Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Goliath

This chart is a list of my favorite albums, not really a 'Greatest' album list. There are many groundbreaking/influential albums that would appear on a 'greatest' list, but I don't always like some of the truly original albums, others have built on them to produce in my opinion much better work. I have made no attempt to spread my choices across genres or decades or put a limit on the number of times an artist features, (if I did this many of the albums which should be on the list would be missing). Most of these albums are heavy, prog, rock, some pop, alternative and electronic. I'm not really into folk or rap.

For me music was at it's creative peak in the 70's (the birth of Heavy Metal, Punk, Disco, glam and Electronic), lost it's way slightly in the 80's then became interesting again in the 90's. There have been few albums I like after the year 2000, (though my favorite track of all time is from 2007).
Pop music died around the turn of the millennium with the rampant rise of auto-tune, over-use of sampling and non-instrument led songs (e.g. Hip Hop and Rap). The biggest issue for me is that many pop songs in the last 20 years are written by songwriters on a production line, not by musicians, they are therefore simpler, more repetitive and far less interesting. The focus is on the quality of the vocals and the production not on the lyrics and instrumentation, I will always favour songs played and written by capable musicians. I can count the pop songs I like since the year 2000 on the fingers of one hand. Rock music has not fared much better, Radiohead have taken electronic music to new realms, but it's not for me. Coldplay started with great promise, then plunged into mediocrity, like many trying to follow the latest twisted musical trends. At least we can still listen to the music of the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's!

This list took me a long time to compile and I am always tempted to move albums around as I re-listen to them, so as it will never be perfect, I might as well leave it as it is.

My favourite album Artists:-
1. Black Sabbath. 7 albums in the top 1000.
2. Pink Floyd. 10 albums in the top 1000.
3. Led Zeppelin. 6 albums in the top 1000.
4. The Beatles. 12 albums in the top 1000.
5. Queen. 4 albums in the top 1000.
6. David Bowie. 14 albums in the top 1000.
7. AC/DC (The Bon Scott years). 2 albums in the top 1000.
8. Kate Bush. 4 albums in the top 1000.
9. Judas Priest. 0 albums in the top 1000!
10. Iron Maiden. 3 albums in the top 1000.
11. Elton John. 4 albums in top 1000.
12. R.E.M. 9 albums in the top 1000.

Artists also held in high esteem.(!)
1. Fleetwood Mac. 3 albums in the top 1000.
2. Genesis. 5 albums in the top 1000.
3. Peter Gabriel. 2 albums in the top 1000.
4. Dire Straits. 4 albums in the top 1000.
5. Radiohead. 9 albums in the top 1000.
6. U2. 6 albums in the top 1000.
7. Madonna. 2 albums in the top 1000.
8. Nirvana. 4 Albums in the top 1000.
9. Guns 'N' Roses. 2 albums in the top 1000.
10. Thin Lizzy. 1 album in the top 1000.
11. Rush. 5 albums in the top 1000.
12. Rainbow. 1 album in the top 1000.


My Favourite tracks of all time, top 12, (what would I do without the '70s!).

Are 'Friends' Electric? by Tubeway Army 1979
Back In '72 by Bob Seger 1973
Blackbird by Alter Bridge 2007
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen 1975
Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd 1979
Dogs by Pink Floyd 1977
Down Payment Blues by AC/DC 1978
Life On Mars? by David Bowie 1971
Rock Bottom by UFO 1974
Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin 1971
Stargazer by Rainbow 1976
Welcome To The Machine by Pink Floyd 1975
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd 1975

• Chart updated: 03/20/2022 17:15
• (Created: 01/14/2018 16:26).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

There are 24 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 50 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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1. (=)

The Dark Side Of The Moon 

 Pink Floyd

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This is my top album (though sometimes I think Animals is better). It's the top rated album on this site, has high critical acclaim and sold by the bucket-load. Songs about the things in life that worry most people, money, death, madness, time itself. Before I found Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd were by far my favorite band and I had only heard this and Wish You Were Here. [First added to this chart: 01/14/2018]

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

4,040 charts

Rank Score:

71,322

Rank in 1973:

