Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
JulianR 
Hey!
I am quite excited to discuss literally anything about music ("literal" used in the literal, not figurative sense). I don't really know anyone that listens to the breadth and depth of music that I do. So if you disagree with something I say, or just want to talk about music, totally message me. Also if you want recommendations, or have some for me, totally message me or comment. Thank you!
Just as a heads up, the descriptions for these albums could have been written yesterday, or 18 months ago. They may not be totally reflective of my opinions on them now, though they were at one point at least.
Chart of the Day: 2/21/18, 4/23/19
Questions, comments, concerns, and especially recommendations are all heavily encouraged
Thanks
- Julian
- Chart updated: 02/07/2020 06:45
- (Created: 12/14/2016 01:31).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 72 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 92 out of 100 (from 106 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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90/100
[First added to this chart: 07/26/2018]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,216
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
29
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90/100
[First added to this chart: 02/12/2018]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,508
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Indie Rock • Noise Rock
90/100
Cover Art: 7/10
IYLT: The Breeders - Last Splash; The Flaming Lips - Telepathic Surgery
"Must be a devil between us
Or whores in my head"
This is not an album anyone enjoys. Not on their first listen at least. This is even more true of their earlier releases, but this is the album of theirs that stands out as a masterpiece. The tracks Tame, Dead, and others, do not immediately make the genius of their composition and abrasive, discordant instrumentation clear. But they really are genius. Under the oblique guitar licks and thrashing, off-kilter drumming are excellent songs, warped and distorted and screamed at the top of Francis' lungs with lyrics equally incomprehensible and disturbing, and yet made better because of all that.
This album is the perfection of the art of dissonance. Dissonance is the combination of notes that aren't supposed to sound good together to our western ears (concepts of dissonance vary by culture, its very interesting, but I won't get into that here). But somehow, this band made these dissonant sounds sound thoroughly cohesive in this album.
BM:
Monkey Gone to Heaven: "an' if the devil is six... then godddddddddd is seven!!!" [First added to this chart: 12/13/2016]
90/100
Cover Art: 7/10
IYLT: The Breeders - Last Splash; The Flaming Lips - Telepathic Surgery
"Must be a devil between us
Or whores in my head"
This is not an album anyone enjoys. Not on their first listen at least. This is even more true of their earlier releases, but this is the album of theirs that stands out as a masterpiece. The tracks Tame, Dead, and others, do not immediately make the genius of their composition and abrasive, discordant instrumentation clear. But they really are genius. Under the oblique guitar licks and thrashing, off-kilter drumming are excellent songs, warped and distorted and screamed at the top of Francis' lungs with lyrics equally incomprehensible and disturbing, and yet made better because of all that.
This album is the perfection of the art of dissonance. Dissonance is the combination of notes that aren't supposed to sound good together to our western ears (concepts of dissonance vary by culture, its very interesting, but I won't get into that here). But somehow, this band made these dissonant sounds sound thoroughly cohesive in this album.
BM:
Monkey Gone to Heaven: "an' if the devil is six... then godddddddddd is seven!!!" [First added to this chart: 12/13/2016]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,386
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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90/100
[First added to this chart: 02/21/2018]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,300
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Folk • Folk-Rock
90/100
CA: 5/10
"In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev'ry glove that laid him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
'I am leaving, I am leaving'
But the fighter still remains"
A gorgeous collection of brilliant songwriting. Simon is able to write amazing sad and happy songs, like no other. This album also probably has some sentimental value for me. Same with some of the Cat Stevens later on.
BM:
The cannons in the chorus of The Boxer [First added to this chart: 12/13/2016]
90/100
CA: 5/10
"In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev'ry glove that laid him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
'I am leaving, I am leaving'
But the fighter still remains"
A gorgeous collection of brilliant songwriting. Simon is able to write amazing sad and happy songs, like no other. This album also probably has some sentimental value for me. Same with some of the Cat Stevens later on.
