Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by DriftingOrpheus

Subject to change (often). These are my personal favorite records...not necessarily a reflection of an objective musical hierarchy. (Wow. These write-ups have grown like weeds, particularly as you descend through the list. Only the slightest bit proud. 😌)

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On December 28th, 1998, enigmatic frontman Shinji Sato gazed upon a vigilant crowd gathered lovingly at the Akasaka Blitz in Minato, Tokyo. It was here that his band, Fishmans, was prepared to bid adieu to their bassist, Yuzuru Kashiwabara, who was set upon leaving the group. Little did anyone know, the amount of finality and reverence this performance would carry would forever bathe the band in a balmy luster of posthumous praise. As the first reverberations of guitar are heard, a docility seems to rain over the multitude, almost entranced in a spiritual, reverent manner. Such things happen without warning, yet, when they do, they have the tendency to stifle the passing of time and render the present moment motionless. What happened on that December evening in Tokyo is exalted for the transcendent-nature of the musicality and Sato's passing in the months that would follow. What many don't perceive, is that it wasn't just Sato's passage that galvanized those proceedings. Every single soul on stage and in attendance would take part in the ascension to a higher state of musical consciousness, now permanent, invisible residents of both the Akasaka Blitz and another heavenly dimension.

Sato and company begin with the pleasantries and with 'Oh! Slime', which bestows respective introductions to each of the band's players. This preamble progressively evolves from a spacey, serene whirring into a bouncy declaration of jubilee. It's clear that the forthcoming ceremony isn't going to be colored by solemnity, despite it being Kashiwabara's swan song. The chants of "Are you feel good?" further blur the collective reality and affix the qualities of a fragmented dream. The band slips back into serenity with the arrival of their legendary cut, 'ナイトクルージング (Night Cruising)'. This 'Night Cruise' is more tranquil than its studio album doppelganger, exercising more force and dramatic heft. Sato's presence seems to emanate like vapor through the bright, twinkly guitar chords. The track unfurls at a measured tempo, conjuring images of summer-swept, evening car rides with the windows at half mast. Distorted guitar clangs charge into Sato's banshee wail which fuels the burgeoning sense of grandiosity as the track fades from view. Next in queue, is a revisitation of the band's sophomore effort, 1992's King Master George. The cosmic, percussive 'なんてったの (What Was It)', materializes in a form seemingly untethered and which could fly away at a moment's notice. It's Honzi's work at the keys that colors and elevates the track, as her exploits attach a perceptible sense of melancholy to the song. The bittersweet sensations persist as Fishmans slip into 'Thank You', a explicit championing of life and an unbridled expression of gratitude for its peaks and valleys. The track's somber essence is one of hindsight, as Sato's screeches of life pre-date the ending of his own just months thereafter. It, at times, seems like a conscious goodbye, adding to the mystical gravitas of the band's live farewell.

The band ceases to drag their feet as they decide to live within the present with 'Shiawase-mono (A Happy Person)', a bassy, simmering concoction of placid guitar tones which are ushered away gracefully by Honzi's egressing, endearing keys. The pace lounges more evidently with 'Tayorinai Tenshi (Unreliable Angel)', which shimmers like a calm before a storm, despite its aesthetic allure. Carrying distinct reggae and ska sheens, Fishmans re-enliven their dub roots with pastoral, matured sensibilities. The velocity does resurface, however, the piquancy remains with 'Hikōki (ひこうき; Airplane)', a noticeably more rosy affair fit with phosphorescent guitar and jovial vocals. The infectious guitar solo marks a triumphant break within the track, providing a raucous, screeching wall which firmly divides the two melodic sections. After a brief exchange, the mood swells, the crowd loosens and the stage at the Blitz is now shrouded. The band recrudesces with a signature composition, 'In the Flight', off of 1997's 'Uchū Nippon Setagaya (Space Japan Setagaya)'. The track is rife with gradual escalation, with a dream pop alpha flowing into a brief but elastic, omega. Often cooing as gently as a dove, Sato's vocals on the track are befittingly avian, fragile and susceptible to a soft breeze. Honzi's violin passage weeps softly and elegantly acting as the perfect placeholder and compliment to Sato's own delicate offerings. An arresting symbiotic relationship carries 'In the Flight' into the ether. With a pivot from one legacy-defining track to another, 'Walking in the Rhythm' manifests. This 'Rhythm' is not as melodramatic as it dutifully chugs along before cascading overtop of itself with an assortment of varying guitar sections. The eponymous chants have never sounded so weighty as the track spirals into a cosmic cauldron of intergalactic synth and dueling guitar before crescendoing with labored exaltations from all parties. It's an incredible, stream-of-consciousness adaptation of the band's original masterpiece.

