Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
meruizh 
I ask myself every now and then why I love music so much? Why has it become some sort of an addiction? To listen to new albums every chance I get, with every minute of my spare time trying to get my hands on my favorite records. I have come to realize that I am submerged in this crazy world of music, in which the last thing I am thinking off before going to bed is: “What album am I going to play tomorrow?”
I once read an article that mentioned that obsessive music listeners tend to be depressive people. At first it had me questioning me if this was really true. Am I just listening to stuff in order to give some sort of meaning to life? But music is not meant to give definition to your life; music is just part of it. When you play a specific album that creates a scenery in your head of a romantic night, or when you play some “depressive” album when you are in a down mood, music will always give you a hand.
In my case, music has something special I cannot find in anything else. I often find myself in the desperate need for it. It is a sort of “click” a song or an album can have in you. It is something I cannot describe with words. This “click” comes in rare occasions, but when it happens, it is like magic. It is an incredible feeling.
Music wakes me up and accompanies me throughout my day. Every single album, song or lyric are part of me. However, at the end, I think nothing gives me more pleasure than to share this passion, this small treasure I get from music, with the people I care about the most.
I am trying to give a comment on each album, not an album review, but a reflection, which tells you a bit of my experience with the album, or why I like it so much.
- Chart updated: 12/12/2018 18:45
- (Created: 12/30/2010 22:51).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 75 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 107 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This album came out of nowhere this year (2013). Or at least I wasn't expecting it at all. I heard people buzzing about it in BEA, and then pitchfork and then a friend of mine, mentioned it. I said, what a hell, let’s give it a listen. I didn't even preview any of the songs; I didn't know what I was getting into. Suddenly, 11 minute opener 'Golden Arrow' comes on slowly, filling all corners of itself with beautifully reverberating organs and other bits and bobs until it reaches a kick drum beat that is mentally thrilling. Then when Harrington's guitar eventually slides in... Oh shit!! The apex of musical ecstasy. I wanted to marry this song already.
I barely noticed "Sitra", and again I was in the climax in "Heart". Every texture on “Heart” is as pleasurable on the ears as the one that came before it. The almost choir-esque synths that enter around the two-minute mark are beyond gorgeous and the way Harrington's guitar sounds on this track and all others is divine.
Now let’s take a minute to talk about “Paper Trail”. It’s the sexiest motherfuckin song ever created. You want this song to take a human shape and make love to it. If you want proof that Jaar is a goddamn dance wizard you need look no further than this track. The drums and bass swagger along so brilliantly and everything they lay on top of them will seduce the pants off of you. I can’t decide what’s sexier, Nico's breathy vocals or Harrington's soulful blues licks.
The mood keeps on going in “The Only Shrine I've Seen" with an ancient techno feeling. It starts off with Nico's usual atmosphere building tactics but in its second half shifts into something approaching disco. The sensibility around this track makes you feel like ancient disco god ready to take over the World. “Freak, Go Home” is filled with interesting layers of drums, cowbell and embracing beats that follow the mystique the album created throughout its first five tracks.
Let’s fast forward ourselves to the fantastic closer. “Metatron” as its name suggest has some godlike providence. The first 3/4s are the album's most explicitly progressive passage. The guitar Harrington is playing here sounds right out of the David Gilmour playbook. Yet, when the track returns after a false finish for it and the album's last hurrah it turns into yet another gigantic moment. The synths and drums in here are imposing, giving at the end one last guitar riff that will keep you in bed for the next couple of minutes. You’ve achieved ecstasy.
Jaar and Harrington achieve a sort of electronic comfort zone. The tempo and arrangements submerge the listener into a slow motion climax that make you want to stay in it forever.
Skinny wrote for me the perfect sentence to describe this album
"....Watching the sun take years to rise, and never getting impatient." [First added to this chart: 12/18/2013]
I barely noticed "Sitra", and again I was in the climax in "Heart". Every texture on “Heart” is as pleasurable on the ears as the one that came before it. The almost choir-esque synths that enter around the two-minute mark are beyond gorgeous and the way Harrington's guitar sounds on this track and all others is divine.
Now let’s take a minute to talk about “Paper Trail”. It’s the sexiest motherfuckin song ever created. You want this song to take a human shape and make love to it. If you want proof that Jaar is a goddamn dance wizard you need look no further than this track. The drums and bass swagger along so brilliantly and everything they lay on top of them will seduce the pants off of you. I can’t decide what’s sexier, Nico's breathy vocals or Harrington's soulful blues licks.
The mood keeps on going in “The Only Shrine I've Seen" with an ancient techno feeling. It starts off with Nico's usual atmosphere building tactics but in its second half shifts into something approaching disco. The sensibility around this track makes you feel like ancient disco god ready to take over the World. “Freak, Go Home” is filled with interesting layers of drums, cowbell and embracing beats that follow the mystique the album created throughout its first five tracks.
Let’s fast forward ourselves to the fantastic closer. “Metatron” as its name suggest has some godlike providence. The first 3/4s are the album's most explicitly progressive passage. The guitar Harrington is playing here sounds right out of the David Gilmour playbook. Yet, when the track returns after a false finish for it and the album's last hurrah it turns into yet another gigantic moment. The synths and drums in here are imposing, giving at the end one last guitar riff that will keep you in bed for the next couple of minutes. You’ve achieved ecstasy.
