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.
View the complete list of 53,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from United States. (Remove this filter)
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Math Rock
100/100
Cover Art: 10/10
If You Like This: Rodan - Rusty; Don Cabellero - Don Cab 2
"Don stepped outside"
Insidious seems to be a good word, in my mind, to describe this album. The album sneaks up on you, all cloak and dagger like. The first time you listen to it, it is a debilitatingly confusing attack on your brain, which most don't defeat. What are all these weird time signatures? Why is he whispering? Who the HELL is Don? Then on the second listen, you get used to the music enough to really begin to listen to the lyrics. Still not enough to actually pull a story line out of them, but enough to get a feeling of vague dread in your gut. On the third or fourth listen or so you begin to understand the story lines, and finally feel the full brunt of them. They are frightening, fascinating, and severely cryptic, and leave you both wanting to know more, but also with the knowledge that their incompleteness is what makes them so amazing in the first place. Probably the least interesting lyrical peice would be "Breadcrumb Trail," which is (not so) coincidentally the most straightforward and complete story given. In contrast, the crown jewels of lyricism on this album would have to be "Good Morning, Captain" and "Don, Aman." If you know the tracks, you also know they are the most cryptic; "Captain" seems to begin right at the end of some long and eventful story, and the way it is sung/spoken we can't even tell who says what in the dialogue. "Don" is about a guy, somewhere, that something happens to, or maybe to his friend, but we miss that part, but we can tell afterward he is angry, or maybe sad, or kinda guilty. As you can tell, I don't have that one quite figured out yet, but that's exactly why it's so amazing.
And as amazing as the lyrics are, the music is just as breathtaking. The guitars are oblique, angular, they hit you from directions guitars aren't allowed to come from. The drums and bass provide an awesomely balanced yet vicious punch. This album truly has some of the cooler drumming I've ever heard. And the way they can all break it down and get super quiet, like most of Don Aman or the build up right before the cresendo of Washer is breathtaking and makes it all the more amazing when they let loose and it feels like they tear the very bottom out of the song and replace it with an indescribable energy. The pinnacle of course being the perfect (and I mean perfect) ending to "Good Morning, Captain," when he starts screaming and all the instruments go into absolute manic mode.
As I have explored more math rock, this album has made me realize something. A lot of math rock that I have listened to really isn't as interesting, despite sounding pretty similar. And I have realized today that that is becuase this music actually goes places; it developes and shifts and builds and falls in a way that is really unique, not just in math rock but in all of music. It has the odd time signatures, the "angular" sound, but it's really what it does with those elements that makes this album so special.
A quote by user louisjwyatt that I found particularly compelling:
"It's like an urban myth set to music"
Best Moment:
Good Morning Captain: "ahhhhww, I miss youuuu!!!" Chunk-gah-gah-chunk-gah-gah-chunk-chaaa (just listen to the last minute or so to know what I mean) [First added to this chart: 08/25/2017]
100/100
Cover Art: 10/10
If You Like This: Rodan - Rusty; Don Cabellero - Don Cab 2
"Don stepped outside"
Insidious seems to be a good word, in my mind, to describe this album. The album sneaks up on you, all cloak and dagger like. The first time you listen to it, it is a debilitatingly confusing attack on your brain, which most don't defeat. What are all these weird time signatures? Why is he whispering? Who the HELL is Don? Then on the second listen, you get used to the music enough to really begin to listen to the lyrics. Still not enough to actually pull a story line out of them, but enough to get a feeling of vague dread in your gut. On the third or fourth listen or so you begin to understand the story lines, and finally feel the full brunt of them. They are frightening, fascinating, and severely cryptic, and leave you both wanting to know more, but also with the knowledge that their incompleteness is what makes them so amazing in the first place. Probably the least interesting lyrical peice would be "Breadcrumb Trail," which is (not so) coincidentally the most straightforward and complete story given. In contrast, the crown jewels of lyricism on this album would have to be "Good Morning, Captain" and "Don, Aman." If you know the tracks, you also know they are the most cryptic; "Captain" seems to begin right at the end of some long and eventful story, and the way it is sung/spoken we can't even tell who says what in the dialogue. "Don" is about a guy, somewhere, that something happens to, or maybe to his friend, but we miss that part, but we can tell afterward he is angry, or maybe sad, or kinda guilty. As you can tell, I don't have that one quite figured out yet, but that's exactly why it's so amazing.
