Top 55 Greatest Music Albums by tmbarnes8

Dark Side of the Moon is what got me into music, and prog has become the music I really love ever since. I'm 18 and still have a lot of listening to do, so bear with me, this chart is a work in progress!

Gradually my views on music have changed, and I have began to realise the genius of the Beatles, but Prog is still where my heart is :) so I apologise for perhaps such a narrow chart, but this chart defines the music I listen to regularly and love, with very little attempt at being objective!

• Chart updated: 12/30/2017 22:45
• (Created: 02/06/2016 16:26).
• Chart size: 55 albums.

There are 6 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 55 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 83 out of 100 (from 16 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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1. (=)

The Wall 

 Pink Floyd

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No matter how much I love any album, I'm fairly sure this will reign as the greatest creation in music. It is a whole journey, the ultimate audio experience but at the same time a very visually evocative album, especially coupled with Gerald Scarfe's surreal drawings and animations from the film. The whole atmosphere that goes with this album is unrivaled in its impact. To do this album any justice I feel it has to be done in one go, from start to finish, to get properly immersed in it.
Of course Roger Waters' fantastic songwriting is mostly to thank for this album, but the very ahead-of-its-time instrumentation and sound effects, such as the very minimalist piano on Don't Leave Me Now or the violins and acoustic guitar on Is There Anybody Out There? is just as integral.
Favourite songs: All of them contribute to the perfection of The Wall but if I had to I'd say Nobody Home, Goodbye Blue Sky and The Thin Ice [First added to this chart: 02/13/2016]

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

2,238 charts

Rank Score:

27,171

Rank in 1979:

2

Rank in 1970s:

7

Overall Rank:

31

Average Rating:

 86 (3,475 votes)

Comments:

264

2. (=)

Animals 

 Pink Floyd

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As far as Pink Floyd goes, this is their best album in terms of sheer raw power. Dogs was the first song ever in my life where I realised what music really is capable of as opposed to listening to pop for my childhood. It has gloomy chords, screeching guitar solos and some of the best keyboards by Rick Wright. Pigs and Sheep are both astonishing pieces of work also, with thundering bass guitar, uplifting synthesisers, eery percussion and yet again some soaring guitar. All topped off by two short, swert and refreshing acoustic ballads to open and close this masterpiece. Only reason it is second to The Wall is it does not have such a poignant storyline to dive into, but nonetheless a perfect album still.
Favourite song: Dogs [First added to this chart: 02/13/2016]

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

1,739 charts

Rank Score:

23,538

Rank in 1977:

2

Rank in 1970s:

8

Overall Rank:

37

Average Rating:

 88 (2,773 votes)

Comments:

200

3. (=)

Tales From Topographic Oceans 

 Yes

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Possibly the most atmospheric and transcendental album I've ever heard, with the Mellotron clearly stounding out in a large portion of this release. What makes me put this album at No.3 is its ability to soothe and put things into perspective. Cosmic and with a very thought-provoking and suiting album cover also. The textures contained within this album are in some places unrivalled, and I think this is an album you either 'get' or 'don't get' and I have to say I get it. Side One was the only side I instantly liked when I heard it, but after repeated listens, more catchy phrases and passages begin to stand out. The only bit on this album I cannot stand is the drum/percussion interlude in Ritual. Oh well, luckily I've cut that out on Audacity!
Favourite Song: The Revealing Science Of God [First added to this chart: 02/13/2016]

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

206 charts

Rank Score:

898

Rank in 1973:

38

Rank in 1970s:

357

Overall Rank:

1,872

Average Rating:

 75 (417 votes)

Comments:

27

4. (=)

Wish You Were Here 

 Pink Floyd

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Ahh, Wish You Were Here, the album that did the supposedly impossible and topped Dark Side Of The Moon. A more keyboard-orientated album than most Pink Floyd ones, it seems to conjure emotions more often than Dark Side, which is probably only because I have become too familiar with DSOTM. Right from the first fade-in into Shine On, a song with such a simple use of instruments but which achieves so much with them. When Waters and Gilmour belt out the line 'Shine Ooooon You Craaaaaazy Diiiamond', and those uplifting, heavenly chords fall over it all, it really is magic.
All the tracks are strong, including Welcome to the Machine with its brilliant crystal-clear synthesisers. Overall a wonderful, spacious, reflective album.
Favourite song: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (I-V) [First added to this chart: 02/13/2016]

