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.
- Chart updated: 09/21/2020 10:15
- (Created: 11/20/2012 20:56).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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 create an account 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:
4,879
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Available from
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:
2,542
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Available from
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:
8,826
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The pinnacle Radiohead's achievements. Heart-wrenchingly sublime.
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,568
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Available from
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:
45,966
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Available from
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:
5,994
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Available from
The quintessential rock album.
[First added to this chart: 12/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,264
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Comments:
Available from
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:
29,599
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Available from
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:
7,493
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Available from
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:
11,656
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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 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1970s | 8 | 8% | |
| 1980s | 10 | 10% | |
| 1990s | 40 | 40% | |
| 2000s | 24 | 24% | |
| 2010s | 7 | 7% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Happy Mondays | 1 | 1% | |
| James Brown | 1 | 1% | |
| The Specials | 1 | 1% | |
| The Avalanches | 1 | 1% | |
| Wu-Tang Clan | 1 | 1% | |
| Blur | 1 | 1% | |
| De La Soul | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
49 | 49% | |
| |
35 | 35% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| New entries |
|---|
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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 3 ratings for this chart. | Show all 88 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/20/2025 14:44 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,088 | 86/100 |
| ! | 01/15/2025 17:28 | Exist-en-ciel | 165 | 97/100 |
| ! | 08/31/2024 17:49 | Johnnyo | 2,688 | 80/100 |
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 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
Showing all 8 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 3 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 06/04/2015 08:00 in Chart of the day (#1325): By ButterThumbz
BestEverAlbums 06/04/2015 08:00 in Chart of the day (#1325): By ButterThumbz“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by ButterThumbz () 1. Music Has The Right To Children by Boards Of Canada (1998) 2. Fear Of A Black Planet by Public Enemy (1990) 3. Endtroducing..... by DJ Shadow (1996) 4. The Bends by Radiohead (1995) 5. Revolver by The Beatles (1966) 6.…”
(2 mentions across Chart of the Day topics)View latest topic →
From ButterThumbz 07/04/2013 08:49 in Album of the day (#959): Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones
ButterThumbz 07/04/2013 08:49 in Album of the day (#959): Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones“An album that kicks off with possibly one of the greatest song intros ever and then goes uphill from there. Number 7 on my .”
(1 mentions across Album of the Day topics)View latest topic →
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
ButterThumbz TOP 100 COMMENTER 04/03/2014 23:05 | #108434
ButterThumbz TOP 100 COMMENTER 04/03/2014 23:05 | #108434
Sorry Kaiser, I don't care too much for it. I'm sure Metal gets plenty of respect but I suggest you seek it elsewhere.
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From
Tamthebam TOP 100 COMMENTER 06/05/2015 07:08 | #143065
Tamthebam TOP 100 COMMENTER 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 !
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From
CellarDoor TOP 100 COMMENTER 11/28/2012 18:27 | #56137
CellarDoor TOP 100 COMMENTER 11/28/2012 18:27 | #56137
I'm about as fun as a rope hanging from a ceiling.
Nice chart :)
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From
ButterThumbz TOP 100 COMMENTER 05/09/2013 13:31 | #75584
ButterThumbz TOP 100 COMMENTER 05/09/2013 13:31 | #75584
I agree, there's not a lot of appreciation for soul on this site. I've always loved Innervisions, along with Talking Book it's an album I've grown up listening to and never tired of hearing. I'm ashamed to say I've never heard Fullfilingness' but I'll certainly be checking it out. Thanks.
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From
meruizh 06/05/2015 01:27 | #143052
meruizh 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."
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