Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
Tamthebam 
I love all types of music it doesn't matter to me if the artist is considered "cool" or not. I've been collecting music for over 50 years and these are the albums I've listened to the most. I love to try and listen to everything an artist has recorded. I love music to enhance my moods I like albums that give an atmosphere/a theme, whether that is in Soul/ R n B, country, folk, jazz, indie, rock or "easy listening" or pop music. My favourite decade is the 70's. Its 2024 and I just realised that the majority of my chart is female ! This was not a conscious decision it just happened
- Chart updated: 03/21/2024 09:15
- (Created: 06/14/2012 18:49).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 57 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 103 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 53,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from United States. (Remove this filter)
Buy album 
- #Sponsored
Jill Scott's debut is a masterpiece of musicianship. Her lyrics about loves up's and down's really hit the mark with honesty and warmth. She has a beautiful soprano voice like Minnie Riperton or Deniece Williams but she also incorporates jazz and hip hop. This album takes a few listens but the middle part of the album is amazing (Tracks 4-11 could be a mini album)these tracks tell a story of what is like to fall in & out of love. Exclusively is hilarious and naughty. While Watching Me & Brotha are observations on society. She is a singer/songwriter and poet and along with Erykah Badu can claim to be the Queen of Neo Soul.
[First added to this chart: 06/14/2012]
1
Buy album
- #Sponsored
One of the greatest double albums of all time and along with Innervisions two of the greatest soul/RnB albums ever. I remember there was a lot of hype before the release of this album as it was delayed time and time again before finally being released at the end of 1976. It more than lived up to the hype. I remember when I finally got my copy on my 17th bday and I listened to it for 2 days solid. Its message is more relevant today than it was back in the 70's - Love's In Need Of Love Today, Village Ghetto Land, If It's Magic, Saturn. There are also some gorgeous love songs - Knocks Me Off My Feet, Isn't she Lovely, Ordinary Pain, As and Another Star. Two great instrumentals Contusion & Easy Goin' Evening and on top of all that is Sir Duke,I Wish & Pastime Paradise amazing.
[First added to this chart: 06/14/2012]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,485
Rank in 1976:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
I love this album one of the best debut albums of all time. Contains the great Chuck E's In Love, the album is also full of great observations of love & life including Young Blood, Last Chance Texaco, Danny's All Star Joint and Company. Her voice has a jazzy rock appeal, She reminds me of Tom Waits, emotional yet sometimes funny. She has made other great albums but for me this is still the best.
[First added to this chart: 06/14/2012]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
460
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
A great album from Lucinda Williams she just gets better with age. Her southern drawl works on these sad melancholy songs. This album needs more than one or two listens before it sinks in and touches you. The standout tracks are Dust, Place In My Heart, Louisiana Story, the title track & If My Love Could Kill but the rest are all good. If you like to wallow in melancholy take a listen to this.
[First added to this chart: 10/16/2016]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Linda Ronstadt's albums of the 70's are mostly full of great cover versions of country/rock/Motown songs. She makes each song her own It's So Easy, Tumbling Dice, Blue Bayou, Poor,Poor Pitiful Me and Old Paint are good examples of that. The whole album is great nothing weakens it, her voice also seems to be at its peak. She recorded 7 great albums in the 70's this is the best.
[First added to this chart: 07/27/2012]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
If Billie Holiday was to come back & make a record this would be it. Erykah Badu has that special voice that leaves you wanting more. This again is a debut album that is ranked in my Top10 albums of all time. I never tire listening to this amazing album, On & On is one of the best tracks but my favourite track is Next Lifetime along with 4 Leaf Clover. But the whole album is full of great tracks with a Jazzy neo-soul feel and her amazing voice adds to the atmosphere.
[First added to this chart: 07/26/2012]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,451
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
The most together/cohesive Madonna album. Full of atmosphere and great songs courtesy of William Orbit. Frozen, Skin the title track and To Have & Not To Hold being my faves. A wonderful album that deserves more recognition.
[First added to this chart: 06/14/2012]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,579
Rank in 1998:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
The second R.L.J. album is as strong as her debut. This album contains 4 of her greatest songs ever Lucky Guy, Living It Up, We Belong Together & the sprawling Traces of the Western Slopes. The title track is also strong the tracks Woody & Dutch.......and The Returns although good songs don't quite measure up to the rest of the album. So for me its her 2nd best album.
