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...
- Chart updated: 10/12/2022 05:45
- (Created: 09/16/2011 08:34).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 75 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 98 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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I remember riding the team bus to football games in college and having some muscle headed defensive lineman fratboy taking my earphones off my head, listening for a couple of seconds, and asking me what was this crap I had in my walkman. When I said R.E.M. flipside Aztec Camera he asked me why I listened to that ***t. Thirty years later he's probably bald, fat, sitting in a bar with his schwantz in one hand and a beer in the other listening to Cinderella play on the same friggin jukebox his dad listened to. Their best album.
[First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,607
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Best rap album ever made. Not because they're white and Jewish (ok, so it helps me relate) but because it's smart, funny, and the best sample album ever. I catch a riff i've never heard before each listen. Party idea: Put the album on and see who can name each song riff they ripp off. Winner calls out the shots.
[First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,548
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In 1983 we needed a shot of rockabilly NOT played by the stray cats. The Blasters play American Roots rock. With a voice, the voice, Phil Alvin, that should have launched them into the stratosphere of stardom. Lucky for us you can catch them playing in front of 200 people on a tour (without brother Dave, of course). Tight, jumpy, intellegent, fun with no pretentions. Just rock and roll.
[First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
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A pop masterpiece. Again, why doesn't everyone know who he is? A brilliant collection of songs. Matthew Sweet has been trying to match Marshall Crenshaw's sound for years. That's not a bad thing.
[First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
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Where the geek thing starts maturing into a full fledged rock vision. For once really good songs. All of them.
[First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,529
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Compared to Flipper, the Ramones are Wagner. Flipper's lyrics are life affirming. You have to accept that three chord punk is three chords too much and you'll get the idea. It's not noise, like Metal Machine Music. It's noise like the feedback at a Who concert, with two bases...playing, like two notes each. Yea for minimalism. Pere Ubu wishes they would have gotten it this right.
[First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
486
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Mexican roots music. The best polka band in the land. And the second best song penned Don't Worry Baby and not by much (that's saying something since Brian's is perfect). They rock when they need to, but only when they need to. My favorite album with an accordion.
[First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
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If Rumours had gotten truly nasty in the breakup songs this would have been the result. Richard Thompson as Captain Marvel on guitar.
[First added to this chart: 09/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,095
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How could Prince ever top this incredibly diverse double album set of songs? Good question. I'm glad he keeps trying.
[First added to this chart: 09/17/2011]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,756
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Comments:
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The best of the college radio albums. They WERE truly original. Tuneful yet mysterious. Try 'Catapult'. Actually better than Radio Free Europe...but not by much.
[First added to this chart: 09/18/2011]
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,031
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Total albums: 19. Page 1 of 2
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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% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Rolling Stones | 3 | 3% | |
| The Kinks | 3 | 3% | |
| Bob Dylan | 3 | 3% | |
| The Beatles | 3 | 3% | |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 2% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 2 | 2% | |
| The Velvet Underground | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
There have been no changes to this chart.Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | daftpunter | 1970s decade chart | 2014 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Madrocker | Overall chart | 2019 | |
| The Top 100 Albums | VH1 | Overall chart | 2001 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Madrocker | 1970s decade chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | P H Dias | Overall chart | 2012 |  |
| Top 100 Albums (Online Amalgam) | musicologist97 | Custom chart | 2019 |  |
| The Greatest Rock Albums | uDiscoverMusic | Overall chart | 2015 | |
| Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums | Virgin | Overall chart | 2000 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | ekingshill | Overall chart | 2017 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | jeffrey-hodgson | Overall chart | 2018 | |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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 98 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/20/2025 16:45 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 07/03/2024 17:43 | C0NB9NN | 20 | 85/100 |
| ! | 06/19/2023 20:06 |  MadhattanJack | 266 | 85/100 |
| ! | 06/19/2023 10:40 |  Tamthebam | 651 | 85/100 |
| ! | 10/11/2022 05:20 | leniad | 673 | 85/100 |
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 6% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.5/100, a mean average of 86.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.7/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 16.9.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From C0NB9NN 07/03/2024 17:42 | #304153
Brilliant picks. Finally someone who sees My Aim Is True as such a great album. And shout out to ranking Queen up there. The boys sure did know how to perform an album. Dark Side, London Calling, Born To Run, all the greats up there. And who cares if you don’t have enough “modern” albums up there. Agree on a lot of your points too, especially about The Rolling Stones. And I can’t believe how much we match we Abbey Road being my number one. All this being said, great list.
27 albums in common.
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From leniad 10/11/2022 05:20 | #290352
great picks
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From Moondance 10/10/2022 21:29 | #290343
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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From 
Larcx13 10/10/2022 11:26 | #290324
Larcx13 10/10/2022 11:26 | #290324
Great work put on here ?
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From stuartdurrant 10/22/2020 18:28 | #259585
Best List I've seen
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From BraddlesHendo 10/22/2020 18:05 | #259584
Great commentary and one of the better lists here
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From 
DommeDamian 10/22/2020 09:12 | #259558
DommeDamian 10/22/2020 09:12 | #259558
better than last time.
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From DommeDamian 05/10/2018 20:26 | #214549
DommeDamian 05/10/2018 20:26 | #214549
Small amount in common, but still a fair bunch of great albums. Very good descriptions too, sir.
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From 
LedZep 01/15/2018 15:58 | #205742
LedZep 01/15/2018 15:58 | #205742
So nice and diverse. Loveit
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From 
Arthurknight 01/07/2018 10:51 | #204788
Arthurknight 01/07/2018 10:51 | #204788
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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