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: 01/01/2024 02:45
• (Created: 12/31/2012 09:57).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

There are 13 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 30 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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1. (=)

Disintegration 

 The Cure

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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 skyrocketed as 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:

1,761 charts

Rank Score:

27,773

Rank in 1989:

2

Rank in 1980s:

4

Overall Rank:

32

Average Rating:

 86 (1,966 votes)

Comments:

150

4. (=)

The Queen Is Dead 

 The Smiths

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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:

2,425 charts

Rank Score:

39,101

Rank in 1986:

1

Rank in 1980s:

1

Overall Rank:

17

Average Rating:

 88 (2,836 votes)

Comments:

264

5. (=)

London Calling 

 The Clash

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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:

2,754 charts

Rank Score:

36,238

Rank in 1979:

1

Rank in 1970s:

5

Overall Rank:

20

Average Rating:

 87 (3,083 votes)

Comments:

256

6. (=)

Physical Graffiti 

 Led Zeppelin

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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:

1,316 charts

Rank Score:

13,293

Rank in 1975:

5

Rank in 1970s:

28

Overall Rank:

104

Average Rating:

 85 (2,006 votes)

Comments:

135

7. (=)

The Head On The Door 

 The Cure

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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:

599 charts

Rank Score:

4,666

Rank in 1985:

7

Rank in 1980s:

52

Overall Rank:

383

Average Rating:

 81 (770 votes)

Comments:

42

11. (=)

Let It Bleed 

 The Rolling Stones

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When you start your album with "Gimme Shelter", arguably the best song of the entire 60's, you know that album is probably gonna be good. More than that, Let it Bleed to me is the pinnacle of the Stones 68-72 golden years. "Love in vain" is superb, just as the classic closer "You can't always get what you want". Even the lesser known songs like "Monkey Man" or Keith's "You got the silver" are above average Stones songs. And finally, how can anybody resist this awesome album cover ? [First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]

Year of Release:

1969

Appears in:

1,721 charts

Rank Score:

18,814

Rank in 1969:

4

Rank in 1960s:

14

Overall Rank:

62

Average Rating:

 85 (2,044 votes)

Comments:

138

13. (=)

Aladdin Sane 

 David Bowie

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What first attracted me into Bowie's music when I was quite young, wasn't that much Bowie's otherworldy persona but rather the feeling his music was totally out of time ; From "Space Oddity" to "Heroes" or even the Labyrinth soundtrack (!), I could not pinpoint when all that stuff was made... It felt incredibly old and at the same time crazy futuristic. Aladdin Sane is exactly that, and it is (probably) my favorite Bowie album. The title track, "Time" and "Lady Grinning Soul" are mesmerizing songs, mostly because of the amazing piano of Mike Garson. [First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

767 charts

Rank Score:

5,938

Rank in 1973:

9

Rank in 1970s:

76

Overall Rank:

305

Average Rating:

 83 (1,278 votes)

Comments:

81

14. (=)

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars 

 David Bowie

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Do I prefer Aladdin Sane or Ziggy Stardust? I cannot say. I guess Aladdin is more impressive, it pushes the music forward more, but Ziggy's got more hooks, more catchy songs, it's a more pleasant listen maybe. It got those simple, sing-along songs that you immediately want to learn to play on guitar (even the piano ones like "Lady Stardust"...) I do like the more electronic stuff Bowie did later, but I still prefer by far his glam period, and Ziggy Stardust is pretty much the pinnacle of that era. [First added to this chart: 11/19/2015]

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

2,934 charts

Rank Score:

50,098

Rank in 1972:

1

Rank in 1970s:

3

Overall Rank:

9

Average Rating:

 90 (3,447 votes)

Comments:

299

15. (=)

