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.

• Summary
• Composition
• Ratings
• Favourites
• Comments
• Your feedback

View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.

This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1990s. (Remove this filter)

Sort by

• Overall Rank
• Num. Charts
• Avg. Rating
• Num. Ratings
• Release Date
• Title
• Artist

11. (=)

Safe Mode: On Certain images on this site may contain sensitive content and are flagged as 'unsafe'. BestEverAlbums.com does not display these images by default, but you may choose to show or hide these images from your profile page. If you choose to hide these images, you'll see an image with a warning message instead of the actual image. If you choose to show them, you'll see these images no differently than regular (safe) images.

Chocolate And Cheese 

 Ween

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

Again, just great fun! Spinal Meningitis is probably one of the most darkly comical songs ever written. There are other examples of Gene and Dean's twisted humour here, but the most stunning moments are often those that forego humour - the elegiac instrumental Tear For Eddie, the gorgeous soul pastiche Freedom of '76, or the melancholic nonsense of What Deaner Was Talking About. Every song is memorable here, and that's why it makes this list. [First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

174 charts

Rank Score:

1,204

Rank in 1994:

40

Rank in 1990s:

259

Overall Rank:

1,408

Average Rating:

 81 (271 votes)

Comments:

12

22. (=)

Mr. Bungle 

 Mr. Bungle

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

This is insane. Circus music, funk, ska and metal meet in a perverse opus united by the crazed visions of Mike Patton and producer John Zorn. A kind of loose concept album centre. The guitars sound disgusting (in the best way) and the musicianship overall on this album is brilliant. The lyrics are dark, and often funny (though sometimes peurile). It's an album that's hard to describe and just as hard to forget once you've heard it. [First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

86 charts

Rank Score:

430

Rank in 1991:

48

Rank in 1990s:

578

Overall Rank:

3,446

Average Rating:

 72 (147 votes)

Comments:

7

27. (=)

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea 

 Neutral Milk Hotel

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

One of the most unique albums ever made - pure poetry. It still moves me every time I hear it. Jeff Mangum's plaintive voice brings forth his surreal imagery, accompanied by ghostly singing saws, horns, and soft acoustic guitar. Haunting, devastatingly emotional and utterly ageless, it is a transmission from an alternate reality. [First added to this chart: 06/09/2017]

Year of Release:

1998

Appears in:

2,428 charts

Rank Score:

33,054

Rank in 1998:

1

Rank in 1990s:

3

Overall Rank:

17

Average Rating:

 87 (2,953 votes)

Comments:

431

31. (=)

Safe Mode: On Certain images on this site may contain sensitive content and are flagged as 'unsafe'. BestEverAlbums.com does not display these images by default, but you may choose to show or hide these images from your profile page. If you choose to hide these images, you'll see an image with a warning message instead of the actual image. If you choose to show them, you'll see these images no differently than regular (safe) images.

Naked City 

 John Zorn

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

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:

131 charts

Rank Score:

624

Rank in 1990:

36

Rank in 1990s:

440

Overall Rank:

2,520

Average Rating:

 77 (150 votes)

Comments:

8

33. (=)

69 Love Songs 

 The Magnetic Fields

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

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:

518 charts

Rank Score:

3,494

Rank in 1999:

11

Rank in 1990s:

89

Overall Rank:

499

Average Rating:

 80 (620 votes)

Comments:

51

54. (=)

Loveless 

 My Bloody Valentine

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

[First added to this chart: 04/12/2024]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

2,158 charts

Rank Score:

28,655

Rank in 1991:

2

Rank in 1990s:

5

Overall Rank:

23

Average Rating:

 86 (2,480 votes)

Comments:

312

55. (=)

Badmotorfinger 

 Soundgarden

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

[First added to this chart: 04/12/2024]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

463 charts

Rank Score:

2,633

Rank in 1991:

13

Rank in 1990s:

110

Overall Rank:

655

Average Rating:

 78 (616 votes)

Comments:

33

56. (=)

Let Love In 

 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

[First added to this chart: 04/12/2024]

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

493 charts

Rank Score:

3,359

Rank in 1994:

15

Rank in 1990s:

90

Overall Rank:

520

Average Rating:

 82 (537 votes)

Comments:

21

59. (=)

Bee Thousand 

 Guided By Voices

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

[First added to this chart: 04/12/2024]

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

390 charts

Rank Score:

3,251

Rank in 1994:

16

Rank in 1990s:

92

Overall Rank:

533

Average Rating:

 79 (500 votes)

Comments:

34

63. (=)

Tri Repetae 

 Autechre

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

[First added to this chart: 04/12/2024]

Year of Release:

1995

Appears in:

156 charts

Rank Score:

753

Rank in 1995:

42

Rank in 1990s:

381

Overall Rank:

2,167

Average Rating:

 77 (199 votes)

Comments:

8

Total albums: 10. Page 1 of 1

Top 71 Greatest Music Albums composition

Country	Albums	%
	45	63%
	16	23%
	4	6%
	2	3%
	2	3%
	1	1%
	1	1%

Top 71 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Top 71 Greatest Music Albums similar charts

Title	Source	Type	Published	Country
Top 60 Greatest Music Albums	teacherman	Overall chart	2011
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums	hunbug	Overall chart	2016
Top 31 Greatest Music Albums	42pt-Futura	Overall chart	2019
Top 70 Greatest Music Albums	VirtualMuffin	Overall chart	2017
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums	Epicpenguin13	Overall chart	2015
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums	VeVt	Overall chart	2024
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums	archiemf	Overall chart	2024
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums	mattybennettpop	Overall chart	2015
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums	velouria123	Overall chart	2011
My Personal Favorite Breakthrough Album from Each Year	henrygreen0203	Custom chart	2017

Top 71 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)

Top 71 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 15 ratings for this chart.

Sort by

• Rating
• Date updated
• Member

Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
100/100  !	01/15/2025 17:38	Exist-en-ciel	125	99/100
80/100  !	03/18/2023 22:49	Moondance	476	85/100
95/100  !	03/18/2023 15:12	AAL2014	163	92/100
100/100  !	09/11/2022 02:06	HoldenM	480	95/100
95/100  !	10/20/2021 22:19	Rhyner	1,454	99/100

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 3% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.6/100, a mean average of 92.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.6.

• Related links:
• Top charts

Top 71 Greatest Music Albums favourites

Showing all 1 members who have added this chart as a favourite

AAL2014

Top 71 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing all 3 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  

80/100

From Moondance 03/18/2023 22:51 | #295157

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 | #212904

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)

Rating:  

100/100

From ForegroundNoise 10/24/2017 08:19 | #200011

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)

Your feedback for Top 71 Greatest Music Albums

Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!