Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
Charicature 
7/29/11 - List expanded to top 100. No consideration given to order.
9/7/11 - fixed the order a bit. Added Second Coming. Deleted the old notes from before the list expanded to 100. Due to trouble posting the changes, album #100 got deleted - I don't remember what it was just now, so I'll figure it out later.
9/25/11 - added Coming Up and Songs for Dustmites...regrettably as always having technical difficulty actually updating my changes. Monkees are off the list again.
9/21/12 - Tough choice, need to put Strangeland into the chart, guess I'll boot Pablo Honey - I skip most of that album these days when it comes up on my shuffle.
2/4/13 - Strangeland jumps 10 spots to #10
3/8/13 - Dropped Ferment to 100 pending removal when something better comes along, moved a couple other albums around.
3/26/13 Added Sundown (debuts at #100 pending further listening) and removed Ferment.
3/29/13 Dropped Hotwired, added Tea for the Tillerman
8/26/13 Dropped Beneath the Rhythym and Sound and added Where You Stand.
12/3/15 Just tweaked my top 15 based on current listening habits revealing I consider certain albums better than previously rated. Gotta figure the ones I'm still listening to are the best. Keane breaks into the top-3, Travis and The Killers make the top-10 for the first time (big leap for Hot Fuss, from #53 to #4 - whenever songs from that album come on my Sirius radio, I change to them).
6/20/16 - Added Purple Rain after finding out I hadn't included it (oversight brought to my attention by the unfortunate untimely death of the artist). Easily ditched American Lesion to make room.
9/11/18 - some tweaks, a few more comments, and one new album. Dropped Garbage by Garbage, just find myself skipping over them whenever I see them come up. Don't even know why, since I still like the music, just never want to listen to it anymore lol.
6/4/22 - Haven’t updated the chart in almost 4 years, shifted some positions to account for changing tastes and to prepare the list for some additions/subtractions. Only added one album, may have to make some decade charts for albums based on best singles.
7/6/23 - listened to True in recent months and wasn’t disappointed. Definitely deserving of consideration of one of the best albums of the 80s, and Tony Hadley is without a doubt the strongest male singer of the decade. Going to insert this at #40 without considering what’s around it, it’s that good.
8/10/25 - I'll get around to some revisions sometime. I've had opportunity to listen to more of what my generation called classic rock and realized there's some albums deserving of my top 100 that aren't here. Some other albums just haven't had as much staying power with me, so hard as it might be, they'll have to come off.
- Chart updated: 08/11/2025 03:45
- (Created: 11/18/2008 22:44).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 36 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 70 out of 100 (from 52 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
Buy album
- #Sponsored
After more than two months of listening to this album, I'm convinced it's one of the best I've ever heard. Great songs, and not a weak track on the album...soulfull, emotional, energetic - there's a range on this album that one might miss if they dismiss Keane over their "clean" sound. EDIT: now 8 months, and I'm still convinced this is one of the best albums I've ever heard. So emotionally sincere, very well crafted songs...I've made up my mind to boost it to top 10 status. EDIT EDIT: it's been what...6 years give or take? I still love this album. I've decided to boost it to #1. EDIT EDIT EDIT 10 years hasn’t changed my mind on this.
Best tracks:
Silenced by the Night, Disconnected, Sovereign Light Cafe, On the Road, The Starting Line, Day Will Come [First added to this chart: 09/21/2012]
Best tracks:
Silenced by the Night, Disconnected, Sovereign Light Cafe, On the Road, The Starting Line, Day Will Come [First added to this chart: 09/21/2012]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Besides every song being a sonic masterpiece, no album I know of flows so perfectly through a range of emotions...the songs seem to parallel the 5 stages of grief and come together as a single beautiful work because of it.
