Top 73 Greatest Music Albums by PaperVinnie 
It's been a few years since I've visited my charts, so I figure it's time for an overhaul. I mostly listen to live music these days, but I'll be revisiting lots of studio stuff and listening to some new stuff soon, in preparation to indulge other music areas I've neglected for a while.
- Chart updated: 12/21/2021 20:15
- (Created: 10/18/2017 15:53).
- Chart size: 73 albums.
There are 30 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 73 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 37 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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My favorite Led Zeppelin album. As far as artistic merit goes, I don't think they ever hit it on the head better with this one. Their fifth LP combined the compact musical excellence from their early years with their creative endeavors and ideas from their later years. Plant's voice is still in great shape, and it contains some of his best lyrics. Over the Hills and Far Away is my favorite song, maybe of all time.
[First added to this chart: 10/23/2017]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,906
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
116
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Led Zeppelin's debut album was the style shift the late sixties was looking for as the psychedelic era began to dwindle. They had it all, epic guitar playing, a banshee vocalist, a rock steady rhythm section, and most of the album was covers. The most important thing was the music, and how they played it. It was totally different from what had come before and they had only just begun. Legends began here.
[First added to this chart: 10/18/2017]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,650
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 02/13/2018]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,964
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Genre(s): Hard rock, blues rock, heavy metal, folk rock
"Heartbreaker, your time has come, can't take your evil way;
Go away, heartbreaker."
10/10 Tracks: "Whole Lotta Love", "What Is and What Should Never Be", "Heartbreaker", "Ramble On" [First added to this chart: 10/27/2017]
"Heartbreaker, your time has come, can't take your evil way;
Go away, heartbreaker."
10/10 Tracks: "Whole Lotta Love", "What Is and What Should Never Be", "Heartbreaker", "Ramble On" [First added to this chart: 10/27/2017]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
22,880
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Genre(s): Hard rock, blues rock, heavy metal, folk
"Someone told me there's a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair"
I'll scream it from the rooftops, this isn't their best album. Is it still amazing? Fuck yeah it is. There is some truth to people claiming this is their greatest, after all, Zeppelin was totally entering their creative zenith at this time. But that just doesn't make it their best album. It simply lags because of two cuts: Misty Mountain Hop & Four Sticks. While these songs are in no sense of the word bad, but (Misty Mountain Hop in particular) they're just standard. When listening to their other greats, spare one song on II (you all know what it is) they have no other songs that I would call simply standard.
Sorry, I can't not talk about why it isn't their best. Let's get on to why I love it, starting with Black Dog. That riff. Quite frankly I think it's the greatest riff of all time, and who created it? A bass player. That's always just amazed me, not that I've ever doubted JPJ's ability, but to thank that he, not Jimmy, would create my top pick for the greatest riffs of all time? It's just funny. Robbie's vocals and Bonzo's drums are nothing to wince at either, really, I think they all absolutely kill that song. Rock and Roll is, if I'm being honest, another standard rock song. Not to say I don't love it, but it's just not one of their best. But I can see how hard it is to argue with Bonham's furious drumming, the clear highlight of the track. Evermore is unlike anything else they've ever done, a Celtic folk replica executed wonderfully, starring Sandy Denny on vocals. JPJ on the mandolin is always a treat too. Certainly one of their perfect tracks, although it's not a personal favorite. Finally, Stairway to Heaven rolls around. Nothing new to say here, it's a beautifully written and performed song, just overplayed to death.
As for side two, I've already expressed my opinions of the first two tracks, but maybe I ought to give Four Sticks some more credit. It's a good raga-rock song with a mesmerizing mid keyboard solo I can never get enough of. My favorite and the best off the album, is by far Going to California. On every different level, this song is beautifully written, and performed, and I can never get enough of it. Robert's vocal performance was never matched again as far as I'm concerned, it's one of their greatest achievements. 2nd favorite and the closing track, Levee is one of Zeppelin's greatest epics. Everything from the arrangement, the slide guitar, and the drumming make that track one for the ages. On a side note, it isn't their second best lol.
