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: 04/07/2024 18:45
• (Created: 08/06/2016 19:37).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

There are 83 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 93 out of 100 (from 117 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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18. (17) 1

Automatic For The People 

 R.E.M.

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I thought Out of Time was good but when this one came out it was just on another level. I remember playing it all summer and it was always playing in my friends' cars. Every song is a winner. It just flows so well as an album. And its themes of: getting older (# "readying to bury your Father and your Mother" - Sweetness Follows); facing death (Man On The Moon); defeating suicidal impulses (Everybody Hurts); nostalgia for youth(Nightswimming); and spirituality and a longing for home (Find The River) made for a mature, reflective but also very melodic work. That's how I see it anyway. It gave me pause for thought when I first heard it aged 17, and it still does now. I love it. A special album. [First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]

Year of Release:

1992

Appears in:

1,767 charts

Rank Score:

20,421

Rank in 1992:

1

Rank in 1990s:

6

Overall Rank:

49

Average Rating:

 84 (2,155 votes)

Comments:

174

20. (19) 1

Out Of Time 

 R.E.M.

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The album that got me into R.E.M. The year before I'd heard the song 'Stand' on Belgian radio, on a school trip. And I loved that. But then, when Losing My Religion broke in 1991, I fell in love with this album. I remember buying the cassette. Later on I got it on CD. It came out just at the start of the summer. And me and my friends played it all summer long. I never thought they could better this album, until the following year they released Automatic For The People, and knocked it out the park. But Out Of Time will always be a special album for me. [First added to this chart: 10/18/2016]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

648 charts

Rank Score:

4,127

Rank in 1991:

12

Rank in 1990s:

78

Overall Rank:

435

Average Rating:

 77 (1,037 votes)

Comments:

52

26. (25) 1

Grace 

 Jeff Buckley

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One of my favourite albums. It's tender and understated and very honest. Hallelujah is a top ten favourite song for me. All time. I also like So Real, Grace and Corpus Christi Carol. It's all good. [First added to this chart: 01/11/2017]

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

1,666 charts

Rank Score:

19,266

Rank in 1994:

1

Rank in 1990s:

9

Overall Rank:

59

Average Rating:

 84 (1,905 votes)

Comments:

169

29. (28) 1

Achtung Baby 

 U2

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To follow up The Joshua Tree with such a different and exciting album was no mean feat for U2. I loved this album when it arrived. I felt it was very original. A song like 'One' became an instant classic among my peer group at sixth form College. Even though I have overheard it now I still love it. I like how they made a dance remix of 'Even Better Than The Real Thing'. And I love 'Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses'. The whole album is fantastic. I still listen to it regularly. [First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

1,284 charts

Rank Score:

12,969

Rank in 1991:

5

Rank in 1990s:

20

Overall Rank:

109

Average Rating:

 80 (1,787 votes)

Comments:

142

33. (44) 11

OK Computer 

 Radiohead

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What a brilliant album. Another one I didn't get straight away. At first I preferred The Bends but time and repeated listens soon revealed this album's majesty. There are so many good tracks and it just flows so well as an album. My favourite track is Let Down, which is one of my favourite tracks of all time. [First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]

Year of Release:

1997

Appears in:

4,334 charts

Rank Score:

77,009

Rank in 1997:

1

Rank in 1990s:

1

Overall Rank:

1

Average Rating:

 92 (5,496 votes)

Comments:

841

35. (33) 2

Parklife 

 Blur

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Another big album of my generation. I was 18 when this dropped. It was awesome. The songs were fun and cheeky. The lyrics were intelligent. And it had some great tunes too. My favourite tracks are Girls And Boys, To The End, Far Out, Trouble In The Message Centre and This Is A Low. And although it has imperfections I just love it. Plus it captures the youthful spirit of a bunch of lads in their twenties who just happened to be in a famous band. Well, this is the record that made them massively famous, even though their eponymously-titled album from 1997 was the album that broke them in America. This album made being a young man more enjoyable, for me. It's my favourite Blur album. [First added to this chart: 02/07/2023]

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

978 charts

Rank Score:

7,896

Rank in 1994:

10

Rank in 1990s:

41

Overall Rank:

213

Average Rating:

 80 (1,349 votes)

Comments:

71

36. (35) 1

Siamese Dream 

 The Smashing Pumpkins

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I heard this when it first debuted. I was at a mate's house and this lad came in playing this album on a small ghetto blaster. I was charmed by the music that came out the speakers.. And I was on drugs at the time. Don't do drugs now but this album really appealled to me when I was off my face and it still does now I am clean. Every track is good. It's so hard to choose between this and Mellon Collie but I think this one just pips all the others. And Today is one of my favourite songs of the 90s. Billy Corgan may have problems but he's no shirker, he has produced a lot of very expressive music. [First added to this chart: 08/06/2016]

Year of Release:

1993

Appears in:

1,553 charts

Rank Score:

19,469

Rank in 1993:

1

Rank in 1990s:

8

Overall Rank:

54

Average Rating:

 85 (1,889 votes)

Comments:

149

41. (40) 1

Mirmama 

 Eddi Reader

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Superb album which really showcases Ms Reader's sublime singing voice. A few good covers like Dolphins by Fred Neil (though I think she liked the Tim Buckley version best); and Hello In There, the John Prine song about being kind to old people. And it ends with a Steve Earle cover of My Old Friend The Blues, which Reader's fellow Scottish artists The Proclaimers also covered so well on their fabulous album Sunshine On Leith. It really strikes an emotional chord with me, this terrific album. [First added to this chart: 11/26/2020]

Year of Release:

1992

Appears in:

6 charts

Rank Score:

86

Rank in 1992:

222

Rank in 1990s:

2,209

Overall Rank:

13,154

Average Rating:

 75 (2 votes)

Comments:

1

46. (45) 1

Forgiven, Not Forgotten 

 The Corrs

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A terrific album using traditional instruments and full of great melodies. Every track is great. I like the instrumental tracks too. Means a lot to me. [First added to this chart: 06/16/2023]

Year of Release:

1995

Appears in:

42 charts

Rank Score:

174

Rank in 1995:

137

Rank in 1990s:

1,218

Overall Rank:

7,252

Average Rating:

 69 (44 votes)

Comments:

4

49. (69) 20

The Man Who 

 Travis

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Terrific Scottish indie band. I have never lost my love for their music. When this came out in '99 I was working in a series of menial jobs and every time a Travis track came on the radio I perked up a lot. I got the album for Christmas that year and it quickly became one of my all-time favourites. I like all their other albums too but this one is special. It also happens to be in the Top 100 bestselling albums of all time in the UK chart. [First added to this chart: 10/18/2016]

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

301 charts

Rank Score:

1,958

Rank in 1999:

21

Rank in 1990s:

174

Overall Rank:

915

Average Rating:

 75 (356 votes)

Comments:

22

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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

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Up 20 from 69th to 49th The Man Who by Travis
Up 17 from 34th to 17th The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie
Up 11 from 44th to 33rd OK Computer by Radiohead

Biggest fallers
Down 2 from 32nd to 34th If I Could Only Remember My Name by David Crosby
Down 2 from 33rd to 35th Parklife by Blur
Down 2 from 42nd to 44th Back To Black by Amy Winehouse

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

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	453	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	2,012	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 favourites

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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.

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Rating:  

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

I know! It was a good discovery

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Rating:  

95/100

From 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

Thanks SN!

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Rating:  

95/100

From StreakyNuno 06/18/2023 01:01

Great chart, good to see wywh in top 3

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From CharlieBarley 06/17/2023 21:21

Thanks Johnny!

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Rating:  

90/100

From Johnnyo 06/17/2023 19:44

Great chart.

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From CharlieBarley 04/04/2023 13:42

Thanks!
Yes Harder They Come is awesome. Good film too.

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Rating:  

100/100

From melisandre 04/04/2023 13:26

some nostalgic ones for me like the sting and belinda carlilse albums. i like them. i also really like the harder they come ost. i need to get it on my own chart. also they might be giants. fun albums

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