50 best compilation albums of all time

- Best Ever Albums score: 558
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #2,769
- Rank in decade: #69
- Rank in year: #17
- Year: 1958

“Golden Records” brings together Elvis Presley's hit singles released between 1956 and 1957. Each of the 14 songs on the compilation record earned a Gold certification, meaning they produced one million sales each. According to AllMusic, "Golden Records" was the very first greatest hits album for rock 'n' roll.

- Best Ever Albums score: 558
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 75
- Rank all-time: #2,765
- Rank in decade: #515
- Rank in year: #66
- Year: 1994

Smashing Pumpkins got creative with its release of the compilation, “Pisces Iscariot,” which is a collection of B-sides and outtakes. As Rolling Stone described, many of the acoustic ballads were said to show a different side of Billy Corgan's talents. The compilation even features a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” which the outlet praised as being as true to the original as you can get.

- Best Ever Albums score: 579
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 78
- Rank all-time: #2,688
- Rank in decade: #504
- Rank in year: #47
- Year: 1976

“High Voltage” was the first worldwide studio album released by the Australian hard rock band. The compilation includes tracks from their first two albums that were only released in Australia. The album was originally trashed by some critics, with Billy Altman of Rolling Stone calling it an "all-time low" for the entire music genre. Still, upon its release, it sold three million copies in the United States.

- Best Ever Albums score: 587
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 81
- Rank all-time: #2,652
- Rank in decade: #498
- Rank in year: #40
- Year: 1990

Madonna's first collection of her greatest hits is “The Immaculate Collection,” which features a compilation of new remixes of 15 of her biggest singles released between 1983 and 1990. It also included two new songs. Never afraid to stir up controversy, Madonna named the album after the Christian concept of the Immaculate Conception and dedicated the collection to the Pope. Though, according to "100 Entertainers Who Changed America: An Encyclopedia of Pop Culture," "the Pope" is meant to be her brother.

- Best Ever Albums score: 602
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 78
- Rank all-time: #2,597
- Rank in decade: #66
- Rank in year: #3
- Year: 1952

This six-album compilation brings together a collection of 84 American folk, blues, and country music songs issued between 1926 and 1933. According to AllMusic, the anthology was the brainchild of Harry Smith, a musicologist, who brought together 84 of his favorite songs and divided them into the categories Ballads, Social Music, and Songs.

- Best Ever Albums score: 604
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #2,587
- Rank in decade: #435
- Rank in year: #53
- Year: 2013

Australian rock artist Courtney Barnett melded two of her previous EPs into one back in 2013. The songs on the album were from her first two, “I've Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris” and “How to Carve a Carrot into a Rose.” The compilation was well-liked among critics. Pitchfork called her songs "wordy, articulate, and dazzlingly witty."

- Best Ever Albums score: 620
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 78
- Rank all-time: #2,535
- Rank in decade: #63
- Rank in year: #16
- Year: 1958

This greatest hits album by Muddy Waters debuted in 1958 as a compilation of 12 songs that were originally released between 1948 and 1954. It takes listeners on a journey from early Louisiana blues to the more classic sounds of Chicago blues, according to Eugene Chadbourne at AllMusic.

- Best Ever Albums score: 622
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 81
- Rank all-time: #2,524
- Rank in decade: #474
- Rank in year: #39
- Year: 1990

Robert Johnson's “The Complete Recordings” puts together 41 songs that were recorded in two different Texas sessions. The first was recorded in 1936, the second in 1937. The album sold more than one million copies. It also took home the Grammy in 1991 for "Best Historical Album."

- Best Ever Albums score: 636
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 81
- Rank all-time: #2,478
- Rank in decade: #393
- Rank in year: #39
- Year: 1986

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band culled together 40 tracks recorded at various live performances in the decade for the 1975-85 compilation. The live album was highly anticipated, selling out its first shipment of 1.5 million copies in 10 days, according to The Item.

- Best Ever Albums score: 637
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 78
- Rank all-time: #2,473
- Rank in decade: #392
- Rank in year: #38
- Year: 1986

In 1986, funk legend James Brown released his compilation album, "In the Jungle Groove," which included the first album release of his single "Funky Drummer," as well as other unreleased tracks, remixes, and alternate takes. According to AllMusic, the beats laid down by Brown and his band would become fodder for hip-hop DJs for years to come.

