Top 15 Greatest Music Albums
by barningo 
My 10 All Time Favourite Albums in random order (plus 5 that dropped off at the last moment)
- Chart updated: 03/30/2018 10:45
- (Created: 03/27/2018 18:32).
- Chart size: 15 albums.
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Theme: Female Singers
Album: Ladies of The Canyon (Joni Mitchell, 1970)
Plenty of brilliant female singers (Tori Amos, Suzanne Vega, Astrud Gilberto, Sarah Vaughan, Estrella Morente and Cesaria Evora, to name a few) but it’s quite easy to pick Joni Mitchell as being my favourite. Choosing the album is more difficult; Joni Mitchell has delivered a whole bunch of masterpieces. I favour “Ladies of The Canyon” (over “Both Sides Now”, “Court and Spark” and “Blue”) mainly because of the songs ‘”Woodstock” and the atmospheric “Rainy Night House” (both included on the live album Miles of Aisles, as well). Joni’s voice with either her piano or guitar is always a great combination. Wouldn't wanna miss it on that uninhabited island. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Album: Ladies of The Canyon (Joni Mitchell, 1970)
Plenty of brilliant female singers (Tori Amos, Suzanne Vega, Astrud Gilberto, Sarah Vaughan, Estrella Morente and Cesaria Evora, to name a few) but it’s quite easy to pick Joni Mitchell as being my favourite. Choosing the album is more difficult; Joni Mitchell has delivered a whole bunch of masterpieces. I favour “Ladies of The Canyon” (over “Both Sides Now”, “Court and Spark” and “Blue”) mainly because of the songs ‘”Woodstock” and the atmospheric “Rainy Night House” (both included on the live album Miles of Aisles, as well). Joni’s voice with either her piano or guitar is always a great combination. Wouldn't wanna miss it on that uninhabited island. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,257
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Theme: Progressive Rock
Album: Moving Pictures (Rush, 1981)
Okay, so Rush it is. But don’t think I didn’t consider King Crimson (Larks’Tongues in Aspic, Red), Genesis (A Trick of The Tail, Selling England By The Pound), Yes (The Yes Album, Close To The Edge) or UK (Danger Money). Probably “YYZ” made the difference ;-)
Like most progressive rock, Rush their music is pretty sophisticated. When one realizes that those three guys often play five instruments at once, it becomes even more impressive: when singer Geddy Lee plays keyboard, he plays the bass line with his feet. All in perfect harmony with guitar hero Alex Lifeson and beast Neil Peart on drums. Funny thing is: they make things look so easy! They’ve created a dozen and a half albums since 1974 and most of them are real master pieces. Some of my favourite albums include “2112”, “Hemispheres”, “Permanent Waves” and, number 2 on my Top 10 list, the album “Moving Pictures”. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Album: Moving Pictures (Rush, 1981)
Okay, so Rush it is. But don’t think I didn’t consider King Crimson (Larks’Tongues in Aspic, Red), Genesis (A Trick of The Tail, Selling England By The Pound), Yes (The Yes Album, Close To The Edge) or UK (Danger Money). Probably “YYZ” made the difference ;-)
Like most progressive rock, Rush their music is pretty sophisticated. When one realizes that those three guys often play five instruments at once, it becomes even more impressive: when singer Geddy Lee plays keyboard, he plays the bass line with his feet. All in perfect harmony with guitar hero Alex Lifeson and beast Neil Peart on drums. Funny thing is: they make things look so easy! They’ve created a dozen and a half albums since 1974 and most of them are real master pieces. Some of my favourite albums include “2112”, “Hemispheres”, “Permanent Waves” and, number 2 on my Top 10 list, the album “Moving Pictures”. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,878
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Theme: Bloody England
Album: Let It Bleed (Rolling Stones, 1969)
I’ve been a Stones fan since I was 12. When I got near my 40s, I discovered another “pretty allright” band from England: The Beatles. I have to admit that since then, I listen a lot more Beatles than Stones. However, Mick, Keith, Brian, Charlie, Ron and Bill are kind of like tattooed in my brain, no matter how great Beatles’ “Rubber Soul”, “White Album” or “Abbey Road” are. When it comes to The Rolling Stones, I pretty much admire anything from “December's Children (And Everybody's)” in 1965 to “Tattoo You” in 1981, but their finest period is definitely 1968-1972, from which the album “Let It Bleed” wins the spot in my Album Top 10. Thanks to the psychedelic Monkey Man and one of the greatest songs ever made: Gimme Shelter! [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Album: Let It Bleed (Rolling Stones, 1969)
I’ve been a Stones fan since I was 12. When I got near my 40s, I discovered another “pretty allright” band from England: The Beatles. I have to admit that since then, I listen a lot more Beatles than Stones. However, Mick, Keith, Brian, Charlie, Ron and Bill are kind of like tattooed in my brain, no matter how great Beatles’ “Rubber Soul”, “White Album” or “Abbey Road” are. When it comes to The Rolling Stones, I pretty much admire anything from “December's Children (And Everybody's)” in 1965 to “Tattoo You” in 1981, but their finest period is definitely 1968-1972, from which the album “Let It Bleed” wins the spot in my Album Top 10. Thanks to the psychedelic Monkey Man and one of the greatest songs ever made: Gimme Shelter! [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,152
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Theme: Super Groups
