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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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1980s. (Remove this filter)
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Often considered Costello's masterpiece, and with good reason. It's an absolute masterclass in writing sophisticated pop from beginning to end. The snake-like groove on opener Beyond Belief accompanies one of the man's best lyrics, rich with metaphor and wordplay. To boot, the song's melody is completely through composed, never quite repeating. Further delights abound - the accordion led "novelette" The Long Honeymoon, the wonderfully eccentric ... And In Every Home, Human Hands (my personal favourite), and the eerie closer "The Town Cryer." This is near perfect from start to finish, and really rewards close listening. A masterpiece of baroque pop.
Honourable Mentions: Really any of his previous albums; King of America, Blood and Chocolate [First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]
Honourable Mentions: Really any of his previous albums; King of America, Blood and Chocolate [First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,228
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Comments:
26
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Just majestic. Every song is interesting and oddly beautiful, backed by that compelling wreck of a voice and some of the most insane guitar work I've ever heard by the fabulous Marc Ribot. Downtown Train does feel a little out of place as the most conventional sounding song here, but that's part the magic of this album - the normal becomes abnormal because of what surrounds it. Amazing!
[First added to this chart: 12/03/2023]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,091
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Their most dynamic and interesting album. The title track is legendary with a great lyric and delivery from Morrissey and some crazy guitar work from Marr. Then Frankly Mr Shankly and I Know Its Over complete a perfect opening trifecta. Elsewhere there's Cemetry Gates and There Is A Light, the latter arguably their single finest song. Just a great album.
Honourable Mentions: Self-Titled, Meat is Murder [First added to this chart: 12/03/2023]
Honourable Mentions: Self-Titled, Meat is Murder [First added to this chart: 12/03/2023]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
39,116
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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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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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[First added to this chart: 04/12/2024]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,255
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[First added to this chart: 04/12/2024]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,389
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Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 04/12/2024]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,815
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 04/12/2024]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,329
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 04/12/2024]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,133
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Total albums: 10. Page 1 of 1
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Top 71 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| 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.
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 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).
(*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 89.2/100, 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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