The 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time (in my opinion): 50-26
Part two of the list that could either define or come back to haunt me
Welcome to part two of my 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time list, which has taken me no less than three years to study and assemble.
The first part saw places 100-51 covered, and we now arrive at the first half of the top 50, with two further parts to come later this week.
We’ve seen Jay-Z and Kanye, Joni Mitchell and PJ Harvey, System Of A Down and Queens of the Stone Age, Lorde and Madonna, and so many more amazing artists with amazing albums so far, but who will be in the 50-26 positions?
You can read places 100-51 by clicking the link here
50: The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die (1994)
Best Tracks: Machine Gun Funk, Juicy, Everyday Struggle
Such is the aura of Christopher Wallace, he has managed to gain widespread consensus as one of, if not the greatest rapper of all time, despite living just 24 years of life. His debut album Ready To Die, the only studio album of his to be released within his lifespan, is a large reason for that. As iconic as 90s rap music gets.
49: Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)
Best Tracks: Mojo Pin, Last Goodbye, Lover You Should’ve Come Over
Another life tragically taken too soon, Californian singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley recorded just one studio album before his untimely death in 1997, but it stands the test of time as one of the all time greats of the era. Best known for the devastatingly good cover of Hallelujah, but perhaps more cherished for the deep cuts, Grace has only grown in acclaim the longer it has lingered.
48: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (1968)
Best Tracks: Crosstown Traffic, Gypsy Eyes, Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
A top 100 with no Jimi on it would be an insult to the industry, and Electric Ladyland is the best example of Hendrix at his most exploratory, but focused best. Music will run for centuries longer, and I don’t think you’ll ever find an album with a better final two tracks than All Along The Watchtower and Voodoo Child (Slight Return). What comes before it isn’t bad either…
47: Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
Best Tracks: Time, The Great Gig In The Sky, Money
Could this be the first ‘controversial’ placement on the list? Probably not, but many consider The Dark Side Of The Moon to be a non-negotiable top ten all time album, and while I recognise that for its impact and musical brilliance, I feel like its reputation has almost worked against it. With that being said, it’s one of the most important and influential records of all time, and that much is undeniable.
46: OutKast - Aquemini (1998)
Best Tracks: Rosa Parks, Aquemini, Da Art Of Storytellin’ (Pt. 1)
In the current realms of hip-hop, the south of America is an unrelenting force, and that is largely down to the groundworks placed by legendary Atlanta duo OutKast. Their 1998 cut Aquemini is a how to guide on rhyming, storytelling, flowing over beats with bounce, and crafting your own lane in an increasingly busy genre. If you strip rap music down to the essence, André 3000 and Big Boi are the leaders all should follow.
45: Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (2006)
Best Tracks: You Know I’m No Good, Love Is A Losing Game, Tears Dry On Their Own
An unfortunate theme you discover when making a list like this is realising how many iconic, legendary figures are no longer with us, many of which lost their lives far too young. Amy Winehouse was a generational talent before her passing, and the flame continues to burn over a decade on. Back To Black was a blue-eyed soul record that placed Amy among the best to ever do it.
44: Led Zeppelin - IV (1971)
Best Tracks: Black Dog, Stairway To Heaven, When The Levee Breaks
When people reflect on “the good old days” and “back in my day” you can bet your last note that Led Zeppelin are on the tip of their tongue. While I reject the notion that old music = better music, I have to say the traditionalists are onto something with Zeppelin’s IV, a monster of a rock album that doesn’t just flow beautifully — but also boasts none other than Stairway to Heaven.
43: Prince - Sign O’ The Times (1987)
Best Tracks: Sign O’ The Times, The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker, If I Was Your Girlfriend
Prince is an all time great, but there’s no point attempting to put him in a genre box when he has albums like Sign O’ The Times in his catalogue. It feels like every track on this record is a new lane, a new idea, a new era, yet somehow he connects it all together to make a sweeping, genre-bending classic that shines a light on all of Prince’s best musical angles.
42: Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)
Best Tracks: Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), Wake Up
If you were making a Mount Rushmore of the indie rock explosion of the early 21st century, Arcade Fire would surely be on there, and it’s due to albums like Funeral. The Canadian multi-instrumentalists merged rich, orchestral pieces with conventional guitar riffs and, when wrapped up together in the warm blanket of this album, it is like nectar of the ears.
41: LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)
Best Tracks: Someone Great, All My Friends, New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down
Another byproduct of this indie wave across the pond in the 21st century was James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem, who mined past the gold and struck diamonds when crafting Sound of Silver in 2007. Whether it’s the electronic builds of the opener Get Innocuous!, or the progressive magic of All My Friends, this album understands the assignment and makes you want to hug a friend but also jump around in a state of euphoria.
40: Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019)
Best Tracks: Norman Fucking Rockwell!, Venice Bitch, How to Disappear
Father John Misty once sang “I just love the kind of woman who can walk over a man” and that feels like the ideal description for Lana Del Rey and the magnitude of her presence as an artist. She has got better and better as her career progressed, and once Norman Fucking Rockwell! arrived in 2019, the world truly knew they were witnessing a generational star who issues zero apologies for being herself.
39: A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (1991)
Best Tracks: Buggin’ Out, Rap Promoter, Jazz (We’ve Got)
I have a bone to pick, and it’s that certain corridors of the hip-hop nerds like me do not recognise The Low End Theory for what it is — one of the best rap albums to ever be released. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg’s back-and-forth verses over infectious, stripped back drum beats makes for a thoroughly enjoyable, and damn near flawless, listening experience.