1

Rank in 1970s:

1

Overall Rank:

2

Average Rating:

 92 (5,199 votes)

Comments:

580

2. (=)

Animals 

 Pink Floyd

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It took me years after buying this album before I started appreciating it for what it is. [First added to this chart: 01/14/2018]

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

1,708 charts

Rank Score:

25,629

Rank in 1977:

2

Rank in 1970s:

8

Overall Rank:

36

Average Rating:

 88 (2,717 votes)

Comments:

198

3. (=)

Throwing Copper 

 Live

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I saw Live on TV and was immediately hooked. Turned off the TV and went out and bought the album. This does not usually happen, I usually need several listens. [First added to this chart: 01/14/2018]

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

354 charts

Rank Score:

2,659

Rank in 1994:

21

Rank in 1990s:

115

Overall Rank:

679

Average Rating:

 74 (477 votes)

Comments:

40

4. (=)

Ten 

 Pearl Jam

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For years I never understood why this album was rated so highly, the songs sounded average at best (a view shared by friends). Eventually I bought it and several listens later, understanding dawned on me. [First added to this chart: 01/14/2018]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

1,787 charts

Rank Score:

20,090

Rank in 1991:

3

Rank in 1990s:

7

Overall Rank:

51

Average Rating:

 83 (2,278 votes)

Comments:

178

5. (=)

Nevermind 

 Nirvana

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[First added to this chart: 01/14/2018]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

3,107 charts

Rank Score:

42,022

Rank in 1991:

1

Rank in 1990s:

2

Overall Rank:

14

Average Rating:

 87 (4,232 votes)

Comments:

407

6. (=)

Powerage 

 AC/DC

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I am bewildered why anyone would put 'Back in Black' above this album. [First added to this chart: 01/14/2018]

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

230 charts

Rank Score:

1,685

Rank in 1978:

20

Rank in 1970s:

224

Overall Rank:

1,052

Average Rating:

 77 (390 votes)

Comments:

27

7. (=)

Stained Class 

 Judas Priest

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Bought this album after the publicity surrounding the absurd court case where it was claimed that if you played the record backwards it incited people to commit suicide. Ozzy Osbourne's 'Suicide Solution' was not deemed so dangerous. Great guitar album. [First added to this chart: 01/14/2018]

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

161 charts

Rank Score:

1,117

Rank in 1978:

27

Rank in 1970s:

304

Overall Rank:

1,549

Average Rating:

 76 (231 votes)

Comments:

12

8. (=)

Wish You Were Here 

 Pink Floyd

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The second album I bought shortly after it was released. This is the album that introduced me to Pink Floyd, I had not heard anything by them before. I was in the record shop and liked the cover! [First added to this chart: 01/14/2018]

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

2,911 charts

Rank Score:

50,860

Rank in 1975:

1

Rank in 1970s:

2

Overall Rank:

8

Average Rating:

 91 (3,940 votes)

Comments:

307

9. (=)

The Bends 

 Radiohead

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I was blown away by this album when I first heard it. I immediately played it to some friends, who had a similar reaction. So disappointed when they ditched the guitars in their following albums. [First added to this chart: 01/14/2018]

Year of Release:

1995

Appears in:

2,623 charts

Rank Score:

33,287

Rank in 1995:

1

Rank in 1990s:

5

Overall Rank:

23

Average Rating:

 87 (3,827 votes)

Comments:

312

10. (=)

Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) 

 Led Zeppelin

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I got the impression from somewhere that this album was 'Stairway to Heaven' plus filler. So was the last Led Zeppelin album I bought. Never believe what you hear/read. [First added to this chart: 01/14/2018]

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

3,069 charts

Rank Score:

44,423

Rank in 1971:

1

Rank in 1970s:

4

Overall Rank:

12

Average Rating:

 90 (3,895 votes)

Comments:

300

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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	0	0%
1960s	10	10%
1970s	45	45%
1980s	16	16%
1990s	22	22%
2000s	6	6%
2010s	1	1%
2020s	0	0%

