Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by Drbassexpert24 
This chart is constantly evolving as I listen to new and different albums. I was raised on some of these albums. Others were the soundtrack to my teens and university years. Many are very new to me even though they may be several decades old.
If I limited artists to the number of albums they could have on this list, it would be very unfair to the artists who have repeatedly knocked it out of the park in terms of presenting a fully rounded and enjoyable sonorous package.
- Chart updated: 07/25/2025 14:45
- (Created: 02/11/2020 21:44).
- 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 86 out of 100 (from 28 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 59,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
[First added to this chart: 02/21/2020]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
57,886
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 02/21/2020]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
41,887
Rank in 2007:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 02/21/2020]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
43,069
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 02/21/2020]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,257
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
This album is not in my top because the majority of people agree. This album really stands in its own league for quality, variety, and progress along the musical narrative. Radiohead really changed their place in musical history with OK Computer. Their first album, Pablo Honey, seemed built around a one hit wonder about a man with sensitivity in the modern world. The next album, The Bends, has many promising themes and starts to experiment with some guitar effects towards an interesting outcome. However, The Bends really starts sounding too much like a mirror of Nirvana and the grunge scene.
Even though I was very late to the game, the sound of Radiohead really resonated with me during university and extra studies.
OK Computer really lets the skill and creativity of each and every band member to truly shine. Thoms voice has the uniqueness of a phoenix, the hauntingness of David Bowie and Leonard Cohen, and the falsetto of Freddie Mercury.
Ed’s guitar effect soundscapes inhabit the intensity of the most famous cinema soundtracks, the wide-ranging grandiose sounds of symphonies, and the raw expressions of an individual. Ed’s imaginative backdrop is often what separates Radiohead from other bands.
Jonny really capitalizes on the idea of soft verses and intense choruses with his guitar and array of delay, modulation, and dirt effects. Jonny (and the rest of the band) also regularly employs synthesizers, pianos, drum machines, mallet percussion, and even effects as instruments.
Philip hardly plays a back beat just to simply play something. Philip often plays fast jazzy riffs twice the tempo of the rest of instruments. This really provides a great dueling between the energetic rhythm and the apathetic melodies.
Colin's bass employs the punch and groove to really round out the sound. He adds to both the melancholy with his full, slightly dirty tone, and to the energy with his bass runs and fills. Sometimes the album versions utilize synthesizers for the bass, but Colin captures it well in live performances. Where would we be without the powerful bassline in Exit Music?
Nigel seems to complete the final sound of Radiohead since he fully produced this and all subsequent albums for Radiohead. I believe that Radiohead’s best decision was hiring Nigel full time for their albums as he pushed the songs to (and beyond) the next level, and this is the reason he is my favorite record producer.
Radiohead is experimental and artsy, capable of making a rocking anthem, dark ballad, or even a radio hit, willing to explore genres ranging from jazz, blues, rock, grunge, punk rock, electronica, film score, trip hop, musique concrète, psychedelia, and classical.
Radiohead shows that each instrumentalist need not play in every song. And, if they do, they may play an alternative instrument, or just a background sound, or mess with effects on the vocals to create a new tone. This creativity is what defines the sound of Radiohead in the history of music.
One of my favorite quotes about Radiohead’s writing process comes from Ed O’Brien during the British and Irish Modern Music Institute Masterclass: “Everybody brings something. No one writes your own part. If you don’t have a part you don’t play.” I interpret this as every part of each song comes from the emotionally raw creativity of the individual. And, that the tie in to the larger picture of each song, and hence each album, is that every instrumental voice is consequential. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2020]
Even though I was very late to the game, the sound of Radiohead really resonated with me during university and extra studies.
OK Computer really lets the skill and creativity of each and every band member to truly shine. Thoms voice has the uniqueness of a phoenix, the hauntingness of David Bowie and Leonard Cohen, and the falsetto of Freddie Mercury.
Ed’s guitar effect soundscapes inhabit the intensity of the most famous cinema soundtracks, the wide-ranging grandiose sounds of symphonies, and the raw expressions of an individual. Ed’s imaginative backdrop is often what separates Radiohead from other bands.
Jonny really capitalizes on the idea of soft verses and intense choruses with his guitar and array of delay, modulation, and dirt effects. Jonny (and the rest of the band) also regularly employs synthesizers, pianos, drum machines, mallet percussion, and even effects as instruments.
Philip hardly plays a back beat just to simply play something. Philip often plays fast jazzy riffs twice the tempo of the rest of instruments. This really provides a great dueling between the energetic rhythm and the apathetic melodies.
Colin's bass employs the punch and groove to really round out the sound. He adds to both the melancholy with his full, slightly dirty tone, and to the energy with his bass runs and fills. Sometimes the album versions utilize synthesizers for the bass, but Colin captures it well in live performances. Where would we be without the powerful bassline in Exit Music?
