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 42 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1990s. (Remove this filter)
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I was NOT prepared for this album. When I listened to it for the first time, I was at a point where I thought an album like OK Computer was the most experimental thing ever made. When I was engulfed by the end of the world after the four most iconic snare hits in music, it was a religious experience. Since then, I've become a little more familiar with shoegaze, but nothing I've heard has come close to this album.
ACO: Isn't Anything and m b v [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
ACO: Isn't Anything and m b v [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
33,774
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
308
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If any one band could sum up everything great about music in the '90s, it would be Pavement. Nirvana and Radiohead are great (as this list will tell you) but they didn't hit the decade as hard, or embody it so fully. Don't think for a second that means this album sounds dated, though. It's still incredibly fresh, and if somehow you haven't listened to it yet, you're in for a real treat.
ACO: Brighten The Corners for more polish, Slanted and Enchanted for less [First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
ACO: Brighten The Corners for more polish, Slanted and Enchanted for less [First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,194
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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When it comes to old hip hop I find there's a pretty sharp divide: albums from the 80's (even albums I love, like 3 Feet High and Rising, Nation Of Millions, and Strictly Business) sound dated to me. Not every album from the 90's still sounds fresh, but it's where production standards start to hold up to the modern day. It's not a coincidence that Tribe's first album came out in 1990. Something about the creative sampling, amazing production, and interplay between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (RIP) make this into one of the smoothest albums of all time, and definitely one of the best.
ACO: People's Instinctive Travels [First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
ACO: People's Instinctive Travels [First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,006
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 12/23/2016]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,994
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Such a unique album. At no point does it feel weird for the sake of weird, though—every lyric, riff, and drumbeat feels like it wouldn't have been right if it had been done any other way. An intense experience.
ACO: Millions Living Will Never Die by Tortoise. Dave Pajo is all over it [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
ACO: Millions Living Will Never Die by Tortoise. Dave Pajo is all over it [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,715
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Sometimes a band that isn't spectacularly talented (the kind you'd see in a bar on a Tuesday, or in your neighbour's basement) will have a stroke of absolute brilliance, and craft a spectacular song, or a snippet of song. In the early '90s, every stroke of brilliance in America was recorded on whatever lo-fi home recording device people used back then, and mailed to Robert Pollard, who cropped the 20 most brilliant out of the thousand he received—hence, the name of the album—to create an album that blurred everything that the phrase "rock music" had ever meant up til that point into one beautiful mess.
At least, that's my theory, because if one man could actually write so much music so fast and so well, I would give up ever trying to write a song again. I mean, between this album and Alien Lanes, that's like 50 songs in less than 12 months, with every one of them being better than what most bands could produce in a decade.
ACO: Alien Lanes, as per above [First added to this chart: 02/04/2018]
At least, that's my theory, because if one man could actually write so much music so fast and so well, I would give up ever trying to write a song again. I mean, between this album and Alien Lanes, that's like 50 songs in less than 12 months, with every one of them being better than what most bands could produce in a decade.
ACO: Alien Lanes, as per above [First added to this chart: 02/04/2018]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,399
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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If this was purely a competition of influence, 3 Feet High and Rising would be here instead of this album, no question. But this album is even more ambitious, and that ambition is even more fully realized. It's a double (!) concept album, framed by the story of a kid finding the album in the trash, getting it taken by a bunch of hooligans, and then the hooligans listening to it. The album they listen to is also framed by a fiction radio station that plays only De La Soul songs.
It sounds like a lot, but it works because the actual songs are so damn good. The rapping has advanced light years from the first album. Maseo actually raps on this one, and, surprise surprise, he's really good. The topics they rap about are more varied than on almost any other album, but they're all well executed. The production is absolutely killer, sampling everyone from Tom Waits to Serge Gainsbourg to Stevie Wonder while sounding unified and totally unique. The skits, much like on the first album, can be a little obnoxious at times but I think they're funny as hell.
This all comes together in one of the greatest and most underrated hip hop albums ever. It might not be for everyone, but it's definitely worth checking out.
ACO: Buhloone Mindstate and 3 Feet High [First added to this chart: 03/05/2019]
It sounds like a lot, but it works because the actual songs are so damn good. The rapping has advanced light years from the first album. Maseo actually raps on this one, and, surprise surprise, he's really good. The topics they rap about are more varied than on almost any other album, but they're all well executed. The production is absolutely killer, sampling everyone from Tom Waits to Serge Gainsbourg to Stevie Wonder while sounding unified and totally unique. The skits, much like on the first album, can be a little obnoxious at times but I think they're funny as hell.
