Top 36 Greatest Music Albums
by 
DJFresh-Rock 
Hey! We all love music, right? And the album is an artform which deserves to be elevated in this era of playlists and streaming. Here is my evolving list of favourites, put together on the fly as I rate and review my collection. Something you don't agree with? Leave a message! Like what you see? Likewise!
I'm limiting this to studio albums, live albums, EPs and classical works. There are other ways to release music but to include everything here just muddies the water.
- Chart updated: 03/16/2025 05:15
- (Created: 09/17/2024 21:34).
- Chart size: 36 albums.
There is 1 comment for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 36 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 2 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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97%
After the excesses of Waiting For Cousteau, Jean-Michel Jarre packs a punch with this return to old form. Uplifting, dark, pulsating and funky, there’s a lot going on here and it’s all excellent. Some of it strays from his formula a little, but where’s the fun in standing still? [First added to this chart: 03/15/2025]
After the excesses of Waiting For Cousteau, Jean-Michel Jarre packs a punch with this return to old form. Uplifting, dark, pulsating and funky, there’s a lot going on here and it’s all excellent. Some of it strays from his formula a little, but where’s the fun in standing still? [First added to this chart: 03/15/2025]
96%
Just an incredible album - from the motorik beats of Isi and E-Musik, through the ambient washes of Leb Wohl, to the punk of Hero and After Eight, Neu! ’75 delights and surprises at every turn. Deservedly a lauded underground album. [First added to this chart: 12/29/2024]
Just an incredible album - from the motorik beats of Isi and E-Musik, through the ambient washes of Leb Wohl, to the punk of Hero and After Eight, Neu! ’75 delights and surprises at every turn. Deservedly a lauded underground album. [First added to this chart: 12/29/2024]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,144
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95%
Playing ostensibly like an extended jam, this LP is deservedly considered one of the greatest records of all time. Certainly, it is soul at its finest. [First added to this chart: 03/15/2025]
Playing ostensibly like an extended jam, this LP is deservedly considered one of the greatest records of all time. Certainly, it is soul at its finest. [First added to this chart: 03/15/2025]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,805
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94%
Jazz doesn’t have to be challenging to be interesting. Here, Dave Brubeck and his quartet pull off the feat of filling an entire 40 minutes with superlative and emotive playing, lending a distinctive lilt to everything they touch. Highly recommended. [First added to this chart: 12/28/2024]
Jazz doesn’t have to be challenging to be interesting. Here, Dave Brubeck and his quartet pull off the feat of filling an entire 40 minutes with superlative and emotive playing, lending a distinctive lilt to everything they touch. Highly recommended. [First added to this chart: 12/28/2024]
Year of Release:
1959
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Rank Score:
6,397
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94%
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always had” - so goes the old adage. The Beatles certainly weren’t prepared to get what they’d always had with this release - straightforward rock, psychedelia, orchestral pop, Eastern rhythms, and a track so far ahead of its time The Chemical Brothers would build a career out of its sound 30 years later. [First added to this chart: 12/29/2024]
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always had” - so goes the old adage. The Beatles certainly weren’t prepared to get what they’d always had with this release - straightforward rock, psychedelia, orchestral pop, Eastern rhythms, and a track so far ahead of its time The Chemical Brothers would build a career out of its sound 30 years later. [First added to this chart: 12/29/2024]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
48,259
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93%
Once in a generation, a real game-changer comes along. The Beatles seemed to manage this feat every year or so in the late 60s. The innovative stylings of Sgt Pepper’s… still stand tall today, and the melodies are of such good quality that you can easily forgive the occasional lyrical misstep. [First added to this chart: 12/28/2024]
Once in a generation, a real game-changer comes along. The Beatles seemed to manage this feat every year or so in the late 60s. The innovative stylings of Sgt Pepper’s… still stand tall today, and the melodies are of such good quality that you can easily forgive the occasional lyrical misstep. [First added to this chart: 12/28/2024]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
42,244
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92%
