Best Albums of 1996
Explore the best albums of 1996, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts
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Last updated: 1 hour ago
"What a brilliant piece of work, I've to say this is one of the most consistent beautiful albums I've ever heard." Reply
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meruizh | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +12 votes (12 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,568
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"This is an absolute lyrical masterpiece; Cuomo perfectly captures the feelings of confused lust that follow many through high school, college, and beyond. I've heard this album get ridiculed for its misogyny and objectification of women, to which I say: "Isn't that the point?" Now, don't get me w..." Reply
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babyBlueSedan | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,323
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"It's an impressive assemblage, but not something that really delighted me in any meaningful way." Reply
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planetneutral | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,807
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Danny Carey's drumming on this album alone is enough to make this album a stone-cold masterpiece, but everything else is executed perfectly. The lyrics are as tortured as Undertow but nearly as cerebral as Lateralus It's been my favorite metal album since the middle of Highschool, and I'm about t..." Reply
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,499
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Beck's best. One of my all-time favorites. A party album as well as an arty album. Belongs in any car." Reply
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lightmyway | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,053
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"A very pleasant listen that makes me feel like I've transported to a new world full of adventure and sunshine and ponds." Reply
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,326
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Some albums are like being hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. This album is like being crushed by a mountain. Post-rock albums often give a sense of vast empty space and natural beauty. This album smothers you in scalding, acrid feculence until your sinuses congest and your lungs fill with bli..." Reply
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SquishypuffDave | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +24 votes (24 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,542
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"A breath of fresh air, a design for life is a masterpiece" Reply
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RaineyWins | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,703
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Already a lot more artistically ambitious than Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. I do think it falls a little flat in a couple of the songs, but there's not really a bad track on here. I love how they went with alien/space theme, the beats are really spacey and cloudy. Of course André 3000 and Big..." Reply
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teague | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,537
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
10.
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"I don't think I'll ever again like this album as much as I did 15 years ago, and I'll certainly never get any deeper into B&S, but I wouldn't complain if someone threw this on as background music." Reply
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,429
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100
Best Albums of 1996 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Various Artists | 13 | 1% | |
| Iggy Pop | 3 | 0% | |
| The Brian Jonestown Massacre | 3 | 0% | |
| Stereolab | 3 | 0% | |
| Neil Young | 2 | 0% | |
| Vangelis | 2 | 0% | |
| Boards Of Canada | 2 | 0% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
453 | 45% | |
 |
210 | 21% | |
 |
36 | 4% | |
 |
36 | 4% | |
 |
36 | 4% | |
 |
30 | 3% | |
 |
24 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Best Albums of 1996 chart changes
| Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 3 from 72nd to 69th |
Up 3 from 61st to 58th |
Up 3 from 54th to 51st |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 2 from 57th to 59th |
Down 2 from 59th to 61st |
Down 2 from 69th to 71st |
Best Ever
Artists
1.
The Beatles
2.
Radiohead
3.
Pink Floyd
4.
David Bowie
5.
Bob Dylan
6.
Led Zeppelin
8.
Arcade Fire
9.
Neil Young
10.
Nirvana
