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: 10/31/2025 02:15
- (Created: 07/04/2016 14:26).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 35 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 54 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from Nirvana. (Remove this filter)
18. (=)
Safe Mode: On Certain images on this site may contain sensitive content and are flagged as 'unsafe'. BestEverAlbums.com does not display these images by default, but you may choose to show or hide these images from your profile page. If you choose to hide these images, you'll see an image with a warning message instead of the actual image. If you choose to show them, you'll see these images no differently than regular (safe) images.
Buy album 
- #Sponsored
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]
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:
Rank Score:
37,951
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
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:
9,209
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 10/25/2016]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,637
Rank in 1993:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 3. Page 1 of 1
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 6 | 6% | |
| 1970s | 7 | 7% | |
| 1980s | 4 | 4% | |
| 1990s | 26 | 26% | |
| 2000s | 36 | 36% | |
| 2010s | 16 | 16% | |
| 2020s | 5 | 5% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Radiohead | 8 | 8% | |
| Tool | 4 | 4% | |
| Aphex Twin | 4 | 4% | |
| Metallica | 4 | 4% | |
| The Beatles | 3 | 3% | |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 3 | 3% | |
| The Smile | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
43 | 43% | |
| |
40 | 40% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
| |
5 | 5% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
There have been no changes to this chart.Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  nextorgd | Overall chart | 2025 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Kettwig | Overall chart | 2025 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | OurLastBreathe | Overall chart | 2018 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | Strangel | 2000s decade chart | 2022 | |
| Top Alternative Pop/Rock Albums | nas062080 | Custom chart | 2013 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  BasdeWit97 | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Xygni1 | Overall chart | 2012 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | lennon041285 | Overall chart | 2012 | |
| Overall Top 100 Ranked Correctly |  Mother Nature's Son | Custom chart | 2014 |  |
| An Objective Ranking Of BEA'S Top 100... |  covecove | Custom chart | 2017 |  |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
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 54 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/27/2025 08:18 | Johnnyo | 2,550 | 80/100 |
| ! | 02/15/2025 09:18 |  DommeDamian | 1,003 | 89/100 |
| ! | 06/12/2024 20:18 | C0NB9NN | 20 | 85/100 |
| ! | 06/10/2024 10:58 |  Tamthebam | 633 | 85/100 |
| ! | 11/19/2023 10:55 |  Bach | 956 | 78/100 |
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 86.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 16.6.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 8 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 35 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From Johnnyo 08/27/2025 08:20 | #310716
I love Radiohead. Four albums in the top 10 does seem a little excessive but it's your chart and your picks so that's obviously your purgative. The whole chart is great. Excellent stuff
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From DommeDamian 02/15/2025 09:18 | #307614
DommeDamian 02/15/2025 09:18 | #307614
Yeah, just like a few others, I'd wish the Radioheads could spread out a bit more. But it's forgivable because of some of the descriptions, always a win in my book.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Strangel 06/11/2024 00:13 | #303925
Strangel 06/11/2024 00:13 | #303925
Yeah, as I mentioned in the comments, a lot of bourbon and pot was had while listening to The Doors. It doesn’t detract from the fact that I love the album. Roadhouse Blues got played a lot in the mix around then and I completely forgot it was on Morrison Hotel which, as an album I didn’t take to as much. We probably played the song in addition to LA Woman on a regular basis. Funny what memories do.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From C0NB9NN 06/10/2024 15:03 | #303923
Very well thought out chart. I can start to picture where you go when you listen to these albums. Personally I don’t like Radiohead, but I don’t see that as a problem on your chart, as when you think an artist is good, they’re good.
I’d hate to be that one person, but Roadhouse Blues is on Morrison Hotel, not L.A. Woman.
17 albums in common.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Timooosterink 08/30/2019 10:38 | #241940
Love your chart! I agree on amok it is a very underated album.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Granny-Smith 06/26/2019 12:36 | #238311
I like your chart. Have a lot Artists and Albums in common.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Paule 03/06/2019 11:36 | #233128
Paule 03/06/2019 11:36 | #233128
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)
From Kurtco 01/29/2019 18:22 | #230975
We have 31 albums and 21 artists in common... It's very funny!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Kurtco 01/29/2019 18:18 | #230974
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)
From 
guzguzgarbit 01/21/2019 20:08 | #230211
guzguzgarbit 01/21/2019 20:08 | #230211
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)
Your feedback for Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
