Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by subtleman22 
I admire those who can limit their charts to one or two albums per band. But this is a list of the best albums according to me, so naturally the bands that influenced me most will turn up most often.
I do listen to other music besides Floyd, Zeppelin and The Stones, and I like other eras besides the sixties and seventies. My music library is pretty diverse, and I love to discover new (or old and unfamiliar) sounds. I'm also fascinated by the forces that come into play when a band comes together to produce a masterwork. Some bands did it repeatedly; others occasionally; many achieved it only once. But ultimately this is a list of my very favorite albums--the ones that hold the most significance for me, so it's impossible to be objective. Hey, why would I want to be?
I hope you enjoy the chart. I always try to leave ratings and/or comments for those who rate and comment on my charts. Music is important, and I'm curious about the music that inspires others.
- Chart updated: 11/24/2015 18:15
- (Created: 05/29/2012 06:05).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 31 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 85 out of 100 (from 48 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
The entries in this chart have a zero rank score because the chart has not been updated within the last ten years (points from overall charts are decayed over a ten year period).
View the complete list of 58,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
The perfect rock album. Has everything: darkness and light; gentle contemplation and eviscerating power. I suspect this would still be somewhere on my list if it were 40 minutes of Page playing guitar or Bonham playing drums. Combine them, add JPJ and Plant nearly at their best; the finest batch of songs they ever wrote; and perfect production, and you get the Best Album Ever.
[First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,614
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Comments:
May not be better than Exile, but this one haunts me more, and contains the five Stones songs I'd least want to live without: the first four songs on the album and "Bitch." Draws you so deeply into their decadent lifestyle, you'll feel like checking into rehab after listening to it.
[First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,495
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There have been days (and years) when this was my favorite record. Life-affirming pop, even when—especially when—it's wistful. Makes me happy every time I hear it.
[First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,541
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Comments:
Probably not as significant as Dark Side or Wish You Were Here, but more important to me than either of those albums. And Floyd is more important to me than sex, so I dare you to argue with me about them.
[First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
21,893
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Comments:
I never tire of these songs, and I've been listening to them for 40 years. This album is such a comfort.
[First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,587
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There are more great songs and different modes on this double album than most bands pack into a career.
[First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,160
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Comments:
See comment about Exile.
[First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,946
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I've never once looked at my watch while "Shine On" was playing.
[First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
43,537
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My tastes were even less experimental when I first heard this in the eighties than they are now, but immediately it blew me away, and kept growing on me. 30 years later, if it’s at all possible, it’s STILL growing on me. Weird, innovative, haunting, and really beyond words.
[First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,064
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Comments:
A real achievement in songwriting.
[First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,006
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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 | 3 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 29 | 29% | |
| 1970s | 46 | 46% | |
| 1980s | 10 | 10% | |
| 1990s | 10 | 10% | |
| 2000s | 2 | 2% | |
| 2010s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Pink Floyd | 7 | 7% | |
| The Who | 6 | 6% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 5% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 5% | |
| The Beatles | 4 | 4% | |
| Jefferson Airplane | 4 | 4% | |
| The Doors | 4 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| New entries |
|---|
| Crescent by John Coltrane Quartet |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | subtleman22 | 1970s decade chart | 2013 | |
| OVERALL CHART | pentapolin | Custom chart | 2014 |  |
| Top 100 Classic Rock albums of all time by DMD | Johnnyo | Custom chart | 2025 |  |
| my 100 favorite 'classic rock artists' albums | panapsal | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | maximm67 | Overall chart | 2011 |  |
| Top 100 Albums Between 1966-1975 |  StefanR10 | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s |  MetalMan67 | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Nkelleyslc | Overall chart | 2024 | |
| 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time | The Sound | Overall chart | 2018 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | matterhornrider | Overall chart | 2025 | |
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 48 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/20/2025 17:28 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,089 | 85/100 | |
| 02/05/2018 18:21 |  LedZep | 1,103 | 84/100 | |
| 07/18/2017 20:59 |  authorunknown | 64 | 83/100 | |
| 05/25/2017 11:56 |  TheHolyKiwi | 102 | 68/100 | |
| 01/24/2017 02:40 | Seab | 2,001 | 93/100 |
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 has a Bayesian average rating of 85.1/100, a mean average of 84.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 85.0/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.9.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 4 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 31 comments |
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From authorunknown 07/18/2017 21:00 | #194547
authorunknown 07/18/2017 21:00 | #194547
Love this list. A New World record, Argybargy, I robot. Brilliant choices. Good work.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ObsoleteEntity 12/08/2016 01:57 | #179739
ObsoleteEntity 12/08/2016 01:57 | #179739
Just listened to Renaissance. Thanks for the introduction!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From ObsoleteEntity 12/08/2016 01:49 | #179738
ObsoleteEntity 12/08/2016 01:49 | #179738
Diverse ears. I'll have to give Heart a "non-radio" listen!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
buzzdainer 04/16/2016 18:38 | #163934
buzzdainer 04/16/2016 18:38 | #163934
Lots of solid stuff here. I especially appreciate the inclusion of Exile on Main St. and Who's Next.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Cojo7 04/10/2016 21:20 | #163606
Cojo7 04/10/2016 21:20 | #163606
Great albums and even better comments, I feel like you chose some of these albums just so you could put them next to other albums for a punchline! The lack of modern music knocks it down 5 points, but we all know 60's-70's music is better anyway!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
dihansse 12/07/2015 21:23 | #154085
dihansse 12/07/2015 21:23 | #154085
Very interesting choices and not always the most obvious choices of great bands. I also liked your comments.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From ObsoleteEntity 11/22/2015 14:30 | #153288
ObsoleteEntity 11/22/2015 14:30 | #153288
Due to the albums we have in common on our charts, I will give the ones I've never heard a listen. Classic chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
jhuik 11/21/2015 15:33 | #153254
jhuik 11/21/2015 15:33 | #153254
Classic chart. I'm not as great a lover of Floyd as you are, but love Zep and the Who. You're heavy on the 70's but that was the era of classic albums. In some ways our tastes differ significantly and in some ways we are soul bros. Much respect.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From LedZep 11/21/2015 12:29 | #153252
LedZep 11/21/2015 12:29 | #153252
Great, love to see you appreciate "those 23 minute songs". Just loveable chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Roal 10/27/2015 06:28 | #152127
A lot of classics. But would love to see you add more modern albums or the ones released like past 3 years.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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