Another trans-dimensional odyssey takes place with the subsequent, 'Smilin' Days, Summer Holiday'. This voyage is powered by guitars that swirl and circulate like maelstroms, but without carrying a semblance of menace or ill-will. They gleam brightly from portion to portion as a cluster of voices flow out, tucked in snugly beneath the ever-advancing strings. After a particularly upbeat, punchy rendition of 'Melody' off of 1994's 'Orange', the stage darkens once more and the disposition becomes one of voiceless consideration. Fishmans begin to perform 'Yurameki in the Air (Flickering in the Air)', a composition that brandishes the same genetic makeup of slow-developing staples such as 'Night Cruising' and 'In the Flight', but stretched out to infinity. It's here that they return to music so gauzy and ethereal that, if you adjust your gaze or shift too brashly, it may flee from view, like innocent fauna of the forest. This intimate mind-meld between artist and audience for 16 unbroken minutes is pure bliss. Penultimate effort, "Ikareta Baby (いかれた Baby; Crazy Baby)", uncoils in a very disparate fashion than its studio counterpart. Here, the piece prefers to wander amidst the expanded acoustics of the Blitz and ride a persistent tempo into the final act of Fishmans' final hour.

So, Fishmans and Shinji Sato offered their parting gift to the world and it began with a cosmic whirl which bleeds into the unforgettable keyboard centerpiece. 'Long Season' was now in full swing, and experiencing it in its fully-realized form makes it easy to forget that the project was once a microscopic idea. This idea continued to propagate from the original six-minute version to the now towering, 41-minute monolith of musical perfection. Albeit tragic, it seems utterly apt that this composition would be the last thing the first iteration of the band would perform. Sato's guitar solo creates the proverbial shriek of a imploding star, a ball of gas which burns so bright that it collapses in on itself by way of its own brilliance. This final 'season' is one which seemingly endures the changing of the leaves, the shifting of tectonic plates and causes the earth, for a brief moment, to cease its rotation and stand still.

The Akasaka Blitz was closed in 2020, now a musical tomb, further painting a picture of a night more reminiscent of a mirage than a historical event. Its memory remains eternally imprinted upon the site and in the hearts and minds of those who witnessed this performance. Until recently, few outside Japan knew of the majesty Fishmans could conjure, but their creative tree fell in the woods in December 1998. Few heard it's alluring reverberation then, but now, finally, all can take part in its auditory luster. You see, as the tree collided with the Earth below, its descent and demise fertilized a beautiful garden which blooms more vividly each day and remains an idyllic place to sit, listen and ponder the radiance of life itself.

"I hope you don't fade away today"
- ゆらめき in the Air

Standout Tracks:

1. Long Season
2. ゆらめき in the Air
3. ナイトクルージング

100.7
[First added to this chart: 02/24/2022]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,716
Rank in 1999:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
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Comments:
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When Fishmans signed with Virgin Records Japan in 1990, drummer Kin-ichi Motegi thought that the band would sell 50,000 copies of their debut record, 'Chappie, Don't Cry'. In reality, the album didn't even sell 5,000. Fishmans, despite their brilliance, weren't able to boast any kind of monetary success, not that this ran parallel to the quality of the music, which was often stratospheric. These days, their performances and reissues are labors of love and honor while thoughts of economic prosperity from the music seem irrelevant. The remaining men from the band's heyday occupy a very different headspace than the young kids that broke into the Japanese music scene at the dawn of the 1990's. Then, they were wide-eyed, ambitious and fully unaware of the rigors and crushing distresses that the music industry offers with little clemency. Frontman Shinji Sato, particularly, foresaw a future bedecked with a rock star effigy and he worked tirelessly on his craft to feed the fires of his vision. Not to undermine the disappointment of any of the members who gave their all to the now legendary Japanese unit, but the fruits of a belatedly adored discography feel all the more tragic in a world without Sato in it. Outside of Japan, few could squint and regard the band as "rock stars", however, whenever the group took the stage, the quality of their live showcase anointed them as a force with no equal.

