Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
Jbalbinolr 
It´s very difficult to rank one tastes in a subjective way, when everyday those tastes change and what it´s my #30 today could be #90 tomorrow, so there isn´t a clear answer that stays the same for more than a week. However what I can say it´s that all these albums have impacted me at least in some way, being by surprise, love or simply that I listen to them all time. All here are at least 100/100 for me subjectively, even if they have mistakes, I can´t stop listening to them. Why? I don´t know.
My biggest loves are Punk and Jazz, I have a lot of respect for some classic rock bands, and my absolute favorites artists are the Beach Boys and Ornette Coleman. The Top 25 albums on this list are reserved for music that impacted me, and showed me things that I didn't know were possible on music when I first heard them.
I am open to receive any sugestions outside of the bands present on this list. Also, this list does not include any classical music, as is completely different to popular music (Both great though!).
One album per artist.
- Chart updated: 03/20/2024 22:15
- (Created: 08/24/2017 14:04).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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Maybe the craziest jazz album I’ve heard, everything here just clicks. By one of the master of avant garde jazz, Ornette and his dream team of Ed Blackwell, Charlie Haden and Don Cherry deliver a set of pieces that loosely resemble the jazz that soon would be called Free Jazz.What makes this my favorite recording of this amazing artist? Well, in no other free jazz album, Ornette’s or otherwise, do I sense so much controlled freedom as in here. Is as if every musician knows when to do a certain fill, a certain entrance, but at the same time comes in the form of an organic evolution of the piece.
From the pseudo-blues “Blues Connotation” is apparent that this music demands your attention: the rambling of the drumming, the solid bass line, and the off key but no quite improvisation of the sax and trumpet, this song marks the mood of the album. The next song is the ballad “Beauty Is A Rare Thing”, and may I add, one of the most unique interpretations of a jazz ballad from the 60s, along with this album’s interpretation of the standard “Embraceable You”. Beautiful and ironic at the same time, featuring unique double bass accompaniment and unusual drum beats, they are paranoid and tender, off-kilter and melancholic.
Later, the masterpiece of the album: “Kaleidoscope”, the best jazz track you’ve never heard, improvisational madness, empty sounds from an unrepeatable melody , a sense of joy from the discovery of new sounds and forms, it challenges the jazz language to the very core. “Poise” and “Folk Tale” follow the same vigorous energy beats of “Kaleidoscope”, adding new twists and turns to the formula, while “Humpty Dumpty” remains the only song that tries to anchor this album to reality.
Ornette being my favorite artist of all time makes difficult choosing one album, but the sheer telepathic improvisations of this album are some of my favorites in all of jazz.
Track Picks: “Kaleidoscope”; “Beauty Is A Rare Thing”, “Folk Tale”. [First added to this chart: 09/11/2019]
From the pseudo-blues “Blues Connotation” is apparent that this music demands your attention: the rambling of the drumming, the solid bass line, and the off key but no quite improvisation of the sax and trumpet, this song marks the mood of the album. The next song is the ballad “Beauty Is A Rare Thing”, and may I add, one of the most unique interpretations of a jazz ballad from the 60s, along with this album’s interpretation of the standard “Embraceable You”. Beautiful and ironic at the same time, featuring unique double bass accompaniment and unusual drum beats, they are paranoid and tender, off-kilter and melancholic.
Later, the masterpiece of the album: “Kaleidoscope”, the best jazz track you’ve never heard, improvisational madness, empty sounds from an unrepeatable melody , a sense of joy from the discovery of new sounds and forms, it challenges the jazz language to the very core. “Poise” and “Folk Tale” follow the same vigorous energy beats of “Kaleidoscope”, adding new twists and turns to the formula, while “Humpty Dumpty” remains the only song that tries to anchor this album to reality.
Ornette being my favorite artist of all time makes difficult choosing one album, but the sheer telepathic improvisations of this album are some of my favorites in all of jazz.
Track Picks: “Kaleidoscope”; “Beauty Is A Rare Thing”, “Folk Tale”. [First added to this chart: 09/11/2019]
2
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The richest album ever in terms of sounds, I have heard this album so many times through the years, and even now I consistently become surprised by the details in every little situation form the album. When I first heard it it was like I was witnessing a strange music hall of many styles that I didn’t recognize, weird arrangements and some goofy melodies. Lyrics were simple, and the songs changed and evolved over the course of 3 minutes. I didn’t get it, it was weird.
