Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by araidernomore 
- Chart updated: 01/28/2026 22:15
- (Created: 04/11/2024 17:17).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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Radiohead have always been masters of using a song's instrumentation and tone to complement its lyrics, and this album is the peak of the form. It's subtle things, like dueling keys on Nude symbolizing a angel-vs-devil-on-the-shoulder battle or the rushed climax to Jigsaw Falling Into Place filling in the gaps left by the narrator's hazy memories of a drunken night out, that stick in your brain even if you don't quite consciously know why. Fantastic imagery abounds, too, from a pair of bright eyes at the bottom of the sea (Weird Fishes) turning into a parasitic, toxic relationship (All I Need) to the hands of Mephistopheles clutching at Thom as he attempts to make his way into heaven (Videotape). It's lustful, it's beautiful, and above all else, it's human. I wish it was 20 tracks long.
90+ tracks: Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Bodysnatchers, Reckoner, Jigsaw Falling Into Place, 15 Step, Nude, House of Cards [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
90+ tracks: Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Bodysnatchers, Reckoner, Jigsaw Falling Into Place, 15 Step, Nude, House of Cards [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
43,092
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The best example, in my opinion, of an album seamlessly weaving together multiple themes into a vivid snapshot of modern life (especially if you have a latent fear of machines!) You've got commentary on government oppression (Karma Police, Lucky), insanity (Subterranean Homesick Alien, Climbing Up the Walls), transportation (Airbag, Let Down) as well as a couple self-contained narratives (Exit Music, The Tourist). It's a haunting stew of disillusionment. That's all before even mentioning the music, which moves between headbangers to depth and sadness to chilled-out piano-driven tracks and gets every single vibe right. The songwriting is fantastic, the band's signature layered instrumentation is present, and there's an edge to this album that just hits hard without sounding plaintive in a way I don't think Radiohead ever quite recaptured. Perfect.
90+ tracks: Karma Police, Airbag, Let Down, Lucky, Paranoid Android, Subterranean Homesick Alien, No Surprises [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
90+ tracks: Karma Police, Airbag, Let Down, Lucky, Paranoid Android, Subterranean Homesick Alien, No Surprises [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
63,143
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A masterwork by a band that has never sounded this vulnerable. The first half is punishing, with The Vampyre of Time and Memory the only respite from grinding drums and bass (Keep Your Eyes Peeled, If I Had a Tail) to riffy guitar work (I Sat by the Ocean, My God is the Sun). The back half, though, gets incredibly emotional in a way that is so rarely done this tastefully by a metal band. I Appear Missing is a haunting reflection on Josh Homme's brush with death and an absolute showstopper musically with his vocals slipping into falsetto as the drums crash down around his ears. One of my favorite covers ever, too. Stunning.
90+ tracks: If I Had a Tail, Keep Your Eyes Peeled, I Sat By the Ocean, The Vampyre of Time and Memory, My God is the Sun, I Appear Missing, ...Like Clockwork [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
90+ tracks: If I Had a Tail, Keep Your Eyes Peeled, I Sat By the Ocean, The Vampyre of Time and Memory, My God is the Sun, I Appear Missing, ...Like Clockwork [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
Year of Release:
2013
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,235
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The hooks on just about every song here will stick in your head for days. The bass is deep, clear, and glides toward you and through you like...well, a current. The guitars shimmer, the vocals glitter as they plead, and the lyrics paint picture after picture of failed relationship after failed relationship, although they're explored in different ways - toxic masculinity (Cause I'm A Man), she was out of your league in the first place (The Less I Know the Better), plain old incompatibility and being the first to realize it (Eventually). Could spend hours floating in just about every track here. If it didn't spend so much time on a robot voice, might actually be perfect.
90+ tracks: The Less I Know The Better, Let It Happen, The Moment, Eventually, Yes I'm Changing, Cause I'm A Man, New Person Same Old Mistakes [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
90+ tracks: The Less I Know The Better, Let It Happen, The Moment, Eventually, Yes I'm Changing, Cause I'm A Man, New Person Same Old Mistakes [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,801
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I'll speak about the narrative in a moment, and it deserves all the praise in the world, but the first thing that drew me into this album is the *feel* of it. From the moment the drums kick in on Sherane to the understated beat switch on The Art of Peer Pressure to the anxious yet laid-back experience of Good Kid, there's an underlying darkness to so many of these songs that Kendrick's anxious flow rides flawlessly. The vibe is set such that even in lighter moments like Drake's appearance on Poetic Justice or the head-nodding hook to Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe, there's always the knowledge that the darkness needs to be explored, worked through. That tension finally explodes on m.A.A.d. city (Kendrick's first verse here being one of the greatest of all time), is absolved via the waters in Sing About Me, and is triumphed over through Kendrick's parents' affirmation and a beautiful Just Blaze beat on the closer. A masterpiece.
