Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by RadiosAppear 
This is my best effort at a list of some favorites. I've generally tried to minimize the number of albums per artist, as the value of this site seems to be optimized by diversity and less emphasis on the obvious choices. That being said, I caved to the obvious with the inclusion of a couple Beatles' albums (not doing so would be too dishonest), and my love for the original Alice Cooper band was too much to resist. In any event, I'll probably be switching out various favorites depending on my interests and attention at any given moment. This is a pretty good sample, however, of the stuff I'm into, albeit with a slight bias toward my present rotation. I'm generally more interested in the musical/sonic dimensions of music than I am in the lyrical/literary aspects, so my selections have an instrumental lean. But, I love vocals and a good sing-along as much as the next guy. And, of course, there are all the sentimental and personal attachments I have to certain music, so ultimately it's impossible to spell out (in objective terms) why I love the music I love. However, I think everything listed here is pretty inspired and has a lot to offer the open-minded listener.
- Chart updated: 03/04/2012 12:59
- (Created: 01/25/2011 08:15).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 18 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 85 out of 100 (from 23 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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The entries in this chart have a zero rank score because the chart has not been updated within the last ten years (points from overall charts are decayed over a ten year period).
Available from
The last tune, "Starless," is untouchable.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2011]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,535
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Rank in 1970s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
"Warpage in my figures, Radios appear"
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2011]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,077
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Average Rating:
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Available from
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2011]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
53,361
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Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
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Comments:
Available from
The original Alice Cooper band's first album with Bob Ezrin. Side 2 is perfect. Side 1 is too.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2011]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
791
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
5. (6) 1
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Available from
This is what Deaner was talking about.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2011]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,122
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Comments:
Available from
I'm only giving Miles 1 spot, so consider this recognition of his other high points like Kind of Blue, On the Corner, Porgy and Bess, Live-Evil, etc.
[First added to this chart: 11/29/2011]
Year of Release:
1960
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,862
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Available from
He has made more interesting music, but this is his most fully realized album and the just an awesome ride start to finish.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2011]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
40,465
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Available from
Frank's music is really uneven, but a lot his fusion from this period--this album in particular, but also Grand Wazoo--is brilliant. Wish there were more Frank like this.
[First added to this chart: 02/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,560
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
Better than Master of Puppets? I'm afraid so.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2011]
Year of Release:
1990
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,788
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
Eccentricity with heart.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2011]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,194
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 10 | 10% | |
| 1970s | 40 | 40% | |
| 1980s | 13 | 13% | |
| 1990s | 12 | 12% | |
| 2000s | 23 | 23% | |
| 2010s | 2 | 2% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Alice Cooper | 3 | 3% | |
| Steely Dan | 2 | 2% | |
| Gillian Welch | 2 | 2% | |
| King Crimson | 2 | 2% | |
| Blue Öyster Cult | 2 | 2% | |
| The Beatles | 2 | 2% | |
| Charles Mingus | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
66 | 66% | |
 |
23 | 23% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
Up 4 from 39th to 35th |
Up 4 from 37th to 33rd |
Up 4 from 36th to 32nd |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 26 from 29th to 55th |
Down 13 from 35th to 48th |
Down 10 from 33rd to 43rd |
| New entries |
|---|
| Leavers |
|---|
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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 3 ratings for this chart. | Show all 23 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 07/13/2020 00:19 | RioBravo | 200 | 84/100 |
| ! | 03/04/2017 15:12 | Seab | 1,998 | 93/100 |
| ! | 05/09/2015 16:26 |  Applerill | 970 | 75/100 |
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 has a Bayesian average rating of 84.8/100, a mean average of 85.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 11.0.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 2 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 09/14/2012 08:00 in Chart of the day (#337): By RadiosAppear
BestEverAlbums 09/14/2012 08:00 in Chart of the day (#337): By RadiosAppear“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by RadiosAppear () 1. Red by King Crimson (1974) 2. Secret Treaties by Blue Öyster Cult (1974) 3. Abbey Road by The Beatles (1969) 4. Love It To Death by Alice Cooper (1971) 5. Chocolate And Cheese by Ween (1994) 6. Sketches Of Spain by Miles…”
(2 mentions across Chart of the Day topics)View latest topic →
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
sssvnnn 09/30/2013 21:53 | #87278
sssvnnn 09/30/2013 21:53 | #87278
Very well done!!
It was a pleasure to read your list.
Humorous , knowledgeable, ingenious - and in the end: lot´s of good music.
I sure come back to study the stuff I don´t know.
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From
newjlp 03/01/2014 13:08 | #104926
Some great stuff here. I'm with you on Secret Treaties and anything by Gillian Welch. Thanks for reintroducing me to Dennis Coffey and Patti Labelle.
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From
RadiosAppear 02/08/2011 04:22 | #18204
Thanks for the feedback. Alice and BOC are two artist who appeal to me as much now (at 35) as they did when I was 13 (when I first discovered them). Nilsson is my newest obsession. Check out the Nilsson documentary on Netflix (or wherever) sometime. It's awesome.[p]
Regarding the last 10 on the list, HAL and The Thrills are classic pop in the style of Nilsson, Beatles, Byrds, Beach Boys, etc. One warning: There are 2 bands named Hal, evidently, and I know nothing about the other one. The one I can recommend is from Ireland.[p]
The Kinks, who you've probably heard, are somewhere between The Who and The Beatles. Go with Arthur or Lola . . . or maybe Village Green Preservation Society for a first album. Judging from your chart, you should should find something to like about those 3 bands. The others are great too, though.
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From
RioBravo 07/13/2020 00:18 | #255495
Nice list. Each pick is a surprise.
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From
AnthraxHamRadio 02/11/2011 17:09 | #18309
AnthraxHamRadio 02/11/2011 17:09 | #18309
Thanks for stopping by and the recommendation. I do own Superbass!!! but have hardly given it a chance. Will listen some more.
Brand New's The Devil & God is, in my opinion, a masterpiece. And as for Mars Volta, if there's a better prog-rock band out there I'd like to know about it.
Shame you can't get passed Jake Snider's vocals. Personally, I love them. Please give him another chance. Minus the Bear is my favorite band. Easily.
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