Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
Sean 
A revolving and evolving approximation of my music taste, this chart has been under construction since I was 14.
Often times, the album comments will contain a current take, followed by an earlier written take.
- Chart updated: 09/24/2022 17:45
- (Created: 08/06/2011 01:55).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 113 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 137 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Soft & beautiful Pet Sounds is Baroque Pop at its best. It is arguably the best engineered album of all time as the studio innovations were never seen before. Goes deep inside the psyche of the human mind and emotions, certainly more than it lets one in the first listen.
[First added to this chart: 08/05/2011]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
36,208
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The perfect folk album where everything flows perfectly. The bitterness despair and confusion is all in Highway 61 revisited. The lyrical writing is not only the greatest in rock history, but in a class with James Joyce, Hemingway and Shakespeare for its impact on the reader/listener. Of course as my number 1, there is some unsaid emotional impact on me that cannot be quantified. The feelings from Like A Rolling Stone to Desolation Row are what rise it above the rest of my top 25, all of which could be #1.
[First added to this chart: 08/05/2011]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,024
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One of Prog Rock's greatest albums and one of the greatest albums of all time. There literally isn't a dull moment in this album and one is never not intrigued. This is definitely Pink Floyd's best album and although Wish You Were Here is great this is really Pink Floyd's masterpiece.
[First added to this chart: 08/08/2011]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
55,689
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No album was as socially important as Sgt. Pepper's as it frequently referenced use of psychedelic drugs as in Lucy in the sky with diamonds and how the new generation is changing in She's Leaving Home. The album finishes with arguably the best song of all time and most complex "Day in a Life" One could put in an argument that Sgt. Peppers is not the best album bc other albums have better songs even other beatles albums have better songs. Well no Beatles or any other album flows as well as this album. It manages to not be eccentric or homogeneous at the same time. If every track was terrible and Day in A life was the only good track it probably would still be considered one of the greatest albums if all time because of its ability to flow. The Beatles were a band that were not by any means a psychedelic band like JME but they managed to make the greatest psychedelic music piece ever.
[First added to this chart: 08/05/2011]
[First added to this chart: 08/05/2011]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
40,239
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One can see why headphones are tested for Aja. As my girlfriend has said, it sounds like one long song. This can often be a criticism of an album, but my love for Aja does not stand for its' diversity of sound. The musicianship is among the tightest, while the lyricism, especially Deacon Blues, delivers a perfect complement.
[First added to this chart: 12/15/2011]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,972
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The essential Jazz Album. Every song, every note hits you. In such an improvisational art form everything seems perfectly planned. The music plays to my soul. Its mystique leaves one at a lost in describing its power. Favorite track: Blue in Green.
[First added to this chart: 08/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,912
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Comments:
7. (=)
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Soulful, dark, narcissistic, insecure, few of the thousands of adjectives that could be used to describe Kanye's and Hip-Hop's greatest album. Every song is fantastic and while listening one clearly sees how accurate the album's title is. Beautiful, Dark and twisted. In this album two of the deepest songs "Blame Game" and his greatest song "Runaway" a 9 minute epic about how people think about him while the opening 4 tracks really set the dark self-loathing attitude of the album.
One of the greatest case studies of the human ego. Kanye wielded his then suffering reputation to create an album of me against the world. It contains his best beats, his best societal analysis (Gorgeous, So Appalled), and his best humor (Monster, Devil in a New Dress), and introspection (Runaway, Power). The work truly deserves a "toast for the" biggest douchebag of them all. [First added to this chart: 08/05/2011]
One of the greatest case studies of the human ego. Kanye wielded his then suffering reputation to create an album of me against the world. It contains his best beats, his best societal analysis (Gorgeous, So Appalled), and his best humor (Monster, Devil in a New Dress), and introspection (Runaway, Power). The work truly deserves a "toast for the" biggest douchebag of them all. [First added to this chart: 08/05/2011]
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,821
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What it meant to be afraid in 1979 is best described in London Calling the best political album ever made among the topics it alludes to unemployment and nuclear holocaust. I also believe there is a very strong Ska influence on this album excluding the title track London Calling is a part-punk part-reggae album. Literally every track on London Calling is great and it is no wonder why most people consider it the greatest punk album of all time and a large minority considers it the greatest album of all time. I use to think the first album of the double album London Calling was the superior album but songs like the 5:43 minute reggae- jam Revolution Rock or one of my favorite songs of all time "Train In Vain" that it might be the better album. People have always commented on "Gimme Shelter" as the song that best captured the time. Well IMO, no album has or will ever capture a time then London Calling-1979 (May of been 1 one day) Lowest: 3 (For One day 6/1/11) might of been 5 first chart. 7
[First added to this chart: 08/05/2011]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
28,905
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The second side of the album is a personal magnum opus for McCartney as he wrote most of it. The Key moment is the Golden Slumbers melody. This is the album that bothers me the most because I want to have it higher than 14 because side 2 is so great but side 1 of the album is one of the Beatles' most inconsistent works and therefore do not hold it in the same regard as most lists.
