Top 40 Greatest Music Albums by TomC802

My 40 favorite albums considering the following criteria:
- Cohesiveness
- Originality
- Variety
- Consistency
- Energy
- Strength of Singles
- Expectations
- Legacy
- Lyrics
- Sentiment
- Instrumentation
- Vocals
- Album Beginning
- Middle Tracks
- Album End

• Chart updated: 10/02/2024 16:15
• (Created: 11/04/2022 00:58).
• Chart size: 40 albums.

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1. (=)

The Dark Side Of The Moon 

 Pink Floyd

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Dark Side of the Moon stands out as a nearly flawless album with songwriting, musicianship, and production to stand the test of time. Its lyrics highlight the greater struggles of the world in 1973, all of which persist to this day. The songs flow seamlessly into one another to create a cohesive work without sounding the same by using 3 instrumental tracks to break up the bulk of the record, and stitching in conversational interview clips throughout the record, used to their best effect on Us and Them and Brain Damage/Eclipse. [First added to this chart: 10/02/2024]

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

4,106 charts

Rank Score:

64,556

Rank in 1973:

1

Rank in 1970s:

1

Overall Rank:

2

Average Rating:

 92 (5,300 votes)

Comments:

585

2. (3) 1

Achtung Baby 

 U2

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Achtung Baby shows U2 expand beyond its prior sound to explore more electronic and dance-inspired styles, and it works amazingly. The album sounds new and refreshing while also staying true to what made U2 such a force in the 1980s. Each and every song on the record delivers, both the more energetic (Mysterious Ways, Even Better than the Real Thing) and its more somber (Love is Blindness, One, So Cruel). Lyrically, the band converts their pain into songwriting better than any other album in their vast discography, without it feeling oppressive or cynical. [First added to this chart: 10/02/2024]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

1,318 charts

Rank Score:

12,316

Rank in 1991:

5

Rank in 1990s:

21

Overall Rank:

111

Average Rating:

 80 (1,819 votes)

Comments:

144

3. (2) 1

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 

 The Beatles

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The Beatles' finest album is not only their most innovative, but arguably their most cohesive. The album's start and conclusion stand out in particular, with both Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band into With a Little Help from My Friends melting perfectly into one another to take you on a musical journey, before concluding with arguably The Beatles' best ever song A Day In The Life. Following Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper redefined what an album could be, and we are so lucky to have it. [First added to this chart: 10/02/2024]

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

3,464 charts

Rank Score:

46,342

Rank in 1967:

1

Rank in 1960s:

3

Overall Rank:

8

Average Rating:

 90 (4,562 votes)

Comments:

487

4. (8) 4

OK Computer 

 Radiohead

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OK Computer is 25 years old, but is so timeless it could have been released this year and still sound amazing. The combination of guitar, piano, and synthesizers creates an ominous and innovative soundscape for the digital age. The album's singles Paranoid Android, Karma Police, and No Surprises sound even better within the context of the record, while the supporting tracks help build on the atmosphere to create one of the greatest records of all time. [First added to this chart: 10/02/2024]

Year of Release:

1997

Appears in:

4,395 charts

Rank Score:

68,427

Rank in 1997:

1

Rank in 1990s:

1

Overall Rank:

1

Average Rating:

 92 (5,595 votes)

Comments:

847

5. (6) 1

To Pimp A Butterfly 

 Kendrick Lamar

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To Pimp a Butterfly is one of, if not the most powerful piece of music I have had the joy of listening to. The jazz samples compliment lyrics of empowerment while a poem builds song after song, adding a line at a time before the reveal of the albums' concluding track Mortal Man. The songs are incredible but the work especially shines in its entirety. [First added to this chart: 10/02/2024]

Year of Release:

2015

Appears in:

1,814 charts

Rank Score:

33,772

Rank in 2015:

1

Rank in 2010s:

1

Overall Rank:

19

Average Rating:

 89 (2,276 votes)

Comments:

366

6. (4) 2

Wish You Were Here 

 Pink Floyd

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Pink Floyd follows up Dark Side of the Moon with an equally ambitious, equally cohesive masterpiece Wish You Were Here, an homage to their former frontman Syd Barrett. The lyrics to songs like Welcome to the Machine and Have a Cigar indicate Waters and Gilmour see the industry and its pressures as the main culprit behind Syd's fall from grace, while Wish You Were Here and Shine on You Crazy Diamond offer warmer, more nostalgic instances for the band to lament their lost friend. [First added to this chart: 10/02/2024]

