Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by ButterThumbz

To keep this chart as varied as possible I've only included one album from each artist. I realise that this will mean missing out some great albums but, hey, what can ya' do?

Well, now I'm at one hundred this has turned into a very different chart. I hardly recognise myself in this selection of albums but, as for now at least, it's what I enjoy listening to.
There are 56 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 88 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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A playful and illusive collection of half-remembered dreams. This is what it must feel like to fail a Voight-Kampff test. [First added to this chart: 11/20/2012]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,972
Rank in 1998:
Rank in 1990s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Almost enough to make a thin pasty dweeb believe he could take on the system, at least until the album ended. [First added to this chart: 11/20/2012]
Year of Release:
1990
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,566
Rank in 1990:
Rank in 1990s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Exhuming dead records and reanimating them, Baron von Shadow delights us with the sound of the things that once were and shall be again! [First added to this chart: 11/20/2012]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,121
Rank in 1996:
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Comments:
The pinnacle Radiohead's achievements. Heart-wrenchingly sublime.
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,011
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
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Average Rating:
Top rated album (87/100 - 2176 votes)  87 (2,176 votes)
Comments:
I couldn't tell you the first time I listened to this. It was just always there, like bird song. I couldn't imagine life without it. [First added to this chart: 12/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
48,977
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
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Average Rating:
Top rated album (91/100 - 4602 votes)  91 (4,602 votes)
Comments:
6. (=)
If Mellow Gold was the sound of Beck opening a spring-loaded can of worms, then this is the sound of those worms taking up arms against their oppressors... and having immense fun into the bargain! [First added to this chart: 11/20/2012]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,147
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
The quintessential rock album. [First added to this chart: 12/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,936
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (85/100 - 2115 votes)  85 (2,115 votes)
Comments:
It marches in through one ear, illuminating every corner of the mind before it marches off out through the other. What's it all about? I don't know, I don't care, just put it on again! [First added to this chart: 11/20/2012]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
31,894
Rank in 1998:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (87/100 - 2971 votes)  87 (2,971 votes)
Comments:
This is what you get when you throw everything at the wall and everything sticks. Always teetering on the brink of collapse, Since I Left You plays Jenga with loops. Building a tower so high, you'd think it was Australia's attempt to set foot on the moon. [First added to this chart: 11/20/2012]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,743
Rank in 2000:
Rank in 2000s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Dodo do do do dodo! Crème brûlée for the ears. As close to perfect as anything ever got, ever! [First added to this chart: 11/20/2012]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,424
Rank in 1973:
Rank in 1970s:
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Average Rating:
Top rated album (85/100 - 1338 votes)  85 (1,338 votes)
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

New entries
New entry A Moon Shaped Pool
by Radiohead
Leavers
Leaver The Bends
by Radiohead
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
90/100 (from 88 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
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 88 ratings for this chart.

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RatingDate updatedMemberChart ratingsAvg. chart rating
 
85/100
 
03/20/2025 14:44 SomethingSpecial  Ratings distribution  1,09585/100
 
100/100
 
01/15/2025 17:28 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  15398/100
 
85/100
 
08/31/2024 17:49 Johnnyo  Ratings distribution  2,57580/100
 
100/100
 
07/28/2022 18:00 conallmalone  Ratings distribution  17388/100
 
90/100
 
03/11/2021 03:08 Larcx13  Ratings distribution  1,13886/100

Rating metrics: Help 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 is rated in the top 3% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.6/100, a mean average of 89.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.3.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 56 comments |
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Rating:  
85/100
From 08/31/2024 17:49 | #305061
Very good chart.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 07/23/2018 22:41 | #218703
Great chart!!! Please keep working on the notes, I loved reading them!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 04/04/2018 03:18 | #212266
Quite an interesting and eclectic chart! And you're so right, Portishead would have made an epic Bond theme
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 09/02/2017 10:52 | #197111
Love this. Time for me to revisit The Avalanches.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 05/21/2017 17:54 | #191182
Brilliant rap choices
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 01/21/2017 17:52 | #183689
First time I see someone who loves Fear Of A Black Planet as much as me!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 05/25/2016 22:32 | #166888
A great list! Kudos for the high ranking for DJ Shadow. :)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 07/12/2015 01:21 | #145552
ooohhh this is a fun chart.. I like it a lot. I love charts where i never know what to expect next and this absolutely hits the spot. Good job! :)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 06/05/2015 07:08 | #143065
Great to see so many different styles of music in the one chart, I will definitely check out the Boards of Canada. I don't like everything here but that's what makes individual charts so interesting well done !
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 06/05/2015 01:27 | #143052
This is brialliant man, I loved your chart in every way, specially the notes. You should kee writing them, makes your chart even more intresting.

I loved this one in particular from Doolittle

"Everything you needed to know about the nineties before they even started."
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 2003
1. Elephant by The White Stripes
2. Hail To The Thief by Radiohead
3. Absolution by Muse
4. Room On Fire by The Strokes
5. Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins
6. Give Up by The Postal Service
7. Transatlanticism by Death Cab For Cutie
8. The Magnolia Electric Co. by Songs: Ohia
9. De-Loused In The Comatorium by The Mars Volta
10. Fever To Tell by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
11. The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place by Explosions In The Sky
12. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by OutKast
13. Michigan by Sufjan Stevens
14. Meteora by Linkin Park
15. Ghosts Of The Great Highway by Sun Kil Moon
16. Quebec by Ween
17. Velocity : Design : Comfort by Sweet Trip
18. The Black Album by Jay-Z
19. Fallen by Evanescence
20. Deja Entendu by Brand New
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