And as amazing as the lyrics are, the music is just as breathtaking. The guitars are oblique, angular, they hit you from directions guitars aren't allowed to come from. The drums and bass provide an awesomely balanced yet vicious punch. This album truly has some of the cooler drumming I've ever heard. And the way they can all break it down and get super quiet, like most of Don Aman or the build up right before the cresendo of Washer is breathtaking and makes it all the more amazing when they let loose and it feels like they tear the very bottom out of the song and replace it with an indescribable energy. The pinnacle of course being the perfect (and I mean perfect) ending to "Good Morning, Captain," when he starts screaming and all the instruments go into absolute manic mode.
As I have explored more math rock, this album has made me realize something. A lot of math rock that I have listened to really isn't as interesting, despite sounding pretty similar. And I have realized today that that is becuase this music actually goes places; it developes and shifts and builds and falls in a way that is really unique, not just in math rock but in all of music. It has the odd time signatures, the "angular" sound, but it's really what it does with those elements that makes this album so special.
A quote by user louisjwyatt that I found particularly compelling:
"It's like an urban myth set to music"
Best Moment:
Good Morning Captain: "ahhhhww, I miss youuuu!!!" Chunk-gah-gah-chunk-gah-gah-chunk-chaaa (just listen to the last minute or so to know what I mean) [First added to this chart: 08/25/2017]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,725
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
120
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Blues Rock
95/100
CA: 7/10
In 1961, Bob Dylan released his first album. Only 5 years after that, he was putting out what is widely considered some of the greatest music of all time, with Blonde on Blonde the obvious highlight. A a little under a decade later, he was back with the masterpiece Blood on the Tracks (along with Desire, which is also pretty good). A bit over another decade later and he had the stellar comeback Oh Mercy. And then another ten years, and along comes Time Out Of Mind. This is not just a return to form as it might be with any other (normal) artist. This is his third return to form. And despite the fact that he had three heydays under his belt, this one could very well be his best yet. Its swamped in reverbed-out organs and wavering, twangy blues guitar notes floating in the distance. Dylan was apparently dissatisfied with the production, but I don't know how; it sounds like the most original blues album ever made because of it.
The lyricism is also some of the best and most personal since Blood On the Tracks (aside from a few excellent songs on Oh Mercy). It's all old age and heartache on this one. Dylan perfectly depicts the slow lull of old age, especially on the lengthy, burning closer Highlands. The song perfectly mirrors his lyricism, and adds a whole other layer to them; it too "drifts from scene to scene", wandering lost in the highlands, aging and slowing. Some are more urgent, as with Its Not Dark Yet, and they are done excellently as well. Yet the highlights are probably the ones that deal with love, which feel just as personal and compelling as they did 30 years ago. Make You Feel My Love is the high point of the album in this regard, with both gorgeous lyricism and a wonderful piano based melody to go with it. [First added to this chart: 04/28/2018]
95/100
CA: 7/10
In 1961, Bob Dylan released his first album. Only 5 years after that, he was putting out what is widely considered some of the greatest music of all time, with Blonde on Blonde the obvious highlight. A a little under a decade later, he was back with the masterpiece Blood on the Tracks (along with Desire, which is also pretty good). A bit over another decade later and he had the stellar comeback Oh Mercy. And then another ten years, and along comes Time Out Of Mind. This is not just a return to form as it might be with any other (normal) artist. This is his third return to form. And despite the fact that he had three heydays under his belt, this one could very well be his best yet. Its swamped in reverbed-out organs and wavering, twangy blues guitar notes floating in the distance. Dylan was apparently dissatisfied with the production, but I don't know how; it sounds like the most original blues album ever made because of it.
