Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Mr November

Ok, so the intro to my chart has read "Work In Progress, Progress is slow. The more I work on this the more I think my order needs sorting. I will get there." for about 5 years now and whilst I have added more notes to the albums the intro has been too daunting a task. The problem is I have a tendency to take an inordinate amount of time editing my writing, it's not uncommon for me to spend 10 minutes composing a text message. I've therefore decided what I'm going to do is try to explain my modus operandi bit by bit and come back and tidy it up when I feel I've covered everything I want to. In the meantime if you read a sentence that seems confused or out of place I hope you can, as Mudhoney would put it, Let it Slide until I get round to clarifying my thoughts. Hopefully it won't take another 5 years :)
The first thing I need to say is this chart is totally subjective, they are the albums that mean the most to me. I personally believe it's not possible to do this objectively, when you listen to an album you are going into it with your own unique personal history and there are so many factors that will influence your listening experience. I find most of the albums in my chart were contemporary when I got into them. There's something magical about buying a hard copy of an album from a record shop on the day of release, to know you're part of a group of like minded individuals performing that ritual on the same day. I'm much more inclined to give my time up and persevere with an album that has this ritual attached to it than I am to say a 40 year old album that I'm listening to on Spotify or Youtube. You are listening to an album that has been shaped by the world you're living in.
Another reason that will explain why there's no albums by some musical greats like Bowie, Led Zep, The Kinks, The Stones etc is that I invariably first heard these artists through greatest hits albums which I've refrained from including in my chart. When I subsequently listen to original albums that contain some songs from greatest hits albums I'm already really familiar with I find either the other songs tend to get overshadowed or else the ones I know get overplayed.
The next factor I will call the rule of 'First come, first served', if I like an album enough for me to seek out other albums by the same artist those subsequent albums have a lot of catching up to do. Invariably my favourite album by an artist is the one that made me fall in love with their music in the first place. As I write 8 of my top 10 were the first album I heard by that particular artist. For example, Gentlemen is generally regarded as The Afghan Whigs' pinnacle but I discovered them through Black Love, by the time I got round to purchasing Gentlemen the songs from Black Love were burnt into my soul and as much as I love Gentlemen, Black Love already has my heart. Had I heard Gentlemen first then the story would most likely (80% more?) be different. Like I said, it's all subjective.

• Chart updated: 01/29/2024 13:15
• (Created: 03/12/2011 18:13).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

There are 81 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 109 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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3. (=)

The Stone Roses 

 The Stone Roses

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Summer of 89, listening to Terry Christian on Key 103 whilst doing my homework on a Sunday night. He'd already played Elephant Stone and Made of Stone which I'd thought were really good but my mind was blown when he finished his show with I am the Resurrection. I bought my first copy of the NME soon after and my love affair with music had begun. My brother got the album on vinyl that christmas ( I got 3 feet high and rising on cd) and every time he left the house I would swipe the record from his room and listen to it over and over. It's not just a collection of great songs either, it's wonderfully produced, there is an atmosphere that is established before the bassline to Adored rumbles in and is still there as the final coda of Resurrection closes the album out. The band rightly get a lot of plaudits for this album but I think John Leckie's contribution is often overlooked. I once read an interview with the band where John Squire said they thought they were making a much louder rock record than Leckie was producing. No doubt this is the album I've listened to most in my life. [First added to this chart: 03/12/2011]

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

2,001 charts

Rank Score:

24,853

Rank in 1989:

3

Rank in 1980s:

5

Overall Rank:

34

Average Rating:

 86 (2,257 votes)

Comments:

203

8. (=)

Screamadelica 

 Primal Scream

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The perfect synthesis of Rock n' Roll and acid house it was pretty hard to avoid this album when at Uni in the early 90's. It's as much Andy Weatherall's album as it is Primal Scream's but I think that having a band with attitude and the swagger of Bobby Gillespie in particular fronting it has helped it immensely. The highlights are definitely the house songs but the the gospel of Movin' On Up and the country of Damaged give it a soul that isn't there on a lot of electronic albums. The arc of the album explicitly follows the acid experience with song titles like Movin' On Up, Don't Fight it Feel it, Inner Flight, Damaged, I'm Comin' Down but for me the masterstroke is how the euphoric trip of Higher Than The Sun returns as a dark paranoid dub inspired comedown driven by Jah Wobble's perfectly judged bassline. Using the same song to show both sides of the coin, genius. Screamadelica is a product of a very specific time in the history of UK music and stands alone as the landmark of the rock/acid house explosion [First added to this chart: 03/12/2011]

Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

738 charts

Rank Score:

5,281

Rank in 1991:

11

Rank in 1990s:

66

Overall Rank:

340

Average Rating:

 79 (913 votes)

Comments:

62

9. (=)

London Calling 

 The Clash

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I was never a fan of punk music in my youth and other than hearing Should I Stay Or Should I Go and London Calling after being re-released off the back of a Levi's ad had never listened to The Clash. That is until I watched Grosse Point Blank. Despite the soundtrack containing classics like Monkey Gone to Heaven and Blister in the Sun the song that really hit me was Rudy Can't Fail. I bought London Calling as soon as I could and was amazed at the quality and variety of the album. It could maybe have shed a song or two (Lover's Rock in particular) but there is very little waste and the first 14 songs from the clarion call of London Calling to the Spectoresque Card Cheat are phenomenal.About 4 or 5 songs in you start to think where can it go next but it just keeps throwing out these brilliant songs one after another. I'm sure this would be higher in my chart had I been born 10 years earlier. It holds such a place in my heart that my wife and I ended up naming our first child Joseph Dylan after Messrs Strummer and Zimmerman. Truly one of the greatest albums ever. [First added to this chart: 03/13/2011]

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

2,787 charts

Rank Score:

34,439

Rank in 1979:

1

Rank in 1970s:

5

Overall Rank:

20

Average Rating:

 87 (3,121 votes)

Comments:

257

12. (=)

Dubnobasswithmyheadman 

 Underworld

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An absolute monument of an album, another one I first heard at Uni sat around smoking in my housemate, Ian's, room. I'd heard electronic music before but albums such as New Order's Substance and Technique and Depeche Mode's Violator were still in the main using traditional verse/chorus song structures whilst the likes of Orbital and The Orb were creating mainly instrumental rave tunes and soundscapes . Dubnobass was different it's equal parts man and machine, the songs build till they hit their groove and then continue relentlessly, hypnotising the listener. Different parts come in and out but there's no choruses just Karl Hyde's fragmented narration of taxi rides through the seedy parts of a big city at night or flying over those same cities. The lyrics make no literal sense to me but still paint a picture that intrigues me. In this brave new world, time is of no consequence, there is nothing to rush for, only 2 songs clock in at less than 7 minutes but none of them outstay their welcome and their length is very much heralded with song titles lie Dark & Long, Dirty Epic and River of Bass. If all you know of Underworld is Born Slippy and drunken sweaty lads in shirts and shoes shouting Lager, Lager Lager I urge you to listen to this album in its entirety, I honestly would not swap a single song on here for the Trainspotting aided anthem that defines them to many. Their follow up to this album won the Mercury Music Prize but for me they never did anything to compare with this monolith of an album. [First added to this chart: 02/03/2013]

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

172 charts

Rank Score:

1,207

Rank in 1994:

41

Rank in 1990s:

265

Overall Rank:

1,443

Average Rating:

 77 (201 votes)

Comments:

13

13. (=)

Bring It On 

 Gomez

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Another album I bought as a result of it being an Album of the Month in Uncut. I have a vague memory of having seen the video for 78 Stone Wobble but knew very little of them. I also have a memory of playing it to a couple of mates and them really digging it though it's not an album I think of as being something my wider group of mates were listening to. I was listening to a lot of Americana at the time and listening to music had become a much more solitary pastime, I'd be 24 at this point and socializing was generally done down the pub rather than sitting around mates' bedrooms listening to music. That Gomez are 5 lads from Southport playing Americana, this shouldn't really work but despite not starting or finishing very strongly and at times nearly falling into pastiche the bands obvious affection for the genre shines through and they pull off an unlikely victory. The album feels a little confused at first with the unspectacular Get Miles and Whippin' Piccadilly's extraneous bleeps before stripping back to basics with Make No Sound. Having found it's feet the album then hits its stride with a run of 6 songs from 78 Stone Wobble through to Free to Run and transcends it's influences to rival anything Lambchop, Wilco etc were producing. That this album sits so high on my chart yet clearly has it's weaknesses shows just how much I love these 6 magnificent songs. Ben Ottewell's rasp reminiscent of Vedder and Waits is the main weapon but is far from overused, the moments where he's providing backing as enthralling as his headline moments. The band sound like they're having a great time and if you let them they'll take you with them. [First added to this chart: 03/12/2011]

