Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by LordMark 
Alternative rock is my favourite genre, and that's why the 90s will probably always be my favourite decade of music. I also love Britpop (the best of which also comes from the 90s) and South Korean girl groups.
- Chart updated: 07/22/2025 03:15
- (Created: 04/18/2019 12:09).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 8 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 28 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Just like that beetle on the front cover, Mezzanine is creepy, dark, and menacing. But unlike that insect, Massive Attack's 3rd studio album is also damn sexy! Mezzanine seduced me right from the opening bassline of "Angel", and it kept me enthralled right until the end.
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Group Four
2. Angel
3. Dissolved Girl [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Group Four
2. Angel
3. Dissolved Girl [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,688
Rank in 1998:
Rank in 1990s:
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A perfect album. And a very sad album that likes to remind me that I'm getting older, and that I'm going to die someday. R.E.M. stepped out of their comfort zone, abandoning jangle pop and moving into baroque pop, and it paid off. I really like their previous albums, but I think that Automatic for the People is R.E.M.'s most consistent and enduring work.
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Nightswimming
2. Try Not to Breathe
3. Man on the Moon [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Nightswimming
2. Try Not to Breathe
3. Man on the Moon [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Year of Release:
1992
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,242
Rank in 1992:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Even after all these years, A Rush of Blood To The Head remains my favourite album of the 21st century. While Parachutes had multiplatinum success and a breakthrough single about the colour "Yellow", Coldplay's sophomore release was arguably the album that helped bring indie rock into the mainstream. "The Scientist" and "Clocks" are the clear fan favourites, and for good reason, but "Amsterdam" is my personal favourite. Top 3 Tracks:
1. Amsterdam
2. The Scientist
3. Clocks [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
1. Amsterdam
2. The Scientist
3. Clocks [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,881
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
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Comments:
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Released one year before Britpop got really popular, this album was ever-so-slightly ahead of its time. Even in the UK, MLiR never got the attention it deserved. If at all possible, try to get the American version, which includes "Popscene".
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Coping
2. For Tomorrow
3. Popscene [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Coping
2. For Tomorrow
3. Popscene [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,182
Rank in 1993:
Rank in 1990s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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(What's the Story) Morning Glory might have the better B-sides, but I slightly prefer Definitely Maybe's main album. Oasis had no originality, but unlike some other people, that never bothered me. This is simply an excellent rock album.
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Supersonic
2. Slide Away
3. Live Forever [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Supersonic
2. Slide Away
3. Live Forever [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,289
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Of all the great Canadian rock albums from the 1990s, Naveed is definitely my favourite. Released in 1994, Our Lady Peace's debut was a breath of fresh air, and I like to think it was one of the first post-grunge albums. Rather than hop on the Nirvana or Pearl Jam bandwagon, they created an album which, at the time, sounded like it could have been a bridge between grunge and the next big thing. Raine Maida's falsetto and haunting lyrics are both excellent here, and Jeremy Taggart's impressive drumming is even more so when you consider the fact that he was only 18 when Naveed was recorded.
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Hope
2. The Birdman
3. Denied [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Hope
2. The Birdman
3. Denied [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
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Definitely my favourite rap album. Nas' lyrical flow is excellent, and at only 40 minutes, it's surprisingly focused and doesn't overstay its welcome, unlike so many other albums in the genre. Lastly, it's nearly impossible to talk about Illmatic and not bring up one of rap music's greatest lines: "I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death".
Top 3 Tracks:
1. N.Y. State of Mind
2. The World Is Yours
3. Halftime [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Top 3 Tracks:
1. N.Y. State of Mind
2. The World Is Yours
3. Halftime [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,458
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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I have a confession. I love Korean girl groups, and Girls' Generation is (and probably always will be) my favourite one of them all. As much as I adore Love & Peace, I always get a bit sad when I listen to it because, in many ways, it was the end of an era. This was their final Japanese studio album, and their last one with member Jessica Jung.
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Karma Butterfly
2. Flyers
3. Galaxy Supernova [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Karma Butterfly
2. Flyers
3. Galaxy Supernova [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
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"I almost view Lateralus (and especially "The Grudge") as the counter piece to the entirety of Ænima. Maybe even a brother/sister type of album pairing. Ænima being the ruthless, angry, prick brother. Lateralus being the beautiful, knowledgeable, and engaging sister." - BEA User "AAL2014"
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Lateralus
2. The Grudge
3. Schism [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Lateralus
2. The Grudge
3. Schism [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,553
Rank in 2001:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Nine Inch Nails meets David Bowie. The result? One of the best Canadian rock albums of the 90s.
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Sparkle and Shine
2. Home
3. All That You Are [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Sparkle and Shine
2. Home
3. All That You Are [First added to this chart: 04/18/2019]
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 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 3 | 3% | |
| 1970s | 2 | 2% | |
| 1980s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1990s | 40 | 40% | |
| 2000s | 25 | 25% | |
| 2010s | 19 | 19% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Radiohead | 7 | 7% | |
| Billy Talent | 5 | 5% | |
| Our Lady Peace | 4 | 4% | |
| 트와이스 [Twice] | 4 | 4% | |
| Suede | 4 | 4% | |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4% | |
| 소녀시대 [Girls' Generation] | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 5 from 40th to 35th A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 35th to 36th OK Computer by Radiohead |
| Down 1 from 36th to 37th The Doors by The Doors |
| Down 1 from 37th to 38th MTV Unplugged In New York by Nirvana |
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| The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time | New Music Express | Overall chart | 2013 |  |
| NME: The 100 greatest albums of all time | Johnnyo | Custom chart | 2021 | |
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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 28 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 07/19/2025 00:45 |  CA Dreamin | 134 | 88/100 |
| ! | 01/29/2025 12:49 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,105 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/12/2025 02:04 |  MadhattanJack | 256 | 85/100 |
| ! | 11/01/2024 01:16 | mrmcrook | 719 | 92/100 |
| ! | 04/26/2024 08:38 |  LedZep | 1,104 | 84/100 |
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 5% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.8/100, a mean average of 89.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.7.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing all 8 comments |
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From mrmcrook 11/01/2024 01:19 | #305838
I'm always a fan of a list with notes. They can give good insight into the albums I don't know from artists I do. Great to see 'Road to Rouen' in there. Such an underrated album
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
pedro1976 06/09/2023 19:27 | #297518
pedro1976 06/09/2023 19:27 | #297518
great list - a few personal favourites on here as well as a few I'll be checking out!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Moondance 10/05/2022 21:27 | #290210
It's different, but that is what makes this site such a delight. Thanks for wearing your heart in your chart. I will have a look at some of your choices that are new to me - like Econoline Crush.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 10/05/2022 08:10 | #290183
Ace chart. Love it
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
desh79 02/10/2022 15:15 | #281075
desh79 02/10/2022 15:15 | #281075
I like it, eclectic lists like this one make BEA so interesting and worthwhile.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
DommeDamian 10/10/2020 12:44 | #259166
DommeDamian 10/10/2020 12:44 | #259166
Good descriptions man. May not agree, but that's irrelevant.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From roberto71 08/22/2020 08:32 | #257318
Wow. Naveed at Number 2. I've got Clumsy in my Top 100 and Naveed a little further down. It's always great to see OLP.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
EyeKanFly 01/22/2020 01:10 | #247062
EyeKanFly 01/22/2020 01:10 | #247062
Definitely more 90s focused than most charts you see, but still some wonderful albums and many I haven't heard of and would be interested in checking out. I'm really intrigued by all the K-Pop!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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