Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by YikYak 
Music is really cool. Because no two people ever have the exact same favorites and rankings. It's not like ranking baseball teams, where the number of World Series wins and Hall-of-Famers really determine how legendary your team is. Music is completely open to interpretation and opinion, which is amazing.
I chose my favorites and did not take albums specifically based on commercial success, critical acclaim, or legacy. Everything on here is my personal opinion. Of course, I haven't listened to everything and there is still a lot I have on my album bucket list.
I have a personal bias to guitar-based rock and concept albums.
I considered limiting my chart to one album per artist, but I didn't want to do that. I love a lot of albums by a few artists, like Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age, Nirvana, The Beatles, and Pink Floyd, where I have at least 4 of their albums on my list. I wouldn't be able to choose just one album for these artists. A one album per artist limit would not show what I truly consider the 100 greatest albums of all time.
My tastes have changed considerably since I started really listening to music, so this chart will always evolve. Right now, I feel pretty satisfied with it, but tomorrow, I may not. The chart is going to change again and again. It is pretty much impossible to rank my favorites, so this is essentially the 100 albums that have stuck with me the most. And even these I could easily switch out for others, especially ones near the bottom.
Chart of the Day on: July 20th, 2016, March 15th, 2018, April 20th, 2022, February 18th, 2023, September 7th, 2023
- Chart updated: 12/02/2023 23:15
- (Created: 05/06/2016 12:45).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 39 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 92 out of 100 (from 85 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 Pink Floyd. (Remove this filter)
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What does Pink Floyd do after making The Dark Side of the Moon? Follows it up with an album with even more grit and beauty.
The Dark Side of the Moon has been a favorite of mine for a long time. I decided I wanted to listen to more of Pink Floyd's music and checked this out. To be honest, I looked at the run-time on each of the songs on the album and was intimidated. I was afraid I wouldn't like it.
Man, was I wrong. This album is perfect all the way through. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) is an amazing opener to the album. The 8 minutes of opening instrumentals are perfect, only to be opened up with lyrics that not only meet the quality of the instrumentals, but exceed them. Welcome to the Machine and Have a Cigar maintain the greatness, preparing for the title track. And just wow. Wish You Were Here may legitimately be the greatest song of all time. The instrumentals are absolutely incredible, but it's the lyrical beauty that truly puts this song in question of greatest of all time. And the transition into Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX) is flawless, leading into a closer that brings the album full circle, never having a dull or weak moment.
Key Track(s): Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V), Welcome to the Machine, Have a Cigar, Wish You Were Here, Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX) - Yes, I put all of them.
Key Lyric: "Well, I've always had a deep respect,
And I mean that most sincerely.
The band is just fantastic,
That is really what I think.
Oh by the way, which one's Pink?" [First added to this chart: 05/09/2016]
The Dark Side of the Moon has been a favorite of mine for a long time. I decided I wanted to listen to more of Pink Floyd's music and checked this out. To be honest, I looked at the run-time on each of the songs on the album and was intimidated. I was afraid I wouldn't like it.
Man, was I wrong. This album is perfect all the way through. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) is an amazing opener to the album. The 8 minutes of opening instrumentals are perfect, only to be opened up with lyrics that not only meet the quality of the instrumentals, but exceed them. Welcome to the Machine and Have a Cigar maintain the greatness, preparing for the title track. And just wow. Wish You Were Here may legitimately be the greatest song of all time. The instrumentals are absolutely incredible, but it's the lyrical beauty that truly puts this song in question of greatest of all time. And the transition into Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX) is flawless, leading into a closer that brings the album full circle, never having a dull or weak moment.
Key Track(s): Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V), Welcome to the Machine, Have a Cigar, Wish You Were Here, Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX) - Yes, I put all of them.
Key Lyric: "Well, I've always had a deep respect,
And I mean that most sincerely.
The band is just fantastic,
That is really what I think.
Oh by the way, which one's Pink?" [First added to this chart: 05/09/2016]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
46,297
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
311
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This is a 42 minute song called "The Dark Side of the Moon", not 10 different songs. Waters is saying that if you go mad, he'll "see you on The Dark Side of the Moon". We never actually see The Dark Side of the Moon, but it was always there, but on the opposite side. Waters said that madness is always around, always invisible, waiting to be exposed. It's deep.
Key Track(s): One does not simply listen to part of The Dark Side of the Moon...
Key Lyric: "And all that is now
And all that is gone
And all that's to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon.
There is no dark side of the moon, really.
Matter of fact, it's all dark." [First added to this chart: 05/09/2016]
Key Track(s): One does not simply listen to part of The Dark Side of the Moon...
Key Lyric: "And all that is now
And all that is gone
And all that's to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon.
There is no dark side of the moon, really.
Matter of fact, it's all dark." [First added to this chart: 05/09/2016]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
63,393
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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This is the 3rd album of Pink Floyd's stride where they got pretty much everything right. I still think the album cover for Animals and Atom Heart Mother should switch. It just makes more sense.
Key Track(s): Dogs, Pigs (Three Different Ones), Sheep
Key Lyric: "You're nearly a good laugh
Almost a joker
With your head down in the pig bin
Saying "keep on digging"
Pig stain on your fat chin
What do you hope to find?
When you're down in the pig mine" [First added to this chart: 06/02/2016]
Key Track(s): Dogs, Pigs (Three Different Ones), Sheep
Key Lyric: "You're nearly a good laugh
Almost a joker
With your head down in the pig bin
Saying "keep on digging"
Pig stain on your fat chin
What do you hope to find?
When you're down in the pig mine" [First added to this chart: 06/02/2016]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
23,347
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The first double album on my list. A little too long for me for it to compare with DSOTM or WYWH, but still absolutely amazing.
