Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by Weepingguitarman 
Keeping it one album per artist for the sake of variety, but I'm including recommendations (ACO = Also Check Out) in the notes for other favorites of mine. There is still so much music I want to listen to, so if you don't see your favorite band on here, let me know! Maybe (probably) I just haven't heard of them/gotten around to listening to them yet.
I'll try to include notes for as many as I can, but I'm going to be changing and adding to this chart all the time, so it won't be fast.
- Chart updated: 10/05/2020 03:15
- (Created: 09/07/2016 03:42).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 16 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 92 out of 100 (from 46 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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The pinnacle of what is achievable by four guys with two guitars, a bass, and a drum kit. People praise the punk movement, and in particular bands like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, for their back-to-basics simplicity that grounded and reinvigorated rock, but this album is a whirlwind tour of the full implications of that concept. Each riff is so instant and catchy that it could carry a whole song, but the songs rarely stretch past two minutes, and often go through several parts. This is everything I love about music in a microcosm.
ACO: Chairs Missing, the followup album to this, sees Wire exploring different instrumentation and arrangement, and building longer songs, without losing the spark that makes this album special. A different kind of brilliance. [First added to this chart: 02/04/2018]
ACO: Chairs Missing, the followup album to this, sees Wire exploring different instrumentation and arrangement, and building longer songs, without losing the spark that makes this album special. A different kind of brilliance. [First added to this chart: 02/04/2018]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,054
Rank in 1977:
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Eno may be my favorite musician. Everything he touches, from the Talking Heads to Windows 95, is vastly improved by his presence. This is my favorite of his albums partly because it showcases both the poppy fun of his earlier albums and the ambient soundscapes of his later ones. Partly, it's because of the guest list containing some of the best musicians of the '60s and '70s (John Cale, Phil Collins, and The Frippster himself). Mostly, though, it's because it is one of the most creative and unique albums I've ever heard.
ACO: Before and After Science is the most similar entry in Eno's overall excellent discography to this, and it is uncoincidentally my next favorite of his. Everything he's done is a highlight though. [First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
ACO: Before and After Science is the most similar entry in Eno's overall excellent discography to this, and it is uncoincidentally my next favorite of his. Everything he's done is a highlight though. [First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,107
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Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G5YguuNSJg
This album is full of long songs that feel short because they build up so well and so smoothly. It's gothic in the same way a cathedral is: awe-inspiring, towering above us, and yet, oddly welcoming.
ACO: It's hard to go wrong with the Cure. In terms of my personal favorites, Pornography for something darker, Head On The Door for something lighter, Faith for something dreamier, Kiss Me for a little bit of everything [First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
This album is full of long songs that feel short because they build up so well and so smoothly. It's gothic in the same way a cathedral is: awe-inspiring, towering above us, and yet, oddly welcoming.
ACO: It's hard to go wrong with the Cure. In terms of my personal favorites, Pornography for something darker, Head On The Door for something lighter, Faith for something dreamier, Kiss Me for a little bit of everything [First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,156
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
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If you haven't noticed by now, I'm really into atmospheric albums. This album is like being 100 feet underwater at midnight. This album is dark, and it's depressing, but it's also oddly comforting. A lot of the tracks are weirdly groovy, and it seems like they should clash with Ian Curtis's vocals, but somehow it works. It's such a unique album, both sonically and emotionally, but it never really feels out of place. It reminds me of the monolith from 2001—it's like Joy Division dug up something primal and fundamental, something that was already in us and laid it down on vinyl.
ACO: Closer is also a great album, but make sure to check out Substance, which contains such classics as Love Will Tear Us Apart, Transmission, and Atmosphere, among others [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
ACO: Closer is also a great album, but make sure to check out Substance, which contains such classics as Love Will Tear Us Apart, Transmission, and Atmosphere, among others [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
21,768
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[First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,266
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
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Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,916
Rank in 1985:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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Gang of Four, along with their contemporaries like Wire and Joy Division (but to a greater extent), were so ahead of their time that their influence took 20 years to really make itself shown. Sure, you can hear some of the sharp, angular sounds of new wave in this album, but on the whole it's something else entirely. Each instrument gets used in such creative, unique ways, and they all come together to create an amazingly tight album.
ACO: Solid Gold is definitely worth checking out if you love this album, but doesn't offer anything too new. [First added to this chart: 03/05/2019]
ACO: Solid Gold is definitely worth checking out if you love this album, but doesn't offer anything too new. [First added to this chart: 03/05/2019]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,656
Rank in 1979:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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This is one of the first albums I ever listened to. The fact that it's so high up on this chart is probably no coincidence, but even without nostalgia being a factor, this is still one of the best albums I've ever listened to. There isn't a note out of place. This album is the reason I'm a sucker for concept albums now.
ACO: Pink Floyd is probably my favorite band. For something similar to this (in style, if not in scope) check out The Final Cut.
You don't need me to tell you to listen to Pink Floyd, but my top five:
1.) The Wall
2.) Wish You Were Here
3.) Dark Side Of The Moon
4.) Saucerful Of Secrets
5.) Piper At The Gates Of Dawn [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
ACO: Pink Floyd is probably my favorite band. For something similar to this (in style, if not in scope) check out The Final Cut.
You don't need me to tell you to listen to Pink Floyd, but my top five:
1.) The Wall
2.) Wish You Were Here
3.) Dark Side Of The Moon
4.) Saucerful Of Secrets
5.) Piper At The Gates Of Dawn [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,162
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Bowie put out an unprecedented and unequaled run of 13 good-to-great albums, from Space Oddity to Let's Dance. Over that run, he passed through a hundred different styles, from folk, to proto-metal, to glam, to soul, to electronic, to pop, and he left an indelible mark on each of them. Heroes is the middle album of the Berlin trilogy he did with Brian Eno, and while Low is brimming with new ideas and creativity, this is the album where both artists really mesh and hit their stride.
