Wikipedia:WikiProject Madonna/Critic lists (albums)

Rankings, overall all-time, best-of lists and year-end critic lists etc.

NOTE: Please see perennial sources and other guidelines, to re-verify verifiability of sources.

Madonna

• All Time Top 1000 Albums: preview (#871)
• 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music: link (#)
• Entertainment Weekly: Top 100 Albums of All Time (#43)
• Entertainment Weekly: The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008 (#5)
• Slant Magazine: The 10 Best Albums of 1983 (#6)
• Slant Magazine: The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s (#33)
• Rolling Stone: 100 best albums of the eighties (#50) +
• Pitchfork: The 200 best albums of the 1980s (#16)
• Cleveland.com: 10 best Rock & Roll Hall of Fame albums of the 1980s year by year (1983 year)
• NPR: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women (#68) - poll
• The Guardian: Writers' 500 Favorite Albums Ever (no rank)
• WFPK: Top 500 80’s Albums (#46)
• Vice: The 99 Greatest Dance Albums of All Time (#26)
• USA Today-24/7 Wall St: 100 best pop albums of all time (#65)
• Out: The 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums (of All Time) (#86)
• Cleveland.com: The 80 greatest albums of the 1980s by Rock Hall Inductees (#14)

Others

• Cash Box: Top 10 Albums by two editors
• Universal Music Group: The Best Album Covers: 100 Pioneering Record Designs (#56)
• Classic Pop: Top 40 80s debut albums (#15)
• Rolling Stone: 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time (#96)
• WXPN: 100 greatest debut albums (#46)
• Yardbarker: The 25 best debut albums (#12)
• Madonna's Debut Album Changed The Face Of Pop by Clash
• 1984 Rediffusion (Singapore): Disco Femme Fatale

Like a Virgin

• Billboard: (Pop) Album of the Decade (#5)
• Folha de S.Paulo (Portuguese): Os discos mais importantes de cada ano nas três últimas décadas (1985)
• Sounds: Best albums of the 1980s (#3)
• Rockdelux: Best albums of the last 30 years (2014)
• Observer-Reporter: Best Album of 1985 #3
• Pitchfork: The 200 best albums of the 1980s (#115)
• NPR: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women (#83) - poll
• NPR: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women (#63)
• All Time Top 1000 Albums: preview (#471)
• List of 200 Definitive Albums in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: (#164)
• VH1: VH1's 100 Greatest Albums of Rock 'N' Roll (#100)
• USA Today-24/7 Wall St: 100 best pop albums of all time (#84)
• Universal Music Group: Best 1984 Albums: 64 Records You Need To Hear (#8)
• BBC Radio 1: 1000 ALBUMS EVERYONE SAYS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO (#946)
• 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music: link (#)
• WFPK: Top 500 80’s Albums (#37)
• AARP: 20 Essential Albums From the Golden Age of MTV (unranked list)
• Music & Media: THE EDITOR'S 1985 FAVOURITE ALBUMS (unranked list)
• Cash Box: Top 10 Albums by Rusty Cutchin (#9)
• Les 1000 CD des disquaires de la fnac: #292

Others

• Yardbarker.com: The best sophomore albums of all time
• Flavorwire: 25 of the Best Sophomore Albums Ever Made (unranked list)
• Consequense of Sound: The 10 Greatest Sophomore Albums of All Time (#2)
• NME: 29 Of The Greatest Ever Second Albums (#29)
• WEA: WEA's Greatest Hits: 1971-1996 (#15)
• Today.com: (one) of the most significant pop albums ever made

By year

• Record Mirror: Favorite Albums in Readers poll (#3)
• Record Mirror: MOST TASTEFUL ALBUM SLEEVE in Readers poll (#2)
• Record Mirror: SLEEVE in Readers poll (#7)

True Blue

• Slant Magazine: The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s (#60)
• Slant Magazine: The 10 Best Albums of 1986 (#7)
• BBC Radio 2: Radio 2's Top 100 Favourite Albums (#14 +)
• BBC Radio 1: 1000 ALBUMS EVERYONE SAYS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO (#821)
• UDiscover: The Best Albums Of 1986 (#19)
• Melody Maker: 100 Greatest Music Albums Ever Made (#70)
• WFPK: Top 500 80’s Albums (#149)
• Cash Box: Top 10 Albums by Cynthia Banta (#7)

Others

• Billboard: The 50 Greatest Album Covers of All Time (#37)
• The Greatest Album Covers of All Time (book 2016) | by Barry Miles, Grant Scott, Johnny Morgan
• Popular Photography: The 100 Best Album Cover Photos Ever (unranked)
• Music & Media: Albums of the week
• Domingo magazine Poll (Jornal do Brasil): Lp Estrangeiro #3 and Revelação Feminina Estrangeira #1

