Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
imimesis (2022) 
There are (still) so many albums that I want to hear, so I have undoubtedly missed something that will someday be in this list (including an album you love that I've criminally excluded). As such, this reflects what I intentionally and carefully listened to and what stands apart from the crowd in some artistic or classic sense.
I wanted to stay away from many of the obvious best albums found here and elsewhere, but some of those I couldn't help but include.
While I would like to keep the list to one album per artist, that just isn't possible when an artist is so good that they put out consistently excellent albums.
Also worth noting: I strove to include as many female artists and bands as possible. While I am enjoying this website and community, I am surprised by how male-dominated the top albums and artists are.
That is all for now.
- Chart updated: 02/21/2022 14:15
- (Created: 12/30/2015 17:08).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 21 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 47 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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I surprised myself in putting this at the very top. Really, the "best album of all time"? Well, I'll just say that if the guiding principles of The Beatles, Paul Simon, Radiohead and Spoon mean anything (which they do in my book), then Vampire Weekend has somehow synthesized the pop/rock band, singer-songwriter, album-as-art elements so well as to give us this absolute gem, with perfect or near-perfect song from very beginning to very end.
[First added to this chart: 12/30/2015]
Year of Release:
2013
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,368
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130
[First added to this chart: 12/30/2015]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
60,985
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[First added to this chart: 12/30/2015]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,541
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[First added to this chart: 12/30/2015]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
33,917
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[First added to this chart: 12/30/2015]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
65,858
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[First added to this chart: 12/30/2015]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,279
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[First added to this chart: 12/31/2015]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,030
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[First added to this chart: 12/30/2015]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,763
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[First added to this chart: 12/31/2015]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,667
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[First added to this chart: 12/30/2015]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,516
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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 | 4 | 4% | |
| 1960s | 12 | 12% | |
| 1970s | 20 | 20% | |
| 1980s | 16 | 16% | |
| 1990s | 16 | 16% | |
| 2000s | 17 | 17% | |
| 2010s | 12 | 12% | |
| 2020s | 3 | 3% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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|
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| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 2% | |
| Joni Mitchell | 2 | 2% | |
| Michael Jackson | 2 | 2% | |
| Nick Drake | 2 | 2% | |
| Arcade Fire | 2 | 2% | |
| The Beatles | 2 | 2% | |
| Joanna Newsom | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
51 | 51% | |
 |
28 | 28% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 14 from 24th to 10th Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens |
| Up 1 from 21st to 20th Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 5 from 10th to 15th Blue by Joni Mitchell |
| Down 3 from 19th to 22nd I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One by Yo La Tengo |
| Down 1 from 15th to 16th Funeral by Arcade Fire |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 47 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 47 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100/100  | 07/02/2022 05:56 | leniad | | 85/100 |
85/100 | 07/01/2022 22:47 | Rm12398 | | 88/100 |
 80/100 | 08/18/2021 15:11 |  Goliath | | 86/100 |
| 85/100 | 08/18/2021 01:53 | Moondance | | 84/100 |
| 95/100 | 08/17/2021 18:19 |  desh79 | | 93/100 |
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 3% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.4/100, a mean average of 90.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.1.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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100/100
From leniad 07/02/2022 05:56
really liked your chart, i can say you like folk and not the go to albums from some artists, good taste friend
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From Moondance 08/18/2021 01:57
Congratulations on a well considered and diverse list - and I couldn't agree more on the need to give credit to the female artists in the album world. I would also suggest that music outside the USA/UK bastions, need to be better acknowledged - something you have given thought to. Good to see Australians bands getting a mention - 3 in your top 100 is a good start (lol). Cheers!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From mianfei 12/08/2020 08:00
A very good chart, Steeleye Span is particularly noteworthy. Although I have not fully heard them, the Books, Ella Fitzgerald and Wanda Jackson are worth noting as well. There are a few over-familiar choices here, but they are more than balanced by the number of exceptional records like ‘Divers’, ‘Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven’, ‘Dummy’, ‘Hounds of Love’, and ‘Hejira’.
Some you may not have heard of but really would be worth your time to listen to:
— ‘New York Tendaberry’ by Laura Nyro
— ‘Parallelograms’ by Linda Perhacs
— ‘The Christ Tree’ by the Trees Community
— ‘St. Radigunds’ by Spirogyra
— ‘Swing the Statue’ by Victoria Williams
— ‘Native Speaker’ by Braids
— ‘Love Agenda’ by Band of Susans
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
StefanR10 12/06/2020 18:10
StefanR10 12/06/2020 18:10
Really interesting and good chart very unique and I found something new thank you for Over-the-rhine and Steeleye Span.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From zrommeke 12/06/2020 17:58
Totally my cup of tea, and more!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
jnfbn 12/06/2020 17:45
jnfbn 12/06/2020 17:45
Great chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
95/100
From LedZep 03/27/2019 23:02
LedZep 03/27/2019 23:02
Some of my 2nd tier favourites here, bands that aren't in my top 100 but could be on a different day. From Yo La Tengo and St. Vincent to Aphex Twin and Glass. Seems like the only thing I'm not a fan of here is Vampire Weekend lol. A great chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
flyingcitrus 03/27/2019 15:16
flyingcitrus 03/27/2019 15:16
I like the amount of female artists here and I think that's an underrated aspect of a good chart and honestly something mine could be more inclusive of, too. I appreciate how much non-western music here too--a lot of good stuff to dig into!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Rivera 03/27/2019 13:41
Outstanding chart: very diverse and interesting.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From Ulf 05/24/2018 12:38
noice
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.