Some of the music is a little of its time, and there is a heavy debt to the original which, in places, comes off as a little heavy-handed, but this is an album full of melodic hooks and charming electronica. Excellent. [First added to this chart: 12/28/2024]
Some of the music is a little of its time, and there is a heavy debt to the original which, in places, comes off as a little heavy-handed, but this is an album full of melodic hooks and charming electronica. Excellent. [First added to this chart: 12/28/2024]
92%
Mark Knopfler is one of the music business’s true auteurs. Following his career with Dire Straits, he took his brand of twangy guitar and flat vocals Americana solo to great effect. Not the most well-known of his albums, but, in my opinion, his best. The opener, Why Aye Man, is a modern North-East anthem (it was used as the theme for a subsequent series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet) and the quality of the other tracks are as just as good. [First added to this chart: 12/29/2024]
Mark Knopfler is one of the music business’s true auteurs. Following his career with Dire Straits, he took his brand of twangy guitar and flat vocals Americana solo to great effect. Not the most well-known of his albums, but, in my opinion, his best. The opener, Why Aye Man, is a modern North-East anthem (it was used as the theme for a subsequent series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet) and the quality of the other tracks are as just as good. [First added to this chart: 12/29/2024]
92%
Beautifully performed modern Sufi wrapped in a jazz blanket. Certainly night is its domain; it is by turns dark and soothing. Aftab’s voice is smooth and mellifluous and the playing complements it wonderfully. Superb. [First added to this chart: 12/28/2024]
Beautifully performed modern Sufi wrapped in a jazz blanket. Certainly night is its domain; it is by turns dark and soothing. Aftab’s voice is smooth and mellifluous and the playing complements it wonderfully. Superb. [First added to this chart: 12/28/2024]
91%
By the beginning of the 90s, U2’s earnest stadium-ready rock was wearing a little thin, so they thought. Much has been written about their opening album of this decade, 1991’s Achtung, Baby, but less has come out about the follow-up, Zooropa. For me, it’s one of the most interesting statements in rock music. Full of samples, obfuscated meaning, instrumentation that is by turns lush and spare, and even a guest appearance from Johnny Cash. Added to this is the fact that there are just so many good tunes. It’s still obviously U2, but like you’ve never heard them before. [First added to this chart: 03/15/2025]
By the beginning of the 90s, U2’s earnest stadium-ready rock was wearing a little thin, so they thought. Much has been written about their opening album of this decade, 1991’s Achtung, Baby, but less has come out about the follow-up, Zooropa. For me, it’s one of the most interesting statements in rock music. Full of samples, obfuscated meaning, instrumentation that is by turns lush and spare, and even a guest appearance from Johnny Cash. Added to this is the fact that there are just so many good tunes. It’s still obviously U2, but like you’ve never heard them before. [First added to this chart: 03/15/2025]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,534
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Total albums: 36. Page 1 of 4
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Top 36 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 1 | 3% | |
| 1960s | 8 | 22% | |
| 1970s | 6 | 17% | |
| 1980s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1990s | 8 | 22% | |
| 2000s | 4 | 11% | |
| 2010s | 1 | 3% | |
| 2020s | 8 | 22% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Jean Michel Jarre | 2 | 6% | |
| The Beatles | 2 | 6% | |
| The Velvet Underground & Nico | 1 | 3% | |
| Cauld Blast Orchestra | 1 | 3% | |
| The Chemical Brothers | 1 | 3% | |
| Little Simz | 1 | 3% | |
| Yard Act | 1 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 36 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 15th to 16thLost Girls by Bat For Lashes |
| Down 1 from 16th to 17thTubular Bells by Mike Oldfield |
| Down 1 from 17th to 18thNowhere by Ride |
| New entries |
|---|
| One Of These Nights by Eagles |
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| Top 25 Greatest Music Albums | zachbuddie | Overall chart | 2015 | |
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Top 36 Greatest Music Albums ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/29/2025 12:42 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,090 | 85/100 | |
| 01/02/2025 22:01 | mrmcrook | 795 | 93/100 |
Top 36 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Top 36 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From mrmcrook 01/02/2025 22:07 | #306775
I agree with your comment about the album being an artform. Streaming, playlists etc have killed the true essence of bands, musicians, singers, songwriters. Even though we have some difference in preferences I love your notes. I'll look forward to seeing your list as it expands out to 100
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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