'Long Season '96' contains material from Fishmans at their peak. Recorded in the Winter of 1996, its release in 2016 came as a welcomed surprise for loyal fans who had long waited for a companion piece to the seismic '98.12.28' (1999). It's safe to say that '96' wades effervescently through the same hallowed passage of celestial bodies. The LP commences, the only way it could, with a Fishmans live staple/calling card. 'Oh Slime' starts with the shrill, unmistakable wail from Shinji Sato, a sort of auditory autograph, as the unit uncorks their customary, preliminary track. This version of 'Oh! Slime', is more barebones than the epic, arena-filling version found on '98.12.28'. What this rendition lacks in polish, it makes up for with heavy helpings of charm. Notably less formidable than its evolution, the playful keyboarding of secret weapon member, Honzi, colors the track beneath Sato's half-spoken/half-sung vocals. Before you can blink, the band slips into second track 'Go Go Round This World!', as declared by Yuzuru Kashiwabara's heartbeat, sub-aquatic bass line. This iteration of 'Go Go' vastly differs from its original life as a single from Fishmans in 1994. Where the single was direct, melodic and firmly colored in from within the lines, the live equivalent is comparative free jazz and borderline improvisational. It's an eight-minute, kaleidoscopic safari that reorients itself compulsively between canorous wobbler and prog-rock bouncer. It's one of the record's more intriguing forays, especially when holding it up to the light, parallel to the prototype. Putting new coats of paint on compositions should always be in play on stage and the band successfully touches up their prior handiwork. Third track, なんてったの, is an early career standout, as pointed out by Sato himself. The swirling track retains most of the properties of the studio cut. In other live iterations, there's a warmth present from Honzi's keys. Here, chilly tones return, leaving the warmth to Sato's vocals as Kin-ichi Motegi's drums dance around both elements. It's a track that undeniably circular, leaving the listener in dizzy, joyful bewilderment. The aura of merriment extends to fourth entry, '土曜日の夜', however, shy basslines are shown the door. Kashiwabara's buoyant work on the track provides a smooth surface for others to effectively ad-lib on top of. This bravado is most extroverted during the song's mid-section, when Honzi's cosmic flourishes play tag with the unshackled guitar of Darts Sekiguchi. '土曜日の夜' is a ringing endorsement of the sturdiness of Fishmans' sonic foundations and gives credence to the notion that any additional musical adornment would homogenize seamlessly.

The LP takes its foot off the pedal with fifth track, 'バックビートにのっかって', a tranquil transcription of one of the more serene moments from 'Uchu Nippon Setagaya' (1997). Here, in its live reincarnation, the song is willing to unbutton its collar and let loose, if only marginally. The dotting of the outer edges propagates renewed vigor without parting with its aboriginal appeal. Extended drum installments and brighter keys illuminate a track that's far removed from a Monday morning shift and is comfortably enjoying Friday night cocktail hour. The airy waltz advances with 'エヴリデイ・エヴリナイト', which also isn't afraid to step out of its comfort zone. This chapter is still chiefly captained by the soothing coos of Shinji Sato, but exits stage with a Sekiguchi guitar extension that shakes your hand firmly before leaving, making sure you commit the name to memory. It's just then, when all things passive are expunged as 'Sunny Blue's' agitated riff splits the silence. The dichotomy between Sato's vocal delicacy and some of Fishmans' more combative instrumentation never ceases to marvel with its ability to harbor such consonance. Despite the truth behind the melody section hording the spotlight, Kin-ichi Motegi's dexterous drumming straightens the spine of the rebellious episode. The track, potentially more than the others, best displays a group who have fully found their technical confidence. With 'Smilin' Days, Summer Holiday', the band re-up on their opportunity to cast out any lingering kinetic energy. Another piece that has been embedded with new life on stage, 'Smilin' Days' is, at times, formless and polychromatic. However, the tune never veers into a place of ostentation and retains its sense of self. Still a down-to-earth celebration of life's little delights, this 'holiday' champions childlike innocence. Sato sings, "Like how a puppy and a child are understandably good friends; I'm sure the person with the foreign hairstyle is thinking the same thing."

