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: 02/28/2026 01:45
- (Created: 06/05/2011 02:23).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 70 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 121 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 Bob Dylan. (Remove this filter)
One of the great composers alive. Now a Nobel Price laureate. Bob Dylan has succeeded in doing the impossible, his late 90's /early millenium albums are even better -as albums- than his earlier ones (yes the ones that included some of the most influential songs of music history). "Time out of Mind", "Modern Times". I doubt he will write any more era changing songs -but, dang, he's still writing exquisitely powerful songs and great music. Highlight: the discussion he has with the waitress towards the middle of the 16 minutes 'highlands' is just plain hilarious.
[First added to this chart: 06/10/2011]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,464
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
A classic among the classics. An era making album replete with era making songs. It might be easy for some to miss the point of an album like that nowadays. This is a deeply moving album. Timeless music the likes of which does not come around often. Can't be listened to distractedly. Like the 60s, it is meant to be experienced.
[First added to this chart: 12/19/2011]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,409
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 2. Page 1 of 1
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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 | 42 | 42% | |
| 1980s | 15 | 15% | |
| 1990s | 25 | 25% | |
| 2000s | 6 | 6% | |
| 2010s | 2 | 2% | |
| 2020s | 1 | 1% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Genesis | 3 | 3% | |
| King Crimson | 3 | 3% | |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 2% | |
| Bob Dylan | 2 | 2% | |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 2% | |
| Tom Waits | 2 | 2% | |
| Yes | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
46 | 46% | |
 |
36 | 36% | |
| |
9 | 9% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 50th to 51stDiscipline by King Crimson |
| Down 1 from 51st to 52ndHounds Of Love by Kate Bush |
| Down 1 from 52nd to 53rdTubular Bells by Mike Oldfield |
| New entries |
|---|
| Prelude To Ecstasy by The Last Dinner Party |
| Leavers |
|---|
| Greatest Hits by Cat Stevens |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 100 Greatest Music Albums | Manso | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| Top of the Progs I: The Classic Era | Robert Anton Wilson | Custom chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | AbsurdCheesecake | Overall chart | 2026 | |
| OVERALL CHART | pentapolin | Custom chart | 2014 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | fabm0 | 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 121 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/20/2025 14:45 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,089 | 85/100 | |
| 01/15/2025 17:30 | Exist-en-ciel | 156 | 97/100 | |
| 09/26/2024 09:46 |  Tamthebam | 651 | 85/100 | |
| 04/21/2024 19:50 |  Larcx13 | 1,139 | 86/100 | |
| 03/17/2024 01:07 | mrmcrook | 808 | 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 89.6/100, a mean average of 89.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.9/100. 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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