38: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)
Best Tracks: Lump Sum, Blindsided, re:stacks
Recorded in a hunting cabin amid Justin Vernon’s frustrations at his physical health and songwriting struggles, it is almost hard to believe that someone battling this much could channel the pain into an album this beautiful. For Emma, Forever Ago is the opening chapter in the Bon Iver multiverse that has blossomed post-2008, and it remains the best not just of Vernon’s catalogue — but arguably the best folk record of the century.
37: Talking Heads - Remain In Light (1980)
Best Tracks: Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On), The Great Curve, Once In A Lifetime
Lock David Byrne and Brian Eno in a room together and the result is hardly going to be conventional. Remain In Light is the fourth Talking Heads album and very much the benchmark that new wave artists sought to follow thereafter. It’s rhythmic, at times chaotic, but never anything short of an absolute blast to listen to.
36: Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)
Best Tracks: 15 Step, Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi, Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Floating in limbo after shifting the paradigm multiple times already in their career, Radiohead turned the art rock dial up to eleven for In Rainbows. Lyrically it is far more introspective and personal than the more political messages of previous records, with the production and instrumentals offering the room for extra vulnerability. All killer, no filler.
35: Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
Best Tracks: Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber, Da Mystery Of Chessboxin’, Protect Ya Neck
Who knew hearing about 400 guys rap over beats with kung-fu samples littered throughout would be such a memorable experience? What Wu-Tang achieved with 36 Chambers will be discussed for decades, and that is because they ripped up the rule book and championed authenticity, but it helped having some of the most talented MCs of all time rapping over beats made by one of the all time great producers, also.
34: The Clash - London Calling (1979)
Best Tracks: Rudie Can’t Fail, Lost In The Supermarket, Train In Vain (Stand By Me)
Synonymous with and highly responsible for the sudden rush of punk fandom in the late 70s, The Clash sent shockwaves through the industry with London Calling, but they did it with as much flair and grace as the aggression and attitude required in punk rock. Joe Strummer takes you on lyrical journeys that still ring true to this day, and part of his legacy is the creation of an album this iconic.
33: Kate Bush - Hounds of Love (1985)
Best Tracks: Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God), Cloudbursting, Watching You Without Me
Kate Bush’s resurgence into pop culture thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things was a very strange but wonderful moment, and if nothing else it reminded everyone just how dazzling she is as an artist. The Hounds of Love album that hosts the classic Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) single is a musical tour de force that has inspired countless art pop stars in the near 40 years of its life.
32: Steely Dan - Aja (1977)
Best Tracks: Black Cow, Deacon Blues, Peg
The final boss of dad rock, Steely Dan’s place on a list like this needs no introduction and probably even less of an explanation. Aja is their most rounded project with the richest instrumentation, the catchiest melodies and the most consistency, blending yacht rock with jazz fusion to create some of the most impeccable vibes you’ve ever heard.
31: Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992)
Best Tracks: Xtal, Ageispolis, Ptolemy
If someone dropped this collection of songs in 2024, it would sound ahead of its time. So, when Aphex Twin brought Selected Ambient Works to the masses in 1992, he was seen as a marmite character. To most he was an innovating trailblazer of the burgeoning electronic music scene, but to others he was ridiculed for taking a few too steps outside the box. I fall firmly in the camp of the former. Amazing, revolutionary music.
30: Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do (2012)
Best Tracks: Every Single Night, Left Alone, Hot Knife
I will unashamedly admit I was late to the Fiona Apple party. I always saw her as a critic’s dream, but someone who was not catered for me. How wrong could I be? Fiona is a one in a million songwriter who works to her own schedule, sings her own stories, and does not conform to any pre-prepared scripts. Her delivery is as interesting as her narratives, and she is an artist we should, nay, must, cherish.
29: FKA Twigs - LP1 (2014)
Best Tracks: Two Weeks, Pendulum, Closer
Nothing excites me more in music than an artist who brings something totally unique to the table, and FKA Twigs’ emergence onto the scene in the early 2010s was just that. Wonky production with stabbing synths were matched with shimmering vocals and divine elegance. The chord Twigs struck in my heart with LP1 continues to play ten years after its release.
28: Frank Ocean - Blonde (2016)
Best Tracks: Ivy, Nights, White Ferrari
If I did this list about six or seven years ago, it might have been a bit closer to Apple Music’s fifth place for Frank Ocean’s Blonde, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still hold it dear to my heart. Blonde is both a warm and a cold shoulder to cry on, a stripped-back tour of emotions that elevated Frank to a status of adoration that means almost a decade after this album, the clamour for more continues.
27: Madvillain - Madvillainy (2004)
Best Tracks: Accordion, Curls, All Caps
“Living off borrowed time, the clock ticks faster” is the opening bar of this MF DOOM x Madlib collaborative album, and it is a message that rings true throughout. Madvillainy is a weird and wonderful demonstration of what makes both DOOM and Madlib, truly world class talents in their respective fields of rap and production. Bizarre samples and elite rhyming — Madvillainy is a colossus.
26: Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)
Best Tracks: Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pts. 1-5, Have A Cigar, Wish You Were Here
Real Pink Floyd heads know this is their best album. It is, to coin a Partridge-style saying: Only the album The Dark Side Of The Moon could have been. Dragging five songs out across almost 45 minutes sounds daunting on the surface, but you press play and forget time is a thing. It is a magic exploration of progressive rock music that sounds about 25 years ahead of its release date.