Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Jbalbinolr

It´s very difficult to rank one tastes in a subjective way, when everyday those tastes change and what it´s my #30 today could be #90 tomorrow, so there isn´t a clear answer that stays the same for more than a week. However what I can say it´s that all these albums have impacted me at least in some way, being by surprise, love or simply that I listen to them all time. All here are at least 100/100 for me subjectively, even if they have mistakes, I can´t stop listening to them. Why? I don´t know.

My biggest loves are Punk and Jazz, I have a lot of respect for some classic rock bands, and my absolute favorites artists are the Beach Boys and Ornette Coleman. The Top 25 albums on this list are reserved for music that impacted me, and showed me things that I didn't know were possible on music when I first heard them.

I am open to receive any sugestions outside of the bands present on this list. Also, this list does not include any classical music, as is completely different to popular music (Both great though!).

One album per artist.

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Maybe the craziest jazz album I’ve heard, everything here just clicks. By one of the master of avant garde jazz, Ornette and his dream team of Ed Blackwell, Charlie Haden and Don Cherry deliver a set of pieces that loosely resemble the jazz that soon would be called Free Jazz.What makes this my favorite recording of this amazing artist? Well, in no other free jazz album, Ornette’s or otherwise, do I sense so much controlled freedom as in here. Is as if every musician knows when to do a certain fill, a certain entrance, but at the same time comes in the form of an organic evolution of the piece.

From the pseudo-blues “Blues Connotation” is apparent that this music demands your attention: the rambling of the drumming, the solid bass line, and the off key but no quite improvisation of the sax and trumpet, this song marks the mood of the album. The next song is the ballad “Beauty Is A Rare Thing”, and may I add, one of the most unique interpretations of a jazz ballad from the 60s, along with this album’s interpretation of the standard “Embraceable You”. Beautiful and ironic at the same time, featuring unique double bass accompaniment and unusual drum beats, they are paranoid and tender, off-kilter and melancholic.

Later, the masterpiece of the album: “Kaleidoscope”, the best jazz track you’ve never heard, improvisational madness, empty sounds from an unrepeatable melody , a sense of joy from the discovery of new sounds and forms, it challenges the jazz language to the very core. “Poise” and “Folk Tale” follow the same vigorous energy beats of “Kaleidoscope”, adding new twists and turns to the formula, while “Humpty Dumpty” remains the only song that tries to anchor this album to reality.

Ornette being my favorite artist of all time makes difficult choosing one album, but the sheer telepathic improvisations of this album are some of my favorites in all of jazz.

Track Picks: “Kaleidoscope”; “Beauty Is A Rare Thing”, “Folk Tale”.
[First added to this chart: 09/11/2019]
Year of Release:
1961
Appears in:
Rank Score:
350
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The richest album ever in terms of sounds, I have heard this album so many times through the years, and even now I consistently become surprised by the details in every little situation form the album. When I first heard it it was like I was witnessing a strange music hall of many styles that I didn’t recognize, weird arrangements and some goofy melodies. Lyrics were simple, and the songs changed and evolved over the course of 3 minutes. I didn’t get it, it was weird.

A year later, I heard it again, and it was better than I remembered, and little by little, listen by listen, my musical horizons were completely shifted. Now I recognized the evolution of the songs were pretty genius, that the lyrics encapsulated my romantized teenage thought, and the weird arrangements suddenly felt natural, like a weird brush on a weird painting, it made sense. And I kept listening, and reading about this group of rock and roll nerds that just made some good old fun songs about the summer. Where did this amazing music came from? From a guy named Brian Wilson that shortly after suffered a mental breakdown.

“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” opens the set with a mix of untuned guitars and a big drum stomp to began a sad song with incredible harmonies, saxophone, double bass, accordions and piano (maybe some more instruments) about nothing lasting forever. And from then the songs keep getting better, having slow doses of dreaming in “You Still Believe in Me" and “That’s Not Me”, desperate songs in “I’m Waiting For The Day” and “I Know There’s An Answer”, instrumental exercises of other-worldness in “Let’s Go Away For A While” and the title track; but not two songs ever sound the same.

Describing teenage daydreaming it’s not an easy thing, this albums summarizes the act of stop thinking like a child and being disappointed with the real life against the imagined, accepting what little you have and escaping reality just once in a while. Two songs stand above and all to describe this disillusion: “God Only Knows” and “Caroline, No” which stands as the realization that dreaming and living are indeed two different things, that loving someone is not eternal or free of pain. They also stand as two of the best songs in history.

The most acclaimed album of all time deserves all the hype in my opinion. This album is one of a few that changed my view in music permanently; before this I was an avid hard rock and metal fan, but this showed me that the soft side of the human nature also has a lot to show in all art. I started listening classical music, easy jazz and more pop music, getting more and more appreciation for each of them. And also appreciate my own thoughts and feelings, for as common as they were.

Track Picks: “God Only Knows”; “Caroline, No”; “Let’s Go Away For A While”
[First added to this chart: 08/24/2017]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
40,525
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This thing has one of the best or worst mixes I’ve heard, depending on the day I’m hearing.