Best tracks:
Crank, Broken Head, Pain, Strange Fruit, Show Me Mary, but you need to listen to the whole album to appreciate why I put it at #1. [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Best tracks:
Crank, Broken Head, Pain, Strange Fruit, Show Me Mary, but you need to listen to the whole album to appreciate why I put it at #1. [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
544
Rank in 1993:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Severely underrated album - the first album ever recorded 100% digitally, it has an edge that up to that point electronic music simply didn't have. Regrettably it was cast aside by the fans who wanted a more "pop" sound and only the diehard fans remained to buy their next two albums.
Best tracks:
Zeroes and Ones, The Devil You Know, Magazine, The Right Decision, Idiot Stare [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Best tracks:
Zeroes and Ones, The Devil You Know, Magazine, The Right Decision, Idiot Stare [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Like Catherine Wheel's Chrome and even its own Sweet predecessor Girlfriend, another gem of beautifully crafted songs that all flow around an emotional theme of conflict, grief, and resolution.
Best tracks:
Devil With the Green Eyes, Time Capsule, Someone To Pull the Trigger, Evergreen [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Best tracks:
Devil With the Green Eyes, Time Capsule, Someone To Pull the Trigger, Evergreen [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
With the exception of Top of the World by Shonen Knife, the covers on this album are incredible versions of The Carpenters' classics.
Best tracks:
Goodbye to Love (American Music Club), Superstar (Sonic Youth), For All We Know (Bettie Serveert), Hurting Each Other (Johnette Napolitano w/Marc Moreland), We've Only Just Begun (Grant Lee Buffalo) [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Best tracks:
Goodbye to Love (American Music Club), Superstar (Sonic Youth), For All We Know (Bettie Serveert), Hurting Each Other (Johnette Napolitano w/Marc Moreland), We've Only Just Begun (Grant Lee Buffalo) [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
I've come to respect this album much more, and decided to bump it up again. It rocks and it glides, hard and soft, with absolutely haunting ballads - I've recently decided Eat My Dust You Insensitive Fuck is one of my all-time top songs, probably top-5.
Best tracks:
God Inside My Head, Waydown, Heal, Eat My Dust You Insensitive Fuck, Judy Staring At the Sun, Love Tips Up [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Best tracks:
God Inside My Head, Waydown, Heal, Eat My Dust You Insensitive Fuck, Judy Staring At the Sun, Love Tips Up [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Travis is rapidly rising to be one of my favorite bands. Their music is undoubtedly easy-listening, but crafted with a mastery that few can touch, with that added element of great songwriting to help them rise to the top.
[First added to this chart: 01/24/2010]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Another band that masterfully crafts pop-rock songs to make them something more than cookie-cutter crap. The sound is so amazing that I can't discount this as a top album of all time, even if their other albums fall a bit short of top-50 material.
Best tracks:
Somewhere Only We Know, Bend and Break, We Might as Well Be Strangers, Everybody's Changing, She Has No Time, This is the Last Time, Bedshaped [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Best tracks:
Somewhere Only We Know, Bend and Break, We Might as Well Be Strangers, Everybody's Changing, She Has No Time, This is the Last Time, Bedshaped [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Year of Release:
2004
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,538
Rank in 2004:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Don't know why this didn't make my chart before.
[First added to this chart: 07/29/2011]
Year of Release:
2004
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,430
Rank in 2004:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Might need to be the higher-ranked of Sweet's albums, but regardless of where this album so beautifully spells out the emotions Sweet was dealing with at the time, dealing with his divorce.
