Editorial music curation is one of Apple Music’s strengths, as evidenced by the service’s excellent playlists. Apple takes this to the next level by publishing a list of the 100 best albums of all time . You can find a link to the list in the Apple Music app, but rather annoyingly, the list itself can only be viewed on the web page, just like the Apple Music Replay collection .
If you ask a hundred people to list their favorite albums, you’ll get 100 different lists. The same can be said for Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums list. There are a lot of great albums on this list, but you could spend the rest of your life arguing about the order. For example, I think albums like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue should be in the top 10, but you might think they’re fairly placed in the twenties. Another problem with this list is that it focuses on English-language albums. If you’re a fan of music in other languages or non-English-speaking regions, you won’t find much representation on the Apple Music list. Apple didn’t reveal the exact methodology behind the list, but offered this explanation: “Compiled with the help of artists and experts, this is a modern love letter to the records that shaped the world we live and listen to today.”
What you can’t argue with is that the list includes some top-notch albums. If you like music, you’re sure to find plenty of great albums on Apple Music’s list.
Apple Music (for iPhone)
$10.99 per month on Apple Music
$10.99 per month on Apple Music
The best way to listen to albums on Apple Music
The Apple Music app is good enough for most people, but it’s not suitable for people who don’t like playlists and prefer to listen to albums exclusively. Since Apple’s list only features music albums, you may want to consider using the third-party Apple Music app instead of the official one. Albums (free, $19/year for premium features) is a great app that lets you skip playlists and the release order of songs in albums.
While the free tier should be good enough for most, the premium tier includes Last.fm integration, better stats, and improved customization.
Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums of All Time
So here are the 100 best Apple Music albums of all time, starting with Apple favorites and working down to the bottom. Each album is linked to the Apple Music website, where you can log in and listen if you have an active Apple Music subscription.