Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
Mercury 
I just spent a lot of time trying to catalogue and list every album I have heard and from those thousands, I made a short list of the ones I really like - like, the albums or EPs or Comps that have stuck with me or I have at least a vague recollection that I loved. That came out to about 850 albums. I then went through and made Tiers of these from A to about K. I then put them on a big RYM list. And then I was left with a list that I hope to keep up to date of only albums that I really really like or love or whatever.
So the first 3 Tiers gave me 95 albums. The top tier of the ones that on any given day I could put #1 and feel fine with, totaled 13. then the next 21 were the next tier still absurdly adored, etc.
I was actively trying not to give a particular bias toward a sound or towards a genre or towards albums that are kinda obscure and thus make me feel cool to rank high, or towards a more recent obsession, etc. I just was trying to be as honest as is possible with this list and these tiers on what are my fave 800 albums roughly ranked into tiers.
The result is what you see below. Lots of clear and obvious classics that are undeniably mind-blowing to me. Lots of Dylan.
The first 95 are indeed what I can say somewhat certainly are my ALL TIME top albums. The last 5 are taken from the next tier. The 5 last albums are chosen from about 100 albums that are roughly in that 4th Tier. For those last 5 I admit I WAS trying to showcase recent loves, more obscure or what I could call "cool" albums etc. Guilty as Charged (by myself).
I will probably change this and indulge in another project soon. BUT as of this date, May 19th 2023, this is my honest favorite albums list. My top 95 (+5) in roughly accurate order. I'll make a note at the albums that start the 1st and 2nd and 3rd and 4th Tiers just for fun. I will also TRY to come in and rearrange the tiers based off some whims here and there over time. The tiers get progressively more populated naturally and so they also become more and more of a crap shoot, random, somewhat "dart throw-y" with each Tier in terms of order/rank.
Probably 2 to maybe 10 of you will see this note and this list as currently presented. To you few, I say thanks. Please leave a comment or a rating or whatever. I love interaction because life is lonesome and comments at least slightly alleviate the utter and unending loneliness of life.
Peace.
- Chart updated: 10/20/2023 00:15
- (Created: 12/26/2012 23:11).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 147 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 92 out of 100 (from 158 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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[First added to this chart: 06/17/2015]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,285
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
18
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[First added to this chart: 01/25/2015]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,324
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 12/28/2012]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,296
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 10/06/2014]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,923
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 11/23/2013]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,249
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Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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STARTING WITH THIS FIONA APPLE ALBUM here are 5 selections from a big ol' pile of great albums broadly placed in a tier called, smartly, "TIER 4"
[First added to this chart: 08/23/2021]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,842
Rank in 1999:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 05/10/2022]
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[First added to this chart: 07/22/2017]
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[First added to this chart: 05/19/2023]
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[First added to this chart: 11/25/2021]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,892
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 10 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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|
|
| Bob Dylan | 5 | 5% | |
| The Tallest Man On Earth | 3 | 3% | |
| Rudimentary Peni | 2 | 2% | |
| Metallica | 2 | 2% | |
| Nick Drake | 2 | 2% | |
| Wilco | 2 | 2% | |
| The Beatles | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
60 | 60% | |
 |
24 | 24% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 2 from 5th to 3rd Prowler In The Yard by Pig Destroyer |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 3rd to 4th Reign In Blood by Slayer |
| Down 1 from 4th to 5th I See A Darkness by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
92/100 (from 158 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 158 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
90/100  | 12/16/2023 13:18 |  Tamthebam | | 85/100 |
 100/100 | 12/02/2023 14:58 |  EyeKanFly | | 88/100 |
| 100/100 | 05/22/2023 05:31 |  dihansse | | 84/100 |
| 100/100 | 05/03/2023 00:55 |  DriftingOrpheus | | 91/100 |
| 80/100 | 11/15/2022 04:35 | Mmorrison22 | | 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).
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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.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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100/100
From EyeKanFly 12/02/2023 15:01
EyeKanFly 12/02/2023 15:01
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) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From DriftingOrpheus 05/03/2023 00:55
DriftingOrpheus 05/03/2023 00:55
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)
95/100
From 
foxytreeko 03/14/2023 18:45
foxytreeko 03/14/2023 18:45
What an amazing chart, I love your picks!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From Mmorrison22 11/15/2022 04:36
Cool to see artists I like but albums different from my favorites - shout out for Adrianne Lenker & Voivod!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
seb7 03/14/2022 02:39
seb7 03/14/2022 02:39
cool picks!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 0129114 11/26/2021 18:19
Legend
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Luigii 09/22/2021 20:12
Man, I need to give Hey What a relisten to transcend to a different plane. Phenomenal record. Also that Injury Reserve record was something else. Might have to up my grade to a potential 100. God 2021 continues to slap. And there is still a few months left.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From 
rockbluesfolkjaz 09/19/2021 20:37
rockbluesfolkjaz 09/19/2021 20:37
It's great seeing Robert Johnson and other folk music at or near the top. Interesting.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From leniad 09/07/2021 20:05
like
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
Larcx13 02/09/2021 17:47
Larcx13 02/09/2021 17:47
Absolutley love Dylan.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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