Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
NowhereMan 
31 years of age.
RECOMMENDATIONS ALWAYS WELCOME.
I will be tidying this up at some point - many of these chart notes were published over a decade ago; I need to refine and amend accordingly. I am also in the process of amending and reviewing ratings of various albums - many ratings have held steadfast from when I first joined this wonderful website in 2009.
ORDER CHANGES REGULARLY.
My top artists: (Bracketed numbers are for own personal reference)
1. The Beatles - an audio best friend; they make the world a lot brighter and optimistic. The absolute pinnacle. The best thing the world has produced. Colossal. (13/13)
---------------------------
2. Electric Light Orchestra (9/11)
---------------------------
(Interchangeable order)
The Rolling Stones (6/9)
Pink Floyd (5/8)
Led Zeppelin (4/6)
The Smiths (8/8)
Neil Young (17/21)
The Velvet Underground (4/5)
Bob Dylan (16/23)
The Who (7/7)
David Bowie (8/14)
Oasis (10/10)
The Beach Boys (5/11)
Radiohead (7/8)
Simon & Garfunkel (6/6)
The Kinks (5/6)
Bruce Springsteen (8/12)
Arcade Fire (6/8)
The Stone Roses (1/2)
R.E.M (2/9)
Brian Eno (2/5)
The Tallest Man On Earth (2/2)
Tame Impala (4/4)
Fleetwood Mac (4/5)
Paul Simon (14/16)
John Lennon (6/6)
Paul McCartney (17/17)
George Harrison (5/9)
Wings (6/6)
Nick Drake (3/3)
The Flaming Lips (2/5)
Weezer (4/5)
Wilco (2/5)
The National (3/5)
Cream (4/4)
Coldplay (3/4)
Van Morrison (1/3)
Arctic Monkeys (3/5)
The Cure (2/7)
Genesis (1/7)
The War on Drugs (1/3)
The Strokes (1/5)
Belle & Sebastian (2/5)
My ratings on an album can be based on the emotion it evokes within me, the quality of the musicianship, the amount of nostalgia it summons, it's importance in within the wider and more broad pantheon of music. Even something as simple as how many times it gives me goosebumps across the length of an entire listen.
ONE ALBUM PER ARTIST - it is also most certain I have heard a an abundance of other material by each artist only the one I will have chosen is the one that I am digging the most currently and resonates the most to me at this point in my life.
More chart notes to come.
Thanks for viewing.
- Chart updated: 05/20/2025 13:45
- (Created: 10/18/2011 23:28).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 92 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 86 out of 100 (from 120 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 56,000 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
The second half of this record is amongst some of my favourite quarter of an hour's worth of music I have come across. To me, this is the duo's peak. ...Troubled Water was a superficial project - despite its merits - I have always taken the view it sounds more of a Paul Simon solo project.
[First added to this chart: 10/25/2017]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,805
Rank in 1968:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
54
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Dylan's magnum opus. Whilst not only working best as a cohesive album, it also possesses his greatest individual numbers. Stuck Inside The Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again and Sad Eye Lady Of The Lowlands may well both be my top two Dylan songs - and that's a prestigious accolade indeed. The run from Visions of Johanna through to Most likely you go your way (and I'll go mine) largely remains unparalleled. There are snippets of lyrics on here that are just sublime - note 4th Time Around. Perennially uplifting. Will always be one of my all time favourites. It's been with me years now.
[First added to this chart: 10/18/2011]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,882
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Possesses one of the most perennially captivating soundscapes I have ever subjected my ears to.
[First added to this chart: 06/08/2023]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,199
Rank in 1999:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
I cannot articulate as to why; but I find this to be one of the most emotion-provoking albums I have ever listened to.
[First added to this chart: 10/30/2018]
Year of Release:
2017
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,370
Rank in 2017:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
(Review of The Beach Boys - Today!, which previously held the #9 position)
A lovely record. I like to think of it as a primitive Pet Sounds. Brian Wilson and his melodies really do start to branch out here and the songs from the boys here seem to adopt a more classic and baroque melody structure as opposed to the short snappy sun and surf songs of previous years. Because of this development, songs such as Please Let Me Wonder and I'm So Young are just as beautiful as anything off the preferred Pet Sounds. The other tracks aren't too far off either. [First added to this chart: 10/19/2012]
A lovely record. I like to think of it as a primitive Pet Sounds. Brian Wilson and his melodies really do start to branch out here and the songs from the boys here seem to adopt a more classic and baroque melody structure as opposed to the short snappy sun and surf songs of previous years. Because of this development, songs such as Please Let Me Wonder and I'm So Young are just as beautiful as anything off the preferred Pet Sounds. The other tracks aren't too far off either. [First added to this chart: 10/19/2012]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,015
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
No hits can be found in this package - but a wonderful synthesis of genres can be. Excellent cuts of Doo-wop, Prog and Jazz-Rock are waiting to be unearthed.
[First added to this chart: 06/08/2023]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,979
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 07/02/2014]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
34,699
Rank in 1998:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
I found this album bored vowing to listen to whatever came out of the lotto that is the 'Random Album' feature on this site. Amazingly it's becoming one of my favourite albums ever, albeit potentially my favourite out and out pop album. The cover genuinely reflects the mood and atmosphere of the record. I'm smitten about this at the minute.
