Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by Fade2Black

My Favourite Albums - by no means a list of the greatest albums ever. A kind of awkward mix of albums that had a big impact on my life and those that are current favourites. Respect to the albums and artists that make the popular and commonly voted / accepted lists.... but music is a personal and subjective thing. We are all different, and there are no rules governing taste.

• Chart updated: 11/15/2024 15:45
• (Created: 11/06/2015 12:04).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

• Summary
• Composition
• Ratings
• Favourites
• Comments
• Your feedback

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1. (=)

Ten 

 Pearl Jam

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The Soundtrack to my late teens. A wonderful album from start to finish. Fav Tracks - Black, Porch, Garden, Alive

Everyone has a sweet spot, a short window in time when you were the most influenced by music and what you listened to touched you and will stay with you forever. This sweet spot for me started in 1991 with this album and carried through to 1995. So much great music, certainly rivalling that 1968 to 1973 period as the all time greatest period in music. [First added to this chart: 11/06/2015]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

1,843 charts

Rank Score:

18,324

Rank in 1991:

3

Rank in 1990s:

7

Overall Rank:

51

Average Rating:

 82 (2,346 votes)

Comments:

181

2. (=)

Ænima 

 Tool

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Wow, what a journey, what album. What can I say. Turn the lights of, shut your eyes, and let this one album take you away. Complex, layered, dark, beautiful, powerful. I was introduced to Tool during the Undertow days and found this to be a massive improvement. This was like nothing I had ever heard. One album I can say actually changed me, changed the way I look at all music and what it need to be for me to enjoy it, to get something out of it. Everything about this, the packaging, the art, the sounds, the pauses, the intermissions, everything is just right. Fav Tracks - Aenima, Third Eye, Pushit, Eulogy, 46 & 2. Brilliant [First added to this chart: 11/06/2015]

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

738 charts

Rank Score:

6,757

Rank in 1996:

4

Rank in 1990s:

49

Overall Rank:

242

Average Rating:

 81 (1,004 votes)

Comments:

70

3. (=)

...And Justice For All 

 Metallica

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My favourite Metallica record. I picked this one up after the Black album and it changed my life forever. From the moment the raising volume of the blackened intro started, my mouth dropped open. The complexity, the speed, the power, the depth. It just felt better, deeper, more orchestrated than the Black Album. It totally won me over and turned me into a huge Metallica fan from that moment. Certainly not perfect, in particular around the bass, but this album floored me. Still does. Fav Tracks - Blackened, One, Dyers Eve, Harvester of Sorrow [First added to this chart: 11/06/2015]

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

636 charts

Rank Score:

5,102

Rank in 1988:

5

Rank in 1980s:

45

Overall Rank:

334

Average Rating:

 80 (1,166 votes)

Comments:

53

4. (=)

Harvest 

 Neil Young

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I was never a fan of Neil Young, until I heard Needle and the damage done. The he won me over -to say the very least. Fav tracks - Needle, Old Man, Heart of Gold. [First added to this chart: 11/06/2015]

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,382 charts

Rank Score:

12,435

Rank in 1972:

5

Rank in 1970s:

27

Overall Rank:

99

Average Rating:

 85 (1,729 votes)

Comments:

96

5. (=)

Brothers In Arms 

 Dire Straits

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I bought this album with my first walkman at the age of 11. Dad haggled on the price in Fiji. I was lucky enough to be on a cruise in the South Pacific with my family. I bought this cassette with my savings on board. Sitting on the promanade deck, my 11 year old mind was blown by the sounds coming out of my walkman. That Knopfler Strat (or Les Paul it seems) sound just got me. Fav Tracks - Brothers in Arms, So Far Away, Money For Nothing. [First added to this chart: 11/06/2015]

Year of Release:

1985

Appears in:

861 charts

Rank Score:

7,125

Rank in 1985:

3

Rank in 1980s:

27

Overall Rank:

221

Average Rating:

 78 (1,178 votes)

Comments:

87

6. (=)

Exile On Main St. 

 The Rolling Stones

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An incredible album. This is what the album format is all about. As soon as i start the record it relaxes me, puts me in a great mood. The vibe, the feel to this album is unlike any other. Not as many hits as other albums but certainly the best album they have ever put together. [First added to this chart: 12/15/2015]

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,969 charts

Rank Score:

19,688

Rank in 1972:

2

Rank in 1970s:

13

Overall Rank:

45

Average Rating:

 85 (2,353 votes)

Comments:

210

7. (=)

