Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by RoundTheBend

Here's my old 2013 chart: http://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=31041

In 2016 I listened to something like 1,600 albums (selected first from the top 100 of each decade on this site, but then some gems and recommendations) and reassessed what music I truly thought was good in that moment, rating them song for song and averaging out the album. I feel like I only scratched the surface in some areas while in others it was liberating discoveries. Obviously there were some reassessments of known favorites.

Along the way I discovered some prejudices with my own initial gut checks... like I thought I had to put Nevermind in my top 10 (not because of popularity, but because I thought it was a top 10 album) and maybe that is true and maybe it isn't. I realize this process is ever changing, and in 6 months it might change again, but no, I don't need to have my top 10 the gut check what "should" be in my top 10. The mathematical approach I did was both blind and at times shocking. It also wasn't perfect.

Some give me a hard time for liking my "big artists", but ever since I was 14 I kind of made this decision that I like big bands... they have great discographies, and felt other artists failed at creating something with true staying power, even if it was pretty cool for the time. Somehow my favorite aesthetic is that pop (very loose use of this term) group like Nirvana or U2 who can both appeal to the blue collar and the white collar - that sweet sour pop yet not pop, the artist who happens to play in the medium of pop, if you will... or maybe it's the pop artisan who aspires to make great art. To me great art best puts a mirror against humanity and conveys emotions and discusses ideas in powerful/meaningful ways. Great musicians are those who can do it in a beautifully tonal landscape.

I've also decided to go one artist per album on my overall. There's times when I say, why would I not put a 100 album on my list just because I want another artist on my list, who maybe really has an 80 album, then I realized at the end of this project, I wouldn't be able to fit all of my 80 or higher albums on this list... or 5 lists, so here it is 1 album per artist with the lowest score of 86.6.

Well it's 2018 now... I'm ready to revamp again (sometimes I look at it and I'm disappointed and sometimes I look at it and say, yeah, that feels about right), but this time incorporating my review of western music before 1950... WIP that probably will take a year or so... idk.

Starting to add descriptors and genre's from RYM to be a little more conscious of why I love these albums. It's a bit of unconscious competency for me sometimes. I will never use the genre's pop rock, indie rock, singer/songwriter to describe anything but garbage that doesn't have enough style to be unique. Also have decided I need to stop my stream of conscious ramblings and quote more thought out writings about albums. I usually am writing on this site after a 10 hour work day and mostly sound like incoherent ramblings than anything really constructive, even if I know better. I saw someone else do this as well and thought it a nice touch to their chart. If it's in quotes and references a user, it's not my words.

There are 81 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 134 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 Beck. (Remove this filter)

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Art Pop, Contemporary Folk, Folk Rock
melancholic, sad, warm, lonely

"...This is tearing nails into the saddest Drake and Cohen songs, and there's nothing wrong with that. This isn't the Beck you expect, the weirdness is seeped in soft ribbons of noise and deadened in a way. But I think after spending so long with Beck's music. I no longer enjoy the "quirk" appeal and Sea Change stands out as one of his best arrangements.

The string sections take it to a whole other level in general. The climax in "Lonesome Tears" is probably every heartbreak song ever made with the cheese milked out and the emotional crescendo turned up to 10..." -Schizima, RYM

Sea Change (2002): 100
Guero (2005): 97.6
Odelay (1996): 94.2
Colors (2017): 91
Mutations (1998): 90.4
The Information (2006): 89.6
Midnite Vultures (1999): 86.3
Morning Phase (2014): 85
Modern Guilt (2008): 84
Mellow Gold (1994): 82
One Foot In The Grave (1994): 70
[First added to this chart: 06/01/2011]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,358
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1. Page 1 of 1

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade Albums %


1930s 0 0%
1940s 1 1%
1950s 6 6%
1960s 17 17%
1970s 10 10%
1980s 16 16%
1990s 19 19%
2000s 26 26%
2010s 5 5%
2020s 0 0%
Artist Albums %


