Top 50 Greatest Music Albums
by AngryAchilles 
I'm cheating with the James Brown and Sam Cooke anthologies, but neither artist was known for cutting particularly good records. The Little Richard compilation is a different case: I could have easily replaced The Georgia Peach with his debut album and still felt good about its ranking on this list (but why deny myself songs like Keep a Knockin' and Good Golly Miss Molly?). Smiley Smile stands in for the CD reissue, which includes Wild Honey. Taken together, those two albums represent the Beach Boys at their best. I had a hard time choosing between A Tribute to Jack Johnson and In a Silent Way...but then I remembered that In a Silent Way is actually excerpted briefly on JJ, thereby making the decision much easier. The rest of the list is self-explanatory.
- Chart updated: 06/21/2012 12:50
- (Created: 01/29/2009 06:27).
- Chart size: 50 albums.
There are 31 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 50 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 83 out of 100 (from 46 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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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).
Available from 
[First added to this chart: 01/28/2010]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,026
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Rank in 1970s:
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Available from
[First added to this chart: 01/28/2010]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,987
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Rank in 1960s:
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[First added to this chart: 01/28/2010]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
53,444
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[First added to this chart: 06/20/2012]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,025
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[First added to this chart: 01/28/2010]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,328
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[First added to this chart: 01/28/2010]
Year of Release:
1973
Appears in:
Rank Score:
55,795
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[First added to this chart: 01/28/2010]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,582
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[First added to this chart: 01/28/2010]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,829
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[First added to this chart: 02/05/2010]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,172
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
[First added to this chart: 01/28/2010]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,801
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Total albums: 50. Page 1 of 5
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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 18 | 36% | |
| 1970s | 22 | 44% | |
| 1980s | 2 | 4% | |
| 1990s | 5 | 10% | |
| 2000s | 3 | 6% | |
| 2010s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Beatles | 4 | 8% | |
| The Kinks | 3 | 6% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 3 | 6% | |
| Bob Dylan | 3 | 6% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 6% | |
| David Bowie | 2 | 4% | |
| Nirvana | 2 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 50 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 5 from 32nd to 37th |
Down 5 from 33rd to 38th |
Down 4 from 24th to 28th |
| New entries |
|---|
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Top 50 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 46 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 11/12/2015 18:26 | spookiefruit | 53 | 82/100 |
| ! | 09/26/2013 22:12 |  sssvnnn | 2,881 | 83/100 |
| ! | 06/17/2013 03:26 | RupertRonco | 103 | 65/100 |
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 has a Bayesian average rating of 83.4/100, a mean average of 81.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 82.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 13.8.
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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums favourites
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Top 50 Greatest Music Albums forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 4 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 03/16/2013 08:00 in Chart of the day (#519): By AngryAchilles
BestEverAlbums 03/16/2013 08:00 in Chart of the day (#519): By AngryAchilles“Today's chart of the day Top 50 Greatest Music Albums by AngryAchilles () 1. Tea For The Tillerman by Cat Stevens (1970) 2. The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground (1969) 3. Abbey Road by The Beatles (1969) 4. The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks (1968) 5. Let…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 09/15/2012 08:00 in Chart of the day (#338): By AngryAchilles
BestEverAlbums 09/15/2012 08:00 in Chart of the day (#338): By AngryAchilles“Today's chart of the day Top 50 Greatest Music Albums by AngryAchilles () 1. Tea For The Tillerman by Cat Stevens (1970) 2. The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground (1969) 3. Abbey Road by The Beatles (1969) 4. The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks (1968) 5. Let…”
View forum post →From BestEverAlbums 02/15/2012 08:02 in Chart of the day (#128): By AngryAchilles
BestEverAlbums 02/15/2012 08:02 in Chart of the day (#128): By AngryAchilles“Today's chart of the day Top 50 Greatest Music Albums by AngryAchilles () 1. Tea For The Tillerman by Cat Stevens (1970) 2. The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground (1969) 3. Abbey Road by The Beatles (1969) 4. The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks (1968) 5. OK…”
View forum post →Top 50 Greatest Music Albums comments
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From
joannajewsom 01/31/2009 21:46 | #2629
joannajewsom 01/31/2009 21:46 | #2629
"Sad Eyed Lady" is a really long song that comes at the end of a really long album, so I can see how it's hard to sit through. I love the VU album. At one point I did have it in my chart but I eventually replaced it with the VU & Nico album. I agree that VU is more consistent and has a more cohesive sound than VU & Nico, but VU & Nico captures the VU sound that I enjoy the most. And I really love Nico- check out her solo work, if you haven't. How do you feel about White Light/White Heat?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 1
From
telefunker 04/21/2009 16:30 | #3686
telefunker 04/21/2009 16:30 | #3686
here's what i don't get.. people say dangerous is a bit bloated.. but it has, in my esteemed opinion, much more variation and consistency than say.. the white album or a certain exile on main street.. gospel, rock, ballads, new jack swing.. and as for queen, well, each to their own, but they're not a band that can be overrated easily due to their technical virtuosity and freddy's immense compositional abilities.. i mean come on, thom yorke is never going to write anything truly MUSICALLY outstanding is he? i can definitely see why you might not like queen, but it's hard to over-rate a clearly discernable genius
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 1
From
telefunker 04/22/2009 03:52 | #3696
telefunker 04/22/2009 03:52 | #3696
Well, I don't get any emotion from Radiohead. That's my problem. I get it from Nirvana, The Beach Boys, John Lennon, Billie Holiday, Leonard Cohen, Smashing Pumpkins, Tori Amos, Alan Silvestri, Debussy, John Williams, Beethoven etc and yes, even Queen. Like The Beach Boys, they could be construed as having a simplistic approach to lyrics and an instatiable desire for sonic excellence, but still.. "Love Of My Life", "Save Me", "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" and of course "Bohemian Rhapsody" are certainly what I would regard as 'emotionally resonant'. Infinitely moreso than say "Fake Plastic Trees", "Karma Police" or any of their silly soundscapes.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 1
From
junodog4 TOP 100 COMMENTER 10/15/2012 18:37 | #52387
junodog4 TOP 100 COMMENTER 10/15/2012 18:37 | #52387
A little too neglectful of post 1980 music, but you can't argue with your 60s and 70s selections.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 2
From
Detroit Rock Citizen 07/08/2009 12:20 | #5156
Detroit Rock Citizen 07/08/2009 12:20 | #5156
thumbs up, maybe you could be the person to explain the appeal of radiohead to me
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 2
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