I collected over 40 lists of the “Best Albums of All Time”, “Greatest Albums…”, “Most Important Albums…” from books, magazines and the Internet and combined them into one meta-list.  Here are the results: every album on three or more of the original source lists, organized chronologically. Albums on the same number of lists are arranged chronologically.  To see another version of the same list organized by rank (that is, with the albums on the most lists at the top), go here.

NOTE 1: These are not my personal opinions.

NOTE 2: The “Best Albums” lists I found focus on pop, r&b, hip hop and the many permutations of rock, with occasional nods to other genres (jazz, folk, country). To make up for the many missing genres, I have created other music meta-lists for classical, jazz, blues, hip hop, country, and world music. If you’re looking for Best Songs meta-lists, I’ve created some of those, too: rock/pop, etc., country, and hip hop.

1920s-1930s

Various Artists   Anthology of American Folk Music (Harry Smith, ed.) (rec. 1926-1933, rel. 1952) (on 3 lists)

Robert Johnson  The Complete Recordings (rec. 1936-1937) (on 4 lists)

1940s

Hank Williams  40 Greatest Hits (rec. 1947-1952, rel. 1978) (on 3 lists)

Muddy Waters  The Anthology: 1947-1972 (rec. 1947-1972, rel. 2001) (on 3 lists)

1950s

Howlin’ Wolf  Moanin’ in the Moonlight (rec. 1951-1959, rel. 1959) (on 3 lists)

Sam Cooke  Portrait of a Legend (rec. 1951-1964, rel. 2003) (on 3 lists)

Elvis Presley  Sunrise (rec. 1953-1955) (on 3 lists)

  
Elvis Presley  The Sun Sessions (1954-1955) (on 10 lists)

Frank Sinatra  In the Wee Small Hours (1955) (on 4 lists)

Chuck Berry  The Great Twenty-Eight (rec. 1955-1965) (on 6 lists)

Frank Sinatra  Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! (1956) (on 6 lists)

Elvis Presley  Elvis Presley (1956) (on 8 lists)

James Brown  Star Time (rec. 1956-1984) (on 6 lists)

Little Richard  Here’s Little Richard (1957) (on 7 lists)

The Crickets (feat. Buddy Holly)  The ‘Chirping’ Crickets (1957) (on 4 lists)

Various Artists  Phil Spector: Back to Mono (rec. 1958-1969) (on 5 lists)

Miles Davis  Kind of Blue (1959) (on 21 lists)

Ornette Coleman  The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959) (on 3 lists)

Charles Mingus  Mingus Ah Um (1959) (on 5 lists)

The Dave Brubeck Quartet  Time Out (1959) (on 3 lists)

1960-1964

Miles Davis  Sketches of Spain (1960) (on 5 lists)

John Coltrane  Giant Steps (1960) (on 7 lists)

Muddy Waters  At Newport 1960 (1960) (on 3 lists)

Ike & Tina Turner  Proud Mary: The Best of Ike & Tina Turner (rec. 1960-1976, rel. 1991) (on 3 lists)

Ray Charles  Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962) (on 7 lists)

James Brown  ‘Live’ at The Apollo (1963) (on 17 lists)

The Beatles  With The Beatles (1963) (on 4 lists)

Bob Dylan  The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963) (on 5 lists)

Charles Mingus  The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) (on 5 lists)

Sam Cooke  Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 (rec. 1963, rel. 1985) (on 6 lists)

Various Artists  Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era (rec. 1963-1968, rel. 1972-1998) (on 4 lists)

The Beatles  Meet the Beatles (1964) (on 4 lists)

The Beatles  A Hard Day’s Night (1964) (on 11 lists)

Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto (1964) (on 3 lists)

1965-1969

The Beatles  Rubber Soul (1965) (on 33 lists)

Bob Dylan  Bringing It All Back Home (1965) (on 21 lists)

Bob Dylan  Highway 61 Revisited (1965) (on 28 lists)

Otis Redding  Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965) (on 17 lists)

John Coltrane  A Love Supreme (1965) (on 14 lists)

The Byrds  Mr. Tambourine Man (1965) (on 6 lists)

B.B. King  Live at the Regal (1965) (on 4 lists)

The Beatles  Help! (1965) (on 3 lists)

The Beach Boys  Today (1965) (on 4 lists)

The Beach Boys  The Smile Sessions (rec. 1965-1971, rel. 2011) (on 4 lists)

The Beatles  Revolver  (1966) (on 38 lists)

The Beach Boys  Pet Sounds (1966) (on 36 lists)