Slippery When Wet 

 Bon Jovi

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My true guilty pleasure. Whilst not a Bon Jovi fan, this album delivers so many great tracks. So much pop rock brilliance on one album. I was 12 when I saved up an bought this on cassette, dropped it into my AKAI double cassette deck and launched around the room with my air guitar. I thank this album for my love of music. As depressing and un-romantic as it may seem. Living on a Prayer was the biggest song for everyone in my school for about a year. Disco favourite. Fav Tracks - Living on a Prayer, You give love a bad name, Raise Your Hands, Let it Rock [First added to this chart: 11/06/2015]

Year of Release:

1986

Appears in:

362 charts

Rank Score:

1,918

Rank in 1986:

12

Rank in 1980s:

136

Overall Rank:

901

Average Rating:

 69 (513 votes)

Comments:

40

8. (=)

Purple 

 Stone Temple Pilots

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A sleeper. I loved Core when I heard it, so many great tracks. Then when Purple was released my expectations were high. Vaseline was a weak single but the album presents gem after gem. Best tracks Silvergun Superman, interstate, meatplow. [First added to this chart: 11/06/2015]

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

376 charts

Rank Score:

2,724

Rank in 1994:

19

Rank in 1990s:

105

Overall Rank:

633

Average Rating:

 78 (525 votes)

Comments:

30

9. (=)

Odyssey Number Five 

 Powderfinger

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One of my favourite Australian albums. I was already a fan of this great band, and this album was their finest moment. This came at a tough time in my young life and this album was played time and time again. For this reason, it is not a happy place to re-visit but it's an album that means a lot to me and the band's best. Fav Tracks - Up and Down and Back Again, These Days, My Happiness [First added to this chart: 11/06/2015]

Year of Release:

2000

Appears in:

74 charts

Rank Score:

570

Rank in 2000:

51

Rank in 2000s:

451

Overall Rank:

2,711

Average Rating:

 78 (78 votes)

Comments:

4

10. (=)

The Beatles (The White Album) 

 The Beatles

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I had honestly never heard this from start to finish until reading Helter Skelter. Ok not a great way to start, but wow. All in all a more mature sounding record that certainly grows on you. Best tracks bungalow bill, blackbird and Helter Skelter. The later alongside revolution being my favourite Beatles tracks. [First added to this chart: 12/12/2015]

Year of Release:

1968

Appears in:

2,951 charts

Rank Score:

37,249

Rank in 1968:

1

Rank in 1960s:

6

Overall Rank:

14

Average Rating:

 89 (3,824 votes)

Comments:

342

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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Country	Albums	%
	57	57%
	22	22%
	10	10%
	4	4%
	4	4%
	1	1%
	1	1%
Show all

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts

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

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 18 ratings for this chart.

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• Date updated
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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
90/100  !	06/20/2025 10:08	SomethingSpecial	1,104	85/100
95/100  !	10/17/2024 04:34	Moondance	476	85/100
80/100  !	08/25/2022 10:08	joedec	71	83/100
90/100  !	06/27/2022 22:40	Rm12398	99	89/100
90/100  !	06/27/2022 18:44	Johnnyo	2,557	80/100

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 9% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.2/100, a mean average of 89.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 5.5.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing all 8 comments |
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Rating:  

80/100

From joedec 08/25/2022 10:09 | #288909

Pretty cool list overall. I'm pleasantly surprised that you ranked Metallica's And Justice For All in your top 5.

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

Rating:  

90/100

From Johnnyo 06/27/2022 18:44 | #286731

Excellent chart

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

Rating:  

95/100

From Moondance 04/10/2022 04:21 | #283969

Fabulous chart Fade2Black. Loved your opening comment - 'there are no rules to govern taste'. I really liked seeing Boy & Bear & Jeff Buckley and some golden oldies - Sticky Fingers, Tapestry, Tea For The Tillerman, Harvest (ie my vintage). You have canvassed all the decades and found lots of musical gems.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From AlvaroIesus 09/17/2021 02:59 | #273839

interesting.

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

Rating:  

95/100

From mrmcrook 09/16/2021 22:18 | #273818

Great list. 7 albums in common but so many other albums and artists that never quite made my top 100 but are on my decade and year lists. Love that Powderfinger & The Tea Party are in there. Like your notes as well.

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

Rating:  

90/100

From LedZep 07/10/2017 16:41 | #194020

This is extremely interesting to browse. Your 3 favourite bands judging by the number of albums are some of my favourites too! Lots of things to discover here, and a strong possibility I'll rerate chart when I try Powderfinger and Live.

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

Rating:  

85/100

From vancevisuals 11/20/2016 17:26 | #178777

Let It Bleed my favorite Stones
Love Sabbath and The Beatles of Course and Metallica has turned into one of the most underated bands of all time

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From LordMark 01/26/2016 01:00 | #157744

13 albums and 12 artists in common! And I'm happy to see that you've just added Soundgarden's Superunknown to your list.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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