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.
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 2010s. (Remove this filter)
Buy album 
- #Sponsored
This thing rocks! You get hit by a sample Boris Gardiner sample 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 at 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. Coming from a very different background than Kendrick, but it expands my consciousness of his world, and still resonates with me on some level.
What I can respond to is the music though. This is a perfectly eclectic mix of hip hop, jazz, funk, neo-soul, and experimentation. The father of funk, George Clinton, is on the first track (which is a banger by the way) along with a variety of expert producers: Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Pharrell Williams, Terrace 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
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 at 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. Coming from a very different background than Kendrick, but it expands my consciousness of his world, and still resonates with me on some level.
What I can respond to is the music though. This is a perfectly eclectic mix of hip hop, jazz, funk, neo-soul, and experimentation. The father of funk, George Clinton, is on the first track (which is a banger by the way) along with a variety of expert producers: Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Pharrell Williams, Terrace 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
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:
32,557
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
372
Buy album
- #Sponsored
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:
14,966
Rank in 2012:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
This is a DIY musician's hero and proof you can create a studio quality album if you have enough skill. Dan Snaith absolutely demands a spot on a top 100! While Swim is probably his consensus best and is a wonderful piece of music as well, and Andorra is my favorite, I truly think his best mixes are on this, and that it is his best record. It's far closer to Swim than Andorra perhaps they are equally tied for his best, but for now, it's Our Love, it's his most modern sounding and closest to the mainstream before he went off onto what he's done on Suddenly and Honey, also pretty record.
Year of Release:
2014
Appears in:
Rank Score:
934
Rank in 2014:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Hip hop but also synth pop / RnB / soul album that showcases Tyler's creative skill and talented musicianship. To try to describe this in genres would undermine the creativity and diversity of sounds in the instrumentals on this. He is really a great songwriter.
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
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? So good [First added to this chart: 10/24/2022]
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
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? So good [First added to this chart: 10/24/2022]
Year of Release:
2019
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,048
Rank in 2019:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
The first half of this album is absolutely incredible. This album was instantly nostalgic for me even after only a few listens. A unique and immensely emotional indie art rock record that has no equal.
I don't have an explanation for why I like this album so much, I honestly don't. There's nothing musically original or stylistically profound on here, it just has this soul-wrenching quality to it I can't explain. Even on the less profound songs on the back end I feel my spirit moved.
To me this is heads over heels his best record and the Bon Iver sound at it's finest. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
I don't have an explanation for why I like this album so much, I honestly don't. There's nothing musically original or stylistically profound on here, it just has this soul-wrenching quality to it I can't explain. Even on the less profound songs on the back end I feel my spirit moved.
To me this is heads over heels his best record and the Bon Iver sound at it's finest. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
Year of Release:
2011
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,420
Rank in 2011:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
This record sounds like the future. Twigs' sound is not for everyone, but for those who "get it" it sounds fantastic. This was the soundtrack for visiting my girlfriend when we started dating. This blend of seductive, euphoric, sadistic, dysfunctional, beautiful alternative R&B is crazy. There's stuff on here that sounds like a chant from the 1300's or something out of post-modernist Philip Glass's catalog (whom she admits she is a fan of). Little motifs here and there show Twigs musical catalog goes back not decades but centuries.
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]
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]
Year of Release:
2014
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,237
Rank in 2014:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
A seriously underrated record. It's difficult to listen to if you're really paying attention to the lyrics, but the music is so good and there's nothing like it. There could not be a better name for this record than "Process"
[First added to this chart: 06/08/2017]
Year of Release:
2017
Appears in:
Rank Score:
927
Rank in 2017:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
The creator of Neo-Soul makes a comeback album - his best next to Voodoo. He's low key one of the most imitated musicians of the last 30 years but no one does D'Angelo like D'Angelo. This album is an audiophile's dream.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2017]
Year of Release:
2014
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,377
Rank in 2014:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
25. (=)
Safe Mode: On Certain images on this site may contain sensitive content and are flagged as 'unsafe'. BestEverAlbums.com does not display these images by default, but you may choose to show or hide these images from your profile page. If you choose to hide these images, you'll see an image with a warning message instead of the actual image. If you choose to show them, you'll see these images no differently than regular (safe) images.
Buy album
- #Sponsored
I do not endorse Kanye as a person
[First added to this chart: 06/07/2015]
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
23,417
Rank in 2010:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
A great effort by Frank and the musicians and producers he was able to get together to create channel orange, the 2nd half is growing on me and it's not as strong as the blast of 2010's culture from the 1st half but it's relevant as well.
[First added to this chart: 05/15/2016]
Year of Release:
2012
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,007
Rank in 2012:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 21. Page 1 of 3
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Bon Iver | 1 | 1% | |
| Yes | 1 | 1% | |
| John Coltrane | 1 | 1% | |
| Sufjan Stevens | 1 | 1% | |
| MGMT | 1 | 1% | |
| Coldplay | 1 | 1% | |
| Tame Impala | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
54 | 54% | |
 |
29 | 29% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 10th to 11th Igor by Tyler, The Creator |
| Down 1 from 11th to 12th How I'm Feeling Now by Charli XCX |
| Down 1 from 12th to 13th Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEA 100 (One Album per Artist) |  BozoTyrannus | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
| If The BEA Overall Chart Had A One Album Per Artist Rule... |  Romanelli | Custom chart | 2015 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | mjp11 | Overall chart | 2025 | |
| BEA Top 100 Reorganized According To My Taste | bonnequestion | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| Ya joking? Should've been higher! All Time edition |  Purplepash | Custom chart | 2025 |  |
| Rearrange Top 100 |  Larcx13 | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
| Re-Ranking BEA's Top 100 | sunnydhamm | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| Overall for yours truly |  RoundTheBend | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| BEA top 100 reranked - 2020 |  LedZep | Custom chart | 2023 |  |
| BEA's Top 100 - The Correct Order |  babyBlueSedan | Custom chart | 2020 | |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
90/100 (from 78 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 78 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 100/100  | 03/15/2025 17:55 |  EyeKanFly | | 88/100 |
| 80/100 | 03/15/2025 12:39 |  SomethingSpecial | | 85/100 |
| 85/100 | 03/15/2025 09:02 |  NowhereMan | | 82/100 |
| 100/100 | 12/24/2024 22:07 | Exist-en-ciel | | 99/100 |
| 75/100 | 09/19/2024 12:53 | LedZep | | 84/100 |
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 90.0/100, 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.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 8 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 38 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 09/11/2024 14:00
DommeDamian 09/11/2024 14:00
A highlight on this site. Also love the authenticity in your descriptions
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From thepurplemartin 09/11/2024 12:41
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!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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) | +2 votes (2 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) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment
Your feedback for Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.