The lyricism is also some of the best and most personal since Blood On the Tracks (aside from a few excellent songs on Oh Mercy). It's all old age and heartache on this one. Dylan perfectly depicts the slow lull of old age, especially on the lengthy, burning closer Highlands. The song perfectly mirrors his lyricism, and adds a whole other layer to them; it too "drifts from scene to scene", wandering lost in the highlands, aging and slowing. Some are more urgent, as with Its Not Dark Yet, and they are done excellently as well. Yet the highlights are probably the ones that deal with love, which feel just as personal and compelling as they did 30 years ago. Make You Feel My Love is the high point of the album in this regard, with both gorgeous lyricism and a wonderful piano based melody to go with it. [First added to this chart: 04/28/2018]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,345
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Indie Folk
95/100
Cover Art: 8/10 for the reissue one
Some albums are magical. Laughing Stock (#1) and Lazer Guided Melodies (#4 at the moment) are some of the most magical albums I have ever heard. Loveless, Kid A, Blonde, Chill Out, and many others have been wonderfully magical at various times in my life. But this album seems to have a different, more special kind of magic to it. It's own form of magic is small, not grandiose like the rest. It is the magic of being alone in the woods. It is the magic of feelings left bottled up. It is the magic of a man with a guitar making music for its own sake. The only album that is able to capture a similar magic is Iron & Wine's "The Creek Drank The Cradle." And even then, that is the magic of old times, the rustic American Midwest. Appalachia. For Emma, Forever Ago, to me, is the magic of the American Northwest. The Rockies. Evergreen trees, deep, damp forests, snowfall. Love. A lot more love is here. Maybe more for me than for others, given my life experiences with this album. It is the album that soundtracks my current love, more beautiful than even this album. [First added to this chart: 10/19/2018]
95/100
Cover Art: 8/10 for the reissue one
Some albums are magical. Laughing Stock (#1) and Lazer Guided Melodies (#4 at the moment) are some of the most magical albums I have ever heard. Loveless, Kid A, Blonde, Chill Out, and many others have been wonderfully magical at various times in my life. But this album seems to have a different, more special kind of magic to it. It's own form of magic is small, not grandiose like the rest. It is the magic of being alone in the woods. It is the magic of feelings left bottled up. It is the magic of a man with a guitar making music for its own sake. The only album that is able to capture a similar magic is Iron & Wine's "The Creek Drank The Cradle." And even then, that is the magic of old times, the rustic American Midwest. Appalachia. For Emma, Forever Ago, to me, is the magic of the American Northwest. The Rockies. Evergreen trees, deep, damp forests, snowfall. Love. A lot more love is here. Maybe more for me than for others, given my life experiences with this album. It is the album that soundtracks my current love, more beautiful than even this album. [First added to this chart: 10/19/2018]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,923
Rank in 2007:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
95/100
[First added to this chart: 05/07/2018]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,135
Rank in 1999:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Avant-Garde
95/100
Terry Riley knows of another plane of existence, and he can take you there too, if you have the money for some headphones. [First added to this chart: 11/22/2017]
95/100
Terry Riley knows of another plane of existence, and he can take you there too, if you have the money for some headphones. [First added to this chart: 11/22/2017]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Indietronica • Folk-Hop (my made-up genre name for Hip-Hop-Folk fusion)
95/100
Cover Art: 4/10
IYLT: Frank Ocean - Blonde; Bon Iver - 22, A Million
"It's different now I think
I wasn't older yet
I wasn't wise, I guess"
PSA: Apparently his name is pronounced "Soof-yawn"
I'm calling it now. This album, along with "Hand. Cannot. Erase." by Steven Wilson, will be heralded as the unsung masterpieces of this era. You might as well thank me now it's as good a time as any. (Reading back over this sentence like a year after I wrote it, I should note that was just a note, I'm not that pretentious at all :) )
This is such a complex album. Every note and every rhythm is so fine tuned. Even listening to the rhythms from one bar to the next you realize it is rarely the same time twice. Every single fragment of this album is so meticulously composed. And I do mean composed; while basically all electronic music feels like variations on a pattern, this feels like it was constructed from the ground up every second of the way.
