Top 100 Greatest Music Albums
by 
hoyquarlow 
My Best albums ever list.
I resigned myself to write a brief presentation of the albums selected, not because it is that much relevant but rather because it's fun to do. Of course the list isn't poured into concrete ; usually the more you go down on the list the more it is subject to change. But you got the global portrait. Some artists have albums listed back to back, mainly because I never could decide which one I prefer between the two.
And finally, english isn't my former language so there ought to be some mistakes...
Hope you enjoy the list
- Chart updated: 27 hours ago
- (Created: 12/31/2012 09:57).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 16 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 35 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Odd, but the first few listens, I didn't quite get it. It sounded to me like gloomy classical music with long songs blurring into each other. Still, the uniqueness of Disintegration made that I came back to it, over and over again, until the memorable day when I finally got it. Yes, the light descended upon me on that day, making me see, making me feel. There is no way to describe this album's music, you just feel it, and the depths where this record is taking the listener is unmatched to this day to me. After the initial revelation The Cure quickly became my favorite band, with Disintegration remaining the ultimate pinnacle of musical ecstasy.
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,560
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Again, another album that took some time for me to get into. At first I liked "Monkey gone to heaven" a lot, but about nothing else. Then, a few days later the great God of music opened my eyes to what is one of the most impressive, imaginative and furious album ever made. Was this album even made by real human beings? Even today I found myself asking this question. It feels impossible to match the creative momentum reached on Doolittle. "#13 baby" might be the standout track, if there is any.
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
30,012
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Comments:
3. (=)
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I used to prefer Bleach, or even Incesticide, but retrospectively the immediate appeal of Nevermind is absolutely stellar ; within the first 5 hard-rocking songs sequence , from "Teen spirit" to "Lithium" , there is no way you can leave Nevermind out of the "one of the best ever album" topic. Those songs litterally change the world back then, or at least it did change my world ; Nirvana being my first "favorite" band when I was about 13. Then the rest of the record is actually pretty solid too, with a memorable ending in "Something in the way".
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
35,877
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There is bands you really like, and there is bands that litterally lives within you, making you wonder where exactly were you before you knew that band. The Smiths made me that effect. I discovered them in the early 2000's and for 4 or 5 years I was frankly obsessed with their music, particularly the Queen is Dead. I was listening to that record about every day to the point where I was questionning my mental health, truly, that's how powerful this album is. It's their eeriest album but also strangely their most accessible. Morrissey being a superb lyricist, obviously, but Johnny Marr is the one really delivering the heavy load here, absolutely mastercrafted music and guitar works.
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
31,416
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The Clash were a great band, no doubt about it. Still, London Calling alone is about 10 times better than a Clash best of- almost everyone will agree with that - and should be the obligatory starting point in discovering The Clash's music. I was getting a little bored with music when I first heard that record, but London Calling changed it all within the first 10 songs or so. I had never heard anything quite like it. Everything was just bursting with creativity and greatness. A defining moment in rock history and a true masterpiece in every sense of the word.
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
28,908
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Led Zeppelin might be the band that had the most crystal-perfect career ; Delivering 8 great albums on a 12 years span that feels just long enough, ending the affair in 1980 just before things might had turn bad (maybe). So picking one "best" album out of a discography so good is a near impossible task. I'm going with Physical Graffiti because it's a double album, it got the most lesser known gems, like "Down by the Seaside", "Ten years gone" or "Wanton Song". Although quite hard-rocking, the versatility of Physical Graffiti may be the perfect proof that Zeppelin were not that much a Metal band but rather more like the first alternative band.
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,670
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If Disintegration may be hard to get into, that cannot be said about The Head on the Door ; I absolutely adored the album on first listen. Depending on my mood I can even sometimes brazenly rank it as high as the 1989 masterpiece. Let's just say it's two completely different albums. I always loved Robert Smith's early period lyrics, very rythmic surrealistic poetry, and we found just that on the Head on the door, alas, for the last time. The songs here are also catchy as hell, taking the raw material of the previous album The Top and advancing it to the pantheon of memorable hooks. "In between days", "The Blood", "Push" and "Sinking" are standouts for me.
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,641
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Still not a fan of Billy Corgan's voice. But when you land a brick like Siamese Dream, the least I can do is forgive him. Yes, the music is amazing. I don't know if it's the song structures or the multiple layers of sounds, but every time I listen to this album, It feels like it's not like before, there is always something new popping out. It's one of those few albums that feels fresh every time, like you can listen to it for the rest of your life without getting bored.