Bob Dylan  Blonde on Blonde (1966) (on 27 lists)

The Rolling Stones  Aftermath (1966) (on 7 lists)

The Monks  Black Monk Time (1966) (on 4 lists)

The Mothers of the Invention (with Frank Zappa)  Freak Out! (1966) (on 3 lists)

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers   Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966) (on 3 lists)

Bob Dylan  The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966: The “Royal Albert Hall” Concert (rec. 1966, rel. 1998) (on 4 lists)

The Beatles  Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) (on 36 lists)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience  Are You Experienced? (1967) (on 33 lists)

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) (on 32 lists)

The Doors  The Doors (1967) (on 27 lists)

Love  Forever Changes (1967) (on 21 lists)

Aretha Franklin  I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967) (on 12 lists)

Cream  Disraeli Gears (1967) (on 12 lists)

Pink Floyd  The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) (on 9 lists)

The Byrds  Younger Than Yesterday (1967) (on 6 lists)

The Who  The Who Sell Out (1967) (on 6 lists)

The Doors  Strange Days (1967) (on 4 lists)

Moby Grape  Moby Grape (1967) (on 5 lists)

Jefferson Airplane  Surrealistic Pillow (1967) (on 7 lists)

The Moody Blues  Days of Future Passed (1967) (on 3 lists)

Leonard Cohen  Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967) (on 9 lists)

Bob Dylan  John Wesley Harding (1967) (on 4 lists)

Buffalo Springfield  Buffalo Springfield Again (1967) (on 4 lists)

The Kinks  Something Else by The Kinks (1967) (on 3 lists)

The Beatles  Magical Mystery Tour (1967) (on 4 lists)

Otis Redding/Jimi Hendrix  Historic Performances Recorded at the Monterey International Pop Festival (rec. 1967, rel. 1970) (on 4 lists)

The Beatles  The Beatles [White Album] (1968) (on 37 lists)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience  Electric Ladyland (1968) (on 27 lists)

Van Morrison  Astral Weeks (1968) (on 26 lists)

The Rolling Stones  Beggars Banquet (1968) (on 19 lists)

The Band  Music From Big Pink (1968) (on 16 lists)

Aretha Franklin  Lady Soul (1968) (on 11 lists)

Johnny Cash  At Folsom Prison (1968) (on 13 lists)

The Byrds  The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968) (on 9 lists)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience  Axis: Bold as Love (1968) (on 9 lists)

The Zombies  Odessey & Oracle (1968) (on 9 lists)

Simon & Garfunkel  Bookends (1968) (on 5 lists)

  
The Incredible String Band  The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter (1968) (on 4 lists)

Dr. John  Gris-Gris (1968) (on 5 lists)

  
The Mothers of Invention (feat. Frank Zappa)  We’re Only in It for the Money (1968) (on 4 lists)

The Velvet Underground  White Light/White Heat (1968) (on 8 lists)

The Byrds  Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968) (on 6 lists)

Big Brother & the Holding Company (with Janis Joplin)  Cheap Thrills (1968) (on 5 lists)

Laura Nyro  Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968) (on 4 lists)

Creedence Clearwater Revival  Chronicle (rec. 1968-1972, rel. 1976) (on 3 lists)

The Beatles  Abbey Road (1969) (on 32 lists)

The Rolling Stones  Let It Bleed (1969) (on 26 lists)

The Band  The Band (1969) (on 21 lists)

Led Zeppelin  Led Zeppelin (1969) (on 18 lists)

Led Zeppelin  Led Zeppelin II (1969) (on 19 lists)

Captain Beefheart  Trout Mask Replica (1969) (on 16 lists)

Dusty Springfield  Dusty in Memphis (1969) (on 16 lists)

The Who  Tommy (1969) (on 16 lists)

The Velvet Underground  The Velvet Underground (1969) (on 16 lists)

Sly & the Family Stone  Stand! (1969) (on 11 lists)

The Kinks  The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1969) (on 13 lists)

Creedence Clearwater Revival  Green River (1969) (on 7 lists)

Blind Faith  Blind Faith (1969) (on 6 lists)

The Flying Burrito Brothers  The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969) (on 8 lists)

Scott Walker  Scott 4 (1969) (on 5 lists)

Skip Spence  Oar (1969) (on 4 lists)

Nick Drake  Five Leaves Left (1969) (on 9 lists)

King Crimson  In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) (on 8 lists)

Chicago Transit Authority (later known as Chicago)  Chicago Transit Authority (1969) (on 6 lists)

