Top 96 Greatest Music Albums
by bobnickmad 
The longer this chart becomes the harder it is to find a mix between personal favorites and those records in each genre that I would recommend to someone else.
Also, I find metal quite hard to properly rate among other rock and pop albums because what metal tries to convey is a bit different, going more toward a sense of large scale over the personal. It's even harder with jazz.
- Chart updated: 12/21/2025 19:15
- (Created: 07/27/2020 18:27).
- Chart size: 96 albums.
There are 3 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 96 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 8 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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#1 metal album
Metallica got everything right here: a sound thats both clean and raw, agreesive yet majestic; amazing song-writting, great sense of diversity, and ordering of tracks. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Metallica got everything right here: a sound thats both clean and raw, agreesive yet majestic; amazing song-writting, great sense of diversity, and ordering of tracks. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,175
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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#1 jazz album
Like a culmination of everything that was great about bebop and hardbop. [First added to this chart: 08/05/2025]
Like a culmination of everything that was great about bebop and hardbop. [First added to this chart: 08/05/2025]
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,953
Rank in 1959:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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#2 jazz album
Music as its most engaging. The way the four pieces are arranged create an overall narrative structure that compensate for the lack of words. [First added to this chart: 12/19/2021]
Music as its most engaging. The way the four pieces are arranged create an overall narrative structure that compensate for the lack of words. [First added to this chart: 12/19/2021]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,608
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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#1 double album
#1 pop-rock album
Simply the best collection of songs rock and pop music has ever produced. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
#1 pop-rock album
Simply the best collection of songs rock and pop music has ever produced. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
30,684
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
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Comments:
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#1 folk-rock
#1 blues-rock
It`s like each lyric is cut in marble and written with an impressionistic brush. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
#1 blues-rock
It`s like each lyric is cut in marble and written with an impressionistic brush. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,155
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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#1 psychedelic rock album
#2 pop-rock album
The experimentalism here seems more genuine than on Sgt.Peppers and more groundbreaking then V.U. and Nico, but those are merely the icing on the cake; the substance lies in their perfect sense of melody and harmony that they had already mastered. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
#2 pop-rock album
The experimentalism here seems more genuine than on Sgt.Peppers and more groundbreaking then V.U. and Nico, but those are merely the icing on the cake; the substance lies in their perfect sense of melody and harmony that they had already mastered. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
49,362
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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#1 art pop album
Here Kate looses some of her quirkiness, but delivers a pop album with the ambition and experimentation prog rock often only aspires to. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Here Kate looses some of her quirkiness, but delivers a pop album with the ambition and experimentation prog rock often only aspires to. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,077
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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#2 hip-hop album
9 rappers each with their own unique style, each giving their best as if their lives depend on it, displayed over beats that seem an exercise in minimalism and atmosphere. Its this or Illmatic, but while Illmatic has the superior lyricism, I think this one pushes rap a bit further creativity wise, while keeping it direct. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
9 rappers each with their own unique style, each giving their best as if their lives depend on it, displayed over beats that seem an exercise in minimalism and atmosphere. Its this or Illmatic, but while Illmatic has the superior lyricism, I think this one pushes rap a bit further creativity wise, while keeping it direct. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,533
Rank in 1993:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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#2 pop-rock album
