Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by CharlieBarley

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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: 2 minutes ago
(Created: 08/06/2016 19:37).
Chart size: 100 albums.

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3. (=)

The Joshua Tree

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:

1,813 charts

Rank Score:

19,910

Rank in 1987:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

83 (2,389 votes)

Comments:

226

6. (=)

Disintegration

The Cure

Words can't express how much this album meant to me when I was a confused, 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:

1,760 charts

Rank Score:

27,819

Rank in 1989:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

22. (=)

Seminal 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:

1,347 charts

Rank Score:

19,311

Rank in 1985:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

85 (1,335 votes)

Comments:

24. (=)

The Jazz Singer (Soundtrack)
Soundtrack

Neil Diamond

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. Plus he is a very alive person. Fair to say I love his music.
The film is great too. Neil Diamond can act too. [First added to this chart: 12/28/2023]

Year of Release:

1980

Appears in:

31 charts

Rank Score:

151

Rank in 1980:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

28. (=)

Hatful Of Hollow

The Smiths

What an album! Radio session tracks and singles and B-sides. Favourites are How Soon Is Now and Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want. I used to play that song at student parties and wonder why people thought I was depressed! But I'm alright noooooowwwww!! Just howling at the moon. [First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]

Year of Release:

1984

Appears in:

607 charts

Rank Score:

6,819

Rank in 1984:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

258

Average Rating:

86 (1,004 votes)

Comments:

39. (=)

The Lion And The Cobra

Sinéad O'Connor

What sad news it was to find out that Sinead O'Connor had passed away and so young. 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:

195 charts

Rank Score:

1,245

Rank in 1987:

Rank in 1980s:

221

Overall Rank:

1,392

Average Rating:

78 (190 votes)

Comments:

45. (=)

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

Sad, sad news about the passing of Shane MacGowan. He truly was a one-of-a-kind genius of a man. A supremely talented songwriter and musician. I bought this excellent album in 2004, quickly followed by Rum, Sodomy & The Lash. Two brilliant albums, it's hard to separate them. But this one edges it for me. It's got classics like Fairytale Of New York and Fiesta. Plus my favourite track of theirs: Thousands Are Sailing. I like the fact that when you stream it now you get extra tracks including The Irish Rover with The Dubliners, and the song South Australia. Although I used to have the extra tracks on my old CD. Shane MacGowan was a genius. Bears repeating. The whole band is great. Top drawer. It's a really lively record. One of the best. [First added to this chart: 08/04/2020]

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

289 charts

Rank Score:

1,739

Rank in 1988:

Rank in 1980s:

157

Overall Rank:

1,021

Average Rating:

78 (330 votes)

Comments:

52. (=)

Nebraska

Bruce Springsteen

What an awesome album. Fabulous acoustic set. Many people know Atlantic City, and that track is great. But this whole album is a monster. It's so good. That's all I need to say about it. [First added to this chart: 05/22/2021]

Year of Release:

1982

Appears in:

700 charts

Rank Score:

5,761

Rank in 1982:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

313

Average Rating:

80 (961 votes)

Comments:

55. (=)

The Stone Roses

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. [First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

1,972 charts

Rank Score:

25,890

Rank in 1989:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

86 (2,225 votes)

Comments:

202

56. (=)

Live "Under A Blood Red Sky"
Live

Gotta have a couple of live albums in this chart and this is excellent, from one of the all-time great live bands. I discovered this album in the mid-80's, aged 10, when a friend played a cassette copy to me. It was mind-blowingly good music. It starts well with Gloria and ends well with 40, with many great tracks in between. All killer, no filler. On closing track 40 the German crowd sing along. The other concerts were in Denver and Boston. Even today this is a stirring live album. I play it all the time. I feel a live album plays to their strengths and showcases that side of their talent. [First added to this chart: 04/05/2021]

Year of Release:

1983

Appears in:

155 charts

Rank Score:

605

Rank in 1983:

Rank in 1980s:

399

Overall Rank:

2,569

Average Rating:

77 (307 votes)

Comments:

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade	Albums	%

1930s	0	0%
1940s	0	0%
1950s	3	3%
1960s	13	13%
1970s	29	29%
1980s	18	18%
1990s	25	25%
2000s	5	5%
2010s	3	3%
2020s	4	4%

Artist	Albums	%

U2	3	3%
David Bowie	3	3%
Bob Dylan	2	2%
Pink Floyd	2	2%
Bruce Springsteen	2	2%
Kate Bush	2	2%
R.E.M.	2	2%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	43	43%
	41	41%
	5	5%
	5	5%
	1	1%
	1	1%
	1	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	99	99%
Yes	1	1%

Live?	Albums	%
No	98	98%
Yes	2	2%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	97	97%
Yes	3	3%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

There have been no changes to this chart.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating:

93/100 (from 117 votes)

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 117 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
100/100	01/31/2024 20:26	Moondance	454	84/100
95/100	01/19/2024 20:48	dihansse	308	84/100
95/100	06/21/2023 09:05	KineticEchoes02	111	88/100
95/100	06/18/2023 00:57	StreakyNuno	76	85/100
90/100	06/17/2023 19:43	Johnnyo	2,013	80/100

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 7.7.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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From

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.