Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
Robert Anton Wilson 
This would stand as my 100 desert island record list - as long as anthology box sets are not allowed of course.
Usually, I showcase albums that I had a "moment" with. A "moment" is a period of at least a month when the album was on repeat and made it almost impossible for me to listen to something else during that period. Sometimes when I discovered a new band late -I often do that, it was a series of album that played on repeat - like when I discovered STP on their second album (both albums were on repeat on a reversible cassette), or when I discovered Muse, they already had 5 albums.
The ordering is not really reliable. True objectivity is a myth. When you feel like listening to music by the Offspring it ranks higher in your gut than Miles Davis or St. Vincent -even if your head tells you that Miles should rank highest!! The gut and the ears listen, the head tries to order things and create a chart that would be be true both to me and to the reality of the "objective" world -But hey! It is not the objective world that gives me goosebumps when I listen to great music.
Chart corrected early 2023, years after the chart was first posted. Not really additions but significant shifts in position. I just realised that some albums that had been extremely significant for me I haven't listened to in a while and do not feel like listening to now. It does not mean they are less important for me, I would still go mad if they were to be "disappeared", but currently they go-to-ness is lower.
Finally, I must admit that I wanted to showcase diversity with my chart, hence why the first 5 albums are not all Pink Floyd;)
- Chart updated: 02/26/2024 22:45
- (Created: 06/05/2011 02:23).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 69 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 120 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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One of the great yet neglected concept albums of prog. This ought to be made into a movie by Peter Jackson.
[First added to this chart: 08/01/2011]
3
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Going out on a limb here listing this album which is not often (if ever) found on best-of charts. Tom has so many landmark albums. For whatever reason, this is the album of him I listen to most. When he finished his "Frank" trilogy, he became experimental to the point of becoming hermetic (e.g. The Black Rider, Bone Machine). Then he came back closer to his origins but changed in the process. I find this album marks a brilliant integration of so many of his persona (for other fans this happens with the albums Alice or Mule Variations). Highlights for me on this album are: Misery Is the River of the World, Everything Goes to Hell, God's Away on Business, Starving in the Belly of a Whale.
[First added to this chart: 04/28/2017]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
736
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The Protomen were a collective concept band. I unfortunately never got the full story, They are still a bit of a mystery to me. I think they were making more money and attracting bigger crowds doing Queen tribute concerts and performing covers. They recorded to get credits for their musical studies -I sure hope they got an A+. This album is part -or at least was purported to be part of a trilogy of albums at some point. The beginning eponymous album was heavy, punkish and low production value. Then they released this album. Extremely high production value, the sound is amazingly clean, the musicianship top notch, great arrangements and solid concept. This is strong prog story telling. They promised a third album in the trilogy and released one or two songs online ... then they seem to have just vanished. Since even the names of the musicians were fictious (K.I.L.R.O.Y., Reanimator, Heath Who Hath No Name ...), it makes for a tough retracing job if you are not Perry mason.
[First added to this chart: 08/11/2019]
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Come on, everybody loves Simon & Garfunkel music. Even Paul Simon admits it.
[First added to this chart: 02/26/2024]
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Sorry! I used to have Tea for the Tillerman here. Like the Stones, The Beatles or CCR, I usually listen to Cat Stevens by the song or in the greatest hits format rather than by album.
[First added to this chart: 05/13/2018]
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Among the best road trip albums ever. One of the rare movies about a fictional band that produced worthy music. This is blues, soul music. Amazing rendtion of 'Tenderness'. 'Mustang Sally' is the ultimate song to start a road trip. The movie produced so much good music that even the album The Commitments 2 is good.
[First added to this chart: 12/14/2011]
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Contemporary classic.
[First added to this chart: 04/16/2021]
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Jazz - Tough to rate this album which is such a different style. This is what happens when magic strikes between virtuoso musicians.
[First added to this chart: 06/05/2011]
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
24,822
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Jazz - I remember how my jaw dropped the first time I heard Olé!