90+ tracks: m.A.A.d. city, Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe, Backseat Freestyle, Swimming Pools, Money Trees, Poetic Justice [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
90+ tracks: m.A.A.d. city, Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe, Backseat Freestyle, Swimming Pools, Money Trees, Poetic Justice [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
Year of Release:
2012
Appears in:
Rank Score:
22,096
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Far darker and far more thematic than VW's previous work, this album manages to explore life, aging, and death while remaining lighthearted, funny, and (for the most part) upbeat. From the sweet harpsichord on Step to the joyous drum hits on Diane Young to "Old flames, they can't warm you tonight/So keep it cool, my baby" on Don't Lie, it never loses its sense of pretty, but always returns its focus to the metaphysical. While not the only entity Ezra Koenig wrestles with, God does dominate more than a few of the songs here, including professing a lack of faith on Unbelievers and Hannah Hunt to a direct confrontation with the man upstairs on Worship You and Ya Hey. It's sad, it's earnest, it's a thinker, and it's a triumph.
90+ tracks: Unbelievers, Step, Ya Hey, Diane Young, Hannah Hunt, Finger Back [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
90+ tracks: Unbelievers, Step, Ya Hey, Diane Young, Hannah Hunt, Finger Back [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
Year of Release:
2013
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,117
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[First added to this chart: 09/03/2025]
Year of Release:
2012
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,842
Rank in 2012:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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There is an effortless cool that permeates just about every song here. Even when Alex Turner is laying bare his desire for someone who doesn't feel the same (Do I Wanna Know?, Why'd You Only Call Me...), he's doing it with an expensive vocabulary (and an equally expensive leather smoking jacket.) The guitar riffs are earworms (Arabella, Knee Socks), the bass really gets to shine occasionally (One For the Road), and there's a sense of wistful longing all over this album that, honest as he is in professing it to the object of his attraction, it's not clear Alex really accepts for himself. Just sounds too dang cool.
90+ tracks: Do I Wanna Know?, Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?, R U Mine?, One For the Road, Arabella, Fireside, Snap Out of It, Knee Socks [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
90+ tracks: Do I Wanna Know?, Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?, R U Mine?, One For the Road, Arabella, Fireside, Snap Out of It, Knee Socks [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
Year of Release:
2013
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,177
Rank in 2013:
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It might feel a bit odd to use the word "gorgeous" to describe an album that is bombastic, is arena-worthy, contains screams and shouts galore...but that's what this is. Exists at the glorious center of the Venn diagram with sad, pretty songs (7 Kettles, In the Backseat) coexisting with concert-ready singalongs (Power Out, Wake Up), and when the two are combined, the results are magical. The opener here, Tunnels, exemplifies resilience in the face of tragedy over a lovely guitar and a driving rhythm section, and the penultimate track Rebellion (Lies) repays the favor with a constant bass and piano that attempt to fight off the concept of sleep itself. Couldn't be prettier if it tried, couldn't be better-suited to its subject matter, and couldn't leave you more exhilarated facing the ultimate emptiness.
90+ tracks: Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), Rebellion (Lies), Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), Wake Up, In the Backseat [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
90+ tracks: Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), Rebellion (Lies), Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), Wake Up, In the Backseat [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
Year of Release:
2004
Appears in:
Rank Score:
33,821
Rank in 2004:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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You can feel the spaciousness in every note through the record. An Irish band exploring the American West doesn't necessarily sound like the recipe for true emotional depth, but there's nothing *but* depth all over this record from the opening jangle of Edge's guitar on Where the Streets Have No Name to the closing soft bass on Mothers of the Disappeared. There's an earnest love in every melody, a rhythm that permeates and drives each song and even threatens to outshine Bono's soaring vocals. It really *does* make you feel like climbing the highest mountain (I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For), picking a desert rose (In God's Country), and manages to make waiting on a bed of nails something worth doing (With or Without You). The most cynical soul in the world couldn't help from being uplifted.
90+ tracks: With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name, Running to Stand Still, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Mothers of the Disappeared [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
90+ tracks: With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name, Running to Stand Still, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Mothers of the Disappeared [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,323
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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1970s | 3 | 3% | |
| 1980s | 11 | 11% | |
| 1990s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2000s | 29 | 29% | |
| 2010s | 31 | 31% | |
| 2020s | 5 | 5% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Radiohead | 5 | 5% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 4 | 4% | |
| Arctic Monkeys | 4 | 4% | |
| Vampire Weekend | 3 | 3% | |
| Kanye West | 3 | 3% | |
| The Strokes | 3 | 3% | |
| Coldplay | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 26 from 90th to 64thThe Smiths by The Smiths |
| Up 22 from 93rd to 71stThey Want My Soul by Spoon |
| Up 12 from 54th to 42ndLet God Sort Em Out by Clipse |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 8 from 85th to 93rdTen by Pearl Jam |
| Down 8 from 86th to 94thRumours by Fleetwood Mac |
| Down 7 from 80th to 87thRoom On Fire by The Strokes |
| New entries |
|---|
| Tim by The Replacements |
| Lord Willin' by Clipse |
| Nonagon Infinity by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard |
| Pinkerton by Weezer |
| Leavers |
|---|
| Black Holes And Revelations by Muse |
| Blond by Frank Ocean |
| Aja by Steely Dan |
| The Suburbs by Arcade Fire |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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Showing all 3 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 02/12/2025 18:54 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,097 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/10/2025 11:16 |  DeusExMackia | 133 | 82/100 |
| ! | 08/04/2024 03:01 | mianfei | 172 | 62/100 |
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From DeusExMackia 01/10/2025 11:16 | #306891
DeusExMackia 01/10/2025 11:16 | #306891
17 artists in common counts for something!
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