Growing up with hard rock and metal from the 2000s, it’s weird that I didn’t loved punk. The simple three chord nature wouldn’t align too well with my tastes. Now I cannot go back to metal and hard rock, this album help me understand that sometimes a lot of energy, intelligent lyrics, and three chords is really all you need for an amazing song. This is a pretty nostalgic album curiously enough, these are happy songs mixed with pain and regret that lend an emotional outburst about ordinary life.

The songs follow somewhat complex arrangements and don’t satisfy themselves with a Verse-Chorus structure, even if appears that way the first couple of listens. The songs mixed many sections that combine to a greater whole when saw at a distance, and create an indescriptible atmosphere that sucks you in. The roots of all emo, post-hardcore and alternative rock are rooted here, but this is one case where the first one is really the best.

Track Picks: “Celebrated Summer”; “Terms Of Psychic Warfare”; “Books About UFOs”.
[First added to this chart: 11/23/2017]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,015
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For the longest time I was put off by the first track of this album, it seemed like a chaotic mess of detuned guitars, growls and incomprehensible lyrics; to this day I still don’t really know the time signature of this song; but now “Frownland” it’s not only my favorite song from the album, but maybe my favorite song of all time, as it taught me something that not any song I had listened previously had: art can and, for the most part, should be challenging for the audience.

From there on the album goes from spoken word pieces, sax solos, and deranged drums that only can make sense in the very narrow concept that each song has. The lyrics on this album are some of the most underrated on any album ever, featuring references to Nazis, mascara snakes, and octafish (?). Some of the most creative lyrics from the era, and can be thought as poetry outside of the songs.

But the band takes the centerpiece in most of the songs, be it with the amazing instrumental “Hair Pie: Bake 2”, the crazy guitar licks on “When Big Joan Sets Up”, or in more straight forward songs like “Ella Guru”. The band remains both precise and chaotic in every song (that’s not a spoken word piece). And the album ends just as strong as it began, with “Veteran Day’s Poppy”, a blues suite of 3 parts about having nothing in the world that lifts your mood; ending the album on a rather conventional way compared to what came before.

What people tend to forget about this album it’s that above the virtuosos performers and the abstract poetry, above the experimentation and uniqueness, this albums it’s very fun if you ignore everything I’ve written so far. Beefheart and his band had the very unique talent of composing music that’s weird in a natural way, nothing seems out of place in a song, and remains, even today, one of the most unique and consistent albums of all time.

Track Picks: “Frownland”; “When Big Joan Sets Up”; “Veteran Day’s Poppy”.
[First added to this chart: 11/18/2017]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,495
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You hear a motor of a car running, shortly after “Serious as a heart attack!”. Amazing way to begin a work of art.
The Minutemen were three dudes from California with almost no money but very illustrated, that learned their instruments almost by themselves and became one of the forces of early hardcore music. They went beyond any expectations and release 45 surrealistic songs about anything or nothing. Flamenco, Mexican music, funk, a cover of Steely Dan, improvisational jams, anything goes.

This variety is why I love the scene of hardcore from the early 80s, it wasn’t so mucho of playing fast, but making authentic expression the means of success, and it succeds. Songs range from the beautiful “History Lesson Part II”, pre-Red Hot Chilli Peppers funk-rock freak outs “Vietnam”, political songs directed to Michael Jackson in the obvious titled “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing”, and blues in “Jesus And Tequila”. The sheer scope is amazing, not two songs sound like each other; every one has interest remarks about race, war, and the fall of the American dream; all maintaining a consistent quality and flying by at 2 or 3 minutes each, being true to the punk spirit.

Track Picks: “History Lesson Part II”; “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing”; “The Roar Of the Masses Could Be Farts”
[First added to this chart: 11/21/2017]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,816
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A chaotic experience from an unstable band. This album always feels like it’s at the brink of falling apart, the amateur production brings a feeling of a lost album where all of them put everything they had for a last album, and in a way it is that.

A concept album it’s not something I would expect from an emo band in the 10s, but they managed to paint a picture of the complexity of relationships while bringing cryptic lyrics and innovative musicianship to go along. Weird “Sonic The Hedgehog” samples pop out from time to time in songs like “The Blah Blah Blahs”; acoustic guitar solos in “Allston, Massachusetts” and ambient sections everywhere, but the album remains cohesive and emotional all the way through.

The songs here go from A to B, and flow into each other like very few albums do. Verse and choruses melt into each other and become indistinguishable one from another, preferring to tell linear stories and putting trust in the audience to remember the sections. A stellar opener in “Pile! No Pile! Pile!” gives a very strong impression of what the album is going to sound, but surprises come and go, and when you get to “Bug-Infested Floorboards”, the experience will remain ingrained in your memory.

