Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by JamesMowbray 
- Chart updated: 01/22/2022 11:45
- (Created: 11/11/2016 14:58).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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[First added to this chart: 11/11/2016]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51,447
Rank in 2000:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
551
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[First added to this chart: 05/16/2018]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,267
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 11/11/2016]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,466
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 11/11/2016]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
57,058
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 11/11/2016]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
50,924
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 11/14/2016]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,329
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 11/11/2016]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
77,043
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 11/11/2016]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51,289
Rank in 2007:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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The second instalment of the Bowie's famed Berlin trilogy may be the most abstract despite the wide retrospective success of its title track. Using the template set by 'Low' of having a second instrumental half, Bowie is more present on the tracks featuring vocals, however these are gloomier and weirder than their counterparts on 'Low'.
Opener 'Beauty and the Beast' begins with swelling instrumentation and gets to the point much faster than previous opener 'Speed of Life'. The vocal delivery is reminiscent of Bowie's work as the Thin White Duke on 1976's 'Station to Station'. The track has some more regular features of the pop of its time such as the use of backing singers but the wild instrumentation separates it entirely from the mainstream music surrounding it, giving the album an unpredictable feel from the offset as well as providing more energy than had been seen from Bowie in years.
'Joe the Lion' goes even stranger with a much wilder vocal performance than the authoritative delivery on 'Beauty and the Beast'. The multiple guitar lines give a very grand atmosphere that carries across much of the first half of the record.
Following this Bowie produces what is probably the greatest track ever written. 'Heroes' was inspired at the time by Bowie witnessing married producer Toni Visconti kissing a backing singer by the Berlin wall. Over time the speech marks have been effectively dropped from the title since the more conflicting original subject of the track has faded, and instead it has been given a very hopeful quality, mainly because of the timeless line "we could be heroes just for one day". King Crimson's Robert Fripp provides the constant lead guitar riff that never fades into the background, staying essential to the composition throughout. The instrumentation builds throughout the track with the introduction of synths, guitar lines and backing singers. This is matched by Bowie's vocal performance growing in intensity throughout and providing the absolute heart of the song. This effect was achieved by a genius decision on Visconti's part of moving the microphone away from Bowie throughout the song, forcing him by the end to shout in order to be heard.
'Sons of the Silent Age' calms down the atmosphere of the record anchored by a vocal performance echoing Bowie's earlier work. Every element of the track builds significantly when the chorus hits giving a very different feel to the stranger and more experimental verses, which feature unpredictable drum patterns that sometimes disappear completely.
'Black Out' once again raises the tempo and volume of the record before the (mostly) instrumental second half kicks in. This is probably the wildest track on the album, featuring portions where Bowie's vocal delivery speeds up out of nowhere forcing all the instrumentation to attempt to catch up. The slightly echoing vocals only serve to add to the sense of chaos that defines this track, providing the last bursts of energy before the more controlled latter half of the project.
'V-2 Schneider' is not quite an instrumental but Bowie's repeat of the track's title feels more like one of the wide array of instruments at Eno, Bowie and Visconti's disposable, partly because of the distortion used. The track is similarly energetic but organised to 'Low' track 'A New Career in a New Town' helping fill in the gap between the non instrumental tracks of the record, and the more deeply experiemental instrumental ones that follow.
'Sense of Doubt' is an interesting experiment in the use of Eno's Oblique Strategies deck with Bowie drawing "emphasise differences" and Eno drawing "make everything as similar as possible". The result is a battle between an oppressive piano piece and more beautiful synths, with the difference in each only emphasising the core property of each instrument every time it enters, and creating a very conflicted, uneasy atmosphere.
The tone calms significantly with 'Moss Garden' the first genuinely relaxing piece on the album which still remains interesting and experimental with the use of what I think is a burning sound effect and instrumental lines that end much sooner than expected. The tone is very similar to that of Japanese instrumental music, and the calm nature fits perfectly with the title of 'Moss Garden'. Though the deeper sound effects used intermittently in the background prevent the track from sounding breezy and remind me of similar moments in Radiohead's 'Kid A'.