10/10 Tracks: "Black Dog", "The Battle of Evermore", "Stairway to Heaven", "Going to California", "When the Levee Breaks" [First added to this chart: 12/05/2017]
"Someone told me there's a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair"
I'll scream it from the rooftops, this isn't their best album. Is it still amazing? Fuck yeah it is. There is some truth to people claiming this is their greatest, after all, Zeppelin was totally entering their creative zenith at this time. But that just doesn't make it their best album. It simply lags because of two cuts: Misty Mountain Hop & Four Sticks. While these songs are in no sense of the word bad, but (Misty Mountain Hop in particular) they're just standard. When listening to their other greats, spare one song on II (you all know what it is) they have no other songs that I would call simply standard.
Sorry, I can't not talk about why it isn't their best. Let's get on to why I love it, starting with Black Dog. That riff. Quite frankly I think it's the greatest riff of all time, and who created it? A bass player. That's always just amazed me, not that I've ever doubted JPJ's ability, but to thank that he, not Jimmy, would create my top pick for the greatest riffs of all time? It's just funny. Robbie's vocals and Bonzo's drums are nothing to wince at either, really, I think they all absolutely kill that song. Rock and Roll is, if I'm being honest, another standard rock song. Not to say I don't love it, but it's just not one of their best. But I can see how hard it is to argue with Bonham's furious drumming, the clear highlight of the track. Evermore is unlike anything else they've ever done, a Celtic folk replica executed wonderfully, starring Sandy Denny on vocals. JPJ on the mandolin is always a treat too. Certainly one of their perfect tracks, although it's not a personal favorite. Finally, Stairway to Heaven rolls around. Nothing new to say here, it's a beautifully written and performed song, just overplayed to death.
As for side two, I've already expressed my opinions of the first two tracks, but maybe I ought to give Four Sticks some more credit. It's a good raga-rock song with a mesmerizing mid keyboard solo I can never get enough of. My favorite and the best off the album, is by far Going to California. On every different level, this song is beautifully written, and performed, and I can never get enough of it. Robert's vocal performance was never matched again as far as I'm concerned, it's one of their greatest achievements. 2nd favorite and the closing track, Levee is one of Zeppelin's greatest epics. Everything from the arrangement, the slide guitar, and the drumming make that track one for the ages. On a side note, it isn't their second best lol.
10/10 Tracks: "Black Dog", "The Battle of Evermore", "Stairway to Heaven", "Going to California", "When the Levee Breaks" [First added to this chart: 12/05/2017]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
44,305
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Genre(s): Progressive rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock, folk rock
"Then as it was, then again it will be
And though the course may change sometimes
Rivers always reach the sea"
Led Zeppelin's final triumph feels like a limitless trip through the best years of the greatest band of the 70s. This album is somewhat of an oddity for Led Zeppelin, at its roots it's a progressive rock magnum opus, however due to an excess of unused material, it contains elements of every Zeppelin style to date, with hints to their future aspirations on Presence. The result is the centerpiece of their catalog, while it may not be their best work, it in many ways is the most "Zeppelin" album they ever made.
Key Tracks: Custard Pie, The Rover, In My Time of Dying, Trampled Under Foot, Kashmir, Down By the Seaside, Ten Years Gone, The Wanton Song [First added to this chart: 02/13/2018]
"Then as it was, then again it will be
And though the course may change sometimes
Rivers always reach the sea"
Led Zeppelin's final triumph feels like a limitless trip through the best years of the greatest band of the 70s. This album is somewhat of an oddity for Led Zeppelin, at its roots it's a progressive rock magnum opus, however due to an excess of unused material, it contains elements of every Zeppelin style to date, with hints to their future aspirations on Presence. The result is the centerpiece of their catalog, while it may not be their best work, it in many ways is the most "Zeppelin" album they ever made.