BM:
The cannons in the chorus of The Boxer [First added to this chart: 12/13/2016]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,210
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Space Rock • Dream Pop
90/100
CA: 7/10
"Shine A Liiiiiiight"
One of the most cohesive and mind-blowing album listening experiences to listen to. This album has the perfect amount of layers, no more, no less. Like floating in a liquid substance that is your exact density. Suspended, motionless, floating, dreaming. [First added to this chart: 07/29/2018]
90/100
CA: 7/10
"Shine A Liiiiiiight"
One of the most cohesive and mind-blowing album listening experiences to listen to. This album has the perfect amount of layers, no more, no less. Like floating in a liquid substance that is your exact density. Suspended, motionless, floating, dreaming. [First added to this chart: 07/29/2018]
Year of Release:
1992
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,256
Rank in 1992:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Art Rock • Avant-garde
90/100
CA: 5/10
IYLT: Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
"I...
Wish that
I was born a thousand years ago"
A truly groundbreaking album. Even 50 years later, there is still nothing quite like it; something so explosive and radical. It takes a bit to get used to, but it really is quite amazing when it does.
BM:
The crescendo on Heroin [First added to this chart: 08/26/2017]
90/100
CA: 5/10
IYLT: Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
"I...
Wish that
I was born a thousand years ago"
A truly groundbreaking album. Even 50 years later, there is still nothing quite like it; something so explosive and radical. It takes a bit to get used to, but it really is quite amazing when it does.
BM:
The crescendo on Heroin [First added to this chart: 08/26/2017]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
46,012
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Electronic • Jazz-Rock
90/100
CA: 8/10
IYLT: Bark Psychosis - Hex
"There was nothing to fear, nothing to doubt"
Radiohead has always been a band of great ambition with limited playing abilities. At least, that's what Johnny Greenwood said, in relation to their decision to hire the Humphrey Little Band for the recording of Life in a Glasshouse. It's not, personally, how I would characterize Radiohead at all, but that's up to interpretation. Anyway,
At the moment of this writing, this is ranked as my 2nd greatest Radiohead album overall, and it has been first before, and probably will again. This album is, for me, far more interesting than many other albums here. Amnesiac is, of course, an extension of Kid A, but also entirely different. While Kid A is grand, sweeping, and monolithic, this is a fractured album. The theme of fragmented memory and cyclic life throughout the lyrics perfectly suit the the music. It is warped, chopped up, and pieced back together. I would say the album is akin to the experience of being kinda lost in a city, but you're pretty sure you know your way around, and then slowly realizing you're not even in the city you thought you were in. I hope that means something. I'm not big on flashy metaphors that sound cool but add nothing to anything. Hopefully that effectively conveys that feeling that I get when listening to Amnesiac; turning down a street you thought you knew and seeing something you've never seen before. The album is not cohesive, and that's the point. Usually that would be a negative, put not as much so in this case. I even like the fractured parts better. The most traditional songs on here are the ones I like least. Knives Out, Dollars and Cents, and the Morning Bell rework are all interesting, but they seem bland, and Knives Out seems even kinda commercial, compared to the rest of the album. I would consider Radiohead to be a brave band, for the most part, but I would have loved to have even more experimental and weird stuff, like "Kinetic" (One of my fav B-sides, that's included in my alternate tracklisting). I feel like that would fit and add to the mood more.
Sometimes I feel like this is an album that I like the idea of more than the actual music. But also, while I'm listening to it, I feel like ranking it higher. So I don't know what my set opinion is on it, if such a concrete thing exists. I feel like mostly what Amnesiac is is a missed opportunity; a chance to build on the wildly new and refreshingly creative sound of Kid A. And yet, while some of it was in fact delving deeper into the territory Kid A carved out, some of it was also regression. The material is all there; the B-sides are excellent.
Edit: Now, a day after writing this, I am unsure again. This really is one of the more complex and fascinating albums here. It's so hard to wrap my mind around. I think I love it.