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

2,973 charts

Rank Score:

46,675

Rank in 1975:

1

Rank in 1970s:

2

Overall Rank:

6

Average Rating:

 91 (4,025 votes)

Comments:

310

7. (10) 3

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Is This It 

 The Strokes

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The Strokes' debut Is This It is pure, timeless fun from front to back. This album revitalized its genre, won loads of critical acclaim, but never took itself too seriously. It's loud, it's distorted, it sounds like music you could make with your buddies in a garage but so much better, while keeping all the fun. Someday, Last Night, and Hard to Explain each merit consideration for best song of the 2000s, and every other song on the record is a banger. [First added to this chart: 10/02/2024]

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

2,457 charts

Rank Score:

30,200

Rank in 2001:

1

Rank in 2000s:

4

Overall Rank:

24

Average Rating:

 86 (3,008 votes)

Comments:

276

8. (9) 1

Born To Run 

 Bruce Springsteen

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Born to Run is Bruce Springsteen at his best - using poetry and fantastic instrumentals to paint a picture of American life, both at its most hopeful (Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, Born to Run) and aspects others would rather hide (Backstreets, Jungleland). Jungleland stands out in particular as Bruce finds art in the brutality and monotony of its content "there's an opera out on the turnpike, there's a ballet being fought out in the alley." Clarence Clemons' saxophone shines, as does the increased use of piano on the record. This record makes me happy, reminds me of childhood roadtrips, reminds me of home, and it's so good. [First added to this chart: 10/02/2024]

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

1,592 charts

Rank Score:

16,262

Rank in 1975:

3

Rank in 1970s:

21

Overall Rank:

75

Average Rating:

 83 (1,961 votes)

Comments:

132

9. (7) 2

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars 

 David Bowie

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Bowie's masterpiece delivers hit after hit while forming a cohesive story of stardom and fearing the end of life as we know it. The instrumentals are powerful, the vocals are enthusiastic, and the lyrics provide the ideal backdrop. [First added to this chart: 10/02/2024]

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

2,992 charts

Rank Score:

46,520

Rank in 1972:

1

Rank in 1970s:

3

Overall Rank:

7

Average Rating:

 90 (3,515 votes)

Comments:

301

10. (12) 2

The Stranger 

 Billy Joel

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Billy Joel's greatest record is nearly flawless from front to back. Each track from Movin' Out to Get it Right the First Time could be put near the top of the list of his greatest songs, and cover several musical styles. Less popular tracks from the record like Scenes from an Italian Restaurant and The Strange remain staples of his live shows, with very good reason. If he just left off Everybody has a Dream, this album could be even higher on this ranking because every other song is so amazingly good. [First added to this chart: 10/02/2024]

Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

700 charts

Rank Score:

7,135

Rank in 1977:

7

Rank in 1970s:

56

Overall Rank:

233

Average Rating:

 82 (876 votes)

Comments:

69

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Total albums: 40. Page 1 of 4

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Top 40 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade	Albums	%
1930s	0	0%
1940s	0	0%
1950s	0	0%
1960s	4	10%
1970s	9	23%
1980s	3	8%
1990s	4	10%
2000s	10	25%
2010s	8	20%
2020s	2	5%

Artist	Albums	%
Pink Floyd	3	8%
The Beatles	3	8%
Radiohead	3	8%
Bruce Springsteen	3	8%
Arcade Fire	2	5%
Vampire Weekend	2	5%
The National	2	5%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	17	43%
	17	43%
	2	5%
	2	5%
	1	3%
	1	3%

Top 40 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest climbers
Up 14 from 32nd to 18th Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers
Up 11 from 24th to 13th Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
Up 4 from 8th to 4th OK Computer by Radiohead

Biggest fallers
Down 10 from 5th to 15th The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
Down 7 from 17th to 24th A Night At The Opera by Queen
Down 2 from 4th to 6th Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

New entries
Hit Me Hard And Soft by Billie Eilish
Lost In The Dream by The War On Drugs
A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay

Leavers
Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) by Led Zeppelin
Exodus by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Damn. by Kendrick Lamar

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