- Best Ever Albums score: 642
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 83
- Rank all-time: #2,456
- Rank in decade: #389
- Rank in year: #37
- Year: 1986

This compilation of singles from The Cure came out in 1986 and celebrated a decade of the band's existence. The original compilation on cassette was titled “Standing on a Beach - The Singles.” Subsequent versions were retitled “Staring at the Sea - The Singles.” It collects the biggest U.K. hits from the 1970s and 1980s, including "Boys Don't Cry" and "Close to Me." According to AllMusic, it is considered "one of the finest albums of the '80s."

- Best Ever Albums score: 643
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #2,453
- Rank in decade: #436
- Rank in year: #50
- Year: 2005

Released in 2005, this two-disc collection features 25 non-LP tracks that were previously released on early singles and EPs. Metacritic gave the album a rating of 89, which translates to "Universal acclaim."

- Best Ever Albums score: 650
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 83
- Rank all-time: #2,430
- Rank in decade: #405
- Rank in year: #24
- Year: 2019

This six-album compilation from the Caretaker, released over three years from 2016-2019, is laid out to depict the many stages of Alzheimer's disease through poetic track titles and big band-style music. According to Spectrum Culture, the project starts with the sound of pre-war pop and loops and devolves to chaos and disorder.

- Best Ever Albums score: 660
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #2,405
- Rank in decade: #381
- Rank in year: #41
- Year: 1984

Released in 1985, “VU” is a compilation of Velvet Underground outtakes recorded from 1968 and 1969. The album is a result of the Velvet Underground being cut from MGM Records. Prior to the split, 14 tracks had already been recorded. The compilation includes some of those as well as other unreleased tracks. According to AllMusic, this was one of the first major archival releases of the band since the 1960s.

- Best Ever Albums score: 692
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #2,315
- Rank in decade: #363
- Rank in year: #40
- Year: 1982

Released in 1982, "The Great Twenty-Eight" is a compilation of 28 hit tracks from the 1950s. It has 21 of Chuck Berry's singles as well as six of its B-sides. Rolling Stone placed it on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

- Best Ever Albums score: 696
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 81
- Rank all-time: #2,303
- Rank in decade: #430
- Rank in year: #43
- Year: 1992

In 1992, Swedish sensation ABBA came out with “ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits.” The album was rereleased several other times over the years as well. It has sold more than 30 million copies, according to the BBC, making it the best-selling ABBA record to date.

- Best Ever Albums score: 697
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #2,299
- Rank in decade: #210
- Rank in year: #13
- Year: 1964

Woody Guthrie's “Dust Bowl Ballads” hit the airwaves in 1940 as a compilation of songs that told the story of the American Dust Bowl and its toll on the country. One of the first-ever concept albums, it was the result of Guthrie's work in folk and blues, which earned him the nickname the "Dust Bowl Troubadour," according to Curator Magazine.

- Best Ever Albums score: 705
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #2,280
- Rank in decade: #442
- Rank in year: #41
- Year: 1976

Elvis Presley's “The Sun Sessions” brings together certain songs The King recorded at Sun Studios in 1954 and 1955, though the record was issued in 1976. Sun Records in Memphis was the record label where Presley started. Today, “The Sun Sessions” is ranked No. 11 on Rolling Stone's Greatest Albums of All Time.

- Best Ever Albums score: 718
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 85
- Rank all-time: #2,248
- Rank in decade: #403
- Rank in year: #44
- Year: 2000

In 2000, “1” was compiled by renowned Beatles producer George Martin as well as surviving band members Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The 27 tracks on the album were those that had reached number one on the U.K's Record Retailer Top 50, or in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100. It was an inspiration for other similar compilations. The release of “1” went on to inspire the release of “Elvis: 30 #1 Hits,” according to AllMusic.

- Best Ever Albums score: 723
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 79
- Rank all-time: #2,230
- Rank in decade: #370
- Rank in year: #41
- Year: 2012

Selected remixed and remastered versions of The Weeknd hits found their way onto the 2012 compilation album, "Trilogy." The revamped songs came from originals on his 2011 mixtapes, "House of Balloons," "Thursday," and "Echoes of Silence." It also included three unreleased songs, according to AllMusic.

