Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Strangel

These albums are my favourites. This is not meant to be a 'Greatest Album's' chart, although I would strongly argue for each of my chosen albums in being considered for a greatest albums list. My interest is more toward the alternative/indie and electronic genres with a tendency toward experimentation in the music. I also need to be able to comfortably immerse myself in the music. So while I appreciate, and want to explore the work of Autechre (for example), I get far more pleasure from listening to Burial which has more reverie to the sound rather than almost pure math and tech. Aphex Twin, in fact, manages to bridge these aspects perfectly.

It might be noted that Radiohead dominates the list which simply expresses my belief that they have the uncanny ability to release album after album of near perfect alternative music, shifting the landscape of what's possible whilst always remaining relevant. I don't apologise for this. They are that good.

• Chart updated: 02/07/2024 05:15
• (Created: 07/04/2016 14:26).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

There are 31 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 50 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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11. (=)

The Bends 

 Radiohead

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There is no way I could ever have thought that Radiohead would end up producing 3 albums better than this one. The pure emotional outpouring, frenzied guitar crescendos, and contemplative lyrics all combined to create an album that would move a whole generation of emotionally intelligent music lovers. Thom Yorke broke down and cried after recording Fake Plastic Trees. A 50+ yr old neighbour of mine, who had no interest in alternative music, was also brought to tears when I played the same song to him for the first time. It is a song that is all too confronting for the universal truth it conveys about the futility and senselessness of living in a fabricated relationship with the world around us. Street Spirit is the closer that leaves you wondering about the premonition of a world that has been completely consumed by that same fabrication. And it is all so eerily beautiful. The album only suffers in that it still has the feel of a band finding its way out of the early 'Radiohead' sound that could have defined them. They are beginning to tap into their creative genius with songs like Street Spirit and Planet Telex, but mostly it is merely a supremely good guitar based rock album boosted massively by a few songs of deep visceral emotion. I say 'merely' because the creative flowering of the band thereafter makes 'mere' guitar rock seem a little passé.

Rating: 97/100

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: A favourite moment of mine has always been Johnny's building guitar crescendo in Just that seems to take you to ever-increasing levels of eargasm. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]

Year of Release:

1995

Appears in:

2,623 charts

Rank Score:

33,195

Rank in 1995:

1

Rank in 1990s:

5

Overall Rank:

23

Average Rating:

 87 (3,828 votes)

Comments:

312

12. (=)

Ænima 

 Tool

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In an era where heavy music was less relevant as a means to voice generational disquiet, Tool came from out of the ether to smack us in the face with this album of sublime music. They came to us when we were in need of expressing intelligent anger whilst also connecting with the latent artistic sensibility of a wider collective. They got us in touch with the art of Alex Grey, the comedic social commentary of Bill Hicks, and the depth psychology of Carl Jung. All of this was interwoven into the package that was AEnima, the album. The music itself rumbled like thunder without ever getting overcooked with pretensions. The title track roused a passion from within for those who saw through the plastic world of Los Angeles America without ever making us want to hurt anyone, afterall, Mother Nature will take care of that. Won't she? The musicianship is cleverly layered and artistically motivated. It is one of the few heavy albums I can return to time and again.

Rating: 97/100

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The visceral lyrical rant demonstrated by Maynard in the title track.
'Learn to Swim'! [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

713 charts

Rank Score:

6,851

Rank in 1996:

4

Rank in 1990s:

50

Overall Rank:

256

Average Rating:

 81 (974 votes)

Comments:

69

13. (=)

The Doors 

 The Doors

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It was charismatic, catchy, dark, and extremely provocative for its time. This was a band conceived from psychedelic acid rain falling on the fertile soil of rock n roll and absorbed into the roots of the Blues. This album is the first debut on this list and the amazing thing is it came out just the year after Revolver. The Doors were alternative from the very beginning. The Beatles took a few albums to find the alternate route but The Doors were the epitome of an alternative band. Sure, they had the catchy immediacy of Light My Fire but they weren't going to follow any template for rock success. They were here to take us on a shamanic journey... if we were ready and willing to open ourselves to a deeper mystery within the lyrics and the hypnotic music. The End is quite possibly the greatest song ever written since the inception of rock music. It challenged the listener like no other music before it. How is it even possible for a young band to write such an epic closing track on their first album? I just wish I'd managed to see them live.

Rating 97/100

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The End [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

2,340 charts

Rank Score:

29,112

Rank in 1967:

3

Rank in 1960s:

10

Overall Rank:

30

Average Rating:

 87 (2,763 votes)

Comments:

207

14. (=)

Dummy 

 Portishead

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In this astonishing album Beth Gibbons has managed to tap into the melancholic heartbreak of a neglected divine feminine. To have that sensibility alone is a grand feat but to also manage to define a whole genre (trip hop), to go with it, makes this album an absolute classic. This is not background music - instead this album implores you to listen attentively because She has been ignored for far too long.

