This list is an aggregate of three different lists published by the following three Entertainment Weekly lists:
A total of 245 albums appeared over the three lists. Only 46 titles appeared on two of the lists. Only five albums appeared on all three lists. The 2012 list is the strongest as it encompasses the widest swath of music in terms of eras and genres and best representation of albums universally considered classics. The 2008 list only focuses on a quarter century – it was a celebration of Entertainment Weekly’s 25th anniversary. Finally, the 1993 list includes a lot of compilations and box sets which are often overlooked on best-of lists. Some of these are welcome additions while others seem inappropriate substitutes for acts’ more celebrated classic albums.
Check out other publications and organizations’ best-of album lists here.
Albums Appearing on All 3 Lists:
1. Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
2. U2 Achtung Baby (1991)
3. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)
4. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
5. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984)
Albums Appearing on 2 Lists:
6. The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972)
7. Elvis Presley The Sun Sessions (archives, recorded 1954-55, released 1976)
8. Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
9. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
10. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
11. Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
12. The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
13. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
14. Jay-Z The Blueprint (2001)
15. Madonna Madonna (1983)
16. Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
17. Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
18. OutKast Stankonia (2000)
19. The Cure Disintegration (1989)
20. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)
21. The Who Who’s Next (1971)
22. The Notorious B.I.G. Ready to Die (1994)
23. The Clash London Calling (1979)
24. Stevie Wonder Innervisions (1973)
25. Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) (1993)
26. The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin (1999)
27. Beck Odelay (1996)
28. Bob Marley & the Wailers Legend (compilation: 1973-83, released 1984)
29. Chuck Berry The Great Twenty-Eight (compilation: 1955-64, released 1982)
30. Nas Illmatic (1994)
31. Arcade Fire Funeral (2004)
32. De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
33. Amy Winehouse Back to Black (2006)
34. R.E.M. Life’s Rich Pageant (1986)
35. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver (2007)
36. Tom Waits Rain Dogs (1985)
37. Radiohead OK Computer (1997)
38. Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique (1989)
39. The Smiths The Queen Is Dead (1986)
40. Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992)
41. Metallica Master of Puppets (1986)
42. Patti Smith Horses (1975)
43. The Replacements Let It Be (1984)
44. Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral (1994)
45. My Bloody Valentine Loveless (1991)
46. Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
47. Erykah Badu Mama's Gun (2000)
48. Hole Live Through This (1994)
49. Dixie Chicks Home (2002)
50. PJ Harvey Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000)
51. Elliot Smith Either/Or (1997)
Albums Appearing on 1 List:
52. The Beatles Revolver (1966)
53. Led Zeppelin Remasters (compilation: 1969-79)
54. Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959)
55. Kanye West The College Dropout (2004)
56. Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)
57. Green Day American Idiot (2004)
58. Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966)
59. Aretha Franklin Lady Soul (1968)
60. Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
61. Aretha Franklin 30 Greatest Hits (1985)
62. Johann Sebastian Bach Goldberg Variations (1741)
63. Radiohead In Rainbows (2007)
64. James Brown 20 All-Time Greatest Hits (compilation: 1991)
65. Joni Mitchell Blue (1971)
66. Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York (recorded live 1993, released 1994)
67. The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
68. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971)
69. Cat Power You Are Free (2003)
70. Various Artists Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 (box set: 1959-71, released 1992)
71. Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison (live, 1968)
72. Various Artists (produced by Phil Spector) Back to Mono (box set: 1958-69, released 1991)
73. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