Highlights : Cherub Rock, Hummer, Disarm, Soma, Mayonnaise [First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]
Highlights : Cherub Rock, Hummer, Disarm, Soma, Mayonnaise [First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,050
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Growing up, Iggy as been like a big brother to me, or a good friend. It is still my favorite vocalist and solo artist, always loved his lyrics and his criminally underated signing. Anyway, I'm pretty happy Iggy did deliver Lust for life, a great album that most people are at least decent enough to give him some credit for. Bowie is behind the wheel, of course, but it's still pretty punkish, still a lot more like a real Iggy Pop record than The Idiot, in comparison. "The Passenger" is a real anthem, but the rest of the album doesn't lack incredible songs, like "Neighborhood threat" or "Some weird sin" .
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,294
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What an album this is... Probably the second or third album I heard in my life, and loved every songs on it ; I even used to cut the grass listening to that damn album, with the sound of the lawn mower not even interfering the climax I was into. Ten is pure, raw energy, it really isn't an intellectual affair like later PJ albums, and that just make it more impressive to how original, unique this album is. Pearl Jam did deliver other great albums after that, but it was obvious they could not repeat this true moment of grace that is Ten.
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,909
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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 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1970s | 25 | 25% | |
| 1980s | 27 | 27% | |
| 1990s | 28 | 28% | |
| 2000s | 8 | 8% | |
| 2010s | 2 | 2% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Cure | 5 | 5% | |
| The Smiths | 4 | 4% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 4% | |
| David Bowie | 4 | 4% | |
| Pixies | 4 | 4% | |
| Nirvana | 4 | 4% | |
| The Beatles | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
44 | 44% | |
 |
43 | 43% | |
| |
5 | 5% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
Up 12 from 79th to 67th |
Up 2 from 56th to 54th |
Up 1 from 38th to 37th |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 2 from 36th to 38th |
Down 1 from 54th to 55th |
Down 1 from 55th to 56th |
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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 35 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 07/02/2026 05:53 |  serpico | 181 | 81/100 |
| ! | 07/01/2026 10:40 |  MadhattanJack | 350 | 86/100 |
| ! | 11/14/2025 08:10 |  Larcx13 | 1,139 | 86/100 |
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 89.5/100, a mean average of 90.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.5.
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Forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 7 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 07/01/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5360): By hoyquarlow
BestEverAlbums 07/01/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5360): By hoyquarlow“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by ) 1. (1989) 2. by (1986) 5. by (1979) 6. by (1975) 7. by (1985) 8. by (1993) 9. by (1977) 10. (1991) 11. by (1969) 12. by (1993) 13. by (1973) 14. by (1972) 15. by (1987) 16. by (1990) 17. (1990) 18. by (1979) 19. by by (1983) 21. by (1994)…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 10/15/2025 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5102): By hoyquarlow
BestEverAlbums 10/15/2025 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5102): By hoyquarlow“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by hoyquarlow () 1. Disintegration by The Cure (1989) 2. Doolittle by Pixies (1989) 3. Nevermind by Nirvana (1991) 4. The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths (1986) 5. London Calling by The Clash (1979) 6. Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin (1975) 7.…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 04/29/2024 08:00 in Chart of the day (#4570): By hoyquarlow
BestEverAlbums 04/29/2024 08:00 in Chart of the day (#4570): By hoyquarlow“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by hoyquarlow () 1. Disintegration by The Cure (1989) 2. Doolittle by Pixies (1989) 3. Nevermind by Nirvana (1991) 4. The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths (1986) 5. London Calling by The Clash (1979) 6. Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin (1975) 7.…”
View forum post →Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
serpico 07/02/2026 05:54 | #315140
serpico 07/02/2026 05:54 | #315140
Una lista peculiar con grandes discos clásicos y otras elecciones curiosas. (Edited)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
Larcx13 11/14/2025 08:20 | #311657
Larcx13 11/14/2025 08:20 | #311657
Bad Religion IS a great punk band, nice to see them get some props here.
Side note: I cannot stand Jean Leloup. I just don't get it haha. Les Cowboys Fringants and Les Colocs are where I go for quebecois music, plus Noir Desir for broader francophone "scene."
Great chart! (Edited)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
BraddlesHendo 04/29/2024 12:00 | #303250
Love to talk music all day with you (Edited)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
Moondance 08/09/2023 23:15 | #298548
Cool chart - nice to see all the love for The Cure. Enjoyed the comments up to your top 18 ¬ it takes effort to write comments; I've only managed to do my top 12 albums so far. (Edited)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
KineticEchoes02 02/24/2022 08:35 | #281870
Really good chart! You have great taste - many albums in common. Great descriptions, and awesome to see Midnight Oil in there, among The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins, Bowie, Floyd and Led Zep for starters.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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