Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
dihansse 
This list is based on scoring of individual tracks but with the adagium of one album per artist and no best ofs.
I have now also added at the end of each entry all the regular albums of the artist in question that would appear in my top 250 if I don't apply the one album per artist rule; to that I've added the year of issue, my personal score and all the tracks on the album with a score of 95 or 100 (roughly my top 1000 of favorite songs ever).
- Chart updated: 04/16/2024 19:45
- (Created: 10/30/2015 20:28).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 56 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 98 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1970s. (Remove this filter)
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I discovered this album and Pink Floyd (apart from "Money" from "Dark Side of the Moon" which was played on the radio) around 1977 when a friend of mine played a few songs of "Animals" (which is certainly not their best album) he had just bought and then let me listen to "Wish You Were Here" which indeed much better and even better than "Dark Side of the Moon"
Later I discovered where "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" came from, a dedication to Syd Barett who indeed had a great role in defining Pink Floyd in how it later became and introduced some weirdness in the band to prevented it to become to serious (although "The Wall” came close).
However "Shine on You..." and "Wish You Were Here" are fine examples of the more melancholic side of Pink Floyd where the guitar playing once again plays an outstanding role.
Favorite tracks on this this album (1975): Shine On You Crazy Diamonds parts I-IV, Wish You Were Here
Favorite tracks on other albums:
Meddle (1971): One Of These Days
The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973): Time
The Wall (1979): Comfortably Numb [First added to this chart: 10/30/2015]
Later I discovered where "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" came from, a dedication to Syd Barett who indeed had a great role in defining Pink Floyd in how it later became and introduced some weirdness in the band to prevented it to become to serious (although "The Wall” came close).
However "Shine on You..." and "Wish You Were Here" are fine examples of the more melancholic side of Pink Floyd where the guitar playing once again plays an outstanding role.
Favorite tracks on this this album (1975): Shine On You Crazy Diamonds parts I-IV, Wish You Were Here
Favorite tracks on other albums:
Meddle (1971): One Of These Days
The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973): Time
The Wall (1979): Comfortably Numb [First added to this chart: 10/30/2015]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
44,704
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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The title song is an absolute highlight of rock history. The guitar playing by Tom Verlaine on this album is again really distinguishable from any other guitar player in the world and the somewhat wailing voice by Verlaine really adds up to the general atmosphere of this song and album.
Later albums by Television or Tom Verlaine are not bad but are in no way comparable to the genius of "Marquee Moon".
Favorite tracks on this album (1977): Marquee Moon, Thorn Curtain [First added to this chart: 10/30/2015]
Later albums by Television or Tom Verlaine are not bad but are in no way comparable to the genius of "Marquee Moon".
Favorite tracks on this album (1977): Marquee Moon, Thorn Curtain [First added to this chart: 10/30/2015]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,095
Rank in 1977:
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Comments:
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There are many great albums of Deep Purple but I chose this one because it does stand out; this not in the least because it contains one song that has been my absolute favourite song for a very long time: "Child in Time". The other stand-out on this album are "Speed King" and "Flight of the Rat".
Favorite tracks on this album (1970): Speed King, Child In Time
Favorite tracks on other albums:
Fireball (1971): Fireball
Machinehead (1972): Highway Star
Concerto For Group And Orchestra (1969): which is for me one of the best marriages between classical music and hard guitar rock. [First added to this chart: 10/30/2015]
Favorite tracks on this album (1970): Speed King, Child In Time
Favorite tracks on other albums:
Fireball (1971): Fireball
Machinehead (1972): Highway Star
Concerto For Group And Orchestra (1969): which is for me one of the best marriages between classical music and hard guitar rock. [First added to this chart: 10/30/2015]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,666
Rank in 1970:
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Comments:
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Australia rules: this is the best punk record ever!