A year later, I heard it again, and it was better than I remembered, and little by little, listen by listen, my musical horizons were completely shifted. Now I recognized the evolution of the songs were pretty genius, that the lyrics encapsulated my romantized teenage thought, and the weird arrangements suddenly felt natural, like a weird brush on a weird painting, it made sense. And I kept listening, and reading about this group of rock and roll nerds that just made some good old fun songs about the summer. Where did this amazing music came from? From a guy named Brian Wilson that shortly after suffered a mental breakdown.
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” opens the set with a mix of untuned guitars and a big drum stomp to began a sad song with incredible harmonies, saxophone, double bass, accordions and piano (maybe some more instruments) about nothing lasting forever. And from then the songs keep getting better, having slow doses of dreaming in “You Still Believe in Me" and “That’s Not Me”, desperate songs in “I’m Waiting For The Day” and “I Know There’s An Answer”, instrumental exercises of other-worldness in “Let’s Go Away For A While” and the title track; but not two songs ever sound the same.
Describing teenage daydreaming it’s not an easy thing, this albums summarizes the act of stop thinking like a child and being disappointed with the real life against the imagined, accepting what little you have and escaping reality just once in a while. Two songs stand above and all to describe this disillusion: “God Only Knows” and “Caroline, No” which stands as the realization that dreaming and living are indeed two different things, that loving someone is not eternal or free of pain. They also stand as two of the best songs in history.
The most acclaimed album of all time deserves all the hype in my opinion. This album is one of a few that changed my view in music permanently; before this I was an avid hard rock and metal fan, but this showed me that the soft side of the human nature also has a lot to show in all art. I started listening classical music, easy jazz and more pop music, getting more and more appreciation for each of them. And also appreciate my own thoughts and feelings, for as common as they were.
Track Picks: “God Only Knows”; “Caroline, No”; “Let’s Go Away For A While” [First added to this chart: 08/24/2017]
A year later, I heard it again, and it was better than I remembered, and little by little, listen by listen, my musical horizons were completely shifted. Now I recognized the evolution of the songs were pretty genius, that the lyrics encapsulated my romantized teenage thought, and the weird arrangements suddenly felt natural, like a weird brush on a weird painting, it made sense. And I kept listening, and reading about this group of rock and roll nerds that just made some good old fun songs about the summer. Where did this amazing music came from? From a guy named Brian Wilson that shortly after suffered a mental breakdown.
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” opens the set with a mix of untuned guitars and a big drum stomp to began a sad song with incredible harmonies, saxophone, double bass, accordions and piano (maybe some more instruments) about nothing lasting forever. And from then the songs keep getting better, having slow doses of dreaming in “You Still Believe in Me" and “That’s Not Me”, desperate songs in “I’m Waiting For The Day” and “I Know There’s An Answer”, instrumental exercises of other-worldness in “Let’s Go Away For A While” and the title track; but not two songs ever sound the same.
Describing teenage daydreaming it’s not an easy thing, this albums summarizes the act of stop thinking like a child and being disappointed with the real life against the imagined, accepting what little you have and escaping reality just once in a while. Two songs stand above and all to describe this disillusion: “God Only Knows” and “Caroline, No” which stands as the realization that dreaming and living are indeed two different things, that loving someone is not eternal or free of pain. They also stand as two of the best songs in history.
The most acclaimed album of all time deserves all the hype in my opinion. This album is one of a few that changed my view in music permanently; before this I was an avid hard rock and metal fan, but this showed me that the soft side of the human nature also has a lot to show in all art. I started listening classical music, easy jazz and more pop music, getting more and more appreciation for each of them. And also appreciate my own thoughts and feelings, for as common as they were.
Track Picks: “God Only Knows”; “Caroline, No”; “Let’s Go Away For A While” [First added to this chart: 08/24/2017]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
45,035
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
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This thing has one of the best or worst mixes I’ve heard, depending on the day I’m hearing.
Growing up with hard rock and metal from the 2000s, it’s weird that I didn’t loved punk. The simple three chord nature wouldn’t align too well with my tastes. Now I cannot go back to metal and hard rock, this album help me understand that sometimes a lot of energy, intelligent lyrics, and three chords is really all you need for an amazing song. This is a pretty nostalgic album curiously enough, these are happy songs mixed with pain and regret that lend an emotional outburst about ordinary life.