Louder Than Bombs 
Compilation

 The Smiths

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The legitimate "fifth" Smiths album, since it contains some of the band most well-known songs never released elsewhere (Ask, Panic, Heaven knows, Please please please...) When you hear "Back to the old house" or "You just haven't earned it yet baby" you're really scratching your head wondering how those absolute gems never made it onto official albums. And with 24 songs overall - all amazing - Louder than bombs might as well be the best Smiths record in the end, or at least the most enjoyable and satisfying. [First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]

Year of Release:

1987

Appears in:

304 charts

Rank Score:

2,674

Rank in 1987:

14

Rank in 1980s:

102

Overall Rank:

672

Average Rating:

 83 (649 votes)

Comments:

25

16. (=)

Hell's Ditch 

 The Pogues

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The cover art represent a kind of treasure map. Well, the treasure is right in your hands. It's that amazing record. Once in a while you came across an album that nobody ever heard about, or just though it was Ok, when you feel it is significantly, supremely better than what people felt about it. Hell's ditch is such a record. It's hard to be more underated when on top of that the album is probably the least well-known Pogues album. Anyway, every tracks are fantastic. The Pogues are shifting their trad irish-folk into a more world-wide sound, giving the record a truly unique sound, a trip well worth taking. [First added to this chart: 11/16/2015]

Year of Release:

1990

Appears in:

48 charts

Rank Score:

213

Rank in 1990:

87

Rank in 1990s:

1,022

Overall Rank:

6,109

Average Rating:

 73 (57 votes)

Comments:

3

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Total albums: 44. Page 1 of 5

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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%
Pixies	4	4%
Nirvana	4	4%
The Smiths	4	4%
Led Zeppelin	4	4%
David Bowie	4	4%
Pink Floyd	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 2 from 42nd to 40th Harvest by Neil Young
Up 1 from 43rd to 42nd New Values by Iggy Pop
Up 1 from 40th to 39th Desire by Bob Dylan

Biggest fallers
Down 5 from 38th to 43rd The Smiths by The Smiths

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similarity to your chart(s)

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 30 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
90/100	08/09/2023 23:10	Moondance	455	84/100
90/100	08/09/2023 13:09	Tamthebam	553	85/100
95/100	08/09/2023 10:44	RevolverCB72	88	84/100
80/100	06/15/2023 21:35	Applerill	976	75/100
95/100	02/24/2022 08:27	KineticEchoes02	111	88/100

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 90.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.3.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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Rating:  

90/100

From Moondance 08/09/2023 23:15

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.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

95/100

From KineticEchoes02 02/24/2022 08:35

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)

Rating:  

95/100

From CharlieBarley 11/14/2021 07:32

Disintegration at number one. Brilliant. I need to place it higher up my own list. You have many albums I should have in my own chart, or used to have.

Great to see the Cure, Bowie, Pogues, Pixies, Smith's and Iggy Pop.

I want to check out more French music like Jacques Brel. I like Francis Cabrel.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From Johnnyo 05/01/2021 09:10

Excellent chart

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

85/100

From vancevisuals 06/27/2020 02:11

Sabotage is one of the great underrated albums

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From 911Turbo 06/26/2020 17:34

great list. i enjoy seeing modern music .
i don't listen to the smiths, but i find your description inspirational(referring that your ill! aren't we all.)
if you have the time i really would like to read your thoughts about the other albums.
enjoy.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From 911Turbo 06/26/2020 17:33

great list. i enjoy seeing modern music .
i don't listen to the smiths, but i find your description inspirational(referring that your ill! aren't we all.)
if you have the time i really would like to read your thoughts about the other albums.
enjoy.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From StefanR10 06/26/2020 10:10

Nice to see so what. And I like you have the cure at number 1 so i give you for the good chart a 90. And good to see some description on the albums maybe next time more diversive.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

95/100

From DommeDamian 06/26/2020 08:15

This is what I'm talking about, in terms of the term 'great chart'. Very rock-inspired like a lot, but descriptions always, and will always work.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From LedZep 05/02/2017 17:56

Not the best balanced chart but I don't care when you have so much Cure, Bowie, Nirvana and Pixies

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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