Album: Stomu Yamashta's Go (Go, 1976)
Mid Seventies, Stomu Yamashta formed supergroup Go. His bandmates weren't the typical average guys: nobody less than Al Di Meola (Return To Forever), Michael Shrieve (Santana), Klaus Schultze (Tangerine Dream) and Steve Winwood (Traffic) contributed to this great concept album. My friend Jim gave me this record for my birthday, somewhere early nineties. After a live album, Go recorded their second and last studio album "Go Too". [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Album: Stomu Yamashta's Go (Go, 1976)
Mid Seventies, Stomu Yamashta formed supergroup Go. His bandmates weren't the typical average guys: nobody less than Al Di Meola (Return To Forever), Michael Shrieve (Santana), Klaus Schultze (Tangerine Dream) and Steve Winwood (Traffic) contributed to this great concept album. My friend Jim gave me this record for my birthday, somewhere early nineties. After a live album, Go recorded their second and last studio album "Go Too". [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
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Theme: Mythology & Geometry
Album: Ænima (Tool, 1996)
Next on the list is the phenomenon from Los Angeles: Tool. I love every single album of them, but Ænima stands out. Their style-transcending act contains metal, progressive rock and art rock. Patrick Donovan (The Age) describes them as "cerebral and visceral, soft and heavy, melodic and abrasive, tender and brutal, familiar and strange, western and eastern, beautiful and ugly, taut yet sprawling and epic, they are a tangle of contradictions". Nuff said ;-) Oh, don't forget to check out their extensive artwork and videos! [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Album: Ænima (Tool, 1996)
Next on the list is the phenomenon from Los Angeles: Tool. I love every single album of them, but Ænima stands out. Their style-transcending act contains metal, progressive rock and art rock. Patrick Donovan (The Age) describes them as "cerebral and visceral, soft and heavy, melodic and abrasive, tender and brutal, familiar and strange, western and eastern, beautiful and ugly, taut yet sprawling and epic, they are a tangle of contradictions". Nuff said ;-) Oh, don't forget to check out their extensive artwork and videos! [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,759
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Theme: The Master
Album: Apostrophe(') / Over-nite Sensation (Frank Zappa, 1973/1974)
Time for a cheat: My today's Top 10 Album entry actually consists of two albums. However, "Apostrophe (')" and "Over-nite Sensation" both come from the same recording sessions and they've also been released on one compact disc in 1986. Considered some of his best work, with humor in both music and lyrics and explorations of jazzrock, blues and lots of.... yeah, that style that can only be described as "Zappaesque". Note the backing vocals on the song "Montana", which are performed by Tina Turner and the Ikettes. By the way: Frank Zappa is one of the two musicians (next to Jimi Hendrix) that I regret most not having seen perform live. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Album: Apostrophe(') / Over-nite Sensation (Frank Zappa, 1973/1974)
Time for a cheat: My today's Top 10 Album entry actually consists of two albums. However, "Apostrophe (')" and "Over-nite Sensation" both come from the same recording sessions and they've also been released on one compact disc in 1986. Considered some of his best work, with humor in both music and lyrics and explorations of jazzrock, blues and lots of.... yeah, that style that can only be described as "Zappaesque". Note the backing vocals on the song "Montana", which are performed by Tina Turner and the Ikettes. By the way: Frank Zappa is one of the two musicians (next to Jimi Hendrix) that I regret most not having seen perform live. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
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Theme: Reznor Industries
Album: The Downward Spiral (Nine Inch Nails, 1994)
This industrial rock album has partly been written and recorded at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, where actress Sharon Tate was murdered by members of the Charles Manson Family. The dark themed concept album details the destruction of a man. Both were reason for many to criticize and feed controversy. However, from a musical perspective, the album is a masterpiece. According to multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and producer Trent Reznor, the music on this album was influenced by rock music albums such as David Bowie's Low and Pink Floyd's The Wall. Regarded by music critics and audiences as one of the most important albums of the 1990s. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Album: The Downward Spiral (Nine Inch Nails, 1994)
This industrial rock album has partly been written and recorded at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, where actress Sharon Tate was murdered by members of the Charles Manson Family. The dark themed concept album details the destruction of a man. Both were reason for many to criticize and feed controversy. However, from a musical perspective, the album is a masterpiece. According to multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and producer Trent Reznor, the music on this album was influenced by rock music albums such as David Bowie's Low and Pink Floyd's The Wall. Regarded by music critics and audiences as one of the most important albums of the 1990s. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,450
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Theme: Who's Pink?