[First added to this chart: 08/18/2013]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Follow up to Monster this is R.E.M. at their best minimum fuss just straight forward rock music with touches of Automatic/monster/Life's Rich Pageant scattered around. Recorded after the Monster tour and written on the road it has a loose live feeling and all the tracks add up to make the whole album a tight sounding piece. Standout tracks E-bow the Letter, New Test Leper, Leave, Binky the Doormat & Electrolite. The remainder of the album is also good.
[First added to this chart: 07/27/2012]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,052
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
This is the best Streisand album out there. After making a whole bunch of pop albums in the 70's, she decided to revisit Broadway songs which was how her recording career began & Broadway songs were basically all she released up to 1968. The orchestration and her choice of songs is impeccable the album flows from one track to another until the climax ,the final track "Somewhere". A wonderful album and her voice is amazing.
[First added to this chart: 07/27/2012]
Total albums: 47. Page 1 of 5
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 8 | 8% | |
| 1970s | 36 | 36% | |
| 1980s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1990s | 24 | 24% | |
| 2000s | 11 | 11% | |
| 2010s | 7 | 7% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| David Bowie | 7 | 7% | |
| Rickie Lee Jones | 4 | 4% | |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4% | |
| Björk | 4 | 4% | |
| Kate Bush | 4 | 4% | |
| Joan Armatrading | 3 | 3% | |
| Lucinda Williams | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
47 | 47% | |
| |
36 | 36% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 4 from 89th to 85th Black And White by Pointer Sisters |
| Up 3 from 98th to 95th Janet. by Janet Jackson |
| Up 3 from 86th to 83rd Achtung Baby by U2 |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 9 from 31st to 40th Mama's Gun by Erykah Badu |
| Down 7 from 90th to 97th The Kick Inside by Kate Bush |
| Down 6 from 55th to 61st Erotica by Madonna |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
- Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s by Tamthebam (2024)
- Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s by Tamthebam (2024)
- Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by SD100852 (2023)
- Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums by Virgin (2000)
- BEA Top 100 Reorganized According To My Taste by bonnequestion (2024)
- Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by tim0505 (2024)
- OVERALL CHART by pentapolin (2014)
- Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums by Virgin (1998)
- Going With My Gut: The Overall Chart Top 100 Re-ranked by
CharlieBarley (2024) - Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by TinyBlueMusic (2021)
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
87/100 (from 103 votes)
where:
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 103 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 75/100  | 12/28/2023 22:26 | ThuramThugood | | 87/100 |
| 90/100 | 12/03/2023 07:12 | KineticEchoes02 | | 88/100 |
| 95/100 | 11/17/2023 03:28 | Sonoffatboy | | 90/100 |
| 75/100 | 09/06/2023 11:01 |  Xxnu99etxX | | 90/100 |
| 100/100 | 06/17/2023 13:52 | CharlieBarley | | 94/100 |
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 14% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 87.5/100, a mean average of 87.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 87.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.2.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 9 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 57 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
80/100
From 
Larcx13 11/23/2023 11:42
Larcx13 11/23/2023 11:42
Madonna...🤔
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
100/100
From CharlieBarley 06/17/2023 13:53
CharlieBarley 06/17/2023 13:53
Great chart Tam! I rated it before years ago and it's still top Mark's from me. Great taste in music.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
melisandre 04/16/2023 09:12
melisandre 04/16/2023 09:12
Nice chart Tam!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
85/100
From Johnnyo 02/04/2023 16:25
Very personal chart. I like it
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
95/100
From leniad 07/31/2022 05:35
great seeing your chart and re rating it, i agree bowie is the best artist ever solo
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
85/100
From RioBravo 06/18/2021 06:26
Seems like a good list to explore when I want to find some new R&B artists and albums. And I too love Stevie Wonder.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
95/100
From BraddlesHendo 09/02/2020 02:02
This is the coolest great albums. Some I don’t have mostly the R & B music
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
Julelios 02/27/2020 11:07
Julelios 02/27/2020 11:07
A very personnal chart. I like it. Thanks
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
90/100
From temment 02/05/2020 11:17
Excellent list with some surprises. Love that Prefab Sprout get a listing.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
ExTeaSea 12/29/2019 05:08
ExTeaSea 12/29/2019 05:08
Great chart! Love how high you rated David Bowie's "Outside" it's so good! Also fantastic seeing REMs album "Up" it's so underrated. Also multiple Bjork is a plus. Found your chart through Erykah Badu's album "Baduizm" really dig her, really like "Worldwide Underground"
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment
Your feedback for Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
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.
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.