Year of Release:

1998

Appears in:

112 charts

Rank Score:

629

Rank in 1998:

53

Rank in 1990s:

449

Overall Rank:

2,507

Average Rating:

 76 (122 votes)

Comments:

7

17. (=)

Revolver 

 The Beatles

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The most influential band ever's best album. For me The Beatles career followed an arc and this is the peak. George Harrison was yet to write his best songs but this is for me the pinnacle of both Lennon and McCartney's songwriting. The range from the childlike simplicity of Yellow Submarine (my 4 year old son's favourite song) to the boundary pushing Tomorrow Never Knows is astounding. [First added to this chart: 03/13/2011]

Year of Release:

1966

Appears in:

3,525 charts

Rank Score:

54,705

Rank in 1966:

1

Rank in 1960s:

2

Overall Rank:

4

Average Rating:

 91 (4,522 votes)

Comments:

479

19. (=)

OK Computer 

 Radiohead

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For me 1997 is the greatest year for albums and OK Computer is one of the reasons why. To be honest it's hard to say why it's so high in my list other than it's just a great album. I have no particularly strong personal connection with the album andit doesn't have the quality of feeling like an old friend even though it's been in my life since the day it was released. It is in fact quite alienating but it's got a few truly exceptional songs and those that might not be great stand alone songs fit perfectly into the album's structure. Most albums, good or bad, are just a collection of songs but OK Computer is much more. It is a masterpiece. [First added to this chart: 03/12/2011]

Year of Release:

1997

Appears in:

4,374 charts

Rank Score:

72,272

Rank in 1997:

1

Rank in 1990s:

1

Overall Rank:

1

Average Rating:

 92 (5,562 votes)

Comments:

847

22. (=)

The House Of Love (The Butterfly Album) 

 The House Of Love

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When my schoolmate Stuart Mellor made me a copy of The Lightning Seeds' debut album Cloudcuckooland he had some space left at the end of the tape and filled it with a few of his favourite songs. As much as The Lighning Seeds' Pure is a wonderful 3 minut pop song it was The House of Love's In a Room which really caught my ear. There's nothing revolutionary here just 12 brilliantly crafted guitar songs. Unfortunately being released in 1990 it got overshadowed by The Stone Roses and the subsequent Madchester boom. Had it been released in 95 or 96 when British guitar bands were in fashion then I'm convinced this would have been huge. I haven't seen Stuart in over 20 years now but if you somehow happen across this Stu, thank you for introducing me to this album. [First added to this chart: 03/13/2011]

Year of Release:

1990

Appears in:

93 charts

Rank Score:

536

Rank in 1990:

44

Rank in 1990s:

499

Overall Rank:

2,851

Average Rating:

 78 (98 votes)

Comments:

2

25. (=)

Rock Action 

 Mogwai

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Not an easy decision picking my favourite Mogwai album. From the moment I bought Young Team on a CD splurge in the HMV on Manchester's Market Street circa Christmas 1997 after it placing well in the NME's end of year chart I've loved them and any one of their albums could have made this chart. Rock Action just edges out the others for me because along with the usual Mogwai mix of melody and atmospherics there's an increased sense of ambition and experimentation. Released in April 2001, it feels like the band were striving to define the new millennium. By incorporating electronic instrumentation and adding vocals to 5 of the 8 songs the album is made more expansive. In Sine Wave and Robot Chant I hear portents of a machine dominated dystopian future while the vocals of Dial: Revenge and particularly Take Me Somewhere Nice provide a human counterpoint. The melancholy present in many of the vocals put me in mind of a war with technology that mankind is resigned to losing. How much of this is by design I'm not sure but my interpretation reads a lot into the order of the last 3 songs. The discordant electronics of Robot Chant is the victory march of the machines. This is followed by 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong where the vocals are fed through vocoders giving an impression of sublimation of the humans and just as it feels like all hope is lost out of the musical fog a single defiant banjo emerges and leads the multiple voices out of their enslavement. That the final song is so stripped down with prominent vocals but with the wonderfully ambiguous final lines of "Tried my best, failed the test. Did my worst, came in first." is a brilliantly open ended finale. [First added to this chart: 03/12/2011]