The Stooges  The Stooges (1969) (on 7 lists)

Fairport Convention  Liege and Lief (1969) (on 5 lists)

Crosby, Stills & Nash  Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969) (on 5 lists)

Miles Davis  In a Silent Way (1969) (on 7 lists)

Grateful Dead  Live/Dead (1969) (on 4 lists)

Isaac Hayes  Hot Buttered Soul (1969) (on 4 lists)

The Meters  Look-Ka Py Py (1969) (on 4 lists)

Neil Young  Everybody Knows this is Nowhere (1969) (on 7 lists)

Creedence Clearwater Revival  Willy and the Poor Boys (1969) (on 4 lists)

MC5  Kick out the Jams (1969) (on 5 lists)

Frank Zappa  Hot Rats (1969) (on 4 lists)

Elvis Presley  From Elvis in Memphis (1969) (on 3 lists)

1970-1974

Neil Young  After the Gold Rush (1970) (on 23 lists)

Van Morrison  Moondance (1970) (on 17 lists)

Simon & Garfunkel  Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) (on 20 lists)

John Lennon  John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970) (on 16 lists)

Derek and The Dominos  Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) (on 15 lists)

Miles Davis  Bitches Brew (1970) (on 16 lists)

The Stooges  Fun House (1970) (on 14 lists)

Black Sabbath  Black Sabbath (1970) (on 6 lists)

Black Sabbath  Paranoid (1970) (on 14 lists)

Led Zeppelin  Led Zeppelin III (1970) (on 8 lists)

Grateful Dead  Workingman’s Dead (1970) (on 6 lists)

Grateful Dead  American Beauty (1970) (on 10 lists)

Santana  Abraxas (1970) (on 11 lists)

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young  Déjà vu (1970) (on 8 lists)

George Harrison  All Things Must Pass (1970) (on 11 lists)

James Taylor  Sweet Baby James (1970) (on 8 lists)

The Beatles  Let It Be (rec. 1968-1970, rel. 1970) (on 4 lists)

The Velvet Underground  Loaded (1970) (on 4 lists)

Nick Drake  Bryter Layter (1970) (on 4 lists)

Tim Buckley  Starsailor (1970) (on 3 lists)

The Beach Boys  Sunflower (1970) (on 3 lists)

Cat Stevens  Tea for the Tillerman (1970) (on 6 lists)

The Rolling Stones  ‘Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!’: The Rolling Stones in Concert (1970) (on 3 lists)

The Who  Live at Leeds (1970) (on 5 lists)

Randy Newman  12 Songs (1970) (on 3 lists)

The Doors  Morrison Hotel (1970) (on 3 lists)

Jimi Hendrix  Band of Gypsys (1970) (on 3 lists)

James Brown  Sex Machine (1970) (on 3 lists)

Led Zeppelin  [Led Zeppelin IV] (1971) (on 35 lists)

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Marvin Gaye  What’s Going On (1971) (on 32 lists)

The Who  Who’s Next (1971) (on 27 lists)

The Rolling Stones  Sticky Fingers (1971) (on 26 lists)

David Bowie  Hunky Dory (1971) (on 24 lists)

Joni Mitchell  Blue (1971) (on 22 lists)

Carole King  Tapestry (1971) (on 18 lists)

John Lennon Imagine (1971) (on 14 lists)

Sly & the Family Stone  There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971) (on 12 lists)

The Allman Brothers Band  At Fillmore East (1971) (on 10 lists)

Janis Joplin  Pearl (1971) (on 10 lists)

Rod Stewart  Every Picture Tells a Story (1971) (on 9 lists)

The Doors  L.A. Woman (1971) (on 6 lists)

Jethro Tull  Aqualung (1971) (on 6 lists)

T. Rex  Electric Warrior (1971) (on 9 lists)

Leonard Cohen  Songs of Love and Hate (1971) (on 7 lists)

Funkadelic  Maggot Brain (1971) (on 7 lists)

The Beach Boys  Surf’s Up (1971) (on 4 lists)

Can  Tago Mago (1971) (on 6 lists)

John Prine   John Prine (1971) (on 5 lists)

Serge Gainsbourg  Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971) (on 5 lists)

Yes  Fragile (1971) (on 5 lists)

Dolly Parton  Coat of Many Colors (1971) (on 6 lists)

Isaac Hayes  Shaft (1971) (on 3 lists)

Harry Nilsson  Nilsson Schmilsson (1971) (on 4 lists)

Black Sabbath  Master of Reality (1971) (on 3 lists)