Key Tracks: Custard Pie, The Rover, In My Time of Dying, Trampled Under Foot, Kashmir, Down By the Seaside, Ten Years Gone, The Wanton Song [First added to this chart: 02/13/2018]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,293
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 6. Page 1 of 1
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Top 73 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 20 | 27% | |
| 1970s | 23 | 32% | |
| 1980s | 10 | 14% | |
| 1990s | 12 | 16% | |
| 2000s | 5 | 7% | |
| 2010s | 3 | 4% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Sonic Youth | 9 | 12% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 6 | 8% | |
| Radiohead | 5 | 7% | |
| The Beatles | 5 | 7% | |
| Nirvana | 4 | 5% | |
| David Bowie | 4 | 5% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 3 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 73 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
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Top 73 Greatest Music Albums ratings
90/100 (from 37 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 37 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 08/25/2021 17:29 |  DriftingOrpheus | | 91/100 |
| 90/100 | 07/09/2020 10:10 |  Goliath | | 86/100 |
| 100/100 | 04/11/2019 16:30 |  hoyquarlow | | 88/100 |
| 95/100 | 11/22/2018 15:50 |  jnfbn | | 96/100 |
| 100/100 | 11/03/2018 10:57 |  DommeDamian | | 90/100 |
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 2% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 90.3/100, a mean average of 91.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.6.
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Top 73 Greatest Music Albums comments
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100/100
From DommeDamian 11/03/2018 10:57
DommeDamian 11/03/2018 10:57
Charts with descriptions are always winning
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
DeusExMackia 08/29/2018 23:11
DeusExMackia 08/29/2018 23:11
The off-the-charts love for Sonic Youth is very, very much appreciated, as are the depth of your comments. Love this chart to bits.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From PeterSmith 08/07/2018 22:35
I like your chart and great kudos to the effort you are putting and the amount of albums you are powering through. I really enjoy when members make a comment about the album - whether it's the type of album or genre, their favourite tracks, how they got into it or what it means to them. Keep going with that.
You are light on newer stuff and whereas it is okay to pay homage to classics from years ago - it also gives you a chance to better comment on the actual quality of the songs since you are not caught up in the emotions of living through it at the time - I wouldn't want you thinking that great music stopped in the 1970s - with the exception of Sonic Youth.
I grew up listening to music in the 1980s and switched off in the 90's thinking the music wasn't as good anymore. Since I got back into music in 2016 I have caught up on some old classics from 60s, 70s and 80s - but I have been impressed with some excellent bands and albums particularly in the noughties - The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Interpol, The XX, The Killers, Kasabian, Franz Ferdinand, The White Stripes, Snow Patrol, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes & Muse to name a few.
Also don't be afraid to try a bit of Rap or Hip Hop in there - my personal favourites are NWA and Jay Z and Public Enemy.
And your right - comments from the heart. Dont try to be someone you are not. Tell us why you like it, it's not a Music Degree test with points for answers. I'll watch your chart to see how it progresses - just wish I had the time you listen to as much music as you are powering through.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
RoundTheBend 07/25/2018 04:52
RoundTheBend 07/25/2018 04:52
You legit. Keep it up mate.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
sophialeviev 07/16/2018 01:16
sophialeviev 07/16/2018 01:16
Great chart. Guess I have to check out Van Halen now?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
CharlieBarley 07/02/2018 05:55
CharlieBarley 07/02/2018 05:55
My fav sonic Youth album is Goo. But I haven't heard them all yet. Daydream Nation is fantastic but it took a couple of listens before I fell in love with it. I agree too that Led Zeppelin 3 is the best Led Zep album. The first 5 are all great but 3 is my favourite, its a very cool album in terms of being acoustic and all the historical imagery with vikings and Hangmen.
Great notes man. A good chart. I couldn't fault it.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Lgk21 07/02/2018 00:22
Nice chart, I totally agree with you about Sister. Cool to see the chart of someone my age, it doesn't feel like it happens too often.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
flyingcitrus 07/01/2018 17:20
flyingcitrus 07/01/2018 17:20
Its very rock and metal oriented, but I love your picks. Great to see Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., and Television so high up.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From PaperVinnie 04/18/2018 13:21
Thanks Ulf
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From Ulf 04/18/2018 08:20
very nice chart with great comments
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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