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

102 charts

Rank Score:

486

Rank in 2001:

56

Rank in 2000s:

529

Overall Rank:

3,089

Average Rating:

 77 (123 votes)

Comments:

3

31. (=)

Technique 

 New Order

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[First added to this chart: 03/12/2011]

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

365 charts

Rank Score:

2,305

Rank in 1989:

11

Rank in 1980s:

116

Overall Rank:

775

Average Rating:

 78 (494 votes)

Comments:

22

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Total albums: 28. Page 1 of 3

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade	Albums	%
1930s	0	0%
1940s	0	0%
1950s	0	0%
1960s	6	6%
1970s	3	3%
1980s	16	16%
1990s	45	45%
2000s	28	28%
2010s	2	2%
2020s	0	0%

Artist	Albums	%
R.E.M.	3	3%
Sparklehorse	3	3%
The Flaming Lips	3	3%
Mega City Four	2	2%
Beastie Boys	2	2%
Primal Scream	2	2%
Pixies	2	2%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	66	66%
	28	28%
	2	2%
	2	2%
	1	1%
	1	1%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts

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

Other overall charts by Mr November

Title	Source	Type	Published	Country
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums	Mr November		2024

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 109 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
80/100	08/28/2024 12:38	Tamthebam	599	85/100
75/100	08/28/2024 11:27	mianfei	166	62/100
95/100	03/18/2023 06:06	leniad	680	85/100
90/100	03/18/2023 00:10	Moondance	464	85/100
90/100	03/17/2023 17:54	Johnnyo	2,135	80/100

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 5% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.8/100, a mean average of 89.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.1.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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Rating:  

75/100

From mianfei 08/28/2024 11:27

This is a very well-written and interesting chart. The notes are always very welcome, and many of the choices interesting, notably Cop Shoot Cop and perhaps ‘Shabooh Shoobah’ and Pale Saints.

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

Rating:  

95/100

From leniad 03/18/2023 06:07

i like thtat you didnt create this list based in logic or in an objectively way, just the albums you grew to care about and that represented something important the year they were release
continue like this friend

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From Moondance 03/18/2023 00:21

I love this chart ~ we might only have 4 albums/12 artists in common ~ but the backstory of why these are your top 100 albums is written with such 'lived' passion and honesty that it resonates deeply with me. I like it that BEA peer pressure & group think has been put aside and you simply record your personal journey through the history of modern music ~ which is a true delight. I am a bit surprised that US albums feature so prominently (seeing you are English) and that only 6 albums feature from outside the US/UK bubble. What I like most of all, being a passionate fellow BEA user (perhaps a generation older than you), is that your chart has plenty of offerings that I will now spend time discovering. BTW ~ I really like the concept that the first album to draw your attention to a particular artist (more often than not) rates above the higher ranking albums from that artist. I share & understand that feeling ~ it's like a first love usually holds a special place in our hearts.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From HoldenM 03/17/2023 20:19

Still one of the best to do it.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From Johnnyo 03/17/2023 17:55

Love this chart. I may not agree with all of the selections, but the quality is undeniable. Great stuff

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From EyeKanFly 03/20/2022 17:49

Awesome chart, lots of unfamiliar albums by familiar artists, I must dive into this further. Excellent write-ups, great story for every album (haven't read through all of it but 10-15 or so and I must say, you seem to remember much more about when/where/how you got into an album than I do).

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

From Mr November 06/15/2021 14:05

Thanks for all the wonderful feedback. I hadn't updated for a while but with this chart being the best part of 10 years old it's been insightful to come back and see how I feel about it now. There are some albums that, though I still love them, are way too high in this chart (Recently listened to Richmond Fontaine for the first time since I made this chart) so I'm going to have a tidy up, move some stuff around and hopefully get round to adding my thoughts to every entry. I've recently thought of a new metric for judging how much I love an album which is to see how quickly I can remember the track listing. Surprising how few albums I can just real off the track list of, really separates the wheat from the chaff.

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

Rating:  

100/100

From salahshoori 09/13/2020 10:34

One of the greatest charts on this site.

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

Rating:  

100/100

From bonnequestion 08/02/2020 20:11

Charts like these are the reason why I visit this website almost every day. Good job and keep it up!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From DommeDamian 04/29/2018 20:22

Not having much in common, but I'm pretty jealous of your intellectual, intelligent writing.

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