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- Best Ever Albums score: 724
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 79
- Rank all-time: #2,228
- Rank in decade: #202
- Rank in year: #35
- Year: 1967

“Born Under a Bad Sign” is an Albert King compilation album that was released in 1967. The album showcases 11 electric blues songs recorded between 1966 and 1967. At the time of its release it was met with muted praise, but today it is considered one of the best blues albums ever created, writes OffBeat Magazine.

- Best Ever Albums score: 744
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 79
- Rank all-time: #2,189
- Rank in decade: #406
- Rank in year: #35
- Year: 1990

The compilation album, “Bona Drag,” is a collection of Morrissey's most popular songs from the musician's early years as a solo artist. Only one song was new on the 14-track CD, writes the Chicago Tribune. The original was released in 1990 and was remastered 20 years later to include six bonus tracks.

- Best Ever Albums score: 772
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #2,123
- Rank in decade: #373
- Rank in year: #34
- Year: 2001

“Clouddead” is the debut album from the American hip-hop trio Clouddead. It's a compilation of the band's six 10-inch singles that were culled together in 2001 to create the self-titled album. The band didn't survive much longer after the release of their debut. Two more albums shortly followed and after that, the band parted ways, according to Exclaim!

- Best Ever Albums score: 774
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 83
- Rank all-time: #2,118
- Rank in decade: #350
- Rank in year: #36
- Year: 2012

“The Disintegration Loops” is made up of four albums by composer William Basinski, which were released in 2002 and 2003. The tracks on the albums are tape loops that, as the name suggests, deteriorated as a result of Basinski trying to transfer his earlier work to digital. This project later became a dedication for the victims of the 9/11 attacks. It was named the third best ambient album of all time by Pitchfork.

- Best Ever Albums score: 837
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 83
- Rank all-time: #2,001
- Rank in decade: #402
- Rank in year: #48
- Year: 1971

London Records released the Rolling Stones compilation album, "Hot Rocks 1964-1971," in 1971, which included some of the band's biggest hits from their first years together. Today, it continues to be the best-selling release of the band's entire six-decade career. As of April 2022, the album has spent 377 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart.

- Best Ever Albums score: 838
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 81
- Rank all-time: #1,996
- Rank in decade: #320
- Rank in year: #27
- Year: 1989

As the name suggests, “Complete Discography,” from punk band Minor Threat, contains the group's entire discography up until its release in 1989. It includes their three EPs, their “Out of Step” album, and other compilation tracks. LA Weekly named it the second-best hardcore album in history.

- Best Ever Albums score: 844
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #1,986
- Rank in decade: #184
- Rank in year: #33
- Year: 1968

The first Otis Redding album to be released after his death, “The Dock of the Bay – The Definitive Collection” is the blues icon's seventh studio album that contains singles and B-sides dating back to 1965. Recorded just days before the artist's death and later assembled by album guitarist Steve Cropper, it holds a position on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

- Best Ever Albums score: 921
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 81
- Rank all-time: #1,838
- Rank in decade: #293
- Rank in year: #37
- Year: 1987

“Joe's Garage” is a rock opera from Frank Zappa that was originally released as two separate albums in 1979. In 1987, the production was remastered as a three-album box set, titled "Joe's Garage Act I, II & III," which told the story of Joe, a guy from Los Angeles who forms a garage rock band in a time when music is forbidden, according to “Icons of Rock” authors Andy Schwartz and Scott Schinder. The styles on the album run the spectrum and the lyrics discuss themes like government, religion, sexuality, and free will.

- Best Ever Albums score: 923
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 87
- Rank all-time: #1,831
- Rank in decade: #362
- Rank in year: #39
- Year: 1973

The Beatles' “1967-1970,” aka the "Blue Album," was released as a compilation album alongside the "Red Album," which had songs from 1962 through 1966. Both released in 1973, the track list for the former covers the band's later records from “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” to “Let It Be.” According to AllMusic, it includes hits, important album tracks, and orphaned tracks that had never appeared on an LP before.

- Best Ever Albums score: 936
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 83
- Rank all-time: #1,812
- Rank in decade: #289
- Rank in year: #26
- Year: 1981

Queen's internationally released "Greatest Hits" compilation hit shelves in 1981. The album was made up of the band's biggest hits from 1974 through 1980. The "Greatest Hits" album is still the UK's biggest-selling album of the past six decades, topping "ABBA's Gold" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by the Beatles.