The songs follow somewhat complex arrangements and don’t satisfy themselves with a Verse-Chorus structure, even if appears that way the first couple of listens. The songs mixed many sections that combine to a greater whole when saw at a distance, and create an indescriptible atmosphere that sucks you in. The roots of all emo, post-hardcore and alternative rock are rooted here, but this is one case where the first one is really the best.
Track Picks: “Celebrated Summer”; “Terms Of Psychic Warfare”; “Books About UFOs”. [First added to this chart: 11/23/2017]
Growing up with hard rock and metal from the 2000s, it’s weird that I didn’t loved punk. The simple three chord nature wouldn’t align too well with my tastes. Now I cannot go back to metal and hard rock, this album help me understand that sometimes a lot of energy, intelligent lyrics, and three chords is really all you need for an amazing song. This is a pretty nostalgic album curiously enough, these are happy songs mixed with pain and regret that lend an emotional outburst about ordinary life.
The songs follow somewhat complex arrangements and don’t satisfy themselves with a Verse-Chorus structure, even if appears that way the first couple of listens. The songs mixed many sections that combine to a greater whole when saw at a distance, and create an indescriptible atmosphere that sucks you in. The roots of all emo, post-hardcore and alternative rock are rooted here, but this is one case where the first one is really the best.
Track Picks: “Celebrated Summer”; “Terms Of Psychic Warfare”; “Books About UFOs”. [First added to this chart: 11/23/2017]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,983
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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For the longest time I was put off by the first track of this album, it seemed like a chaotic mess of detuned guitars, growls and incomprehensible lyrics; to this day I still don’t really know the time signature of this song; but now “Frownland” it’s not only my favorite song from the album, but maybe my favorite song of all time, as it taught me something that not any song I had listened previously had: art can and, for the most part, should be challenging for the audience.
From there on the album goes from spoken word pieces, sax solos, and deranged drums that only can make sense in the very narrow concept that each song has. The lyrics on this album are some of the most underrated on any album ever, featuring references to Nazis, mascara snakes, and octafish (?). Some of the most creative lyrics from the era, and can be thought as poetry outside of the songs.
But the band takes the centerpiece in most of the songs, be it with the amazing instrumental “Hair Pie: Bake 2”, the crazy guitar licks on “When Big Joan Sets Up”, or in more straight forward songs like “Ella Guru”. The band remains both precise and chaotic in every song (that’s not a spoken word piece). And the album ends just as strong as it began, with “Veteran Day’s Poppy”, a blues suite of 3 parts about having nothing in the world that lifts your mood; ending the album on a rather conventional way compared to what came before.
What people tend to forget about this album it’s that above the virtuosos performers and the abstract poetry, above the experimentation and uniqueness, this albums it’s very fun if you ignore everything I’ve written so far. Beefheart and his band had the very unique talent of composing music that’s weird in a natural way, nothing seems out of place in a song, and remains, even today, one of the most unique and consistent albums of all time.
Track Picks: “Frownland”; “When Big Joan Sets Up”; “Veteran Day’s Poppy”. [First added to this chart: 11/18/2017]
From there on the album goes from spoken word pieces, sax solos, and deranged drums that only can make sense in the very narrow concept that each song has. The lyrics on this album are some of the most underrated on any album ever, featuring references to Nazis, mascara snakes, and octafish (?). Some of the most creative lyrics from the era, and can be thought as poetry outside of the songs.
But the band takes the centerpiece in most of the songs, be it with the amazing instrumental “Hair Pie: Bake 2”, the crazy guitar licks on “When Big Joan Sets Up”, or in more straight forward songs like “Ella Guru”. The band remains both precise and chaotic in every song (that’s not a spoken word piece). And the album ends just as strong as it began, with “Veteran Day’s Poppy”, a blues suite of 3 parts about having nothing in the world that lifts your mood; ending the album on a rather conventional way compared to what came before.
What people tend to forget about this album it’s that above the virtuosos performers and the abstract poetry, above the experimentation and uniqueness, this albums it’s very fun if you ignore everything I’ve written so far. Beefheart and his band had the very unique talent of composing music that’s weird in a natural way, nothing seems out of place in a song, and remains, even today, one of the most unique and consistent albums of all time.
