Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by Flay

I haven't set myself many restrictions for this chart, it's simply a list of my favourite albums. That means that there's not loads of variety in genres, because rock and folk are my favourites, and there's also a lot of repeated artists. Some more diversity would be nice, but this was the most honest ranking I could come up with

For each album I've included my favourite lyrics (currently incomplete), which have always been a very important aspect of music to me, and an ordered selection of my favourite songs from the album (favourite first). Hopefully I'll get around to giving a proper description of why I like each album soon.
There are 5 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 11 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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'When I'm at the pearly gates
This'll be on my videotape
Mephistopheles is just beneath
And he's reaching up to grab me
This is one for the good days
And I have it all here in red, blue, green
You are my center when I spin away
Out of control on videotape'
- Videotape

Best tracks: Reckoner, Videotape, Jigsaw Falling into Place, Nude, All I Need, Weird Fishes
[First added to this chart: 09/02/2016]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
42,768
Rank in 2007:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (90/100 - 3963 votes)  90 (3,963 votes)
Comments:
'I love you more than the world can contain
In its lonely and ramshackle head
There’s only a shadow of me; in a manner of speaking I'm dead'
- John My Beloved

Best tracks: John My Beloved, No Shade in the Shadow of The Cross, The Only Thing, Should Have Known Better, Fourth of July,
[First added to this chart: 05/20/2017]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,983
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (86/100 - 1487 votes)  86 (1,487 votes)
Comments:
'In a world of steel-eyed death and men
Who are fighting to be warm
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you
Shelter from the storm"'
- Shelter From The Storm

Best tracks: Shelter From The Storm, Tangled Up In Blue, If You See Her Say Hello, Idiot Wind, Simple Twist of Fate
[First added to this chart: 09/02/2016]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,381
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (87/100 - 2213 votes)  87 (2,213 votes)
Comments:
4. (12) Up 8
'All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window
All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders and He shook my face
And He takes and He takes and He takes'
- Casimir Pulaski Day

Best tracks: The Predatory Wasp Of The Pallisades, Casimir Pulaski Day, John Wayne Gacy Jr., Decatur
[First added to this chart: 01/18/2017]
Year of Release:
2005
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,977
Rank in 2005:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (86/100 - 1920 votes)  86 (1,920 votes)
Comments:
'You say you never compromise
With the mystery tramp but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say, “Do you want to make a deal?"'
- Like A Rolling Stone

Also:

'You raise up your head
And you ask "Is this where it is?"
And somebody points to you and says
"It's his"
And you say "What's mine?"
And somebody else says "Well, what is?"
And you say, "Oh my God, am I here all alone?"'
- Ballad of a Thin Man
Best tracks: Like A Rolling Stone, Ballad of a Thin Man, Desolation Row, Queen Jane Approximately, Tombstone Blues
[First added to this chart: 09/02/2016]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,600
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (89/100 - 2827 votes)  89 (2,827 votes)
Comments:
6. (5) Down 1
'I think you're crazy, maybe
I will see you in the next life'
- Motion Picture Soundtrack

Best tracks: Idioteque, Motion Picture Soundtrack, How To Disappear Completely, Morning Bell, Everything In It's Right Place
[First added to this chart: 09/02/2016]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
40,994
Rank in 2000:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (89/100 - 4486 votes)  89 (4,486 votes)
Comments:
7. New entry
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,471
Rank in 2010:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
8. (7) Down 1
'So look see the days
The endless colored ways
And go play the game
That you learned
From the morning'
- From The Morning

Best tracks: Pink Moon, From The Morning, Things Behind The Sun
[First added to this chart: 01/18/2017]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,194
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (86/100 - 1864 votes)  86 (1,864 votes)
Comments:
'Hey Joe, sorry I hurt you, but
They say love is a virtue don't they?'
- Sea Of Love

Best tracks: I Need My Girl, Sea Of Love, Pink Rabbits, I Should Live In Salt
[First added to this chart: 09/02/2016]
Year of Release:
2013
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,642
Rank in 2013:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
'And take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow'
- Mr Tambourine Man

Best tracks: Mr Tambourine Man, It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), It's All Over Now, Baby Blue, Love Minus Zero/No Limit, Subterranean Homesick Blues
[First added to this chart: 09/02/2016]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,617
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (86/100 - 1693 votes)  86 (1,693 votes)
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Climber Up 61 from 95th to 34thLive At Massey Hall 1971
by Neil Young
Climber Up 31 from 58th to 27thAbbey Road
by The Beatles
Climber Up 29 from 46th to 17thFuneral
by Arcade Fire
Biggest fallers
Faller Down 48 from 51st to 99thI See A Darkness
by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Faller Down 47 from 45th to 92ndBrothers In Arms
by Dire Straits
Faller Down 43 from 47th to 90th( ) [Svigaplatan]
by Sigur Rós
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Rearrange Top 100 Larcx13Custom chart2020
Top 100 Greatest Music AlbumsTinyBlueMusicOverall chart2021
Overall for yours truly RoundTheBendCustom chart2020
BEA's Top 100 - The Correct Order babyBlueSedanCustom chart2020
BEA top 100 reranked - 2020 LedZepCustom chart2023
Re-Ranking BEA's Top 100sunnydhammCustom chart2020
My Ranking of the BEA top 100 sszwalbenestCustom chart2021
Ranking the BEA top 1000 by track scoreJohnnyoCustom chart2025
BEA's Top 100 re-ranked EyeKanFlyCustom chart2020
My Personal Ranking of Best Ever Albums' Top 100 Xxnu99etxXCustom chart2022

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
89/100 (from 11 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
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).
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 11 ratings for this chart.

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RatingDate updatedMemberChart ratingsAvg. chart rating
 
90/100
 
11/30/2017 15:17 PaperVinnie  Ratings distribution  45181/100
 
85/100
 
11/29/2017 06:12 Purplepash  Ratings distribution  1,72788/100
 
100/100
 
11/29/2017 01:43 CharlieBarley  Ratings distribution  47694/100
 
95/100
 
11/28/2017 23:16 Lgk21  Ratings distribution  14195/100
 
100/100
 
11/28/2017 10:01 DommeDamian  Ratings distribution  1,00289/100

Rating metrics: Help 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 3% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.5/100, a mean average of 92.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 92.5/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 5.4.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites

Showing all 1 members who have added this chart as a favourite

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing all 5 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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Rating:  
95/100
From 11/28/2017 23:17 | #202252
While it isn't super diverse, that is a stellar list of albums that reflects your tastes and that is far more important.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 11/28/2017 10:01 | #202220
6 words, you've got GREAT taste!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 05/18/2017 22:01 | #191022
It does have too much radiohead for my taste, but 2 Neil Young albums in top 10 have bought me! Really honest chart with nice descriptions
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/21/2017 11:31 | #183659
Good solid chart. Plenty of albums I like. And the lyrics add to it. I like this.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 01/19/2017 08:42 | #183334
Nice chart! You should try to listen to King Crimson The Zombies and Camel!
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. Neil Young
10. Nirvana
11. The Velvet Underground
12. Kendrick Lamar
13. Miles Davis
14. The Smiths
15. R.E.M.
16. The Beach Boys
17. Kanye West
18. Bruce Springsteen
19. The Cure
20. Pixies
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