- Best Ever Albums score: 963
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 81
- Rank all-time: #1,772
- Rank in decade: #308
- Rank in year: #36
- Year: 2000

Modest Mouse released “Building Nothing Out of Something” in early 2000 as a non-album track compilation that spanned different points in the band's history. All songs were originally released between 1996 and 1998. Many of the tracks are A- and B-sides, though it also includes some others. The Austin Chronicle described it as a "disjointed parade of frayed rock songs," but also called it equally compact, making it yet another strong testament of Modest Mouse's work.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,020
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 78
- Rank all-time: #1,690
- Rank in decade: #266
- Rank in year: #39
- Year: 1980

The very first compilation album for The Cure, “Boys Don't Cry” was released in 1980 and includes tracks from the band's debut album, “Three Imaginary Boys." It also includes songs from 1978 and 1979. The album holds a position on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,096
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 75
- Rank all-time: #1,589
- Rank in decade: #304
- Rank in year: #34
- Year: 1998

English rock band Oasis released “The Masterplan” compilation album in 1998, which ended up being the band's final release through Creation Records. The tracks on the album are B-sides that had never been on other albums up until that point, though critics like Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic described their "throwaway songs" as being just as strong as their A-sides, resulting in an impressive album.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,141
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 76
- Rank all-time: #1,544
- Rank in decade: #295
- Rank in year: #32
- Year: 1998

As the name suggests, The Beta Band's “The Three E.P.'s” compilation album assembles the first three releases from the group. The album came out in 1998 in the U.K. and 1999 in the United States. A lot of the album's success can be attributed to the movie “High Fidelity,” writes MTV, in which John Cusack's record store owner character claims he can sell five copies of the compilation album just by playing the song "Dry the Rain" in the store. The album sales quadrupled that year in the wake of the film's release.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,157
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 84
- Rank all-time: #1,531
- Rank in decade: #316
- Rank in year: #26
- Year: 1976

This collection of 13 A-sides and seven B-sides from Creedence Clearwater Revival was released in 1976 and is the best-selling album in the band's catalog to date, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Originally, the album was on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, but when the list was rereleased in 2020, the album had been bumped.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,203
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 76
- Rank all-time: #1,476
- Rank in decade: #282
- Rank in year: #26
- Year: 1992

Released in 1992, “Incesticide” is a compilation album of Nirvana's B-sides, demos, outtakes, covers, and radio broadcasts. According to the book "Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects," the album was released as a response to the commercialized popularity of the band in the wake of the release of "Nevermind." It was intended to be a response to the fans who "simply wanted a piece of [Kurt Cobain]," and who missed the essence of what the band stood for.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,244
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #1,436
- Rank in decade: #147
- Rank in year: #2
- Year: 1962

The "Howlin' Wolf" compilation album is the second studio album from the Chicago blues singer. It includes 12 singles that were previously released from 1960 to 1962, and is considered to be an essential for any blues collection, according to AllMusic.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,257
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #1,425
- Rank in decade: #295
- Rank in year: #30
- Year: 1972

"The Harder They Come" is a compilation soundtrack album for the 1972 film of the same name. It's a series of singles released in Jamaica from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, and is best known for the title track, "The Harder They Come," which was recorded by reggae singer Jimmy Cliff. The soundtrack is reputed to be one of the driving forces behind the popularity of reggae in the United States, according to The 1A.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,257
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 84
- Rank all-time: #1,423
- Rank in decade: #224
- Rank in year: #24
- Year: 1988

“Surfer Rosa” was the Pixies' debut studio album, which was released in March 1988. To commemorate the album's 30th anniversary, the British label 4AD took both "Surfer Rosa" and its predecessor, “Come On Pilgrim,” and compiled them as “Come On Pilgrim… It's Surfer Rosa.” According to AllMusic, there is not much bonus material on the compilation, though it does include a “Live from the Fallout Shelter” 1986 live set.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,281
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 82
- Rank all-time: #1,400
- Rank in decade: #222
- Rank in year: #23
- Year: 1988