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

2,973 charts

Rank Score:

46,642

Rank in 1975:

1

Rank in 1970s:

2

Overall Rank:

6

Average Rating:

 91 (4,022 votes)

Comments:

310

5. (=)

Close To The Edge 

 Yes

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Yes were the last of major progressive bands I discovered, and I was very glad to not have missed this seminal album. It is easy to understand the general public's disinterest in albums like this one, as it took a good few plays to adore.
The title track is an incredibly varied composition where the most wacky, mesmerising instrumental sections suddenly drop to just a keyboard drone and so on. What stands out to me is the final 'I get up, I get down' refrain, which is a seriously uplifting line.
And You And I was nicknamed the 'perfect song' during its development, which is almost true. How they managed to create the middle section with the slide guitar, I just don't know but it is one of the most beautiful passages of music in existence. Anderson's voice is just blissful.
Siberian Khatru is mine, and probably most people's least favourite song of the three, but it does have an absolutely killer bass line in it, and like the others, is a constantly changing song exploring a wide range of musical ideas.
Favourite song: And You and I [First added to this chart: 02/13/2016]

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,180 charts

Rank Score:

14,164

Rank in 1972:

4

Rank in 1970s:

24

Overall Rank:

88

Average Rating:

 85 (1,457 votes)

Comments:

118

6. (=)

Script For A Jester's Tear 

 Marillion

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Marillion's debut is, unfortunately for them, their best in my honest opinion, containing six totally solid songs with plenty of echoes of Genesis but with a definite 80s vibe to it. The lack of any weak songs on this album contributes to its position at no.6, and to me, Steve Rothery's guitar and Mark Kelly's whizzing keyboards are the standout aspects, Rothery being equal in emotion to David Gilmour especially on their later albums).
Underrated band on many levels, and the simple fact that the tunes on this album are so great, is why it will always be one of my favourites.
Favourite song: Forgotten Sons [First added to this chart: 02/13/2016]

Year of Release:

1983

Appears in:

221 charts

Rank Score:

1,599

Rank in 1983:

18

Rank in 1980s:

172

Overall Rank:

1,100

Average Rating:

 76 (253 votes)

Comments:

11

7. (=)

Revolver 

 The Beatles

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Compared to many of the other complex, layered prog albums on this chart, this album shows just how effective an album packed with just well-crafted melodies can be. Revolver is to me the pinnacle of pop music and is the Beatles album I go back to most. The rocky She Said She Said and And Your Bird Can Sing are thrown in with the symphonic Eleanor Rigby, the optimistic Good Day Sunshine and the sorrowful For No One, and it works perfectly.
Favourite Song: Here, There And Everywhere [First added to this chart: 05/17/2017]

Year of Release:

1966

Appears in:

3,552 charts

Rank Score:

52,740

Rank in 1966:

1

Rank in 1960s:

2

Overall Rank:

4

Average Rating:

 91 (4,555 votes)

Comments:

484

8. (=)

Selling England By The Pound 

 Genesis

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This is one of the most quintessentially English albums, in its singing, lyrical content and even the tunes themselves, with their flute and acoustic sound being so authentic and carefully done. The spine-chilling guitar solo by Steve Hackett in Firth Of Fifth is a standout moment, as is the 6-minute long keyboard solo outro to The Cinema Show, with Collins' exciting drumming being the background driving sound. Almost all the songs have moments where the listener drifts into another place and momentarily zones out, such as the ending of Dancing With The Moonlit Knight. Brilliantly constructed album, with More Fool Me being the only odd one out.
Favourite Song: The Cinema Show [First added to this chart: 02/13/2016]

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

995 charts

Rank Score:

10,962

Rank in 1973:

4

Rank in 1970s:

34

Overall Rank:

127

Average Rating:

 84 (1,260 votes)

Comments:

93

9. (=)

Thick As A Brick 

 Jethro Tull

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The reason I always want to put this album on is because it has not a minute wasted in it, and is just 3/4 of an hour of good fun. The energy here is someone scarcely heard elsewhere, especially keeping it up for the whole thing. The surprising lack of diversity of instruments on this album (it feels like the same Hammond organ is the only keyboard anywhere) takes nothing away from the album's strong melodies and motifs. I don't really pay much attention to the lyrics, the music is great enough. It does feel as if the same handful of musical ideas are reused over and over, but somehow it doesn't come off as repetitive. [First added to this chart: 10/01/2016]