The Doors 1 1%
Ray Charles 1 1%
Jimmy Eat World 1 1%
Eddie Vedder 1 1%
Paul Simon 1 1%
The White Stripes 1 1%
Nirvana 1 1%
Show all
Country Albums %


United States 67 67%
United Kingdom 21 21%
Mixed Nationality 3 3%
Iceland 2 2%
Canada 2 2%
Ireland 1 1%
Australia 1 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 93 93%
Yes 7 7%
Live? Albums %
No 97 97%
Yes 3 3%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 98 98%
Yes 2 2%

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
88/100 (from 134 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
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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).
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05/25/2021 09:27 BlueNote  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 8974/100
  
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02/17/2021 05:37 pjohnsongolf  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 27389/100
  
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01/08/2021 08:34 DriftingOrpheus  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 7991/100
  
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01/04/2021 14:31 EyeKanFly  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 20788/100
  
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11/27/2020 03:56 ExTeaSea  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 23989/100

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).
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This chart is rated in the top 12% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 87.7/100, a mean average of 87.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 87.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 11.4.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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Rating:  
90/100
From 03/29/2021 14:42
Very eclectic and wide-ranging. I love your choices from the 1950s and the way you don't go overboard on the 1970s like so many charts on this site. Your inclusion of compilation albums was surprising to me... both surprising to see them, and surprisingly good choices.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 01/04/2021 14:35
I rated your chart 85/100 back in 2013 and I think I gotta come back and bump that up a bit. I don't personally follow the 1-album-per-artist rule and I'm also not huge on adding compilations, but the amount of thought and effort you've put into the notes for every album here really shows. One thing I love is how even though you've limited yourself to a album per artist, you've also ranked the other albums (at least for the top half or so of the chart). This gives a fuller picture of your preferences, which is really incredible. You get the best of both worlds: diversity of artists PLUS a true ranking of your favorite albums even. There's some fantastic stuff here, lot's in common but also a lot I need to revisit or check out for the first time.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 11/27/2020 04:08
Interesting chart! 20 artists in common. Love your notes for Mellon Collie. Some of the best notes for any album on this site. It's my all time favorite album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 09/21/2020 03:52
It's an outstanding chart. It would be a crime if I rated your chart any less than perfect.

Our tastes might differ a little and that's the way it should be, what would be the point of user charts if all the users had the same taste in music?

I don't agree with your way of rating albums though. I believe an album should be an experience as a whole. A "great" album has to be able to change your state, mentally. A collection of 10/10 songs isn't necessarily a great album IMHO.
Thanks for sharing!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 08/23/2020 13:28
Hard to knock virtually any of your choices (that I've heard). Loved that you ranked other albums by the same band, and find them very different than how I would rank most of them, but appreciate that your perspective is unique. Thx.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 06/18/2020 03:15
Thanks for all the kind comments. I have updated this charts comments/descriptors, etc. over the past 4 years, but not the rankings/inclusions much. I desperately need to revamp since I have a spreadsheet/took a more deliberate approach on music I like, but wasn't as pencil headed about. I'm just afraid to touch anything... haha.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 06/15/2020 19:03
I don’t think I’ve been here since last year, and I’m honestly a little stunned at all the power pop and alternative...given how much classical and jazz you seem to listen to. But hey, it’s your chart, so kick it your way.
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Rating:  
85/100
From 06/15/2020 12:12
Good work I like it a little bit much of compilations but ok they have great songs on it. So I gone you 85 points.
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Rating:  
95/100
From 10/16/2019 11:41
Points for Mellon Collie and Graceland I’m the top 10. I can’t justify a greatest hits collection on the list though, although those songs are great.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 10/13/2019 05:35
Just looking at each spot individually, I would say that a lot of the picks don't seem too surprising. However, seeing the way the chart flows along, I somehow just know it's legit. Thinking about each spot and the sound of each album, I can tell that this was well thought out, and created out of pure love for the music. Some charts just look like people took a glance at the overall ratings for a template and sprinkled in some favorites. So I really like this chart quite a bit, even if not all the albums are my thing (though there are quite a lot of cool choices).
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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