Jaar and Harrington achieve a sort of electronic comfort zone. The tempo and arrangements submerge the listener into a slow motion climax that make you want to stay in it forever.
Skinny wrote for me the perfect sentence to describe this album
"....Watching the sun take years to rise, and never getting impatient." [First added to this chart: 12/18/2013]
Year of Release:
2013
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,592
Rank in 2013:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
18
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It came out in December 2007, I listened to it in 2008 for the first time, and it’s been few years since that day.
Recently this album has become an addiction in some way, it's so emotional, perfectly constructed to deliver an amazing flow for the ten songs. It starts with "15 Step" and "Bodysnatchers", both being an instant hit. They'll get you moving, they'll get you dancing, you are at the doors of oblivion.
"Nude", a perfect song. The lyrics are so crude but the melody so real. It's like you are feeling the touch a women who is gently undressing you. You cant move and the only exit is to let yourself go.
In "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" I feel locked in somewhere, I feel comfortable inside but I know I want to get out. I know there's something out there I want to escape.
"All I Need" works as a perfect centerpiece. It's a disturbing sad song. Might get really depressing and gets you thinking if you are a attached to someone or something just for the fact that you have no one else or nothing else. "It's all wrong, it's all right", Thom Yorke screams at the end of this piece.
"I am all the days that you choose to ignore. You are all I need"
“Faust Arp” is as a wake up call in the album. It’s a two-minute get out of jail free card.
“Reckoner”, is probably my favorite Radiohead song. It’s absolutely brilliant in so many ways. From the first notes you close your eyes and drift in space and time with this song. It’s incredibly emotional. Thom Yorke’s voice sounds so deep and honest. But it is exactly in 2:31 mark shit gets brutal; those next seconds make me feel every single part of my body, an explosion of ecstasy.
“House of Cards” is another great one. It has an incredible flow; I can even say it gets sexy in some parts. You wan to slow dance to this song. Hold your lover and never let go.
“I don’t want to be your friend, I just want to be your lover”
In “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” you are in a club looking for the girl of the night. You find her; everything is in its place, the music, the alcohol and the dance floor. The girl is your mission, your one nightstand. The girl responds, you are close to achieving your goal, when suddenly a bump. The girl starts drifting away. Another man? We are all playing the same game. You can’t beat the system you can’t win.
“Videotape” works as a subtle closer; you are tired of this experience. You want to go to bed. It has been a long ride, with a lot of memories, some will stay some will vanish.
“No matter what happens now I shouldn't be afraid because I know today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen” [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
Recently this album has become an addiction in some way, it's so emotional, perfectly constructed to deliver an amazing flow for the ten songs. It starts with "15 Step" and "Bodysnatchers", both being an instant hit. They'll get you moving, they'll get you dancing, you are at the doors of oblivion.
"Nude", a perfect song. The lyrics are so crude but the melody so real. It's like you are feeling the touch a women who is gently undressing you. You cant move and the only exit is to let yourself go.
In "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" I feel locked in somewhere, I feel comfortable inside but I know I want to get out. I know there's something out there I want to escape.
"All I Need" works as a perfect centerpiece. It's a disturbing sad song. Might get really depressing and gets you thinking if you are a attached to someone or something just for the fact that you have no one else or nothing else. "It's all wrong, it's all right", Thom Yorke screams at the end of this piece.
"I am all the days that you choose to ignore. You are all I need"
“Faust Arp” is as a wake up call in the album. It’s a two-minute get out of jail free card.
“Reckoner”, is probably my favorite Radiohead song. It’s absolutely brilliant in so many ways. From the first notes you close your eyes and drift in space and time with this song. It’s incredibly emotional. Thom Yorke’s voice sounds so deep and honest. But it is exactly in 2:31 mark shit gets brutal; those next seconds make me feel every single part of my body, an explosion of ecstasy.
“House of Cards” is another great one. It has an incredible flow; I can even say it gets sexy in some parts. You wan to slow dance to this song. Hold your lover and never let go.
“I don’t want to be your friend, I just want to be your lover”
In “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” you are in a club looking for the girl of the night. You find her; everything is in its place, the music, the alcohol and the dance floor. The girl is your mission, your one nightstand. The girl responds, you are close to achieving your goal, when suddenly a bump. The girl starts drifting away. Another man? We are all playing the same game. You can’t beat the system you can’t win.
“Videotape” works as a subtle closer; you are tired of this experience. You want to go to bed. It has been a long ride, with a lot of memories, some will stay some will vanish.
“No matter what happens now I shouldn't be afraid because I know today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen” [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51,154
Rank in 2007:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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It only took me one listen to like it, and three to fall in love with it. With this album I can see how rock and alternative rock was shaped for the next to decades.
"Wanna grow to be a debaser"
From the first chords of "Debaser" you are already jumping and screaming. The album goes straight to the point, blow our minds.Nirvana has a "Tame" sound in every single album.
"Wave of Mutilation" and "Here Comes Your Mind" are so simple, it's incredible, few lines of lyrics and an instant impact. I will always relate "Here Comes Your Mind" with that karaoke scene in 500 Days of Summer,
When you listen to "Dead", I can picture Jack White, The Kills and so many other bands. It's incredible how evident is their legacy in bands now a days.