Artist	Albums	%
Led Zeppelin	6	6%
Black Sabbath	6	6%
Pink Floyd	5	5%
David Bowie	5	5%
The Beatles	3	3%
R.E.M.	3	3%
AC/DC	3	3%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	63	63%
	29	29%
	3	3%
	3	3%
	2	2%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 50 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
95/100	04/29/2023 02:50	KineticEchoes02	111	88/100
90/100	04/19/2023 13:39	conallmalone	173	88/100
80/100	12/09/2022 01:42	Moondance	453	84/100
80/100	08/12/2022 03:45	bwoodlan	14	82/100
95/100	02/03/2022 12:45	IlMala	177	95/100

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).
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This chart is rated in the top 4% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.1/100, a mean average of 89.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.2.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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From Goliath 12/09/2022 13:55

Mainly in response to Moondance's comment below I feel I must make the following points. I make no attempt what-so-ever to spread my choices evenly over decades, or countries or musical styles. I take no account of sex, age or race. These are simply the albums I enjoy listening to most. There are many great Australian artists, Crowded House, INXS, Nick Cave just to name a few, and these artists do appear in my charts, just not in my top 100. It does seem odd to me that most of my favourites are from the UK, I don't know the reason for this, it's certainly not a conscious effort on my behalf to focus on UK artists. As I have said elsewhere I believe the prime objective of this site is to identify the Best Albums ever made and I make my selections accordingly.

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Rating:  

80/100

From Moondance 12/09/2022 01:47

Really cool chart and great commentary ~ always a pleasure to indulge in someone else's musical passion. I like it that you have 3 Australian albums - but the fact that they are all AC/DC when Australia has so many more talented, multi dimensional, interesting & exciting artists & albums does let your chart down (IMHO).

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Rating:  

80/100

From bwoodlan 08/12/2022 03:46

Great chart man! I just don't agree with everything you said but understandable since we all have our own opinion in regards to music!

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Rating:  

95/100

From Johnnyo 01/28/2022 07:45

Great chart. I love the work that has gone into this. From the intro, I knew that I was going to love it before seeing any of the intros and I wasn’t disappointed

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

85/100

From PeterSmith 12/29/2021 08:37

Your intro sets out your stall and although I haven't heard many of those rock albums I will use your chart as a guiding force - so I am one of those that have Back In Black ahead of Powerage as I haven't heard the later!
I used to be steeped in the 70's and love many of the same big bands you mention - and I drifted from music in the 90's as that R&B sound started to dominate. But have found new life in the 00's that I know I won't convince you otherwise - but if you haven't tried them yet give Grandaddy and Modest Mouse a listen - both formed late 90's I think, but main discography was 00's - both guitar bands although not heavy rock or metal but hope you find them interesting enough to feel that there is some life there.
Couple of surprises like Kate Bush, Michael Jackson, Madonna - that will be your Bowie influence! Keep Rockin'

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Rating:  

95/100

From MoggieMiner 05/29/2021 23:19

Great chart. I own many of the same and our tastes seem similar. Brownie points for Sabotage as the highest Sabbath position plus The Motors who I love, and Bram, by the way, lives in our village. Supped many a pint with him. You have caused me to want to check out Live and Alter Bridge who I have not heard before. Cant wait.
Thanks again for reviewing my Chart.

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Rating:  

90/100

From Larcx13 10/13/2020 11:35

Ever checked out The Roots?

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Rating:  

95/100

From mrmcrook 09/17/2020 23:50

Good chart. Much in common

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Rating:  

90/100

From Larcx13 07/24/2020 15:25

You're clearly a big fan of classic 70s rock. That's great!
In regards to your comment on my list about hip hop. That genre isn't for everybody. You either get it or you don't. I find punk rockers and metal heads tend to enjoy hip hop more than classic rock fans. That being said though, alternative hip hop is universally acclaimed and known for reaching out to alternative rock fans as well.
Love your list!

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Rating:  

80/100

From 0129114 07/10/2020 14:59

not bad dude! you really love the 70s lmao (so much bowie, floyd, zeppelin, etc).
Im glad to see you like moby however haha!
I had totally forgotten about the existence of the dandy warhols and you reminded me of them thanks a lot lol!

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