Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by PurpleHazel 
Two albums per artist limit -- slipped in three for Zappa/MOI on a technicality.
- Chart updated: 06/10/2026 07:15
- (Created: 09/03/2017 02:47).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 13 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 91 out of 100 (from 23 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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[First added to this chart: 09/03/2017]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,143
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[First added to this chart: 09/03/2017]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,826
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[First added to this chart: 09/03/2017]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,625
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[First added to this chart: 09/03/2017]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
608
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[First added to this chart: 09/03/2017]
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[First added to this chart: 09/03/2017]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
46,048
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[First added to this chart: 09/03/2017]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,504
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[First added to this chart: 09/03/2017]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,109
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[First added to this chart: 06/06/2026]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,532
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[First added to this chart: 09/03/2017]
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1960s | 34 | 34% | |
| 1970s | 38 | 38% | |
| 1980s | 7 | 7% | |
| 1990s | 8 | 8% | |
| 2000s | 3 | 3% | |
| 2010s | 1 | 1% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Frank Zappa | 3 | 3% | |
| Charles Mingus | 2 | 2% | |
| Jimi Hendrix | 2 | 2% | |
| The Meters | 2 | 2% | |
| John Coltrane | 2 | 2% | |
| Sly & The Family Stone | 2 | 2% | |
| Miles Davis | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 1 from 23rd to 24th |
Down 1 from 24th to 25th |
Down 1 from 25th to 26th |
| New entries |
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| Leavers |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | PurpleHazel | 1960s decade chart | 2026 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | PurpleHazel | 1970s decade chart | 2026 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | musicologist97 | Overall chart | 2019 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Seventiesfan | Overall chart | 2020 | |
| Die 100 besten Platten des Jahrhunderts | Wiener | Overall chart | 1999 |  |
| Top 99 Greatest Music Albums | sonicdiscourse | Overall chart | 2017 | |
| Top 500 Albums of All Time | Rolling Stone | Overall chart | 2012 | |
| Top 500 Albums of All Time | Rolling Stone | Overall chart | 2005 | |
| Top 500 Albums of All Time | Rolling Stone | Overall chart | 2003 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s |  RFNAPLES | 1960s decade chart | 2013 | |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
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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 3 ratings for this chart. | Show all 23 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 06/06/2026 17:38 |  sageamagoo | 237 | 92/100 |
| ! | 03/20/2025 15:19 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,089 | 86/100 |
| ! | 06/13/2021 04:32 |  seb7 | 114 | 91/100 |
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 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 91.2/100, a mean average of 93.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 93.5/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.2.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 3 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 06/30/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5359): By PurpleHazel
BestEverAlbums 06/30/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5359): By PurpleHazel“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by ) 1. by (1963) 2. by (1970) 3. by (1965) 4. (1973) 5. by (2005) 6. (1966) 7. by by (1969) 9. (1974) 10. by (1977) 11. by (1985) 12. by (1983) 13. by (1972) 14. by (1969) 15. by (2013) 16. by (1971) 17. (1968) 18. (1958) 19. by (1967) 20. by…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 12/21/2021 09:00 in Chart of the day (#3710): By PurpleHazel
BestEverAlbums 12/21/2021 09:00 in Chart of the day (#3710): By PurpleHazel“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by PurpleHazel () 1. Presents Charles Mingus by Charles Mingus (1960) 2. Band Of Gypsys by Jimi Hendrix (1970) 3. A Love Supreme by John Coltrane (1965) 4. Fresh by Sly & The Family Stone (1973) 5. The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 by Miles Davis…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 12/20/2019 09:00 in Chart of the day (#2980): By PurpleHazel
BestEverAlbums 12/20/2019 09:00 in Chart of the day (#2980): By PurpleHazel“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by PurpleHazel () 1. Presents Charles Mingus by Charles Mingus (1961) 2. Band Of Gypsys by Jimi Hendrix (1970) 3. A Love Supreme by John Coltrane (1965) 4. Fresh by Sly & The Family Stone (1973) 5. Miles Smiles by Miles Davis Quintet (1967) 6.…”
View forum post →Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
JulianR TOP 100 COMMENTER 09/08/2017 01:10 | #197461
JulianR TOP 100 COMMENTER 09/08/2017 01:10 | #197461
tsk tsk you're named purple hazel and you dont even have Hendrix's debut! that heresy aside, this is a great chart. It's nice to see someone who doesn't just have the token Kind of Blue, A Love Supreme, or Black Saint and the Sinner Lady in a chart otherwise entirely composed of rock. This on the other hand seems very cultured.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 3
From
doubleA 09/20/2019 23:29 | #242866
doubleA 09/20/2019 23:29 | #242866
The very tight focus on the 60's and 70's and 77% American picks along with the absence of notes is usually multiple red flags for me. This chart shows that you can have all of these three boxes ticked and still have something inherently personal and unique. This is a great inspiration and I'll most certainly come back to find some jazz!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 2
From
LedZep TOP 100 COMMENTER 09/11/2017 11:48 | #197806
LedZep TOP 100 COMMENTER 09/11/2017 11:48 | #197806
Not the stuff I usually listen to, but it's so original and nice! Also number one is spot on, the best jazz record I've ever heard
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 1
From
jdenny2018 05/19/2018 00:15 | #215166
jdenny2018 05/19/2018 00:15 | #215166
A great list, peppered with jazz classics and deeper cuts that I'm glad someone else appreciates
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 1
From
Boltzmann TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/20/2019 22:51 | #245849
Boltzmann TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/20/2019 22:51 | #245849
I'm not a jazz fan at all, so I can't say anything about that. But the rest looks really great.
It is only logical for someone who listens a lot of jazz that the genre that takes second place is funk, followed by soul. In that aspect this chart makes sense, but picks like The Beatles show plenty open-mindedness.
I see less predictable album choices of the big artists, which is what I like to see the most; it shows personality (and I'm not like "who's this?", but that could be blamed on lack of education on my part). And that's what this chart has a lot: personality. You also don't seem to just go over all the usual artists to not step on any toes, which proves you actually regularly listen and enjoy the more predictable picks when they do pop up.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 0
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