Track Picks: “Frownland”; “When Big Joan Sets Up”; “Veteran Day’s Poppy”. [First added to this chart: 11/18/2017]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,099
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
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This it’s just one of the most transcendent pieces of music ever. Mixing progressive rock with long stretches of improvised on the spot music it’s really hard, just listening to something like Grateful Dead gives you an idea of the level of commitment it takes. But these guys were on another level on their best days.
Several songs repeat all through the 4 discs, like “Fracture”, “Larks' Tongues In Aspic”, “The Talking Drum”, and my favorite of the album “Easy Money”. But what could’ve been pretty repetitive became exploratory jams and vehicles of new ideas from solos by Robert Fripp. The rhythm section shines by changing harmonies and beats, mostly made up on the spot, of a good chunk of the songs. And then there are the completely improvised pieces like “Doctor Diamond”; “The Law Of Maximum Distress” or “Is There Life Out There?” where even the performers don’t know where the song is going, until it gets there. And it’s just incredible when they do. My favorite live album of all time.
Track Picks: “Starless”; “Easy Money”, “Fracture”. [First added to this chart: 10/14/2018]
Several songs repeat all through the 4 discs, like “Fracture”, “Larks' Tongues In Aspic”, “The Talking Drum”, and my favorite of the album “Easy Money”. But what could’ve been pretty repetitive became exploratory jams and vehicles of new ideas from solos by Robert Fripp. The rhythm section shines by changing harmonies and beats, mostly made up on the spot, of a good chunk of the songs. And then there are the completely improvised pieces like “Doctor Diamond”; “The Law Of Maximum Distress” or “Is There Life Out There?” where even the performers don’t know where the song is going, until it gets there. And it’s just incredible when they do. My favorite live album of all time.
Track Picks: “Starless”; “Easy Money”, “Fracture”. [First added to this chart: 10/14/2018]
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You hear a motor of a car running, shortly after “Serious as a heart attack!”. Amazing way to begin a work of art.
The Minutemen were three dudes from California with almost no money but very illustrated, that learned their instruments almost by themselves and became one of the forces of early hardcore music. They went beyond any expectations and release 45 surrealistic songs about anything or nothing. Flamenco, Mexican music, funk, a cover of Steely Dan, improvisational jams, anything goes.
This variety is why I love the scene of hardcore from the early 80s, it wasn’t so mucho of playing fast, but making authentic expression the means of success, and it succeds. Songs range from the beautiful “History Lesson Part II”, pre-Red Hot Chilli Peppers funk-rock freak outs “Vietnam”, political songs directed to Michael Jackson in the obvious titled “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing”, and blues in “Jesus And Tequila”. The sheer scope is amazing, not two songs sound like each other; every one has interest remarks about race, war, and the fall of the American dream; all maintaining a consistent quality and flying by at 2 or 3 minutes each, being true to the punk spirit.
Track Picks: “History Lesson Part II”; “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing”; “The Roar Of the Masses Could Be Farts” [First added to this chart: 11/21/2017]
The Minutemen were three dudes from California with almost no money but very illustrated, that learned their instruments almost by themselves and became one of the forces of early hardcore music. They went beyond any expectations and release 45 surrealistic songs about anything or nothing. Flamenco, Mexican music, funk, a cover of Steely Dan, improvisational jams, anything goes.
This variety is why I love the scene of hardcore from the early 80s, it wasn’t so mucho of playing fast, but making authentic expression the means of success, and it succeds. Songs range from the beautiful “History Lesson Part II”, pre-Red Hot Chilli Peppers funk-rock freak outs “Vietnam”, political songs directed to Michael Jackson in the obvious titled “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing”, and blues in “Jesus And Tequila”. The sheer scope is amazing, not two songs sound like each other; every one has interest remarks about race, war, and the fall of the American dream; all maintaining a consistent quality and flying by at 2 or 3 minutes each, being true to the punk spirit.
Track Picks: “History Lesson Part II”; “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing”; “The Roar Of the Masses Could Be Farts” [First added to this chart: 11/21/2017]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,167
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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A chaotic experience from an unstable band. This album always feels like it’s at the brink of falling apart, the amateur production brings a feeling of a lost album where all of them put everything they had for a last album, and in a way it is that.