This all comes together in one of the greatest and most underrated hip hop albums ever. It might not be for everyone, but it's definitely worth checking out.
ACO: Buhloone Mindstate and 3 Feet High [First added to this chart: 03/05/2019]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
472
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Sometimes people dismiss Elliott Smith's music because it's so sad, as if it somehow has less artistic value because it evokes strong emotions. That's some real bull. Elliott Smith might be the most talented songwriter of the last few decades, and that really shines through on this album. For me, this is the peak of his career, sandwiched between the barebones sound of the first two albums and the poppier sound of the next two, you get the best of both worlds, and some of the finest songs Elliott Smith (or anyone, really) ever wrote.
ACO: s/t [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
ACO: s/t [First added to this chart: 10/10/2016]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,579
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Nick Cave has classic albums in every decade since the 80's, which is a feat incredibly few artists can match. You may think that genius would be mitigated by being spread out over such a long time, but if anything it's the opposite. Nick Cave has explored so many different styles and moods that it's almost impossible to know what you're getting into with each album. Just listen to Let Love In, Murder Ballads, and The Boatman's Call to get what that means, and then realize that those albums came out in a four year span. Then, try to imagine what it would sound like in a forty year span. This is my favorite album of his now, but I have only listened to a fraction of the albums he's put out, so I have no idea how long that'll last. It's a great place to jump into his discography, and I highly recommend you do.
ACO: I've loved literally everything I've listened to so just go ham [First added to this chart: 08/13/2017]
ACO: I've loved literally everything I've listened to so just go ham [First added to this chart: 08/13/2017]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,607
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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The cold, killer credentials of Liquid Swords hybridized with the smooth nocturnal calm of Low End Theory. A potent blend. Shook Ones Part II might be the GOAT hip hop song, and the rest of the album doesn't disappoint.
ACO: Hell On Earth [First added to this chart: 03/05/2019]
ACO: Hell On Earth [First added to this chart: 03/05/2019]
Year of Release:
1995
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,590
Rank in 1995:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 23. Page 1 of 3
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Girls | 1 | 1% | |
| Sun Ra | 1 | 1% | |
| R.E.M. | 1 | 1% | |
| The Strokes | 1 | 1% | |
| The Velvet Underground | 1 | 1% | |
| Sonic Youth | 1 | 1% | |
| Galaxie 500 | 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 3rd Karma by Pharoah Sanders |
| Up 37 from 51st to 14th If You're Feeling Sinister by Belle And Sebastian |
| Up 30 from 100th to 70th Ys by Joanna Newsom |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 23 from 11th to 34th The Wall by Pink Floyd |
| Down 22 from 5th to 27th Deathconsciousness by Have A Nice Life |
| Down 19 from 23rd to 42nd Let Love In by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
92/100 (from 42 votes)
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.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
85/100  | 07/13/2022 22:08 |  Applerill | | 75/100 |
95/100 | 12/28/2020 02:19 | jeitee | | 75/100 |
90/100 | 12/27/2020 18:23 |  pjohnsongolf | | 89/100 |
100/100 | 12/27/2020 09:15 |  Mercury | | 95/100 |
 100/100 | 06/03/2020 21:38 |  ssteve | | 92/100 |
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.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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95/100
From jeitee 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)
90/100
From pjohnsongolf 12/27/2020 18:23
pjohnsongolf 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)
85/100
From 
NowhereMan 12/27/2020 11:08
NowhereMan 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)
90/100
From Johnnyo 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)
95/100
From 
foxytreeko 09/05/2018 21:12
foxytreeko 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)
95/100
From Komorebi-D 03/12/2018 04:23
Komorebi-D 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)
95/100
From 
Antonio-Pedro 02/13/2018 23:48
Antonio-Pedro 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)
100/100
From Lgk21 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)
100/100
From 
HoldenM 01/03/2018 21:47
HoldenM 01/03/2018 21:47
Nary a bad record in sight.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 01/03/2018 12:35
ForegroundNoise 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)
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| Best Artists of the 1970s | |
|---|---|
| 1. Pink Floyd | |
| 2. David Bowie | |
| 3. Led Zeppelin | |
| 4. Neil Young | |
| 5. The Rolling Stones | |
| 6. The Clash | |
| 7. Fleetwood Mac | |
| 8. Black Sabbath | |
| 9. The Who | |
| 10. Genesis | |
| 11. Stevie Wonder | |
| 12. Bob Dylan | |
| 13. Paul McCartney | |
| 14. Yes | |
| 15. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 16. Joni Mitchell | |
| 17. Bob Marley | |
| 18. Nick Drake | |
| 19. Joy Division | |
| 20. Queen |