Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by Lacobra 
Honestly, I don't like making "all time" albums charts. I don't like the idea of putting records that belong to very different universes, like The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady and Modern Vampires of the City on side with each other. The concept of popular music today is not the same as it was 50 years ago. Things change, you see?
Regretably BEA doesn't allow me to post decade or year lists until I get to level 5, and I don't know how long that will take, so...
Note: Naturally, I'm not including classical releases.
- Chart updated: 12/14/2020 18:45
- (Created: 10/10/2016 17:33).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 10 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 32 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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[First added to this chart: 10/19/2016]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
46,097
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
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[First added to this chart: 10/19/2016]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
59,057
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
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[First added to this chart: 10/19/2016]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,110
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
A+
[First added to this chart: 10/19/2016]
Year of Release:
2004
Appears in:
Rank Score:
31,532
Rank in 2004:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
A+
[First added to this chart: 08/03/2017]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,746
Rank in 1976:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
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[First added to this chart: 10/19/2016]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
29,586
Rank in 1998:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
7. (=)
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[First added to this chart: 10/19/2016]
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,830
Rank in 2010:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
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[First added to this chart: 10/19/2016]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,228
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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Available from
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[First added to this chart: 10/19/2016]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,552
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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Available from
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[First added to this chart: 10/19/2016]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,689
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 2 | 2% | |
| 1960s | 17 | 17% | |
| 1970s | 22 | 22% | |
| 1980s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1990s | 20 | 20% | |
| 2000s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2010s | 11 | 11% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Beatles | 4 | 4% | |
| Radiohead | 3 | 3% | |
| Vampire Weekend | 3 | 3% | |
| Bob Dylan | 3 | 3% | |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 2% | |
| Duke Ellington | 2 | 2% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
57 | 57% | |
 |
23 | 23% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
Up 21 from 96th to 75th |
Up 20 from 94th to 74th |
Up 15 from 47th to 32nd |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 6 from 86th to 92nd |
Down 5 from 90th to 95th |
Down 4 from 61st to 65th |
| New entries |
|---|
| Leavers |
|---|
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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 3 ratings for this chart. | Show all 32 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 04/16/2025 15:25 | DrewHamster | 314 | 79/100 |
| ! | 03/20/2025 22:06 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,090 | 86/100 |
| ! | 11/09/2020 06:12 | leniad | 670 | 85/100 |
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 3% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.2/100, a mean average of 89.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.3/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.0.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 3 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 08/11/2020 08:00 in Chart of the day (#3214): By Lacobra
BestEverAlbums 08/11/2020 08:00 in Chart of the day (#3214): By Lacobra“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Lacobra () 1. Revolver by The Beatles (1966) 2. OK Computer by Radiohead (1997) 3. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel (1998) 4. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) 5. Funeral by Arcade Fire…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 07/19/2019 08:00 in Chart of the day (#2826): By Lacobra
BestEverAlbums 07/19/2019 08:00 in Chart of the day (#2826): By Lacobra“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Lacobra () 1. OK Computer by Radiohead (1997) 2. Revolver by The Beatles (1966) 3. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel (1998) 4. Funeral by Arcade Fire (2004) 5. The Velvet Underground And Nico by The Velvet Underground And…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 10/10/2018 08:00 in Chart of the day (#2544): By Lacobra
BestEverAlbums 10/10/2018 08:00 in Chart of the day (#2544): By Lacobra“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Lacobra () 1. OK Computer by Radiohead (1997) 2. Revolver by The Beatles (1966) 3. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel (1998) 4. Funeral by Arcade Fire (2004) 5. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco (2002) 6. The Velvet Underground…”
View forum post →Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
Thad 10/10/2018 21:43 | #222330
This is an absolute gem of a chart. 22 albums/27 artists in common so plenty we agree with, a few albums I love but didn't quite make the charts, albums I've never heard of and will have to check out, and a few surprising picks as well. Variety of genre and nationality as well, and I also like how after the top 10 your picks aren't necessarily the artist's consensus "best."
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 1
From
crimson 11/19/2016 01:31 | #178682
I also think that listing Jazz or Classical music with popular music is unfair.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 1
From
JulianR TOP 100 COMMENTER 08/18/2017 06:51 | #196243
JulianR TOP 100 COMMENTER 08/18/2017 06:51 | #196243
good picks! it would be cool to have some analysis for why you grade each album as such. especially with unconventional picks like magical mystery tour in the top 10
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 0
From
JoeyBones1986 08/11/2020 17:01 | #256918
Some excellent records on here, plus some ideas for new stuff for me to explore! Personal bonus points for the emphasis on early R.E.M. and for the Regina Spektor inclusion.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 0
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