Favorite tracks on this album (1977): Erotic Neurotic, (I'm) Stranded
Favorite tracks not on this album:
King Of The Sun (2012): Duty
Eternally Yours (1978): This Perfect Day [First added to this chart: 06/29/2018]
Favorite tracks on this album (1977): Erotic Neurotic, (I'm) Stranded
Favorite tracks not on this album:
King Of The Sun (2012): Duty
Eternally Yours (1978): This Perfect Day [First added to this chart: 06/29/2018]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
573
Rank in 1977:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Of course Eric Clapton is God (dEUS comes later ;)). His guitar playing is excellent and nowhere he does it better on this album with Derek and the Dominoes although the live album "One of the road" is a close match. Nevertheless I chose to include a regular album, not from his solo period and not from his other cooperations with the Yardbirds, Cream ("White Room!!) or Blind Faith.
Layla is obviously the starting point and has always been one of my favorite songs not in the least because of the incredible piano coda. But there are many other standouts like the fantastic false slow song "I looked away" with fantastic lyric guitar playing, "Bell Bottom Blues" and many others.
Favorite tracks on this album (1970): I Looked Away, Bell Bottom Blues, Keep On Growing, Layla [First added to this chart: 11/02/2015]
Layla is obviously the starting point and has always been one of my favorite songs not in the least because of the incredible piano coda. But there are many other standouts like the fantastic false slow song "I looked away" with fantastic lyric guitar playing, "Bell Bottom Blues" and many others.
Favorite tracks on this album (1970): I Looked Away, Bell Bottom Blues, Keep On Growing, Layla [First added to this chart: 11/02/2015]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,649
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Favorite tracks on this album (1973): Do The Strand, Editions Of You, In Every Dream Home A Heartache
Favorite tracks not on this album:
Siren (1975): Love Is The Drug, Both Ends Burning
Roxy Music (1972): Ladytron, Virginia Plain
Country Life (1974): Out Of The Blue
Stranded (1973): Song For Europe [First added to this chart: 02/11/2017]
Favorite tracks not on this album:
Siren (1975): Love Is The Drug, Both Ends Burning
Roxy Music (1972): Ladytron, Virginia Plain
Country Life (1974): Out Of The Blue
Stranded (1973): Song For Europe [First added to this chart: 02/11/2017]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,462
Rank in 1973:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Great Australian rock band and this album is the quintessence.
Favorite tracks on this album (1977): Whole Lotta Rosie, Let There Be Rock
Favorite tracks not on this album:
T.N.T. (1975): The Jack, High Voltage
Highway To Hell (1979): Highway To Hell [First added to this chart: 06/05/2018]
Favorite tracks on this album (1977): Whole Lotta Rosie, Let There Be Rock
Favorite tracks not on this album:
T.N.T. (1975): The Jack, High Voltage
Highway To Hell (1979): Highway To Hell [First added to this chart: 06/05/2018]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,459
Rank in 1977:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Although this is a punk album, I think this is one of the best rock albums ever. It overflows with energy and also the general song writing is really good. Maybe they were an unruly bunch (especially Sid Vicious: listen to his very peculiar version of "My Way") but they did sound fantastic as a band not in the least because of the voice of Johnny Lydon.
Favorite tracks on this album (1977): Holidays In The Sun, God Save The Queen, Anarchy In The UK, Pretty Vacant [First added to this chart: 10/30/2015]
Favorite tracks on this album (1977): Holidays In The Sun, God Save The Queen, Anarchy In The UK, Pretty Vacant [First added to this chart: 10/30/2015]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,598
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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To me one of the best prog records.
Favorite tracks on this album (1974; 87.22%): School, Crime Of The Century [First added to this chart: 02/11/2017]
Favorite tracks on this album (1974; 87.22%): School, Crime Of The Century [First added to this chart: 02/11/2017]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,161
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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All the first Led Zeppelin albums could appear in this list, but this one is however the best overall.