The centerpiece "Monkey Gone to Heaven" is a masterpiece. The contrast between Kim Deal and Black Francis makes the song perfected, so different but fit perfectly.
“If the Devil is six then God is seven”
It is a fantastic record in every sense, musically, lyrically it's an album that inspired generations. Every time a listen to this album I see myself coming back from work in NY, getting out of the subway after a 40 min commute only wanting to rest in the big black sofa. It's in that moment that the album finishes exactly.
Listening to this album and instantly relating it to bands I love, just makes me think, how can someone make an album so perfect that defines in some way the sounds of the future.
And what album today will be the one that defines our future as Doolittle did? [First added to this chart: 06/14/2013]
"Wanna grow to be a debaser"
From the first chords of "Debaser" you are already jumping and screaming. The album goes straight to the point, blow our minds.Nirvana has a "Tame" sound in every single album.
"Wave of Mutilation" and "Here Comes Your Mind" are so simple, it's incredible, few lines of lyrics and an instant impact. I will always relate "Here Comes Your Mind" with that karaoke scene in 500 Days of Summer,
When you listen to "Dead", I can picture Jack White, The Kills and so many other bands. It's incredible how evident is their legacy in bands now a days.
The centerpiece "Monkey Gone to Heaven" is a masterpiece. The contrast between Kim Deal and Black Francis makes the song perfected, so different but fit perfectly.
“If the Devil is six then God is seven”
It is a fantastic record in every sense, musically, lyrically it's an album that inspired generations. Every time a listen to this album I see myself coming back from work in NY, getting out of the subway after a 40 min commute only wanting to rest in the big black sofa. It's in that moment that the album finishes exactly.
Listening to this album and instantly relating it to bands I love, just makes me think, how can someone make an album so perfect that defines in some way the sounds of the future.
And what album today will be the one that defines our future as Doolittle did? [First added to this chart: 06/14/2013]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,395
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The National was the last great band that has had a transcendental impact in my life. It was during the summer of 2010, I bought a ticket to see Vampire Weekend, the concert was a double headliner along with The National. I didn’t know the National at all. I gave a listen to Boxer and High Violet, just to see what the band was about. I gave them a single listen, and just as background music. The day of the concert came, and the National played first. After and hour and a half I just couldn’t believe what I was experiencing. I really didn’t get why I was so amazed with songs I’ve never heard in my life.
“It’s a terrible love and I’m walking with spiders. It’s quiet company”
“Terrible Love” it’s the opener, and I cant decide what I love most the high school poetry in the lyrics or the music around it. They both build themselves around each other to finally reach the epic climax in the last minute of the song.
“Sorrow” strikes me as a very tragic song but beautiful in many ways. It’s like falling in love with you own sadness. The sadness that has been part your whole life and just cant get behind. You immerse yourself in this feeling, you cant get over it.
"Sorrow's the girl inside my cake"
“Anyone’s Ghost” it’s impressive, you find yourself trapped in you own exile. Floating in and out of life, in the shadow of your own depression. This line sums up every feeling in the song. “Say, you stay at home. Alone with the flu. Find out from friends that wasn't true. Go out at night with your headphones on, again. And walk through the Manhattan valleys of the dead”
“Little Faith” can strike you as one of the weakest songs, but then again it’s so emotional. Like being trapped in an ongoing crisis with no apparent solution, you drift with no direction.
In “Afraid of Everyone” we struggle to find a way to make sense of it all, to find ourselves. Feeling the emptiness of our current lives with the repetitive routine of our daily lives. The days go on, over and over, one day indistinguishable from the next. A long continuous chain. Then suddenly there is a change.
“Bloodbuzz Ohio”. I still cant find peace. You go back to the home that took care of you for so many years. The home you can remember perfectly. Only when you arrive you feel alienated.
“Lemonworld”. You are tired everything, you’re done with your issues. “I'm too tired to drive anyway, anyway right now”. You find yourself in this imaginary place where for a split second everything just seems fine. You want to sit in and forget about life for a while.
“Runaway”. …. “what makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?”
“Conversation 16” throws one of the most brilliant lines in the album, “I was afraid, I'd eat your brains 'Cause I'm evil”. And in my personal opinion is one of the crudest songs ever, but you cant take it literally or it’ll eat you alive. The whole band creates an atmosphere of ominous, swirling mist.
“England” comes on and we're hit completely unexpectedly with the sudden realization that it's the penultimate on the record. And it’s one that will uplift you no matter what state you are in. You’ll end up screaming “Afraid of the house, stay the night with the sinners” for the rest of the night.
Finally, my favorite song on the album “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks”. It’s also the song the band plays a-cappella in their concerts. It’s that type of song you want to hold your love from behind, slow dancing throughout the lovely melody, singing your heart out and kissing the girl in the last chords. [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
“It’s a terrible love and I’m walking with spiders. It’s quiet company”
“Terrible Love” it’s the opener, and I cant decide what I love most the high school poetry in the lyrics or the music around it. They both build themselves around each other to finally reach the epic climax in the last minute of the song.
“Sorrow” strikes me as a very tragic song but beautiful in many ways. It’s like falling in love with you own sadness. The sadness that has been part your whole life and just cant get behind. You immerse yourself in this feeling, you cant get over it.