Best tracks:
I've Been Waiting, Girlfriend, Nothing Lasts [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Best tracks:
I've Been Waiting, Girlfriend, Nothing Lasts [First added to this chart: 11/23/2009]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
625
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 4 | 4% | |
| 1970s | 5 | 5% | |
| 1980s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1990s | 57 | 57% | |
| 2000s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2010s | 4 | 4% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Catherine Wheel | 4 | 4% | |
| Jesus Jones | 4 | 4% | |
| Travis | 4 | 4% | |
| Grant Lee Buffalo | 4 | 4% | |
| Depeche Mode | 4 | 4% | |
| Keane | 4 | 4% | |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 60 from 100th to 40th True by Spandau Ballet |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 40th to 41st Friction, Baby by Better Than Ezra |
| Down 1 from 41st to 42nd Hungry Ghosts by OK Go |
| Down 1 from 42nd to 43rd The Great Escape by Blur |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Artist Chart | joathome | Custom chart | 2024 |  |
| Top Alternative Pop/Rock Albums | nas062080 | Custom chart | 2013 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | edubs | 1990s decade chart | 2016 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  CA Dreamin | Overall chart | 2024 | |
| If The BEA Overall Chart Had A One Album Per Artist Rule... |  Romanelli | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | Kuzh69 | 1990s decade chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  lightmyway | Overall chart | 2012 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | jay020281 | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | hoomantc | 1990s decade chart | 2016 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | 5thbeatle | Overall chart | 2018 |  |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/06/2025 00:15 |  ExTeaSea | 244 | 89/100 |
| ! | 03/21/2025 10:41 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 03/22/2019 03:25 | NSPE | 350 | 77/100 |
| ! | 03/08/2019 18:31 |  mickilennial | 715 | 77/100 |
| ! | 04/24/2017 12:49 |  LedZep | 1,104 | 84/100 |
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 69.6/100, a mean average of 66.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 66.5/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 22.3.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 3 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 36 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From ExTeaSea 08/06/2025 00:19 | #310422
ExTeaSea 08/06/2025 00:19 | #310422
I really like this chart! I like how much you like a number of bands and their albums. Bunch of albums I need to check out. Found you through Better Than Ezra Friction Baby which is underrated.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From LedZep 04/24/2017 12:50 | #189756
LedZep 04/24/2017 12:50 | #189756
Not nearly as bad as the rating suggests, actually quite enjoyable chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
sageamagoo 04/29/2013 00:17 | #74743
sageamagoo 04/29/2013 00:17 | #74743
Not bad- lots of stuff I don't know, which is often a good sign. Bonus points for including Resident Alien: if you haven't heard their 2nd album, you definitely need to. I find Resident Alien can sound a bit corny or amateurish at times, but The Chinese Album is a masterpiece far beyond what I was expecting.
I'll have to give Catherine Wheel a listen.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
drakonium 04/02/2013 15:57 | #71116
drakonium 04/02/2013 15:57 | #71116
Wow, so many albums I've never heard... Stunning! I'll have to catch up on that. Anyway, great job, it's a fantastic chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Charicature 03/07/2013 21:58 | #67364
Charicature 03/07/2013 21:58 | #67364
paladisiac - I was actually born in the middle of the 70s - 1975 :P But thanks.
Do I really have 5 CW albums? LOL - gotta fix that, I don't really think Ferment belongs there. Gotta find something that wows me, and meanwhile should bump that one down.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
paladisiac 03/07/2013 21:29 | #67362
paladisiac 03/07/2013 21:29 | #67362
Points up for the comments and the unique taste. It works best as a "best of 90s" chart. It's not your fault you were born in the 80s. I admire sticking to your favs, even if that means 5 catherine wheel albums.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From ecwashere 11/07/2012 13:19 | #54495
Good!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
junodog4 09/04/2012 16:12 | #49948
junodog4 09/04/2012 16:12 | #49948
Lots of 90s, and does a good job of representing the decade... I don't know much about Catherine Wheel... I totally forgot about Matthew Sweet. Time to reacquaint myself.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
joedec 06/23/2012 05:29 | #45069
joedec 06/23/2012 05:29 | #45069
Nice list. Very diverse
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Captain Spacker 04/12/2012 11:24 | #40035
Captain Spacker 04/12/2012 11:24 | #40035
Two Smashing Pumpkin albums in the top 20? Ummmm . . .
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Your feedback for Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
