Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by daftpunter

When I was five my mom bought me a 45 of Pleasant Valley Sunday that I played on my little multi-disk player with my Peter Pan 45's. In the fifth grade my buddy Owen turned me on to Kiss and Queen. Some guy at a record store recommended to my Mom Sweet's Desolation Boulevard and K.C. and the Sunshine Band. My high school buddy's dad owned an AOR station so we had access to a ton of music (though half the albums were worthless because Dad would put finger nail polish on the album cuts to control the dj's). That's also where I developed my nervous twitch when I hear the Beatles too often. We discovered the Rolling Stone Record Guide, The Trouser Press Record Guide, and Robert Christgau (the 1001 albums/songs books have been added to the reference of late). For my freshman year in college Grandmom gave me $1000 for spending money for the year that I blew in about three weeks at the local record store(ooh, that reminds me, I've GOT to listen to Damn the Torpedoes soon!). Over the past thirty years I've put together a collection of music reflecting the eclectic and clasic, usually without ever having heard the music I'd purchased. But the collection is diverse, consisting of about 2500 pieces of vinyl and 1500 cd's. I've discovered the Public library system that has given me access to inumerable albums. And you'll notice that the list doesn't have a bunch of surprises, accepting maybe the order. Because great is still great. The top 20 have been pretty consistant over the years. The next 80 are an incomplete and ever changing array. As far as the more recent albums not making the charts, I direct you to the decade (and soon yearly) charts. Albums that supplant truly classic works have a truly high standard to achieve. It's taken decades for some albums to click.
I'm beginning to warm to Cage The Elephant, The Black Keys, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard ...some other similar bands so there's still hope for some 2000's to make it to the list. Thanks to my boys for their recommendations.
Alright...it's time. 10 year anniversary of this list and it's a bit stale. Maybe not a great word...how about dated. Commenters are right...there IS great music made in this century. Great albums? I'm going to start working through the year album charts and find some gems I've recently discovered. Probably 1500 albums....maybe more since...and note...I won't subscribe to a music service. I have to OWN an album before I rate it. Are YOU that into albums? Damn that was pretentious. New list coming! Midway through another year and I STILL can't touch my top ten...

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Buy album United States
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The problem with Quad is my desire to listen to the whole and not the parts. Each song, on it's own, is great. The Real Me may be one of the most powerful ever. But when I hear one, I need to hear the whole thing. All 80 minutes. Luckily, it's worth it.
The Quad is simply the greatest 80 minutes in rock history. Concept albums usually don't hold up. To make it work the three songs worth listening to are held together my mediocrity to keep the story in line. The exception is Quadrophenia. P.F. Sorrow, Tommy, Ogden Nut, Ziggy Stardust (ok the last one was close) don't get close to this albums ability to keep your ass movin' on every cut. The idea of Pete telling the story of the 60's Mods in through Jimmy is brilliant. The concept of doing so through the filter of each individual in the band being represented in the songs? Inspired. The only shame is how low Pete mixed John's bass into the mix. If you find the Quad soundtrack the mix is different and you get a feel for the true greatness of The Ox.
[First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,465
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Buy album United States
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Punk grows up. Everything but a ballad (thank Gawd!). The greatest from the only band that matters. "And I believe in this, and it's been tested by re-search, that he who ****'s nuns, will later join the church." [First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
36,275
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Buy album United States
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Women are the most coniving, evil, manipulative, cheating, (did I say evil) things on the planet (according to our hero). Somebody ought to turn out the big light, because I can't stand to see you this way. [First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,916
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Buy album United States
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Once in Rolling Stone Keith was quoted as saying, "I wouldn't call Sticky Fingers a heavy drug album, any more than I'd call life a heavy life." Every song a classic. And Mick Taylor's guitar takes the Stones to a different level. [First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,292
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Buy album United States
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"...and you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking. Racing around to come up behind you again. The sun is the same in a relative way but YOU'RE older. Shorter of breath and one day closer to death." It was their time. An album chronicling their lost leader's departure into LSD fueled insanity. And it rocks. "There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact, it's all dark." [First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
71,221
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Buy album United States
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The Dean was right, Waterloo Sunset is the most beautiful song in the English Language. David Watts? EVERY kid knew a David Watts. Part two of the six part Ray Davies is the greatest 60's British Songwriter...period. Why this album and not Face to Face? Because I'm not writing in every bloody Kinks album like the Beatles freaks. So I'm gonna write it in this paragraph. Something Else is 7(a). Sunny Afternoon may well be the 2nd most beautiful song in the English Language. [First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,177
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Buy album United States
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Freddie Mercury was always a bit too campy for me. But I bought every album he and his mates put out. The songs were great, but what I bought them for was Brian May's guitar. This album has everything that made Queen great, and different. Overdubbed/Operatic vocals and guitars, upbeat uplifting songs about friends, lovers and yes CARS! An honest to G-d love song to a car. Death on Two Legs and Bohemian Rhapsody to even the vibe, and the Prophet Song...More over the top and dare I say better than the previous mentioned Bohemian Rhapsody. To a Beach Boys fan is there anything better?! Anyone who wants to study overdubs, look no further. Watched them on tour for "The Game". They walked offstage during Bohemian Rhapsody's opera section. Brian May comes back on and rips into the solo that you know had almost as many overdubs as the vocals and absolutely crushes it. I struggle to not make this a top ten because, in all honesty, I have more great memories of this, the third album I ever purchase, than any other I own. Because no other record has the bombast, the production, the musicianship of A Night At The Opera. Magical. [First added to this chart: 09/18/2011]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,341
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Buy album United States
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For those of us who think punk is just a bunch of snot nosed, zipper pierced, morons moshing...well, they're almost right. Then there's the great one's (see London Calling, Generic Flipper). Nothing sounds like Gang of Four. The edge tried on Achtung Baby. Someday he'll get it right. [First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,096
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Buy album United States
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It's good to be soooo rich, so talented, so strung out on junk, booze and pills that you have to hole yourself up in a dank, musty, nasty old castle in France to record the most dirty sounding album a major band ever produced. The reason the Stones were so good for so long is with all their money their leader, Keith, was a junkie and lived the blues living like a king. A junkie is still a junkie. A good path to the blues. Shouldn't have gone straight. Screwed up the mojo. [First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
22,617
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Average Rating:
Comments:
25. (=)
Buy album United States
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Here's a little song you can all join in... Just a great set of songs performed exquisitely by four virtuosos. [First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
516
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Total albums: 40. Page 1 of 4