Pink Floyd  Meddle (1971) (on 3 lists)

David Bowie  The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972) (on 36 lists)

The Rolling Stones  Exile on Main St. (1972) (on 32 lists)

Lou Reed  Transformer (1972) (on 17 lists)

Neil Young  Harvest (1972) (on 13 lists)

Stevie Wonder  Talking Book (1972) (on 11 lists)

Nick Drake  Pink Moon (1972) (on 9 lists)

Todd Rundgren  Something/Anything? (1972) (on 7 lists)

Various Artists (incl. Jimmy Cliff)  The Harder They Come (1972) (on 6 lists)

Roxy Music  Roxy Music (1972) (on 4 lists)

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band  Clear Spot (1972) (on 3 lists)

Curtis Mayfield  Super Fly (1972) (on 7 lists)

Randy Newman  Sail Away (1972) (on 4 lists)

Steely Dan  Can’t Buy A Thrill (1972) (on 4 lists)

Black Sabbath  Volume 4 (1972) (on 3 lists)

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band  Will The Circle Be Unbroken (1972) (on 3 lists)

Deep Purple  Machine Head (1972) (on 3 lists)

Big Star  #1 Record (1972) (on 4 lists)

Eagles  Eagles (1972) (on 3 lists)

Aretha Franklin  Young, Gifted & Black (1972) (on 3 lists)

Aretha Franklin  Amazing Grace (1972) (on 3 lists)

Paul Simon  Paul Simon (1972) (on 3 lists)

Stevie Wonder  Music of My Mind (1972) (on 3 lists)

Yes  Close to the Edge (1972) (on 5 lists)

Can  Ege Bamyasi (1972) (on 3 lists)

Bob Marley & the Wailers  Legend (rec. 1972-1983, rel. 1984) (on 11 lists)

Pink Floyd  The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) (on 31 lists)

Stevie Wonder  Innervisions (1973) (on 21 lists)

Elton John  Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) (on 17 lists)

Iggy & The Stooges  Raw Power (1973) (on 15 lists)

Led Zeppelin  Houses of the Holy (1973) (on 12 lists)

The Who  Quadrophenia (1973) (on 7 lists)

Gram Parsons  GP (1973) (on 8 lists)

Al Green  Call Me (1973) (on 8 lists)

New York Dolls  New York Dolls (1973) (on 9 lists)

Paul McCartney & Wings  Band on the Run (1973) (on 6 lists)

  
The Wailers (later Bob Marley & the Wailers)  Catch a Fire (1973) (on 7 lists)

Brian Eno  Here Come the Warm Jets (1973) (on 6 lists)

Steely Dan  Countdown to Ecstasy (1973) (on 5 lists)

John Martyn  Solid Air (1973) (on 4 lists)

Marvin Gaye  Let’s Get It On (1973) (on 7 lists)

Lou Reed  Berlin (1973) (on 3 lists)

The Isley Brothers  3 + 3 (1973) (on 4 lists)

Todd Rundgren  A Wizard, A True Star (1973) (on 3 lists)

Mike Oldfield  Tubular Bells (1973) (on 3 lists)

Herbie Hancock  Head Hunters (1973) (on 3 lists)

Lynryd Skynyrd   (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) (1973) (on 3 lists)

Bruce Springsteen  The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973) (on 3 lists)

Can   Future Days (1973) (on 3 lists)

Joni Mitchell  Court and Spark (1974) (on 12 lists)

Gram Parsons  Grievous Angel (1974) (on 9 lists)

Richard & Linda Thompson  I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974) (on 9 lists)

Big Star  Radio City (1974) (on 7 lists)

Bob Marley & the Wailers  Natty Dread (1974) (on 5 lists)

Steely Dan  Pretzel Logic (1974) (on 3 lists)

Robert Wyatt  Rock Bottom (1974) (on 5 lists)

Neil Young  On the Beach (1974) (on 7 lists)

Randy Newman  Good Old Boys (1974) (on 4 lists)

Van Morrison  It’s Too Late to Stop Now (1974) (on 4 lists)

Bad Company  Bad Company (1974) (on 4 lists)

Gene Clarke  No Other (1974) (on 3 lists)

1975-1979

Bob Dylan and The Band  The Basement Tapes (rec. 1967-1975, rel. 1975) (on 4 lists)

Bruce Springsteen  Born to Run (1975) (on 28 lists)

Bob Dylan  Blood on the Tracks (1975) (on 27 lists)

Patti Smith  Horses (1975) (on 23 lists)

