Apple Music 100 Best Albums

Logo used for the Apple Music 100 Best Albums list

The Apple Music 100 Best Albums is a list of the best albums in history created by the streaming service Apple Music based upon an opinion survey and curated music ranking. Its team crafted the list alongside a group of artists that included Pharrell Williams, J Balvin, Maren Morris, and Charli XCX.[1] The list is an editorial statement, rather than being data-based, and does not take into account any streaming figures on Apple Music or any other streaming service.[2][3]

The list named the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill as the best album, followed by Michael Jackson's Thriller and then the Beatles' Abbey Road.

Background

The lowest 10 placements (#91–100) of the list were announced on May 13, 2024, via a press release by Apple. It was also revealed that the whole list would be released as a countdown revealing 10 albums each day for the next 9 days.[4] To accompany the list, Apple Music unveiled a dedicated microsite to analyze and discuss the albums.[2]

Reception

The list received mostly negative reviews from fans and critics. Aidin Vaziri of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that "The selection sharply contrasts with the traditional rankings by legacy music publications, such as Rolling Stone."[5] Ben Cohen of The Wall Street Journal wrote that the list "was clearly a stunt to get attention and sell subscriptions to Apple Music", with its ultimate goal being to "get people to actually engage with these albums",[6] while Chris Willman of Variety wrote that the list "exists almost expressly to make you mad".[7] Multiple critics cited recency bias, with the list overrepresenting newly released albums.[7][8][9]

Gwilym Mumford of The Guardian called the list "certainly baffling in places", noting the absence of artists such as Johnny Cash, Diana Ross, The Supremes, and The Who, as well as the list's underrepresentation of country music.[9] Ryan Teague Beckwith of MSNBC commented that the list generously represents rock and hip hop, while only including "token nods" to jazz, folk, reggae, and punk, and neglecting to include blues, gospel, or world music albums.[10] Many fans criticized the list's placement of 1989 (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift at number 18, topping highly-regarded pop albums such as Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys and Hounds of Love by Kate Bush, with Cohen calling the placement "absurd".[6][11][12][13]

Several critics commended Apple Music's unorthodox placement of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill as the greatest album of all time.[7][9][14] In response to the placement, Lauryn Hill said, "I appreciate the acknowledgement, I really do, but I’d be remiss not to also acknowledge all of the music and artists who informed and inspired me ... The leaders of community and movements that sparked me, the social dynamics and music scenes, both older and current at the time, that intrigued and inspired me to contribute."[11]

