Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
jdenny2018 
An ever changing collection of my favorite albums, come back to see any future updates. Also lookout for when I get access to decade charts!
**Chart of the Day #2657: 31 Jan 2019**
**Chart of the Day #2955: 25 Nov 2019**
Also, here's an extensive thread I've started talking about my Top 100 albums
http://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20448&highlight=
(Updated 25 Nov 2019)
- Chart updated: 11/25/2019 12:45
- (Created: 04/09/2018 15:05).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 15 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 91 out of 100 (from 32 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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My first band that I ever truly loved, Rush will always have an important place in my heart. This, their masterwork, and album that almost sent them careening off a cliff of shear madness to record one single song (La Villa Strangiato) does not hit a false note the entire time.
Key tracks: All of them, there's only 4 [First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Key tracks: All of them, there's only 4 [First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,629
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This is, quite simply, a perfect album. There is a song for every possible situation in life. Want to get right with Jesus? Well, might I direct you to "Have a talk with God." Want to protest social inequalities? "Village Ghetto Land" is your choice. Want to celebrate the beauty and joy and magnificence that is music? Well, most of the album is like that, but "Sir Duke" is particularly joyful. Take some time and enjoy this behemoth of an album, it'll be time well spent.
Key tracks: All of them [First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Key tracks: All of them [First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,707
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Probably Rush's best album if I'm being objective. This album is a whirlwind of happiness, contemplation, intensity, and killer instrumentation. Short but powerful album, and this, like Hemispheres, will always be an all-time great for me.
[First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,964
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Comments:
What a perfect album to listen to at night. Dark, mysterious, moody, and sometimes scary, Bitches Brew is peak electric Miles. Slightly more concise than other albums (Jack Johnson, notably) BB is an album I can always throw on and be completely consumed by, even after my 100th listen.
[First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,875
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Every song on this album shakes me to my core. There's a point in every song where the music builds and builds until it reaches a cathartic release of musical perfection where you feel as though your heart is lifted upwards towards the heavens.
[First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,498
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Comments:
The best live Zeppelin. Period. Great acoustic set on this album, in addition to all their harder stuff.
[First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
2003
Appears in:
Rank Score:
697
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[First added to this chart: 10/31/2018]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,668
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Comments:
Best opener, best closer. Probably the best flowing album ever.
[First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
56,551
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Comments:
This album got me into ambient music. Despite not really being "ambient," Philip Glass opened me to Steve Reich, Brian Eno, the Berlin era of Bowie, and so on. A great album to sit and contemplate existential dread.
[First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
939
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Comments:
Yes' first masterpiece, their second great album (Time and a Word.) Even though this isn't their peak lineup, it's still a fantastic representation of the lineup, and a good sign for things to come.
[First added to this chart: 04/24/2018]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,380
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Comments:
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 | 5 | 5% | |
| 1960s | 17 | 17% | |
| 1970s | 50 | 50% | |
| 1980s | 15 | 15% | |
| 1990s | 2 | 2% | |
| 2000s | 3 | 3% | |
| 2010s | 8 | 8% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Replacements | 6 | 6% | |
| Rush | 5 | 5% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 5% | |
| The Beatles | 5 | 5% | |
| Pink Floyd | 5 | 5% | |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 4% | |
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
Up 17 from 31st to 14th |
Up 7 from 51st to 44th |
Up 4 from 41st to 37th |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 17 from 11th to 28th |
Down 13 from 80th to 93rd |
Down 13 from 81st to 94th |
| New entries |
|---|
| Leavers |
|---|
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | jdenny2018 | 1970s decade chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  Glitterboiii | Overall chart | 2023 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Nkelleyslc | Overall chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | stryker700 | Overall chart | 2021 |  |
| Ya joking? Should've been higher! All Time edition |  Purplepash | Custom chart | 2026 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  flyingcitrus | 1970s decade chart | 2018 | |
| My Personal Ranking of Best Ever Albums' Top 100 |  Xxnu99etxX | Custom chart | 2022 | |
| My Ranking of the BEA top 100 |  sszwalbenest | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| Going With My Gut: The Overall Chart Top 100 Re-ranked |  CharlieBarley | Custom chart | 2024 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | AbsurdCheesecake | Overall chart | 2026 | |
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 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 32 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 06/12/2025 05:33 | Johnnyo | 2,682 | 80/100 |
| ! | 06/20/2020 14:27 | WillyMac | 95 | 86/100 |
| ! | 04/18/2020 10:51 | migl | 11 | 99/100 |
| ! | 03/10/2020 21:23 |  dihansse | 312 | 84/100 |
| ! | 11/25/2019 19:35 | Thad | 151 | 79/100 |
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 90.7/100, a mean average of 92.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 92.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.2.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
Johnnyo 06/12/2025 05:33 | #309473
Great chart. (Edited)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
WillyMac 06/20/2020 14:34 | #253984
You know your stuff. You are more into jazz and prog rock than I am. Having said that, Neil Peart needs to be acknowledged as a genius even by those of us who are not in love with prog and jazz. Ghost Rider is one of my favourite books by a musician, and I've read lots. I suspect you've read it, but if you haven't, you must.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
Brad1770 03/10/2019 11:20 | #233349
Brad1770 03/10/2019 11:20 | #233349
Love the Big Star inclusions ( no 3rd? ) and REM’s ‘ Lifes Rich Pageant ‘ , I’m an REM nut and it really is their best album
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
Rivera 02/01/2019 05:02 | #231090
Excellent choices! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with on your decade charts.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From
ForegroundNoise 01/31/2019 09:59 | #231053
ForegroundNoise 01/31/2019 09:59 | #231053
Wow really great mix of jazz and prog and having had a cursory glance at the forum thread you shared your genuine love for music really comes through!! Will have to give that thread a proper once over when I have a minute or two ... looked like great stuff.
There'd be no point me recommending any jazz or prog since your knowledge of those genres probably way outdoes me, but I thought since you've got a couple of Kendrick Lamar picks and The Low End Theory you might enjoy some of these hip hop albums that are on the more experimental (dare I say proggier??) side. From your own admission on your notes on GKMC you seem like someone whose mind is open to different things, let me know what you think of these!!
cLOUDDEAD -cLOUDDEAD (2001)
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein (2001)
Death Grips - Exmilitary (2011)
Danny Brown - XXX (2011)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
BLO 01/27/2019 23:00 | #230861
Fantastic. Glad someone else appreciates Croce.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
glynspsa 10/06/2018 19:06 | #222129
Great list, love all the 70's albums i too feel it is easily the best decade for albums.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
manurock 07/28/2018 20:42 | #218890
The chart is very 70's oriented but no problem from me, I find it the best music decade. I really need to start with Rush.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
phantom1305 06/11/2018 18:50 | #216538
phantom1305 06/11/2018 18:50 | #216538
Thanks for reviewing my chart! Great picks from you as well. Love the descriptions. :)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From
RoundTheBend 06/05/2018 02:08 | #216155
RoundTheBend 06/05/2018 02:08 | #216155
Solid selections.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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