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.

• Summary
• Composition
• Ratings
• Favourites
• Comments
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View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.

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1. (=)

Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) 

 Led Zeppelin

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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:

3,157 charts

Rank Score:

38,630

Rank in 1971:

1

Rank in 1970s:

4

Overall Rank:

12

Average Rating:

 90 (4,000 votes)

Comments:

306

2. (=)

Sticky Fingers 

 The Rolling Stones

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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:

1,642 charts

Rank Score:

16,940

Rank in 1971:

5

Rank in 1970s:

19

Overall Rank:

63

Average Rating:

 86 (1,922 votes)

Comments:

136

3. (=)

Odessey And Oracle 

 The Zombies

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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:

1,306 charts

Rank Score:

13,802

Rank in 1968:

4

Rank in 1960s:

21

Overall Rank:

88

Average Rating:

 85 (1,356 votes)

Comments:

123

4. (=)

Animals 

 Pink Floyd

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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:

1,759 charts

Rank Score:

22,599

Rank in 1977:

2

Rank in 1970s:

8

Overall Rank:

35

Average Rating:

 88 (2,803 votes)

Comments:

202

5. (=)

Tapestry 

 Carole King

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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:

843 charts

Rank Score:

6,465

Rank in 1971:

10

Rank in 1970s:

57

Overall Rank:

248

Average Rating:

 82 (949 votes)

Comments:

50

6. (=)

Exile On Main St. 

 The Rolling Stones

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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:

1,969 charts

Rank Score:

19,688

Rank in 1972:

2

Rank in 1970s:

13

Overall Rank:

45

Average Rating:

 85 (2,353 votes)

Comments:

210

7. (=)

Physical Graffiti 

 Led Zeppelin

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See comment about Exile. [First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

1,369 charts

Rank Score:

12,167

Rank in 1975:

4

Rank in 1970s:

28

Overall Rank:

103

Average Rating:

 85 (2,058 votes)

Comments:

138

8. (=)

Wish You Were Here 

 Pink Floyd

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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:

3,010 charts

Rank Score:

44,645

Rank in 1975:

1

Rank in 1970s:

2

Overall Rank:

5

Average Rating:

 91 (4,057 votes)

Comments:

314

9. (=)

Hounds Of Love 

 Kate Bush

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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:

1,413 charts

Rank Score:

18,143

Rank in 1985:

1

Rank in 1980s:

7

Overall Rank:

53

Average Rating:

 85 (1,408 votes)

Comments:

103

10. (=)

Quadrophenia 

 The Who

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A real achievement in songwriting. [First added to this chart: 05/29/2012]

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

942 charts

Rank Score:

7,031

Rank in 1973:

6

Rank in 1970s:

53

Overall Rank:

225

Average Rating:

 83 (1,346 votes)

Comments:

103

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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Country	Albums	%
	57	57%
	37	37%
	4	4%
	2	2%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

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 Greatest Music Albums	Nkelleyslc	Overall chart	2024
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s	MetalMan67	1970s decade chart	2025
100 Greatest Albums Of All Time	The Sound	Overall chart	2018
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums	MitchWind93	Overall chart	2020

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 48 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
85/100  !	03/20/2025 17:28	SomethingSpecial	1,104	85/100
90/100  !	02/05/2018 18:21	LedZep	1,104	84/100
90/100  !	07/18/2017 20:59	authorunknown	64	83/100
70/100  !	05/25/2017 11:56	TheHolyKiwi	103	68/100
95/100  !	01/24/2017 02:40	Seab	2,005	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.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites

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Cojo7

dihansse

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 31 comments |
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Rating:  

90/100

From 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)

Rating:  

95/100

From 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)

Rating:  

95/100

From 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)

Rating:  

60/100

From 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)

Rating:  

95/100

From 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)

Rating:  

85/100

From 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)

Rating:  

95/100

From 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)

Rating:  

90/100

From 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)

Rating:  

90/100

From 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)

Rating:  

75/100

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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