Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by jhuik

I am now in my 60's. Music has meant many, many different things to me over the years, but these days it often means 'tinged with pain' as I have hearing loss and tinnitus. But I still love music ... that love just has a new form, some of it based on the memory of PURE LOUD NOISE (no longer possible for me) or just memory, and some of that love still able to thrive and evolve.

As I have said for over ten years on this site: Below are albums that have meant a lot to me, albums I have listened to innumerable times, albums that are duly classic or that I just fuckin like a lot for whatever reason. I have loved music for decades, have followed other lovers, and no one has perfect taste uncorrupted by bias or other limitations. When rating or commenting don't ever forget that any list of 'best ever' is ALWAYS a ridiculous exercise.

• Chart updated: 12/20/2025 20:45
• (Created: 12/24/2010 02:29).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

• Summary
• Composition
• Ratings
• Favourites
• Comments
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1. (=)

Born To Run 

 Bruce Springsteen

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Bruce Springsteen had reached a point in his career where he had to step forward into greatness. So he did, perfecting his street poetry and pushing his band of brilliant players to give it all. I first listened to this well over 20 years ago and slowly fell in love with it. So many listens so many years later, and still so essential. Bruce is the best ever imho. I love the lyrics, the vision, the amazing live performances, and the guy. And this is the guy's greatest moment, mixing youthful earnestness, artistic ambition and assured mastery. [First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

1,606 charts

Rank Score:

15,386

Rank in 1975:

3

Rank in 1970s:

22

Overall Rank:

76

Average Rating:

 83 (1,978 votes)

Comments:

132

2. (=)

Illinois 

 Sufjan Stevens

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Intimate meditation, experimental success, rich lyrical exploration in a banquet of epic song craft. Beautiful song piled upon beautiful, beautiful song. This is admirable for its many individually stirring moments and the overall cohesiveness of the vision and the ambition. [First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

1,662 charts

Rank Score:

20,293

Rank in 2005:

1

Rank in 2000s:

5

Overall Rank:

43

Average Rating:

 86 (1,912 votes)

Comments:

169

3. (4) 1

Astral Weeks 

 Van Morrison

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A visionary troubadour creates a meandering masterpiece of poetical celt folk. Eight of the most beautiful songs ever. One of the most perfect works of art ever recorded. Decades later I love this more than ever. [First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]

Year of Release:

1968

Appears in:

1,534 charts

Rank Score:

16,348

Rank in 1968:

3

Rank in 1960s:

17

Overall Rank:

66

Average Rating:

 84 (1,709 votes)

Comments:

138

4. (40) 36

Abbey Road 

 The Beatles

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They decided how great albums should be made from thereon forward. [First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]

Year of Release:

1969

Appears in:

3,736 charts

Rank Score:

57,231

Rank in 1969:

1

Rank in 1960s:

1

Overall Rank:

3

Average Rating:

 92 (4,628 votes)

Comments:

476

5. (3) 2

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Fully Completely 

 The Tragically Hip

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Great CanCon, like great CanLit put to music then sung by one of the best frontmen ever. An epic step forward in being proudly Canadian, with references to everyone from Hugh MacLennan to Bill Barilko to David Milgaard and more. Non-Canadians say, "Who?" Well, Google them all, then... or maybe it really would be better for us if you don't understand. We're a great country; this is our best band, arguably at their very best. [First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]

Year of Release:

1992

Appears in:

140 charts

Rank Score:

977

Rank in 1992:

28

Rank in 1990s:

318

Overall Rank:

1,731

Average Rating:

 78 (149 votes)

Comments:

14

6. (5) 1

Boxer 

 The National

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Matt Berninger and his brothers in arms play a lights-down late night conversation on the couch that lingers forever. Resonant, rich, dark and moody. Absolutely abidingly one of my favourite listens of recent years. Rich with beautiful songs and uniquely visionary music-making. [First added to this chart: 01/03/2012]

Year of Release:

2007

Appears in:

995 charts

Rank Score:

9,477

Rank in 2007:

4

Rank in 2000s:

21

Overall Rank:

146

Average Rating:

 82 (1,210 votes)

Comments:

92

7. (=)

Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) 

 Led Zeppelin

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Four horsemen of rock godhood ride through the sonosphere led by a true avatar named Jimmy Page. Reread that track list... wow. Stairway, Rock and Roll, Goin to California, Levee, Evermore. Sure, even I have times where want to dismiss this as dad rock or something like that... but come on, let's get real. And then listen to Battle of Evermore again. [First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

3,157 charts

Rank Score:

38,630

Rank in 1971:

