Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
neilgee 
- Chart updated: 01/03/2026 08:15
- (Created: 11/09/2012 13:46).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 24 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 52 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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There's a looseness and spontaniety about this album that I love (that I think is over-produced and chased out of the follow up).
[First added to this chart: 09/20/2015]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,538
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
This was the first album I really just couldn't get enough of, I almost wore my copy out when I was 14/15 years old flipping it over and just playing side one side two side one side two again. Admittedly it does have one duff track on it but I think the sheer power of sentiment for my first musical love affair elevates it and so here it is all the way up at no 3 in the best albums of all time.
[First added to this chart: 09/20/2015]
[First added to this chart: 09/20/2015]
Best track is 'Please pardon me' but hell this whole album is so solid from beginning to end it is the best studio album to come out of the 70's USA-led funk era for me.
[First added to this chart: 09/21/2015]
This is the 1973 Anthology with five heads of the band against a white background. The tracks that are being attributed to the 73 version on this site include 'Treat her like a lady' from 84 and Standing on the top from 81, but apart from that the tracks leading up to 73 are close enough to the original for me to leave this in my chart.
[First added to this chart: 09/20/2015]
Brilliant compilation, but feel guilty reducing them to one entry in the 100, they were so good in the early 70's, they really didn't put a foot wrong for me.
[First added to this chart: 09/20/2015]
Oh man, just an inspired Aretha album. This is when I realized what all the fuss was about.
[First added to this chart: 09/20/2015]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
556
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Best track 'Business'. Eminem is a fucking genius.
[First added to this chart: 09/20/2015]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,536
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/20/2015]
Year of Release:
2003
Appears in:
Rank Score:
952
Rank in 2003:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 02/24/2018]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,484
Rank in 2007:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 33. Page 1 of 4
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1970s | 50 | 50% | |
| 1980s | 31 | 31% | |
| 1990s | 5 | 5% | |
| 2000s | 3 | 3% | |
| 2010s | 2 | 2% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Elvis Costello | 4 | 4% | |
| The Beatles | 4 | 4% | |
| The Smiths | 3 | 3% | |
| Elvis Costello And The Attractions | 3 | 3% | |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 3% | |
| Bobby Womack | 2 | 2% | |
| Oasis | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 54th to 53rdGoodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | neilgee | 1970s decade chart | 2026 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | neilgee | 1980s decade chart | 2025 | |
| NME's Best Albums Of All Time | New Music Express | Overall chart | 1985 | |
| Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums | Virgin | Overall chart | 1994 | |
| The Times - Nov - Dec 1993 The Vultures Best Albums Of All Time | Steppenwolf666 | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| All Time Top 100 Albums | Sounds (UK) | Overall chart | 1985 | |
| NME Readers' All-Time Top 100 Albums | New Music Express | Overall chart | 1988 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | WayneMC | 1970s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | nas062080 | 1970s decade chart | 2013 |  |
| Reggae the 7th hundred. | neilgee | Custom chart | 2026 | |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
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Top 100 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.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 52 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/18/2025 20:44 |  MadhattanJack | 302 | 86/100 | |
| 05/18/2025 20:13 | BorderFreeAndrew | 110 | 81/100 | |
| 01/25/2025 14:17 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,089 | 85/100 | |
| 06/22/2024 06:38 |  Tamthebam | 651 | 85/100 | |
| 06/21/2024 14:43 | BraddlesHendo | 496 | 91/100 |
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 86.6/100, a mean average of 86.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 86.7/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.1.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 24 comments |
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From BorderFreeAndrew 05/18/2025 20:14 | #309053
Nice to see a healthy amount of the classic soul, funk, and RnB that rarely makes it onto other BEA user charts.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 06/21/2024 09:09 | #304031
Really like this chart. Perhaps a few too many compilations for me but that not a complaint simply an observation. Overall, a really good chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
EyeKanFly 09/05/2021 23:47 | #273353
EyeKanFly 09/05/2021 23:47 | #273353
Quality chart, need to check out some of those reggae/ska/rocksteady/dub albums. 8 Elvis Costello albums seems a bit much to me, but hey, some of them are great! I haven't heard his collab with the Roots, should probably check that out.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From vancevisuals 05/23/2020 15:47 | #251887
Huge Peter Gabriel fan
good to see some recognition
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
StefanR10 05/23/2020 14:39 | #251884
StefanR10 05/23/2020 14:39 | #251884
I like your chart, it has Stevie Wonder with FFF. And i like that you put Peter Gabriel at Number 1 you have some of the artists that i have on the list. Jimi Hendrix and Lou Reed, Elvis Costello. Maybe Elvis on this list would make it also good. But nice that you have The Beatles here too.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ForegroundNoise 01/29/2019 09:23 | #230942
ForegroundNoise 01/29/2019 09:23 | #230942
Wow, your notes for your no.1 pick are gorgeous; I've never seen that Peter Gabriel album so high n someone's chart, you've given me a strong case to go check it out.
That said, I think there's a little too much focus on the 70s/80s. Having Morrissey and Elvis Costello topping the 2010s feels like a nostalgia trip, I think it's a little unfair to suggest that no-one this decade has been able to top those artists recording well past their songwriting prime ...
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Julelios 12/05/2018 14:40 | #226241
Julelios 12/05/2018 14:40 | #226241
Wow ! Excellent choices !
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
nocturnaldelight 09/11/2018 21:50 | #220905
nocturnaldelight 09/11/2018 21:50 | #220905
Interesting collection with a lot of different music styles from the 70s and 80s. I see some some of my favorite artists and a lot of other stuff to broaden my horizon.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Dankel 07/29/2018 09:09 | #218905
Dankel 07/29/2018 09:09 | #218905
Very eclectic mix - some real gems here
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
NowhereMan 11/12/2017 12:17 | #201199
NowhereMan 11/12/2017 12:17 | #201199
Love the adoration for Dexy's... and for Beatles debut!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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| Best Ever Artists | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Beatles | |
| 2. Radiohead | |
| 3. Pink Floyd | |
| 4. David Bowie | |
| 5. Bob Dylan | |
| 6. Led Zeppelin | |
| 7. The Rolling Stones | |
| 8. Arcade Fire | |
| 9. Neil Young | |
| 10. Nirvana | |
| 11. The Velvet Underground | |
| 12. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 13. Miles Davis | |
| 14. The Smiths | |
| 15. R.E.M. | |
| 16. The Beach Boys | |
| 17. Kanye West | |
| 18. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 19. The Cure | |
| 20. Pixies |
