Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
Romanelli 
With production credits (because producers are important, too). Also track listings, label info and short reviews written by yours truly. I hope this chart is helpful, entertaining, and at least interesting.
- Chart updated: 11/30/2025 23:45
- (Created: 06/01/2012 04:29).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 114 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 179 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from Drive-By Truckers. (Remove this filter)
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- #Sponsored
2008 – NEW WEST
Produced By DAVID BARBE
1. Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife
2. 3 Dimes Down
3. The Righteous Path
4. I’m Sorry Huston
5. Perfect Timing
6. Daddy Needs A Drink
7. Self Destructive Zones
8. Bob
9. Home Field Advantage
10. The Opening Act
11. Lisa’s Birthday
12. That Man I Shot
13. The Purgatory Line
14. The Home Front
15. Checkout Time In Vegas
16. You And Your Crystal Meth
17. Goode’s Field Road
18. A Ghost To Most
19. The Monument Valley
So, how did Drive-By Truckers survive losing their up and coming songwriting star Jason Isbell? They went back in the studio and recorded a double album, that’s how. And while this album may not have the immediacy and power of previous albums like Decoration Day, A Blessing And A Curse and The Dirty South, it does stand up very well on its own. The band returns to a more country oriented sound here, and the songs are a bit simpler, but there are plenty of gems to be found. Mike Cooley, in particular, steps up and helps fill the shoes left vacant by Isbell. He makes the most of his seven contributions to the album, and his best lines are classic: “Bob ain’t light in the loafers/He might kneel, but he never bends over” (from “Bob”), and “Skeletons ain’t got no place to stick their money/Nobody makes britches that size” (from “A Ghost To Most”). “Self Destructive Zones” and “Perfect Timing” are high quality, as is the refreshing “Lisa’s Birthday”.
Patterson Hood’s highlights include “Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife”, about musician Bryan Harvey, who was murdered with his family in a home invasion: “Daddy Needs A Drink”, and “You And Your Crystal Meth”. Bassist Shonna Tucker brings three songs herself, including the fine “The Purgatory Line”. There’s a bit of filler here (a double album was certainly an ambitious idea), but Brighter Than Creation’s Dark is a nice transitional album for the band, a return to their roots, and a glimpse of what was to come in the future. And they have stayed busy: since this album, they have released three studio efforts, three live albums, and a pair of compilations. Drive-By Truckers have always released listenable records, and this one is certainly no exception. Always consistently good…this is one of those bands that you just can’t go wrong with. Carriers of the torch for Southern rock, for damn sure. [First added to this chart: 05/31/2012]
Produced By DAVID BARBE
1. Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife
2. 3 Dimes Down
3. The Righteous Path
4. I’m Sorry Huston
5. Perfect Timing
6. Daddy Needs A Drink
7. Self Destructive Zones
8. Bob
9. Home Field Advantage
10. The Opening Act
11. Lisa’s Birthday
12. That Man I Shot
13. The Purgatory Line
14. The Home Front
15. Checkout Time In Vegas
16. You And Your Crystal Meth
17. Goode’s Field Road
18. A Ghost To Most
19. The Monument Valley
So, how did Drive-By Truckers survive losing their up and coming songwriting star Jason Isbell? They went back in the studio and recorded a double album, that’s how. And while this album may not have the immediacy and power of previous albums like Decoration Day, A Blessing And A Curse and The Dirty South, it does stand up very well on its own. The band returns to a more country oriented sound here, and the songs are a bit simpler, but there are plenty of gems to be found. Mike Cooley, in particular, steps up and helps fill the shoes left vacant by Isbell. He makes the most of his seven contributions to the album, and his best lines are classic: “Bob ain’t light in the loafers/He might kneel, but he never bends over” (from “Bob”), and “Skeletons ain’t got no place to stick their money/Nobody makes britches that size” (from “A Ghost To Most”). “Self Destructive Zones” and “Perfect Timing” are high quality, as is the refreshing “Lisa’s Birthday”.
Patterson Hood’s highlights include “Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife”, about musician Bryan Harvey, who was murdered with his family in a home invasion: “Daddy Needs A Drink”, and “You And Your Crystal Meth”. Bassist Shonna Tucker brings three songs herself, including the fine “The Purgatory Line”. There’s a bit of filler here (a double album was certainly an ambitious idea), but Brighter Than Creation’s Dark is a nice transitional album for the band, a return to their roots, and a glimpse of what was to come in the future. And they have stayed busy: since this album, they have released three studio efforts, three live albums, and a pair of compilations. Drive-By Truckers have always released listenable records, and this one is certainly no exception. Always consistently good…this is one of those bands that you just can’t go wrong with. Carriers of the torch for Southern rock, for damn sure. [First added to this chart: 05/31/2012]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
2004 – NEW WEST
Produced By DAVID BARBE
1. Where The Devil Don’t Stay
2. Tornadoes
3. The Day John Henry Died
4. Puttin’ People On The Moon
5. Carl Perkins’ Cadillac
6. The Sands Of Iwo Jima
7. Danko/Manuel
8. The Boys From Alabama
9. Cottonseed
10. The Buford Stick
11. Daddy’s Cup
12. Never Gonna Change
13. Goddamn Lonely Love
If you ask me what my favorite album is, I can’t answer that. If you ask me what my favorite song is, I’ll put on “Danko/Manuel” by Drive-By Truckers and tell you that this is as close as it gets. In fact, if you’re going to be in a band with me, being willing to play this song is the first test. The Dirty South, the Truckers fifth album, is as good as they get…and that’s pretty damned excellent. Having a songwriter like Jason Isbell limited to just four songs speaks volumes about how loaded the Truckers really were. A loose concept album about the downside of Southern living, The Dirty South marks the peak of the career of this excellent Southern rock and alt-country giant. It’s all good here.
