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: 01/23/2026 03:15
- (Created: 12/24/2010 02:29).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 85 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 133 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 59,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from Canada. (Remove this filter)
5. (=)
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.
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:
Rank Score:
985
Rank in 1992:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"They shot a movie once, in my hometown..." So Gord Downie and a bunch of his best friends initiated their own rock revival with proudly Cancon classic rock storytelling (and some classic rock riffing) that oft-surpassed predecessors. In my era, in my home and native land, this album saved rock and roll. My most-listened-to album of all time. Maybe this did not reinvent rock and roll, but it completely, utterly re-invigorated it... still does, in fact. Damn the restrictions of this silly ranking exercise -- this really is my favourite album of all time. Yes, Gordie baby, I do know exactly what you mean.
[First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]
A deep, dark, rich and varied collection of music centered on the best postmodern rock song ever. This is the Hip at their Hippest, riding their peak. How can you not hear greatness in this? Each song is strikingly different from the one before, your favourite song changes over the years (and there have been many for me). Nautical Disaster, the gorgeous centerpiece of this epic turn in the studio, is a beautiful nightmare that many of us rock fans, up here in the GWN, have loved passionately for ages.
[First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]
Canada's contentious rock god alchemizes anger, death and mental illness into an album of great songs, powerfully sung. Few other people get this album. Well, it's greatness is all mine, then. To my mind, as passionate, candid and great as itAotS, Illinois or Benji.
[First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]
A motherlode of beautiful, beautiful songwriting, harmonies and musicianship by heroes in my homeland. There's a reasonable argument that this band was alt-country before alt-country was so cool. Sure, they didn't invent singing and songwriting; the only thing this band did was write and play perfect song after perfect song.
[First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]
I've never been in love with this album and I've never been able to put it away for very long. I often think this is overrated then I listen again... undeniably excellent.
[First added to this chart: 10/07/2011]
Year of Release:
2004
Appears in:
Rank Score:
32,839
Rank in 2004:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Dueling singer-songwriters Cuddy and Keelor put out another catalogue of beautiful music.
[First added to this chart: 12/30/2012]
Timeless songs galore from a songwriter with -- truly -- a heart of gold.
[First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,902
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Win and Regine's collection of epics about waiting, wasting hours and wandering through the sprawl.
[First added to this chart: 01/03/2012]
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,710
Rank in 2010:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
A great musician creates another collection of great songs.
[First added to this chart: 12/24/2010]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,388
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 11. Page 1 of 2
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 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 5 | 5% | |
| 1970s | 22 | 22% | |
| 1980s | 12 | 12% | |
| 1990s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2000s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2010s | 17 | 17% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Bruce Springsteen | 4 | 4% | |
| The Tragically Hip | 3 | 3% | |
| Porcupine Tree | 3 | 3% | |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 3 | 3% | |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 3% | |
| The Beatles | 2 | 2% | |
| Rage Against The Machine | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
There have been no changes to this chart.Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One Album Per Artist Chart | jhuik | Custom chart | 2015 | |
| Favourite Artists (Favourite Albums) -- My Top 100 Artists | jhuik | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| Most Spins | jhuik | Custom chart | 2013 | |
| Best/ Favourite Songs of All Time | jhuik | Custom chart | 2026 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | maverick470 | Overall chart | 2015 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | TinyBlueMusic | Overall chart | 2021 |  |
| Overall Top 100 Ranked Correctly |  Mother Nature's Son | Custom chart | 2014 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | tim0505 | Overall chart | 2026 |  |
| An Objective Ranking Of BEA'S Top 100... |  covecove | Custom chart | 2017 |  |
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.
- Gain access to a Dark Mode theme.
- 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
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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 133 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/24/2025 22:09 | Moondance | 476 | 85/100 | |
| 03/24/2025 08:46 |  NowhereMan | 293 | 82/100 | |
| 02/09/2025 10:25 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,089 | 85/100 | |
| 08/11/2024 11:56 |  Tamthebam | 651 | 85/100 | |
| 06/22/2024 09:39 |  dihansse | 312 | 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 5% 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.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 14 members who have added this chart as a favourite
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
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
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)
From 
CharlieBarley 08/21/2018 23:09 | #219973
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)
From 
JulianR 03/13/2018 04:04 | #210795
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)
From 
ForegroundNoise 01/20/2018 09:17 | #206031
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
jhuik 11/30/2017 01:47 | #202352
@scotsindie lol.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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)
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)
From JulianR 10/07/2017 05:00 | #199206
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
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)
From 
LedZep 04/23/2017 13:23 | #189716
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)
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!