"Sorrow's the girl inside my cake"
“Anyone’s Ghost” it’s impressive, you find yourself trapped in you own exile. Floating in and out of life, in the shadow of your own depression. This line sums up every feeling in the song. “Say, you stay at home. Alone with the flu. Find out from friends that wasn't true. Go out at night with your headphones on, again. And walk through the Manhattan valleys of the dead”
“Little Faith” can strike you as one of the weakest songs, but then again it’s so emotional. Like being trapped in an ongoing crisis with no apparent solution, you drift with no direction.
In “Afraid of Everyone” we struggle to find a way to make sense of it all, to find ourselves. Feeling the emptiness of our current lives with the repetitive routine of our daily lives. The days go on, over and over, one day indistinguishable from the next. A long continuous chain. Then suddenly there is a change.
“Bloodbuzz Ohio”. I still cant find peace. You go back to the home that took care of you for so many years. The home you can remember perfectly. Only when you arrive you feel alienated.
“Lemonworld”. You are tired everything, you’re done with your issues. “I'm too tired to drive anyway, anyway right now”. You find yourself in this imaginary place where for a split second everything just seems fine. You want to sit in and forget about life for a while.
“Runaway”. …. “what makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?”
“Conversation 16” throws one of the most brilliant lines in the album, “I was afraid, I'd eat your brains 'Cause I'm evil”. And in my personal opinion is one of the crudest songs ever, but you cant take it literally or it’ll eat you alive. The whole band creates an atmosphere of ominous, swirling mist.
“England” comes on and we're hit completely unexpectedly with the sudden realization that it's the penultimate on the record. And it’s one that will uplift you no matter what state you are in. You’ll end up screaming “Afraid of the house, stay the night with the sinners” for the rest of the night.
Finally, my favorite song on the album “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks”. It’s also the song the band plays a-cappella in their concerts. It’s that type of song you want to hold your love from behind, slow dancing throughout the lovely melody, singing your heart out and kissing the girl in the last chords. [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,616
Rank in 2010:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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A few years back my Radiohead discovery experienced continues, I've gone through The Bends, Ok Computer was next. I seriously didn't know what to expect about this album, but the result wasn't what I expected.
The album starts with "Airbag", something about this song that feel incredibly refreshing, you feel some kind of relief. It's a weird kind of an uplifting song, without it having any of the characteristics of one.
Right after this killer opener you get "Paranoid Android", which may not only qualify as one of Radiohead's best, but as one of the best songs ever. It's not my favorite song of the album, but it's just incredible. You get the feeling of being safe, without a problem in your life, when suddenly it attacks you out of nowhere. It's a song about fearing for your safety while all the time remaining true to yourself and taking comfort in that.
"Subterrean Homesick Alien" it's a song about alienation, not being comprehended by the World. You feel like a stranger with your own friends.
You want to show them your vision but they'll just cut you out. "I'd show them the stars and the meaning of life. They'd shut me away, but I'd be all right all right.."
"Exit Music (For A Film)" is the movie love story, the forbidden love. You want to fight your oppressors to finally embrace your love peacefully. It's like a Romeo and Juliet story. You get drowned in hate to others, you just want to be left alone. The 3:21 marks one of the most incredible moments in the album. "We hope that you choke, that you choke".
"Let Down" Beautiful, haunting, affecting, powerful, thematically dense, lyrically insightful. Another of Radiohead's greatest. Although the lyrics make seem sad, the song it's incredibly relieving. It's like being stuck in traffic for hours, you feel the pain, the sorrow of being there. As the minutes pass you see the light at the end of the tunnel, you know comfort lays ahead, happiness is on the way.
Ok, now with "Karma Police" I have to take a minute to appreciate what's happening. Although it is a cliche choice, for many years this was my all time favorite song. But it's fucking amazing. One of my greatest memories of my lifetime came in my second Radiohead concert, I've never heard this song live. When they started playing it, I almost cried. The song was played and it was an incredible experience, the band started preparing for the next song, when 60,000 people started singing "For a minute there, I lost myself". To get to feel those 60,000 voices screaming their heart out, with Thom Yorke taking the microphone and joining the crowd.. my heart skips a beat.
"Fitter Happier".... I love this lyric "Fond but not in Love"
"Electioneering" Thom Yorke get all political. It's a good song to move around, to pretend you are a rockstar blaming the whole World from your problems.
"Climbing Up the Walls" One of the most insidious and sinister songs on the album that's musically and lyrically incredibly dark and bleak. It a hell of a scary song, I feel terrified throughout the whole song, an uneasy kind of feeling.
"No Surprises" Is one of the most existential and despairing songs on the album. It's a slow killer filled with sad emotions but a many time the ugly reality. "A handshake of carbon monoxide"
"Lucky" makes you want to escape again, you are feeling annoyed by everything; I want to get out, experience freedom. You just need a hand to get out of your misery."Pull me out of the air-crash. Pull me out of the wake"
"The Tourist" the final ride, the last bite when you are full. It's a reflective closer, like watching from the other side of the window. You see the World crumbling around, but there's nothing you can do. Just sit there and watch.
In conclusion there are not enough words to explain what this album means to me.It's mental, insane, its gets you to scream, smile, cry, forget about life for a while. Beauty could be a word that describes the album. [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
The album starts with "Airbag", something about this song that feel incredibly refreshing, you feel some kind of relief. It's a weird kind of an uplifting song, without it having any of the characteristics of one.