Track Picks: “The Blah Blah Blahs”; “Pile! No Pile! Pile!”; “Can’t Run Away”.
[First added to this chart: 10/26/2019]
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
532
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Buy album United States
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Track Picks: Left Of The Dial, Bastards Of Young, Kiss Me On The Bus [First added to this chart: 08/24/2017]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,014
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Comments:
Buy album United States
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Track Picks: Fault and Fracture, Homewrecker, The Broken Vow [First added to this chart: 02/28/2018]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,621
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Buy album United States
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Track Picks: Gloria's Step, Jade Visions, All of You [First added to this chart: 09/14/2018]
Year of Release:
1961
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,084
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Overall Rank:
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Comments:
Buy album United States
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Track Picks: Fire Waltz, Bee Vamp, The Prophet [First added to this chart: 09/11/2019]
Year of Release:
1961
Appears in:
Rank Score:
212
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Total albums: 56. Page 1 of 6

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade Albums %


1930s 0 0%
1940s 0 0%
1950s 2 2%
1960s 14 14%
1970s 17 17%
1980s 20 20%
1990s 21 21%
2000s 8 8%
2010s 13 13%
2020s 5 5%
Artist Albums %


Converge 1 1%
The Mothers Of Invention 1 1%
The Shaggs 1 1%
Guided By Voices 1 1%
Pixies 1 1%
Arca 1 1%
The Beach Boys 1 1%
Show all
Country Albums %


United States 56 56%
United Kingdom 19 19%
Japan 6 6%
Mixed Nationality 6 6%
Venezuela 3 3%
France 2 2%
Australia 1 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 98 98%
Yes 2 2%
Live? Albums %
No 83 83%
Yes 17 17%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 95 95%
Yes 5 5%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Climber Up 28 from 68th to 40th
Raw Power
by Iggy And The Stooges
Climber Up 26 from 75th to 49th
Angel Dust
by Faith No More
Climber Up 11 from 57th to 46th
Abbey Road
by The Beatles
Biggest fallers
Faller Down 22 from 40th to 62nd
Promises
by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra
Faller Down 14 from 56th to 70th
Houses Of The Holy
by Led Zeppelin
Faller Down 3 from 20th to 23rd
Bee Thousand
by Guided By Voices
TitleSourceTypePublishedCountry
Top 50 Music Albums of the 1970s Jbalbinolr1970s decade chart2021
Top 50 Music Albums of the 1980s Jbalbinolr1980s decade chart2022
Top 62 Music Albums of the 1990s Jbalbinolr1990s decade chart2024
Top 50 Music Albums of the 1960s Jbalbinolr1960s decade chart2021
Top 100 Greatest Music AlbumsMr.MusicOverall chart2017
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums TimestarterOverall chart2022
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums KalosOverall chart2020
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums MdemauriOverall chart2014
BEA forum regulars top 100 HigherThanTheSunCustom chart2014
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums Brandon8Overall chart2025

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
90/100 (from 29 votes)
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12/08/2023 19:19 Moondance  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 47585/100

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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 90.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.8.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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Rating:  
90/100
From 10/14/2024 09:31
Stellar chart. Very diverse and I found the notes to be a really interesting read. Excellent stuff
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 12/08/2023 19:24
This chart is so full of surprises - I really enjoyed scrolling through the entries & realising how much more music I still have to discover. I was hoping, given the diversity of your musical journey, that you may have stumbled upon something of significance from Australia or New Zealand - but alas, no.
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Rating:  
100/100
From 01/27/2023 11:08
Cannot believe I underestimated this chart. This is such a superb work dude!
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Rating:  
90/100
From 11/28/2020 03:53
The trout mask replica at #3 is an interesting pick. Sick list!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 08/06/2020 10:18
This list can be called many things but "predictable" isn't one of them. In fact, it may seem a bit all over the place, but this endless variety is actually its main strength.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 06/01/2020 01:27
!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 09/09/2018 16:28
The Carl Stalling Project pulled me in, but the entire chart was fun to browse. Good diverse cross-section of classic & avant-garde, with some unexpected surprises scattered throughout. Nice job!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 11/22/2017 19:23
Extend it! I had the same experience with Pet Sounds.
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Rating:  
95/100
From 11/18/2017 00:40
Very cool, but gotta have a 100 to rate it properly. You’re definitely onto something here!
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Best Albums of 2003
1. Elephant by The White Stripes
2. Hail To The Thief by Radiohead
3. Absolution by Muse
4. Room On Fire by The Strokes
5. Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins
6. Give Up by The Postal Service
7. Transatlanticism by Death Cab For Cutie
8. The Magnolia Electric Co. by Songs: Ohia
9. De-Loused In The Comatorium by The Mars Volta
10. Fever To Tell by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
11. The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place by Explosions In The Sky
12. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by OutKast
13. Ghosts Of The Great Highway by Sun Kil Moon
14. Michigan by Sufjan Stevens
15. Meteora by Linkin Park
16. Velocity : Design : Comfort by Sweet Trip
17. Quebec by Ween
18. The Black Album by Jay-Z
19. Fallen by Evanescence
20. Mount Eerie by The Microphones
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