74. Frank Sinatra Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! (1956)
75. Adele 21 (2011)
76. A Tribe Called Quest People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythms (1990)
77. Al Green Call Me (1973)
78. Beyoncé Dangerously in Love (2003)
79. Hank Williams 40 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1947-53, released 1978)
80. The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (1968)
81. Fiona Apple Tidal (1996)
82. Enya Watermark (1988)
83. Mariah Carey The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
84. David Bowie ChangesBowie (compilation: 1969-90, released 1990)
85. Louis Armstrong The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (box set: 1925-28)
86. Van Morrison Best of (1990)
87. Daft Punk Discovery (2001)
88. Shania Twain Come on Over (1997)
89. Bob Marley & the Wailers Catch a Fire (1973)
90. Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)
91. Roxy Music Avalon (1982)
92. Bob Dylan Time Out of Mind (1997)
93. The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation: 1962-66, released 1973)
94. Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
95. Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)
96. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
97. Kelly Clarkson Breakaway (2004)
98. Steely Dan A Decade of Steely Dan (compilation: 1972-80, released 1985)
99. Otis Redding Otis Blue (1965)
100. Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)
101. Sly & the Family Stone Anthology (compilation: 1968-73, released 1981)
102. Alicia Keys As I Am (2007)
103. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
104. The Strokes Is This It (2001)
105. The Band The Band (1969)
106. The Rolling Stones Some Girls (1978)
107. Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill (1995)
108. Robert Johnson The Complete Recordings (recorded 1936-37, released 1990)
109. TLC Crazy Sexy Cool (1994)
110. Patsy Cline 12 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1957-63, released 1973)
111. Modest Mouse The Moon & Antarctica (2000)
112. Barbra Streisand The Broadway Album (covers: 1985)
113. Run-D.M.C. Raising Hell (1986)
114. Sheryl Crow Sheryl Crow (1996)
115. John Coltrane A Love Supreme (1965)
116. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band (1970)
117. Bruce Springsteen Nebraska (1982)
118. Carpenters The Singles 1969-1973 (compilation: 1969-73, released 1973)
119. AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
120. Ludwig van Beethoven (composer) Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Choral) (1824)
121. Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)
122. Lucinda Williams Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998)
123. Neil Young Decade (compilation: 1966-76, charted 1977)
124. Belle & Sebastian If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)
125. Madonna The Immaculate Collection (compilation: 1983-90, released 1990)
126. The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965)
127. Björk Homogenic (1997)
128. Run-D.M.C. Together Forever: Greatest Hits 1983-1991 (1991)
129. Liz Phair Exile in Guyville (1993)
130. Duke Ellington The Blanton-Webster Band (box set: 1939-42, released 1990)
131. Johnny Cash American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)
132. Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
133. R.E.M. Murmur (1983)
134. k.d. lang & the Reclines Absolute Torch and Twang (1989)
135. Fugees The Score (1996)
136. Joni Mitchell Court and Spark (1974)
137. A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory (1991)
138. Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)
139. Elvis Costello King of America (1986)
140. The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
141. Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)
142. Elvis Costello Girls Girls Girls (compilation: 1977-86, released 1989)
143. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Déjà Vu (1970)
144. Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
145. various artists Turn the Beat Around: The Disco Years (compilation: 1974-78, released 1990)
146. Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor (2001)
147. Neil Young Harvest Moon (1992)
148. Sinéad O’Connor I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990)
149. Pixies Surfer Rosa (1988)
150. Santana Lotus (1974)
151. Madonna Ray of Light (1998)
152. Rod Stewart The Mercury Anthology (1992)
153. various artists The Best of the Girl Groups (Volumes 1 and 2) (1990)
154. Eric B. & Rakim Paid in Full (1987)
155. Pavement Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
156. Slayer Seasons in the Abyss (1990)