Right after this killer opener you get "Paranoid Android", which may not only qualify as one of Radiohead's best, but as one of the best songs ever. It's not my favorite song of the album, but it's just incredible. You get the feeling of being safe, without a problem in your life, when suddenly it attacks you out of nowhere. It's a song about fearing for your safety while all the time remaining true to yourself and taking comfort in that.
"Subterrean Homesick Alien" it's a song about alienation, not being comprehended by the World. You feel like a stranger with your own friends.
You want to show them your vision but they'll just cut you out. "I'd show them the stars and the meaning of life. They'd shut me away, but I'd be all right all right.."
"Exit Music (For A Film)" is the movie love story, the forbidden love. You want to fight your oppressors to finally embrace your love peacefully. It's like a Romeo and Juliet story. You get drowned in hate to others, you just want to be left alone. The 3:21 marks one of the most incredible moments in the album. "We hope that you choke, that you choke".
"Let Down" Beautiful, haunting, affecting, powerful, thematically dense, lyrically insightful. Another of Radiohead's greatest. Although the lyrics make seem sad, the song it's incredibly relieving. It's like being stuck in traffic for hours, you feel the pain, the sorrow of being there. As the minutes pass you see the light at the end of the tunnel, you know comfort lays ahead, happiness is on the way.
Ok, now with "Karma Police" I have to take a minute to appreciate what's happening. Although it is a cliche choice, for many years this was my all time favorite song. But it's fucking amazing. One of my greatest memories of my lifetime came in my second Radiohead concert, I've never heard this song live. When they started playing it, I almost cried. The song was played and it was an incredible experience, the band started preparing for the next song, when 60,000 people started singing "For a minute there, I lost myself". To get to feel those 60,000 voices screaming their heart out, with Thom Yorke taking the microphone and joining the crowd.. my heart skips a beat.
"Fitter Happier".... I love this lyric "Fond but not in Love"
"Electioneering" Thom Yorke get all political. It's a good song to move around, to pretend you are a rockstar blaming the whole World from your problems.
"Climbing Up the Walls" One of the most insidious and sinister songs on the album that's musically and lyrically incredibly dark and bleak. It a hell of a scary song, I feel terrified throughout the whole song, an uneasy kind of feeling.
"No Surprises" Is one of the most existential and despairing songs on the album. It's a slow killer filled with sad emotions but a many time the ugly reality. "A handshake of carbon monoxide"
"Lucky" makes you want to escape again, you are feeling annoyed by everything; I want to get out, experience freedom. You just need a hand to get out of your misery."Pull me out of the air-crash. Pull me out of the wake"
"The Tourist" the final ride, the last bite when you are full. It's a reflective closer, like watching from the other side of the window. You see the World crumbling around, but there's nothing you can do. Just sit there and watch.
In conclusion there are not enough words to explain what this album means to me.It's mental, insane, its gets you to scream, smile, cry, forget about life for a while. Beauty could be a word that describes the album. [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
76,873
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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This album is one of the most special things in my life for several reasons. This is the album that changed my life in so many ways. Back in the 2000 I was like many 8-9 years old a fan of Backstreet Boys, N'sync and everything around them. Actually, the BSB were my first concert. I didn't care much about music. One Christmas my parents gave me this album. At first as a 10 year old, I was almost angry of my gift, I probably wanted a PS2 game or something. The music sounded so weird, I didn't care much for it. I remember liking Clocks, I felt fond with the melody. Years went by, don't actually remember what were the sequence of events but this album came up. I couldn't understand what happened, few years back I couldn't give a fuck about this gift and now it had become my most precious possession. That album that changed the way you listen to music, that album that made you understand the concept of an "album", that album you know by heart every single song and could listen to it 1000 times without getting tired of it. "A Rush Blood To The Head" is that album for me. It's weird to put into words what this means. Thanks to it I'm the person I am today.
"Politik" it's one hell of an opening song, and with "In My Place" they both deliver an instant climax from the first notes. "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face", "The Scientist" and "Clocks" are the most intense songs in the album. "The Scientist" marks the one of the most sad stories out there. Live it's one of those sing alongs that gets you to hug who ever is standing next to you.
But my favorite two song in the album come next, "Green Eyes" and "Warning Sign" are beautiful in every sense. The difference from being in love to the mourning of your lost love. I mean "Warning Sign".. it's so fucking damn good. In a rainy day, alone in you car, with your windows down and with the volume all up, you'll see me screaming the lyrics.
But what about the ending of the album, "A Rush Of Blood To The Head" and "Amsterdam", the perfect acoustic songs to achieve greatness. "Amsterdam" is definitely one of my all time favorite songs, and the final chapter in this amazing ride. [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
"Politik" it's one hell of an opening song, and with "In My Place" they both deliver an instant climax from the first notes. "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face", "The Scientist" and "Clocks" are the most intense songs in the album. "The Scientist" marks the one of the most sad stories out there. Live it's one of those sing alongs that gets you to hug who ever is standing next to you.
But my favorite two song in the album come next, "Green Eyes" and "Warning Sign" are beautiful in every sense. The difference from being in love to the mourning of your lost love. I mean "Warning Sign".. it's so fucking damn good. In a rainy day, alone in you car, with your windows down and with the volume all up, you'll see me screaming the lyrics.