The music is so creative and unique. There really is nothing even comparable. The way Sufjan is able to create moods and build powerful flows with his music is always inspiring, but the way he does it on this album takes it to a whole new level. The willingness to dip into these new tools doesn't act as a cop out for creativity as some artists have used them for (I'm looking at you, Coldplay and Arcade Fire). They instead simply augment his awe-inspiring compositional skills. And the result is truly transcendent above not only both his folk and more electronic albums, but also most electronic music ever.
BM:
I want to be well (5:30ish): When the "I'm not fuckin' around! (and I'm not one to be!)" really reaches its crescendo [First added to this chart: 07/13/2017]
95/100
Cover Art: 4/10
IYLT: Frank Ocean - Blonde; Bon Iver - 22, A Million
"It's different now I think
I wasn't older yet
I wasn't wise, I guess"
PSA: Apparently his name is pronounced "Soof-yawn"
I'm calling it now. This album, along with "Hand. Cannot. Erase." by Steven Wilson, will be heralded as the unsung masterpieces of this era. You might as well thank me now it's as good a time as any. (Reading back over this sentence like a year after I wrote it, I should note that was just a note, I'm not that pretentious at all :) )
This is such a complex album. Every note and every rhythm is so fine tuned. Even listening to the rhythms from one bar to the next you realize it is rarely the same time twice. Every single fragment of this album is so meticulously composed. And I do mean composed; while basically all electronic music feels like variations on a pattern, this feels like it was constructed from the ground up every second of the way.
The music is so creative and unique. There really is nothing even comparable. The way Sufjan is able to create moods and build powerful flows with his music is always inspiring, but the way he does it on this album takes it to a whole new level. The willingness to dip into these new tools doesn't act as a cop out for creativity as some artists have used them for (I'm looking at you, Coldplay and Arcade Fire). They instead simply augment his awe-inspiring compositional skills. And the result is truly transcendent above not only both his folk and more electronic albums, but also most electronic music ever.
BM:
I want to be well (5:30ish): When the "I'm not fuckin' around! (and I'm not one to be!)" really reaches its crescendo [First added to this chart: 07/13/2017]
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,190
Rank in 2010:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Industrial Hip-Hop
95/100
CA: 8/10
"Y'all 'bout to turn shit up?
I'm 'bout to tear shit down
I'm 'bout to air shit out
Now what the fuck they gon' say now?"
This album has made me re-evaluate a lot of how I think about music. As one who comes from a classic rock background, as I suspect most (or at least a good number) on this site do, it's hard not to think of Kanye as one of those new rappers writing pop-rap for a bunch of teenagers to drink and party to. To a certain extent, that not incorrect. But this album is a whole lot more.
While MBDTF was definitely an artistic statement, it was one designed to generate radio hits. Yeezus is, to a certain extent, anti-commercial. Or at least as anti-commercial as any serious album by the most popular artist in the world could be. On Sight is abrasive as hell. The same is true of most of the rest. As hard as it might be to understand coming from the high-brow land of rock n' roll, this is a thoroughly artistic, not commercial, endeavor.
The next hurdle of course is that you might point out, "Look at all the shitty stuff he says! He's just vulgar, obscene, and misogynistic!". Again, you would not be entirely wrong. In defense, I call to the stand Lou Reed. He in fact named this one of his favorite albums of the past decade or so shortly before passing away, but thats not what he's been called to the stand for. Instead, it is for his magnum opus track, Sister Ray. A song almost universally revered by rock "oldheads," it literally details a drug fueled orgy, in the strongest language that 60's would allow. More evidence could be presented, such as the Sex Pistols in general. These artists aren't considered vulgar unintelligent provocateurs, but as visionaries of the art form that is music. The same is true of Kanye West. If one reframes his vulgar digressions as either playful jibes or an attempt to see how far boundaries can be pushed (they are often both), one gets a figure not unlike the late Lou Reed.