As the LP approaches its coda, Fishmans graciously send off the observational, tenderhearted canticles of their formative years and invite the space rock, dream pop stylings of "すばらしくてNice Choice" in to close the loop. The track whirrs in, akin to a hovering flying saucer. The slightly shrouded perspective and auditory ambiguity point to a freshly charted course on the back half of 'Long Season '96'. This is not to dye the objectively benign lyrics as deceitful, but it does, however, cause them to land with alternate reverberations. Honzi's violin further implicates the cut as one with nebulous sensibilities, both literally and figuratively. 'Nice Choice' is one of the album's more arresting tangents, one that's markedly nihilistic as evidenced by Sato's declarations of, "Gently meet fate and laugh at it". Fishmans continue to live in the world of the incorporeal with '夜の想い', which translates to 'Thoughts of the Night'. Although the track has more swagger in its step, it still wrestles with headier themes than previous pop belters. This introspection isn't just contained to the setlist, the emotion found in this recitation is noticeably impassioned, as highlighted by the carefully weighted playing of its authors. Still, these are just precisely situated cultivations in service of the gut punch to come. The penultimate, 'ナイトクルージング', is to my ears, the finest arrangement the song has ever adopted, with its captivating allure pausing, smelling the flowers and then departing, clearing a path for the colossus. The finality of 'Long Season' never loses it's potency and while its more famous exhibition brandishes more emotion, this offering is more cavernous. The stellar percussion of Motegi and Asa-Chang at the track's axis is triumphant, eliminating any hint of a mid-point lull. This perpetual momentum steers the listener headfirst into the brunt of the song's unrivaled emotional endgame. Sato long wished for he and his cohorts to become "rock stars". Fortunately for them, the term "deities" would have to suffice.

95.7
[First added to this chart: 07/17/2022]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
187
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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One of the ways the Fishmans online community stokes the fire of their fandom is through the creation of "The Seasonal Report", a fanzine consisting of all things concerning the Japanese outfit. Said volumes contain recent Fishmans-related news, fan retrospectives and even occasional poetry. However, the passion project can only be accessed on 'The Fish Tank' (Fishmans' Discord), issuu.com and archive.org. This narrowness of access is an emblematic reminder of the legacy the band has left in its wake. It's a portrait of veracious artisans whose existence and collected works are shrouded in just as much mystery as truth. This attaches value to excavating deep within cavernous labyrinths to find gold among endless, pedestrian sediment. Some things are meant to be uncovered by happenstance and, due to this, many don't find Fishmans. Fishmans find you. Furthermore, it seems fitting that the closing studio effort was 1997's 'Uchu Nippon Setagaya', an eight-chapter odyssey that saw the band fully harness and deploy the optimal strength of their dream pop powers. See, just as Fishmans was destined to be difficult to discover, they also curated a candle which burned ineffably bright for a finite amount of time. At the risk of inducing melodrama, Fishmans' catalog extends beyond the plane of human achievement and dexterity. To put it plainly, it was the music of the angels.