Led Zeppelin  Physical Graffiti (1975) (on 22 lists)

Pink Floyd  Wish You Were Here (1975) (on 21 lists)

Queen  A Night at the Opera (1975) (on 15 lists)

Neil Young  Tonight’s the Night (1975) (on 12 lists)

Aerosmith  Toys in the Attic (1975) (on 9 lists)

Brian Eno  Another Green World (1975) (on 10 lists)

Parliament  Mothership Connection (1975) (on 7 lists)

Willie Nelson  Red Headed Stranger (1975) (on 5 lists)

Joni Mitchell  The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975) (on 5 lists)

David Bowie  Young Americans (1975) (on 3 lists)

Neu!  Neu ’75 (1975) (on 3 lists)

Toots and the Maytals  Funky Kingston (1975) (on 3 lists)

Earth, Wind & Fire  That’s the Way of the World (1975) (on 3 lists)

Kiss  Alive! (1975) (on 3 lists)

The Modern Lovers  The Modern Lovers (rec. 1971-1973, rel. 1976) (on 8 lists)

Ramones  Ramones (1976) (on 27 lists)

Stevie Wonder  Songs in the Key of Life (1976) (on 23 lists)

The Eagles  Hotel California (1976) (on 15 lists)

Roxy Music  For Your Pleasure (1976) (on 13 lists)

Bob Dylan  Desire (1976) (on 4 lists)

David Bowie  Station to Station (1976) (on 9 lists)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle  Kate & Anna McGarrigle (1976) (on 4 lists)

Aerosmith  Rocks (1976) (on 4 lists)

Kiss  Destroyer (1976) (on 3 lists)

Joni Mitchell  Hejira (1976) (on 4 lists)

Boston  Boston (1976) (on 3 lists)

Fleetwood Mac  Rumours (1977) (on 32 lists)

Sex Pistols  Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977) (on 31 lists)

Television  Marquee Moon (1977) (on 22 lists)

Elvis Costello  My Aim Is True (1977) (on 13 lists)

Various Artists (incl. The Bee Gees) Saturday Night Fever (1977) (on 12 lists)

Bob Marley & the Wailers  Exodus (1977) (on 11 lists)

Kraftwerk  Trans-Europe Express (1977) (on 10 lists)

Meat Loaf  Bat Out of Hell (1977) (on 7 lists)

Steely Dan  Aja (1977) (on 8 lists)

Wire  Pink Flag (1977) (on 7 lists)

David Bowie  Low (1977) (on 10 lists)

David Bowie  Heroes (1977) (on 5 lists)

Suicide  Suicide (1977) (on 7 lists)

Ramones  Rocket to Russia (1977) (on 5 lists)

Iggy Pop  Lust for Life (1977) (on 4 lists)

Billy Joel  The Stranger (1977) (on 5 lists)

Eric Clapton  Slowhand (1977) (on 3 lists)

Pink Floyd  Animals (1977) (on 3 lists)

Buzzcocks  Singles Going Steady (rec. 1977-1979) (on 4 lists)

Bruce Springsteen  Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) (on 14 lists)

Elvis Costello  This Year’s Model (1978) (on 11 lists)

The Rolling Stones  Some Girls (1978) (on 9 lists)

Blondie  Parallel Lines (1978) (on 11 lists)

Van Halen  Van Halen (1978) (on 9 lists)

  
Big Star  Third/Sister Lovers (1978) (on 8 lists)

Pere Ubu  The Modern Dance (1978) (on 5 lists)

Talking Heads  More Songs about Buildings and Food (1978) (on 5 lists)

The Jam  All the Mod Cons (1978) (on 4 lists)

Funkadelic  One Nation Under a Groove (1978) (on 5 lists)

Cheap Trick  Cheap Trick at Budokan (1978) (on 4 lists)

Devo  Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978) (on 5 lists)

Marvin Gaye  Here, My Dear (1978) (on 4 lists)

The Cars  The Cars (1978) (on 4 lists)

Willie Nelson  Stardust (1978) (on 3 lists)

Chic  C’est Chic (1978) (on 3 lists)

Thin Lizzy  Live and Dangerous (1978) (on 3 lists)

X-Ray Spex  Germfree Adolescents (1978) (on 3 lists)

Michael Jackson  Off the Wall (1979) (on 18 lists)

The Clash  The Clash (1979) (on 17 lists)

Pink Floyd  The Wall (1979) (on 18 lists)

  
Public Image Ltd.  Metal Box (re-released in 1980 as Second Edition) (1979) (on 11 lists)