You Can Dance

• Pazz & Jop: Pazz & Jop 1987: Dean's List (#22)
• Robert Christgau: The A Lists: 1987 (listed)
• Cash Box: Top Ten Albums Of The Year by Kerry Day (#1)
• Los Angeles Times: Top Albums of 1987 (vote) (#9)
• Music & Media: The Dance Record of the Year (pag 1)

Others

• Robert Christgau: her compilations—the 1987 You Can Dance remixes and, especially, 1990's Immaculate Collection—are "stunning"
• Music & Media: album of the week

Who's That Girl

• Cash Box: Top Ten Albums Of The Year by Kerry Day (#2)

Like a Prayer

• Consequence: The 100 Greatest Albums of All-Time (#66)
• Rolling Stone: 500 albums (#331; #239 in 2003)
• All Time Top 1000 Albums: preview (#237)
• Rolling Stone: Women Who Rock: The 50 Greastes Albums of All-Time (#18)
• 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: listed + 2005 edition, .
• Time: All-Time 100 Albums (+)
• Paste: The best albums of 1989 (#3)
• Slant Magazine: The 10 Best Albums of 1989 (#3)
• Slant Magazine: The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s (#20)
• Slant Magazine: Vital Pop: 50 Essential Pop Albums (ranked)
• USA Today: 25 years of memorable musical moments (#16)
• Pitchfork: The 200 best albums of the 1980s (#78)
• MTV / VH1: Greatest Albums Ever (#16)
• NPR: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women (#76) - poll
• NPR: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women (#13)
• Channel 4: Top 100 Greatest Music Albums (#4)
• Cleveland.com: The 80 greatest albums of the 1980s by Rock Hall Inductees (#53)
• WFPK: Top 500 80’s Albums (#204)
• Q: 40 Best Albums of the '80s (#8)
• SPIN: The 35 Best Albums Of The Last 35 Years (#8)
• SPIN: The 300 Best Albums Of The Past 30 Years (1985-2014) (#89)
• Cleveland.com: 100 greatest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame albums (#64)
• Woroni: The 100 Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Albums of All Time (#77)
• The Independent: The 40 best albums to listen to before you die
• Pazz & Jop: The 1989 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll (#18)
• VH1: 100 Greatest Albums (#100): via Google Books or online source
• BBC Radio 1: 1000 ALBUMS EVERYONE SAYS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO (#395)
• Diario Crítico: Los 100 mejores discos de los años 80 (#40)
• Hadley Freeman: My favorite album (staff The Guardian's)
• Slant Magazine: 50 Essential Pop Albums (unranked)
• The Guardian: My favourite album: Like a Prayer by Madonna (Hadley Freeman rank)
• Gay Times: 10 reasons why Madonna’s Like A Prayer is the greatest pop record of all time

I'm Breathless

• Pazz & Jop: Pazz & Jop 1990: Dean's List (#5)
• Stacker: 100 Best Movie and Tv Soundtracks of All-Time (#99)

The Immaculate Collection

• Rolling Stone: 500 Albums (#138; #184 in 2003)
• Blender: 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time (#1)
• Rockdelux: Best albums of the 20th century
• Planet Radio (UK): The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time (#96)
• NME: The 28 greatest Best Of albums (#2)
• NME: Ten Great Greatest Hits Albums (#1)
• CMJ New Music Report: 1990 Staff Choice: Top Albums by Cathie Moore (#9)
• Out: The 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums (of All Time) (#8)
• People: (The best-named greatest hits compilation ever)... is easily one of the best greatest hits albums ever
• The New York Times (January 3, 2000) claimed that her Immaculate Collection was one of the definitive album releases of the century.
• Music Week: Peak of the Year (#1)

Erotica

• Slant Magazine: 100 Best Albums of the 1990s (#28)
• Slant Magazine: The 10 Best Albums of 1992 (#2)
• All Time Top 1000 Albums: preview (#544)
• Metro Weekly: 50 Best Pop Albums of the '90s (#4)
• Out: The 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums (of All Time) (#36)
• Pazz & Jop 1992: Critics List (#22) + Dean List (#5)
• WFPK: Top 500 90’s Albums (#398)
• AllMusic: Matt Collar, Aneet Nijjar and John Buchanan

Bedtime Stories

• Slant Magazine: 100 Best Albums of the 1990s (#63)
• All Time Top 1000 Albums: preview (#894)
• Pazz & Jop 1994: Critics List (#26)
• Larry Flick from Billboard: Best albums of the Year (#2)
• Havelock Nelson from Billboard: Best albums of the Year (#10)
• Best foreign albums | Jornal do Brasil poll

Something to Remember

• Timothy White from Billboard: Best albums of the Year (#5)
• Hits: Top 50 Albums of the Year (#38)

