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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This was my first exposure to Burial's music. After seeing it mentioned so often in the year after its release as being a defining album in electronic/dubstep music. I listened to it distantly at first, in the background, as I carried on with other household stuff. My first impression was a bit 'meh', I wasn't a big fan of R&B vocals and it seemed to be choc full of it. And the electronic beats were so subtle that they didn't have much of an impact on me. But I persevered, knowing that you must give good music time to seep in, and surely all those experts weren't wrong. Of course it was the headphones that took me there eventually. The vocals were, in fact, used ingeniously, taking snippets of cut samples that melded into the layers of electronica perfectly. And those subtle beats were actually like a painter's brush strokes that required close observance to appreciate the art. I never looked back after this and much of his best work appears on EPs which makes it hard to know where to place them in the scheme of GOAT lists. But Untrue is a pure album that has no fillers and it thoroughly deserves to be recognized as one of the GOAT albums.
RATING: 94/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Each song has it's own argument for being the highlight of the album but I think Archangel best encapsulates the feel of Untrue . [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
RATING: 94/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Each song has it's own argument for being the highlight of the album but I think Archangel best encapsulates the feel of Untrue . [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2007
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Rank Score:
5,161
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38
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This is a truly beautifully poetic album. It is like a more polished version of The Creek Drank The Cradle and is only ranked slightly lower due to the esteem in which I hold his debut album's stripped back lo-fi intimacy.
Rating: 94/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Naked as we Came [First added to this chart: 08/05/2016]
Rating: 94/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Naked as we Came [First added to this chart: 08/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2004
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Rank Score:
1,571
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More raw than Master of Puppets yet more fulfilled as an album than Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightening was my favourite Metallica album for much of my teenage years. It had epic frenetic guitar hooks that blew my mind and one of the most moving metal ballads of all time that dared to broach the topic of suicidal thoughts and thus suffered the consequence of being blamed for every teenage suicide involving Metallica fans thereafter. I also enjoyed the biblical imagery in Creeping Death, the referencing of Lovecraft in Call of Ktulu, and the brilliant take on the futility of war in For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Rating: 94/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Cliff Burton was an amazing and unique bass player and his intro to For Whom the Bell Tolls will always be a favourite, nostalgic riff for me. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 94/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Cliff Burton was an amazing and unique bass player and his intro to For Whom the Bell Tolls will always be a favourite, nostalgic riff for me. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,214
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There is a lot to appreciate in the electronic mastery of Sweden's Axel Willner. I'm a big fan of most of his LP releases but this one stands out as a truly exceptional piece of work. His use of loops can easily repel the casual listener who doesn't appreciate the intricacies of electronic music. From a distance it is repetitive and cold but the genius of The Field's art is that the reality is the complete opposite of the distant, casual listener. Once you accept the invitation to enter this world that Willner has created then the subtle overlayering and texture begin to present themselves with real warmth. It is packed full of intricate shifts/changes whilst maintaining the hypnotic, repetitive, looping structure that holds it all together.
The best way to describe the experience for me is stepping into an expansive soundscape with a colourful undulating terrain heading toward a distant pixelated horizon.
Rating: 93/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: I absolutely love the sparkling, glittery intro to Everyday which then develops into a 'sublime' 7 minutes of electronic bliss with intermittent sweeping digital breezes and a soothing female voice looping through. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
The best way to describe the experience for me is stepping into an expansive soundscape with a colourful undulating terrain heading toward a distant pixelated horizon.
Rating: 93/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: I absolutely love the sparkling, glittery intro to Everyday which then develops into a 'sublime' 7 minutes of electronic bliss with intermittent sweeping digital breezes and a soothing female voice looping through. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2007
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Rank Score:
761
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This was perhaps the period in which Radiohead were at their most elusive and playful. This was the era of The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time video clip DVD and they had come out of the internalized contemplations of the previous 2 albums with an attitude of head-fuckery and musical freedom. The album suffers a little for being inconsistent as there are a lot of directional changes as the album progresses but each track is still brilliant in their own right.
