Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
Robert Anton Wilson 
This would stand as my 100 desert island record list - as long as anthology box sets are not allowed of course.
Usually, I showcase albums that I had a "moment" with. A "moment" is a period of at least a month when the album was on repeat and made it almost impossible for me to listen to something else during that period. Sometimes when I discovered a new band late -I often do that, it was a series of album that played on repeat - like when I discovered STP on their second album (both albums were on repeat on a reversible cassette), or when I discovered Muse, they already had 5 albums.
The ordering is not really reliable. True objectivity is a myth. When you feel like listening to music by the Offspring it ranks higher in your gut than Miles Davis or St. Vincent -even if your head tells you that Miles should rank highest!! The gut and the ears listen, the head tries to order things and create a chart that would be be true both to me and to the reality of the "objective" world -But hey! It is not the objective world that gives me goosebumps when I listen to great music.
Chart corrected early 2023, years after the chart was first posted. Not really additions but significant shifts in position. I just realised that some albums that had been extremely significant for me I haven't listened to in a while and do not feel like listening to now. It does not mean they are less important for me, I would still go mad if they were to be "disappeared", but currently they go-to-ness is lower.
Finally, I must admit that I wanted to showcase diversity with my chart, hence why the first 5 albums are not all Pink Floyd;)
- Chart updated: 02/26/2024 22:45
- (Created: 06/05/2011 02:23).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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There is no Dark Side to the Dark Side of the Moon really, as a matter of fact, it's all brilliant.
[First added to this chart: 06/05/2011]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
60,051
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As an album, I find Fragile to be very well put together. Even people who hate Yes or Prog music usually find something to like on this album. Highlight: Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround, Heart of the Sunrise (but the latter only for prog-heads). The albums I personnaly like less than most Yes fans are Relayer and Drama. The albums I find are better than most people make them out to be are: Talk, Magnification and Tormato. The unforgivably BAD albums are: Big Generator, Open Your Eyes and Heaven and Earth.
[First added to this chart: 06/10/2011]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,220
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My favorite of them. A niche album. This is Genesis at its most creative before the recipe crystallized. Highlight: Side 2: Supper`s Ready - of course. If you ever get a chance to see the tribute band 'Musical Bos' do the Foxtrot tour on stage do not miss the occasion. Even Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins are known to have brought their children see it.
[First added to this chart: 06/10/2011]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,103
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After all these years and all these repeated plays, I still feel I haven't heard everything that is recorded on that album. I almost never listen to "Stairway" or "Black Dog" anymore and my current obsession is "When the Levee Breaks". There is much more to this album than appears at first.
[First added to this chart: 06/05/2011]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
38,645
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Offenbach was the first real Quebec rock band singing mostly in French. They proved that it could be done while remaining true to both rock and to Quebec - without falling into either traps of "folk-it-up" or "sell-our-souls". Highlight: "Chu" un rocker". It is all good really. Even the filler tracks are amazing in contrast with most of their other albums. Other stand-out albums: Tabarnak, Traversion, Coup de foudre!!, En fusion.
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
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The ultimate King Crimson. The one album that only them could have ever done and no one, even themselves, could ever imitate. An album all in contrasts, alternating between nearly inaudible musical intros and ear drum ripping schizoid jamming. Not for the faint hearted, not to be listened to while distracted and not to be listened to on a crappy sound system. This uses the full dynamic range of recordable sound.
[First added to this chart: 12/19/2011]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,390
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Deep Purple is really a performance band and this is them at their best. All Deep Purple studio albums have filler songs. When you transform a shorter than 5 minutes song into a 15 minutes plus rock extravaganza, there is no time for fillers. Also do not be afraid to try their new stuff. No they are not dead. Avoid the shameful Slaves & Masters album which is more a Rainbow than a Deep Purple album - at least according to Jon Lord himself. The Battle Rages On was a very strong album with very interesting pieces and they haven't had a single weak album since Steve Morse joined the band. No masterpieces for sure, but very decent rock albums worth the listen. It seems that the vocalist Ian Gillan was a better band to keep the band going than founding member and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Don Airey is a very decent heir to the marvelous Jon Lord (RIP).
[First added to this chart: 02/15/2015]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,818
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The toughest music to get into on that list (yes even more than Tom Waits or Pawn Hearts). If you don't get that type of music there is no point trying to explain. To be listened to very loud - not for the same reason as the Offspring or STP though. VERY different from her other albums (which are all great by the way - except Lionheart which I can't stand. Sorry Kate.)
[First added to this chart: 06/10/2011]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,303
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As opposed to most album on that list, The Wall is an album that requires to be shelved every once in a while. It can be just darn too depressive and all consuming. However, every time it gets a dusting, I am reminded that this is the greatest concept album/show/movie ever realized. Roger rules. Finally saw The Wall tour live, amazing!