Ray of Light

• 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: listed + 2005 edition + .
• Rolling Stone: 500 albums (2003; #367, new; #222)
• The New York Observer: 10 Albums That Defined the 1990s (#9)
• Rolling Stone: 100 Best Albums of the 90's (#28)
• Rolling Stone (Argentina): Los mejores discos de los 90 (#35)
• NPR: The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women (#115) - poll
• Slant Magazine: 100 Best Albums of the 1990s (#47)
• NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: [1] (#60 or #241)
• Entertainment Weekly: The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008 (#59)
• Q: 100 Greatest Albums of the 1990s (#34), 27.10.15 list
• BBC Radio 2: Ultimate 90s Albums (listed)
• The New York Observer: 10 Albums That Defined the 1990s (#9)
• WFPK: Top 500 90’s Albums (#125)
• Pitchfork: The 200 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years, According to Pitchfork Readers (#167)
• Pitchfork: The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s (#55)
• Out: The 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums (of All Time) (#46)
• Pazz & Jop 1998: Critics List (#21)
• Rolling Stone: The 30 Greatest EDM Albums of All Time (#21)
• Paste: The 30 best albums of 1998 (#21)
• MTV / VH1: Greatest Albums Ever (#35)
• BBC Radio 1: 1000 ALBUMS EVERYONE SAYS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO (#736)
• Esquire (es): Los 20 mejores discos de los años 90 (#17)
• Les 1000 CD des disquaires de la fnac: #139

Others

• Larry Flick from Billboard: Best albums of the Year (#1)
• Marilyn A Gillen from Billboard: Best albums of the Year (#9)
• Susan Nunziata from Billboard: Best albums of the Year (#1)
• Larry Flick from Billboard: Best albums of the Year (#1)

Music

• 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 2005 edition + .
• Slant Magazine: The 100 best albums of the Noughties (#31)
• NME: 50 best albums of 2000 (#47)
• Pazz & Jop 2000: Critics List (#16) + Dean's list (#18)
• 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 452
• Les 1000 CD des disquaires de la fnac: #368
• WFPK: Top 500 Albums of the 2000's (#223)
• Don Jeffrey from Billboard: Best albums of the Year (#5)
• Gordon Masson from Billboard: Best albums of the Year (#2)
• Michael Paoletta from Billboard: Best albums of the Year (#3)
• The Wire: 2000-rewind
• Good Housekeeping: The 15 Greatest Albums Turning 20 in 2020 (#6)

Others

• Madonna in 2000: Reinventing Pop ‘Music’
• Music Makes The People Come Together: 20 Years Of Madonna's 'Music'
• Music Turns 20

American Life

• Les 1000 CD des disquaires de la fnac: #563

Confessions on a Dance Floor

• The Times: The 100 best pop albums of the Noughties (#29)
• Slant Magazine: The 100 best albums of the Noughties (#38)
• Slant Magazine: The Top 10 Albums (#3)
• Out: The 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums (of All Time) (#87)
• BBC Radio 1: 1000 ALBUMS EVERYONE SAYS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO (#503)
• WFPK: Top 500 Albums of the 2000's (#314)
• Les 1000 CD des disquaires de la fnac: #415
• Indie Hoy: Los 50 mejores discos de los 2000 (#25)
• Jenesaispop: Los mejores discos de la década 2000-2009 (#47)

Biggest albums of the 21st-century + 1

Hard Candy

• EFE / 20 Minutos: Los 10 mejores discos de 2008 (#8)
• Gaffa: Top 10 Foreing albums by Sohail Hassan (#10)
• Jenesaispop: Mejores discos de 2008 (#50)

Billboard: Why ‘Hard Candy’ is Madonna’s Last Great Album (2018)

MDNA

• Pazz & Jop 2012: Dean List (#79)

Madame X

• Pazz & Jop 2019: Dean List (#63)

General & others

Acclaimed Music a guideline

• 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (Archive.org)
• Rolling Stone 100 Best Songs of the Decade
• Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020 updated version at New York Magazine via ProQuest)
• Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
• Madonna at Pazz & Jop: stats
• Spin Alternative Record Guide (Archive.org)
• The Mercury: 10 essential albums you should own
• Rolling Stone India: 500 Greatest Albums
• Rolling Stone India: 100 Best Albums of the Eighties

Madonna's ranks

• Evening Standar: all Madonna’s albums, ranked (2023)
• Gay Times: Madonna albums from worst to best (including Madame X)
• Instinct: Madonna’s 14 Studio Albums ranked (including Madame X)
• Billboard: Madonna’s Albums Ranked From Worst to Best (2015)
• The Advocate: Madonna's 13 Studio Albums Ranked (2015)
• NME Blog: Madonna – Rank The Albums (2011)
• Stereogum: Madonna Albums From Worst To Best (2015)
• The Daily Telegraph: Madonna's 15 albums: ranked from worst to best (2018)
• Attitude: Which Madonna album is the best? (2019)

Album covers

• Billboard 2024: Every Madonna Album Cover, Ranked