Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by iannicolson 
Decided to update my chart as my opinions have certainly changed since 2016. I want to thank BEA for introducing me to so much good music. Many of my new selections are a result of seeking out albums recommended by so many of you. As ever this is just a snap shot of how I feel in March 2021, I'm sure there will be more changes in the future. January 2025: Updated.
- Chart updated: 01/30/2025 04:15
- (Created: 11/02/2016 01:46).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 27 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 58 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 58,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
A traditional start. An album that wowed me the first time I heard it. Clever, diverse and packed with memorable tunes. It has held my respect and admiration for over 40 years.
[First added to this chart: 11/01/2016]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
58,986
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
An album just stuffed with great songs. Yes there are moments of whimsy, such as Octopus's Garden but these are balanced by the sublime ballads like Something. They may have been falling apart as a band but they were still all capable of making important contributions to Abbey Road, effectively their final team effort. George confirmed his growing strength as a writer that would be even better displayed with his first solo outing.
[First added to this chart: 11/02/2016]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
56,244
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
What a way to follow up Dark Side. This is equally brilliant. A wonderful tribute to Sid. Sad, beautiful and biting at times. This album proved that the Floyd were on a creative high in the 70s. Improves with every listen. Pure class.
[First added to this chart: 11/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
44,161
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 04/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
42,415
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Has grown in my estimation over the past few years so that it is now my favourite Stones album. There are just so many strong songs that still sound fresh. The Stones were in the middle of their purple patch. Rock at its finest.
[First added to this chart: 11/02/2016]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,690
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
My first Stones album bought when it came out in 1972. I loved it from its rocking start all the way through its bluesy brilliance. Side 2 was perfection for me. My favourite Stones album for over 40 years but now just eclipsed by its predecessor in my affections. Both truly great musical collections that have stood the test of time.
[First added to this chart: 11/02/2016]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,416
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Rumours deserves its success; popular and admirable. Three songwriters at the top of their game. Packed full of great songs that you will never forget. It is always tough deciding which singer impresses the most; they were all, despite personal upheavals, at their very best.
[First added to this chart: 11/01/2016]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
30,532
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
What can you say about an absolute classic? Totally deserving of all the praise and unlike Rolling Stone magazine I am not going to change my opinion just to suit passing trends,. This is a timeless masterpiece and will certainly outlast what this century has had to offer so far.
[First added to this chart: 04/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
42,490
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
This album turned me into a Radiohead fan. It was the first of their albums that I bought, now I own them all. I had thought of them as an up their own arses Oxbridge band but this album taught me so much. I was smitten from the start. I now recognise the band as probably the most important of the last 25 years. In Rainbows is simply beautiful and a joy to listen to.
[First added to this chart: 11/02/2016]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
42,768
Rank in 2007:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
There is a reason this sold by the truckload. Wonderful tunes and great lyrics. Cecilia can still raise a smile. It took me a long time to accept the brilliance of this album but the songs won me over. The title track must rank as one of the greatest songs of all time. Even my High School Music Teacher, who normally only played classical music to his disinterested students, loved this. Truly a masterpiece.