Pop-rock perfection. Bowie already proved on his previous album, Hunky Dory, that he could be on par with his idols (Dylan and Lou Reed) when it came to song-writing, but the instrumentation compensated with richness over cohesion; here he makes everything is made more elegant, and the result is a complete masterpiece of rock'n'roll bravado and pop sweetness. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Pop-rock perfection. Bowie already proved on his previous album, Hunky Dory, that he could be on par with his idols (Dylan and Lou Reed) when it came to song-writing, but the instrumentation compensated with richness over cohesion; here he makes everything is made more elegant, and the result is a complete masterpiece of rock'n'roll bravado and pop sweetness. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
43,168
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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#3 metal album
Death-metal that manages to convey the atmosphere that many classic horror movies tried to achieve but did not quite reached. Phenomenal song-writting, effortless guitar work, impeccable drumming and death-metal vocals that sound like they are delivered by a cool demon-lord. The only flaw is the production that lacks the brutality of other death and thrash releases. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Death-metal that manages to convey the atmosphere that many classic horror movies tried to achieve but did not quite reached. Phenomenal song-writting, effortless guitar work, impeccable drumming and death-metal vocals that sound like they are delivered by a cool demon-lord. The only flaw is the production that lacks the brutality of other death and thrash releases. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2020]
Total albums: 96. Page 1 of 10
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Top 96 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 1 | 1% | |
| 1960s | 12 | 13% | |
| 1970s | 17 | 18% | |
| 1980s | 29 | 30% | |
| 1990s | 16 | 17% | |
| 2000s | 10 | 10% | |
| 2010s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Bob Dylan | 3 | 3% | |
| David Bowie | 3 | 3% | |
| The Clash | 2 | 2% | |
| The Beatles | 2 | 2% | |
| Kate Bush | 2 | 2% | |
| Hüsker Dü | 2 | 2% | |
| Bad Religion | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
50 | 52% | |
 |
24 | 25% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 96 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 9 from 19th to 10thAltars Of Madness by Morbid Angel |
| Up 4 from 15th to 11thUnknown Pleasures by Joy Division |
| Up 3 from 10th to 7thHounds Of Love by Kate Bush |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 6 from 7th to 13thIllmatic by Nas |
| Down 3 from 12th to 15thRain Dogs by Tom Waits |
| Down 3 from 13th to 16thBlonde On Blonde by Bob Dylan |
Top 96 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 57 Music Albums of the 1980s | bobnickmad | 1980s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 95 Greatest Music Albums | Dekk | Overall chart | 2015 | |
| Objectively Ranking BEA’s Top 100 |  AAL2014 | Custom chart | 2024 | |
| Top 86 Greatest Music Albums | F1Aaron | Overall chart | 2022 | |
| Top 76 Greatest Music Albums | MaxStorm98 | Overall chart | 2018 | |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | experiencemusic | Overall chart | 2024 | |
| My Ranking of the BEA Top 100 | wizardalien | Custom chart | 2026 | |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums |  SimulatedProphet | Overall chart | 2009 |  |
| Top 32 Music Albums of the 1970s | bobnickmad | 1970s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top Punk Albums | saltysurprise | Custom chart | 2020 | |
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Top 96 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.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 8 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/27/2025 14:55 | DrewHamster | 316 | 79/100 |
| ! | 02/21/2025 17:09 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,098 | 85/100 |
| ! | 03/06/2023 05:22 | AAL2014 | 163 | 92/100 |
| ! | 02/12/2023 05:54 |  urmom22 | 65 | 93/100 |
| ! | 04/13/2022 02:46 | mrmcrook | 771 | 92/100 |
Top 96 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Top 96 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing all 3 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
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From urmom22 02/21/2023 07:45 | #294277
urmom22 02/21/2023 07:45 | #294277
Hell yea brother
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From mrmcrook 04/13/2022 02:46 | #284135
I like your added notes. Good taste.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Larcx13 03/25/2022 21:25 | #283397
Larcx13 03/25/2022 21:25 | #283397
Thats one gnarly top 10
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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| Best Artists of the 1980s | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Smiths | |
| 2. Prince | |
| 3. Pixies | |
| 4. The Cure | |
| 5. Talking Heads | |
| 6. U2 | |
| 7. Metallica | |
| 8. Kate Bush | |
| 9. R.E.M. | |
| 10. The Stone Roses | |
| 11. Sonic Youth | |
| 12. Michael Jackson | |
| 13. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 14. Iron Maiden | |
| 15. Prince And The Revolution | |
| 16. Tom Waits | |
| 17. Joy Division | |
| 18. New Order | |
| 19. Talk Talk | |
| 20. Rush |
