Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
MadhattanJack 
- Chart updated: 07/15/2025 23:15
- (Created: 08/28/2021 02:46).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 11 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 26 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 the 1970s. (Remove this filter)
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I won't deny that ranking this as the all-time #1 album is a completely subjective choice on my part. While I do believe that someday in the distant future people all over the world (or what's left of it) will agree with me, I'm not so delusional as to think that will happen "naturally" or "organically" — in other words, without the use of psychoactive chemicals surreptitiously introduced into the global water supply. In the meantime, the album cover stands as perhaps the most accurate prediction ever of how an artificial-intelligence text generator would answer the question, "what is this thing?" when confronted with a pop music album.
[First added to this chart: 06/28/2022]
3
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I won't apologize for liking XTC so much that I've ranked their second, third, and fourth albums among the top ten of all time, but if you were to hold a gun to my head and insist, I might be willing to mumble sheepishly about it for a minute or so.
[First added to this chart: 05/25/2022]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,330
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I remember when I first heard this album, I was thinking, "Wow, this is going to change everything." And it did! I mean, sure, everything got worse, but everything always gets worse, there's no way around that problem. The important thing is that this is the album that made it all happen.
[First added to this chart: 05/25/2022]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,769
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There was a moment there, way back in the good ol' 1970s, when this was my all-time favorite album — just beating out Roxy Music's "Stranded" (currently at #11). Unfortunately, back then most kids in the USA thought you were "weird" if you were a Bowie fan. So I would tell people I was really a Doja Cat fan instead, because Doja Cat hadn't been born yet.
[First added to this chart: 05/25/2022]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,503
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This album was released about two weeks before I went off to college. I think I would have been better off if it had come out two weeks after I got there, because then I wouldn't have ended up ranking it so highly, but I guess beggars can't be choosers.
[First added to this chart: 05/25/2022]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,941
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Comments:
11. (=)
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I still can't quite explain it, but somehow, in some weird, mysterious way, this seems to have been the LP that got me really interested in album-cover art.
[First added to this chart: 05/25/2022]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,028
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Some folks might question why I would rank an ex-Beatle solo album higher than any albums by the Beatles as a group, but there are some really funny lyrics on this album. I've always suspected that John and Paul really wanted to do comedy records, but George wouldn't let them, and Ringo always backed George in any internal dispute because George probably had blackmail material on him.
[First added to this chart: 05/25/2022]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,160
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Back in the 70s, the closing track on Side A of this album, "Frankenstein," is what finally convinced me to sit down and read Mary Shelley's classic horror novel of the same name. That, in turn, ultimately led me to become an avid reader of 19th-Century horror and mystery fiction. But I still prefer the Dolls' version.
[First added to this chart: 05/25/2022]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,827
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Comments:
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Bowie said he was abusing a lot of cocaine when he recorded this album, and was subsisting on a diet consisting mostly of milk and bell peppers. He was badly messed up, both mentally and physically. Fans and critics alike took this to mean he'd developed a whole new persona, the "thin white duke," since he was so pale and weighed only about 80 pounds at the time. In fact, he was just strung-out and close to dying of malnutrition. I only mention this in case something similar happens to me, in which case I would prefer that my friends and family take me to the nearest hospital or rehab center instead of celebrating my fascinating "chameleon-like" persona-switching ability.
[First added to this chart: 06/28/2022]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,347
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Comments:
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Though it's known mostly for the two hit singles, "Baby Blue" and "Day After Day," this whole album is great from start to finish, and the cover features the most earth-toned pop band photo in rock history. What's not to like? Everyone likes earth tones.
