Top 40 Greatest Music Albums
by FflyCoJoe 
This process is imperfect at best and way off at worst. For those of us who love our music, trying to boil things down into a short list is a task made more impossible by all the great music that's ever been created. I didn't include any Big Ban music, which I really enjoy, or any classical music, which I also love, or any comedy--which is a category that gets shuffled under the rug in these discussions. Oh well, this is my list for this moment in time, determined by my mood, by what's in my iTunes folder and by what's always musically at the top of my mind.
- Chart updated: 03/28/2012 03:01
- (Created: 03/28/2012 02:50).
- Chart size: 40 albums.
There are 6 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 40 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 85 out of 100 (from 3 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
The entries in this chart have a zero rank score because the chart has not been updated within the last ten years (points from overall charts are decayed over a ten year period).
View the complete list of 58,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This album has it all. Great songs, sterling production, engineering by Alan Parsons and Ken Scott, lots of pop, some rock, even some proggy bits.
[First added to this chart: 03/27/2012]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
56,519
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Brian Wilson called this his "Teenage symphony to God." I call it melancholy and sublime. 200 years from now, this will still be played and revered as classic music.
[First added to this chart: 03/27/2012]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
38,208
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Many of Harry's albums are among my favorites, so limiting it to this one is tough. But between the sweet "Remember (Christmas)" and the delightful snark of "You're Breaking My Heart" (NSFW), plus all the amazing players (Chris Spedding, George Harrison, Jim Keltner, etc) and the stellar production of Richard Perry, this one gets the nod.
[First added to this chart: 03/27/2012]
Maybe not their best album, but because this was the album that got me into the band (and in a way rekindled my explorations into prog). Turn It On Again!
[First added to this chart: 03/27/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,774
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
It's almost a cliche to include this one, but it still holds up so many years later. Alan Parsons worked on this one, too. Hmmm, he worked on Abbey Road and Pink Floyd...I wonder what else he did?....
[First added to this chart: 03/27/2012]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
59,062
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Hard to choose when it comes to Macca. I could have taken Ram or Back To The Egg, or...
[First added to this chart: 03/27/2012]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
623
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
(OK. Can't believe this one wasn't in the Best Albums Ever database. That won't be the last time this happens on my list.)
Alan Parsons produced this one, too. This Ambrosia's 2nd LP and the first self-titled LP is amazing (and Parsons-influenced). This started a relationship between Parsons and Ambrosia's co-lead singer/songwriter David Pack that has woven its way through the music business for the last 35 years. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2012]
Alan Parsons produced this one, too. This Ambrosia's 2nd LP and the first self-titled LP is amazing (and Parsons-influenced). This started a relationship between Parsons and Ambrosia's co-lead singer/songwriter David Pack that has woven its way through the music business for the last 35 years. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2012]
I first heard "Bloody Well Right" late one night when I had the headphones on. The way this track used stereo to an excellent effect added to an already engaging song. Every track is a jaw-dropper. Hodgson and Davies at their best.
[First added to this chart: 03/27/2012]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,092
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Another band that I could have chosen any one of their albums, but because this is the one I started with, it gets the nod. It's a rock opera, better than Tommy (I know, heresy!). It is proggy, very poppy, very rocky and in bits, kinda jazzy.
[First added to this chart: 03/27/2012]
A perfect album by a too-fleeting band.
Year of Release:
1990
Appears in:
Rank Score:
365
Rank in 1990:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 40. Page 1 of 4
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 6 | 15% | |
| 1970s | 20 | 50% | |
| 1980s | 2 | 5% | |
| 1990s | 6 | 15% | |
| 2000s | 6 | 15% | |
| 2010s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Big Star | 1 | 3% | |
| Dan Fogelberg | 1 | 3% | |
| Genesis | 1 | 3% | |
| Sloan | 1 | 3% | |
| Boz Scaggs | 1 | 3% | |
| The Zombies | 1 | 3% | |
| Pink Floyd | 1 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 2 from 11th to 13thStraight Up by Badfinger |
| Down 1 from 10th to 11thEldorado, A Symphony By The Electric Light Orchestra by Electric Light Orchestra |
| Down 1 from 13th to 14th#1 Record/Radio City by Big Star |
| New entries |
|---|
| Bellybutton by Jellyfish |
| Fleetwood Mac by Fleetwood Mac |
| Try Anything Once by Alan Parsons |
| Leavers |
|---|
| In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson) by King Crimson |
| Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac by Fleetwood Mac |
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | eugene1973 | Overall chart | 2010 | |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | loverockmog | Overall chart | 2021 | |
| Top 25 Greatest Music Albums | gegege13 | Overall chart | 2010 |  |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums |  charlysa | Overall chart | 2012 |  |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | arieladitya | Overall chart | 2010 | |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | nicholasbertagna | Overall chart | 2011 | |
| Top 25 Greatest Music Albums | DizzyDandy | Overall chart | 2010 | |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | myermania | Overall chart | 2010 | |
| Top 39 Music Albums of the 1970s |  psertzel | 1970s decade chart | 2012 |  |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | PopWombat76 | Overall chart | 2016 | |
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
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.
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.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 3 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/25/2012 20:57 | RupertRonco | 103 | 65/100 | |
| 07/05/2012 05:19 | AgainstMeAgainst | 12 | 75/100 | |
| 05/06/2012 22:54 | gussteivi | 73 | 86/100 |
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Top 40 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing all 6 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From RupertRonco 09/25/2012 20:58 | #51181
Diversified choices, and some new material for me to sink my teeth into! Thank you. Great List!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From AgainstMeAgainstYou 07/05/2012 05:19 | #45923
YES. FREAKING YES.
Finally, "All Things Must Pass" gets some goddamn recognition. I thought I was the only person who loved it. Only disappointing part of this list is the total lack of any Radiohead.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From kingdomhearts678 05/17/2012 03:18 | #42538
Abbey Road really is the perfect album. I've never really understood the appeal of Dark Side of the Moon. Very average to me
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From FflyCoJoe 03/28/2012 19:17 | #39095
You can also tell how quickly I put this list together by how many errors there are in my comments about each album!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From FflyCoJoe 03/28/2012 03:30 | #39067
I kept this to one album per band... not an easy thing to do when it comes to many of the bands I've included.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From gussteivi 03/27/2012 23:39 | #39040
Wow, some REALLY great inclusions! Will definetily be checking out some of the ones here I haven't heard.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Your feedback for Top 40 Greatest Music Albums
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
| 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. Neil Young | |
| 10. Nirvana | |
| 11. The Velvet Underground | |
| 12. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 13. Miles Davis | |
| 14. The Smiths | |
| 15. R.E.M. | |
| 16. The Beach Boys | |
| 17. Kanye West | |
| 18. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 19. Pixies | |
| 20. The Cure |
