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: 09/27/2024 14:15
- (Created: 07/04/2016 14:26).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 34 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 53 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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The peak of their creative genius and an album I get more out of with each listen. They are just such a tight sounding group and the audiophiles amongst us who like to meditate on the nuances of their music will be well rewarded by a full attentive listening. It is an epic psychedelic journey into the core of our being. The theme of transcendence permeates every sinew of the album. Each track transitions/segues effortlessly to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts... and the parts are pretty fucking awesome.
Rating: 99/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The complexity within the lyrics, composition, and music is exhaustive. The title track is structured using the Fibonacci sequence, incorporating golden means, and invoking the sacred geometric imagery of spiraling out through a psychedelic wormhole and reaching our spiritual potential. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 99/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The complexity within the lyrics, composition, and music is exhaustive. The title track is structured using the Fibonacci sequence, incorporating golden means, and invoking the sacred geometric imagery of spiraling out through a psychedelic wormhole and reaching our spiritual potential. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,697
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Comments:
76
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If anyone asks you how to define indy rock just throw this album at them. Each track is so damn good it's difficult to pick a standout track - not a weak track on the whole album. Catchy hooks come at you relentlessly. The lyrics are fantastically enigmatic, poetic, and quirky. Mercer's vocals are at their most expressive and emotive. The guitar has a raw edge yet the album production is far more polished than Oh, Inverted World. All in all I cannot fault Chutes Too Narrow. If I were to be picky it only suffers in comparison to other great albums in this chart due to the fact that it has few songs that can lay claim to being hailed as all time classics. However, any number of these songs have the quality to be seen as classics. Perhaps they get lost in amongst the company they keep...
Rating: 97/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Probably Pink Bullets, but depending on the day it could be Mine's Not A High Horse, or Kissing the Lipless, or Those to Come. or... [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 97/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Probably Pink Bullets, but depending on the day it could be Mine's Not A High Horse, or Kissing the Lipless, or Those to Come. or... [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2003
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,866
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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]
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:
Rank Score:
6,832
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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]
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:
Rank Score:
18,115
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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]
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:
Rank Score:
12,885
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17. (18) 
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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]
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:
39,432
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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]
Rating 97/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The End [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,370
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I heard this album just before Nevermind, and just after Metallica's Black album. I feel like it is the bridging album between escaping the contained world of heavy metal and expanding my horizons through the grunge era and off into the world of alternative/indy music and ultimately the truly expansive world of Radiohead. For this reason it holds a special place in my music loving heart.
Vedder takes us into his world of alienation and personal difficulties with such an engaging depth of beauty. I'll never forget seeing him projecting his soul outward live on stage in Melbourne as he stared me in the eyes with an intensity that I had never seen before from a front-man as he sang Alive. Perhaps Jim Morrison may have outdone him but I'm not so sure.
Rating: 95/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Black, for me is the most complete song on this album. When somebody pulls out their acoustic guitar and starts playing this around a campfire I am immediately transfixed. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Vedder takes us into his world of alienation and personal difficulties with such an engaging depth of beauty. I'll never forget seeing him projecting his soul outward live on stage in Melbourne as he stared me in the eyes with an intensity that I had never seen before from a front-man as he sang Alive. Perhaps Jim Morrison may have outdone him but I'm not so sure.
Rating: 95/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: Black, for me is the most complete song on this album. When somebody pulls out their acoustic guitar and starts playing this around a campfire I am immediately transfixed. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,038
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Sam Beam announced himself to the music world with this masterpiece of personal reflection and poetic story-telling set to a stripped-back acoustic guitar. Many an evening I spent sitting on the front verandah of my inner-city house, listening to the peace-inducing melody of this album as I watched the world go by. It is one of the few albums that legitimately transports you to another, better world and it still sits as his best effort despite the slick production and added band members on future releases. In fact, it's the 4-track bedroom recordings that bets capture his contemplative poetry and is what his fans are most drawn to. I have seen him live twice. The first time was after his second album and every track he performed was quiet and there was a respect from the crowd as our focus was drawn to him. The second time I saw him there were more of his upbeat, band-assisted songs and it wasn't until his quieter songs were performed that the crowd were truly captivated.
RATING: 95/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The highlight is the poetic reflection. Take the time to simply listen to the lyrics while the music transports you from the background. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
RATING: 95/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The highlight is the poetic reflection. Take the time to simply listen to the lyrics while the music transports you from the background. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
908
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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
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,474
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Total albums: 41. Page 1 of 5
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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 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1970s | 7 | 7% | |
| 1980s | 5 | 5% | |
| 1990s | 29 | 29% | |
| 2000s | 34 | 34% | |
| 2010s | 17 | 17% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
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| Radiohead | 8 | 8% | |
| Metallica | 4 | 4% | |
| Aphex Twin | 4 | 4% | |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 3 | 3% | |
| Pearl Jam | 3 | 3% | |
| Sigur Rós | 3 | 3% | |
| Burial | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
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|
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42 | 42% | |
| |
41 | 41% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
| |
5 | 5% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 5 from 23rd to 18th A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead |
| Up 2 from 79th to 77th The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico |
| Up 2 from 78th to 76th Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 19 from 59th to 78th Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles |
| Down 16 from 69th to 85th Ghosteen by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds |
| Down 12 from 30th to 42nd Absolution by Muse |
| New entries |
|---|
 Wall Of Eyesby The Smile |
| Leavers |
|---|
 The Beatles (The White Album)by The Beatles |
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| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | fred911007 | Overall chart | 2016 |  |
| An Objective Ranking of the BEA Top 100 | PaperVinnie | Custom chart | 2018 | |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 53 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 53 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
85/100  | 02/15/2025 09:18 |  DommeDamian | | 89/100 |
 90/100 | 06/12/2024 20:18 | C0NB9NN | | 85/100 |
| 90/100 | 06/10/2024 10:58 |  Tamthebam | | 85/100 |
| 90/100 | 11/19/2023 10:55 |  Bach | | 78/100 |
| 95/100 | 06/17/2020 14:47 |  DriftingOrpheus | | 91/100 |
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 86.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 16.7.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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85/100
From DommeDamian 02/15/2025 09:18
DommeDamian 02/15/2025 09:18
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.
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From Strangel 06/11/2024 00:13
Strangel 06/11/2024 00:13
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.
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90/100
From C0NB9NN 06/10/2024 15:03
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)
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)
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