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

642 charts

Rank Score:

5,615

Rank in 1972:

8

Rank in 1970s:

76

Overall Rank:

310

Average Rating:

 83 (843 votes)

Comments:

44

10. (=)

The Final Cut 

 Pink Floyd

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One of the most overlooked and underrated albums of all is The Final Cut. Sure, it's basically a Roger Waters solo album, but that doesn't make it any worse. A scaled down version of the Wall, it has immaculate production and brilliant flourishes of guitar, but the simple elegance of most of the songs like Southampton Dock and The Gunner's Dream make this a truly fine album, not as grand as the Wall, but almost equally emotional. The melodies and chords are addictive and depressingly haunting at times. Has great use of orchestra and arguably the best saxophone solo of Pink Floyd on The Gunner's Dream. Roger Waters' singing is also perfect for this album, ranging from almost whispering to yelling with all his might, and I think this album where he sings the most honestly and clearly. If people gave this album more of a chance, they might see what a treasure it really is.
Favourite song: The Final Cut [First added to this chart: 02/13/2016]

Year of Release:

1983

Appears in:

396 charts

Rank Score:

2,308

Rank in 1983:

11

Rank in 1980s:

114

Overall Rank:

771

Average Rating:

 71 (1,014 votes)

Comments:

70

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Total albums: 55. Page 1 of 6

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Top 55 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade	Albums	%
1930s	0	0%
1940s	0	0%
1950s	0	0%
1960s	7	13%
1970s	27	49%
1980s	7	13%
1990s	7	13%
2000s	3	5%
2010s	4	7%
2020s	0	0%

Artist	Albums	%
Marillion	12	22%
Pink Floyd	12	22%
Genesis	7	13%
Yes	6	11%
The Beatles	4	7%
Camel	3	5%
Mike Oldfield	2	4%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	53	96%
	1	2%
	1	2%

Top 55 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest fallers
Down 1 from 28th to 29th Atom Heart Mother by Pink Floyd
Down 1 from 29th to 30th Sounds That Can't Be Made by Marillion
Down 1 from 30th to 31st Meddle by Pink Floyd

New entries
The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles

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Top 55 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)

Top 55 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 16 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
80/100	05/12/2023 17:46	Goliath	348	86/100
70/100	11/24/2018 17:45	PaperVinnie	452	81/100
90/100	07/21/2018 10:55	manurock	228	83/100
85/100	04/29/2018 12:36	LedZep	1,102	84/100
80/100	02/27/2018 01:14	paladisiac	121	77/100

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 83.3/100, a mean average of 82.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 81.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 12.2.

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Top 55 Greatest Music Albums comments

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From gon2bed 07/06/2017 17:23

So I'm not the only one to recieve a zero rating for my chart... You give me zero because I don't like prog rock or Pink bloody floyd. Get a life you cretin.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (1 helpful | 3 unhelpful)

Rating:  

95/100

From DanielNunes93 02/11/2017 13:54

Great Prog chart! Good work

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

Rating:  

50/100

From iannicolson 11/06/2016 00:01

Jeff Wayne rather ruins your British whitewash; a technicality surely. Despite my own Anglophile choices I do think this chart is too narrow even though there are great albums here. And I do not share your enthusiasm for Marillion, shudder.

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

Rating:  

90/100

From manurock 07/09/2016 13:12

I love to see so much british prog rock (will I say for the first time in my life "too many"? :P) and the fact that you praise Marillion and Genesis so much. It's great to see so much Pink Floyd, though not in the order I would prefer (nice to see Animals so high though). Great comments too. I would include more Supertramp, and please check Porcupine Tree and Phideaux's "Doomsday Afternoon". I am sure that you will like them (if you do please tell me!).

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

From revolver94 06/05/2016 04:57

A zero rating for my chart, ouch!!

I'm unfamiliar w/ Marillion, may have to check them out~~

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

Rating:  

75/100

From dihansse 06/02/2016 17:52

Why the low score on my chart?

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