1

Rank in 1970s:

4

Overall Rank:

12

Average Rating:

 90 (4,000 votes)

Comments:

306

8. (9) 1

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness 

 The Smashing Pumpkins

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The first disc alone is one of the twenty best albums ever and then there's the second, which is hardly any lesser. As much as I love the music, I admire this, two hours of music that goes from moving to ballsy and back around again too many times to count. So many amazing songs: Zero, 1979, Love, Here is no Why, Jellybelly, Muzzle, 33, Stumbleine, on and on and on. I bought this soon after it came out and it was an absolutely smashing success -- still is, I think. It's Billy Corgan's All-In, an earbusting work of stirring genius. [First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]

Year of Release:

1995

Appears in:

1,500 charts

Rank Score:

14,765

Rank in 1995:

3

Rank in 1990s:

15

Overall Rank:

82

Average Rating:

 83 (1,864 votes)

Comments:

169

9. (15) 6

Vs. 

 Pearl Jam

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Song for song, the best CD by the band that is, player for player, the quintessence of modern rock. After Ten, they grew confident they were one of the greats. A collection of excellent musicians sets out to create a classic and succeeds phenomenally. [First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]

Year of Release:

1993

Appears in:

684 charts

Rank Score:

5,130

Rank in 1993:

6

Rank in 1990s:

65

Overall Rank:

333

Average Rating:

 80 (1,013 votes)

Comments:

63

10. (13) 3

Moondance 

 Van Morrison

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Can you hear the merry gypsy play? This whole album is a mystic music caravan celebrating life, a collection of songs like splinters of sunshine on a path through the forest of life: let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic! This was the first great Van I loved when I was just a kid. Does it peeter out a bit in the end or is that ending just overshadowed by the amazing opening songs? [First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]

Year of Release:

1970

Appears in:

986 charts

Rank Score:

8,688

Rank in 1970:

7

Rank in 1970s:

42

Overall Rank:

170

Average Rating:

 84 (1,154 votes)

Comments:

76

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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Country	Albums	%
	55	55%
	27	27%
	11	11%
	3	3%
	2	2%
	1	1%
	1	1%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 133 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  !	03/24/2025 22:09	Moondance	476	85/100
85/100  !	03/24/2025 08:46	NowhereMan	292	82/100
90/100  !	02/09/2025 10:25	SomethingSpecial	1,104	85/100
80/100  !	08/11/2024 11:56	Tamthebam	645	85/100
90/100  !	06/22/2024 09:39	dihansse	309	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 6% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.6/100, a mean average of 88.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 11.2.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 85 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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Rating:  

80/100

From hailey 12/13/2018 16:52 | #226995

Really good chart in my opinion, I like all the descriptions you gave each album and i agree with most of the albums you have on there. Well, of the ones that i have listened to.

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

Rating:  

95/100

From CharlieBarley 08/21/2018 23:09 | #219973

Refreshingly good. Great notes and some top picks. And some to check out too. Great stuff.

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

Rating:  

80/100

From JulianR 03/13/2018 04:04 | #210795

Haha I've come back to this chart for whatever reason, and that comment was supposed to have an exclamation mark. Anyway, tons of great stuff! Props for Hand Cannot Erase, its such an underappreciated album

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

Rating:  

100/100

From ForegroundNoise 01/20/2018 09:17 | #206031

It's a shame there's not more emphasis on experimental and electronic music but each to their own I guess! Still, astounding chart - love the bios and the careful picks so can appreciate a good taste when I see one

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

From jhuik 11/30/2017 01:47 | #202352

@scotsindie lol.

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

Rating:  

5/100

From scotsindie 11/22/2017 10:33 | #201792

This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -9 votes (0 helpful | 9 unhelpful)

Rating:  

80/100

From PaperVinnie 11/08/2017 16:14 | #200989

The only pick I strongly disagree with is Ten, but nice still.

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

Rating:  

80/100

From JulianR 10/07/2017 05:00 | #199206

good stuff?

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

From jhuik 04/23/2017 22:55 | #189732

You're right LedZep. I think they are prog-influenced, though, and others see it, too (e.g. http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=94658) but yes, it is a bit obtuse to call them prog. I edited that comment as per yours. (y)

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

Rating:  

90/100

From LedZep 04/23/2017 13:23 | #189716

Totally agree with Mellon Collie description, listened to that album for the first time a several days ago, it's fantastic. Love the chart, but what you wrote about Alt-J really upset me, they aren't prog rock at all :/ As a prog fan I had to notice that sorry, it's a great chart all in all

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

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