Album seven is the final entry in Fishmans' Wakiki Trilogy, so named for the new studio HQ, "Waikiki Beach", provided by the band's record label (Polydor). The sonic space birthed fruitful products, as they went on to release three of their most acclaimed records in this new auditory ecosystem. The upgrade in capital also aided a transition to a more evocative and mellifluous sound, supplanting their dub roots. The new look artistic temperament is unabashed and unshrouded in the opening track of 'Space Japan Setagaya', entitled 'Pokka Pokka'. The opening melody coos with a delicate, childlike disposition, almost with the intention to softly awaken one from a dream. Kin-Ichi Motegi's patient drum beat gently breaks the serenity to pull you in as Sato's falsetto safely ushers you to the next soundscape. His lyrics craft a vision more mournful than on previous records. He sings, "I wish I could be kind only to someone; I wish I could live without relying on tomorrow." Honzi's violin, which served as a lynchpin for the band's dream pop realignment, softly puts the track to bed and marks another tender moment in an already alluring discography. At the close, it becomes clear that it's a heinous crime that 98 percent of the western world will never experience this music but it also functions as a magnificent anomaly to those who greet its majesty. It's like finding a four-leaf clover or witnessing a double rainbow by accident. Track two advances the dynamism as icy keys give way to a submerged bassline from Yuzuru Kashiwabara, who's always been a phenomenal bass player, but 'Weather Report' is one of his finest hours. Also, the production done by ZAK is another highlight, as the song shares DNA with Joy Division's 'Atmosphere'. The glassy, sweeping walls of sound contrast the throbbing, ever-present bassline. It's a heavier, but no less comely moment for the group.

'うしろ姿'opens with concordant ticking, evoking a hair-triggered clock. The bass again buoys as Sato sings, "Sometimes I walk a little too far, sometimes I go a little crazy." The track evolves into a pleasing cacophony of dueling rhythms and melodies, all while reverbed vocals hover in the distance, watching the sounds perpetually crawl over each other. Next, comes one of the album's more tranquil passages. The tale goes that when Sato provided his mates with a demo tape which would become 'Uchu Nippon Setagaya', most of the demos were nearly complete. The band was reluctant to tamper with the grandeur of the work, especially 'In the Flight'. On the final version, Sato's dove coos are obscured and hauntingly placid. A disciplined, observant drumbeat lingers behind as the song slowly dissipates into the ether. It's squarely doleful, ruminating on Sato's own personal sense of creative and personal unfulfillment after the band's first 10 years. The juxtaposition of beauty and sorrow coagulate to create a hymn with an idiosyncratic, potent aura. These are the sort of triumphs Fishmans make look elementary. 'Magic Love' commences with what sounds like junkyard percussion and stakes its claim as the cheeriest cut on the record. There's a lot brewing here and the bombastic production furnishes the immediacy. Its flamboyance isn't to its detriment as 'Magic Love' is still distinctly Fishmans and, therefore, funkily merry.

The band rekindle their trip-hop ethos with 'バックビートにのっかって', a slow-churning sway which steadily unravels to don a new sonic identity. Honzi's polite keyboard strokes give way to a more ethereal tone which elicits violin and a more ominous vocal style. "Anxiety hovers in the air at night, it must be ruining someone's life," Sato croons. It's a patient exercise which precurses the maximalist leanings of the subsequent anthem. For the penultimate effort, the album recedes back into itself during the intro of 'Walking in the Rhythm'. Alternating sets of key strokes frame the outer edges of the track as a harmonious chant begins in lock-step while encouraging the listener to 'Walk in the Rhythm'. Clocking in at nearly 13 minutes, this 'Walk' is the record's most prolonged but possibly most serene. Honzi's violin blots the midpoint, as the strings are purposely manic, sonically abyssal and the reverberation creates an illusion of ricocheted amati lost in a spectral wilderness. Soon after, the song shrinks again as a subdued, elongated coda allows the once triumphant harmonies to be ingested subtly by the Earth. 'Walking in the Rhythm' is a masterstroke of simplicity, intention and cognizant repetition. The LP leaves us with its defining statement. 'Daydream' is a bubbling, dilating, caliginous opus that starts with a modest drumbeat. Sato bellows overtop, "A figure in the sunset, standing with a quiet face; They looked so defenseless; They blankly stood." The track oscillates with progressive whimsy, coalescing into a multi-pronged beast of arpeggio. The weighted wheel of guitar that arrives at the track's latter half conjures the sensation of being kissed by the sun after a brief summer rain storm. 'Daydream' gives in to its own anxiety as fragments begin to decouple in a heavenly fashion before dissolving ahead of its full maturation. It remains the most poignant exhibition amongst a marvelous octet of culminating art.