That said, I don't think that he is immune from criticism. I'm still unsure how I feel about the politics surrounding using Billy Holiday's "Blood On The Leaves" as the basis for a song about ecstacy fueled affairs. But overall the album is a pretty awesome listen. Just a quick shoutout to the real highlights of the album: I Am A God is a banger, and quite a good distillation of Kanye himself; a self-aware, yet flamboyantly excessive exercise in self-worship. New Slaves is a surpringly nuanced look at what it means to be black and successful in America. And Hold My Liquor is possibly Kanye's greatest accomplishment of all time. [First added to this chart: 12/08/2017]
95/100
CA: 8/10
"Y'all 'bout to turn shit up?
I'm 'bout to tear shit down
I'm 'bout to air shit out
Now what the fuck they gon' say now?"
This album has made me re-evaluate a lot of how I think about music. As one who comes from a classic rock background, as I suspect most (or at least a good number) on this site do, it's hard not to think of Kanye as one of those new rappers writing pop-rap for a bunch of teenagers to drink and party to. To a certain extent, that not incorrect. But this album is a whole lot more.
While MBDTF was definitely an artistic statement, it was one designed to generate radio hits. Yeezus is, to a certain extent, anti-commercial. Or at least as anti-commercial as any serious album by the most popular artist in the world could be. On Sight is abrasive as hell. The same is true of most of the rest. As hard as it might be to understand coming from the high-brow land of rock n' roll, this is a thoroughly artistic, not commercial, endeavor.
The next hurdle of course is that you might point out, "Look at all the shitty stuff he says! He's just vulgar, obscene, and misogynistic!". Again, you would not be entirely wrong. In defense, I call to the stand Lou Reed. He in fact named this one of his favorite albums of the past decade or so shortly before passing away, but thats not what he's been called to the stand for. Instead, it is for his magnum opus track, Sister Ray. A song almost universally revered by rock "oldheads," it literally details a drug fueled orgy, in the strongest language that 60's would allow. More evidence could be presented, such as the Sex Pistols in general. These artists aren't considered vulgar unintelligent provocateurs, but as visionaries of the art form that is music. The same is true of Kanye West. If one reframes his vulgar digressions as either playful jibes or an attempt to see how far boundaries can be pushed (they are often both), one gets a figure not unlike the late Lou Reed.
That said, I don't think that he is immune from criticism. I'm still unsure how I feel about the politics surrounding using Billy Holiday's "Blood On The Leaves" as the basis for a song about ecstacy fueled affairs. But overall the album is a pretty awesome listen. Just a quick shoutout to the real highlights of the album: I Am A God is a banger, and quite a good distillation of Kanye himself; a self-aware, yet flamboyantly excessive exercise in self-worship. New Slaves is a surpringly nuanced look at what it means to be black and successful in America. And Hold My Liquor is possibly Kanye's greatest accomplishment of all time. [First added to this chart: 12/08/2017]
Year of Release:
2013
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,318
Rank in 2013:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Free Jazz • Spiritual Jazz
95/100
CA: 5/10
IYLT: Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda; McCoy Tyner - Sahara
Something about this single composition just draws me in to a whole other world every time I listen to it. I love Karma too, and its eclectic feel and spiritual optimism has a place, but Black Unity is a whole other beast. It is a one long tour-de-force in what it means to improvise, though not in the very theoretical sense that you might find in Anthony Braxton, but more in the primal and visceral sense that Coltrane and Ayler are sometimes able to exhibit. Among these spiritual jazz greats, Pharoah's playing has always stood out to me as a nearly pure act of catharsis. There is just so much power and emotion. And not only that, it feels like he draws the same raw energy and passion and soul out of everyone he plays with; I don't think I've heard an album with Sanders on it that I didn't like.
