Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
eclab 
I try to judge albums in a context-independent way - i.e. I don't intend to take originality/influence into account, otherwise "Revolver" or something would be at the top. The best albums, to me, don't have to be influential, nor even especially original or distinctive. They just have to sound great.
- Chart updated: 06/14/2023 13:45
- (Created: 10/12/2011 15:01).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 64 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 115 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Pure magic from beginning to end, and easily my favourite album. "Only Skin" and "Emily" are the best two songs I've ever heard, and the other three tracks are amazing.
I can understand if you don't like Joanna's voice; it took me many listens to appreciate it. These days, I would actually contend that she's a superb vocalist, in the same sense as (classic, mid-sixties) Bob Dylan: their vocals are so expressive and genuine, regardless of the harsh timbre.
I can't properly describe how great the lyrics are without resorting to yet more superlatives and flowery language. They're just so good, particularly the vivid imagery. I could imagine that a lot of people might find her language pretentious, but I would say she really knows what she's doing - she's not using a broad vocabulary to try to be impressive.
I've gushed enough at this point, so I'll just add that the instrumentation is beautiful, and the engineering great; Van Dyke Parks and Steve Albini deserve a lot of praise for their roles too.
9.8 [First added to this chart: 10/13/2011]
I can understand if you don't like Joanna's voice; it took me many listens to appreciate it. These days, I would actually contend that she's a superb vocalist, in the same sense as (classic, mid-sixties) Bob Dylan: their vocals are so expressive and genuine, regardless of the harsh timbre.
I can't properly describe how great the lyrics are without resorting to yet more superlatives and flowery language. They're just so good, particularly the vivid imagery. I could imagine that a lot of people might find her language pretentious, but I would say she really knows what she's doing - she's not using a broad vocabulary to try to be impressive.
I've gushed enough at this point, so I'll just add that the instrumentation is beautiful, and the engineering great; Van Dyke Parks and Steve Albini deserve a lot of praise for their roles too.
9.8 [First added to this chart: 10/13/2011]
Year of Release:
2006
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,446
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Average Rating:
Comments:
84
I continually find myself getting halfway through this album and feeling like it must be about to end, because it's already had far more quality material by that point than most band's careers. But nope, it's only been about 20 minutes and there's more brilliance to come.
9.6+ [First added to this chart: 12/15/2011]
9.6+ [First added to this chart: 12/15/2011]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
40,052
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Comments:
It opens with a track so good it started modern rock music and the quality holds up throughout.
9.5 [First added to this chart: 10/13/2011]
9.5 [First added to this chart: 10/13/2011]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
32,780
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Comments:
If there's a more joyful album than this I'm yet to hear it.
9.5 [First added to this chart: 10/13/2011]
9.5 [First added to this chart: 10/13/2011]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,667
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Comments:
Despite a few dud tracks, the overall sequence is wonderful (including Revolution 9).
9.5 [First added to this chart: 04/30/2013]
9.5 [First added to this chart: 04/30/2013]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
45,501
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Comments:
9.5
[First added to this chart: 05/23/2012]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,034
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
9.5
[First added to this chart: 07/17/2012]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
49,025
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
9.5
[First added to this chart: 10/13/2011]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
38,634
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Average Rating:
Comments:
9.4
[First added to this chart: 10/13/2011]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,848
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Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
9.4
[First added to this chart: 04/05/2015]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
39,035
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 1 | 1% | |
| 1960s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1970s | 28 | 28% | |
| 1980s | 12 | 12% | |
| 1990s | 13 | 13% | |
| 2000s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2010s | 18 | 18% | |
| 2020s | 1 | 1% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Beatles | 6 | 6% | |
| Joanna Newsom | 4 | 4% | |
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 4% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 3 | 3% | |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 3% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 3 | 3% | |
| Nirvana (US) | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 83rd to 82nd Fun House by The Stooges |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 82nd to 83rd Murmur by R.E.M. |
| Down 1 from 85th to 86th Paranoid by Black Sabbath |
| Down 1 from 86th to 87th Odessey And Oracle by The Zombies |
| New entries |
|---|
 Raw Powerby Iggy And The Stooges |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Beggars Banquetby The Rolling Stones |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 115 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 115 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 85/100  | 08/04/2023 08:54 | Moondance | | 83/100 |
85/100 | 08/04/2023 08:47 |  Tamthebam | | 85/100 |
| 100/100 | 04/01/2022 19:25 | leniad | | 85/100 |
| 90/100 | 12/17/2021 12:21 |  Cytoma | | 90/100 |
| 85/100 | 08/07/2021 12:26 | sszwalbenest | | 78/100 |
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 4% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.0/100, a mean average of 88.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.3/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.8.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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85/100
From Moondance 12/23/2022 20:25
We have a lot in common and a lot not in common - which is a healthy sign of individual taste. I was somewhat surprised to see that your chart has only 2 Australian artists (both from the 2010's) - when Aussie music has been punching way above its weight since the 1970's!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From leniad 04/01/2022 19:25
just great selections
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
indieshins 03/04/2021 22:34
indieshins 03/04/2021 22:34
I have mad respect for any chart that includes Joanna, let alone having Ys as the top album. She's an incredible artist who doesn't always get the love I think she deserves.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
Goliath 12/16/2020 18:27
Goliath 12/16/2020 18:27
20 in common, but top ten very different.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From ssimmonds 09/30/2020 23:14
16 in common with mine - one sixth is quite good. My top 10 include Loveless and OK Computer.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Larcx13 07/31/2020 11:05
Larcx13 07/31/2020 11:05
Good stuff! Love the Dylan appreciation. I don't like that Kendrick is so high but whatever. 29 albums in common.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From microjude 03/18/2020 19:14
Nice chart. A special nod to all the great Van Morrison picks - especially liked the Veedon Fleece addition. I don’t think I have come across a chart with a split between albums I love vs. albums I loathe (not a Dylan fan but I am weird that way). I have somehow missed Joanna Newsom, but am eager to give the album a try now.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Ashmark 01/19/2020 23:56
Everyone has there own little idiosyncrasies but I wouldn’t argue with anything on this list. Great job, you are definitely someone to hang and listen to music with.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
Julelios 12/17/2019 10:24
Julelios 12/17/2019 10:24
22 albums in common ! Wow !
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
C_Krug2009 11/28/2018 23:37
C_Krug2009 11/28/2018 23:37
Joanna is good. Glad you can appreciate Kendrick. You should check out Section.80
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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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 (US) | |
| 12. The Smiths | |
| 13. Neil Young | |
| 14. Miles Davis | |
| 15. The Beach Boys | |
| 16. Kanye West | |
| 17. Pixies | |
| 18. Jimi Hendrix | |
| 19. R.E.M. | |
| 20. Bruce Springsteen |