Top 40 Greatest Music Albums
by IamyouareI 
- Chart updated: 04/17/2018 05:45
- (Created: 04/05/2018 03:17).
- Chart size: 40 albums.
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While at least 3 of Cloud Cult's 10 albums could be deserving of the top spot, I'll go with this one since it was the first I truly came to love. Their discography becomes more abstract and even avant-garde the further back you go. Each album, starting with They Live on the Sun, documents Craig and Connie Minowa's devastating and unexplained death of their 2 year old son, their struggle for acceptance, and eventual newfound faith in the beautiful and tragic nature of life. This is big music: a multitude of styles, numerous instruments, and a search for the answers to life's biggest questions. All of this is done from their geothermal farm/studio on their own label, Earthology Records. They were also the original "green band", pioneering recycled/bio-degradable CD's and planting trees to offset their carbon footprint many years before being "green" became trendy. This is truly a band you can root for to succeed and I guarantee that if you give their discography repeated listens, you will slowly discover some of the best music to be made in the last 20 years. This album is the perfect place to start.
[First added to this chart: 04/05/2018]
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Nothing more can be said about The Beatles absurdly influential discography. While Sgt. Peppers may be considered their magnum opus by many, to me, this album embodies the wide range of styles and staggering consistency that defined The Beatles prolific career.
[First added to this chart: 04/05/2018]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,264
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Some folks (justifiably) argue that Bob Dylan is the greatest singer-songwriter to ever live. While I would never argue against that designation, I must respectfully disagree. For me, Townes Van Zandt stands alone at the top of the singer-songwriter pantheon. His lyrics are as joyous, poignant, and devastating as the tragic life he led. The way he lived and the hand his parents had in subjecting him to insulin shock therapy (which destroyed his long term memory) certainly contributed to his relative obscurity and designation as a "song-writer's song-songwriter." His music is often simply labled "country", but if you truly listen to his discography you will quickly discover that this man's music transcended any particular genre-labeling. There are country songs but there are many songs that simply are not country and others only casually related. The power and depth of his voice along with his superior picking skills were best experienced live, with just Townes and his guitar. That's why this beautiful live performance is considered his best work. This is powerful music and we will rarely be graced with such a talented songwriter as emerged from Texas in the 1960's.
[First added to this chart: 04/05/2018]
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Love it or hate it, this album has influenced more quality musicians in the last 20 years than any other indie album. It is the high water mark of 90's independent music. Just as many people, when I first heard this revered album, I didn't understand the hype. Jeff Mangum's strained vocals and the lo-fi production were challenging, but as I've grown and my tastes have matured, this piece of music has withstood the test of time and revealed itself to me. Actually, it stands apart from time, transporting you to the unknowable world that Mangum created. The lyrics are cryptic but they are undeniably beautiful. Jeff went to a crazy place and even if you don't always understand what he's showing you, it's a pleasure to ride along with him.
[First added to this chart: 04/05/2018]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
32,859
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The best album from (arguably... as I have testified) the consensus GOAT. Dylan's influence cannnot be overstated. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of young people have picked up a guitar and been inspired to try their hand at songwriting thanks to Bob Dylan's seductive music.
[First added to this chart: 04/05/2018]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,360
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Labor Days is the highest-rated rap album on this chart for innumerable reasons that anyone that loves intelligent, boundary-pushing underground rap can understand. Suffice to say that this album elevated and continues to elevate underground rap to notoriety levels rarely achieved by such low-budget bars. It sparked my interest in turn of the millennia rap, while also sparking Aesop's impressive career and giving the underground an album that could be accessible by casual listeners while not sacrificing the lyrical complexity common to the genre. That lyrical depth, on full display here, is often misunderstood as meaningless stream of consciousness instead of the defensive and layered metaphor it actually represents. Aesop's manipulation of our language is often compared to Shakespeare, so it will challenge you, but stick with it and you will be treated to some of the most thoughtful rap music this side of the Wu-Tang.
[First added to this chart: 04/05/2018]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
593
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This album would certainly be lower if not for the fact that it completely revolutionized my taste in music. If that's not a sign of a truly great album, I don't know what could be. I was mostly into jam bands and mainstream alternative rock when I stumbled across this album in 2004. I liked "Saint Simon" a lot, but slowly gave the rest of the songs a fair shot. I fell in love and started actively searching out indie rock from the Pacific Northwest. My musical world expanded and I started over as far as my taste in art was concerned. Being from Alabama, I didn't know anything existed outside the mainstream, and I'll always have The Shins to thank for kicking off my personal music revolution.
[First added to this chart: 04/05/2018]
Year of Release:
2003
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,761
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It's not easy to comprehend how far ahead of it's time this album was later recognized to be. The 60's are considered to be the most influential era for modern music, and with albums like this, which still sound progressive to this very day, it's hard to argue.
[First added to this chart: 04/05/2018]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
39,894
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This album remains the definitive source for much of the freak folk being made today. It cannot be described, as you will never hear anything that sounds similar to the demonic fantasy found on this record. Do yourself a favor and listen to the truly original music Comus' brief career provided the world.
[First added to this chart: 04/05/2018]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,563
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Modest Mouse would go on to become an international success following their later releases, but for true music fans, The Lonesome Crowded West will forever be their greatest work. These songs maintained an incredible energy all the way through the record's impressive length, whereas thousands of much shorter albums burn out before the 5th track every year. Isaac Brock was the epitome of the late 90's Pacific Northwest music scene, and I believe this album will only become more beloved as time moves on.
[First added to this chart: 04/05/2018]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,888
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Total albums: 40. Page 1 of 4
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Top 40 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 5 | 13% | |
| 1970s | 3 | 8% | |
| 1980s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1990s | 5 | 13% | |
| 2000s | 16 | 40% | |
| 2010s | 11 | 28% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Beatles | 1 | 3% | |
| Atmosphere | 1 | 3% | |
| Company Flow | 1 | 3% | |
| Eyedea & Abilities | 1 | 3% | |
| Townes Van Zandt | 1 | 3% | |
| Shearwater | 1 | 3% | |
| Father John Misty | 1 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
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Top 40 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
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Top 40 Greatest Music Albums ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
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Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 04/29/2022 22:47 |  sssvnnn | 2,865 | 83/100 |
| ! | 11/20/2020 09:17 | TheSmiths82-87 | 1,831 | 83/100 |
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| Best Ever Artists | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Beatles | |
| 2. Radiohead | |
| 3. Pink Floyd | |
| 4. David Bowie | |
| 5. Bob Dylan | |
| 6. Led Zeppelin | |
| 7. The Rolling Stones | |
| 8. Arcade Fire | |
| 9. Nirvana | |
| 10. Neil Young | |
| 11. The Velvet Underground | |
| 12. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 13. Miles Davis | |
| 14. The Smiths | |
| 15. The Beach Boys | |
| 16. R.E.M. | |
| 17. Kanye West | |
| 18. Pixies | |
| 19. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 20. Jimi Hendrix |
