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.
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
Produced By CHAS CHANDLER
1. Purple Haze
2. Manic Depression
3. Hey Joe
4. Love or Confusion
5. May This Be Love
6. I Don’t Live Today
7. The Wind Cries Mary
8. Fire
9. Third Stone From The Sun
10. Foxey Lady
11. Are You Experienced?
The version of Are You Experienced that you are familiar with depends solely on which side of the Atlantic Ocean you reside on. Hendrix was a struggling session player when he was discovered by former Animals bassist Chas Chandler in 1966. He was flown to England, where Chandler put together the Experience and the band began recording. Are You Experienced was an immediate success in England, and after a slow start took off in the US as well, and it’s now considered one of the greatest albums of all time. And even though there are major differences in the US and UK versions, it’s a classic either way. The exclusive US tracks are “Purple Haze”, “Hey Joe” and “The Wind Cries Mary”, while the UK version boasts “Red House”, “Can You See Me” and “Remember”. The album covers are also very different, changed for the US version because Hendrix hated the UK cover. But regardless of which version you have (or prefer), there’s no denying that this is one great mother of an album.
Are You Experienced changed the way the electric guitar was played in rock forever. It also changed the way rockers played the blues forever, and ignited the styles of Led Zeppelin and everyone else who came along behind Hendrix. “Purple Haze”, “Manic Depression” and “Hey Joe” make up one of the strongest beginnings an album could have. Some of the songs here are not as well known, but there isn’t a weak track to be found, on either version. “I Don’t Live Today” has a wonderfully furious chorus, while “Third Stone From The Sun” melds Hendrix’ perfect soloing with the sharp psychedelic sounds of the late 60’s. Are You Experienced shows that Hendrix was not only a wizard on the guitar, but that he also had the songs to make it all work perfectly. Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell provide the expert rhythm: Hendrix provides everything else. This album is simply a classic, perfect record. Flawless and undeniably important in the history of rock guitar. [First added to this chart: 11/21/2012]
Produced By CHAS CHANDLER
1. EXP
2. Up From The Skies
3. Spanish Castle Magic
4. Wait Until Tomorrow
5. Ain't No Telling
6. Little Wing
7. If 6 Was 9
8. You Got Me Floatin'
9. Castles Made Of Sand
10. She's So Fine
11. One Rainy Wish
12. Little Miss Lover
13. Bold As Love
The Jimi Hendrix Experience had the greatest 3 album career in history. Axis: Bold As Love is the 2nd album, and shows simply why Hendrix was and still is considered one of rock's greatest artists. The album contains the absolute classic "Spanish Castle Magic", "Little Wing". "Castles Made Of Sand", "If 6 Was 9", and, hell, almost everything else. Not even the record's two blemishes, "EXP" (a borderline stupid radio interview with an alien), and "She's So Fine", which was written and sung by bassist Noel Redding, can reduce how great Hendrix and this album were. And are.
The first three albums are really a stunning collection in their own right. Get them all, and know that you have 3 of the greatest rock albums ever made. Ever. [First added to this chart: 06/01/2012]
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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Beatles | 3 | 3% | |
| The Band | 3 | 3% | |
| Drive-By Truckers | 3 | 3% | |
| Wilco | 2 | 2% | |
| Jason Isbell | 2 | 2% | |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 2 | 2% | |
| The Jayhawks | 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 |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | 1990s decade chart | 2025 | ![]() | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | jeffrey-hodgson | Overall chart | 2018 | ![]() |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | maverick470 | Overall chart | 2015 | ![]() |
| Outside The BEA Top 1000 | Custom chart | 2015 | ![]() | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | somefatguy157 | Overall chart | 2020 | ![]() |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Manso | Overall chart | 2020 | ![]() |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Overall chart | 2013 | ![]() | |
| AllMusic's Greatest Albums | musicologist97 | Custom chart | 2019 | ![]() |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | tim0505 | Overall chart | 2025 | ![]() |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | jay020281 | Overall chart | 2020 | ![]() |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
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 | 558 | 100/100 | |
| ! | 03/15/2025 22:29 | BlueNote | 91 | 74/100 |
| ! | 01/29/2025 12:37 | 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.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing latest 20 members who have added this chart as a favourite | Show all 29 members
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 114 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
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.
A wondrous labor of love! GREAT notes!
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!
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.
Great chart, with impressive comments; very inspirational!
would appreciate more variety from coutries, genres
Lots of new music to discover here
There's a lot of excellent choices here. Many of which I'll be listening to as well. Thanks for this list!
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.
Nothing but great records here!
Your feedback for Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.







