Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
CharlieBarley 
Welcome one, welcome all. These are some of my favourite albums of all time. Each album means something to me, even the relatively new ones. Just over half of them I discovered in the period of the early 1990s when I was aged 15-20, although not all of those albums are 90's albums. That was when I got into music in a big way, as many teenagers do. Then current music and many classic albums. And my personal discovery of music is ongoing. For me, music is a form of connection with something greater, of solace, of self-expression and a way of channelling feelings. There are many memories here. And new ones are still being created. I have tried to make this chart represent periods from many different stages in my life also. It is subject to change as I remember other albums I like or as I discover new, or even older albums. Enjoy!
- Chart updated: 08/19/2024 13:45
- (Created: 08/06/2016 19:37).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 87 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 93 out of 100 (from 119 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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First heard this in the early nineties when lent the album by my friend's older brother. I came home one weekend night, drunk, and played it on repeat whilst I slept. I heard it once through before I fell asleep. When I woke up I played it again. I loved it instantly. Now it is like an old friend. I love the overall sentiment of the album, of missing an absent friend, for them Syd Barrett. It's stirring without being sentimental. I also like the tracks relating to dealing with overnight massive fame from Dark Side of the Moon and dealing with the record company machine. For me, listening to it is like a spiritual experience. It's both mellow yet sad and righteously angry without being aggressive. And, apart from family, what could be more important than friendship? I think this will always be one of my favourite albums. I am very attached to it. And I had the good fortune of seeing it played live, in its entirety by tribute band The Australian Pink Floyd Show in 2015, the 40th anniversary year of the album's release. It was sublime. They have many good albums but this one moves me the most, and almost more than any other album. A special record.
[First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
49,672
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Comments:
309
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Just a fantastic schizophrenic record to play no matter what mood you're in. It has happy songs, sad songs, crazy songs, celebratory songs and fun songs. It doesn't take itself too seriously even though it can be a serious record at times.
Too many favourites to pick out songs. It's best played from start to finish. And I rarely skip Revolution 9, I love that one it's definitely different and it's fun. Interesting note: this is Slash from Guns n Roses' favourite Beatles album. I saw him say it on a documentary. You can see why, it totally rocks and it casts a goofy spell over you.
Terrific album. I play it quite a lot. [First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]
Too many favourites to pick out songs. It's best played from start to finish. And I rarely skip Revolution 9, I love that one it's definitely different and it's fun. Interesting note: this is Slash from Guns n Roses' favourite Beatles album. I saw him say it on a documentary. You can see why, it totally rocks and it casts a goofy spell over you.
Terrific album. I play it quite a lot. [First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
42,109
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A superb album with one of my all-time favourite opening tracks of an album. Very atmospheric. The three opening tracks to this album are awesome. And every track on here is just great. For me it's faultless. They play so well together as a band. And there isn't a duff track on it. It's a legendary album and they have a lot of good albums. Some great albums in fact. This will always be a favourite. The lyrics, the music and Bono singing like he is trying to break out of prison, to paraphrase Andrea Corr. Hard to beat. Will always be a top-tier album for me. One of a kind.
[First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,569
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You can't beat Kate Bush! This is easily my favourite album of hers. It is so quintessentially Kate Bush. And a very mature album for such a young person, as she was then. It is bold, playful and eccentric. It has some lovely songs, like Wow, Coffee Homeground, and in The Warm Room. Plus it has funny moments like Hammer Horror. My favourite track is the opener, Symphony In Blue, but every track is a winner. All her albums are great. She is a pioneer. And very talented. But, then, we all knew that.
[First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
621
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Words can't express how much this album meant to me when I was a mixed-up, depressed teenager, living in the suburbs, in the early 90's. I quickly bought up all The Cure's albums upon hearing this. The opening track, Plainsong, is my favourite song of theirs and whenever I get the chance I play this very loud. I find it an emotional album. And deep and ethereal in tone. It has an elegiac quality which charms the listener and lifts it out of being simply depressing. Smith is a genius. And this is a perfect album.
[First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,807
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My favourite Bowie album. A classic
[First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
21,321
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What can I say about 'After The Gold Rush'? Apart from that I love it. I first played this at a very traumatic time in my life aged 17. It was my parents' vinyl. Anyway this album spoke to me at that time like no other album. I played it incessantly. I'm surprised I didn't wear it out. It is emotional, sensitive, world-weary and easily my favourite Neil Young album, although I haven't heard them all yet. Harvest, Tonight's The Night, and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere are my next favourites. I've been playing it ever since. Mr Young's music, like the old Carlsberg Lager adverts, reaches parts of me other music artists can't reach. Well, I don't drink anymore but I still listen to Neil Young.