A concept album it’s not something I would expect from an emo band in the 10s, but they managed to paint a picture of the complexity of relationships while bringing cryptic lyrics and innovative musicianship to go along. Weird “Sonic The Hedgehog” samples pop out from time to time in songs like “The Blah Blah Blahs”; acoustic guitar solos in “Allston, Massachusetts” and ambient sections everywhere, but the album remains cohesive and emotional all the way through.
The songs here go from A to B, and flow into each other like very few albums do. Verse and choruses melt into each other and become indistinguishable one from another, preferring to tell linear stories and putting trust in the audience to remember the sections. A stellar opener in “Pile! No Pile! Pile!” gives a very strong impression of what the album is going to sound, but surprises come and go, and when you get to “Bug-Infested Floorboards”, the experience will remain ingrained in your memory.
Track Picks: “The Blah Blah Blahs”; “Pile! No Pile! Pile!”; “Can’t Run Away”. [First added to this chart: 10/26/2019]
A concept album it’s not something I would expect from an emo band in the 10s, but they managed to paint a picture of the complexity of relationships while bringing cryptic lyrics and innovative musicianship to go along. Weird “Sonic The Hedgehog” samples pop out from time to time in songs like “The Blah Blah Blahs”; acoustic guitar solos in “Allston, Massachusetts” and ambient sections everywhere, but the album remains cohesive and emotional all the way through.
The songs here go from A to B, and flow into each other like very few albums do. Verse and choruses melt into each other and become indistinguishable one from another, preferring to tell linear stories and putting trust in the audience to remember the sections. A stellar opener in “Pile! No Pile! Pile!” gives a very strong impression of what the album is going to sound, but surprises come and go, and when you get to “Bug-Infested Floorboards”, the experience will remain ingrained in your memory.
Track Picks: “The Blah Blah Blahs”; “Pile! No Pile! Pile!”; “Can’t Run Away”. [First added to this chart: 10/26/2019]
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Silence as a form of artistic expression and emotional escape.
You know? When John Cage talks about silence in his acclaimed piece “4:33” it’s easy to initially think that it’s all pretty dumb. “Of course silence isn’t music, you can’t listen to it!” or so I used to think. It didn’t help that listening to that particular piece won’t change your mind probably.
But then… I heard both Morton Feldman and AMM, which took the idea and ran with two very different interpretations, but emphasizing a new era (or so they might thought at least) of almost inaudible music, where the space around the project was almost as important as the performers themselves.
While Morton Feldman composed each note of his string quartets; AMM mixed the concept with an element of surprise, by including improvisation in radically different way than jazz. Music theory was thrown out of the window, and instead what remained was the performer as a reactionary being, that doesn’t take solos but also doesn’t quite do accompaniment.
In the 90s, AMM’s music took a different angle, while previous iterations of the band used noise as the primary choice of timbre; with John Tilbury on the piano the music became reflexive and silence-dominated; this vision peaking with “Newfoundland” and “Before Driving To The Chapel We Took Coffee With Rick And Jennifer Reed”. Both amazing albums from the decade, which redefine free improvisation as contemplation of the musical environment; and ditching the noise that define so many bands of the movement. “Before Driving…” just takes the cake, by being just a little bit more dynamic.
Track Picks: “Intermezzo”, “Aria”, “Recitativo / Coda” [First added to this chart: 06/29/2021]
You know? When John Cage talks about silence in his acclaimed piece “4:33” it’s easy to initially think that it’s all pretty dumb. “Of course silence isn’t music, you can’t listen to it!” or so I used to think. It didn’t help that listening to that particular piece won’t change your mind probably.
But then… I heard both Morton Feldman and AMM, which took the idea and ran with two very different interpretations, but emphasizing a new era (or so they might thought at least) of almost inaudible music, where the space around the project was almost as important as the performers themselves.
While Morton Feldman composed each note of his string quartets; AMM mixed the concept with an element of surprise, by including improvisation in radically different way than jazz. Music theory was thrown out of the window, and instead what remained was the performer as a reactionary being, that doesn’t take solos but also doesn’t quite do accompaniment.
