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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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from Talk Talk. (Remove this filter)
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Art Rock • Jazz-Rock
100/100
Cover Art: 9/10
If You Like This: The For Carnation - self-titled
It's a broodingness that never quite explodes in anger or in sadness, but simply falls deeper into the brooding. It's a beauty that never allows itself to be fully realized.
What strikes you first about this album is its minimalism. And it can be hard to understand, at first. Very hard in fact. The first time I listened to this record, I didn't really hear anything at all. Every once in a while some guy would whisper an incomprehensable phrase, and then fade back while a flute played three notes for a minute and a half. That's what it felt like. That just takes time, but eventually you hear deliberateness instead of silence. Then you begin to marvel at the complexity of the music, in the way one begins to marvel at the complexity of a surface, such as a mirror, a plain wall, if you look at it long enough. The layers and dynamics of this record draw one in, as they have done to me on this record. But after a while, the thing that stands out most about this album is how darn simple it is, on a fundamental level. Some of my favorite moments on Laughing Stock are the choruses, if you could call them that. They are just a short hummable phrase that only appears a few times, but somehow they stick with you so much. I think they are so powerful because they are put in perspective by the ramblings of the woodwinds and lack of melody essentially everywhere else. They are the anchor with which the rest of the fluttering flutes and glittering guitars are tethered down.
This use of melodic and structural contrast is probably the most important aspect of this album. When in the context of the album, Ascension Day is one of may favorite songs of all time. It just feels so powerful. But if you just listen to it on its own, not bookended by Myrrhman and After The Flood, it doesn't have that same power. The minimalism of Myrrhman is what makes the highs of Ascension Day and After The Flood feel so high. Taphead does the same for New Grass, which in turn makes Runeii feel so dark and desolate. Spirit of Eden comes to a close with with Wealth; a prayer, a beautiful, peaceful resolution, a shimmering organ that I imagine as the light blue sky upon which a snow-white dove flaps its wings. Runeii fades Laughing Stock from a dark blue, almost bruised purple, to a deep black, with the threat of shattering into innumerable shards.
Best Moments:
Ascension Day - When the guitars suddenly crash in to those powerful chords [First added to this chart: 03/28/2018]
100/100
Cover Art: 9/10
If You Like This: The For Carnation - self-titled
It's a broodingness that never quite explodes in anger or in sadness, but simply falls deeper into the brooding. It's a beauty that never allows itself to be fully realized.
What strikes you first about this album is its minimalism. And it can be hard to understand, at first. Very hard in fact. The first time I listened to this record, I didn't really hear anything at all. Every once in a while some guy would whisper an incomprehensable phrase, and then fade back while a flute played three notes for a minute and a half. That's what it felt like. That just takes time, but eventually you hear deliberateness instead of silence. Then you begin to marvel at the complexity of the music, in the way one begins to marvel at the complexity of a surface, such as a mirror, a plain wall, if you look at it long enough. The layers and dynamics of this record draw one in, as they have done to me on this record. But after a while, the thing that stands out most about this album is how darn simple it is, on a fundamental level. Some of my favorite moments on Laughing Stock are the choruses, if you could call them that. They are just a short hummable phrase that only appears a few times, but somehow they stick with you so much. I think they are so powerful because they are put in perspective by the ramblings of the woodwinds and lack of melody essentially everywhere else. They are the anchor with which the rest of the fluttering flutes and glittering guitars are tethered down.
This use of melodic and structural contrast is probably the most important aspect of this album. When in the context of the album, Ascension Day is one of may favorite songs of all time. It just feels so powerful. But if you just listen to it on its own, not bookended by Myrrhman and After The Flood, it doesn't have that same power. The minimalism of Myrrhman is what makes the highs of Ascension Day and After The Flood feel so high. Taphead does the same for New Grass, which in turn makes Runeii feel so dark and desolate. Spirit of Eden comes to a close with with Wealth; a prayer, a beautiful, peaceful resolution, a shimmering organ that I imagine as the light blue sky upon which a snow-white dove flaps its wings. Runeii fades Laughing Stock from a dark blue, almost bruised purple, to a deep black, with the threat of shattering into innumerable shards.
Best Moments:
Ascension Day - When the guitars suddenly crash in to those powerful chords [First added to this chart: 03/28/2018]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,318
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
79
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Jazz-Rock • Improv • Art Rock
95/100
CA: 9/10
Just as the cover art would suggest, this album is the lighter counterpart to Laughing Stock. The noon-time sun shines on a colorful array of birds. At times, I find it prettier than Laughing Stock. The floating organs of Wealth, compared to the sparse, broken guitar of Runeii. This album is the sound of artists reaching their creative potential. Realizing the benefits of their years of hard work and learning. Wealth, Inheritance, Belief, the beauty of nature, the biblical gardens of Eden. This is where they arrive. It is beautiful. Laughing Stock marks the Ascension beyond the earthy, the beautiful. The sun setting on the same tree, darkened and hardened. That is the album of the end.
I'm sorry that I can't talk about this album without its relation to Laughing Stock. It's. just the only thing that compares to that incomparable work. [First added to this chart: 04/08/2018]
95/100
CA: 9/10
Just as the cover art would suggest, this album is the lighter counterpart to Laughing Stock. The noon-time sun shines on a colorful array of birds. At times, I find it prettier than Laughing Stock. The floating organs of Wealth, compared to the sparse, broken guitar of Runeii. This album is the sound of artists reaching their creative potential. Realizing the benefits of their years of hard work and learning. Wealth, Inheritance, Belief, the beauty of nature, the biblical gardens of Eden. This is where they arrive. It is beautiful. Laughing Stock marks the Ascension beyond the earthy, the beautiful. The sun setting on the same tree, darkened and hardened. That is the album of the end.
I'm sorry that I can't talk about this album without its relation to Laughing Stock. It's. just the only thing that compares to that incomparable work. [First added to this chart: 04/08/2018]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,221
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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90/100
[First added to this chart: 07/26/2018]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,230
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 3. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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|
|
| 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 favourites
Showing latest 20 members who have added this chart as a favourite | Show all 22 members
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
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 Artists of 1974 | |
|---|---|
| 1. King Crimson | |
| 2. Neil Young | |
| 3. Genesis | |
| 4. Supertramp | |
| 5. Queen | |
| 6. Brian Eno | |
| 7. Robert Wyatt | |
| 8. Joni Mitchell | |
| 9. David Bowie | |
| 10. Jorge Ben | |
| 11. Camel | |
| 12. Sparks | |
| 13. Big Star | |
| 14. Kraftwerk | |
| 15. Steely Dan | |
| 16. Van Morrison | |
| 17. Frank Zappa | |
| 18. Richard & Linda Thompson | |
| 19. Gene Clark | |
| 20. Roxy Music |