O'Really?

February 1, 2025

One hundred albums you might enjoy listening to

Filed under: joshua tree,music,wikipedia — Duncan Hull @ 4:14 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

Any list of 100 best anything is going to be riddled with biases, flaws and omissions, but here’s a list of albums you might enjoy listening to from 100best.music.apple.com. I’ve posted them here because my family are listening to three albums a week throughout 2025, and discussing them as we go. The albums are listed in reverse order of “greatness“ below, as we’re starting from the top. The №’s link to music and listening notes on Apple, other streaming services are available. The rest of the links go to the English Wikipedia article for the album in question. What’s missing and what’s in the wrong order? What doesn’t deserve to be mentioned on this list? There’s a strong American bias, with 65% of artists hailing from the USA and 24% from the UK. There’s only 1% representation of artists from each of Jamaica, Iceland, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Germany and France and a big fat 0% for many others.†

Public domain image of a One Hundred Dollar bill from 1862 via Wikimedia Commons w.wiki/Cwbe

When it comes to music, Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV), actually your mileage will definitely vary. So here’s an opinionated view from Apple Park on the ”definitive list of the greatest albums ever made” assembled with the help of ”artists and experts”. There’s plenty of bangers in here, amongst the clangers. Judge for yourself:

  1. 🇸🇪 № 100 (2010) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Talk_(Robyn_album)
  2. 🇺🇸 № 99 (1976) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_California_(album)
  3. 🇺🇸 № 98 (2018) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroworld_(album)
  4. 🇺🇸 № 97 (1992) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_Against_the_Machine_(album)
  5. 🇳🇿 № 96 (2013) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Heroine
  6. 🇺🇸 № 95 (2004) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessions_(Usher_album)
  7. 🇬🇧 № 94 (2007) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untrue_(album)
  8. 🇺🇸 № 93 (2016) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Seat_at_the_Table
  9. 🇺🇸 № 92 (2017) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_Boy
  10. 🇬🇧 № 91 (1990) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listen_Without_Prejudice_Vol._1
  11. 🇦🇺 № 90 (1980) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_in_Black
  12. 🇺🇸 № 89 (2009) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fame_Monster
  13. 🇺🇸 № 88 (1965) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Put_a_Spell_on_You_(album)
  14. 🇬🇧 № 87 (1991) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lines
  15. 🇺🇸 № 86 (1994) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Life_(Mary_J._Blige_album)
  16. 🇺🇸 № 85 (2018) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Hour_(Kacey_Musgraves_album)
  17. 🇺🇸 № 84 (1993) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doggystyle
  18. 🇺🇸 № 83 (1975) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_(album)
  19. 🇺🇸 № 82 (2003) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Rich_or_Die_Tryin’
  20. 🇨🇦 № 81 (1970) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_the_Gold_Rush
  21. 🇺🇸 № 80 (2000) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marshall_Mathers_LP
  22. 🇺🇸 № 79 (2019) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Fucking_Rockwell!
  23. 🇬🇧 № 78 (1973) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbye_Yellow_Brick_Road
  24. 🇺🇸 № 77 (1989) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like_a_Prayer_(album)
  25. 🇵🇷 № 76 (2022) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Un_Verano_Sin_Ti
  26. 🇺🇸 № 75 (1997) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supa_Dupa_Fly
  27. 🇺🇸 № 74 (1994) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Downward_Spiral
  28. 🇺🇸 № 73 (1977) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aja_(album)
  29. 🇺🇸 № 72 (2022) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS_(SZA_album)
  30. 🇩🇪 № 71 (1977) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Europe_Express_(album)
  31. 🇺🇸 № 70 (1989) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_Outta_Compton
  32. 🇺🇸 № 69 (1986) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Puppets
  33. 🇺🇸 № 68 (2001) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is_This_It
  34. 🇬🇧 № 67 (1994) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dummy_(album)
  35. 🇬🇧 № 66 (1986) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen_Is_Dead
  36. 🇺🇸 № 65 (1989) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Feet_High_and_Rising
  37. 🇺🇸 № 64 (1997) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baduizm
  38. 🇺🇸 № 63 (1967) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Are_You_Experienced
  39. 🇺🇸 № 62 (1996) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Eyez_on_Me
  40. 🇬🇧 № 61 (1992) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Deluxe
  41. 🇺🇸 № 60 (1967) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Velvet_Underground_&_Nico
  42. 🇬🇧 № 59 (2013) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM_(Arctic_Monkeys_album)
  43. 🇬🇧 № 58 (1995) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(What’s_the_Story)_Morning_Glory?
