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 16-20, 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: 04/04/2026 13:15
- (Created: 08/06/2016 19:37).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 91 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 93 out of 100 (from 121 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1980s. (Remove this filter)
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:
18,300
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Awesome
Perfection, really. [First added to this chart: 05/22/2021]
Perfection, really. [First added to this chart: 05/22/2021]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,740
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I taped this off my friend's older step-brother. I felt like one of the only kids in our school who got the Stone Roses when they debuted in 1989. Most of my friends thought Fools Gold was druggy shite when it entered the Top 40. I used to listen to my tape of this album on my Walkman when out on my bike and I would always play it all the way through. When I found out their influences it made me want to check out 60s music, especially psychedelia.
R.I.P. Mani. One of best bass Players of all time. [First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]
R.I.P. Mani. One of best bass Players of all time. [First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
22,384
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Words can't express how much this album meant to me when I was a typical teenager, living in the suburbs, in the early 90's. Life’s much better now. 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 driftaway music in tone. It has an elegiac, almost funereal quality which charms the listener and lifts it out of being simply depressing. Smith is a genius. And this is a perfect album. I wanted to be Robert Smith, as a teen.
[First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,149
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What sad news it was to find out that Sinead O'Connor had passed away and so young. A couple of years ago now. I love her music. She was a beautiful and sensitive soul and was really damaged from childhood. I like a lot of her albums and it was an almost impossible choice between this album and her sublime sophomore effort I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. Although the latter album contains her famous Prince cover Nothing Compares 2 U, which is one of my favourite songs, I just felt that song for song, this, her debut album, is a little bit stronger. My favourite songs on here are Jackie and Troy. And Mandinka was a great single. I remember seeing her promote that one in music magazine Smash Hits when I was twelve. It's only fitting that she rose to become world famous because with her feisty personality and her sublime voice. She had world-class talent. Rest in peace.
[First added to this chart: 11/26/2020]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,347
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Great album which came out right in the middle of the 80s when most folk thought she had disappeared. Ms Bush was beavering away in her studio, being all creative and dreaming it all up again. I love this record, it has so many good and triumphant songs. And the song suite on side 2 is so imaginative and scary and bewitching. Many think it's her best album, it is certainly sublime - a fantastic record.
[First added to this chart: 09/07/2017]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,086
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Superb soundtrack album from an artist who has meant a great deal to generations of my family. I love Neil Diamond and whereas I was tempted to add a greatest hits album, particularly his sublime Greatest Hits vol 2, I feel that this album most encapsulates what Neil Diamond is all about. He is a great songwriter and, I imagine, a great live performer, although I haven't seen him live. Fair to say I love his music.
The film is great too. Neil Diamond can act. [First added to this chart: 12/28/2023]
The film is great too. Neil Diamond can act. [First added to this chart: 12/28/2023]
Terrific album from Simple Minds. Panoramic in scope. Spiritual. Satisfying. Bags of energy. They have a lot of good albums. This is the one I resonate with the most.
[First added to this chart: 03/17/2025]
I love Sam Cooke's music, but I came to this late. One of the best live recordings I have ever heard in an album. Great vibe at the gig it seems. Sublime voice. A real talent.
[First added to this chart: 08/05/2019]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
993
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I was on a family holiday in Spain when I met this girl who had a cassette copy of this album. She played it to me on her Walkman and I loved it. It was one of the first Cure albums I heard and it was bewitching. So much better than I expected. She lent me the tape to take home and send back to her later. I am ashamed to say I never sent her it back. Naughty me. You live and learn.
[First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,511
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Total albums: 14. Page 1 of 2
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 2 | 2% | |
| 1960s | 16 | 16% | |
| 1970s | 32 | 32% | |
| 1980s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1990s | 22 | 22% | |
| 2000s | 5 | 5% | |
| 2010s | 6 | 6% | |
| 2020s | 3 | 3% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 3% | |
| Kate Bush | 3 | 3% | |
| Bob Dylan | 3 | 3% | |
| The Beatles | 3 | 3% | |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 2 | 2% | |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 2% | |
| Various Artists | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
43 | 43% | |
 |
43 | 43% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| New entries |
|---|
| The Kick Inside by Kate Bush |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
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| Top 100 Albums (Online Amalgam) | musicologist97 | Custom chart | 2019 | |
| Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums | Virgin | Overall chart | 1998 | |
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| If The BEA Overall Chart Had A One Album Per Artist Rule... |  Romanelli | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  RFNAPLES | Overall chart | 2013 | |
| My Personal Ranking of Best Ever Albums' Top 100 |  Xxnu99etxX | Custom chart | 2022 |  |
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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 121 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/28/2026 01:34 | mrmcrook | 808 | 92/100 | |
| 02/27/2026 03:43 |  jhuik | 172 | 89/100 | |
| 02/08/2025 07:26 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,089 | 85/100 | |
| 08/12/2024 20:20 |  pedro1976 | 106 | 85/100 | |
| 05/05/2024 02:15 | matterhornrider | 99 | 93/100 |
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 7.5.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 12 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 91 comments |
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From mrmcrook 02/28/2026 01:35 | #313375
I always love a chart with notes. Gives it a more justified substance and personalizes it. Good stuff.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From jhuik 02/27/2026 03:43 | #313315
jhuik 02/27/2026 03:43 | #313315
This is a great chart with great comments.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From CharlieBarley 05/25/2025 14:05 | #309135
CharlieBarley 05/25/2025 14:05 | #309135
Cheers Pedro!
sorry about the late reply
Haven't checked my emails in a week Bro
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From pedro1976 05/19/2025 11:50 | #309061
pedro1976 05/19/2025 11:50 | #309061
pretty cool list - some treasure here for sure
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From CharlieBarley 05/13/2024 17:05 | #303504
CharlieBarley 05/13/2024 17:05 | #303504
Hey RTB! HOW You doing Bud?!
Good to see you on here.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
RoundTheBend 05/13/2024 05:14 | #303494
RoundTheBend 05/13/2024 05:14 | #303494
Great new chart mate! Good to see you still active.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From CharlieBarley 05/05/2024 06:14 | #303365
CharlieBarley 05/05/2024 06:14 | #303365
Thanks MHR!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From matterhornrider 05/05/2024 02:17 | #303362
Nice Top 100, with diversity in Music genres and covering so many decades. I loved your commentary as well. Cheers
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From CharlieBarley 01/31/2024 21:00 | #301633
CharlieBarley 01/31/2024 21:00 | #301633
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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Moondance 01/31/2024 20:27 | #301632
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!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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