[First added to this chart: 08/05/2011]
[First added to this chart: 08/05/2011]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
53,490
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Available from
One of the most shocking and innovative hip-hop albums to date. Some of the best rap verses in the last 15 years over Steely Dan and Charles Mingus like beats. Sometimes an album has a certain subject matter (i.e the deterioration of British society, economic hardships with London Calling) which perfectly fits the time of its release. To Pimp A Butterfly is the ultimate black lives matter album in the black lives matter time. I will have a lot of trouble determining which is superior TPAB, or GKMC.
[First added to this chart: 03/16/2015]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
28,811
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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 | 26 | 26% | |
| 1970s | 32 | 32% | |
| 1980s | 12 | 12% | |
| 1990s | 7 | 7% | |
| 2000s | 6 | 6% | |
| 2010s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2020s | 1 | 1% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Beatles | 5 | 5% | |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 5% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 4 | 4% | |
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 4% | |
| Talking Heads | 3 | 3% | |
| Kanye West | 3 | 3% | |
| David Bowie | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| New entries |
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| 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 137 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/27/2025 15:04 | DrewHamster | 314 | 79/100 |
| ! | 03/20/2025 17:19 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,088 | 86/100 |
| ! | 11/20/2022 22:43 | Moondance | 476 | 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 7% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.3/100, a mean average of 88.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.5/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.3.
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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 13 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 11/20/2022 09:00 in Chart of the day (#4044): By Sean
BestEverAlbums 11/20/2022 09:00 in Chart of the day (#4044): By Sean“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Sean () 1. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys (1966) 2. Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan (1965) 3. The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd (1973) 4. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles (1967) 5. Aja by Steely Dan (1977) 6. Kind…”
(13 mentions across Chart of the Day topics)View latest topic →
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
Mr November 12/18/2012 21:32 | #58239
Although your chart is pretty much flawless it feels a bit too well researched, like these are albums you've read are great rather than really push your buttons. Comments like "What it meant to be afraid in 1979 is best described in London Calling" when you weren't born till the mid 90's make me suspicious. Forgive me if I'm wrong but this is your chart, don't worry so much about pleasing others with your knowledge of music.
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From
19loveless91 TOP 100 COMMENTER 01/13/2012 20:29 | #35154
You say in your comment that you listened to about 300 albums so far.. Is that right? Cause you rated over 2000 of them
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From
19loveless91 TOP 100 COMMENTER 01/29/2012 18:40 | #36160
Didn't PM albummaster, only posted here and today on the forums.
I like the good part of your chart too, don't like if you're actually rating albums without listening to them whole (or at all)
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From
jhuik TOP 100 COMMENTER 02/04/2012 11:42 | #36426
jhuik TOP 100 COMMENTER 02/04/2012 11:42 | #36426
I haven't even made it past the top ten... but I'm astonished at how sophisticated your taste is and how intelligent your comments are for someone your age.
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From
unwound 12/30/2011 21:24 | #34017
unwound 12/30/2011 21:24 | #34017
Very nice list...much improved. I particularly enjoy your in-depth commentary in your top 10. My only objection -- a minor one at that -- is the inflated credit given to 21st century indie rock (e.g. The Strokes, White Stripes, The National) over a band like Joy Division. In time, such acts may become peers of the top tier, but I don't see it yet. Overall, great work!
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