In the 90s, AMM’s music took a different angle, while previous iterations of the band used noise as the primary choice of timbre; with John Tilbury on the piano the music became reflexive and silence-dominated; this vision peaking with “Newfoundland” and “Before Driving To The Chapel We Took Coffee With Rick And Jennifer Reed”. Both amazing albums from the decade, which redefine free improvisation as contemplation of the musical environment; and ditching the noise that define so many bands of the movement. “Before Driving…” just takes the cake, by being just a little bit more dynamic.
Track Picks: “Intermezzo”, “Aria”, “Recitativo / Coda” [First added to this chart: 06/29/2021]
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I would have never expected that an anime soundtrack from a japanese show was going to became one of my favorite albums of the decade, and of all time. I am not even an anime fan, and when I first heard this I had not idea it was from a series, but being a little fan of Power Pop and liking a few japanese bands made me curious about this little album. But this is something else.
Houkago Tea Time is a fictional band from a show called K-On!, and it’s in my opinion, the best fictional band ever. Their music it’s my platonic ideal of a rock band, which makes it more puzzling that it came from such an unlikely place as a soundtrack. The first disc is a compilations of pretty strong tracks recorded at a studio setting, and combining the best elements of alternative, progressive, punk and classic rock, mastery of instruments, vocal harmonies, epic melodies and above else, energy, it manages to be timeless and surprisingly consistent.
The real star of this set is the second disc, being made like a live recording of an amateur band on a cassette recorder. There is no reason to do it like that, other that being an obscure reference to an episode of the series, but they did anyway, and it results in one of the most nostalgic emotional bombs ever made on an album. From the hair-rising “Fuwa Fuwa Time”, the dialogues of the members just having fun, the complex arrangements of songs like “Honey Sweet Tea Time” and “20 Samidare Love”, to the ultimate thanks songs: “U&I” and “Tenshi Ni Fureta Yo!”, transmit a sense of both joy and despair, joy from the experience you just witness, but despair of ultimately having to end it.
And both discs end as they began, as an ultimate celebration of moving on in life.
Track Picks: “Fuwa Fuwa Time”, “ Ichigo Parfait ga Tomara nai”, “ Pure Pure Heart”. [First added to this chart: 06/10/2021]
Houkago Tea Time is a fictional band from a show called K-On!, and it’s in my opinion, the best fictional band ever. Their music it’s my platonic ideal of a rock band, which makes it more puzzling that it came from such an unlikely place as a soundtrack. The first disc is a compilations of pretty strong tracks recorded at a studio setting, and combining the best elements of alternative, progressive, punk and classic rock, mastery of instruments, vocal harmonies, epic melodies and above else, energy, it manages to be timeless and surprisingly consistent.
The real star of this set is the second disc, being made like a live recording of an amateur band on a cassette recorder. There is no reason to do it like that, other that being an obscure reference to an episode of the series, but they did anyway, and it results in one of the most nostalgic emotional bombs ever made on an album. From the hair-rising “Fuwa Fuwa Time”, the dialogues of the members just having fun, the complex arrangements of songs like “Honey Sweet Tea Time” and “20 Samidare Love”, to the ultimate thanks songs: “U&I” and “Tenshi Ni Fureta Yo!”, transmit a sense of both joy and despair, joy from the experience you just witness, but despair of ultimately having to end it.
And both discs end as they began, as an ultimate celebration of moving on in life.
Track Picks: “Fuwa Fuwa Time”, “ Ichigo Parfait ga Tomara nai”, “ Pure Pure Heart”. [First added to this chart: 06/10/2021]
10. (=)
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How many times have you heard the term “jazz-punk-metal meets classical” as the best description of an album? But really, it’s the best for this one.
The album starts with an interpretation of several classical pieces, with one being written by leader and sax player John Zorn, and others written by Debussy, Scriabin, Ives, Messiaen, and de Lassus. Most of these interpretations are very dynamic and make a good use of the modern instruments used; making them feel like very original interpretations.
And then, it comes a selection of songs that were in “Torture Garden”. Although the prior songs were great, this is when the album shines. Compact, intense and complex songs with screaming from both the voice and the sax are present. Most of them use several styles of music within minutes, the peak being “Speedfreaks” with about 20 styles in less than a minute. Don’t get me wrong, the transitions are not smooth or anything, but the sheer brute force on these tracks are peak-Zorn; and the speed, precision and overall craziness is something that not many performers can accomplish.