BM:
Fog: This is actually a B-Side from the Knives Out Single, but it's one of my favorite songs from the Amnesiac suite. The the way the song builds up to the final chorus is pretty cool [First added to this chart: 03/23/2017]
90/100
CA: 8/10
IYLT: Bark Psychosis - Hex
"There was nothing to fear, nothing to doubt"
Radiohead has always been a band of great ambition with limited playing abilities. At least, that's what Johnny Greenwood said, in relation to their decision to hire the Humphrey Little Band for the recording of Life in a Glasshouse. It's not, personally, how I would characterize Radiohead at all, but that's up to interpretation. Anyway,
At the moment of this writing, this is ranked as my 2nd greatest Radiohead album overall, and it has been first before, and probably will again. This album is, for me, far more interesting than many other albums here. Amnesiac is, of course, an extension of Kid A, but also entirely different. While Kid A is grand, sweeping, and monolithic, this is a fractured album. The theme of fragmented memory and cyclic life throughout the lyrics perfectly suit the the music. It is warped, chopped up, and pieced back together. I would say the album is akin to the experience of being kinda lost in a city, but you're pretty sure you know your way around, and then slowly realizing you're not even in the city you thought you were in. I hope that means something. I'm not big on flashy metaphors that sound cool but add nothing to anything. Hopefully that effectively conveys that feeling that I get when listening to Amnesiac; turning down a street you thought you knew and seeing something you've never seen before. The album is not cohesive, and that's the point. Usually that would be a negative, put not as much so in this case. I even like the fractured parts better. The most traditional songs on here are the ones I like least. Knives Out, Dollars and Cents, and the Morning Bell rework are all interesting, but they seem bland, and Knives Out seems even kinda commercial, compared to the rest of the album. I would consider Radiohead to be a brave band, for the most part, but I would have loved to have even more experimental and weird stuff, like "Kinetic" (One of my fav B-sides, that's included in my alternate tracklisting). I feel like that would fit and add to the mood more.
Sometimes I feel like this is an album that I like the idea of more than the actual music. But also, while I'm listening to it, I feel like ranking it higher. So I don't know what my set opinion is on it, if such a concrete thing exists. I feel like mostly what Amnesiac is is a missed opportunity; a chance to build on the wildly new and refreshingly creative sound of Kid A. And yet, while some of it was in fact delving deeper into the territory Kid A carved out, some of it was also regression. The material is all there; the B-sides are excellent.
Edit: Now, a day after writing this, I am unsure again. This really is one of the more complex and fascinating albums here. It's so hard to wrap my mind around. I think I love it.
BM:
Fog: This is actually a B-Side from the Knives Out Single, but it's one of my favorite songs from the Amnesiac suite. The the way the song builds up to the final chorus is pretty cool [First added to this chart: 03/23/2017]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,598
Rank in 2001:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Post-rock • Experimental
90/100
CA: 8/10 for the one on Spotify
The Flaming Lips have never been a band of conventions. Their music usually follows the line of "If you don't like it, fuck you". Although they had their dip into the mainstream a bit around the turn of the century, it was on their terms, with no concessions. Even their latest release (Oczy Mlody) seems like a conscious effort to be weird and non-mainstream, though I think it ended up kinda flat. Anyway, the story behind this album is that the Flaming Lips recorded a 24 hour long "song", which they apparently had streaming all the time on a website at some point, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. With this 24 hour song, the Lips were forced to abandon any conventions they might have, in order to make their pieces work for far longer periods of time. This pushed them into a realm much closer to post-rock than any of their other work, and it is amazing. They create an ethereal, and deeply sad and emotional album. I love it [First added to this chart: 07/10/2017]
90/100
CA: 8/10 for the one on Spotify
The Flaming Lips have never been a band of conventions. Their music usually follows the line of "If you don't like it, fuck you". Although they had their dip into the mainstream a bit around the turn of the century, it was on their terms, with no concessions. Even their latest release (Oczy Mlody) seems like a conscious effort to be weird and non-mainstream, though I think it ended up kinda flat. Anyway, the story behind this album is that the Flaming Lips recorded a 24 hour long "song", which they apparently had streaming all the time on a website at some point, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. With this 24 hour song, the Lips were forced to abandon any conventions they might have, in order to make their pieces work for far longer periods of time. This pushed them into a realm much closer to post-rock than any of their other work, and it is amazing. They create an ethereal, and deeply sad and emotional album. I love it [First added to this chart: 07/10/2017]