[First added to this chart: 06/28/2022]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
700
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Total albums: 21. Page 1 of 3
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 3 | 3% | |
| 1970s | 21 | 21% | |
| 1980s | 32 | 32% | |
| 1990s | 26 | 26% | |
| 2000s | 10 | 10% | |
| 2010s | 7 | 7% | |
| 2020s | 1 | 1% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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|
|
| XTC | 7 | 7% | |
| David Bowie | 3 | 3% | |
| Roxy Music | 3 | 3% | |
| Cocteau Twins | 2 | 2% | |
| Wire | 2 | 2% | |
| The Chameleons | 2 | 2% | |
| The Beatles | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
72 | 72% | |
| |
21 | 21% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
There have been no changes to this chart.Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | MadhattanJack | 1980s decade chart | 2023 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | MadhattanJack | 1990s decade chart | 2023 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | MadhattanJack | 1970s decade chart | 2023 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  Secondsoul | Overall chart | 2015 | |
| Top 70's & 80's Punk/New Wave | saltysurprise | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
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| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Timo | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | LittleM1971 | Overall chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | DanielU | 1980s decade chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | Secondsoul | 1990s decade chart | 2015 | |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
89/100 (from 26 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 26 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
90/100  | 08/02/2025 21:26 | Vulgarplacards | | 90/100 |
 100/100 | 07/12/2025 16:21 |  baystateoftheart | | 96/100 |
| 90/100 | 07/12/2025 15:32 | BorderFreeAndrew | | 81/100 |
| 90/100 | 07/03/2025 01:26 |  urmom22 | | 93/100 |
| 95/100 | 06/08/2025 02:32 | matterhornrider | | 92/100 |
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 4% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.1/100, a mean average of 87.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 14.4.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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90/100
From Vulgarplacards 08/02/2025 21:27
Great choices, some new to me- I’ll seek them out!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From baystateoftheart 07/12/2025 16:23
baystateoftheart 07/12/2025 16:23
Great unique choices, and the entertaining write-ups especially make it shine. Your notes about excluding Radiohead do make me wonder what a totally unaltered list of your favorites would be like.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From BorderFreeAndrew 07/12/2025 15:32
Kudos for a refreshingly unique chart. And for being even more obsessed with XTC than I used to be.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From urmom22 07/03/2025 01:27
urmom22 07/03/2025 01:27
That's really suuuuuuuuper super girl
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From matterhornrider 06/08/2025 02:34
7 Albums by the amazing XTC, no problem with me. So many bands I love here and so many Albums I look forward to listening to.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
seb7 08/12/2024 16:03
seb7 08/12/2024 16:03
Very cool and fairly specific taste. Dig it!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
CassidyInc 03/29/2024 22:12
CassidyInc 03/29/2024 22:12
Fun chart with some downright hilarious write-ups. I listened to an XTC album (Skylarking) yesterday at your suggestion. Unfortunately not a vibe for me.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Steppenwolf666 10/10/2023 15:53
Great chart, not because of the music, because of the hilarious comments. Of course it could be a great chart music wise, but I wouldn't know, although the few albums in it I do know are very good. I would never have thought of checking out XTC's go2, but now I just might! P.S. The DIV I DED album is now in another chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From Tony58 06/19/2023 17:11
Very interesting chart. Glad to see included a number of artists I like who don't usually get as much recognition as they deserve, eg The Auteurs, The Associates and Lush. Also, I enjoyed the witty comments, eg on the Beatles and Paul McCartney albums!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Moondance 05/06/2023 22:17
I've had a lot of fun checking out this chart and reading the comments. Definitely different to most BEA charts and that's what I really like. It ooooozes personality & sincerity (no BEA peer pressure here!)
I love it that we only have 1 album in common.
I love it that a citizen of the USA significantly favours the music of the UK (very very rare in my observation of BEA charts).
I love it that I can return to this chart and (hopefully) discover an album/artist (or 2) who has evaded my line of sight & hearing for the past 50 - 10years ¬ and be everly grateful for the guided discovery.
I love it that someone from the northern hemisphere has included 1 album from Australia (that is not Nick Cave, AC/DC, Tame Impala or KG&TLW) AND 1 album from New Zealand (any album from NZ is amazing!).
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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