Top 71 Greatest Music Albums by 
indieshins 
UPDATE 2022: Slowly going through the process of updating this chart - I thought I'd do that rather than create an entirely new one. This new chart will hopefully give a more complete picture of my musical tastes and the development of it since I first made this chart. I hope to have a good variety of eras and genres, and a good mix of objective and subjective picks.
I have two sides to my musical identity: first, left-field, experimental, artsy, alternative, cerebral. Second, accessible, catchy, fun, possibly mainstream (though not necessarily). Often, a favourite album will have elements of both. In any case, I intend to represent both sides amply here.
Notes will be added gradually over time.
- Chart updated: 04/12/2024 07:15
- (Created: 06/08/2017 04:40).
- Chart size: 71 albums.
There are 3 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 71 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 14 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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31. (=)
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Zorn makes another appearance on this list, this time as the chief architect. This is a brilliant album that fuses jazz, punk and grindcore into the sort of insanity that only Zorn is capable of. A must listen for people who like dark, evocative and left-of-centre music.
[First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]
Year of Release:
1990
Appears in:
Rank Score:
796
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Comments:
8
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This was the first Prince album I heard in full. In hindsight, its an odd place to start, but it is certainly one of his best on repeated listens. Every song is strong, and bursting with odd little details. I love the screeching guitar in Play In the Sunshine, or the odd scratchy sounds in It. Prince still finds the time for some straight pop here though, most notably on the surreal Starfish and Coffee and the upbeat I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man. A tour-de-force from the Artist, and one of the greatest double albums of all time.
[First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,267
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It's so impressive that Stephin Merritt managed to write so many great songs for this album. There is little to no filler, as the songs that initially seemed to only take up space eventually become as essential to the experience as the more obvious highlights. Over time, one begins to love the album as they would a person, embracing the flaws along with the good points. It helps that there are so many of the latter to begin with on this, one of the crowning masterpieces of the '90s.
[First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,905
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This is a difficult album, relentlessly dark, a product of the dying days of 1960s optimism. The muddy production and ragged playing give a sense of the exhaustion felt by Sly as he struggled to create his masterpiece. The few moments of bright pop here are the all the effective for the relieving effect they have in context. This is a grim slab of psychedelic funk that proved enormously influential on the coming decades.
[First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,318
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Overall Rank:
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Comments:
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I found her voice hard to appreciate at first, but now I really like it. It helps that the songwriting is so strong, and paired so perfectly with the sparse, intimate production. Case of You, My Old Man, Carey. All classics. There's really not a bad song here. While Joni would soon go on to more radical sounds, what she achieved here was perhaps the quintessential confessional songwriter record, and is deservedly revered today.
[First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,080
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Comments:
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Is this the Stripes at their purest? Almost. While several overdubs appear, the sound is still wonderfully raw and endlessly dynamic. I struggle to find an album on which Jack White's guitar playing has been so exhilarating, at least to me. Nearly every track is fantastic, and even the lesser tracks serve a purpose. An essential garage rock record!
[First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,190
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Rank in 2000s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
37. (=)
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Death Grips have always been raw and aggressive, but this, in my opinion, is the peak of their early period. The passion in Ride's voice has never really been equaled, and the production is, as always, as intricate as it is abrasive. No Love may be my favourite DG song. That hook is ridiculously catchy. A host of other great tracks follow. Just don't let anyone see the cover - might face some awkward questions!
[First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]
Year of Release:
2012
Appears in:
Rank Score:
766
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It took me a while to appreciate this, but my God! One of the most heavenly albums I've ever heard. Goosebump-inducing harmonies paired with the distinctly "old American" folk stylings makes for one of the most haunting and unique albums in recent memory. A modern classic!
[First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]
Year of Release:
2011
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,461
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Ah Macca! Genius of pop songcraft and lightweight lyrics. Of course, he's capable when he tries, but the old assessment of him stands - he is a melodist at heart, whilst Lennon was about the words. When you're able to come up with a set of tunes as indelible as this, though, it really doesn't matter. There are so many great songs here - side one is perfect, but there are plenty of gems on the second side as well. His best post-Beatles effort.
[First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,750
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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This is just mind blowing. I'm not a big fan of Licensed to Ill, so for me, this is where the Beasties begin. The tapestry of samples can be overwhelming at first, but after several listens it all comes together as a unique work of genius. Even without the incredible chemistry the Beasties have on the mic, these instrumentals would work beautifully. But the Boys take it to another level with their rhymes, making this one of the most unique and fun albums I've ever heard.
[First added to this chart: 12/03/2023]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,248
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Total albums: 71. Page 4 of 8
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Top 71 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 2 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 9 | 13% | |
| 1970s | 14 | 20% | |
| 1980s | 10 | 14% | |
| 1990s | 10 | 14% | |
| 2000s | 16 | 23% | |
| 2010s | 10 | 14% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Hiatus Kaiyote | 1 | 1% | |
| The Kinks | 1 | 1% | |
| David Bowie | 1 | 1% | |
| John Mayer | 1 | 1% | |
| Prefab Sprout | 1 | 1% | |
| Steely Dan | 1 | 1% | |
| Death Grips | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 71 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
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Top 71 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 14 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
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AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 14 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 80/100  | 03/18/2023 22:49 | Moondance | | 84/100 |
| 95/100 | 03/18/2023 15:12 |  AAL2014 | | 92/100 |
| 100/100 | 09/11/2022 02:06 |  HoldenM | | 95/100 |
| 95/100 | 10/20/2021 22:19 |  Rhyner | | 99/100 |
| 100/100 | 10/20/2021 19:04 | gregthealien | | 87/100 |
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).
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This chart is rated in the top 4% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.2/100, a mean average of 91.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.3/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.7.
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Top 71 Greatest Music Albums comments
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80/100
From Moondance 03/18/2023 22:51
Cool chart - cool comments. Continue to enjoy your adventure through the amazing albums of the past 60+ years. Looking forward to seeing you complete a top 100.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 04/15/2018 06:41
This is a very good chart and I particularly like the time that you have dedicated to explaining why each album qualifies.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 10/24/2017 08:19
ForegroundNoise 10/24/2017 08:19
Love the unique picks with the comments to justify them, what I look for in a great chart!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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