12.09.2021

My 100 Favorite Albums of All Time (sorta kind of again)

On January 1, 2020 I started tracking my listening habits on a spreadsheet. When I first logged Dolly Parton's Jolene I had no idea what was ahead of me. I don't know if my passion for this would've been the same without a worldwide pandemic allowing me to indulge my listening habit more than ever (my guess is that, yes, it absolutely would have). This is the basic info I chronicle:

  • Artist
  • Album
  • Release Date
  • First Listen Date 
  • Genre
  • Play Count
  • Rating
  • Notes
Since I started this exercise I've listened to 2,165 albums, 951 of them being unique. While my primary listening focus is new music I make a conscious effort to look back at the past. This includes albums I've loved for years but also albums I've never listened to ever. It's tedious but rewarding. It's unnecessary but oh so necessary. 

In the midst of this OCD-fulfilling project I decided that each year, on my birthday, I'd throw on a filter and let Google tell me what my 100 favorite (aka top rated) album are. I am one to hem and haw until I pass out so it's been a bit thrilling to not overthink this. Yes, this is what passes for "thrilling" at 39. 

I haven't parsed over the data like Billy Bean or anything, but a bunch of albums were kicked off this list, making room for 19 subjectively better records. Some fell, other climbed. Such is life. 

Fun Fact #1: 96 of these 100 records are rated as a 9.0 or better. 

Fun Fact #2: I own 49 of these on vinyl. 

Disclaimer 1: As stated above, I started tracking my album listening and assigning ratings to said albums on 01.01.2020. As a result, this list is only comprised of albums listened to on or after that date (456 unique albums in total). The idea is that it’ll evolve and become more accurate over time. 

Disclaimer 2: I didn't allow myself to consider soundtracks (sorry Lost In Translation!), live albums (sorry Stop Making Sense!), or compilations albums (sorry Louder Than Bombs!). 

Elevator goiiinnnnggggg up!


  1. The Clash - London Calling
  2. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
  3. Pavement - Wowee Zowee
  4. Green Day - dookie
  5. Pearl Jam - Ten
  6. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
  7. The Promise Ring - Very Emergency
  8. The Beatles - Revolver
  9. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
  10. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
  11. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
  12. Beatles, The - Rubber Soul
  13. Pearl Jam - Vs.
  14. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
  15. Nirvana - Nevermind
  16. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
  17. Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
  18. Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica
  19. Camp Cope - Camp Cope
  20. Silent Majority - Life of a Spectator
  21. Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps
  22. Big Star - #1 Record
  23. Pavement - Brighten the Corners
  24. Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze
  25. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
  26. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
  27. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
  28. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
  29. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
  30. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear
  31. Green Day - Insomniac
  32. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
  33. Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine
  34. Weezer - Pinkerton
  35. The Beatles - Let It Be
  36. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - This Year's Model
  37. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
  38. The Beatles - The Beatles
  39. Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth
  40. Nas - Illmatic
  41. Saves the Day - Through Being Cool
  42. The Beatles - Help!
  43. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
  44. R.E.M. - Reckoning
  45. Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
  46. Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves
  47. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
  48. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
  49. Sleater Kinney - No Cities To Love
  50. Camp Cope - How to Socialise & Make Friends
  51. Glassjaw - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
  52. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
  53. The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About
  54. Silver Jews - American Water
  55. The B-52's - Cosmic Thing
  56. Arcade Fire - Funeral
  57. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
  58. Taylor Swift - 1989
  59. The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
  60. The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
  61. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
  62. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
  63. Pixies - Doolittle
  64. Bon Iver - i,i
  65. Wilco - Summerteeth
  66. Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains
  67. The Beatles - Abbey Road
  68. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
  69. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
  70. The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen
  71. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
  72. Mannequin Pussy - Patience
  73. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags
  74. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
  75. Wire - Pink Flag
  76. Pavement - Terror Twilight
  77. R.E.M. - Document
  78. John Lennon - Mind Games
  79. Radiohead - OK Computer
  80. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
  81. Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers
  82. The Strokes - Is This It
  83. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
  84. Love - Forever Changes
  85. Carly Rae Jepsen - E•MO•TION
  86. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
  87. Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
  88. The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me
  89. Gin Blossoms - New Miserable Experience
  90. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
  91. HAIM - Women In Music Pt. III
  92. Tegan and Sara - The Con
  93. The Get Up Kids - Four Minute Mile
  94. Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
  95. Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
  96. Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville
  97. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
  98. The Replacements - Let It Be
  99. Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis
  100. The Clash - The Clash

No comments:

Post a Comment