Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by Moondance 
Still under construction ¬¬¬¬always under construction/reconstruction/deconstruction!!!!
The albums in this chart are like my best friends - in fact, most have been my best friends for over 50 years. Dropping a long time best friends for a more recent best friend is really tough - so I tend to stick with those who have been good & kind to me for most of my life - hence the dominance of 60's/70's albums - no apologies for that. These albums connect me to key moments & relationship in my life. These albums soundtrack my life.
As I look back over my life, 3 key factors have influenced my musical preference/tastes and the selection of albums in this chart.
1. I was born in 1956 and the 70's (when I moved between 14 - 24 years) proved to be the most dominant period in my appreciation of modern music;
2. Around 1970, influenced by the singer/songwriters of the time, I picked up the guitar and by 1972 I was penning my first song. And so, I am intrinsically drawn to the singer/songwriters;
3. I am Australian and (unlike the majority of BEA users) Australian artists and music have dominated my lifetime love of modern music.
Finally, I decided that my chart should limit each artist to one album and allow me a wider opportunity to recognise the artists as well as the albums that soundtrack my life.
- Chart updated: 08/20/2025 00:45
- (Created: 05/28/2020 19:25).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 18 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 38 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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I could easily have half a dozen Dylan albums in my top 100 ~ he is my all time favourite songwriter.
'Blood On The Tracks' came out at a key moment in my life. I was 18, just finished high school, moved out of home and into a share house, started my first full time job and was ready to make my own mark on the world. My high school girlfriend had moved 400 miles away to pursue her Uni studies & (in a world without mobile phones, email or the internet) we eventually drifted apart. It was a challenging time for me.....and Dylan's 'Blood On The Tracks' was the perfect antidote.
What I really like is that despite listening to the album (I guess) over 300 times in the past 47 years. I can still discover nuances in the lyrics or vocal delivery that capture my imagination and please my senses. [First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
'Blood On The Tracks' came out at a key moment in my life. I was 18, just finished high school, moved out of home and into a share house, started my first full time job and was ready to make my own mark on the world. My high school girlfriend had moved 400 miles away to pursue her Uni studies & (in a world without mobile phones, email or the internet) we eventually drifted apart. It was a challenging time for me.....and Dylan's 'Blood On The Tracks' was the perfect antidote.
What I really like is that despite listening to the album (I guess) over 300 times in the past 47 years. I can still discover nuances in the lyrics or vocal delivery that capture my imagination and please my senses. [First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,895
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The first time I heard the song 'Born To Run' is indelibly stamped into my music appreciation DNA. I was sitting in a car with the radio on, waiting for a friend ~ it was September 1975 and I was 19 ~ 'Born To Run' came on - I was mesmerised from the moment it began and by the end of the song I was changed in ways that I cannot explain.
I became an instant Springsteen fan - devoured the entire Born To Run album which has excellence from track 1 'Thunder Road' through to the extraordinary track 10 'Jungleland'....as well as devouring the back catalogue (Greetings From Ashbury Park NJ/The Wild The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle).
In those days the lyrics to songs were not readily available, so I played the individual songs to all 3 albums multiple upon multiple times as I wrote out the lyrics (or what I thought was a 'best guess' for a particular lyric) and in the process I felt a deeper connection, a bigger 'buy in', to each song on the album.
The album has stood the test of time and I still get an adrenalin hit every time I put it on 'play'.. [First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
I became an instant Springsteen fan - devoured the entire Born To Run album which has excellence from track 1 'Thunder Road' through to the extraordinary track 10 'Jungleland'....as well as devouring the back catalogue (Greetings From Ashbury Park NJ/The Wild The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle).
In those days the lyrics to songs were not readily available, so I played the individual songs to all 3 albums multiple upon multiple times as I wrote out the lyrics (or what I thought was a 'best guess' for a particular lyric) and in the process I felt a deeper connection, a bigger 'buy in', to each song on the album.
The album has stood the test of time and I still get an adrenalin hit every time I put it on 'play'.. [First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,400
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Strange choice? Put simply, this is my own album (my one & only album) ~ recorded in the lounge room of a guy who heard me playing at an open mic night in May 2019 ~ he asked if I wanted to do an album ~ I said 'yes' ~ and between June & November we laid down the 12 original songs. I don't expect anyone else to rate this album ~ but it's mine; it's something I had been dreaming of doing ever since I wrote my first song, aged 16, in 1972; I am very proud of the final product; and as the last song on the album says - 'nobody can take this away from me'.
