Apple Music has announced its list of the top 100 albums of all time, selected by its staff, music experts, and prominent artists. The list, unveiled on May 13, 2024, was met with immediate controversy, a reaction Apple anticipated and welcomed.
"Putting this list together was a true labor of love, both in that it was incredibly difficult to do and in that we are all so passionate about it," said Zane Lowe, Apple Music's global creative director and lead anchor for Apple Music 1. "We were tasked with selecting the 100 best — that's practically mission impossible."
The list, released ten albums at a time, includes a wide range of genres and decades, making it both comprehensive and contentious. Here is the complete top 100 list:
"The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" by Lauryn Hill "Thriller" by Michael Jackson "Abbey Road" by The Beatles "Purple Rain" by Prince and The Revolution "Blonde" by Frank Ocean "Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder "good kid, m.A.A.d city (Deluxe Version)" by Kendrick Lamar "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse "Nevermind" by Nirvana "Lemonade" by Beyoncé "Rumors" by Fleetwood Mac "OK Computer" by Radiohead "The Blueprint" by JAY-Z "Highway 61 Revisited" by Bob Dylan "21" by Adele "Blue" by Joni Mitchell "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye "1989 (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift "The Chronic" by Dr. Dre "Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys "Revolver" by The Beatles "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen "Discovery" by Daft Punk "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars" by David Bowie "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" by Kanye West "Led Zeppelin II" by Led Zeppelin "The Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd "The Low End Theory" by A Tribe Called Quest "WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?" by Billie Eilish "Jagged Little Pill" by Alanis Morissette "Ready to Die" by The Notorious B.I.G. "Kid A" by Radiohead "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" by Public Enemy "London Calling" by The Clash "BEYONCÉ" by Beyoncé "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" by Wu-Tang Clan "Tapestry" by Carole King "Illmatic" by Nas "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" by Aretha Franklin "Aquemini" by OutKast "Control" by Janet Jackson "Remain in Light" by Talking Heads "Innervisions" by Stevie Wonder "Homogenic" by Björk "Exodus" by Bob Marley & The Wailers "Take Care" by Drake "Paul's Boutique" by Beastie Boys "The Joshua Tree" by U2 "Hounds of Love" by Kate Bush "Sign O' the Times" by Prince "Appetite for Destruction" by Guns N' Roses "Exile on Main St." by The Rolling Stones "A Love Supreme" by John Coltrane "ANTI" by Rihanna "Disintegration (Remastered)" by The Cure "Voodoo" by D'Angelo "(What's the Story) Morning Glory" by Oasis "AM" by Arctic Monkeys "The Velvet Underground & Nico (45th Anniversary Edition)" by The Velvet Underground & Nico "Love Deluxe" by Sade "All Eyez on Me" by 2Pac "Are You Experienced?" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience "Baduizm" by Erykah Badu "3 Feet High and Rising" by De La Soul "The Queen Is Dead" by The Smiths "Dummy" by Portishead "Is This It" by The Strokes "Master of Puppets (Remastered)" by Metallica "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A "Trans-Europe Express" by Kraftwerk "SOS" by SZA "Aja" by Steely Dan "The Downward Spiral" by Nine Inch Nails "Supa Dupa Fly" by Missy Elliott "Un Verano Sin Ti" by Bad Bunny "Like a Prayer" by Madonna "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John "Norman F****** Rockwell!" by Lana Del Rey "The Marshall Mathers LP" by Eminem "After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" by 50 Cent "Horses" by Patti Smith "Doggystyle" by Snoop Dogg "Golden Hour" by Kacey Musgraves "My Life" by Mary J. Blige "Blue Lines" by Massive Attack "I Put a Spell on You" by Nina Simone "The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)" by Lady Gaga "Back in Black" by AC/DC "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1" by George Michael "Flower Boy" by Tyler, The Creator "A Seat at the Table" by Solange "Untrue" by Burial "Confessions" by Usher "Pure Heroine" by Lorde "Rage Against the Machine" by Rage Against the Machine "ASTROWORLD" by Travis Scott "Hotel California" by The Eagles "Body Talk" by RobynThis diverse list spans decades and genres, encouraging listeners to explore and debate these significant albums. Apple Music has also created a mini-site with biographical details about the albums and the artists who created them.