Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by bermolder 
My FAVORITE** albums. Hence the apparent focus on certain genres and artists.
This is by no means a list of the "greats". That's far too difficult to quantify. So yes, it will be missing noteworthy artists who had a major impact on music throughout the ages. The listed albums have either spoken to me on a personal level, garnered points for nostalgia, or simply happen to be on repeat in the buds for reasons I cannot explain. They represent my personal go-to albums.
I encourage recommendations. There's a trove of wonderful undiscovered music out there.
- Chart updated: 11/14/2025 18:45
- (Created: 07/06/2017 16:48).
- 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 24 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 1970s. (Remove this filter)
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I stumbled upon Supertramp while perusing my father's CD rack as a kid. At first, the singles stood out (e.g., Dreamer, Bloody Well Right etc.). They were upbeat, fun, and even a smidgen childish. Of course they were just a front for the latent magic hidden within Rudy, Hide in your shell, Asylum, and School, which grow and erupt over their course.
[First added to this chart: 07/07/2017]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,201
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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I love Dark Side because it offers some of the finest sax, vocal, and guitar performances all compiled on one album under a common theme. Each song stands out in its own way, and cleverly outlines the stale predictability of our daily lives. All albums should flow like Dark Side.
Top Tracks: Time, Great Gig in the Sky, Us and them, Money... Are we even allowed to select favorites off Dark Side? Or will the immensity of that decision generate a black hole [First added to this chart: 07/07/2017]
Top Tracks: Time, Great Gig in the Sky, Us and them, Money... Are we even allowed to select favorites off Dark Side? Or will the immensity of that decision generate a black hole [First added to this chart: 07/07/2017]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
60,321
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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How does one describe insanity? PF does it better than most.
"You reached for the secret too soon. You cried for the moon".
Additionally, Wish you were here is easily one of the top 5 greatest tracks of all time. [First added to this chart: 07/07/2017]
"You reached for the secret too soon. You cried for the moon".
Additionally, Wish you were here is easily one of the top 5 greatest tracks of all time. [First added to this chart: 07/07/2017]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
44,901
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Pt 1. is magical. Pt. 2 is the calm after the storm.
Oldfield absolutely crushes this one. At time it drags but I deem the slowdown to be necessary for the build and appreciation of the storm. [First added to this chart: 09/30/2020]
Oldfield absolutely crushes this one. At time it drags but I deem the slowdown to be necessary for the build and appreciation of the storm. [First added to this chart: 09/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,270
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The flute alone makes this. Love the contrast with the guitar rips.
Cross eyed mary, Locomotive breath, Aqualung, Mother Goose. I'm not seeing any skips really. Bonus points. [First added to this chart: 05/08/2020]
Cross eyed mary, Locomotive breath, Aqualung, Mother Goose. I'm not seeing any skips really. Bonus points. [First added to this chart: 05/08/2020]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,295
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Classic easy-listening high-replay value rock. Need I say more?
Top tracks: You Make Loving Fun, Don't Stop, You Can Go Your Own Way, The Chain [First added to this chart: 07/07/2017]
Top tracks: You Make Loving Fun, Don't Stop, You Can Go Your Own Way, The Chain [First added to this chart: 07/07/2017]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
30,868
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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Another one plucked from my dad's collection. I suppose there's some nostalgic influence factor. Regardless, it's an excellent album with a mix of classic rocking and more heartfelt ballads. Some piano and sax sprinkled in.
Stranger, Moving out, Scenes from..., Vienna [First added to this chart: 05/08/2020]
Stranger, Moving out, Scenes from..., Vienna [First added to this chart: 05/08/2020]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,874
Rank in 1977:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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It pains me how underrated this album is. While the album concept may not be as cohesive as Crime of the Century, each individual track contains a cacophony of sound. Saxophone, flageolet, clarinet, piano, cello, harmonica... Have you ever heard a marimba solo? Check out 'Lady'. Every song is lengthy, complex, and utterly original.
Top tracks: Sister Moonshine, Another Man's Woman, Lady [First added to this chart: 07/28/2017]
Top tracks: Sister Moonshine, Another Man's Woman, Lady [First added to this chart: 07/28/2017]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
787
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Best described as the soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist.
