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.
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The thing that makes this album a masterpiece is that it stepped into the 21st century with a statement of pure progressive intent, leaving behind the 20th century formula that was tried and true. Most bands would either not be brave enough or wouldn't have the talent to pull it off. The thing I love about the music on Kid A is the sense of disembodiment that occurs with the studio production. Nigel Godrich should always be considered when discussing the genius of a Radiohead album. The disembodiment is unquestionably reflective of Thom's headspace during this phase of his life but to make it truly palpable it required some very astute studio production.
Rating: 99/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The metaphorical depiction of Yorke floating down the Liffey; he's not here, this isn't happening... [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 99/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The metaphorical depiction of Yorke floating down the Liffey; he's not here, this isn't happening... [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
42,571
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A celebration of the alchemy that exists amongst 5 (6) very talented artists. This alchemy is best expressed when on stage but to observe it in close detail in their 'From the Basement' sessions you can truly appreciate the cohesive mastery of a band at their peak.
Rating: 99/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS: Yorke hitting that elongated, emotive high note in Nude; 'You'll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thiiiiiiiiinking".
Also, the building crescendo in All I Need deserves mention. It becomes this extraordinary cacophony of sound that ends abruptly before it can outstay its welcome. To be honest, I personally would have liked it to stretch on for a lot longer than it does. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 99/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS: Yorke hitting that elongated, emotive high note in Nude; 'You'll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thiiiiiiiiinking".
Also, the building crescendo in All I Need deserves mention. It becomes this extraordinary cacophony of sound that ends abruptly before it can outstay its welcome. To be honest, I personally would have liked it to stretch on for a lot longer than it does. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
44,052
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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:
8,539
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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:
4,785
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I feel like this album has been overlooked or missed completely by a large percentage of music lovers. If you are one of them then make this the next album you immerse yourself in. As close to my heart/soul as Boatman’s.
Rating: 98/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The poetic closer, Darker with the Day -
'Inside I sat, seeking the presence of a God
I searched through the pictures in a leather-bound book
I found a woolly lamb dozing in an issue of blood
And a gilled Jesus shivering on a fisherman's hook' [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 98/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: The poetic closer, Darker with the Day -
'Inside I sat, seeking the presence of a God
I searched through the pictures in a leather-bound book
I found a woolly lamb dozing in an issue of blood
And a gilled Jesus shivering on a fisherman's hook' [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,888
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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]
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:
Rank Score:
4,544
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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:
884
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Perhaps not as highly acclaimed as Homogenic, Vespertine is,in my opinion, her most accomplished masterpiece. As far as being a well-conceived album it is consistent to a theme of beautifully, contemplative, chilled reverie. It represents the 'Ice' in Iceland in all it's natural, mythical beauty. And like the first melt of the ice as the sun rises longer each day, the songs flow effortlessly from one to the next, taking you along for the ride. I love the composition of all the ethereal percussion and instrumentation which, combined with her elfin voice, creates an otherworldly ambience.
Rating: 94/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: I've always connected best with Pagan Poetry on this album. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Rating: 94/100
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT: I've always connected best with Pagan Poetry on this album. [First added to this chart: 07/05/2016]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,400
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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
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,037
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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:
1,461
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Total albums: 36. Page 1 of 4
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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% | |
| Aphex Twin | 4 | 4% | |
| Metallica | 4 | 4% | |
| Tool | 4 | 4% | |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 3 | 3% | |
| The Smile | 3 | 3% | |
| Pearl Jam | 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
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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 54 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/27/2025 08:18 | Johnnyo | 2,551 | 80/100 |
| ! | 02/15/2025 09:18 |  DommeDamian | 1,004 | 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.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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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)
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| Best Ever Artists | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Beatles | |
| 2. Radiohead | |
| 3. Pink Floyd | |
| 4. David Bowie | |
| 5. Bob Dylan | |
| 6. Led Zeppelin | |
| 7. The Rolling Stones | |
| 8. Arcade Fire | |
| 9. Nirvana | |
| 10. The Velvet Underground | |
| 11. Neil Young | |
| 12. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 13. Miles Davis | |
| 14. The Smiths | |
| 15. The Beach Boys | |
| 16. R.E.M. | |
| 17. Kanye West | |
| 18. Pixies | |
| 19. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 20. Jimi Hendrix |
