Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
BozoTyrannus 
Trying to limit it to just one entry per artist, and only including studio albums (though some live albums have definitely slipped in)
At least for now.
- Chart updated: 06/08/2026 21:45
- (Created: 05/07/2020 19:44).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 12 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 27 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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[First added to this chart: 05/12/2020]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
35,655
Rank in 1968:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 05/12/2020]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
29,142
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 05/12/2020]
Year of Release:
2009
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,073
Rank in 2009:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 05/12/2020]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,700
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 07/16/2020]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,273
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 01/21/2023]
[First added to this chart: 06/09/2020]
[First added to this chart: 05/12/2020]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,129
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
9. (=)
[First added to this chart: 06/09/2020]
[First added to this chart: 07/18/2020]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,830
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 2 | 2% | |
| 1940s | 2 | 2% | |
| 1950s | 6 | 6% | |
| 1960s | 13 | 13% | |
| 1970s | 20 | 20% | |
| 1980s | 12 | 12% | |
| 1990s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2000s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2010s | 15 | 15% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Animal Collective | 2 | 2% | |
| David Bowie | 1 | 1% | |
| Violent Femmes | 1 | 1% | |
| Benny Goodman | 1 | 1% | |
| Mstislav Rostropovich | 1 | 1% | |
| Charles Mingus | 1 | 1% | |
| The Shaggs | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
46 | 46% | |
 |
19 | 19% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 1 from 66th to 67th |
Down 1 from 67th to 68th |
Down 1 from 68th to 69th |
| New entries |
|---|
| Leavers |
|---|
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
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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 27 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 01/15/2025 17:56 | Exist-en-ciel | 162 | 97/100 |
| ! | 05/13/2023 19:12 |  MadhattanJack | 340 | 86/100 |
| ! | 05/13/2023 13:28 |  Tamthebam | 653 | 85/100 |
| ! | 09/04/2022 06:20 | Johnnyo | 2,673 | 80/100 |
| ! | 09/03/2022 22:16 | 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 is rated in the top 4% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.1/100, a mean average of 90.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.4.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 12 comments |
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Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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From
Johnnyo 09/04/2022 06:20 | #289245
Very interesting chart. Love the variety
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
Moondance 09/03/2022 22:18 | #289240
A really cool chart - spanning the decades 1930-2010 and 22 countries across planet Earth. We only have a handful of albums in common but I can appreciate the journey (& the fun) you have taken to put together this chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
ffudnebbuh 09/03/2022 16:26 | #289231
ffudnebbuh 09/03/2022 16:26 | #289231
There are a few that I haven't heard, but most of it is really good music. ..thanks for sharing
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
PeterSmith 12/27/2021 13:04 | #278060
Respect for this chart. I don't know most of it but you are obviously well researched and have a large and varied palette. Comments would have been the icing on the cake.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
EyeKanFly 01/27/2021 15:32 | #265178
EyeKanFly 01/27/2021 15:32 | #265178
As others have said, while the top 5-10 look a little standard, this chart has amazing depth. Incredible diversity of genres and eras, it's not often you see more than 10% of a chart from the pre-album era.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
mianfei 07/05/2020 12:03 | #255039
What’s really striking about this chart is that it is much more than what would be expected from the top few entries which are standard canonical fare.
After the first page one sees such unexpected figures from the past as “Bird” Parker, Leadbelly, Andres Segovia, Bessie Smith, The Mighty Sparrow, Lord Invader and Lord Beginner with Felix and His Internationals, Nat “King” Cole, Benny Goodman and Bo Diddley. There are modern surprises too – Alcest, The Olivia Tremor Control, Amanda Palmer and Federico Durand.
Although I have never listened to the artists listed previously, it is truly refreshing to see ‘Philosophy of the World’ here too, and pleasing to see ‘Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished’.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
Larcx13 06/19/2020 12:56 | #253890
Larcx13 06/19/2020 12:56 | #253890
Love that youre doing 1 album per artist. Ive done the same for now but once Im able to add 100 I think I'll break that rule. You kept it going which is a tough one to do Im sure. Good list!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
vancevisuals 06/17/2020 21:24 | #253775
Great choice for # 1. You've also have my favorite albums by Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath on your list as well
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
StefanR10 06/17/2020 11:30 | #253748
StefanR10 06/17/2020 11:30 | #253748
Nice chart, i see you have Leadbelly here and one album from the 1940s and some classic music. I like it in give you a high rating not to high but over average.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
NowhereMan 05/27/2020 16:00 | #252327
NowhereMan 05/27/2020 16:00 | #252327
Klaus Schulz!!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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