But what about the ending of the album, "A Rush Of Blood To The Head" and "Amsterdam", the perfect acoustic songs to achieve greatness. "Amsterdam" is definitely one of my all time favorite songs, and the final chapter in this amazing ride. [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,386
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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They are a band that is going to deliver No.1 albums; NME is going to be bluffing about how great they are, and every one of your friends is telling you to listen to their latest single. But don't buy all that crap and listen to this album.
Rock music rarely comes is such a delightful package. The first thing the listener will notice about ‘Whatever People Say I Am…’ is how kinetic the album is. All of the songs are full of distorted guitars, intense structures and irresistible delivery, making it one of the first real rock albums in a long time. Something about the energy the band has makes it one of the most sincere sounding rock albums ever.
It narrates the tales of many teenage kids, picking up girls, getting into clubs, fucking with the cops. In fact it is incredible that the lyrics constructed around this scenarios are ingenious. It is observations like "love’s not only blind but deaf" or "just because he’s had a couple of cans he thinks it’s all right to act like dickhead" that really draw the listener in because of the simple truth behind those lyrics.
This album is a complete success in every way, it's flawless. The energy transmitted through every song makes you want to play on repeat. [First added to this chart: 01/21/2012]
Rock music rarely comes is such a delightful package. The first thing the listener will notice about ‘Whatever People Say I Am…’ is how kinetic the album is. All of the songs are full of distorted guitars, intense structures and irresistible delivery, making it one of the first real rock albums in a long time. Something about the energy the band has makes it one of the most sincere sounding rock albums ever.
It narrates the tales of many teenage kids, picking up girls, getting into clubs, fucking with the cops. In fact it is incredible that the lyrics constructed around this scenarios are ingenious. It is observations like "love’s not only blind but deaf" or "just because he’s had a couple of cans he thinks it’s all right to act like dickhead" that really draw the listener in because of the simple truth behind those lyrics.
This album is a complete success in every way, it's flawless. The energy transmitted through every song makes you want to play on repeat. [First added to this chart: 01/21/2012]
Year of Release:
2006
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,439
Rank in 2006:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
The National is one of those bands that work perfectly for me. Their songs are filled with middle life crisis and depressing lyrics about life. The constant melancholy that's a huge part of the band's sound has always been the stand-out emotion for me in them and, as horridly cringy and clichéd as this sounds, the music acted as an emotional channeling point whenever I happened to feel low in spirit. The National is one of very few bands that make music I can connect instantly, it makes me feel a kind of rush you can only describe as a drug. I may spend hours listening to music trying to find this feeling, this crazy feeling I could never describe, and very few times I would be able to reach it. “Boxer” gives me this short moment where everything is clear, just a split of a second where I forget about life for a while. I feel at ease. They act as a sonic pillow to calm me down whenever my thoughts are rushing to my head. Berninger's half-awake mumbling is one of those voices that could soothe anything immediately.
This fairly explains my attachment to this album. It's a calm, even somewhat soothing album. Of the band's children it's the characteristically quiet one, leaving the big rock songs and faster moments to the other albums. When I refer this album as relaxing or calm it’s because the “Boxer” has accompanied me in very long nights, were anxious waiting moments were killing me, a lot of moments where nothing else works.
It took a fair while for Boxer to reach the position it is now. A grower as many other The National albums, filled with gems that can only be discovered with several listens. When I first listened to this album, back in 2010 it was less of a five-star experience and more general confusion over the praise over it. At first the album sounds nothing special, even ordinary. You don't really think much about it. But each listen you find something new there - a particular musical detail that sounds too good to have ever been missed out on, a piece of lyrics that hits fast and hard all of a sudden, the revelation that Matt Berninger’s mumbly voice is an incredible weapon, and so forth. Each listen a different song opens up in a way that one doesn't even realize some of this stuff was there on the previous listens. The final result becomes a hypnotic curve of looking for a reward - you feel compelled towards the album because you begin to realize that each and every listen you’ll find something new and you desire to hear that new experience. It becomes impossible to stop playing the album and by the time things begin to rationalize again, you're already deep in the album's world. From an album that started out as one incredible song and 11 not so impressive follow-ups, it's become an incredible 12-song journey.
“Boxer” is the perfect capsulation of worn and bittersweet loneliness, the sort of music you listen to while you gaze out of the window at night, look at the world outside and think about the moment and life around you. The lyrics, the textual capsulations of wasted moments, crushed hopes, realizations that things aren't as good as they used to be, mid-life apathy in incredibly strong words with a strong helping of desert-dry dark sense of humor to them.
"Boxer" becomes a personal love for you despite so many others who are fawning over the album elsewhere. It sounds close to your soul and the music seems like it was written for you, about you even when the lyrics are nowhere near your life. Despite all the melancholy and moments of defeat throughout the album, still reaches the feeling of relaxation, feeling at ease with yourself. It's like falling asleep in the arms of someone you love. [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
This fairly explains my attachment to this album. It's a calm, even somewhat soothing album. Of the band's children it's the characteristically quiet one, leaving the big rock songs and faster moments to the other albums. When I refer this album as relaxing or calm it’s because the “Boxer” has accompanied me in very long nights, were anxious waiting moments were killing me, a lot of moments where nothing else works.
