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 the 1970s. (Remove this filter)
95/100
Cover Art: 8/10
IYLT: Brian Eno - Another Green World
"Must have been touching close to 94"
Side 1 is some of the most innovative music made in the 70's. It manages to toe the intersection between being extremely artistic and very catchy/accessible as a good chunk of Bowie's career did (some parts... well, not so much of either). It's just such a creative feat to have written this album 40 years ago and still have it sound interesting, creative, cutting edge, and new. It blows my mind every time. The sounds that Eno (Brian Eno, producer and co-composer of much of Side 2 and prolific ambient artist) gets out of the synths and other instruments is really great. That searing synth in Breaking Glass, that somber background in Warzawa, all fit perfectly with the piece. Timbre is something that is underappreciated in western music, but this album is a masterpiece in that variety. Side 2 (you can probably lump in the last track of side one) is an entirely different experience, although it doesn't feel out of place or awkward in relation to Side 1. It's a brooding collage of textures, where song structure is barely existent. It combines the typical Bowie grandiosity with Eno's minimalist arrangement sensibilities. It is some of the better ambient music I've heard. The result is 20 minutes of a dream.
To sum it up, I will quote my dad, who says Side 1 is David Bowie at his best, while Side 2 is Brian Eno at his best. And I think that's pretty accurate. [First added to this chart: 12/13/2016]
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]
90/100
CA: 4/10
IYLT: Jethro Tull - Aqualung
"You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clock waits so patiently on your song"
Sometimes, music isn't all artsy or high-minded or anything. Sometimes it's just damn good music. This is one of those times.
I think of Ziggy Stardust as the quintessential rock album. It's just pure awesome songs with great sing-along lyrics throughout. It flows so well the entire album, although I think the track "Lady Stardust" detracts from the generally upbeat mood. The highlight of the album is probably the closing track, which builds to a powerful climax and then comes to a close with a beautiful sweeping string section.
BM:
The end of rock n roll suicide (along with the rest of the track) is one of my favorite ends to an album ever [First added to this chart: 12/13/2016]
90/100
CA: 7/10
"And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?"
A really beautiful album. The split, 10-part epic, is the real crowning achievement. It's a gorgeous, flowing piece, progressive but never overwhelming, subtle but never boring. Welcome to the machine is alright but a little grating, Have a cigar is pretty good, and Wish you were here is a great song, if a little overplayed. Then, it's back to the grand suite; this half a little faster and more energetic. Beautiful.
BM:
Shine on you crazy diamond part 2(?): when the guitar part comes in for the first time, going "doo-daahhhh-doo-duhhhhhhhh" (low-high-low-medium) [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]
90/100
CA: 8/10
"You radiate cold shafts of broken glass"
This is such a wonderful album. I grew up on Pink Floyd, and this album was always the standard Pink Floyd album. It has a great flow; starting and ending with two parts of the beautiful little "Pigs on the Wing", and with three epic prog rock masterpieces in the middle. It's some of the cooler songwriting and guitar work ever recorded. [First added to this chart: 12/13/2016]
90/100
CA: 9/10
IYLT: Herbie Hancock - Sextant (it starts off a little odd; keep going)
"(Keep it tight)"
Bitches Brew is a game changer. It was, but more importantly it still is. Some albums were very influential when they were released, but their impact now has been diluted by imitators and modern technological advancements. The Velvet Underground and Nico comes to mind. This album does not. If it were released today, it would blow people's socks off just as much as it did in 1970. It's so unique, and literally impossible to recreate. Miles tried.
This album is so full of ideas it's nearly impossible to contain on just two disks. If you like this album, you should definitely check out the Complete Bitches Brew Sessions. They really add a lot of depth to what Miles was trying to do, and there's literally enough good material there to have released a stellar quadruple album. Anyway, all the tracks on this album don't have a single boring moment. Something is always happening, changing, evolving. I think the standout for me is the stellar Spanish Key, a writhing mass of undulating layers of keyboards, hectic drumming, and amazing guitar and trumpet sprayed all over the top. [First added to this chart: 09/19/2017]
90/100
CA: 4/10
"Don't be surprised, when a crack in the ice
Appears under your feet
You slip out of your depth and out of your mind
With your fear flowing out behind you
As you fall through thin ice"
This is a behemoth of an album. Not many double albums feel so grand and imposing as this one. Everything about it feels big; the.... Well, sometimes too big. Too big to wrap one's head around sometimes. An epic, of epic proportions. The greatest rock opera, in that it really is operatic; Soaring, winding, sweepingly grandiose. It's an album that touches the highest highs (Comfortably numb, In the flesh, Waiting for the worms) and scrapes the lowest lows (Don't leave me now, Is anybody out there?).
BM:
Hey you: the line "and the worms ate into his brain" is still one of the most startling and visceral feeling moments i have found in all of music [First added to this chart: 12/14/2016]
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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 Lights by Interpol |
In The Flat Field by Bauhaus |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
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Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
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01/22/2023 22:16 | Rm12398 | 99 | 89/100 | |
07/13/2022 22:08 | Applerill | 976 | 75/100 | |
12/10/2020 00:38 | ars2458 | 31 | 78/100 | |
06/14/2020 12:47 | BraddlesHendo | 491 | 91/100 | |
03/30/2020 09:20 | RomanRelic | 29 | 84/100 |
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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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What a chart!
I really appreciate your effort, a solid chart and i love the rating to the cover
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.
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.
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
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
Very nice and unique chart, very inspiring! And also, good job on all those comments.
Really nice chart, maybe you like Gorillaz?
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
Not a huge fan of all these albums, but I really like the chart with its descriptions and stuff.
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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 |