Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
Mercury 
- Chart updated: 03/21/2025 02:45
- (Created: 12/26/2012 23:11).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 151 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 92 out of 100 (from 163 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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RIP to all of you. Thank you for this foundational and brilliant music and everything you represented.
Left to Right on this album cover:
Richard Manuel (1943-1986)
Levon Helm (1940-2012)
Rick Danko (1943-1999)
Garth Hudson (1937-2025)
Robbie Robertson (1943-2023)
Each member had a unique and multifaceted sound and style and aura and at their peak they all worked off each other perfectly. This band was like the 1927 Yankees or 1975 Reds of bands (those are great Baseball Teams for those confused). I listened to this album a couple times today and I remembered newly how deeply embedded into my soul these sounds, songs, words are after 25 years of listening. They are the quintessential AMERICANA band, and despite so many trying to capture the earthy, fun, tragic, rebellious spirit of this music, I have yet to find any band or artist who QUITE did manage to equal The Band. [First added to this chart: 10/06/2014]
Left to Right on this album cover:
Richard Manuel (1943-1986)
Levon Helm (1940-2012)
Rick Danko (1943-1999)
Garth Hudson (1937-2025)
Robbie Robertson (1943-2023)
Each member had a unique and multifaceted sound and style and aura and at their peak they all worked off each other perfectly. This band was like the 1927 Yankees or 1975 Reds of bands (those are great Baseball Teams for those confused). I listened to this album a couple times today and I remembered newly how deeply embedded into my soul these sounds, songs, words are after 25 years of listening. They are the quintessential AMERICANA band, and despite so many trying to capture the earthy, fun, tragic, rebellious spirit of this music, I have yet to find any band or artist who QUITE did manage to equal The Band. [First added to this chart: 10/06/2014]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,494
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 12/27/2012]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,457
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 12/03/2020]
Year of Release:
2001
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,275
Rank in 2001:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 04/03/2013]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,749
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 03/26/2013]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,751
Rank in 1999:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2021]
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 12/27/2012]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
31,092
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 06/24/2021]
Year of Release:
2020
Appears in:
Rank Score:
924
Rank in 2020:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 02/12/2016]
Year of Release:
1990
Appears in:
Rank Score:
533
Rank in 1990:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 12/27/2012]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,252
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
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 | 1 | 1% | |
| 1960s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1970s | 20 | 20% | |
| 1980s | 22 | 22% | |
| 1990s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2000s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2010s | 9 | 9% | |
| 2020s | 4 | 4% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Bob Dylan | 6 | 6% | |
| The Tallest Man On Earth | 3 | 3% | |
| Slayer | 2 | 2% | |
| Pavement | 2 | 2% | |
| Miles Davis | 2 | 2% | |
| Mastodon | 2 | 2% | |
| Rudimentary Peni | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
59 | 59% | |
 |
23 | 23% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 100th to 99th Soundtrack From Twin Peaks by Angelo Badalamenti |
| Up 1 from 99th to 98th Time Out Of Mind by Bob Dylan |
| Up 1 from 11th to 10th Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 3 from 8th to 11th Prowler In The Yard by Pig Destroyer |
| New entries |
|---|
| She's So Unusual by Cyndi Lauper |
| Leavers |
|---|
| Is This My World? by Jerry's Kids |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | sebfox | Overall chart | 2020 |  |
| Most Acclaimed Music Albums | Imaybeparanoid | Custom chart | 2015 | |
| BEA+RYM Overall Rank | Imaybeparanoid | Custom chart | 2017 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | marleykeys | Overall chart | 2023 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  LAF2 | Overall chart | 2018 | |
| Top 100 Albums Ever | Consequence of Sound | Overall chart | 2010 | |
| consequenceofsound.net - The 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| PPV Overall Ranking | bea | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| Best Albums(1 Per Artist) | dougcummings | Custom chart | 2022 | |
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 163 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 10/29/2025 08:08 |  MadhattanJack | 256 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/26/2025 12:17 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,105 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/18/2025 00:08 | henrygreen0203 | 48 | 91/100 |
| ! | 01/15/2025 16:32 | Exist-en-ciel | 125 | 99/100 |
| ! | 06/24/2024 01:24 | mianfei | 168 | 62/100 |
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 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 92.4/100, a mean average of 92.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 92.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.7.
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From henrygreen0203 01/18/2025 00:09 | #307066
Love this chart. Top notch folk selections with some rare forgotten artists too (Townes van Zandt and Mickey Newbury) with some excellent punk albums thrown in too for good measure!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From mianfei 06/24/2024 01:27 | #304073
Although descriptions would be extremely nice, I cannot but like this chart because it is quite different from what I normally see here or anywhere else. Many genres which are rarely seen on this site are prominent here, and there are a few unexpected combinations thereof too.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From leniad 06/23/2024 22:55 | #304072
updating my rating to 90
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Johnnyo 06/23/2024 16:36 | #304064
Excellent chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
EyeKanFly 12/02/2023 15:01 | #300271
EyeKanFly 12/02/2023 15:01 | #300271
This is a really nice chart, I've seen it before but probably not since you re-organized it in 2023. Definitely taking some recs, especially from (what I presume are) metal albums.
I appreciate your process for ranking the albums! I've done something similar, extremely methodologically (to me at least lol) sorting into tiers and then ranking within those tiers. I appreciate seeing other peoples methodology!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
DriftingOrpheus 05/03/2023 00:55 | #296549
DriftingOrpheus 05/03/2023 00:55 | #296549
The hours I've logged with "I See a Darkness"...I can't quantify! Wonderful record and great chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
foxytreeko 03/14/2023 18:45 | #295025
foxytreeko 03/14/2023 18:45 | #295025
What an amazing chart, I love your picks!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Mmorrison22 11/15/2022 04:36 | #291287
Cool to see artists I like but albums different from my favorites - shout out for Adrianne Lenker & Voivod!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
seb7 03/14/2022 02:39 | #282810
seb7 03/14/2022 02:39 | #282810
cool picks!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 0129114 11/26/2021 18:19 | #276713
Legend
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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