Rating: 96/100

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The emotional fragility in Beth Gibbon's voice is almost unbearably palpable in the song Roads. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

1,492 charts

Rank Score:

17,101

Rank in 1994:

3

Rank in 1990s:

14

Overall Rank:

74

Average Rating:

 84 (1,659 votes)

Comments:

102

15. (=)

Takk... 

 Sigur Rós

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I feel that this album has even more magnificence within than Agaetis Byrjun, reaching the crescendos with greater impact. I rate Agaetis Byrjun slightly higher in my ranking largely because it was just so revolutionary for me on its release. I can't think of a weak moment on this album. It is one of the most beautiful musical releases of all time.

Rating: 96/100

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: While there are many sublime moments on this album, Sigur Ros hits one of the most euphoric crecendos you'll ever come across with a pure post-rock cacophony of sound in Glosoli. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

565 charts

Rank Score:

4,687

Rank in 2005:

5

Rank in 2000s:

62

Overall Rank:

381

Average Rating:

 82 (826 votes)

Comments:

37

16. (=)

Grace 

 Jeff Buckley

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Oh what might've been. We can only imagine the possibilities that may have arisen had he been around for the past 20 years releasing albums every few years. While his talent is undoubted, it is more the ablity to convey the deep emotons of human love and frailty that truly blows the mind. He had a truly gifted voice that angels would envy and he used it on this album in ways that have left an indelible impact on those who fell in love with it and grew with it. The pieced together posthumous albums that came after Grace never really recaptured this genius but I have no doubt that there would have been much more in store.

Rating: 96/100

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: It's a cover, but it's possibly the best cover ever done. Unlike with the original by Cohen, I could listen to Buckley's Hallelujah every day. The emotion permeating through every vocal exertion is heartbreakingly beautiful. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

1,666 charts

Rank Score:

19,227

Rank in 1994:

1

Rank in 1990s:

9

Overall Rank:

59

Average Rating:

 84 (1,905 votes)

Comments:

169

17. (=)

Master Of Puppets 

 Metallica

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For a period of time in the 80s Metallica were at the pinnacle of alternative music. They were innovative, edgy, controversial, and above-all, relevant to a groundswell of angry youths wanting to rebel against a generally aloof, removed ruling class. Ironically, when grunge came about, Metallica's attempt to remain relevant means they lost relevance. The sound and lyrics coming from Master of Puppets is what engaged this generation of misfits and because they were the leaders of this genre, they could so easily have progressed without alienating their fan base so radically. MoP is grand in scale, with a very tight group of musicians, powerfully projecting intricate compositions. Add to this themes revolving around the senselessness of War, drug addiction, and religious hypocrisy, and you have a thrashing metal album with real integrity.

Rating: 96/100

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The title track is an epic metal masterpiece. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]

Year of Release:

1986

Appears in:

1,230 charts

Rank Score:

13,259

Rank in 1986:

2

Rank in 1980s:

13

Overall Rank:

105

Average Rating:

 83 (1,765 votes)

Comments:

116

18. (=)

Nevermind 

 Nirvana

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Superseding the relevancy of heavy metal, Nirvana gave the alienated masses 'grunge' with this incredibly catchy collection of noise-tinged distemper. Nirvana riled against excesses (other than that coming from amps) and in so doing relegated the naffness of 80s to the realms of history. Nevermind relies on the quiet-loud-quiet-loud formula and it works so well in drawing out all the latent disaffection waiting to erupt in unrepentant youth.

Rating: 96/100

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Smells Like Teen Spirit signified the arrival of Grunge. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

3,109 charts

Rank Score:

41,990

Rank in 1991:

1

Rank in 1990s:

2

Overall Rank:

14

Average Rating:

 87 (4,232 votes)

Comments:

407

19. (=)

Abbey Road 

 The Beatles

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This album was quintessential cool. Right from the opening 'shoot me' lyric, drowned out by a fuzzy bass riff and Lennon handclaps on Come Together, you are immediately drawn into a chilled out sense of detachment from a troubled world. The first half is as strong a half an album as you'll find; classic song after classic song. The second half works really well for what the tracks were. They work better as a medley as opposed to individual songs and having them flow into one another seamlessly makes a different type of listening experience. But it has lowered it a little on the list for me in that I can easily skip that part of the album. It's hard to put my finger on why that is because I still really enjoy listening to the second side yet I also often avoid it. Go figure.