A collection of singles from the English group Joy Division, "Substance" was released in 1988 and is the companion record to a singles compilation by New Order, the band that followed Joy Division after their split. The album includes four singles that did not appear on previous albums as well as most of the band's B-sides and tracks that were released on other EPs.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,384
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 75
- Rank all-time: #1,307
- Rank in decade: #198
- Rank in year: #20
- Year: 2010

Swedish singer Robyn released “Body Talk” in 2010 as her seventh studio album. It was originally planned as a series of three mini-albums, but the “Body Talk” compilation ended up being the "best of" the first two, with the addition of five new songs. “Body Talk” was considered Robyn's reboot, which came five years after she founded her own label and was a canvas for her own artistic freedom, according to Pitchfork.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,665
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #1,125
- Rank in decade: #176
- Rank in year: #14
- Year: 1989

"13 Songs" is a compilation album that put together the first two EPs from the band Fugazi. It came out in 1989 and is considered one of the best post-hardcore albums. Andy Kellman of AllMusic described it as "furious, intelligent, artful, and entirely musical."

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,935
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #975
- Rank in decade: #143
- Rank in year: #15
- Year: 2015

"The Powers That B" is the first double album from Death Grips. The first album was released solely as a free digital download, with the music performed on a Roland V-Drum kit infused with vocal slivers from Icelandic singer Björk, according to Spin. The second half was leaked onto the internet in 2015 as 30-second snippets of each song.

- Best Ever Albums score: 1,962
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 81
- Rank all-time: #961
- Rank in decade: #213
- Rank in year: #17
- Year: 1979

English punk rock band Buzzcocks released their "Singles Going Steady" compilation album in 1979. It was the first Buzzcocks album to be released in North America and included eight U.K. single releases from 1977 to 1979 as well as the corresponding B-sides. According to The A.V. Club, "Singles Going Steady" is the band's most important album, especially when it comes to introductions to punk music.

- Best Ever Albums score: 2,219
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 81
- Rank all-time: #845
- Rank in decade: #87
- Rank in year: #2
- Year: 1961

The 1961 box set, "King of the Delta Blues Singers," brings together hits from the original 78s from the now-legendary blues singer. According to AllMusic, the original 1961 box set jump-started the blues revival in the 1960s, and put Robert Johnson on the map for influential musicians during that decade, as up until that point, his sound had mostly been forgotten.

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- Best Ever Albums score: 2,460
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 81
- Rank all-time: #773
- Rank in decade: #18
- Rank in year: #6
- Year: 1957

Released in 1957, "Birth of the Cool" is a compilation of jazz music from Miles Davis. The 11 tracks on the album were recorded over three sessions during 1949 and 1950. AllMusic writes that this album is one of the first examples where we see the marriage of bop with the sounds of big-band music, and is considered today to be the godfather of cool jazz.

- Best Ever Albums score: 2,580
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 80
- Rank all-time: #737
- Rank in decade: #16
- Rank in year: #7
- Year: 1959

"Moanin' in the Moonlight" is the very first album from blues artist Howlin' Wolf, hitting airwaves in 1959. The compilation includes songs that were originally released as singles. Today, it sits on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

- Best Ever Albums score: 3,166
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 83
- Rank all-time: #607
- Rank in decade: #92
- Rank in year: #13
- Year: 1987

New Order was the successor band to the English group Joy Division. Their compilation album, "Substance," features all the band's singles that had been released up until that point in 1987 as well as its respective B-sides. It is considered to be their most popular, best-known, and most influential album, according to Sputnik Music.

- Best Ever Albums score: 3,198
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 83
- Rank all-time: #603
- Rank in decade: #91
- Rank in year: #12
- Year: 1987

"Louder Than Bombs" released in 1987 as a double album and a counterpart to the British compilation, "The World Won't Listen." It includes all of the Smith's singles and B-sides that had not been available in the U.S. at that point. Pitchfork said that the U.S. release is much better arranged than the British version, having been organized into four six-song suites that have a cohesive flow.

- Best Ever Albums score: 4,930
- Best Ever Albums user rating: 84
- Rank all-time: #402
- Rank in decade: #52
- Rank in year: #8
- Year: 1984

Bob Marley and the Wailers' most iconic album is their compilation album, "Legend," which was released in 1984. The album contains the group's hit singles in their original vinyl format and remains the best-selling reggae album of all time, with 25 million copies sold worldwide, according to The New York Times.