Rating: 93/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: There There is an obvious highlight as it is a very tight composition that progresses in a very fulfilling way. The underappreciated gem for mine is Where I End and You Begin. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 93/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: There There is an obvious highlight as it is a very tight composition that progresses in a very fulfilling way. The underappreciated gem for mine is Where I End and You Begin. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2003
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,067
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The thing that makes this a great album as opposed to just another unplugged best-of jam is that it demonstrated Nirvana's talent once they were out from behind their mask of noise. It is also an endearing insight into Kurt's own self-consciousness, and how it could be subdued by his ability to immerse himself within the essence of the song he performs.
Rating: 93/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The fresh take on their own stuff is great but, for me, the covers really stole the show in many ways. They all brought a chilling broodiness to the set. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 93/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The fresh take on their own stuff is great but, for me, the covers really stole the show in many ways. They all brought a chilling broodiness to the set. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,717
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Alt J were a real breath of fresh air when they came along with this unique piece of art-folk-indy-a capella-whateverelse. Listened to it daily on my train commute whilst I was reading Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Now, whenever I hear a song off the album it takes me back to a scene from the book. The songs are real ear-worms and it's very easy to return to the album time and again.
Rating: 93/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: There's something alluring about the quirky nature of the musicianship. It's unconventional without being messy, cluttered, or distracting, and never loses its catchiness. Fitzpleasure and Breezeblocks capture this best I reckon. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 93/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: There's something alluring about the quirky nature of the musicianship. It's unconventional without being messy, cluttered, or distracting, and never loses its catchiness. Fitzpleasure and Breezeblocks capture this best I reckon. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2012
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,443
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We all know that Dark Side of the Moon is Floyd's magnum opus, the iconic album of the 70s, and one of the great pieces of musical art ever created. But for it's ability to truly transport you to another, mystical place, Wish You Were Here strikes me as the more consistently transcendent work. I especially like the unpretentious tribute to Barrett and unabashed critique of the music industry with both themes being melded into a seamless whole.
Rating: 93/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: ‘We’re just two lost souls, Swimming in a fishbowl, Year after year’ has always been a favourite lyric of mine. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 93/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: ‘We’re just two lost souls, Swimming in a fishbowl, Year after year’ has always been a favourite lyric of mine. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
50,798
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A wonderfully ambitious foray into the whimsical nature of music, tapping into the angst of youth and the in-between places where dreams emanate from.
Rating: 92/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: I think the highlight for me is the journey you take within the album itself. The double album concept works here in that you seem to be meeting nebulous characters along a mythical rites of passage, each one very different to the last yet all carrying their own dark issues to contend with. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 92/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: I think the highlight for me is the journey you take within the album itself. The double album concept works here in that you seem to be meeting nebulous characters along a mythical rites of passage, each one very different to the last yet all carrying their own dark issues to contend with. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1995
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,973
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I think it's unfortunate that Amnesiac hides in the shadow of Kid A's ultra-impressive release. On its own merits it is an incredible progressive achievement. It is murkier and more mysterious even than its predecessor. Each song leaves its own intriguing imprint. I regard Pyramid Song to be in their best handful of songs and it is the standout track. It somehow managed to capture the contemplative atmosphere of the journey of souls. How is that even possible? I like the jazz influences on the album and there is a great mix of styles and genre-influences throughout. My only criticism is that some tracks leave me a little unfulfilled, like they had more to offer.
Rating: 92/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Pyramid Song for reasons already mentioned. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 92/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Pyramid Song for reasons already mentioned. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,601
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Total albums: 100. Page 4 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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|
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| 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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42 | 42% | |
| |
41 | 41% | |
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6 | 6% | |
| |
5 | 5% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 50 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 50 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 11/19/2023 10:55 |  Bach | | 78/100 |
| 95/100 | 06/17/2020 14:47 |  DriftingOrpheus | | 91/100 |
| 75/100 | 10/07/2019 23:23 | pctrooper | | 88/100 |
| 100/100 | 08/30/2019 10:38 | Timooosterink | | 90/100 |
| 90/100 | 06/26/2019 12:35 | Granny-Smith | | 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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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)
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)
90/100
From 
Paule 03/06/2019 11:36
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)
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)
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)
90/100
From 
guzguzgarbit 01/21/2019 20:08
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)
95/100
From 
jhuik 11/16/2018 14:00
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
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?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From fps74 07/18/2018 05:04
Radiohead! Radiohead everywhere!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
foxytreeko 07/09/2018 14:11
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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