[First added to this chart: 09/19/2020]
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This is Pink Floyd's 8th studio album and, to be honest, the first 7 albums never registered with me. I was turning 17 when 'Dark Side Of The Moon' was released and I fell in love with it from the first time I heard songs like 'Money' and 'Us And Them' coming out of the radio. It was the right time (the perfect time!) for my developing musical interests to be taken to another level. I then had the job of saving up (maybe $A3.99) to be able to buy the album with its iconic/classic cover art....and once I had bought the album I spend many hours locked away in my bedroom (or else at a friends place) listening with such intent (just me & the album) to side 1 followed by side 2 - and being amazed each & every time ~ and to this day, almost 50 years later, I still am amazed at how perfect it is as an entire piece or creativity etched into 2 sides of vinyl.
While I rate 'Wish You Were Here' very highly and have sentimental attachments to 'Animals" & 'The Wall', 'Dark Side Of The Moon' is (for me) the ultimate Pink Floyd album and would always be in the top 10 most significant albums of my lifetime. [First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
While I rate 'Wish You Were Here' very highly and have sentimental attachments to 'Animals" & 'The Wall', 'Dark Side Of The Moon' is (for me) the ultimate Pink Floyd album and would always be in the top 10 most significant albums of my lifetime. [First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
60,075
Rank in 1973:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
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[First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,693
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Released in early 1972 and dominating the radio air waves, it was inevitable that the emerging guitar player & songwriter in me (I was 15, going on 16 at the time) was going to fall in love with this album. 'Heart of Gold' became my 'go to' song to play in public - and still is! It helped that I could do a reasonable Neil Young vocal imitation. In 1974, a local 3 piece band I was in ('Obediah') entered a 'battle of the bands' competition run by the leading Sydney radio station at the time, 2SM, and we covered 'Out On The Weekend'.
Although the album has aged over the years, it has aged alongside my own ageing process and I feel a deep connection to it - it takes me back to an age of innocence when playing vinyl albums on record players and trying to emulate one's songwriting 'heroes' gave meaning & purpose to life. [First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
Although the album has aged over the years, it has aged alongside my own ageing process and I feel a deep connection to it - it takes me back to an age of innocence when playing vinyl albums on record players and trying to emulate one's songwriting 'heroes' gave meaning & purpose to life. [First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,443
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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My own experience is that this was the first The Cure album I listened to - lent to me by a friend in 2005. I had it on repeat in my car for several weeks - and it grew on me in ways that I cannot explain. I went on the various song journeys with Robert during that time and felt a deep personal connection...so much so, that every road trip I and my friend now go on ~ and that has been quite often in the almost 20 years since she lent the album to me ~ Bloodflowers always travels with us.
I have Bloodflowers very high in my greatest albums of all time chart. With musical preferences, quite often it is all in the 'timing' and how the music connects us to significant others & events in our lives. [First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
I have Bloodflowers very high in my greatest albums of all time chart. With musical preferences, quite often it is all in the 'timing' and how the music connects us to significant others & events in our lives. [First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
820
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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"Grace' is the one album that me & my son 100% agree is one of the best albums ever (in our respective top 10's) ~ the album connects us in ways that only music can, beyond the natural father & son bond.
[First added to this chart: 07/12/2020]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,877
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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This album is one of those where I can clearly picture where I was & what I was doing when I heard (part of) it for the very first time ~ I can feel how I was totally mesmerised by what I heard and felt a fundamental shift in my appreciation for Bowie & the music of the times. The songs (Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing) were played on a late Sunday night on AM radio (turned down low) in early June 1974 as I lay in bed trying to listen while the rest of the family were asleep (including my younger brother who slept in the top bunk). Luckily, the radio had a tape recording facility and I taped the songs - which I then replayed over and over until I had enough money to buy the complete album ~ and then to find songs like Diamond Dogs, Rebel Rebel, Rock N Roll With Me; 1984; Big Brother ~ it was like a 'coming of age' album for me and holds a very deep, sweet spot in my journey through modern music. While other Bowie albums rank more highly viz general consensus (& rightfully so), Diamond Dogs holds (& will always hold) a special place for me.
