Dave's Music Database: The Top 100 Albums of All Time

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The Top 100 Albums of All Time

Creating a list of the best albums of all time was really the bread and butter for the inspiration behind Dave’s Music Database more than a decade ago. This aggregate list was created by compiling more than 150 best-of lists from all manner of music publications and entities and crunching those figures into a database along with sales figures, chart results, critical ratings, and various awards. (Click links to see detailed sources).

1. The Beatles: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
2. Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
3. Michael Jackson: Thriller (1982)
4. Nirvana: Nevermind (1991)
5. Fleetwood Mac: Rumours (1977)
6. Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
7. The Beatles: Revolver (1966)
8. The Beatles: The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
9. The Beatles: Abbey Road (1969)
10. The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (1966)

11. David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
12. U2: The Joshua Tree (1987)
13. The Clash: London Calling (1979)
14. The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street (1972)
15. The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced? (1967)
16. The Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
17. Velvet Underground & Nico: Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
18. Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run (1975)
19. The Doors: The Doors (1967)
20. The Beatles: Rubber Soul (1965)

21. Radiohead: OK Computer (1997)
22. Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On (1971)
23. Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde (1966)
24. Guns N’ Roses: Appetite for Destruction (1987)
25. The Who: Who’s Next (1971)
26. Various Artists: South Pacific (cast album: 1949, soundtrack: 1958)
27. Pink Floyd: The Wall (1979)
28. Prince & the Revolution: Purple Rain (1984)
29. AC/DC: Back in Black (1980)
30. The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland (1968)

31. R.E.M.: Automatic for the People (1992)
32. Van Morrison: Astral Weeks (1968)
33. Simon & Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
34. Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
35. Eagles: Hotel California (1976)
36. Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks (1975)
37. Paul Simon: Graceland (1986)
38. Carole King: Tapestry (1971)
39. Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin II (1969)
40. Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life (1976)

41. The Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed (1969)
42. The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead (1986)
43. The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers (1971)
44. Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (1975)
45. Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
46. Bee Gees/Various Artists: Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977)
47. U2: Achtung Baby (1991)
48. Prince: Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)
49. Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (1959)
50. Pearl Jam: Ten (1991)

51. Patti Smith: Horses (1975)
52. Neil Young: After the Gold Rush (1970)
53. Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
54. Joni Mitchell: Blue (1971)
55. Bruce Springsteen: Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
56. Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti (1975)
57. The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses (1989)
58. Oasis: What's the Story Morning Glory (1995)
59. Stevie Wonder: Innervisions (1973)
60. The Who: Tommy (1969)

61. The Rolling Stones: Beggars Banquet (1968)
62. Ramones: Ramones (1976)
63. Love: Forever Changes (1967)
64. Television: Marquee Moon (1977)
65. Metallica: Metallica (aka ‘The Black Album’) (1991)
66. Alanis Morissette: Jagged Little Pill (1995)
67. Neil Young: Harvest (1972)
68. Derek and the Dominos: Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
69. James Brown: Live at the Apollo Volume 1 (live, 1962)
70. Jeff Buckley: Grace (1994)

71. The Police: Synchronicity (1983)
72. Radiohead: The Bends (1995)
73. Various Artists: West Side Story (cast album: 1957, soundtrack: 1961)
74. Various Artists: The Sound of Music (cast album: 1959, soundtrack: 1965)
75. David Bowie: Hunky Dory (1971)
76. Beck: Odelay (1996)
77. Queen: A Night at the Opera (1975)
78. Dire Straits: Brothers in Arms (1985)
79. Talking Heads: Remain in Light (1980)
80. The Allman Brothers: At Fillmore East (live, 1971)

81. Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell (1977)
82. The Band: The Band (1969)
83. Black Sabbath: Paranoid (1970)
84. The Clash: The Clash (1977)
85. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young: Déjà Vu (1970)
86. Massive Attack: Blue Lines (1991)
87. Joy Division: Closer (1980)
88. Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin I (1969)
89. Van Morrison: Moondance (1970)
90. John Lennon: Imagine (1971)

91. Johnny Cash: At Folsom Prison (live, 1968)
92. Van Halen: Van Halen (1978)
93. Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
94. John Lennon: Plastic Ono Band (1970)
95. Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
96. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica (1969)
97. John Coltrane: A Love Supreme (1965)
98. Bob Marley & the Wailers: Legend (compilation, 1984)
99. Various Artists: Grease (soundtrack, 1978)
100. Elvis Presley: The Sun Sessions (archives, 1955)