Complete list

Apple Music 100 Best Albums[7]
Number Album Artist Year
1 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill 1998
2 Thriller Michael Jackson 1982
3 Abbey Road The Beatles 1969
4 Purple Rain Prince & The Revolution 1984
5 Blonde Frank Ocean 2016
6 Songs in the Key of Life Stevie Wonder 1976
7 Good Kid, M.A.A.D City Kendrick Lamar 2012
8 Back to Black Amy Winehouse 2006
9 Nevermind Nirvana 1991
10 Lemonade Beyoncé 2016
11 Rumours Fleetwood Mac 1977
12 OK Computer Radiohead 1997
13 The Blueprint Jay-Z 2001
14 Highway 61 Revisited Bob Dylan 1965
15 21 Adele 2011
16 Blue Joni Mitchell 1971
17 What's Going On Marvin Gaye 1971
18 1989 (Taylor's Version) Taylor Swift 2023[a]
19 The Chronic Dr. Dre 1992
20 Pet Sounds The Beach Boys 1966
21 Revolver The Beatles 1966
22 Born to Run Bruce Springsteen 1975
23 Discovery Daft Punk 2001
24 The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars David Bowie 1972
25 Kind of Blue Miles Davis 1959
26 My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Kanye West 2010
27 Led Zeppelin II Led Zeppelin 1969
28 The Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd 1973
29 The Low End Theory A Tribe Called Quest 1991
30 When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Billie Eilish 2019
31 Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette 1995
32 Ready to Die The Notorious B.I.G. 1994
33 Kid A Radiohead 2000
34 It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back Public Enemy 1989
35 London Calling The Clash 1979
36 Beyoncé Beyoncé 2013
37 Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Wu-Tang Clan 1993
38 Tapestry Carole King 1971
39 Illmatic Nas 1994
40 I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You Aretha Franklin 1967
41 Aquemini OutKast 1998
42 Control Janet Jackson 1986
43 Remain in Light Talking Heads 1980
44 Innervisions Stevie Wonder 1973
45 Homogenic Björk 1997
46 Exodus Bob Marley & The Wailers 1977
47 Take Care Drake 2011
48 Paul's Boutique Beastie Boys 1989
49 The Joshua Tree U2 1987
50 Hounds of Love Kate Bush 1985
51 Sign o' the Times Prince 1987
52 Appetite for Destruction Guns 'N Roses 1987
53 Exile on Main Street The Rolling Stones 1972
54 A Love Supreme John Coltrane 1965
55 Anti Rihanna 2016
56 Disintegration The Cure 1989
57 Voodoo D'Angelo 2000
58 (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Oasis 1995
59 AM Arctic Monkeys 2013
60 The Velvet Underground and Nico The Velvet Underground & Nico 1967
61 Love Deluxe Sade 1992
62 All Eyez on Me 2Pac 1996
63 Are You Experienced The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1967
64 Baduizm Erykah Badu 1997
65 3 Feet High and Rising De La Soul 1989
66 The Queen Is Dead The Smiths 1986
67 Dummy Portishead 1994
68 Is This It The Strokes 2001
69 Master of Puppets Metallica 1986
70 Straight Outta Compton N.W.A 1988
71 Trans-Europe Express Kraftwerk 1977
72 SOS SZA 2022
73 Aja Steely Dan 1977
74 The Downward Spiral Nine Inch Nails 1994
75 Supa Dupa Fly Missy Eliott 1997
76 Un Verano Sin Ti Bad Bunny 2022
77 Like a Prayer Madonna 1989
78 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John 1973
79 Norman Fucking Rockwell! Lana Del Rey 2019
80 The Marshall Mathers LP Eminem 2000
81 After the Gold Rush Neil Young 1970
82 Get Rich or Die Tryin' 50 Cent 2003
83 Horses Patti Smith 1975
84 Doggystyle Snoop Dogg 1993
85 Golden Hour Kacey Musgraves 2018
86 My Life Mary J. Blige 1994
87 Blue Lines Massive Attack 1991
88 I Put a Spell on You Nina Simone 1965
89 The Fame Monster Lady Gaga 2009
90 Back in Black AC/DC 1980
91 Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 George Michael 1990
92 Flower Boy Tyler, the Creator 2017
93 A Seat at the Table Solange 2016
94 Untrue Burial 2007
95 Confessions Usher 2004
96 Pure Heroine Lorde 2013
97 Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine 1992
98 Astroworld Travis Scott 2018
99 Hotel California Eagles 1976
100 Body Talk Robyn 2010

Statistics

Genres

The following table lists the genres of the albums included on the list, which are based on Apple Music's assigned genre.

Number of albums from each genre

  Hip-Hop/Rap (21%)
  Rock (18%)
  Pop (16%)
  Alternative (14%)
  R&B/Soul (11%)
  Electronic (4%)
  Hard rock (3%)
  Jazz (3%)
  Motown (2%)
  Punk (2%)
  Singer-Songwriter (2%)
  Country (1%)
  Latin (1%)
  Metal (1%)
  Roots Reggae (1%)
Genre Number of
albums
Percentage
Hip-Hop/Rap 21 21%
Rock 18 18%
Pop 16 16%
Alternative 14 14%
R&B/Soul 11 11%
Electronic 4 4%
Hard rock 3 3%
Jazz 3 3%
Motown 2 2%
Punk 2 2%
Singer-Songwriter 2 2%
Country 1 1%
Latin 1 1%
Metal 1 1%
Roots Reggae 1 1%

Number of albums from each decade

Number of albums from each decade

  1950s (1%)
  1960s (10%)
  1970s (18%)
  1980s (17%)
  1990s (23%)
  2000s (11%)
  2010s (17%)
  2020s (3%)
Decade Number of
albums
Percentage
1950s 1 1%
1960s 10 10%
1970s 18 18%
1980s 17 17%
1990s 23 23%
2000s 11 11%
2010s 17 17%
2020s 3 3%

Artists with multiple albums

The following table lists the artists who have two albums included on the list.