[First added to this chart: 10/22/2017]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Picking my favourite Velvet Underground album is and will always be a tough predicament. I chose their self titled one. For the time being it'll be my favourite anyway. I just feel that song for song, it's the strongest of their 4 classics (VU & Nico, self titled, White light/White Heat, Loaded). A great band. Forever underrated, no matter what. The album to come to if you're trying to dig this sort of stuff.
[First added to this chart: 10/18/2011]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,888
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
I always forget how exceptional this record is until I elect to put it on.
[First added to this chart: 10/18/2011]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,952
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 36. Page 1 of 4
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 | 16 | 16% | |
| 1970s | 24 | 24% | |
| 1980s | 13 | 13% | |
| 1990s | 18 | 18% | |
| 2000s | 16 | 16% | |
| 2010s | 11 | 11% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Nick Drake | 1 | 1% | |
| Coldplay | 1 | 1% | |
| Jake Bugg | 1 | 1% | |
| R.E.M. | 1 | 1% | |
| Gerry Rafferty | 1 | 1% | |
| The Jam | 1 | 1% | |
| The War On Drugs | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
50 | 50% | |
| |
36 | 36% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 50th to 51st Be Here Now by Oasis |
| Down 1 from 51st to 52nd Parachutes by Coldplay |
| Down 1 from 52nd to 53rd 18 Months by Calvin Harris |
| New entries |
|---|
 London 0 Hull 4by The Housemartins |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Island Discs: Top 100 | NowhereMan | Custom chart | 2018 | |
| If The BEA Overall Chart Had A One Album Per Artist Rule... |  Romanelli | Custom chart | 2015 | |
| Most listened to Albums by BEA members 2014 - 2024 |  Liedzeit | Custom chart | 2024 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | NowhereMan | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | tim0505 | Overall chart | 2025 | |
| Rearrange Top 100 |  Larcx13 | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
| BEA's Top 100 re-ranked |  EyeKanFly | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| My Ranking of the BEA top 100 |  sszwalbenest | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| Those That Deserve More Recognition : | NowhereMan | Custom chart | 2023 | |
| Going With My Gut: The Overall Chart Top 100 Re-ranked |  CharlieBarley | Custom chart | 2024 | |
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
86/100 (from 120 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 120 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 85/100  | 01/25/2025 14:13 | SomethingSpecial | | 85/100 |
| 90/100 | 01/16/2025 18:06 |  seb7 | | 91/100 |
| 100/100 | 12/24/2024 20:36 | Exist-en-ciel | | 99/100 |
| 85/100 | 11/07/2024 11:35 |  pedro1976 | | 85/100 |
| 75/100 | 09/19/2024 12:52 |  LedZep | | 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 has a Bayesian average rating of 86.1/100, a mean average of 84.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 86.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 14.6.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 12 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 92 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)
90/100
From seb7 01/16/2025 18:06
seb7 01/16/2025 18:06
very cool, a lot for me to listen to...
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From pedro1976 11/07/2024 11:35
pedro1976 11/07/2024 11:35
cool chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Moondance 12/07/2022 23:56
I really love this chart - it speaks honesty & passion. I like the one album/artist concept. I like the acknowledgement that each decade brings a worthy share of worthy albums. I enjoyed the comments very much. I really like it that we only have 8 albums in common, but 24 artists in common - including songwriters that rarely make it to a top 100 chart - eg Cat Stevens, Don McLean. Donovan, Dave Gray & Tallest Man On Earth. And I especially love your love of Dylan - your album rankings pretty much match mine, except I would have BOTT at no.1.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
Jbalbinolr 05/02/2021 23:06
Jbalbinolr 05/02/2021 23:06
Pretty balanced list, very good!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Mercury 11/26/2020 21:33
Mercury 11/26/2020 21:33
Coming back to this and it made me smile. Thanks for the shoutout on the Shallow Grave Write up. I notice no grade for The Wild Hunt - but 2 for Shallow Grave. *thinking emoji*
Anyway, I love the love for the Beatles. You are to the Beatles what I am to Bob Dylan. Lol
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From vancevisuals 07/06/2020 21:11
Surprisingly only 6 in common but I did not limit myself to one per
Love the chart nonetheless
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
StefanR10 07/06/2020 13:52
StefanR10 07/06/2020 13:52
A good one. Respect your chart and you have some mostly unkown bands here. Interesting is your number 1 with the beatles. One German band is ok but I like the German bands very much maybe you could include one more. But Nevertheless good chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
BozoTyrannus 05/15/2020 13:42
BozoTyrannus 05/15/2020 13:42
Tremendous selection. I respect any chart that introduces me to something new in the top ten.
And the more love for Eno the better.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Timooosterink 03/09/2020 20:52
Nice chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
salahshoori 01/26/2020 14:08
salahshoori 01/26/2020 14:08
Amazing list. I agree with what others said about compliations though.
BTW I agree that S.F. Sorrow sounds way ahead of its time.
I would recommend you to listen to Depeche Mode's Violator, I think you will find it fascinating.
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.