'Neuköln' ends the instrumental portion of 'Heroes', going for a much darker tone than 'Moss Garden' due to the descending synths and guitars, coupled with Bowie's wild playing of the saxophone, used sparingly enough so as not to derail the order of the track, until the very end where it becomes the only instrument, making the closing of the track the most eerie and forlorn part.
The vocals return in final track 'The Secret Life of Arabia', but this is far from a straightforward track with its layered and distorted vocal lines and abstract lyrics. As with the rest of the sung tracks on album, infectious guitar riffs are combined with the more futuristic elements of the track perfectly.
The first two albums of the Berlin Trilogy represent the peak powers of Bowie, Eno and Visconti all hitting at once to create some of the best records ever. 'Heroes' manages to continue the standard set by 'Low', and feels connected without being more of the same. Though the title track is rightly lauded in all music circles, it has unfortunately overshadowed nine other sublime tracks that form Bowie's second classic of 1977. Final instalment in the trilogy, 'The Lodger' also manages to feel connected to these records whilst having its own identity, but it did represent a drop in quality that 'Heroes' did not. Unfortunately Bowie's following foray into pop superstardom would provide greatly diminishing returns, but after 40 years Bowie would produce his last masterpiece to stand tall with 'Heroes' and his other masterpieces of the 70s.
Best Track: "Heroes" [First added to this chart: 11/11/2016]
Opener 'Beauty and the Beast' begins with swelling instrumentation and gets to the point much faster than previous opener 'Speed of Life'. The vocal delivery is reminiscent of Bowie's work as the Thin White Duke on 1976's 'Station to Station'. The track has some more regular features of the pop of its time such as the use of backing singers but the wild instrumentation separates it entirely from the mainstream music surrounding it, giving the album an unpredictable feel from the offset as well as providing more energy than had been seen from Bowie in years.
'Joe the Lion' goes even stranger with a much wilder vocal performance than the authoritative delivery on 'Beauty and the Beast'. The multiple guitar lines give a very grand atmosphere that carries across much of the first half of the record.
Following this Bowie produces what is probably the greatest track ever written. 'Heroes' was inspired at the time by Bowie witnessing married producer Toni Visconti kissing a backing singer by the Berlin wall. Over time the speech marks have been effectively dropped from the title since the more conflicting original subject of the track has faded, and instead it has been given a very hopeful quality, mainly because of the timeless line "we could be heroes just for one day". King Crimson's Robert Fripp provides the constant lead guitar riff that never fades into the background, staying essential to the composition throughout. The instrumentation builds throughout the track with the introduction of synths, guitar lines and backing singers. This is matched by Bowie's vocal performance growing in intensity throughout and providing the absolute heart of the song. This effect was achieved by a genius decision on Visconti's part of moving the microphone away from Bowie throughout the song, forcing him by the end to shout in order to be heard.
'Sons of the Silent Age' calms down the atmosphere of the record anchored by a vocal performance echoing Bowie's earlier work. Every element of the track builds significantly when the chorus hits giving a very different feel to the stranger and more experimental verses, which feature unpredictable drum patterns that sometimes disappear completely.
'Black Out' once again raises the tempo and volume of the record before the (mostly) instrumental second half kicks in. This is probably the wildest track on the album, featuring portions where Bowie's vocal delivery speeds up out of nowhere forcing all the instrumentation to attempt to catch up. The slightly echoing vocals only serve to add to the sense of chaos that defines this track, providing the last bursts of energy before the more controlled latter half of the project.
'V-2 Schneider' is not quite an instrumental but Bowie's repeat of the track's title feels more like one of the wide array of instruments at Eno, Bowie and Visconti's disposable, partly because of the distortion used. The track is similarly energetic but organised to 'Low' track 'A New Career in a New Town' helping fill in the gap between the non instrumental tracks of the record, and the more deeply experiemental instrumental ones that follow.
'Sense of Doubt' is an interesting experiment in the use of Eno's Oblique Strategies deck with Bowie drawing "emphasise differences" and Eno drawing "make everything as similar as possible". The result is a battle between an oppressive piano piece and more beautiful synths, with the difference in each only emphasising the core property of each instrument every time it enters, and creating a very conflicted, uneasy atmosphere.