[First added to this chart: 10/18/2016]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,138
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Pure childhood nostalgia. I was a child of the late 70s/early 80s and what a great time to be alive. Star Wars, E.T. and Indiana Jones were on at the Pictures and music was awesome and there was plenty of cheese to boot. Parallel Lines was never cheesy though, just perfect. A favourite of my Dad's, who had a serious crush on Deborah Harry, he used to play it in the car when I was very small. Right from the angry, vibrant opening of Hanging On The Telephone you are in for a real treat of an album. Never fails to make me smile.
[First added to this chart: 10/18/2016]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,303
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Stone cold Seventies classic. Its ambitious and clever and it's just great. It's now my favourite Stevie Wonder album. It's terrific. It's also an album you could put on at a party. So many good tracks and some real classics. They just keep on coming. My favourites are Sir Duke, Isn't She Lovely, Pastime Paradise, Have A Talk With God, As, and the very danceable Another Star. This is a masterpiece. It's pretty amazing and a real trip to listen to. So many good songs. One double album it is worth taking the time to listen to. Plus it cheers you up instantly. Particularly if you happen to be having a bad day. Having a good day? Put this album on and you'll be on cloud nine.
[First added to this chart: 06/19/2018]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,827
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Superb album. The kind of jazz I like. Creates a good atmosphere. Shame his life story was so tragic, but what an album.
[First added to this chart: 08/05/2021]
Year of Release:
1954
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,653
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Total albums: 100. Page 1 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 | 3 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 13 | 13% | |
| 1970s | 35 | 35% | |
| 1980s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1990s | 24 | 24% | |
| 2000s | 3 | 3% | |
| 2010s | 5 | 5% | |
| 2020s | 3 | 3% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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|
|
| David Bowie | 4 | 4% | |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4% | |
| Various Artists | 2 | 2% | |
| The Cure | 2 | 2% | |
| Stevie Wonder | 2 | 2% | |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 2% | |
| The Beatles | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
46 | 46% | |
| |
43 | 43% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
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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Other overall charts by CharlieBarley
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | CharlieBarley | 2024 | |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
93/100 (from 119 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 119 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 95/100  | 08/12/2024 20:20 |  pedro1976 | | 84/100 |
| 95/100 | 05/05/2024 02:15 | matterhornrider | | 93/100 |
| 100/100 | 01/31/2024 20:26 | Moondance | | 84/100 |
| 95/100 | 01/19/2024 20:48 |  dihansse | | 84/100 |
| 95/100 | 06/21/2023 09:05 | KineticEchoes02 | | 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 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 92.9/100, a mean average of 93.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 93.5/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.6.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 87 comments |
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From CharlieBarley 05/13/2024 17:05
CharlieBarley 05/13/2024 17:05
Hey RTB! HOW You doing Bud?!
Good to see you on here.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
RoundTheBend 05/13/2024 05:14
RoundTheBend 05/13/2024 05:14
Great new chart mate! Good to see you still active.
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From CharlieBarley 05/05/2024 06:14
CharlieBarley 05/05/2024 06:14
Thanks MHR!
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95/100
From matterhornrider 05/05/2024 02:17
Nice Top 100, with diversity in Music genres and covering so many decades. I loved your commentary as well. Cheers
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From CharlieBarley 01/31/2024 21:00
CharlieBarley 01/31/2024 21:00
Thanks Moondance.
Nice comment. I do try and be honest about my tastes.
I will have to check your chart out, see if I have read it.
Have a good day Bud.
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100/100
From Moondance 01/31/2024 20:27
There is so much to like about this chart. The intro is spot on - how music is a connection to something greater in one's life (& that's why certain albums, often dismissed by the masses, can find a home in someone's greatest 100 chart). Your chart speaks honestly (no peer pressure) and it is the kind of chart I like to spend time with and will read from no.1 to no.100. Definitely one of my favourite charts on this site. Nicely put together CB - could very well be my first 100!
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From CharlieBarley 01/20/2024 01:41
CharlieBarley 01/20/2024 01:41
I know! It was a good discovery
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95/100
From dihansse 01/19/2024 20:48
dihansse 01/19/2024 20:48
Funny that you discovered Out Of Time on Belgian radio ;)
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From CharlieBarley 06/18/2023 10:27
CharlieBarley 06/18/2023 10:27
Thanks SN!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From StreakyNuno 06/18/2023 01:01
Great chart, good to see wywh in top 3
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