Track Picks: “Speedfreaks”; “Blood Is Thin”; “Grand Guignol”. [First added to this chart: 04/03/2019]
The album starts with an interpretation of several classical pieces, with one being written by leader and sax player John Zorn, and others written by Debussy, Scriabin, Ives, Messiaen, and de Lassus. Most of these interpretations are very dynamic and make a good use of the modern instruments used; making them feel like very original interpretations.
And then, it comes a selection of songs that were in “Torture Garden”. Although the prior songs were great, this is when the album shines. Compact, intense and complex songs with screaming from both the voice and the sax are present. Most of them use several styles of music within minutes, the peak being “Speedfreaks” with about 20 styles in less than a minute. Don’t get me wrong, the transitions are not smooth or anything, but the sheer brute force on these tracks are peak-Zorn; and the speed, precision and overall craziness is something that not many performers can accomplish.
Track Picks: “Speedfreaks”; “Blood Is Thin”; “Grand Guignol”. [First added to this chart: 04/03/2019]
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 | 2 | 2% | |
| 1960s | 15 | 15% | |
| 1970s | 18 | 18% | |
| 1980s | 19 | 19% | |
| 1990s | 21 | 21% | |
| 2000s | 8 | 8% | |
| 2010s | 13 | 13% | |
| 2020s | 4 | 4% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Magma (FR) | 1 | 1% | |
| Deathspell Omega | 1 | 1% | |
| Rage Against The Machine | 1 | 1% | |
| AMM | 1 | 1% | |
| Talking Heads | 1 | 1% | |
| Yes | 1 | 1% | |
| The Dave Brubeck Quartet | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
57 | 57% | |
 |
18 | 18% | |
 |
7 | 7% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
| |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 14 from 44th to 30th Leaves Turn Inside You by Unwound |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 3 from 96th to 99th Microphones In 2020 by The Microphones |
| Down 2 from 82nd to 84th My War by Black Flag |
| Down 1 from 30th to 31st Is This It by The Strokes |
| New entries |
|---|
 Musasby Natalia Lafourcade |
| There's Nothing Wrong With Love by Built To Spill |
| Buena Vista Social Club by Buena Vista Social Club |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens De Couleur Libresby Matana Roberts |
| Musas Vol. 2 by Natalia Lafourcade |
| The Spice Of Life by Kazumi Watanabe |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
90/100 (from 25 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 25 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 12/08/2023 19:19 | Moondance | | 85/100 |
| 90/100 | 12/08/2023 14:55 |  Tamthebam | | 85/100 |
| 95/100 | 01/27/2023 15:33 | Weepingguitarman | | 95/100 |
| 100/100 | 01/27/2023 11:07 |  DommeDamian | | 90/100 |
| 100/100 | 09/14/2021 07:14 |  ssteve | | 92/100 |
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 89.7/100, a mean average of 91.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.7.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing all 2 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
Showing all 8 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
90/100
From Moondance 12/08/2023 19:24
This chart is so full of surprises - I really enjoyed scrolling through the entries & realising how much more music I still have to discover. I was hoping, given the diversity of your musical journey, that you may have stumbled upon something of significance from Australia or New Zealand - but alas, no.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From DommeDamian 01/27/2023 11:08
DommeDamian 01/27/2023 11:08
Cannot believe I underestimated this chart. This is such a superb work dude!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
seb7 11/28/2020 03:53
seb7 11/28/2020 03:53
The trout mask replica at #3 is an interesting pick. Sick list!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
95/100
From RioBravo 08/06/2020 10:18
This list can be called many things but "predictable" isn't one of them. In fact, it may seem a bit all over the place, but this endless variety is actually its main strength.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
sssvnnn 06/01/2020 01:27
sssvnnn 06/01/2020 01:27
!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
NoisyBeast 09/09/2018 16:28
NoisyBeast 09/09/2018 16:28
The Carl Stalling Project pulled me in, but the entire chart was fun to browse. Good diverse cross-section of classic & avant-garde, with some unexpected surprises scattered throughout. Nice job!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From 
NowhereMan 11/22/2017 19:23
NowhereMan 11/22/2017 19:23
Extend it! I had the same experience with Pet Sounds.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
LedZep 11/18/2017 00:40
LedZep 11/18/2017 00:40
Very cool, but gotta have a 100 to rate it properly. You’re definitely onto something here!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.