Mike Cooley delivers some of his most memorable material in “Where The Devil Don’t Stay”, “Daddy’s Cup”, and the brilliant story song “Carl Perkins’ Cadillac”. Patterson Hood brings “Puttin’ People On The Moon”, about people driven down by environmental pollution. “Tornadoes” and “The Sands Of Iwo Jima” are excellent, and “The Boys Of Alabama” gives you the “other side of the story” of Buford Pusser and Walking Tall. And Isbell, along with the perfect “Danko/Manuel”, brings the rollicking “Never Gonna Change”, and closes things with this perfect lyric: “I’ll take two of what you’re having/I’ll take all of what you’ve got/To kill this Goddamned lonely, Goddamned lonely love”. This is a great album. Please go buy it. [First added to this chart: 04/19/2017]
Produced By DAVID BARBE
1. Where The Devil Don’t Stay
2. Tornadoes
3. The Day John Henry Died
4. Puttin’ People On The Moon
5. Carl Perkins’ Cadillac
6. The Sands Of Iwo Jima
7. Danko/Manuel
8. The Boys From Alabama
9. Cottonseed
10. The Buford Stick
11. Daddy’s Cup
12. Never Gonna Change
13. Goddamn Lonely Love
If you ask me what my favorite album is, I can’t answer that. If you ask me what my favorite song is, I’ll put on “Danko/Manuel” by Drive-By Truckers and tell you that this is as close as it gets. In fact, if you’re going to be in a band with me, being willing to play this song is the first test. The Dirty South, the Truckers fifth album, is as good as they get…and that’s pretty damned excellent. Having a songwriter like Jason Isbell limited to just four songs speaks volumes about how loaded the Truckers really were. A loose concept album about the downside of Southern living, The Dirty South marks the peak of the career of this excellent Southern rock and alt-country giant. It’s all good here.
Mike Cooley delivers some of his most memorable material in “Where The Devil Don’t Stay”, “Daddy’s Cup”, and the brilliant story song “Carl Perkins’ Cadillac”. Patterson Hood brings “Puttin’ People On The Moon”, about people driven down by environmental pollution. “Tornadoes” and “The Sands Of Iwo Jima” are excellent, and “The Boys Of Alabama” gives you the “other side of the story” of Buford Pusser and Walking Tall. And Isbell, along with the perfect “Danko/Manuel”, brings the rollicking “Never Gonna Change”, and closes things with this perfect lyric: “I’ll take two of what you’re having/I’ll take all of what you’ve got/To kill this Goddamned lonely, Goddamned lonely love”. This is a great album. Please go buy it. [First added to this chart: 04/19/2017]
Year of Release:
2004
Appears in:
Rank Score:
764
Rank in 2004:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
2003 – NEW WEST
Produced By DAVID BARBE
1. The Deeper In
2. Sink Hole
3. Hell No, I Ain’t Happy
4. Marry Me
5. My Sweet Annette
6. Outfit
7. Heathens
8. Sounds Better In The Song
9. (Something's Got To) Give Pretty Soon
10. Your Daddy Hates Me
11. Careless
12. When The Pin Hits The Shell
13. Do It Yourself
14. Decoration Day
15. Loaded Gun In The Closet
In 2003, Drive-By Truckers were a band that was quickly growing their brand of Southern rock into a thriving mature collection of great songs and great stories. Coming off of the fantastic double album Southern Rock Opera, the Truckers switched gears a bit with Decoration Day. Not only was Mike Cooley growing quickly as a songwriting force in the band almost equal to Patterson Hood, but they had also added Jason Isbell, a young third guitarist who would prove over the short time he would be in the band (and over his now exceptional solo career) that he was a top notch writer as well. Decoration Day is loaded with great songs, along with a new found maturity not found on their previous albums. Hood is still the main writer here, but Cooley adds four tracks along with only two from Isbell. But those two tracks are the highlight of the album, showing the first glimpse of what a special writer Isbell would soon become.