It took a fair while for Boxer to reach the position it is now. A grower as many other The National albums, filled with gems that can only be discovered with several listens. When I first listened to this album, back in 2010 it was less of a five-star experience and more general confusion over the praise over it. At first the album sounds nothing special, even ordinary. You don't really think much about it. But each listen you find something new there - a particular musical detail that sounds too good to have ever been missed out on, a piece of lyrics that hits fast and hard all of a sudden, the revelation that Matt Berninger’s mumbly voice is an incredible weapon, and so forth. Each listen a different song opens up in a way that one doesn't even realize some of this stuff was there on the previous listens. The final result becomes a hypnotic curve of looking for a reward - you feel compelled towards the album because you begin to realize that each and every listen you’ll find something new and you desire to hear that new experience. It becomes impossible to stop playing the album and by the time things begin to rationalize again, you're already deep in the album's world. From an album that started out as one incredible song and 11 not so impressive follow-ups, it's become an incredible 12-song journey.
“Boxer” is the perfect capsulation of worn and bittersweet loneliness, the sort of music you listen to while you gaze out of the window at night, look at the world outside and think about the moment and life around you. The lyrics, the textual capsulations of wasted moments, crushed hopes, realizations that things aren't as good as they used to be, mid-life apathy in incredibly strong words with a strong helping of desert-dry dark sense of humor to them.
"Boxer" becomes a personal love for you despite so many others who are fawning over the album elsewhere. It sounds close to your soul and the music seems like it was written for you, about you even when the lyrics are nowhere near your life. Despite all the melancholy and moments of defeat throughout the album, still reaches the feeling of relaxation, feeling at ease with yourself. It's like falling asleep in the arms of someone you love. [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,649
Rank in 2007:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Ok people, this is probably one of the most underrated band of the last 20 years in my honest opinion. They are a Denmark band, and sing in English, probably just very well known in their local scene, and for some odd reason they are big in Mexico. They’ve released eight studio albums in their long career, four of them being amazing (The Good Life, Zitilities, No Balance Palace and Trespassers). Their sound is tricky, at first you will notice they won’t offer anything new to the music scene. Especially you can relate to a lot of Radiohead albums in their early 00’s albums. But there is something about them I fell in love immediately. A friend of mine introduced them to me back in 2009 and since then they've been a big part of my life.
“Zitilities” is for me their best album to date. It’s a weird jewel that 10 years after its release date still manages to sound fresh and have an impact. The album is the product of a long process of preparation, conditioned largely by the success the band had with The Good Life, their previous album, in Denmark, where they got many awards and a direct entry into third place in the local charts. This actually made a dent in the minds of Kasper Eistrup , lead singer of the group who went through a harrowing creative slump while preparing the album. These troubles are visible in one of the best songs in the album, and their third single, “Surfing in the Warm Industry”; where Eistrup even considered leaving the music world for a career in the corporate world to avoid the constant questions about his creative work.
The album does offer a series of different stories in which the potential of the group's leader as a composer is evident. Kashmir masters the two important musical elements that bands like these often rely on: a melancholy intensity that fuels the more mid-tempo and energetic moments, and the weary textured atmosphere that powers the slower moments. In particular the latter category offers the best parts of "Zitilites". "The Aftermath" gives you a bittersweet cuddle of defeatist comfort and "Petite Machine" which starts with the most blissfully pretty guitar that jangles out of nowhere in the empty space and then continues to weave its beautiful melody throughout the ache of the rest of the four and a half minutes.
"Zitilites" is special, perhaps because it reflects the breaking point of a band, that moment in which everything seems to be going against you, the darkest hour that comes before dawn. The album is, above all, a superb set of songs that, 10 years after its creation , it has preserved the glow of novelty. Therefore, it is one of those albums that are worth discovering and rediscovering every so often. [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
“Zitilities” is for me their best album to date. It’s a weird jewel that 10 years after its release date still manages to sound fresh and have an impact. The album is the product of a long process of preparation, conditioned largely by the success the band had with The Good Life, their previous album, in Denmark, where they got many awards and a direct entry into third place in the local charts. This actually made a dent in the minds of Kasper Eistrup , lead singer of the group who went through a harrowing creative slump while preparing the album. These troubles are visible in one of the best songs in the album, and their third single, “Surfing in the Warm Industry”; where Eistrup even considered leaving the music world for a career in the corporate world to avoid the constant questions about his creative work.
The album does offer a series of different stories in which the potential of the group's leader as a composer is evident. Kashmir masters the two important musical elements that bands like these often rely on: a melancholy intensity that fuels the more mid-tempo and energetic moments, and the weary textured atmosphere that powers the slower moments. In particular the latter category offers the best parts of "Zitilites". "The Aftermath" gives you a bittersweet cuddle of defeatist comfort and "Petite Machine" which starts with the most blissfully pretty guitar that jangles out of nowhere in the empty space and then continues to weave its beautiful melody throughout the ache of the rest of the four and a half minutes.