157. Derek and the Dominos Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
158. Television Marquee Moon (1977)
159. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
160. Billie Holiday The Legacy Box (1933-1958) (1958)
161. The Stooges Fun House (1970)
162. Love Forever Changes (1967)
163. The White Stripes Elephant (2003)
164. various artists Hip Hop Greats: Classic Raps (1990)
165. Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook (1957)
166. Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970)
167. Metallica Metallica (aka “The Black Album”) (1991)
168. Emmylou Harris Wrecking Ball (1995)
169. The Spinners One of a Kind Love Affair: The Anthology (1991)
170. Sonic Youth Daydream Nation (1988)
171. The Postal Service Give Up (2003)
172. Jefferson Airplane 2400 Fulton Street (1971)
173. The Stooges Raw Power (1973)
174. Mary J. Blige My Life (1994)
175. The Kinks Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
176. No Doubt Rock Steady (2001)
177. The Police Every Breath You Take – The Singles (compilation: 1978-86; released 1986)
178. Van Halen 1984 (1984)
179. Loretta Lynn Country Music Hall of Fame Series (1991)
180. Various Artists (Jimmy Cliff et al) The Harder They Come (soundtrack, 1972)
181. Anita Baker Rapture (1986)
182. Moby Play (1999)
183. The Smiths Best...I (1992)
184. Elvis Costello My Aim Is True (1977)
185. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
186. Pet Shop Boys Discography: The Complete Singles Collection (1991)
187. Talking Heads Remain in Light (1980)
188. Ryan Adams Heartbreaker (2000)
189. Various The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (1986)
190. Portishead Dummy (1994)
191. James Taylor Sweet Baby James (1970)
192. Björk Post (1995)
193. Pearl Jam Vs. (1993)
194. The Allman Brothers At Fillmore East (live, 1971)
195. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
196. Johnny Cash The Essential (compilation: 1955-83, released 1983)
197. Christina Aguilera Back to Basics (2006)
198. Aerosmith Toys in the Attic (1975)
199. Pixies Doolittle (1989)
200. The Rolling Stones The Singles Collection: The London Years (box set: 1963-71, released 1989)
201. Pavement Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
202. Jeff Buckley Grace (1994)
203. Eagles Hotel California (1976)
204. James Brown In the Jungle Groove (1971)
205. Pretenders Learning to Crawl (1984)
206. New Order Low-Life (1985)
207. Ornette Coleman Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation (1960)
208. Parliament Tear the Roof Off 1974-1980 (1980)
209. Richard Strauss (composer) Also Sprach Zarathustra (1896)
210. Dolly Parton Coat of Many Colors (1971)
211. Tupac Shakur (2pac) All Eyez on Me (1996)
212. The Quintent (Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie/Bud Powell/Charles Mingus/Max Roach) Jazz at Massey Hall (1953)
213. New Order Power, Corruption, and Lies (1983)
214. Peter Gabriel So (1986)
215. George Jones Best of (1955-1967) (1967)
216. Sleater-Kinney Dig Me Out (1997)
217. Aimee Mann Bachelor No. 2 (2000)
218. Buddy Holly & the Crickets From the Original Master Tapes (1985)
219. The White Stripes White Blood Cells (2001)
220. System of a Down Toxicity (2001)
221. Talking Heads Popular Favourites 1976-1983 / Sand in the Vaseline 1984-1992 (1992)
222. Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
223. Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream (1993)
224. Bonnie Raitt The Collection (1986)
225. Destiny’s Child The Writing’s on the Wall (1999)
226. Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits (1988)
227. N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton (1989)
228. Lynyrd Skynyrd Gold & Platinum (1977)
229. Beyoncé B'Day (2006)
230. The Police Synchronicity (1983)
231. The Byrds 20 Essential Tracks from the Boxed Set: 1965-1990 (1992)
232. Various artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977)
233. T.I. Trap Muzik (2003)
234. The Weavers At Carnegie Hall (1957)
235. Hüsker Dü Warehouse: Songs and Stories (1987)
236. Dusty Springfield Dusty in Memphis (1969)
237. Britney Spears Britney (2001)
238. Curtis Mayfield/The Impressions The Anthology 1966-1977 (1977)
239. Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf (2002)
240. Death Cab for Cutie Transatlanticism (2003)
241. Big Brother & the Holding Company Cheap Thrills (1968)
242. Neneh Cherry Homebrew (1992)
243. Ramones Ramones (1976)
244. George Michael Faith (1987)
245. various artists Golden Throats: The Great Celebrity Sing-Off (1988)
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First posted 6/9/2024; last updated 7/8/2024. | 
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