  44. 🇺🇸 № 57 (2000) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo_(D’Angelo_album)
  45. 🇬🇧 № 56 (1989) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disintegration_(The_Cure_album)
  46. 🇺🇸 № 55 (2016) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti_(album)
  47. 🇺🇸 № 54 (1965) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Love_Supreme
  48. 🇬🇧 № 53 (1972) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exile_on_Main_St.
  49. 🇺🇸 № 52 (1987) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appetite_for_Destruction
  50. 🇺🇸 № 51 (1987) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_o’_the_Times
  51. 🇬🇧 № 50 (1985) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hounds_of_Love
  52. 🇮🇪 № 49 (1987) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joshua_Tree
  53. 🇺🇸 № 48 (1989) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul’s_Boutique
  54. 🇨🇦 № 47 (2011) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Care
  55. 🇯🇲 № 46 (1977) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exodus_(Bob_Marley_and_the_Wailers_album)
  56. 🇮🇸 № 45 (1997) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homogenic
  57. 🇺🇸 № 44 (1973) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innervisions
  58. 🇺🇸 № 43 (1980) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remain_in_Light
  59. 🇺🇸 № 42 (1986) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_(Janet_Jackson_album)
  60. 🇺🇸 № 41 (1998) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquemini
  61. 🇺🇸 № 40 (1967) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Never_Loved_a_Man_the_Way_I_Love_You
  62. 🇺🇸 № 39 (1994) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illmatic
  63. 🇺🇸 № 38 (1971) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapestry_(Carole_King_album)
  64. 🇺🇸 № 37 (1993) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enter_the_Wu-Tang_(36_Chambers)
  65. 🇺🇸 № 36 (2013) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyoncé_(album)
  66. 🇬🇧 № 35 (1979) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Calling
  67. 🇺🇸 № 34 (1988) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Takes_a_Nation_of_Millions_to_Hold_Us_Back
  68. 🇬🇧 № 33 (2000) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kid_A
  69. 🇺🇸 № 32 (1994) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_to_Die
  70. 🇨🇦 № 31 (1995) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagged_Little_Pill
  71. 🇺🇸 № 30 (2019) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_We_All_Fall_Asleep,_Where_Do_We_Go?
  72. 🇺🇸 № 29 (1991) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Low_End_Theory
  73. 🇬🇧 № 28 (1971) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon
  74. 🇬🇧 № 27 (1969) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_Zeppelin_II
  75. 🇺🇸 № 26 (2010) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Beautiful_Dark_Twisted_Fantasy
  76. 🇺🇸 № 25 (1959) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kind_of_Blue
  77. 🇬🇧 № 24 (1972) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Ziggy_Stardust_and_the_Spiders_from_Mars
  78. 🇫🇷 № 23 (2001) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_(Daft_Punk_album)
  79. 🇺🇸 № 22 (1975) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_to_Run
  80. 🇬🇧 № 21 (1966) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(Beatles_album)
  81. 🇺🇸 № 20 (1966) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sounds
  82. 🇺🇸 № 19 (1992) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronic
  83. 🇺🇸 № 18 (2014) wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_(Taylor’s_Version)
  84. 🇺🇸 № 17 (1971) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What’s_Going_On_(album)
  85. 🇺🇸 № 16 (1971) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_(Joni_Mitchell_album)
  86. 🇬🇧 № 15 (2011) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21_(Adele_album)
  87. 🇺🇸 № 14 (1965) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_61_Revisited
  88. 🇺🇸 № 13 (2001) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blueprint
  89. 🇬🇧 № 12 (2001) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK_Computer
  90. 🇬🇧 № 11 (1977) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumours_(album)
  91. 🇺🇸 № 10 (2016) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemonade_(album)
  92. 🇺🇸 № 9 (1991) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevermind
  93. 🇬🇧 № 8 (2006) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_Black
  94. 🇺🇸 № 7 (2012) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Kid,_M.A.A.D_City
  95. 🇺🇸 № 6 (1976) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_in_the_Key_of_Life
  96. 🇺🇸 № 5 (2016) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blonde_(Frank_Ocean_album)
  97. 🇺🇸 № 4 (1984) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Rain_(album)
  98. 🇬🇧 № 3: (1969) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_Road
  99. 🇺🇸 № 2 (1982) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(album)
  100. 🇺🇸 № 1 (1998) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miseducation_of_Lauryn_Hill

† NOTE: Some artists don’t fit into a neat singly rooted hierarchy, for example, are Fleetwood Mac British or American? Is Alanis Morissette Canadian or American? etc

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