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: 05/18/2025 00:15
- (Created: 06/07/2015 21:31).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 38 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 78 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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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]
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]
It should also set the benchmark for great vocal melodies, harmonies and terrific songwriting. The notes that she hits are the notes that you want to hear and not in a way that they're predictable or trite. The notes will be nice and then a couple quick accent notes will come along and just propel the song into a higher dimension. Or a good little melody will come in and then go to another part w/ another different melody and then they will combine them together with great success and synergy. Unlike other artists who attempt this technique, it's not done in a way that makes the build up to the climax seem like a chore. [First added to this chart: 03/30/2018]


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It's a brutal record, knowing it wouldn't last between her and her then-partner, but it's still her best hyperpop era record. The synths and sound design on her late 2010s run was courtesy of AG Cook, Sophie, Finn Keane, and a lot of other talented producers. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2024]
As much as I've tried to hold to my "Beatles are overrated" mantra, their music is too good and their place history in music too significant for me to not have a Beatles album in the top 10.
This is their response to Wilson's "Pet Sounds" and they experiment with so many ideas on here. For the most part they pan out: "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" is a tremendous exploration of new concepts and "studio as instrument" whereas "Within you or Without you" is Harrison's follow up to a similar song on Revolver (Love you to) and it attempts to incorporate strings with Indian classical styles - overstays it's welcome slightly even if it's ultimately successful overall.
Paul is at the top of his songwriting prowess with the infections melodies, catchy bass lines and a nice assist by George with some great guitar work on "Fixing a Hole". Similarly John is at the top of his game on "A Day in the Life" with it's string arrangements and psychedelic feel of the vocals and an assist from Paul in the middle section keeping it from being too ominous.
And the pop-songs on here are just what you expect from the Beatles: super catchy. Beatle-esque pop-sensibilities have spawned hundreds of thousands of trite imitators over the decades following the release. However, the Beatles are mostly unsurpassed in their solid discography of mostly-successful blending of pop and high art. On top of that this is the quintessential psychedelic experience. I wouldn't go so far as to say they are the greatest musical act ever, or the 20th century modern beethoven or mozart, but there's a reason others think that, and a reason they're the best selling band in history. [First added to this chart: 05/15/2016]
It goes from being enormously complex, to being musically quite simple. One of the highlights: "Two Weeks" is 3 predictable chords, but her vocal melodies and dense production makes it feel much more mysterious. Other times (Pendulum) she will keep the song fairly simple, then open it up with a couple new chords in a progression or modulate the key briefly and that opens up the song and the soundscape immensely.
This is a personal record, and I don't expect to be able to defend this against some of the timeless classics I have it ranked above, but to me it's a fantastic sounding groundbreaking record. [First added to this chart: 05/15/2016]
Tommy was a tough choice over Quadrophonia and Who's next, but I think it's The Who's best album. [First added to this chart: 05/15/2016]
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
Decade | Albums | % | |
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1930s | 0 | 0% | |
1940s | 0 | 0% | |
1950s | 1 | 1% | |
1960s | 12 | 12% | |
1970s | 24 | 24% | |
1980s | 10 | 10% | |
1990s | 14 | 14% | |
2000s | 14 | 14% | |
2010s | 21 | 21% | |
2020s | 4 | 4% |
Artist | Albums | % | |
---|---|---|---|
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|
David Bowie | 1 | 1% | |
Todd Rundgren | 1 | 1% | |
Can | 1 | 1% | |
Miles Davis | 1 | 1% | |
Animal Collective | 1 | 1% | |
Elliott Smith | 1 | 1% | |
Caribou | 1 | 1% | |
Show all |
Country | Albums | % | |
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54 | 54% | |
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29 | 29% | |
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5 | 5% | |
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3 | 3% | |
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2 | 2% | |
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1 | 1% | |
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1 | 1% | |
Show all |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
Biggest fallers |
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![]() Igor by Tyler, The Creator |
![]() How I'm Feeling Now by Charli XCX |
![]() Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

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Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 78 ratings for this chart.
Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
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100/100 ![]() | 03/15/2025 17:55 | ![]() | ![]() | 88/100 |
80/100 ![]() | 03/15/2025 12:39 | SomethingSpecial | ![]() | 85/100 |
85/100 ![]() | 03/15/2025 09:02 | ![]() | ![]() | 82/100 |
100/100 ![]() | 12/24/2024 22:07 | Exist-en-ciel | ![]() | 99/100 |
75/100 ![]() | 09/19/2024 12:53 | ![]() | ![]() | 84/100 |
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This chart is rated in the top 2% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 90.0/100, a mean average of 89.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 13.5.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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A highlight on this site. Also love the authenticity in your descriptions
I’m really fascinated to see how brat sounds into the future and how influential it’ll end up being. It almost sounds like it could be an end cap of an era as much as it could be the start of an entirely new one, but time will tell. Great list, I personally can’t do no duplicate artists, but I respect your effort!
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
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....
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.

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?

YOU GET A FAVORITE FROM ME!

Remarkable descriptions, great chart!

27 artists in common! That's a bunch! Great chart!

A lot of work has clearly gone into this. incredible
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