[First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,742
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1970s | 41 | 41% | |
| 1980s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1990s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2000s | 10 | 10% | |
| 2010s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2020s | 1 | 1% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Coldplay | 1 | 1% | |
| John Martyn | 1 | 1% | |
| The Zombies | 1 | 1% | |
| Rodriguez | 1 | 1% | |
| The Black Sorrows | 1 | 1% | |
| Concrete Blonde | 1 | 1% | |
| Richard Thompson | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 18 from 94th to 76th Kick by INXS |
| Up 4 from 11th to 7th Harvest by Neil Young |
| Up 1 from 45th to 44th Crime Of The Century by Supertramp |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 7 from 38th to 45th Sweet Baby James by James Taylor |
| Down 4 from 92nd to 96th Odessey And Oracle by The Zombies |
| Down 3 from 5th to 8th Bloodflowers by The Cure |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My top 100 bands/albums | Moondance | Custom chart | 2022 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | Moondance | 1970s decade chart | 2023 | |
| My top 100 artists/albums: United Kingdom | Moondance | Custom chart | 2022 | |
| My top 100 solo male artists | Moondance | Custom chart | 2023 | |
| My top 100 artists/albums: United States | Moondance | Custom chart | 2022 | |
| The Times - Nov - Dec 1993 The Vultures Best Albums Of All Time | Steppenwolf666 | Custom chart | 2021 |  |
| Ranking the years in music ~ 1960-2024 | Moondance | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time | The Sound | Overall chart | 2018 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  skelter54 | Overall chart | 2014 |  |
| Top 100 Albums | ABC | Overall chart | 2006 | |
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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 38 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/18/2025 04:12 |  LadyGodiva | 96 | 97/100 |
| ! | 06/22/2025 17:36 | Johnnyo | 2,557 | 80/100 |
| ! | 01/29/2025 12:43 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/15/2025 23:10 | Exist-en-ciel | 143 | 98/100 |
| ! | 08/24/2024 15:47 |  hoyquarlow | 34 | 88/100 |
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 87.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 14.2.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 18 comments |
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From Johnnyo 06/22/2025 17:37 | #309664
Very good chart. Loved reading the notes.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
DommeDamian 08/30/2024 10:27 | #305039
DommeDamian 08/30/2024 10:27 | #305039
Gonna listen to your album soon
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
LedZep 07/31/2024 12:29 | #304604
LedZep 07/31/2024 12:29 | #304604
This is a chart by someone who has a lifetime of music experience and it shows. It oozes personality, even when the albums themselves aren't my favourites. You can hardly ask for more.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Jbalbinolr 03/20/2024 21:52 | #302609
Jbalbinolr 03/20/2024 21:52 | #302609
Great list!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From manurock 02/23/2024 18:22 | #302171
Thanks for your comment in my chart. Listening to you right now (actually, your nicely sounding 2019 album) and I'll check other Australian artists to try to fix my lack of Australian artists in my chart. You should do the same with the Spanish ones ;)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
CharlieBarley 01/31/2024 21:26 | #301638
CharlieBarley 01/31/2024 21:26 | #301638
Thanks for your kind comment on my chart mate. I like your chart a lot. Good to see your own album at number one. Wish I had songwriting talent. I can sing but don't know if I can write a song.
I like Australian music. INXS, Midnight Oil, Avalanches. Crowded House (or are they New Zealand?).
I love 70s music the best. I was born in the 70s and it's my favourite decade for music as well as the 90s.
Good on you MD
Will check out your album ASAP
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
TerryTezza 11/06/2023 23:06 | #299848
TerryTezza 11/06/2023 23:06 | #299848
You have an awesome selection of music artists in your Top 100. Thanks for your comments on my list too. Exceptional taste in music but not sure of the rule of 1 album per artist but it gives a greater collection of albums. Having your own album as number one is great as this should be about your personal choice and connection with the album.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ExTeaSea 08/19/2023 21:36 | #298724
ExTeaSea 08/19/2023 21:36 | #298724
Cool chart! Had to check it out cuz you commented on my 80s chart haha. Bunch of stuff on your chart I need to check out but like what I've heard for sure. I'll have to check out your own music too. Super cool.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Fade2Black 08/03/2023 10:19 | #298463
Enjoyed the read and the listen on Soundcloud. Thanks for sharing.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
joedec 06/21/2023 08:49 | #297700
joedec 06/21/2023 08:49 | #297700
I read your comment on my chart. And in all honesty, yo came off as stuck up with your criticisms of my chart. And your chart comes off as pompous as well. And as far as me having 6 Cure albums on my chart, so what? Damn near ever chart I've seen has a favorite artist with the most albums on it. That's not a big deal. All in all, your chart wasn't that exciting to me.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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