Key Track(s): Well it's a Pink Floyd album, so all the songs are better as an album.
Key Lyric: "Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?
Mother, do you think they'll like this song?
Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls?
Ooh, aah, mother, should I build the wall?" [First added to this chart: 05/11/2016]
Key Track(s): Well it's a Pink Floyd album, so all the songs are better as an album.
Key Lyric: "Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?
Mother, do you think they'll like this song?
Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls?
Ooh, aah, mother, should I build the wall?" [First added to this chart: 05/11/2016]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,707
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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This was being recorded in Abbey Road Studios at the same time The Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper's. No wonder this sounds a little like a Beatles album.
Key Track(s): Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam, Flaming, Interstellar Overdrive, Bike
Key Lyric: "I've got a cloak. It's a bit of a joke
There's a tear up the front. It's red and black
I've had it for months
If you think it could look good, then I guess it should" [First added to this chart: 03/10/2017]
Key Track(s): Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam, Flaming, Interstellar Overdrive, Bike
Key Lyric: "I've got a cloak. It's a bit of a joke
There's a tear up the front. It's red and black
I've had it for months
If you think it could look good, then I guess it should" [First added to this chart: 03/10/2017]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,278
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 5. Page 1 of 1
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 15 | 15% | |
| 1970s | 11 | 11% | |
| 1980s | 6 | 6% | |
| 1990s | 27 | 27% | |
| 2000s | 30 | 30% | |
| 2010s | 11 | 11% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Queens Of The Stone Age | 6 | 6% | |
| The Beatles | 5 | 5% | |
| Radiohead | 5 | 5% | |
| Pink Floyd | 5 | 5% | |
| Nirvana | 4 | 4% | |
| The White Stripes | 3 | 3% | |
| Muse | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 63rd to 64th Black Holes And Revelations by Muse |
| Down 1 from 64th to 65th Lullabies To Paralyze by Queens Of The Stone Age |
| Down 1 from 65th to 66th Boston by Boston |
| New entries |
|---|
 Fever To Tellby Yeah Yeah Yeahs |
| Let England Shake by PJ Harvey |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Stories From The City, Stories From The Seaby PJ Harvey |
| The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
92/100 (from 85 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 85 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 02/19/2023 04:28 | Moondance | | 85/100 |
| 90/100 | 02/18/2023 16:15 | Johnnyo | | 80/100 |
| 85/100 | 04/25/2022 17:09 |  Cytoma | | 90/100 |
| 95/100 | 04/20/2022 13:50 | wizardalien | | 88/100 |
| 95/100 | 11/30/2021 19:44 |  Mercury | | 95/100 |
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 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 92.2/100, a mean average of 91.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 93.0/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.2.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 39 comments |
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90/100
From Moondance 02/19/2023 04:38
With 17 artists and 10 albums in common, there is a shared love of certain artists/albums. There is also a big divide between us in other music preferences - which to quote you: "Music is completely open to interpretation and opinion, which is amazing".
That said, I find this chart and the comments within it to be some of the best I have seen on this site ~ & I greatly appreciate the time & effort required to make insightful, considered commentary.
Love that you have 3 albums from Australia, including a few outliers. Although not in my top 100, I do have Atlas Genius in my year chart ~ so we are in quite a distinguished minority group there ~ all power to us!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Johnnyo 02/18/2023 16:16
Really great chart. Great comments too. I keep on trying to get my act together to add more description to my charts but always get distracted. Great job
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
sssvnnn 02/28/2021 18:37
sssvnnn 02/28/2021 18:37
good chart.
Very good top 10.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From mrmcrook 02/17/2021 03:52
Well done. Best of all lists I've looked at. Know and love 80% of whats on it. Will be checking out that which I haven't heard. Double thumbs up. Great notes as well.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
jdenny2018 11/06/2018 17:52
jdenny2018 11/06/2018 17:52
"Music is really cool" should be the motto for this website.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 11/06/2018 09:42
ForegroundNoise 11/06/2018 09:42
I'd already given this chart a rating but since it's chart of the day I'll leave a comment.
Love the passion that comes through on your chart. Even though I'd disagree with that interpretation of Kid A (I'd give that distinction to HTTT since it was the album that Thom Yorke wrote a lot of lyrics about shielding yuor child from the cruelty of the world after the birth of his firstborn) I share your love of that album and our chart's descriptions are spookily similar! - nice to see a like-minded music fan.
Since you are a self-professed lover of 'guitar-based rock and concept albums' then I'll give you a rec in that order: The Microphones' 'The Glow Pt.2' has a loose concept of a figure who feels disconnected from the world of modernity (I Want Wind To Blow, My Roots Are Strong And Deep, I Want To Be Cold, I Felt My Size) who experiences love and loss (I Am Bored, I Felt Your Shape) before resolving to reconnect to the elemental world through his suicide (Samurai Sword) with the album closing to the sound of the narrator's blood pouring back into the earth from whence he came (My Warm Blood).
This one's a personal favourite I think you'd enjoy but feel free to check out my chart since I think there's a number of things there you might like!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
60/100
From 
Boltzmann 03/16/2018 15:42
Boltzmann 03/16/2018 15:42
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -4 votes (1 helpful | 5 unhelpful)
90/100
From n8rob 03/16/2018 15:34
Dang, good stuff!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From SamNassiri98 03/16/2018 14:48
A lot of albums in common which is good but the ranking leaves a lot to be desired. I appreciate the effort you took in writing above each album.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Ulf 03/16/2018 09:56
Really great stuff with great descriptions!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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