Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by MarquisMarc 
In my top 100 chart, I am restricting myself to one album per artist for mere space reasons. For many of the artists included, particularly those in the first half, I would love to include numerous albums. But that would mean excluding other artists entirely, which felt more homogenized and bland than all the "vitamins" I'd need on my desert island.
- Chart updated: 10/14/2025 15:45
- (Created: 05/12/2017 11:57).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 9 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 23 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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[First added to this chart: 05/13/2017]
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2017]
[First added to this chart: 07/28/2025]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,079
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2017]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
760
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2017]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
573
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 05/30/2024]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,331
Rank in 1993:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2017]
Year of Release:
1995
Appears in:
Rank Score:
960
Rank in 1995:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2017]
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2017]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,067
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2017]
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 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 10 | 10% | |
| 1970s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1980s | 19 | 19% | |
| 1990s | 44 | 44% | |
| 2000s | 5 | 5% | |
| 2010s | 6 | 6% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Various Artists | 2 | 2% | |
| Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band | 1 | 1% | |
| Suede | 1 | 1% | |
| Aerosmith | 1 | 1% | |
| Spacemen 3 | 1 | 1% | |
| Neu! | 1 | 1% | |
| Beat Happening | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
48 | 48% | |
 |
31 | 31% | |
 |
7 | 7% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Leavers |
|---|
| Teen Dream by Beach House |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  sg6 | Overall chart | 2017 |  |
| RYM chart : All Time Best VI by peturbeikon |  SingingPeasant96 | Custom chart | 2013 | |
| BEA Forum Regulars' Top 100 (2015) |  HigherThanTheSun | Custom chart | 2015 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  jomth | Overall chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  Komorebi-D | Overall chart | 2018 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Aruji | Overall chart | 2014 | |
| BEA forum regulars top 100 | HigherThanTheSun | Custom chart | 2014 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | newbands1 | Overall chart | 2015 | |
| Top 99 Greatest Music Albums |  dougotto | Overall chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  yepyepyep | Overall chart | 2014 | |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
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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 23 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/15/2026 10:25 |  MadhattanJack | 304 | 86/100 | |
| 03/16/2025 09:57 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,089 | 85/100 | |
| 06/18/2024 03:57 | mianfei | 173 | 62/100 | |
| 06/11/2024 09:10 | Moondance | 476 | 85/100 | |
| 10/04/2022 13:29 | stangetzaway | 175 | 89/100 |
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 87.1/100, a mean average of 87.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 87.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.4.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 6 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing all 9 comments |
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From mianfei 06/18/2024 03:58 | #303998
Interesting chart with a few surprising albums and artists in common. Some other less familiar records here I never managed to grasp myself.
On the whole, I do like this chart. It has a lot of personal albums and even if the post-“Republican Revolution” “alternative” music can feel a little grating to read, there is still a lot to like about it.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From leniad 10/01/2022 07:50 | #290088
good one
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Moondance 09/30/2022 10:38 | #290073
Loved the personality in your chart and so many NZ artists - EXCELLENT! We only have 3 albums in common - but I like it when that happens ~ it means I can explore what turns other album enthusiasts on.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Anti 03/25/2022 21:37 | #283399
Anti 03/25/2022 21:37 | #283399
Oh my god, Sun Ra's Cosmic Tones at #1, this chart is amazing.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Larcx13 03/25/2022 19:44 | #283391
Larcx13 03/25/2022 19:44 | #283391
Nothing in common with my top 100 except for 1 different Miles Davis record... Favorited!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 08/28/2019 06:46 | #241811
Very nice chart and not all of the usual suspects.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From toxicteaaa 09/19/2018 01:56 | #221276
Very interesting taste! Definitely going to listen to a lot of these.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
bobbyb5 10/04/2017 03:05 | #199087
bobbyb5 10/04/2017 03:05 | #199087
It's awesome to see Penthouse by Luna and Mars Audiac Quintet by stereolab. I'm glad somebody knows a great album when they hear it. And not the usual choices.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
JulianR 09/23/2017 04:59 | #198573
JulianR 09/23/2017 04:59 | #198573
interesting
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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