Rating: 96/100

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: George Harrison stealing the show with the best track on the album, Something, a true classic. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]

Year of Release:

1969

Appears in:

3,629 charts

Rank Score:

65,476

Rank in 1969:

1

Rank in 1960s:

1

Overall Rank:

3

Average Rating:

 92 (4,509 votes)

Comments:

466

20. (=)

Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) 

 Led Zeppelin

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This is Led Zepps undoubted magnus opus. Classic songs are dripping from every groove of the vinyl. As much as Stairway to Heaven is lampooned these days it remains a masterpiece of grandiose composition. Plants mystical/mythical story-telling and rock swagger abound whilst Jimmy Page is at the peak of his transformative guitar playing.

Rating: 96/100

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Can't argue with historical concensus... Stairway to Heaven... [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

3,070 charts

Rank Score:

44,321

Rank in 1971:

1

Rank in 1970s:

4

Overall Rank:

12

Average Rating:

 90 (3,900 votes)

Comments:

300

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade	Albums	%
1930s	0	0%
1940s	0	0%
1950s	0	0%
1960s	7	7%
1970s	7	7%
1980s	5	5%
1990s	29	29%
2000s	34	34%
2010s	17	17%
2020s	1	1%

Artist	Albums	%
Radiohead	8	8%
The Beatles	4	4%
Aphex Twin	4	4%
Metallica	4	4%
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	3	3%
Pearl Jam	3	3%
Sigur Rós	3	3%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	42	42%
	41	41%
	6	6%
	5	5%
	3	3%
	1	1%
	1	1%
Show all

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 50 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
90/100	11/19/2023 10:55	Bach	942	78/100
95/100	06/17/2020 14:47	DriftingOrpheus	79	91/100
75/100	10/07/2019 23:23	pctrooper	336	88/100
100/100	08/30/2019 10:38	Timooosterink	131	90/100
90/100	06/26/2019 12:35	Granny-Smith	142	88/100

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 5% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.7/100, a mean average of 86.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.3/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 17.2.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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Rating:  

100/100

From Timooosterink 08/30/2019 10:38

Love your chart! I agree on amok it is a very underated album.

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

Rating:  

90/100

From Granny-Smith 06/26/2019 12:36

I like your chart. Have a lot Artists and Albums in common.

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

Rating:  

90/100

From Paule 03/06/2019 11:36

Good list! We share the Radiohead "problem". I suggest you to dive into some older Krautrock and Ambient music. You will find a lot of Radioheads work is influenced by that stuff and there are some gems to be found.

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

Rating:  

95/100

From Kurtco 01/29/2019 18:22

We have 31 albums and 21 artists in common... It's very funny!

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

Rating:  

95/100

From Kurtco 01/29/2019 18:18

I find your chart very interesting and complete. You have musical tastes very similar to mine. Radiohead is one of my favorite bands!
I'm glad you like Icelandic music: Sigur Rós and Björk. I agree with you that "Vespertine" is Björk's best album: It's a real masterpiece. You put a lot of recent music in your chart and it's nice to see AMOK of Atoms For Peace in your rankings. This is surely one of Thom Yorke's underrated albums. I'm really happy to see artists not very well known as Burial, Nick Cave or Amon Tobin who are part of my favorite artist. The 90s are really well represented in your chart with great artists like Nirvana, Aphex Twin, Tool or Massive Attack. Really very good job and very good choice!

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

Rating:  

90/100

From guzguzgarbit 01/21/2019 20:08

Good choices, great descriptions, great diversity (even with 8 Radiohead albums!). I particularly appreciate the presence of some electronic (Four Tet, Jon Hopkins, Burial...) among all the rock picks.

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

Rating:  

95/100

From jhuik 11/16/2018 14:00

I don't agree with your top ten, or some other picks, or (as has been noted by others) the excess of Radiohead, but who gives a shit about my opinion. I love the passion in your descriptions and the personalized responses. Great chart!

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

From Strangel 07/19/2018 01:19

Ahh well, what can you do? They're that good. It's not like Pablo Honey is on the chart just coz Radiohead. Pablo Honey was an objectively average to good album and thus hasn't got anywhere near this chart. Their subsequent albums were all objectively created to a much higher level and the artistic merit of each universally critically acclaimed. Subjectively (which is what this chart mainly expresses), the music deeply resonates with me so why wouldn't their very best be difficult to supplant by another artist's work?

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Rating:  

80/100

From fps74 07/18/2018 05:04

Radiohead! Radiohead everywhere!

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Rating:  

90/100

From foxytreeko 07/09/2018 14:11

Great list, love your descriptions. We have 13 albums and 16 artists in common

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

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