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.

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 42 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

View the complete list of 53,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.

Share this chart
Share | |
Collector's summary (filtered)Log in or register to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!

This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1980s. (Remove this filter)

Sort by
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
It took me a long time to digest this album. It encompasses so many different styles and emotions, and it is an incredibly sonically dense listen, but a very rewarding one. Each time I listen to it I find something new to focus in on, and each time I love this album a little more. Maybe it'll click with you instantly, but if not, give it the time it deserves. Come back to it in a few weeks. Months. Years. It'll still be there.

ACO: Sister and Goo are right next to this in chronology and quality, but Sonic Youth don't really have a bad album
[First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,617
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
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]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,733
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,040
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,892
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
29. (24) Down5
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
I listened to this album a few times in high school, and it didn't seem like much to me. It wasn't until I went away to university that I really started to get it. Maybe that's a coincidence, or maybe there's something to the tag 'college rock'. Either way, this album's brilliance isn't flashy or dramatic—it's the way the band gels together to create something bright and welcoming and doesn't falter from start to finish.

ACO: Reckoning
[First added to this chart: 02/04/2018]
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,630
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
40. (28) Down12
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
One of those albums that sounds simple on paper (and it is, when you really break it down) but comes together in an incredibly effective and moving way. Slow, dreamy songs with towering climaxes are almost never done as well as they are here, and when they are, Galaxie 500 is usually still to thank.

ACO: Today
[First added to this chart: 03/05/2019]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,419
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
This is what post-punk is all about. Wipers took the raw energy of punk and fused it with the relentlessness of krautrock to create something totally unique. When punk started to be about short, hard hitting songs, these guys came out with a ten minute masterpiece that puts them all to shame. The rest of the tracks aren't to be overlooked, though: every one is fantastic. Highly recommend to fans of Television, or post-punk in general. Or rock music in general. Actually, straight up everyone should listen to this.

ACO: Is This Real?
[First added to this chart: 05/30/2017]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,913
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
I've seen this called the default favorite Smiths album, but it really stands head and shoulders above the rest of their studio discography. Hatful of Hollow is close, but this is just a little more cohesive and just a little more representative of everything the Smiths were about.

ACO: Hatful Of Hollow and Meat Is Murder
[First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
39,035
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
This is one I kind of went down the rabbit hole on. It started with Postcard Records, one of the most influential labels of the 80s that only released 12 singles and one album from the Glasgow post-punk scene. There was something unique about the bands they signed though. Bands like Aztec Camera, Orange Juice, and Josef K took post punk and started bleaching the darkness from it, moving in the opposite direction bands like Bauhaus did. Then they injected it with everything they could find—lounge music, rockabilly, synth pop, and more: the result was spectacular. This album is basically the culmination of all that, but it is still an amazing album without that context. The music stands up on its own as some of the most unique and diverse pop music of its era.

ACO:
Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain
Josef K - The Only Fun In Town
Orange Juice - You Can't Hide Your Love Forever
[First added to this chart: 02/04/2018]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,324
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,356
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 17. Page 1 of 2

Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!

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%
Country Albums %


United States 70 70%
United Kingdom 19 19%
Canada 6 6%
France 1 1%
Jamaica 1 1%
Guinea 1 1%
Australia 1 1%
Show all
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 98 98%
Yes 2 2%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Climber Up 38 from 41st to 3rd
Karma
by Pharoah Sanders
Climber Up 37 from 51st to 14th
If You're Feeling Sinister
by Belle And Sebastian
Climber Up 30 from 100th to 70th
Ys
by Joanna Newsom
Biggest fallers
Faller Down 23 from 11th to 34th
The Wall
by Pink Floyd
Faller Down 22 from 5th to 27th
Deathconsciousness
by Have A Nice Life
Faller Down 19 from 23rd to 42nd
Let Love In
by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

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


Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!


Why register?


Register now - it only takes a moment!

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
92/100 (from 42 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 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).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 42 ratings for this chart.

Sort ratings
RatingDate updatedMemberChart ratingsAvg. chart rating
 
85/100
 Report rating
07/13/2022 22:08 Applerill  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 97675/100
 
95/100
 Report rating
12/28/2020 02:19 jeitee  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2275/100
 
90/100
 Report rating
12/27/2020 18:23 pjohnsongolf  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 27389/100
 
100/100
 Report rating
12/27/2020 09:15 Mercury  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 25695/100
  
100/100
 Report rating
06/03/2020 21:38 ssteve  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 20792/100

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 91.9/100, a mean average of 92.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 93.3/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.5.

Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating

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 16 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
95/100
From 12/28/2020 02:20
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)
Rating:  
90/100
From 12/27/2020 18:23
Great chart man! I will definitely check some stuff out!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 12/27/2020 11:08
A really great read revisiting. Picked up a few new recommendations too; thanks!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 01/02/2019 07:45
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)
Rating:  
95/100
From 09/05/2018 21:12
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)
Rating:  
95/100
From 03/12/2018 04:23
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)
Rating:  
95/100
From 02/13/2018 23:48
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) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/03/2018 23:11
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)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/03/2018 21:47
Nary a bad record in sight.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/03/2018 12:35
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)

Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment

Your feedback for Top 100 Greatest Music Albums

Anonymous
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
Log in or register to assign a rating or leave a comment for this chart.
Recognised  Year Charts (2023)
1. Top 10 Albums of the Year 2023 by Bleep (2023)
2. Top 40 Albums of 2023 by Decibel (2023)
3. Loud And Quiet Albums of the Year 2023 by Loud And Quiet (2023)
4. The 20 best albums of 2023 by Dazed (2023)
5. Uncut Best 75 Albums Of The Year 2023 by Uncut (2023)
6. The 30 best albums of 2023 by Time Out (2023)
7. Albums Of The Year 2023 by Rough Trade (2023)
8. Quietus Albums Of The Year 2023 by The Quietus (2023)
9. The 100 Best Albums of 2023 by Rolling Stone (2023)
10. Top 100 Albums of 2023 by Piccadilly Records (2023)
11. Best Albums of 2023 by Northern Transmissions (2023)
12. The 20 Best Albums of 2023 by Esquire (2023)
13. The best albums of 2023 by Independent (2023)
14. Top 55 Albums of 2023 by The Alternative (2023)
15. The 27 best albums of 2023 by The A.V. Club (2023)
16. KCRW's Best Albums of 2023 by KCRW (2023)
17. Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023 by Exclaim! (2023)
18. The Best Albums of 2023 by FLOOD Magazine (2023)
19. Top 50 Albums of 2023 by The Wire (2023)
20. The Best Albums of 2023 by The Ringer (2023)
Back to Top