2023 02:03 | Rm12398 | | 89/100 |
| 85/100 | 01/25/2023 20:56 |  MadhattanJack | | 84/100 |
| 90/100 | 01/25/2023 13:11 |  Tamthebam | | 85/100 |
| 90/100 | 01/25/2023 10:42 | Johnnyo | | 80/100 |
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 90.2/100, a mean average of 89.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 13.8.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 7 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 36 comments |
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90/100
From Johnnyo 01/25/2023 10:43
Love the note accompanying this entries. Don’t agree with the one album per artist thing but that’s a personal choice. Not going to criticise you for that. Great chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From Moondance 01/25/2023 10:06
Nice chart with a fairly even split across the decades (which is not something you see that often). Overall, a bit too USA focussed ~ and only one album from south of the Equator....
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From roberto71 08/15/2020 13:53
Very good selection of classic rock albums. Particularly Tommy and Moody Blues. I don't know why you never see Tommy too much anymore. I guess it's not as popular as it used to be for some strange reason.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
Goliath 07/25/2020 16:39
Goliath 07/25/2020 16:39
I find it difficult to condone the one album per artist thing, seems arbitrary to me, what's the rational? I agree with you on the 'top obscure albums you've never heard of' comment, this site is full of charts containing albums that make me think, can those albums really be favorites or just 'clever' picks?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 07/19/2020 09:54
DommeDamian 07/19/2020 09:54
YOU GET A FAVORITE FROM ME!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
jnfbn 07/19/2020 09:52
jnfbn 07/19/2020 09:52
Remarkable descriptions, great chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
ExTeaSea 03/08/2020 04:24
ExTeaSea 03/08/2020 04:24
27 artists in common! That's a bunch! Great chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
qwert9579 01/02/2020 00:45
qwert9579 01/02/2020 00:45
A lot of work has clearly gone into this. incredible
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Thad 01/02/2020 00:09
I don't really think this is "too mainstream" or anything. Cocteau Twins & Love in the top ten prove that enough on their own. Not sure where you're getting the idea that everyone is having an obscurity contest, this chart is pretty standard -- especially considering the most similar chart to it is "If the BEA chart had a one album per artist rule"
No problems or anything, I just think your hostility towards obscure music seems a bit unwarranted.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 01/01/2020 19:58
ForegroundNoise 01/01/2020 19:58
Brilliant, detailed, and varied. Maybe not my taste but it is exactly the kind of chart this site needs more of. Fantastic!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 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.