Album: The Dark Side of The Moon (Pink Floyd, 1973)
What if you have to choose your favorite Floyd album? Really, I could have picked anything from a whole decade, from "Ummagumma" from 1969 to 1979's "The Wall". Sorry to all those folks who don't miss Roger Waters and who would go with something more recent, but hey, without Waters it's not exactly Pink Floyd anymore..... is it? "Dark Side" must be a reasonable consensus anyway, with 45 million copies sold world-wide and an undisputed place in any recognized all-time album list. The melodies, the harmony, the chaos, the vocals, the themes, the lyrics..... A heartbeat, the ticking of a clock, the alarm bell, the repeated opening and closing of a cash register, it all makes sense once everything comes perfectly together. One of the greatest albums ever! [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Album: The Dark Side of The Moon (Pink Floyd, 1973)
What if you have to choose your favorite Floyd album? Really, I could have picked anything from a whole decade, from "Ummagumma" from 1969 to 1979's "The Wall". Sorry to all those folks who don't miss Roger Waters and who would go with something more recent, but hey, without Waters it's not exactly Pink Floyd anymore..... is it? "Dark Side" must be a reasonable consensus anyway, with 45 million copies sold world-wide and an undisputed place in any recognized all-time album list. The melodies, the harmony, the chaos, the vocals, the themes, the lyrics..... A heartbeat, the ticking of a clock, the alarm bell, the repeated opening and closing of a cash register, it all makes sense once everything comes perfectly together. One of the greatest albums ever! [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
60,051
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Theme: Six-string Heroes
Album: Electric Ladyland (Jimi Hendrix, 1968)
And then there’s Jimi. You know, the guy on the painting hanging in my living room. And also the guy who’s face I would have tattooed on my arm or back one day…. Well, I’ve still got a couple of years to go, so who knows ;-)
“Electric Ladyland” is a wonderful album, every step of the way. With elements of funk, psychedelic music and groundbreaking sound effects, this album pushes music to new horizons. Jimi playing guitar was already amazing on his two previous albums, but on Electric Ladyland it’s something different. It’s not a man playing guitar, but a man who uses his instrument just as a tool to channel something other from some deep within himself. The result is one of the best albums of the era and one of the most original kind, with songs like “Crosstown Traffic”, "1983...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)", "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" and a cover of Dylan’s "All Along the Watchtower” (I bet most people think it’s a Hendrix song). [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Album: Electric Ladyland (Jimi Hendrix, 1968)
And then there’s Jimi. You know, the guy on the painting hanging in my living room. And also the guy who’s face I would have tattooed on my arm or back one day…. Well, I’ve still got a couple of years to go, so who knows ;-)
“Electric Ladyland” is a wonderful album, every step of the way. With elements of funk, psychedelic music and groundbreaking sound effects, this album pushes music to new horizons. Jimi playing guitar was already amazing on his two previous albums, but on Electric Ladyland it’s something different. It’s not a man playing guitar, but a man who uses his instrument just as a tool to channel something other from some deep within himself. The result is one of the best albums of the era and one of the most original kind, with songs like “Crosstown Traffic”, "1983...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)", "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" and a cover of Dylan’s "All Along the Watchtower” (I bet most people think it’s a Hendrix song). [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,408
Rank in 1968:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Just watch the video from the title track “Blackstar”. Not only a visual piece of art, but this music….. wow man! Lasting 10 minutes, it jumps through Bowie’s oeuvre and you’ll hear Ziggy Stardust, Station To Station, Aladdin Sane and Earthling. We knew David Bowie would never suffer from lack of discipline and creativity, but with Blackstar he produced one of my favourite Bowie albums. But what about this: just two days after releasing Blackstar, David Bowie died of cancer and he knew along that this would be his swan song. For me and many others, the pieces fell together: Blackstar was a contemplation of his musical career and the video of the second single “Lazarus” shows David Bowie on his deathbed, after which he retreats into a dark wardrobe. Quite a way to go, right?
Of course this man should be on my top 10 list and I saved him for last. It gave me 10 days to consider what I would call my favourite Bowie album. It could have been Aladdin Sane, Hunky Dory, Station To Station, Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars…. But in the end there was only one way of saying thank you to this brilliant artist. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Of course this man should be on my top 10 list and I saved him for last. It gave me 10 days to consider what I would call my favourite Bowie album. It could have been Aladdin Sane, Hunky Dory, Station To Station, Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars…. But in the end there was only one way of saying thank you to this brilliant artist. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2018]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,324
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 15. Page 1 of 2
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Top 15 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 2 | 13% | |
| 1970s | 8 | 53% | |
| 1980s | 2 | 13% | |
| 1990s | 2 | 13% | |
| 2000s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2010s | 1 | 7% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Pink Floyd | 1 | 7% | |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1 | 7% | |
| David Bowie | 1 | 7% | |
| Marvin Gaye | 1 | 7% | |
| Joni Mitchell | 1 | 7% | |
| Santana | 1 | 7% | |
| Rush | 1 | 7% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 15 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| New entries |
|---|
| What's Going On by Marvin Gaye |
| Caravanserai by Santana |
| Sheer Heart Attack by Queen |
| Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young |
| Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) by Led Zeppelin |
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| Top 13 Music Albums of 1971 | blackflag29 | 1971 year chart | 2017 | |
Top 15 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
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sssvnnn 07/03/2019 07:22 | #238840
sssvnnn 07/03/2019 07:22 | #238840
Good start.
Go on.
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