The book Top 100 Albums of All Time was published by Dave’s Music Database in 2014. It aggregated 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).
The book only featured one album from the 21st century (Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP) and, frankly, if I were to revise the book I’d re-focus it just on the 20th century. Either way, this book serves as a sequel, keying in on the top 100 albums of the 21st century. Here are the results:
Also, check out annual picks for album of the year.
1. Adele 21 (2011)
2. The Strokes Is This It (2001)
3. Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
4. Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
5. The White Stripes Elephant (2003)
6. Amy Winehouse Back to Black (2006)
7. Radiohead Kid A (2000)
8. Arcade Fire Funeral (2004)
9. Taylor Swift 1989 (2014)
10. Green Day American Idiot (2004)
11. Eminem The Eminem Show (2002)
12. Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)
13. Norah Jones Come Away with Me (2002)
14. Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006)
15. Adele 25 (2015)
16. Kendrick Lamar Damn. (2017)
17. Taylor Swift Fearless (2008)
18. Beyoncé Lemonade (2016)
19. OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
20. Usher Confessions (2004)
21. Frank Ocean Channel Orange (2012)
22. Kanye West The College Dropout (2004)
23. The White Stripes White Blood Cells (2001)
24. O Brother Where Art Thou (soundtrack, 2000)
25. Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
26. Radiohead In Rainbows (2007)
27. Kendrick Lamar Good Kid m.A.A.d. City (2012)
28. U2 All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)
29. Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
30. Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor (2001)
31. Chris Stapleton Traveller (2015)
32. Lady Gaga The Fame (2008)
33. Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand (2004)
34. OutKast Stankonia (2000)
35. Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour (2018)
36. Coldplay Parachutes (2000)
37. Linkin Park Hybrid Theory (2000)
38. Arcade Fire The Suburbs (2010)
39. David Bowie Blackstar (2016)
40. Jay-Z The Blueprint (2001)
41. Sufjan Stevens Illinois (2005)
42. Taylor Swift Red (2012)
43. Eminem Recovery (2010)
44. 50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003)
45. Ed Sheeran ÷ (Divide) (2017)
46. Coldplay X & Y (2005)
47. The Killers Hot Fuss (2004)
48. Justin Timberlake Justified (2002)
49. Beyoncé Dangerously in Love (2003)
50. Bilie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019)
51. Drake Views (2016)
52. Mumford & Sons Babel (2012)
53. Kings of Leon Only by the Night (2008)
54. Coldplay Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
55. Bruce Springsteen The Rising (2002)
56. Katy Perry Teenage Dream (2010)
57. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver (2007)
58. Frozen (soundtrack, 2013)
59. Mumford & Sons Sigh No More (2009)
60. Bob Dylan Love and Theft (2001)
61. Beck Sea Change (2002)
62. Beyoncé Beyoncé (2013)
63. James Blunt Back to Bedlam (2004)
64. Mariah Carey The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
65. Kanye West Late Registration (2005)
66. Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)
67. U2 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)
68. Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes (2008)
69. The Libertines Up the Bracket (2002)
70. Frank Ocean Blond (2016)
71. Drake Take Care (2011)
72. PJ Harvey Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000)
73. Brian Wilson Smile (2004)
74. D’Angelo Voodoo (2000)
75. PJ Harvey Let England Shake (2011)
76. D’Angelo & the Vanguard Black Messiah (2015)
77. Evanescence Fallen (2003)
78. Keane Hopes and Fears (2004)
79. Ed Sheeran X (Multiply) (2014)
80. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand (2007)
81. Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)
82. Lorde Melodrama (2017)
83. Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)
84. Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires of the City (2013)
85. Avril Lavigne Let Go (2002)
86. Taylor Swift Speak Now (2010)
87. Bob Dylan Modern Times (2006)
88. Lady Gaga Born This Way (2011)
89. Rihanna Anti (2016)
90. Dixie Chicks Home (2002)
91. Lin-Manuel Miranda (composer) Hamilton (musical, 2015)
92. Shania Twain Up! (2002)
93. Sturgill Simpson A Sailor’s Guide to Earth (2016)
94. Carrie Underwood Some Hearts (2005)
95. High School Musical (TV soundtrack, 2006)
96. Sam Smith In the Lonely Hour (2014)
97. The Streets Original Pirate Material (2002)
98. N Sync No Strings Attached (2000)
99. Kanye West Graduation (2007)
100. Bruno Mars Doo Wops & Hooligans (2010)
Resources and Related Links:
First posted 12/13/2020; last updated 9/14/2022. | 
Hi, are your lists based on US or worldwide?
ReplyDeleteLists on this site are generally aggregates from multiple sources, although mostly from US and UK-based sources. Sales figures, which also factor into many of the lists on this site, are typically based on worldwide sales. Chart data factored into lists is largely from the US, although I also incorporate the pop charts from the UK, Canada, and Australia.
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