"Zitilites" is special, perhaps because it reflects the breaking point of a band, that moment in which everything seems to be going against you, the darkest hour that comes before dawn. The album is, above all, a superb set of songs that, 10 years after its creation , it has preserved the glow of novelty. Therefore, it is one of those albums that are worth discovering and rediscovering every so often. [First added to this chart: 12/30/2010]
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I can’t see nothing. I’m lying in my bed with the lights off and the curtains down. It’s darker than most nights. I swear I can’t see anything. It’s lonely Saturday night, have no intention of going out or reaching out to some friends. I don’t know if I want to sleep or just lay here with my thoughts. I don’t remember what year this was, but all I could hear is some softened guitar chimes and thin drumbeats
Beth Gibbon’s voice, sexy but worn-down by disappointment. It’s a woman who is bleak, vulnerable, fragile, beautiful and full of despair. As the each chord is being played the more it becomes clearer there’s no way forward, no redemption, no future. It’s desolate and beautiful…
There's a real sense of being at the end of the world here, a desolation that brings to mind that lonely Saturday night. I wish I could have heard Dummythat night. It would have been a perfect soundtrack for that end of the world feeling.
This album is a complete fantasy [First added to this chart: 12/22/2011]
Beth Gibbon’s voice, sexy but worn-down by disappointment. It’s a woman who is bleak, vulnerable, fragile, beautiful and full of despair. As the each chord is being played the more it becomes clearer there’s no way forward, no redemption, no future. It’s desolate and beautiful…
There's a real sense of being at the end of the world here, a desolation that brings to mind that lonely Saturday night. I wish I could have heard Dummythat night. It would have been a perfect soundtrack for that end of the world feeling.
This album is a complete fantasy [First added to this chart: 12/22/2011]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,101
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
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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| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 11 | 11% | |
| 1970s | 8 | 8% | |
| 1980s | 8 | 8% | |
| 1990s | 23 | 23% | |
| 2000s | 31 | 31% | |
| 2010s | 19 | 19% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Radiohead | 5 | 5% | |
| The Beatles | 4 | 4% | |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 3% | |
| The National | 3 | 3% | |
| Coldplay | 3 | 3% | |
| Pink Floyd | 3 | 3% | |
| Oasis | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
41 | 41% | |
| |
39 | 39% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 14 from 99th to 85th Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven by Godspeed You! Black Emperor |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 85th to 86th † (Cross) by Justice (FR) |
| Down 1 from 86th to 87th Parachutes by Coldplay |
| Down 1 from 87th to 88th Selected Ambient Works 85-92 by Aphex Twin |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
90/100 (from 107 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 107 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
90/100  | 03/12/2019 22:17 |  ForegroundNoise | | 87/100 |
95/100 | 03/09/2019 03:39 | bkogz | | 92/100 |
85/100 | 03/08/2019 18:47 |  greatson | | 80/100 |
100/100 | 03/08/2019 16:20 |  Rhyner | | 99/100 |
100/100 | 03/08/2019 15:37 |  DommeDamian | | 90/100 |
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 89.9/100, a mean average of 89.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.3/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.1.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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90/100
From ForegroundNoise 03/12/2019 22:25
ForegroundNoise 03/12/2019 22:25
God I am astounded by your notes, truly something to be proud of. That said you seem to be someone much more comfortable in the modern era, with many of your older pics being slanted towards the classics. The 70s and 80s (the former especially!!) I think could do with a little more love, so here's a couple from those decades I think you might enjoy:
The Stooges - Fun House
Vashti Bunyan - Just Another Diamond Day
Brian Eno - Another Green World
Hiroshi Yoshimura - Music For Nine Postcards
Dinosaur Jr - You're Living All Over Me
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From greatson 03/08/2019 18:47
greatson 03/08/2019 18:47
well done!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
nitomano 04/22/2017 06:31
nitomano 04/22/2017 06:31
Great chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From LedZep 04/19/2017 11:54
LedZep 04/19/2017 11:54
I like the descriptions very much, but it's not that diverse (not talking about Radiohead, more about the lack of pre 90s albums). It's a great chart nontheless
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
Strangel 10/19/2016 11:46
Strangel 10/19/2016 11:46
You're obviously still young but you write like you've been a music connoisseur for 30+ years. A shit load of time and effort put into this and I really enjoyed reading your summaries on the impact each album has had on you.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Davy 05/27/2016 08:06
Davy 05/27/2016 08:06
I normally don't give a 100/100-rating, but your chart deserves every single point. You manage to explain what everyone on this website is feeling about music and the amount of effort you put into this chart and these comments is amazing. Chapeau, señor
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
ShadowColossi 04/02/2016 14:55
ShadowColossi 04/02/2016 14:55
Helllll yeah. Love this. Love the comments- Even longer than mine! Very well constructed list, can tell the music on this chart is very important to you.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
craola 07/28/2015 21:21
craola 07/28/2015 21:21
props on the album comments. really well put together with lots to say.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
awesomness425 06/01/2015 22:47
awesomness425 06/01/2015 22:47
These Notes Are On Point and the album choices are good as well (You Said a lot of Radiohead..pfft...i have the whole discography and thier live album), but also i saw a good amount of post-rock and you're right it's quite an interesting genre. I don't know if i'd put any on my list because as good as i know it is i just don't give the albums much listens...its something i listen to while lying on bed or when looking up at the cloud's or something, but Mogwai's Young Team or Sigur Ros' Agaetus Byrjun...Tied To be my favorite chart on this website...If you haven't already i reccomend Smashing Pumpkins
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Laurence 03/31/2015 12:55
Laurence 03/31/2015 12:55
Great chart! Love your notes as well, (though I haven't read them all yet) especially those for Doolittle - they're spot on!
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