Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by davidhuret

My self-imposed rule here is one entry per artist. Still, a top 200 wouldn't be a bad idea...
There are 82 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 111 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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Tough to choose among the Fabs' albums but, as a reviewer said about it at the time of its release: "it's all there if you listen". Eclectic to the point of schizophrenia, it's a Himalayas of songwriting, an embarrassment of riches... [First added to this chart: 04/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
35,095
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Average Rating:
Top rated album (89/100 - 3867 votes)  89 (3,867 votes)
Comments:
For the receptive listener, this is one of the most achingly beautiful albums ever. [First added to this chart: 04/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
36,292
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Top rated album (88/100 - 3326 votes)  88 (3,326 votes)
Comments:
Exquisite. [First added to this chart: 04/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,821
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Top rated album (89/100 - 2304 votes)  89 (2,304 votes)
Comments:
4. (=)
Low 
As the ads said at the time: "there's old wave, there's new wave, and there's David Bowie". One side avant-pop, one side ambient before the term was coined. Both brilliant. [First added to this chart: 04/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,776
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Average Rating:
Top rated album (86/100 - 2104 votes)  86 (2,104 votes)
Comments:
Marvin in a state of pure grace. [First added to this chart: 04/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,185
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Top rated album (85/100 - 1980 votes)  85 (1,980 votes)
Comments:
A world of its own, where people drink tea with butter scones and complain about the weather. Oh and there's a penomenal cat, a witch, a leather-clad biker, and a sky that's too big to care. [First added to this chart: 04/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,027
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Comments:
The culmination of what the Stones are all about. And to think these great American songs were written by two British, London-born, blokes. [First added to this chart: 04/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,203
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Top rated album (85/100 - 2381 votes)  85 (2,381 votes)
Comments:
As soon as the (pioneering) synth-loop of "Baba O'Reilly" begins, you know you're going to have a good time. [First added to this chart: 04/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,208
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Average Rating:
Top rated album (86/100 - 2606 votes)  86 (2,606 votes)
Comments:
The loner looks unflinchingly at 60s idealism, at the Woodstock generation, at the transient nature of life and love, at the media, at the heart of men, at us... The result is music beyond being inspired. Downright haunted. Bleak yet uplifting. [First added to this chart: 04/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,051
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Surreal electric rock poetry at its very best. Hugely influential. [First added to this chart: 04/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,114
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Average Rating:
Top rated album (88/100 - 2847 votes)  88 (2,847 votes)
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Climber Up 18 from 77th to 59th
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Faller Down 2 from 59th to 61st
Faller Down 2 from 60th to 62nd
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TitleSourceTypePublishedCountry
top 100 favorite albums since 1965 (multiple entries per artist)davidhuretCustom chart2019
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970sdavidhuret1970s decade chart2023
If The BEA Overall Chart Had A One Album Per Artist Rule... RomanelliCustom chart2025
Best Artists flamingyesdeptCustom chart2024
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums skelter54Overall chart2014
OVERALL CHARTpentapolinCustom chart2014
Most listened to Albums by BEA members 2014 - 2024 LiedzeitCustom chart2024
Top 100 Greatest Artists flamingyesdeptCustom chart2026
Top 100 Greatest Music Albumsstryker700Overall chart2021Unknown
BEA 100 (One Album per Artist) BozoTyrannusCustom chart2020

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
87/100 (from 111 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
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).
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Showing latest 3 ratings for this chart.  | Show all 111 ratings for this chart.

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95/100
 !
07/27/2021 15:50 TheDude85  Ratings distribution  4395/100
 
90/100
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03/29/2021 14:09 WillyMac  Ratings distribution  9586/100
 
95/100
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01/29/2020 00:37 pctrooper  Ratings distribution  33288/100

Rating metrics: Help 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 14% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 87.4/100, a mean average of 86.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 87.5/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 12.5.


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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums forum mentions

This chart has been referenced 7 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by davidhuret () 1. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles (1968) 2. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys (1966) 3. Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis (1959) 4. Low by David Bowie (1977) 5. What's Going On by Marvin Gaye (1971) 6. The Kinks Are The…”
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“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by davidhuret () 1. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles (1968) 2. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys (1966) 3. Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis (1959) 4. Low by David Bowie (1977) 5. What's Going On by Marvin Gaye (1971) 6. The Kinks Are The…”
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“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by davidhuret () 1. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles (1968) 2. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys (1966) 3. Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis (1959) 4. Low by David Bowie (1977) 5. What's Going On by Marvin Gaye (1971) 6. The Kinks Are The…”
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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From 12/14/2012 08:08 | #57860
This website was made for people like you David. My guess is you've been carrying this chart around in your head for many years. Feels weel contemplated, after the top 10 I have to admit I was thinking this was gonna be another Rolling Stonesque chart in thrall to the 60's and 70's but you've obviously continued to listen to contemporary music and despite leaning towards the 60's and 70's it feels well balanced. Your comments are very concise but get your thoughts across well (I especially liked the Nick Cave one). A finely crafted chart indeed.
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From 02/18/2013 08:43 | #65399
@hairymarx1: We obviously don't have the same values regarding music ("Yoshimi..." the Lips' weakest work? Is that a joke?). As far as the Beatles' innovations are concerned, I won't go through that endless list again; hundreds of books have been published on the subject: read them or, better still, listen to the music IN ITS CONTEXT, and maybe you'll see or hear the light. Nuff said.
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From 05/07/2008 20:49 | #620
why not all of them indeed?there are super albums released on a regular basis (2008 has been an excellent year so far,with new ones by Portishead,Nick Cave,Goldfrapp,Raconteurs,...and even Ringo Starr!).A top 20 being very restrictive to me (where would I place Pérotin or Holst for instance?),I stuck to those timeless classics that are part of my DNA.My top 5 happens to be all-Beatles.So what?
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From 09/09/2018 15:46 | #220833
Solid selections - great classics. It goes deep into an era that clearly is important to music history, yet misses quite a bit of other great eras. Yet, you like what you like, and that's great. Look forward to the top 200 if you haven't done it already.
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From 11/11/2012 03:05 | #54761
I really like your chart. Amazing to choose 100 different album artists and still come up with such a cohesive and fun list! Despite your one-per rule, we've listed many of the same albums.
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