Tunes: One of these days, San Tropez, Echoes [First added to this chart: 07/07/2017]
Tunes: One of these days, San Tropez, Echoes [First added to this chart: 07/07/2017]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,980
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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An immersive experience. Especially with the added consideration that Oldfield was 19 at the time and played all instruments himself during recording. One of my go-to "background noise" albums. Ommadawn follows closely. Phew. Good stuff.
When you hear the werewolf the game changes (Pt. 2). [First added to this chart: 08/10/2020]
When you hear the werewolf the game changes (Pt. 2). [First added to this chart: 08/10/2020]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,341
Rank in 1973:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 20. Page 1 of 2
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 5 | 5% | |
| 1970s | 20 | 20% | |
| 1980s | 2 | 2% | |
| 1990s | 8 | 8% | |
| 2000s | 33 | 33% | |
| 2010s | 29 | 29% | |
| 2020s | 3 | 3% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Pink Floyd | 5 | 5% | |
| Radiohead | 5 | 5% | |
| LCD Soundsystem | 3 | 3% | |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 3% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 3 | 3% | |
| The Beatles | 3 | 3% | |
| The Strokes | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
45 | 45% | |
 |
34 | 34% | |
 |
8 | 8% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 34 from 62nd to 28th Rage Against The Machine by Rage Against The Machine |
| Up 32 from 74th to 42nd A Deeper Understanding by The War On Drugs |
| Up 25 from 50th to 25th Takk... by Sigur Rós |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 22 from 30th to 52nd Reflektor by Arcade Fire |
| Down 15 from 60th to 75th In Between Dreams by Jack Johnson |
| Down 9 from 32nd to 41st Continuum by John Mayer |
| New entries |
|---|
| Songs Of A Lost World by The Cure |
| Leavers |
|---|
| The Suburbs by Arcade Fire |
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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 24 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 05/27/2025 15:02 |  NowhereMan | 292 | 82/100 |
| ! | 03/02/2025 11:28 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,105 | 85/100 |
| ! | 09/10/2024 19:49 |  Larcx13 | 1,145 | 86/100 |
| ! | 01/31/2023 09:01 | Moondance | 476 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/30/2023 19:31 | pinkfreud1981 | 40 | 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 is rated in the top 16% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 87.3/100, a mean average of 87.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 87.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.7.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing all 9 comments |
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From Moondance 01/31/2023 09:02 | #293428
Nice chart indeed and a few less often seen artists/albums for me to check out ~ for which I thank you.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Peppermint 03/06/2022 18:08 | #282393
This is a decent chart, with a lot of classic choices from the 2000s and 2010s. Love that you've included Beach House's 'Bloom' in here!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From mianfei 12/08/2020 08:13 | #262252
Although there is something of a stereotypical pattern to this chart in its focus on 2000s alternative and 1970s progressive rock, both genres of inconsistent attraction at most to my ears, I do not think of it as remotely bad. There are enough surprising choices to maintain interest, and even some well-known choices that might not be expected (which I actually like).
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
EyeKanFly 12/02/2020 01:06 | #261776
EyeKanFly 12/02/2020 01:06 | #261776
Excellent chart, lots in common. I love your descriptions of the ska albums since you're a brass player, super cool thinking about music from that perspective.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
DommeDamian 12/01/2020 09:11 | #261719
DommeDamian 12/01/2020 09:11 | #261719
Too much Rh but your descriptions win me over as always.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Larcx13 11/16/2020 14:11 | #260897
Larcx13 11/16/2020 14:11 | #260897
Cool selection and nice effort. I was stoked to see Streetlight Manifesto up there, but a little less stoked about Kanye... Personally, i'm not crazy with some of your selections but as a whole your chart holds up especially with stuff like Flatliners, Catch 22, Common and the moe obvious like Arctic Monkeys and the Strokes, etc...
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 09/11/2019 06:56 | #242445
Excellent chart. Commutes can't be too bad if you listening to this lot
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From pctrooper 09/09/2019 22:02 | #242408
A good friend of mine turned me on to Streetlight Manifesto last year. Some amazing drumming, indeed.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Globe02 06/04/2019 17:32 | #237094
Dope chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (0 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
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