The tone calms significantly with 'Moss Garden' the first genuinely relaxing piece on the album which still remains interesting and experimental with the use of what I think is a burning sound effect and instrumental lines that end much sooner than expected. The tone is very similar to that of Japanese instrumental music, and the calm nature fits perfectly with the title of 'Moss Garden'. Though the deeper sound effects used intermittently in the background prevent the track from sounding breezy and remind me of similar moments in Radiohead's 'Kid A'.
'Neuköln' ends the instrumental portion of 'Heroes', going for a much darker tone than 'Moss Garden' due to the descending synths and guitars, coupled with Bowie's wild playing of the saxophone, used sparingly enough so as not to derail the order of the track, until the very end where it becomes the only instrument, making the closing of the track the most eerie and forlorn part.
The vocals return in final track 'The Secret Life of Arabia', but this is far from a straightforward track with its layered and distorted vocal lines and abstract lyrics. As with the rest of the sung tracks on album, infectious guitar riffs are combined with the more futuristic elements of the track perfectly.
The first two albums of the Berlin Trilogy represent the peak powers of Bowie, Eno and Visconti all hitting at once to create some of the best records ever. 'Heroes' manages to continue the standard set by 'Low', and feels connected without being more of the same. Though the title track is rightly lauded in all music circles, it has unfortunately overshadowed nine other sublime tracks that form Bowie's second classic of 1977. Final instalment in the trilogy, 'The Lodger' also manages to feel connected to these records whilst having its own identity, but it did represent a drop in quality that 'Heroes' did not. Unfortunately Bowie's following foray into pop superstardom would provide greatly diminishing returns, but after 40 years Bowie would produce his last masterpiece to stand tall with 'Heroes' and his other masterpieces of the 70s.
Best Track: "Heroes" [First added to this chart: 11/11/2016]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,747
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 11/11/2016]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
65,384
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 36. Page 1 of 4
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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 | 16 | 16% | |
| 1980s | 8 | 8% | |
| 1990s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2000s | 17 | 17% | |
| 2010s | 26 | 26% | |
| 2020s | 5 | 5% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Radiohead | 6 | 6% | |
| David Bowie | 5 | 5% | |
| The Beatles | 4 | 4% | |
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 4% | |
| Joanna Newsom | 3 | 3% | |
| Swans | 3 | 3% | |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 11 from 26th to 15th The Glow Pt. 2 by The Microphones |
| Up 11 from 20th to 9th Loveless by My Bloody Valentine |
| Up 9 from 64th to 55th Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 7 from 91st to 98th Isn't Anything by My Bloody Valentine |
| Down 6 from 69th to 75th John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon |
| Down 6 from 72nd to 78th The Ooz by King Krule |
| New entries |
|---|
 Pluperfect Mindby Dear Laika |
| We Had Good Times Together, Don't Forget That by Sewerslvt |
| Future Days by Can |
| Close To The Edge by Yes |
| First Utterance by Comus |
| Leavers |
|---|
 The Times They Are A-Changin'by Bob Dylan |
| Crap Shit by Girls Rituals |
| Pure Comedy by Father John Misty |
| Another Green World by Brian Eno |
| Bloom by Beach House |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 25 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 25 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
90/100  | 03/12/2022 15:59 |  hoyquarlow | | 88/100 |
95/100 | 02/18/2022 18:48 |  Cytoma | | 90/100 |
90/100 | 01/24/2022 16:46 | Johnnyo | | 79/100 |
85/100 | 01/23/2022 22:45 |  NowhereMan | | 82/100 |
 95/100 | 12/03/2021 06:37 |  Tamthebam | | 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 89.4/100, a mean average of 90.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.6.
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90/100
From Johnnyo 01/24/2022 16:46
Very nice chart indeed
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Kurtco 02/21/2019 05:52
One of the great chart I've ever seen on this site...
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 10/28/2018 23:59
ForegroundNoise 10/28/2018 23:59
Some really nice picks here and appreciate the depth with which you've made your track by track notes, if it seems a little random as to which ones you've given writing to. Can't wait for more!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
DommeDamian 12/17/2017 21:34
DommeDamian 12/17/2017 21:34
I may not always agree with you, but your taste is brilliant!
Plus your Illmatic description is just wow
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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