Black Unity is all the more spectacular in how simple it is. Its literally based on three notes, for about 40 minutes. Yet it never does the same thing twice. It always has that feeling of evolving. Its not as if when one musician begins to solo, the rest halt their progression and stay in a stasis for the soloer, as it often done; instead they just keep pushing, that final goal is never lost. Possibly the most amazing moment is not even musical, but when the music stops and then a small crowd begins to clap, and I remember again that this was all one spectacular live take. There's a lot to be said about its musical qualities, but it is spectacularly impressive from a technical aspect as well. [First added to this chart: 10/22/2017]
95/100
CA: 5/10
IYLT: Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda; McCoy Tyner - Sahara
Something about this single composition just draws me in to a whole other world every time I listen to it. I love Karma too, and its eclectic feel and spiritual optimism has a place, but Black Unity is a whole other beast. It is a one long tour-de-force in what it means to improvise, though not in the very theoretical sense that you might find in Anthony Braxton, but more in the primal and visceral sense that Coltrane and Ayler are sometimes able to exhibit. Among these spiritual jazz greats, Pharoah's playing has always stood out to me as a nearly pure act of catharsis. There is just so much power and emotion. And not only that, it feels like he draws the same raw energy and passion and soul out of everyone he plays with; I don't think I've heard an album with Sanders on it that I didn't like.
Black Unity is all the more spectacular in how simple it is. Its literally based on three notes, for about 40 minutes. Yet it never does the same thing twice. It always has that feeling of evolving. Its not as if when one musician begins to solo, the rest halt their progression and stay in a stasis for the soloer, as it often done; instead they just keep pushing, that final goal is never lost. Possibly the most amazing moment is not even musical, but when the music stops and then a small crowd begins to clap, and I remember again that this was all one spectacular live take. There's a lot to be said about its musical qualities, but it is spectacularly impressive from a technical aspect as well. [First added to this chart: 10/22/2017]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
95/100
[First added to this chart: 02/20/2018]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,441
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Singer-Songerwriter • Indie
95/100
CA: 6/10
"I'm in love with the world
Through the eyes of a girl"
He makes such beautiful songs that seem both very simple and very complex at the same time. He also seems to be able to make things that shouldn't sound very good sound very good, through the way he constructs his chords and stuff. He's really a masterful guitar player, more than anything else. [First added to this chart: 07/10/2017]
95/100
CA: 6/10
"I'm in love with the world
Through the eyes of a girl"
He makes such beautiful songs that seem both very simple and very complex at the same time. He also seems to be able to make things that shouldn't sound very good sound very good, through the way he constructs his chords and stuff. He's really a masterful guitar player, more than anything else. [First added to this chart: 07/10/2017]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,575
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 58. Page 1 of 6
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 | 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 |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
- My Record Collection by JulianR (2019)
- Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by
Chicken4Sale (2018) - My Personal Ranking of Rate Your Music's Top 100 by
Xxnu99etxX (2020) - PPV Overall Ranking by bea (2021)
- BEA Forum Regulars' Top 100 (2015) by
HigherThanTheSun (2015) - Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by TheNowhereGuy (2020)
- Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Tidus1997 (2020)
- Best Chart-topping albums by
guzguzgarbit (2022) - BEA 100 (One Album per Artist) by
BozoTyrannus (2020) - Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by
LAF2 (2018)
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
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.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
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
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 72 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(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)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment
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 1980s | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Smiths | |
| 2. Prince | |
| 3. Pixies | |
| 4. The Cure | |
| 5. Talking Heads | |
| 6. U2 | |
| 7. Metallica | |
| 8. Kate Bush | |
| 9. R.E.M. | |
| 10. The Stone Roses | |
| 11. Sonic Youth | |
| 12. Michael Jackson | |
| 13. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 14. Tom Waits | |
| 15. Iron Maiden | |
| 16. Prince And The Revolution | |
| 17. Joy Division | |
| 18. New Order | |
| 19. Talk Talk | |
| 20. Rush |