Artist Top Low Notes
The Beatles 3 21 One album in the top 10
Prince 4 51 One album in the top 10; includes one album credited to Prince and the Revolution
Stevie Wonder 6 44 One album in the top 10
Beyoncé 10 36 One album in the top 10; only woman with 2 albums on the list
Radiohead 12 33 One album in the top 20
Dr. Dre 19 70 One album in the top 20; count includes one album credited to N.W.A

Record labels with multiple albums

The following table lists the record labels who have multiple albums included on the list. This is based on the labels under which each album was released originally, not the current copyright holders.

Label Parent Number of
albums
Notes
Interscope Records Universal Music Group 10
Capitol Records 6
Polydor Records 4
Aftermath Entertainment 3 Founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre in 1996
Def Jam Recordings 3
Island Records 3
Motown 3
Republic Records 3
Virgin Records 3
A&M Records 2 Founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962.
Priority Records 2
Roc-A-Fella Records 2 Defunct American hip hop label founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994.
Columbia Records Sony Music Entertainment 13
Epic Records 6
Arista Records 4
RCA Records 4
Reprise Records Warner Music Group 4 Founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra.
Warner Records 4

Also known as Warner Bros. Records.

Atlantic Records 3
Elektra Records 3
Parlophone 2 Label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon.
Sire Records 2
Death Row Records Independent Labels 3 Founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey.
Rough Trade Records 2 Independent label based in London, England. Formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis.
Top Dawg Entertainment 2 Founded in 2004 by record producer Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith.
Parkwood Entertainment Records Parkwood Entertainment 2 American label founded by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé in 2010.

Albums by artist's country of origin

Number of albums from each country

  USA (63%)
  UK (22%)
  Canada (4%)
  Australia (1%)
  Barbados (1%)
  France (1%)
  Germany (1%)
  Iceland (1%)
  Ireland (1%)
  Jamaica (1%)
  New Zealand (1%)
  Puerto Rico (1%)
  Sweden (1%)
Country Number of
albums
 United States 63
 United Kingdom 22
 Canada 4
 Australia 1
 Barbados 1
 France 1
 Germany 1
 Iceland 1
 Ireland 1
 Jamaica 1
 New Zealand 1
 Puerto Rico 1
 Sweden 1

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ This album is a re-recording of Taylor Swift's 2014 album 1989, including five previously unreleased "From the Vault" tracks.

References

  1. ^ Irvin, Jack (May 13, 2024). "Maren Morris Names Her 'Perfect Album' as She Works with Apple Music to Choose the 100 Best of All Time (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Apple Music celebrates the greatest records ever made with the launch of inaugural 100 Best Albums list". Apple Newsroom. May 13, 2024. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "Apple Music 100 Best Albums". Apple. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Powel, James. "Apple Music reveals more albums on its 100 Best Albums of all-time list: See numbers 80-71". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (May 23, 2024). "Apple Music's best albums list puts Lauryn Hill on top, sparking controversy". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Cohen, Ben (May 24, 2024). "Apple Says These Are the 100 Best Albums. Even If You Think Different". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Willman, Chris (May 23, 2024). "Yes, Apple's 100 Best Albums List Is Ridiculous and Exists Almost Expressly to Make You Mad". Variety. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Pahwa, Nitish (May 24, 2024). "How Apple Fell From the Tree". Slate. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Mumford, Gwilym (May 24, 2024). "The Guide #140: Why it doesn't really matter if you disagree with Apple's top 100 album list". The Guardian. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  10. ^ Beckwith, Ryan Teague (May 22, 2024). "Opinion | Apple's 'Best Albums' list was supposed to be a love letter. Instead, it's a eulogy". MSNBC. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Frank, Jason P. (May 22, 2024). "Who's Responsible for Apple's Best-Albums List?". Vulture. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Brasil, Sydney (May 22, 2024). "People Have Feelings About Apple Music's 100 Best Albums List | Exclaim!". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  13. ^ Butt, Maira (May 23, 2024). "Apple Music's top 100 albums of all time sparks fan debate as Michael Jackson misses out on top spot". The Independent. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  14. ^ Raihala, Ross (May 23, 2024). "Raihala: Let's talk about what's wrong with Apple Music's 100 Best Albums list". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved May 26, 2024.