The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever by The Guardian (1997)

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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: https://www.guardian.co.uk)

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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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21.

Definitely Maybe

Oasis

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

1,225 charts

Rank Score:

11,883

Rank in 1994:

Rank in 1990s:

Overall Rank:

122

Average Rating:

80 (1,837 votes)

Comments:

146

22.

Abbey Road

The Beatles

Year of Release:

1969

Appears in:

3,633 charts

Rank Score:

65,299

Rank in 1969:

Rank in 1960s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

23.

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,211 charts

Rank Score:

11,073

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

137

Average Rating:

83 (1,510 votes)

Comments:

24.

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

Year of Release:

1966

Appears in:

1,972 charts

Rank Score:

27,653

Rank in 1966:

Rank in 1960s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

25.

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

1,915 charts

Rank Score:

22,522

Rank in 1972:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

85 (2,299 votes)

Comments:

210

26.

Automatic For The People

R.E.M.

Year of Release:

1992

Appears in:

1,772 charts

Rank Score:

20,413

Rank in 1992:

Rank in 1990s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

27.

Year of Release:

1969

Appears in:

1,724 charts

Rank Score:

18,851

Rank in 1969:

Rank in 1960s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

28.

Year of Release:

1986

Appears in:

2,424 charts

Rank Score:

38,653

Rank in 1986:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

88 (2,844 votes)

Comments:

265

29.

Electric Ladyland

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Year of Release:

1968

Appears in:

1,633 charts

Rank Score:

18,923

Rank in 1968:

Rank in 1960s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

86 (1,922 votes)

Comments:

108

30.

Are You Experienced

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

2,168 charts

Rank Score:

24,179

Rank in 1967:

Rank in 1960s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

87 (2,422 votes)

Comments:

169

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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

Country	Albums	%

	48	48%
	37	37%
	6	6%
	4	4%
	3	3%
	2	2%

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	97	97%
Yes	3	3%

Live?	Albums	%
No	98	98%
Yes	2	2%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	99	99%
Yes	1	1%

The Guardian: 100 Best Albums Ever (1997) by WayneMC (2019)
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Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums by Virgin (2000)
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Channel 4 (2005)
Most Acclaimed Music Albums by Imaybeparanoid (2015)
100 Greatest Albums Ever by Q (2006)
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by P H Dias (2012)
Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (2003)
The Top 100 Albums by VH1 (2001)

The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever similarity to your chart(s)

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Title	Source	Published
Top 100 Albums	ABC	2006
The 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time	Absolute Radio	2012
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums	Channel 4	2005
The 100 Greatest Rock Albums Of All Time	Classic Rock	2001
Top 100 Albums Ever	Consequence of Sound	2010
The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time	Consequence of Sound	2022
The 100 All-Time Greatest Albums	Entertainment Weekly	2013
The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever	The Guardian	1997
Greatest 100 Albums of All Time	The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums with NME	2006
Greatest Albums Of All Time	Hartbeat!	1996
Top 90.3 Listener Voted Albums	KEXP	2008
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums	Melody Maker	2000
100 Greatest Albums of All Time	Mojo	1995
Mojo Readers: The 100 Greatest Albums Ever Made	Mojo	1996
Die 20 besten Alben der Geschichte	Musikexpress.de	2011
The Definitive 200	National Association of Recording Merchandisers	2007
NME Readers' All-Time Top 100 Albums	New Music Express	1988
The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time	New Music Express	2013
NME 's 100 Best Albums Of All Time	New Music Express	2003
NME's Best Albums Of All Time	New Music Express	1985
New Musical Express Writers Top 100 Albums	New Music Express	1993
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums	Q	1997
100 Greatest Albums Ever	Q	2006
100 Greatest Albums Ever	Q	2003
Die 100 besten Alben der Musikgeschichte	radioeins	2019
Top 500 Albums of All Time	Rolling Stone	2003
Top 500 Albums of All Time	Rolling Stone	2005
Top 500 Albums of All Time	Rolling Stone	2012
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time	Rolling Stone	2020
Die besten Alben aller Zeiten	Rolling Stone Deutschland	2004
Die besten Platten aus 5 Jahrzehnten: Top 100	Rolling Stone Deutschland	1997
Os 100 Melhores Discos de Todos Os Tempos	Sinewave	2012
The Top 50 Albums of All Time	Sound & Vision Magazine	2010
100 Greatest Albums Of All Time	The Sound	2018
All Time Top 100 Albums	Sounds (UK)	1985
Die 100 Alben des Jahrhunderts	Spex	2000
The Greatest Rock Albums	uDiscoverMusic	2015
200 Greatest Albums of All Time	Uncut	2016
The Top 100 Albums	VH1	2001
Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums	Virgin	2000
Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums	Virgin	1994
Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums	Virgin	1998
Die 100 besten Platten des Jahrhunderts	Wiener	1999
Best Album Ever	ZigZag	1971
Albums of the Century	ZigZag	1975

Year charts

Title	Source	Type	Published
The 50 best albums of 2023	The Guardian	2023 year chart	2023
The 50 best albums of 2022	The Guardian	2022 year chart	2022
The 50 best albums of 2021	The Guardian	2021 year chart	2021
The 50 best albums of 2020	The Guardian	2020 year chart	2020
The 50 Best Albums of 2019	The Guardian	2019 year chart	2019
The 50 best albums of 2018	The Guardian	2018 year chart	2018
The best albums of 2017	The Guardian	2017 year chart	2017
The best albums of 2016	The Guardian	2016 year chart	2016
The best albums of 2015	The Guardian	2015 year chart	2015
The best albums of 2014	The Guardian	2014 year chart	2014
The Best 40 Albums Of 2013	The Guardian	2013 year chart	2013
The Best 40 Albums Of 2012	The Guardian	2012 year chart	2012
The Best 50 Albums Of 2011	The Guardian	2011 year chart	2011
The 40 Best Albums of 2010	The Guardian	2010 year chart	2010
The 50 Best Albums of 2009	The Guardian	2009 year chart	2009
The 50 Best Albums of 2008	The Guardian	2008 year chart	2008
The Best 50 Albums Of 2007	The Guardian	2007 year chart	2007

Decade charts

[None]

Overall charts

Title	Source	Type	Published	Country
The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever	The Guardian		1997

[The Guardian was founded in 1821.]

The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever ratings

Average Rating:

73/100 (from 64 votes)

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 64 ratings for this chart.

Sort ratings

Rating
Date updated
Member

Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
90/100	06/04/2021 01:50	Skroskznik	94	92/100
70/100	12/11/2020 07:56	pjohnsongolf	273	89/100
65/100	09/25/2020 03:33	ChadMiles	29	64/100
50/100	08/25/2020 11:29	Larcx13	1,092	86/100
90/100	08/13/2020 20:27	desh79	1,281	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 comments

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Rating:

75/100

From

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)

Rating:

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)

Rating:

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)

Rating:

85/100

From

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)

Rating:

95/100

From

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)

Rating:

70/100

From

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)

Rating:

80/100

From

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)

Rating:

90/100

From

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.

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