When Shinji Sato presented his decade-long collaborators with his sparkling demo tape for what would become the final record, they were puzzled and questioned their place in an outfit that was rapidly becoming singular. However, Sato's intentions were noble and driven by a pursuit to make music that had the capacity to "change a person's life". In reality, Sato trusted his bandmates to interpret and execute his artistic vision and they too checked their egos in order to produce something wholly momentous. Despite not knowing the full vulnerability of Sato's personal headspace, Kashiwabara and Motegi were aware of the pain he carried as a result of watching his band dissolve in front of his eyes. So, as a reactionary measure, Sato employed loneliness to combat future loneliness. The byproduct was a record marked by solemnity but bathed in a whimsical elixir of creative utopia, a paradise which Sato deeply longed for. His relentless pursuit of perfection was his final undertaking. Sato died in March of 1999, but his bandmates still visit his grave to politely conversate. For theirs is a bond which never can be severed, not even by death. Fishmans still exist, as Sato would've surely wanted, never straying from their desire to plot a path through rain clouds to reach the gleaming sun of ambition and the vivid sky of artistic fulfillment.

"I'm filling the holes in my heart, little by little"
-Pokka Pokka

1. Daydream
2. Walking in the Rhythm
3. In the Flight

94.8
[First added to this chart: 03/14/2021]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,146
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Fishmans' penultimate album, Long Season, is tricky to recapitulate. The music itself seems beyond the realm of tangibility, reminiscent of a soothing summer daydream, effortlessly invoking the ethereal. Despite not being a Japanese speaker, Shinji Sato's tender coos resonate through the sheer emotion that they delicately channel. Sato's vocals function as an extension of the instrumentation rather than a separate entity, consolidating into a 35 minute cloudburst of dream pop and psychedelia. The record in earnest consists of five parts, all weaving together to manifest the full anatomy of Long Season.

As Long Season (Part 1) surfaces, a spacey, smoky atmosphere comes into focus, bubbling with an alien strut. The track evolves into a cascading keyboard loop which is majestically serene while carrying an ever-present promise of combustibility. This is when Sato's first declarations are audible, "At dusk we drove, calling the wind and calling you, we ran from one end of Tokyo to the other, halfway dreaming." The track shimmers during its climax as Honzi's violin and accordion join the fray with exuberant grace. The track seamlessly drifts into Long Season (Part 2) as the keyboard loop is adorned with percussive twinkles and Sato's own protuberant guitar solo. As Kin-ichi Motegi's drums cushion the final moments of Long Season (Part 2), (Part 3) introduces itself with a decidedly ambient complexion. Commencing with a damp, distant quality, (Part 3) is notably restrained when compared to the previous two movements. The track blossoms with Motegi's second drum flourish, a solo that lasts the length of the track serving as a distinct bridge between both boundaries of the record. (Part 4) comes into view with relaxed, remote guitar strikes. Whistling is interwoven throughout the DNA of (Part 4) betwixt a duplicated vocal melody and a swirling, ominous backing whirl. (Part 5) is a different shade of (Part 1), reintroducing the hypnotic keyboard riff with heightened immediacy and scope. The track builds to Sato's own haunting falsetto, broadcasting a billowing a sense of catharsis and rebirth amidst the sonic revisitation. (Part 5) is as majestic as the LP gets and is among the most gorgeous movements in recent memory.

Long Season (Part 5) sounds suspiciously like a swan song in many distinct manners. It recounts the past and treats a movement only 25 minutes removed to be one of complete nostalgia. Sato's own vocals at the finale are so undeniably vulnerable that one would be inclined to think of it more in terms of a finale for him rather than the LP, like a final championing of life and its wonders. The backing vocals stand to up the ante as intrinsic collateral for such a moment. Eerily enough, this movement would be the final piece of music Sato would play live. Long Season in its entirety would be played in Fishmans' final performance which was featured on the beloved live album, 98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare. Sato died suddenly of a heart attack three months after the band's final gig. These days, the outfit has reached an entirely new audience far from their native Japan. Long Season has been instrumental in moving the needle and has been retrospectively lauded as a masterpiece, one that graces the ears of new listeners each and every day. It's a testament to the band and the music they were producing. The record outdistanced its own release and becomes more inviting with age. Aligned with the recurring nature of its content like a persistent dream, Long Season is a crisp Spring day that will never end and more importantly, will never wither at the hand of a cruel Winter.