[First added to this chart: 06/10/2011]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,152
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A totally hallucinatory prog experience. Peter Gabriel ran into a creative blank mid-way and the album was not finished the way he intended. This left lots of space for the creativity of the other members. Take it for what it is and accept to be thrown off guard, it is worth it in the end. To me, the musical odyssey lead by Genesis until this album finds its continuation in Peter Gabriel's solo career. If you ask me, Genesis without Gabriel is a good band, but not the same band.
[First added to this chart: 08/01/2011]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,434
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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 1 | 1% | |
| 1960s | 8 | 8% | |
| 1970s | 43 | 43% | |
| 1980s | 15 | 15% | |
| 1990s | 25 | 25% | |
| 2000s | 6 | 6% | |
| 2010s | 2 | 2% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Genesis | 3 | 3% | |
| King Crimson | 3 | 3% | |
| U2 | 2 | 2% | |
| Kate Bush | 2 | 2% | |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 2% | |
| Bob Dylan | 2 | 2% | |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
47 | 47% | |
| |
36 | 36% | |
| |
9 | 9% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 67 from 84th to 17th Rain Dogs by Tom Waits |
| Up 35 from 51st to 16th Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin |
| Up 34 from 63rd to 29th Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 88 from 11th to 99th Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis |
| Down 88 from 12th to 100th Olé Coltrane by John Coltrane |
| Down 63 from 29th to 92nd Blood Money by Tom Waits |
| New entries |
|---|
| Trouble At The Henhouse by The Tragically Hip |
| Vs. by Pearl Jam |
| Recycled by Nektar |
| World Record by Van Der Graaf Generator |
| Leavers |
|---|
| Riot Act by Pearl Jam |
| Phantom Power by The Tragically Hip |
| MTV Unplugged In New York by Nirvana |
| After The Gold Rush by Neil Young |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Robert Anton Wilson | 1970s decade chart | 2012 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | maximm67 | Overall chart | 2011 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | jeffrey-hodgson | Overall chart | 2018 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | Robert Anton Wilson | 1990s decade chart | 2012 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  IlMala | Overall chart | 2022 |  |
| Top of the Progs I: The Classic Era | Robert Anton Wilson | Custom chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Manso | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| OVERALL CHART | pentapolin | Custom chart | 2014 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | fabm0 | Overall chart | 2025 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | AbsurdCheesecake | Overall chart | 2025 | |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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 122 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/20/2025 14:45 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/15/2025 17:30 | Exist-en-ciel | 143 | 98/100 |
| ! | 09/26/2024 09:46 |  Tamthebam | 645 | 85/100 |
| ! | 04/21/2024 19:50 |  Larcx13 | 1,145 | 86/100 |
| ! | 03/17/2024 01:07 | mrmcrook | 756 | 92/100 |
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 89.5/100, a mean average of 89.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.3.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From Tamthebam 09/26/2024 09:55 | #305429
Tamthebam 09/26/2024 09:55 | #305429
I love the sentiment behind your choices "Albums that were on repeat for a month" that is a brilliant way to measure an albums worth. I need to revaluate some of my choices in my chart !
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From mrmcrook 03/17/2024 01:09 | #302566
Great chart. Enjoyable notes being informative but with the personal touch. Has made me add a few albums to my Wishlist.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From KineticEchoes02 01/08/2024 02:32 | #300979
Loving this chart - great work! Really enjoyed your writeups too. There's a lot I need to check out in here. Very eclectic, great diversity in genres among the classics, and would agree that basically all your prog choices deserve a spot on this list.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Moondance 09/14/2021 00:22 | #273702
I've revisited this chart and have to say that I was engaged with your comments (from 1 - 100) more than any other chart I have checked out on this site. I really liked the personal 'lived' connection between you & the albums and you not being afraid to include outliers (like Samantha Fish).
Good to see one Aussie band make the list. I appreciate the conundrum of including 'After The Goldrush' or 'Harvest'. I've gone for 'Harvest' in my own list.
After revisiting the chart, I have also revisited my ranking.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
rockbluesfolkjaz 09/13/2021 19:40 | #273690
rockbluesfolkjaz 09/13/2021 19:40 | #273690
Very nice list. I can relate to many. The others make me think enough to listen.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Steppenwolf666 03/12/2021 10:16 | #267268
Outstanding. I think I have about 90% of these records because most of them are must have masterpieces.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
StefanR10 09/09/2020 20:01 | #257968
StefanR10 09/09/2020 20:01 | #257968
A really good mixed collection. I find something new but there are some classics here very good selected.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
DommeDamian 09/09/2020 08:23 | #257947
DommeDamian 09/09/2020 08:23 | #257947
RAW list.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
EyeKanFly 02/02/2020 21:41 | #247423
EyeKanFly 02/02/2020 21:41 | #247423
Interesting list. Not a lot from the past 2 decades but what is there is definitely not the expected. Love the explanation of a "moment" - I certainly had one of those when I was introduced to Muse as well!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ExTeaSea 08/26/2018 17:17 | #220127
ExTeaSea 08/26/2018 17:17 | #220127
Happy to see so much prog on a list! You even have Triumvarat!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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