The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever by The Guardian (1997) 
The Guardian is a British daily newspaper. These are their best albums of all time. In 1997, The Guardian, a UK daily broadsheet newspaper, published a list of the greatest albums of all time. The list was chosen by a panel of judges including artists, critics and DJ's from around the world.
(Official website: www.guardian.co.uk)
There are 19 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever has an average rating of 73 out of 100 (from 64 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
The entries in this chart have been awarded a zero rank score because the chart has not been updated within the last ten years.
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Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
20,448
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140
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
62,082
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Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,728
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Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
44,569
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Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,537
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Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
48,883
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Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
54,117
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Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
50,299
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Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
46,634
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Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,248
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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 2 | 2% | |
| 1960s | 19 | 19% | |
| 1970s | 40 | 40% | |
| 1980s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1990s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2000s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2010s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Beatles | 5 | 5% | |
| David Bowie | 4 | 4% | |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 4 | 4% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 3 | 3% | |
| Bob Dylan | 3 | 3% | |
| The Clash | 2 | 2% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever similar charts
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Other all time overall charts
- Top 100 Albums by ABC (published 2006)
- The 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time by Absolute Radio (published 2012)
- Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Channel 4 (published 2005)
- The 100 Greatest Rock Albums Of All Time by Classic Rock (published 2001)
- The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time by Consequence of Sound (published 2022)
- Top 100 Albums Ever by Consequence of Sound (published 2010)
- The 100 All-Time Greatest Albums by Entertainment Weekly (published 2013)
- The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever by The Guardian (published 1997)
- Greatest 100 Albums of All Time by The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums with NME
(published 2006)
- Top 90.3 Listener Voted Albums by KEXP (published 2008)
- Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Melody Maker (published 2000)
- Mojo Readers: The 100 Greatest Albums Ever Made by Mojo (published 1996)
- 100 Greatest Albums of All Time by Mojo (published 1995)
- Die 20 besten Alben der Geschichte by Musikexpress.de (published 2011)
- The Definitive 200 by National Association of Recording Merchandisers (published 2007)
- NME Readers' All-Time Top 100 Albums by New Music Express (published 1988)
- The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time by New Music Express (published 2013)
- New Musical Express Writers Top 100 Albums by New Music Express (published 1993)
- NME 's 100 Best Albums Of All Time by New Music Express (published 2003)
- NME's Best Albums Of All Time by New Music Express (published 1985)
- 100 Greatest Albums Ever by Q (published 2003)
- Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Q (published 1997)
- 100 Greatest Albums Ever by Q (published 2006)
- Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2012)
- Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2003)
- Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2005)
- The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2020)
- Top 100 Albums by Rolling Stone Deutschland (published 1997)
- Os 100 Melhores Discos de Todos Os Tempos by Sinewave (published 2012)
- The Top 50 Albums of All Time by Sound & Vision Magazine (published 2010)
- 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time by The Sound (published 2018)
- All Time Top 100 Albums by Sounds (published 1985)
- The Greatest Rock Albums by uDiscoverMusic (published 2015)
- 200 Greatest Albums of All Time by Uncut (published 2016)
- The Top 100 Albums by VH1 (published 2001)
- Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums by Virgin (published 1994)
- Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums by Virgin (published 2000)
- Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums by Virgin (published 1998)
- Albums of the Century by ZigZag (published 1975)
- Best Album Ever by ZigZag (published 1971)
Other charts by The Guardian
Year charts
- The 50 best albums of 2022 by The Guardian (2022 year chart)
- The 50 best albums of 2021 by The Guardian (2021 year chart)
- The 50 best albums of 2020 by The Guardian (2020 year chart)
- The 50 Best Albums of 2019 by The Guardian (2019 year chart)
- The 50 best albums of 2018 by The Guardian (2018 year chart)
- The best albums of 2017 by The Guardian (2017 year chart)
- The best albums of 2016 by The Guardian (2016 year chart)
- The best albums of 2015 by The Guardian (2015 year chart)
- The best albums of 2014 by The Guardian (2014 year chart)
Decade charts
[None]Overall charts
- The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever by The Guardian (published 1997)
[The Guardian was founded in 1821.]
The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever ratings
73/100 (from 64 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 64 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
90/100  | 06/04/2021 01:50 |  Skroskznik | | 92/100 |
70/100 | 12/11/2020 07:56 |  pjohnsongolf | | 89/100 |
65/100 | 09/25/2020 03:33 | ChadMiles | | 64/100 |
50/100 | 08/25/2020 11:29 | Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
90/100 | 08/13/2020 20:27 |  desh79 | | 93/100 |
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 has a Bayesian average rating of 73.5/100, a mean average of 70.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 71.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 20.0.
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The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever favourites
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The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever comments
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75/100
From 
Boltzmann 03/15/2020 18:38
Boltzmann 03/15/2020 18:38
Actually not as mad at this one as I thought I would be. Still no clue what Oasis is doing on any greatest albums list, but can't have everything.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From TorkilSkorgen 05/06/2017 11:37
Interesting chart. I agree with some of it, but there are quite a few odd choices (especially for a big magazine) like putting What's Going On at number one, and Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols at number three. It's good to see some diversity, but it's completely overlooked metal. They should also have been more careful with putting (at the time) recent albums so high up. Not that they are bad albums, but they definitely wouldn't be that high up nowadays.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
40/100
From mianfei 05/11/2016 11:37
Not that bad – there is a good diversity of selections (though metal is conspicuously absent). It’s notable to see some reggae, a lot of very good soul and a good selection of most pop and rock genres.
There is though the problem of datedness of numerous selections which have proven to constitute much more popular fads than timeless classics that either had long-term impacts on the music industry or stand out as something totally unique that nobody could emulate. Examples are artists like the Verve, Oasis, Garbage and even Alanis Morrisette. If the ‘Guardian’ could have been more careful about then-recent records this could have been a good list for its type.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From JasonZaia 01/29/2015 01:40
Very interesting list...different order.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
thedistantship 08/22/2014 03:49
thedistantship 08/22/2014 03:49
Can't argue with too much. Predictable selections but interesting order
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
Graeme2 06/22/2014 21:42
Graeme2 06/22/2014 21:42
Pretty good. Predictable for a reason. If they did one now a few from the 90s would bite the dust like garbage, urban hymns and jagged little pill I would guess. Not a predictable no1 but a good one.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
70/100
From 
GandalfORiley345 03/27/2014 03:33
GandalfORiley345 03/27/2014 03:33
Well, this chart add´s The Stone Roses in a top 10
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
80/100
From 
Anti 02/02/2014 02:17
Anti 02/02/2014 02:17
Interesting to see "What's Going On?" at the top of the list!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
tgarritsen 10/13/2013 17:23
tgarritsen 10/13/2013 17:23
Good list, really diverse
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From nutso42 09/10/2013 15:14
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -3 votes (0 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
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