Nigel seems to complete the final sound of Radiohead since he fully produced this and all subsequent albums for Radiohead. I believe that Radiohead’s best decision was hiring Nigel full time for their albums as he pushed the songs to (and beyond) the next level, and this is the reason he is my favorite record producer.
Radiohead is experimental and artsy, capable of making a rocking anthem, dark ballad, or even a radio hit, willing to explore genres ranging from jazz, blues, rock, grunge, punk rock, electronica, film score, trip hop, musique concrète, psychedelia, and classical.
Radiohead shows that each instrumentalist need not play in every song. And, if they do, they may play an alternative instrument, or just a background sound, or mess with effects on the vocals to create a new tone. This creativity is what defines the sound of Radiohead in the history of music.
One of my favorite quotes about Radiohead’s writing process comes from Ed O’Brien during the British and Irish Modern Music Institute Masterclass: “Everybody brings something. No one writes your own part. If you don’t have a part you don’t play.” I interpret this as every part of each song comes from the emotionally raw creativity of the individual. And, that the tie in to the larger picture of each song, and hence each album, is that every instrumental voice is consequential. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2020]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
61,164
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 06/11/2020]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,978
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 02/21/2020]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
40,119
Rank in 2000:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 02/21/2020]
[First added to this chart: 02/21/2020]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,752
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 02/21/2020]
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 3 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 16 | 16% | |
| 1970s | 36 | 36% | |
| 1980s | 4 | 4% | |
| 1990s | 7 | 7% | |
| 2000s | 19 | 19% | |
| 2010s | 13 | 13% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Radiohead | 6 | 6% | |
| Rush | 5 | 5% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 5% | |
| Muse | 4 | 4% | |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 4 | 4% | |
| Yes | 4 | 4% | |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 39 from 64th to 25thInnerspeaker by Tame Impala |
| Up 34 from 43rd to 9thYoshimi Battles The Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips |
| Up 13 from 37th to 24thStadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 18 from 10th to 28thMoving Pictures by Rush |
| Down 14 from 16th to 30thClose To The Edge by Yes |
| Down 13 from 13th to 26thAre You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Manso | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Albums Between 1966-1975 |  StefanR10 | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Drbassexpert24 | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Tidus1997 | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | LosWochos | Overall chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  nextorgd | Overall chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums (objective) |  Larcx13 | Custom chart | 2021 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | gelud | Overall chart | 2014 | |
| My Ranking of the BEA top 100 |  sszwalbenest | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | SVenus | Overall chart | 2017 | |
Top 100 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.
- Gain access to a Dark Mode theme.
- 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/10/2025 07:20 |  NowhereMan | 293 | 82/100 | |
| 04/09/2025 20:28 | StreakyNuno | 130 | 82/100 | |
| 02/13/2025 10:15 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,089 | 85/100 | |
| 07/18/2023 09:39 |  Tamthebam | 651 | 85/100 | |
| 07/18/2023 08:13 | Moondance | 476 | 85/100 |
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 has a Bayesian average rating of 86.4/100, a mean average of 87.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 86.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.7.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing all 8 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 StreakyNuno 04/09/2025 20:30 | #308437
Dark side in first!!! I Agreeeee!!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 11/16/2022 09:20 | #291325
Very classic chart with some nice outliers. All in all, a great chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
sssvnnn 07/24/2022 19:30 | #287796
sssvnnn 07/24/2022 19:30 | #287796
Very classical chart - fine.
(not too many surprises...)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From mrmcrook 02/16/2021 22:47 | #266383
Good mix. Lot of usual suspects but that's understandable. Nice range of others
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 0129114 09/07/2020 14:48 | #257849
dude your list is amazing
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From 
guzguzgarbit 09/07/2020 12:06 | #257848
guzguzgarbit 09/07/2020 12:06 | #257848
In this chart I can see the usual rock albums (Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin), but most of the lesser known picks here are among my favourite electronic albums: deadmau5, Feed Me, Stephan Bodzin, Cubicolor? Amazing... I would love to see some notes, because I'm quite puzzled.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 0129114 07/08/2020 17:57 | #255256
MUSE! LMAOOO
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From mianfei 03/14/2020 12:09 | #248719
A list about which I have mixed emotions.
On the one hand there is a lot of 1990s and 2000s alternative rock which I have deplored ever since it transformed the only radio available to me as a child in virtually enclosed suburbs of western Melbourne.
On the other hand the list is diverse and personal in a manner impossible if one was merely listening to the music described in the previous paragraph. Although almost none of the list correlates with my own, and the areas of musical interest are different from my own chart, the combination of electronica – including even some albums that remind me of Piero Scaruffi – classic rock, alternative rock and even some metal is very unusual.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (1 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
Your feedback for Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