Isbell’s “Decoration Day” and “Outfit” are both great songs. Hood’s “The Deeper In” is about the only people in the US to have served jail time for brother/sister incest. Many of the songs continue the Truckers tradition of making music about life in the American South, but Decoration Day is darker than their previous albums…but it still manages to be enough fun to hold interest. The album was recorded mostly live in the studio, with half of the tracks being first take performances. Decoration Day is the beginning if the Isbell era for the band, and while the next album, The Dirty South, would be much stronger, this one is still an important part of the band’s discography. It’s a great listen, and well worth the time. Not the Trucker’s best work, but also not an album that should be dismissed as a lesser work. [First added to this chart: 05/31/2012]
Produced By DAVID BARBE
1. The Deeper In
2. Sink Hole
3. Hell No, I Ain’t Happy
4. Marry Me
5. My Sweet Annette
6. Outfit
7. Heathens
8. Sounds Better In The Song
9. (Something's Got To) Give Pretty Soon
10. Your Daddy Hates Me
11. Careless
12. When The Pin Hits The Shell
13. Do It Yourself
14. Decoration Day
15. Loaded Gun In The Closet
In 2003, Drive-By Truckers were a band that was quickly growing their brand of Southern rock into a thriving mature collection of great songs and great stories. Coming off of the fantastic double album Southern Rock Opera, the Truckers switched gears a bit with Decoration Day. Not only was Mike Cooley growing quickly as a songwriting force in the band almost equal to Patterson Hood, but they had also added Jason Isbell, a young third guitarist who would prove over the short time he would be in the band (and over his now exceptional solo career) that he was a top notch writer as well. Decoration Day is loaded with great songs, along with a new found maturity not found on their previous albums. Hood is still the main writer here, but Cooley adds four tracks along with only two from Isbell. But those two tracks are the highlight of the album, showing the first glimpse of what a special writer Isbell would soon become.
Isbell’s “Decoration Day” and “Outfit” are both great songs. Hood’s “The Deeper In” is about the only people in the US to have served jail time for brother/sister incest. Many of the songs continue the Truckers tradition of making music about life in the American South, but Decoration Day is darker than their previous albums…but it still manages to be enough fun to hold interest. The album was recorded mostly live in the studio, with half of the tracks being first take performances. Decoration Day is the beginning if the Isbell era for the band, and while the next album, The Dirty South, would be much stronger, this one is still an important part of the band’s discography. It’s a great listen, and well worth the time. Not the Trucker’s best work, but also not an album that should be dismissed as a lesser work. [First added to this chart: 05/31/2012]
Year of Release:
2003
Appears in:
Rank Score:
523
Rank in 2003:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 3. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 10 | 10% | |
| 1970s | 21 | 21% | |
| 1980s | 11 | 11% | |
| 1990s | 32 | 32% | |
| 2000s | 22 | 22% | |
| 2010s | 4 | 4% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Drive-By Truckers | 3 | 3% | |
| The Beatles | 3 | 3% | |
| The Band | 3 | 3% | |
| Whiskeytown | 2 | 2% | |
| Wilco | 2 | 2% | |
| Jason Isbell | 2 | 2% | |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 2 from 39th to 37th Decoration Day by Drive-By Truckers |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 37th to 38th Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 by The Traveling Wilburys |
| Down 1 from 38th to 39th The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd |
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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 179 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 05/19/2025 19:46 | StreakyNuno | 131 | 82/100 |
| ! | 05/19/2025 12:26 |  Repo | 558 | 100/100 |
| ! | 03/15/2025 22:29 | BlueNote | 91 | 74/100 |
| ! | 01/29/2025 12:37 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,105 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/15/2025 18:01 | Exist-en-ciel | 125 | 99/100 |
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 87.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.7/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 12.5.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From StreakyNuno 05/19/2025 19:47 | #309063
I like the Chart but The Black Crowes album, even though it is an excellent album, is an exaggeration to consider it the best ever.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Repo 05/19/2025 12:28 | #309062
Repo 05/19/2025 12:28 | #309062
A wondrous labor of love! GREAT notes!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
CassidyInc 03/29/2024 22:06 | #302746
CassidyInc 03/29/2024 22:06 | #302746
Neat chart, but the write ups and historical perspective you've included for many of these albums make it something special. I had a good chuckle when I finally arrived to Loveless, the album I was most excited to hear your thoughts on, and there was nothing there!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Moondance 03/06/2023 07:40 | #294755
What I found most intriguing is where you actually argue in your comments why an album isn't that great - which is an unusual way to create a greatest 100 chart. A bit too US-orientated for my liking and too many so-so bands. Good to see one album each from Australia & New Zealand.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From samora 10/25/2022 14:15 | #290788
Great chart, with impressive comments; very inspirational!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From leniad 07/12/2022 00:28 | #287280
would appreciate more variety from coutries, genres
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Albumlover6789 02/03/2022 23:20 | #280650
Lots of new music to discover here
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
rockbluesfolkjaz 10/19/2021 18:18 | #275181
rockbluesfolkjaz 10/19/2021 18:18 | #275181
There's a lot of excellent choices here. Many of which I'll be listening to as well. Thanks for this list!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 07/18/2021 16:41 | #271703
Stunning chart. I own 83 of the albums in your chart so it's inevitable that I'm going to love it. Also love the notes. Great addition.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From henrygreen0203 05/04/2021 18:55 | #269359
Nothing but great records here!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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