"What is the song you are humming,
What things can you remember,
We are half in a dream."

-Long Season (Part 1)

Standout Tracks:

1. Long Season (Part 5)
2. Long Season (Part 1)
3. Long Season (Part 4)

94.3
[First added to this chart: 04/26/2020]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,373
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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93.6 [First added to this chart: 07/18/2022]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
94
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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92.2 [First added to this chart: 01/14/2023]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
158
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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91.8 [First added to this chart: 02/23/2022]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
363
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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91.7 [First added to this chart: 07/16/2022]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
120
Rank in 1998:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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90.7 [First added to this chart: 07/14/2022]
Year of Release:
1992
Appears in:
Rank Score:
102
Rank in 1992:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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88.5 [First added to this chart: 02/28/2024]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
50
Rank in 1993:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 10. Page 1 of 1

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade Albums %


1930s 0 0%
1940s 0 0%
1950s 3 3%
1960s 16 16%
1970s 13 13%
1980s 7 7%
1990s 20 20%
2000s 20 20%
2010s 20 20%
2020s 1 1%
Country Albums %


United States 55 55%
United Kingdom 23 23%
Japan 10 10%
Mixed Nationality 4 4%
Canada 3 3%
Iceland 2 2%
Australia 1 1%
Show all
Live? Albums %
No 94 94%
Yes 6 6%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest fallers
Faller Down 1 from 49th to 50th
The Soft Bulletin
by The Flaming Lips
Faller Down 1 from 50th to 51st
Country Sleep
by Night Beds
Faller Down 1 from 51st to 52nd
Battle Hymns I
by Cancerslug

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)


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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
88/100 (from 32 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 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).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 32 ratings for this chart.

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RatingDate updatedMemberChart ratingsAvg. chart rating
  
70/100
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06/23/2023 05:13 Applerill  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 97675/100
  
85/100
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03/27/2023 17:55 Johnnyo  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,00579/100
  
85/100
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03/27/2023 00:15 Moondance  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 45184/100
  
80/100
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03/26/2023 12:00 Tamthebam  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 54985/100
  
90/100
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09/17/2022 23:03 Rm12398  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 9989/100

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 9% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.2/100, a mean average of 88.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 11.6.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing all 9 comments |
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Rating:  
85/100
From 03/27/2023 17:55
Exceeding chart and a great read.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 12/08/2022 00:11
We are 2 generations apart, so no surprise that our musical tastes/album preferences are not going to align. Totally respect your selections and appreciate your commentary - this chart is a definite labour of love. BTW - our one common album ~ Dark Side Of The Moon. BTW2 - thank you for introducing me to Night Beds' Country Sleep album - a future inclusion in my 2013 year chart.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 07/20/2021 15:00
I guess youre a fan of radiohead.

Hard work on the descriptions good stuff.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 04/27/2021 22:55
@StreakyNuno: Your statement is demeaning to every individual who's ever experienced an inkling of an original thought...
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 04/27/2021 19:23
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -5 votes (0 helpful | 5 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 04/27/2021 13:50
*shocked emoji* this is ridiculously great.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 10/21/2020 23:28
Like your taste
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 06/17/2020 10:18
Saw your comments on Syro which intrigued me enough to wander over here and read a bit more. I’ve always rated charts that offer explanations for each choice. So far you have gone above and beyond, plus I tend to agree with your love for many of these albums (Smiths aside). Look forward to seeing the finished version!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
55/100
From 05/14/2020 02:18
Even with very many “stereotypical” choices, this is not that bad a list.

Although I have never heard their music, Acid Bath is a wonderful surprise, as is the Misfits. I heard of both bands in the middle 2000s from one writer on Amazon.com called “janitor-x”, whose musical taste I cannot relate to but whose virulent criticism of ‘Rolling Stone’ I have never doubted nor seen refuted.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

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