[First added to this chart: 11/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1961
Appears in:
Rank Score:
620
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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 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1970s | 43 | 43% | |
| 1980s | 15 | 15% | |
| 1990s | 25 | 25% | |
| 2000s | 6 | 6% | |
| 2010s | 2 | 2% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Genesis | 3 | 3% | |
| King Crimson | 3 | 3% | |
| U2 | 2 | 2% | |
| Kate Bush | 2 | 2% | |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 2% | |
| Bob Dylan | 2 | 2% | |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
47 | 47% | |
| |
35 | 35% | |
| |
9 | 9% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 67 from 84th to 17th Rain Dogs by Tom Waits |
| Up 35 from 51st to 16th Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin |
| Up 34 from 63rd to 29th Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 88 from 11th to 99th Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis |
| Down 88 from 12th to 100th Olé Coltrane by John Coltrane |
| Down 63 from 29th to 92nd Blood Money by Tom Waits |
| New entries |
|---|
 Trouble At The Henhouseby The Tragically Hip |
| Vs. by Pearl Jam |
| Recycled by Nektar |
| World Record by Van Der Graaf Generator |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Riot Actby Pearl Jam |
| Phantom Power by The Tragically Hip |
| MTV Unplugged In New York by Nirvana |
| After The Gold Rush by Neil Young |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
90/100 (from 120 votes)
where:
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 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 120 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100/100  | 04/21/2024 19:50 |  Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
95/100 | 03/17/2024 01:07 | mrmcrook | | 92/100 |
 95/100 | 01/08/2024 02:27 | KineticEchoes02 | | 88/100 |
| 90/100 | 01/07/2024 20:30 | Moondance | | 85/100 |
| 100/100 | 09/28/2022 20:58 | IlMala | | 95/100 |
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 89.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.3.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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95/100
From mrmcrook 03/17/2024 01:09
Great chart. Enjoyable notes being informative but with the personal touch. Has made me add a few albums to my Wishlist.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From KineticEchoes02 01/08/2024 02:32
Loving this chart - great work! Really enjoyed your writeups too. There's a lot I need to check out in here. Very eclectic, great diversity in genres among the classics, and would agree that basically all your prog choices deserve a spot on this list.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Moondance 09/14/2021 00:22
I've revisited this chart and have to say that I was engaged with your comments (from 1 - 100) more than any other chart I have checked out on this site. I really liked the personal 'lived' connection between you & the albums and you not being afraid to include outliers (like Samantha Fish).
Good to see one Aussie band make the list. I appreciate the conundrum of including 'After The Goldrush' or 'Harvest'. I've gone for 'Harvest' in my own list.
After revisiting the chart, I have also revisited my ranking.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
rockbluesfolkjaz 09/13/2021 19:40
rockbluesfolkjaz 09/13/2021 19:40
Very nice list. I can relate to many. The others make me think enough to listen.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Steppenwolf666 03/12/2021 10:16
Outstanding. I think I have about 90% of these records because most of them are must have masterpieces.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
StefanR10 09/09/2020 20:01
StefanR10 09/09/2020 20:01
A really good mixed collection. I find something new but there are some classics here very good selected.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 09/09/2020 08:23
DommeDamian 09/09/2020 08:23
RAW list.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
EyeKanFly 02/02/2020 21:41
EyeKanFly 02/02/2020 21:41
Interesting list. Not a lot from the past 2 decades but what is there is definitely not the expected. Love the explanation of a "moment" - I certainly had one of those when I was introduced to Muse as well!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
ExTeaSea 08/26/2018 17:17
ExTeaSea 08/26/2018 17:17
Happy to see so much prog on a list! You even have Triumvarat!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
JulianR 10/08/2017 07:35
JulianR 10/08/2017 07:35
great chart! you really put the work in on this, and I love tons of the picks! I'm not really well versed in prog, but I would have to recommend Steven Wilson's "Hand Cannot Erase" if you haven't heard it. One of the greatest albums of all time IMO (I think it's like fifth on ym overall chart rn). Also his main project Porcupine Tree has some great stuff, but a little more metal oriented.
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