Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Moondance 
Still under construction ¬¬¬¬
The albums in this chart are like my best friends - in fact, some have been my best friends for over 50 years. I have spent more hours with most of them than I have with my real friends. These albums connect me to key moments & relationship in my life. These albums are the soundtrack to my life.
As I look back over my life, I see 3 key factors that 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 have been exposed to some amazing & extraordinary Australian artists and 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: 02/08/2024 09:45
- (Created: 05/28/2020 19:25).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 15 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 32 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:
23,648
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
165
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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:
17,233
Rank in 1975:
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:
19,258
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
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]
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[First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,832
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
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: 07/12/2020]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,188
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
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: 07/12/2020]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,080
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 06/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,447
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 29. Page 1 of 3
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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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Simple Minds | 1 | 1% | |
| The Masters Apprentices | 1 | 1% | |
| Roxy Music | 1 | 1% | |
| Joan Armatrading | 1 | 1% | |
| Robbie Robertson | 1 | 1% | |
| James Taylor | 1 | 1% | |
| Crowded House | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 10 from 94th to 84th Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival |
| Up 6 from 98th to 92nd Music From Big Pink by The Band |
| Up 6 from 97th to 91st Bringing Down The Horse by The Wallflowers |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 25 from 26th to 51st Short Note by Matt Finish |
| Down 20 from 32nd to 52nd Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette |
| Down 18 from 14th to 32nd Parachutes by Coldplay |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
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- My top 100 artists/albums: United Kingdom by Moondance (2022)
- My top 100 solo male artists by Moondance (2023)
- My top 100 artists/albums: United States by Moondance (2022)
- The Times - Nov - Dec 1993 The Vultures Best Albums Of All Time by Steppenwolf666 (2021)
- 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time by The Sound (2018)
- Ranking the years in music ~ 1960-2023 by Moondance (2023)
- Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by
skelter54 (2014) - Top 100 Albums by ABC (2006)
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 32 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 32 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100/100  | 03/20/2024 21:52 |  Jbalbinolr | | 81/100 |
90/100 | 02/23/2024 18:22 | manurock | | 83/100 |
 100/100 | 01/31/2024 21:21 |  CharlieBarley | | 94/100 |
| 90/100 | 11/06/2023 23:02 |  TerryTezza | | 87/100 |
| 80/100 | 09/19/2023 09:33 |  MadhattanJack | | 84/100 |
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 88.6/100, a mean average of 87.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.5/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 14.9.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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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) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 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)
100/100
From 
Schribes 02/02/2023 03:53
Schribes 02/02/2023 03:53
Great Chart. Thank you. You gave me some albums to check out.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Keatownrodriguez 01/13/2023 03:59
Keatownrodriguez 01/13/2023 03:59
I was very touched by the words you had to say about my chart and I'm very excited to explore yours! You're definitely more well versed in areas that I am lacking in so I'm excited to broaden my horizons!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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