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade Albums %


1930s 0 0%
1940s 0 0%
1950s 3 3%
1960s 15 15%
1970s 52 52%
1980s 19 19%
1990s 11 11%
2000s 0 0%
2010s 0 0%
2020s 0 0%
Country Albums %


United States 49 49%
United Kingdom 40 40%
Canada 3 3%
Mixed Nationality 3 3%
Australia 2 2%
Jamaica 2 2%
Ireland 1 1%
Live? Albums %
No 96 96%
Yes 4 4%

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
88/100 (from 97 votes)
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06/19/2023 20:06 MadhattanJack  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 15584/100
 
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06/19/2023 10:40 Tamthebam  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 55285/100
  
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10/11/2022 05:20 leniad  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 68685/100
  
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10/10/2022 21:26 Moondance  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 45584/100
  
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10/10/2022 21:19 iannicolson  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 31290/100

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This chart is rated in the top 7% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.4/100, a mean average of 86.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 17.0.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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Rating:  
95/100
From 10/11/2022 05:20
great picks
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Rating:  
85/100
From 10/10/2022 21:29
Loved the commentary on the soundtrack of your life + music. I can appreciate the joy and wonder of your journey. Good to see Aztec Camera among the usual suspects.
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Rating:  
100/100
From 10/10/2022 11:26
Great work put on here 👏
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Rating:  
95/100
From 10/22/2020 18:28
Best List I've seen
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Rating:  
100/100
From 10/22/2020 18:05
Great commentary and one of the better lists here
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Rating:  
100/100
From 10/22/2020 09:12
better than last time.
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100/100
From 05/10/2018 20:26
Small amount in common, but still a fair bunch of great albums. Very good descriptions too, sir.
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Rating:  
85/100
From 01/15/2018 15:58
So nice and diverse. Loveit
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Rating:  
100/100
From 01/07/2018 10:51
Ah thank you for the very kind words! The descriptions are in progress, the other 90 will be eventually covered; I’m very gradual with these things, I’m sure you’d be the one to understand.
I very much like your chart too. Your opening description I find very eloquent, and I much adore anyone who takes the time to tell the stories about their experiences of music because it is so vital in the sharing of ones love and appreciation of an artform that carries as much value in when, where and how we listen to it as the songs themselves. Many of the albums you have here were once on my chart since supplanted - to use your words. Shoot out the Lights, for instance, is a long favourite of mine. Thank you for sharing what only years and years of dedicate listening could produce.
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Rating:  
90/100
From 09/08/2017 12:45
10 bonus points for Psychedelic Furs.
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