Favorite tracks on this album (1971): Rock And Roll, Stairway To Heaven
Favorite tracks not on this album:
Led Zeppelin II (1969): Whole Lotta Love
Led Zeppelin (1969): Dazed And Confused, Communication Breakdown
Led Zeppelin III (1970): Immigrant Song
And a special mention for the live/soundtrack album The Song Remains The Same which contains many of the best versions of these tracks. [First added to this chart: 02/11/2017]
Favorite tracks on this album (1971): Rock And Roll, Stairway To Heaven
Favorite tracks not on this album:
Led Zeppelin II (1969): Whole Lotta Love
Led Zeppelin (1969): Dazed And Confused, Communication Breakdown
Led Zeppelin III (1970): Immigrant Song
And a special mention for the live/soundtrack album The Song Remains The Same which contains many of the best versions of these tracks. [First added to this chart: 02/11/2017]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
38,592
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 16. Page 1 of 2
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 4 | 4% | |
| 1970s | 16 | 16% | |
| 1980s | 21 | 21% | |
| 1990s | 40 | 40% | |
| 2000s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2010s | 8 | 8% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Bob Mould | 1 | 1% | |
| The Breeders | 1 | 1% | |
| The Frames | 1 | 1% | |
| R.E.M. | 1 | 1% | |
| Arcade Fire | 1 | 1% | |
| Electric Light Orchestra | 1 | 1% | |
| Pixies | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
44 | 44% | |
 |
35 | 35% | |
 |
7 | 7% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
| |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| New entries |
|---|
| Tender Prey by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds |
| Leavers |
|---|
| An End Has A Start by Editors |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My top chart | dihansse | Custom chart | 2017 | |
| My Overall Top 1000: 1-100 | dihansse | Custom chart | 2024 | |
| My History in Music | dihansse | Custom chart | 2017 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | dihansse | 1990s decade chart | 2025 | |
| My Overall Top 1000: 101-200 | dihansse | Custom chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | dihansse | 1980s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | vesander | Overall chart | 2012 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Manso | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| 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 | 2025 | |
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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 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 98 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 01/15/2025 17:09 | Exist-en-ciel | 147 | 98/100 |
| ! | 11/28/2024 10:39 |  ForegroundNoise | 473 | 87/100 |
| ! | 09/08/2024 20:46 | cronadigallina | 51 | 87/100 |
| ! | 06/21/2024 14:24 |  jhuik | 171 | 89/100 |
| ! | 11/06/2023 22:10 | DaaN | 11 | 86/100 |
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 90.3/100, a mean average of 90.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.7/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.2.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From ForegroundNoise 11/28/2024 10:40 | #306321
ForegroundNoise 11/28/2024 10:40 | #306321
Not sure why I had this one rated on just an 80/100, this chart is brimming with passion and enthusiasm. Not to mention as a Dinosaur Jr. fan it's a great reminder that I really need to check out Sebadoh
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From cronadigallina 09/08/2024 20:45 | #305192
As a bob mold fan it is impossible not to like this list. Your comments are really wonderful and make it easy to understand why you like an album. I had a great 20 minutes going through this list. Top
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From jhuik 06/21/2024 14:24 | #304032
jhuik 06/21/2024 14:24 | #304032
Great chart with lots of thoughtful commentary.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From DaaN 11/06/2023 22:10 | #299847
Great list and nice to read all the commentaries!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From jlinville 04/16/2023 22:51 | #296140
I LOVE your Top 100 chart. It is unabashedly a tribute to the 90's, yet you aren't afraid to throw in some classic rock just because it's good. AC/DC and Belle and Sebastian on the same chart? Brilliant! I own so many of these albums, and there are others I've never even heard of. Bravo.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From RioBravo 06/28/2021 19:15 | #271123
Nice personal chart that privileges a certain generation and rock scene, though there are many nice surprises. Love seeing love for The Saints. And any list with Zen Arcade at the top can't be bad.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 06/28/2021 09:30 | #271111
Well, that's one hell of a chart. There are probably only 3 or 4 charts that have ever got 100 from me but you get it hands down. This is top notch. Love the variety and having Eleventh Dream Day's Prairie School Freakout @ 37 is a great pick. Stunning chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Juneof44 05/05/2021 06:26 | #269367
Well done! Very nice chat with super descriptions. ( a little too focused on early '90s)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Jbalbinolr 05/02/2021 23:37 | #269272
Jbalbinolr 05/02/2021 23:37 | #269272
Now we're talking! Some of the definitive music from the american underground scene right here
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ExTeaSea 10/13/2020 02:27 | #259214
ExTeaSea 10/13/2020 02:27 | #259214
Really cool chart! I appreciate how different it is. There's some early 90s stuff on here I need to check out because I'm not as familiar with late 80s and early 90s like I am with other years/decades.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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