For a long time, I'd only heard the title track, and while it was and is one of my favorite songs of all time, the rest of the album blew me away too. Similar to Low, it's divided into half, with the wild and beautiful avant-pop of the first half giving way to stunning ambient pieces in the second. Both sides are fantastic, and the album also closes with one of the strongest songs in Bowie's titanic library.
ACO: Ziggy, Aladdin, Station To Station, Blackstar [First added to this chart: 02/12/2018]
For a long time, I'd only heard the title track, and while it was and is one of my favorite songs of all time, the rest of the album blew me away too. Similar to Low, it's divided into half, with the wild and beautiful avant-pop of the first half giving way to stunning ambient pieces in the second. Both sides are fantastic, and the album also closes with one of the strongest songs in Bowie's titanic library.
ACO: Ziggy, Aladdin, Station To Station, Blackstar [First added to this chart: 02/12/2018]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,183
Rank in 1977:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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If I have to pick one Radiohead album for this chart, this'll be it. Maybe it's not as cohesive as Kid A, and maybe it doesn't have the ridiculous influence that OK Computer had, but it's their most consistent album. Every song on this thing is amazing (including the immensely underrated Faust Arp). You get the full gamut of emotions, ranging from the unreasonably danceable 15 Step to the achingly sorrowful Videotape and hitting most of the stops along the way.
ACO: Shoutout to my boy Hail To The Thief, because you've probably listened to OKC and Kid A already [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
ACO: Shoutout to my boy Hail To The Thief, because you've probably listened to OKC and Kid A already [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
43,866
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 19. Page 1 of 2
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 1 | 1% | |
| 1960s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1970s | 20 | 20% | |
| 1980s | 17 | 17% | |
| 1990s | 23 | 23% | |
| 2000s | 16 | 16% | |
| 2010s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| My Bloody Valentine | 1 | 1% | |
| Pink Floyd | 1 | 1% | |
| Built To Spill | 1 | 1% | |
| The Roots | 1 | 1% | |
| Joy Division | 1 | 1% | |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs | 1 | 1% | |
| Animal Collective | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
70 | 70% | |
 |
19 | 19% | |
| |
6 | 6% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 38 from 41st to 3rdKarma by Pharoah Sanders |
| Up 37 from 51st to 14thIf You're Feeling Sinister by Belle And Sebastian |
| Up 30 from 100th to 70thYs by Joanna Newsom |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 23 from 11th to 34thThe Wall by Pink Floyd |
| Down 22 from 5th to 27thDeathconsciousness by Have A Nice Life |
| Down 19 from 23rd to 42ndLet Love In by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds |
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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 46 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 06/24/2025 07:20 |  seb7 | 115 | 91/100 |
| ! | 03/25/2025 20:04 | DrewHamster | 317 | 79/100 |
| ! | 03/20/2025 22:40 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/15/2025 16:17 | Exist-en-ciel | 145 | 98/100 |
| ! | 07/13/2022 22:08 |  Applerill | 974 | 75/100 |
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 92.0/100, a mean average of 92.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 93.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.3.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From jeitee 12/28/2020 02:20 | #263325
love the notes on a lot of these albums. looking forward to seeing if you add notes to ys and loud city song
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
pjohnsongolf 12/27/2020 18:23 | #263288
pjohnsongolf 12/27/2020 18:23 | #263288
Great chart man! I will definitely check some stuff out!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
NowhereMan 12/27/2020 11:08 | #263266
NowhereMan 12/27/2020 11:08 | #263266
A really great read revisiting. Picked up a few new recommendations too; thanks!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 01/02/2019 07:45 | #228552
Really love your chart and the notes against each entry really add to the enjoyment. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
foxytreeko 09/05/2018 21:12 | #220622
foxytreeko 09/05/2018 21:12 | #220622
One of my favorite charts I have ever seen on this site, I love your picks and descriptions of what each of these albums mean to you! Can't wait until you finish commenting on the rest of your chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Komorebi-D 03/12/2018 04:23 | #210700
Komorebi-D 03/12/2018 04:23 | #210700
Dude this chart is work of art. I adore every single title on here except for three and that’s only because I haven’t heard them. We practically have the exact same taste. This is excellent!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From 
Antonio-Pedro 02/13/2018 23:48 | #208076
Antonio-Pedro 02/13/2018 23:48 | #208076
I'm so happy I dug upon this chart, there is so much beauty in your notes on the middle to the end part, makes justice to the whole list, also loved your annotation on Steve reich's record, really wll thought and is probably going to get me to listen to it again.
Also I'm a very personal person with my notes, and as much as there some personal touch here I think you have a quite cool feature to present your favorite records in an objective way, as you're telling them their own inner beauties, that's cute, I like it.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Lgk21 01/03/2018 23:11 | #204511
This is a great chart in part because of the great selections of albums but also because of the quality of your descriptions.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
HoldenM 01/03/2018 21:47 | #204507
HoldenM 01/03/2018 21:47 | #204507
Nary a bad record in sight.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From 
ForegroundNoise 01/03/2018 12:35 | #204478
ForegroundNoise 01/03/2018 12:35 | #204478
AHHhhh what an incredible chart!! Especially the notes!! Love the #1 pick and the inclusion of Blood Visions, I'm sure you know way more stuff than I do but in case you haven't listened, check out these underground beauties:
Rodan - Rusty
Bark Psychosis - Hex
This Heat - Deceit
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
Fishmans - Long Season
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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