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[First added to this chart: 12/13/2016]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,881
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 5 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 13 | 13% | |
| 1970s | 12 | 12% | |
| 1980s | 8 | 8% | |
| 1990s | 25 | 25% | |
| 2000s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2010s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Flaming Lips | 5 | 5% | |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 3 | 3% | |
| Kanye West | 3 | 3% | |
| Talk Talk | 3 | 3% | |
| Radiohead | 3 | 3% | |
| Bob Dylan | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
58 | 58% | |
 |
26 | 26% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 60th to 61st The Glow Pt. 2 by The Microphones |
| Down 1 from 61st to 62nd Souvlaki by Slowdive |
| Down 1 from 62nd to 63rd Yank Crime by Drive Like Jehu |
| New entries |
|---|
 Turn On The Bright Lightsby Interpol |
| In The Flat Field by Bauhaus |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
92/100 (from 106 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 106 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100/100  | 01/22/2023 22:16 | Rm12398 | | 89/100 |
80/100 | 07/13/2022 22:08 |  Applerill | | 75/100 |
85/100 | 12/10/2020 00:38 | ars2458 | | 78/100 |
100/100 | 06/14/2020 12:47 | BraddlesHendo | | 91/100 |
90/100 | 03/30/2020 09:20 | RomanRelic | | 84/100 |
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 92.0/100, a mean average of 92.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 92.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.3.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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100/100
From Rm12398 01/22/2023 22:17
What a chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Juneof44 04/29/2021 06:58
I really appreciate your effort, a solid chart and i love the rating to the cover
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Foxforce5 02/05/2021 03:26
Thanks for the hard work. I came to your chart after reading your comments about Rubber Soul and Bringing It All Back Home being ‘transitional’ albums and thought to myself ‘there’s someone with a similar pair of ears’!
Anyhow, your comments inspired me to listen to the ‘transitional’ Bon Iver album, and I’ll give Lorde another go. I mean listening is what it’s all about, right?
In answer to your question on Mezzanine, Pet Sounds is better produced, so now you know.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From ars2458 12/10/2020 00:38
Wow, I truly love FEFEA and Age of Adz, but I don't have the depth on older stuff. I am going to give those specific albums a chance. I have listened to Bowie and Pink Floyd, but not those albums, so maybe I will hear something different this time.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Vegetariat 02/03/2020 10:16
Great list with wonderful notes and recommendations. Your description of Loveless and Shoegaze is as touching as it is true. You're right about Touched, haha
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From mianfei 12/16/2019 13:05
Although the list is really an odd mix of soul/hip of and progressive rock/post-rock (if I am not mistaken, I did see a similar combination somewhere else on this site on an earlier browse last autumn), there is not that much of real note in the chart.
However, the lack of really unusual albums and a grouping of genres that is merely on the “eccentric” side is certainly compensated for by some impressive notes, which substantially add to the rating.
Some albums you might not have heard that I could attempt to recommend based on your taste:
— ‘Yeti’ by Amon Düül II
— ‘H to He Who Am the Only One’ and ‘Pawn Hearts’ by Van der Graaf Generator
— ‘A Return to the Inner Experience’, ‘This Timeless Turning’ and ‘Moonbathing on Sleeping Leaves’ by Sky Cries Mary
— ‘Gala’ and ‘Spooky’ by Lush
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From bonnequestion 12/04/2019 12:41
Very nice and unique chart, very inspiring! And also, good job on all those comments.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Timooosterink 12/04/2019 10:20
Really nice chart, maybe you like Gorillaz?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
kynes 12/04/2019 09:07
kynes 12/04/2019 09:07
the final cut getting some deserved appreciation is nice to see! i will always have respect for users who take the time to write significant blurbs for many of the records in their charts
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From pctrooper 11/12/2019 23:34
Not a huge fan of all these albums, but I really like the chart with its descriptions and stuff.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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| Best Ever Artists | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Beatles | |
| 2. Radiohead | |
| 3. Pink Floyd | |
| 4. David Bowie | |
| 5. Bob Dylan | |
| 6. Led Zeppelin | |
| 7. The Rolling Stones | |
| 8. Arcade Fire | |
| 9. The Velvet Underground | |
| 10. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 11. Nirvana | |
| 12. Neil Young | |
| 13. The Smiths | |
| 14. Miles Davis | |
| 15. The Beach Boys | |
| 16. Kanye West | |
| 17. Pixies | |
| 18. R.E.M. | |
| 19. Jimi Hendrix | |
| 20. Bruce Springsteen |