[First added to this chart: 11/02/2016]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,800
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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 | 42 | 42% | |
| 1980s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1990s | 13 | 13% | |
| 2000s | 8 | 8% | |
| 2010s | 6 | 6% | |
| 2020s | 3 | 3% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Beatles | 5 | 5% | |
| Van Morrison | 4 | 4% | |
| Radiohead | 3 | 3% | |
| Pet Shop Boys | 3 | 3% | |
| Talking Heads | 3 | 3% | |
| Sade | 3 | 3% | |
| Genesis | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
53 | 53% | |
 |
29 | 29% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 41 from 52nd to 11thRemain In Light by Talking Heads |
| Up 36 from 68th to 32ndSilk Degrees by Boz Scaggs |
| Up 32 from 36th to 4thThe Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 38 from 50th to 88thThe Bends by Radiohead |
| Down 28 from 8th to 36thAll Things Must Pass by George Harrison |
| Down 23 from 23rd to 46thAqualung by Jethro Tull |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | tim0505 | Overall chart | 2025 | |
| Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums | Virgin | Overall chart | 2000 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | TinyBlueMusic | Overall chart | 2021 |  |
| ƵnotMⅡne」Los 100 mejores discos de la historia |  II | Custom chart | 2025 |  |
| Ya joking? Should've been higher! All Time edition |  Purplepash | Custom chart | 2026 |  |
| Ranking Rolling Stone Magazine’s Top 500- An Exploration |  AAL2014 | Custom chart | 2024 | |
| BEA Top 100 Reorganized According To My Taste | bonnequestion | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| If The BEA Overall Chart Had A One Album Per Artist Rule... |  Romanelli | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | AbsurdCheesecake | Overall chart | 2026 | |
| Rearrange Top 100 |  Larcx13 | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
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 58 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/05/2025 19:01 |  NowhereMan | 292 | 82/100 | |
| 02/05/2025 09:37 |  MadhattanJack | 286 | 86/100 | |
| 01/31/2025 18:50 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,093 | 85/100 | |
| 10/31/2024 06:19 | Moondance | 476 | 85/100 | |
| 10/30/2024 23:56 | Crusaderlord | 23 | 90/100 |
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 9% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.1/100, a mean average of 87.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.1.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 2 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 27 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From Crusaderlord 10/30/2024 23:56 | #305827
A really great chart, i own a large majority of these, but there are a few here i should try out.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 10/17/2022 14:07 | #290562
Great chart. Full of absolute classics and some less well known albums. Love it
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Moondance 10/17/2022 09:12 | #290555
We have 19 albums in common including some BEA outliers ¬ Silk Degrees, Aja, New Gold Dream ~ and I am guessing we have traversed a similar musical journey of discovery from the mid 60's on. I was somewhat surprised to see no albums/artists from either NZ or Australia in your chart. I did enjoy reading your personal comments.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
DommeDamian 03/08/2022 09:21 | #282507
DommeDamian 03/08/2022 09:21 | #282507
Improvement from last time. Amazing job.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
DriftingOrpheus 04/28/2021 05:56 | #269062
DriftingOrpheus 04/28/2021 05:56 | #269062
Awesome chart! I love the inclusion of Sinatra as well. He's oddly underepresented on this platform. I'll have to catalog some of his stuff in the near future. Insightful notes as well!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
sssvnnn 05/30/2020 21:21 | #252593
sssvnnn 05/30/2020 21:21 | #252593
Very lovely and classical chart. I like it.
Nice to see "America" I love both Horse.. and Sandman ( but I don´t know any other song of the album… I sure should give it a listen)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
StefanR10 05/30/2020 14:46 | #252579
StefanR10 05/30/2020 14:46 | #252579
There are some classics and i like tehme very much. Most of the Artists I know, i give you a good rating not to good but appreciate it.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
TerryTezza 05/21/2020 05:31 | #251772
TerryTezza 05/21/2020 05:31 | #251772
A brilliant selection of albums with many in my Top 100. Great taste in music and great to see you include Simple Minds' album 'New Gold Dream'. Really like the story telling too and as with my selection it is based on personal taste and experiences over the years.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
desh79 04/28/2020 06:43 | #250614
desh79 04/28/2020 06:43 | #250614
Very nice mixture of genres and eras.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From DommeDamian 08/30/2019 20:15 | #241975
DommeDamian 08/30/2019 20:15 | #241975
Still a damn great chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Your feedback for Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
| 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. Black Sabbath | |
| 8. Fleetwood Mac | |
| 9. Stevie Wonder | |
| 10. The Who | |
| 11. Genesis | |
| 12. Brian Eno | |
| 13. Joni Mitchell | |
| 14. Paul McCartney | |
| 15. Yes | |
| 16. Bob Marley | |
| 17. Bob Dylan | |
| 18. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 19. Nick Drake | |
| 20. Marvin Gaye |
