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: 12/27/2024 00:45
- (Created: 05/28/2020 19:25).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 17 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 37 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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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]
2
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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:
22,405
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:
16,539
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Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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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:
65,735
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
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:
850
Rank in 2000:
Rank in 2000s:
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:
9,227
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
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:
18,262
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:
2,783
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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I remember playing this album (Coming From Reality) & Cold Fact repeatedly while living in the western suburbs of Sydney from late 74 onwards. I loved (& still love) both albums. I didn't know that outside a few countries (notably Australia & South Africa), Sixto was a relative unknown and his lack of commercial success led him to move away from the music industry by the time I was really getting into him. I did wonder every now & then what happened to him as I would play CFR & CF several times a year as the years rolled by. Then (more than 35 years later), 'Searching For Sugarman' happened in early 2010's and all was revealed ~ I recall sitting in the darkened cinema and watching SFS, singing along (quietly) with tears of joy streaming from my eyes - such a beautiful story. Then, the icing on the cake for my personal journey with Sixto, was being in NYC on 9 October 2013 and seeing him perform live at the Barclay Theatre, Brooklyn. While CFR & CF are both exceptional albums, two songs on CFR (I Think Of You & Silver Words) tilt the balance (for me) towards Coming From Reality.
[First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
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 | 10 | 10% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Neil Young | 1 | 1% | |
| Boz Scaggs | 1 | 1% | |
| The National | 1 | 1% | |
| INXS | 1 | 1% | |
| Richard Thompson | 1 | 1% | |
| Placebo | 1 | 1% | |
| The War On Drugs | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 13 from 93rd to 80th Truth Of The World by Evermore |
| Up 8 from 95th to 87th March Fires by Birds Of Tokyo |
| Up 7 from 92nd to 85th Music From Big Pink by The Band |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 22 from 69th to 91st American Pie by Don McLean |
| Down 21 from 77th to 98th New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) by Simple Minds |
| Down 17 from 66th to 83rd Trouble Will Find Me by The National |
| New entries |
|---|
 Letters To A Dreamby Louis Tillett |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Happinessby The Beloved |
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 | |
| The Times - Nov - Dec 1993 The Vultures Best Albums Of All Time | Steppenwolf666 | custom chart | 2021 |  |
| My top 100 artists/albums: United States | Moondance | custom chart | 2022 | |
| 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time | The Sound | 2018 |  | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  skelter54 | 2014 |  | |
| Top 100 Albums | ABC | 2006 | | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | tim0505 | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
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Other overall charts by Moondance
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Moondance | 2024 | |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
88/100 (from 37 votes)
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 37 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
90/100  | 01/29/2025 12:43 | SomethingSpecial | | 85/100 |
100/100 | 01/15/2025 23:10 | Exist-en-ciel | | 99/100 |
 90/100 | 08/24/2024 15:47 |  hoyquarlow | | 88/100 |
| 80/100 | 07/31/2024 12:27 |  LedZep | | 84/100 |
| 75/100 | 05/14/2024 13:56 |  AvalancheGrips | | 89/100 |
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 6% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.4/100, a mean average of 87.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 14.2.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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90/100
From 
DommeDamian 08/30/2024 10:27
DommeDamian 08/30/2024 10:27
Gonna listen to your album soon
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From LedZep 07/31/2024 12:29
LedZep 07/31/2024 12:29
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)
100/100
From 
Jbalbinolr 03/20/2024 21:52
Jbalbinolr 03/20/2024 21:52
Great list!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From manurock 02/23/2024 18:22
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)
100/100
From 
CharlieBarley 01/31/2024 21:26
CharlieBarley 01/31/2024 21:26
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)
90/100
From 
TerryTezza 11/06/2023 23:06
TerryTezza 11/06/2023 23:06
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)
90/100
From 
ExTeaSea 08/19/2023 21:36
ExTeaSea 08/19/2023 21:36
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)
90/100
From Fade2Black 08/03/2023 10:19
Enjoyed the read and the listen on Soundcloud. Thanks for sharing.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
15/100
From 
joedec 06/21/2023 08:49
joedec 06/21/2023 08:49
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)
85/100
From 
Strangel 03/26/2023 23:02
Strangel 03/26/2023 23:02
Loving the nostalgia from a time before my own journey and also the Australian angle. Look forward to reading further updates down the ‘bloody track’ mate.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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