Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
Secondsoul 
Edit 31/08/14
OK, I've decided to re-do my main chart as I feel that I had chosen too many albums from the 1980's. So I've decided to give this chart a better balance by not including any more than 25 albums from any one decade. I have also limited it to just one album per artist which was very hard for me to do as out go some of my favourites like Closer, Pornography and The Queen Is Dead but hey, my chart should probably now be more BEA-friendly!
- Chart updated: 05/25/2015 13:45
- (Created: 12/24/2012 21:21).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 42 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 67 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
The entries in this chart have a zero rank score because the chart has not been updated within the last ten years (points from overall charts are decayed over a ten year period).
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
Buy album 
- #Sponsored
I didn't have to think twice about making this my number one. The only album I have ever rated 100/100 as every track is perfection. I have listened to this album a couple of hundred times and never get tired of it. Flawless!
[First added to this chart: 04/20/2013]
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,247
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Sounds like nothing else ever recorded. Ground-breaking and truly special.
[First added to this chart: 04/20/2013]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
28,255
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Most people on BEA seem to think that The Queen Is Dead was their best. I disagree. I bought this cassette twice in 1984 as I wore out the original through playing it so much. The first band that I became totally besotted with as a teenager.
[First added to this chart: 04/20/2013]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,877
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Bought this on holiday in Australia after hearing Obstacle 1. This album is very strong from start to finish. Best post-punk revival album ever made.
[First added to this chart: 04/20/2013]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,090
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Allmusic described this album as "an earth-shatteringly powerful experience" which pretty much sums it up. Great lyrics, incredible music, anger, emotion. Just a great album!
[First added to this chart: 04/20/2013]
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When I left Ireland in 1989 to go live in America, this album was one of the first things I packed to go with me. I had some wonderful happy times in the USA but I played this every other night and the dark, sombre mood of this album made me feel like I was back home again!
[First added to this chart: 04/20/2013]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,222
Rank in 1989:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Best album of the seventies. There isn't much between this and Closer. They are both landmark albums.
[First added to this chart: 10/26/2013]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
21,681
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
8. (=)
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The late 90's/early 00's period was pretty quiet musically imo and there was a lot of shit music about. But then The Strokes appeared on the scene and this album felt like a breath of fresh air at the time. Strong album with not a bad track on it.
[First added to this chart: 04/20/2013]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
28,118
Rank in 2001:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
I bought this when it first came out but wasn't blown away by it at the start. But after several listens, I soon realised that this album is one hell of a grower! A work of true genius and certainly one of the greatest ever shoegaze albums.
[First added to this chart: 04/20/2013]
Year of Release:
1990
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,463
Rank in 1990:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Side 1 has all the great singles, Side 2 is eclectic and experimental but the tracks on it are all growers. Listen to it 20 times or more and you realise this is a work of pure genius.
[First added to this chart: 10/12/2014]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,086
Rank in 1985:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1970s | 17 | 17% | |
| 1980s | 25 | 25% | |
| 1990s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2000s | 19 | 19% | |
| 2010s | 5 | 5% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Kate Bush | 1 | 1% | |
| The Teardrop Explodes | 1 | 1% | |
| The Beatles | 1 | 1% | |
| Nirvana | 1 | 1% | |
| Patti Smith | 1 | 1% | |
| Ian Dury | 1 | 1% | |
| Pink Floyd | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
52 | 52% | |
| |
33 | 33% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| New entries |
|---|
| Neon Golden by The Notwist |
| Leavers |
|---|
| Logic Will Break Your Heart by The Stills |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
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| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Melody Maker | Overall chart | 2000 | |
| BEA forum regulars top 100 |  HigherThanTheSun | Custom chart | 2014 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Imaybeparanoid | Overall chart | 2017 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | KILLALLHIPPIES | Overall chart | 2014 | |
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 67 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/20/2025 15:15 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,098 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/15/2025 17:06 | Exist-en-ciel | 152 | 98/100 |
| ! | 08/25/2021 20:47 |  travelful | 208 | 99/100 |
| ! | 03/03/2021 17:24 |  RasmV | 14 | 92/100 |
| ! | 03/15/2019 20:11 |  mickilennial | 715 | 77/100 |
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 2% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 90.4/100, a mean average of 90.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.7.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 17 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 42 comments |
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(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From platus 05/22/2016 16:26 | #166638
Very good chart. Congrats!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ShadowColossi 05/22/2016 10:18 | #166622
ShadowColossi 05/22/2016 10:18 | #166622
Wow! Conveniently made album of the day when I've been getting into a lot of the music on this chart! Love it!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
dihansse 03/25/2016 18:46 | #162517
dihansse 03/25/2016 18:46 | #162517
This is a great chart and many of the albums in your list were groundbreaking albums for me too although I don't know what you have against Come On Eileen.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Rounder89 08/01/2015 23:59 | #146889
Love your comment on "Loveless". A favorite of mine too. I definitely see myself listening to some albums off this chart I have not heard yet.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
decemberhotel 06/16/2015 16:02 | #143938
decemberhotel 06/16/2015 16:02 | #143938
Good list. Love to see the Church make an appearance.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From baileyhawks1523 06/16/2015 05:43 | #143908
My favorite chart I have come across on this website so far, have me a lot of new things to listen to.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
colonelchibbers 05/20/2015 00:02 | #141855
colonelchibbers 05/20/2015 00:02 | #141855
A great, unique look at music from someone who clearly has an inclination towards post-punk and British records.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From jackeenan 04/04/2015 23:48 | #138850
Its great that youre such a post punk nerd you had to limit yourself to 25 albums per decade. I was so happy to Metal Box on here, Public Image Ltd are one of the most underrated bands ever, its too bad that the Sex Pistols overshadowed them.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Granny-Smith 03/22/2015 14:15 | #137507
I like this chart, good mixture
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
LadyGodiva 03/21/2015 21:57 | #137470
LadyGodiva 03/21/2015 21:57 | #137470
Complete and utter loveliness... A brilliant chart with so much love and passion! :)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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| Best Artists of the 2010s | |
|---|---|
| 1. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 2. Kanye West | |
| 3. Tame Impala | |
| 4. Arcade Fire | |
| 5. Beach House | |
| 6. Frank Ocean | |
| 7. Sufjan Stevens | |
| 8. The National | |
| 9. Radiohead | |
| 10. Nick Cave | |
| 11. Lana Del Rey | |
| 12. Vampire Weekend | |
| 13. David Bowie | |
| 14. Car Seat Headrest | |
| 15. Bon Iver | |
| 16. The War On Drugs | |
| 17. Death Grips | |
| 18. Arctic Monkeys | |
| 19. Tyler, The Creator | |
| 20. Swans |
