Rafi Mercer Listening 100 Album Charts
A slower measure of the albums people keep choosing to listen to properly — observed through organic discovery and deep readership, not streaming velocity.
This is the first edition of Rafi Mercer Album Charts — 100 albums drawn from what readers actively seek out and spend time with. No hype. No velocity. Just the records that keep returning, because people keep choosing them.
1
Modal Soul — Nujabes (2005)
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2
3
Strictly Turntablized — DJ Krush (1994)
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4
Luvsic Hexalogy — Nujabes & Shing02 (2015)
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5
The Blue Notebooks — Max Richter (2004)
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6
Places and Spaces — Donald Byrd (1975)
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7
Chill Out — The KLF (1990)
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8
Wonderful World, Beautiful People — Jimmy Cliff (1969)
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9
Kind of Blue — Miles Davis (1959)
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10
Carboot Soul — Nightmares on Wax (1999)
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11
Sunday at the Village Vanguard — Bill Evans Trio (1961)
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12
Geogaddi — Boards of Canada (2002)
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13
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — Lauryn Hill (1998)
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14
Dub Me Crazy — Mad Professor (1982)
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15
Zombie — Fela Kuti (1977)
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16
Wish You Were Here — Pink Floyd (1975)
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17
Logical Progression — LTJ Bukem (1996)
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18
Songs in the Key of Life — Stevie Wonder (1976)
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19
20
Blue Lines — Massive Attack (1991)
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21
The Plateaux of Mirror — Harold Budd & Brian Eno (1980)
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22
Journey to the Urge Within — Courtney Pine (1986)
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23
Open This Wall — Berlioz (2023)
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24
Strange Cargo III — William Orbit (1993)
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25
Symphony No. 3 — Henryk Górecki (1976)
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26
Song for My Father — Horace Silver (1965)
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27
Poo Sun — Masabumi Kikuchi (1970)
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28
New Forms — Roni Size / Reprazent (1997)
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29
Bright Size Life — Pat Metheny (1976)
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30
Producer 01 — LTJ Bukem (1993)
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31
Voodoo — D’Angelo (2000)
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32
The K&D Sessions — Kruder & Dorfmeister (1998)
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33
34
Midtown 120 Blues — DJ Sprinkles (2009)
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35
Tubular Bells — Mike Oldfield (1973)
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36
Brilliant Corners — Thelonious Monk (1957)
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37
1992–2012: The Anthology — Underworld
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38
Ambient 1: Music for Airports — Brian Eno (1978)
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39
Big Calm — Morcheeba (1999)
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40
In C — Terry Riley (1968)
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41
The Cat Walk — Donald Byrd (1961)
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42
The D’Angelo Trilogy — Brown Sugar / Voodoo / Black Messiah
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43
Droppin’ Science: Greatest Samples from the Blue Note Lab (2008)
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44
Ascenseur pour l’échafaud — Miles Davis (1958)
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45
One Two — Sister Nancy (1982)
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46
47
Beyond Skin — Nitin Sawhney (1999)
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48
Head Hunters — Herbie Hancock (1973)
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49
Everything Changes, Nothing Ends — Mark Barrott (2023)
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50
Pastel Blues — Nina Simone (1965)
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51
Black Unity — Pharoah Sanders (1971)
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52
Karma — Pharoah Sanders (1969)
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53
Thembi — Pharoah Sanders (1971)
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54
The Disintegration Loops — William Basinski (2003)
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55
Air — Air (1971)
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56
Brown Sugar — D’Angelo (1995)
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57
3 Feet High and Rising — De La Soul (1989)
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58
Where the Groove Stays Human — Free Nationals (2019)
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59
Interstellar (OST) — Hans Zimmer (2014)
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60
The Tokyo Blues — Horace Silver Quintet (1962)
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61
Oxygène — Jean-Michel Jarre (1976)
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62
Sleep — Max Richter (2015)
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63
Modus Operandi — Photek (1997)
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64
Ain’t That Good News — Sam Cooke (1964)
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65
Suzuki — Tosca (1999)
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66
What Color Is Love — Terry Callier (1973)
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67
A New Perspective — Donald Byrd (1963)
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68
Circles — Adam F (1995)
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69
Selected Ambient Works Volume II — Aphex Twin (1994)
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70
Sunset Mission — Bohren & der Club of Gore (2000)
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71
Mingus Ah Um — Charles Mingus (1959)
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72
73
Creating Patterns — 4hero (2001)
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74
Brothers in Arms — Dire Straits (1985)
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75
76
Offramp — Pat Metheny Group (1982)
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77
Histoire de Melody Nelson — Serge Gainsbourg (1971)
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78
79
Journey Into My Mind — Terumasa Hino (1974)
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80
Kakashi — Yasuaki Shimizu (1982)
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81
Music Has the Right to Children — Boards of Canada (1998)
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82
Byrd in Flight — Donald Byrd (1960)
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83
Out to Lunch — Eric Dolphy (1964)
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84
Expensive Shit — Fela Kuti (1975)
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85
Secret Life — Fred again.. & Brian Eno (2023)
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86
Halfway Somewhere (Expanded) — Galliano (1997)
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87
Maiden Voyage — Herbie Hancock (1965)
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88
Man-Child — Herbie Hancock (1975)
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89
Cat — Hiroshi Suzuki (1975)
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90
Trans-Europe Express — Kraftwerk (1977)
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91
The Spoils — Massive Attack (feat. Hope Sandoval) (2016)
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92
Through the Looking Glass — Midori Takada (1983)
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93
Rothko Chapel — Morton Feldman (1971)
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94
Spaces — Nils Frahm (2013)
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95
async — Ryuichi Sakamoto (2017)
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96
97
…and Their Refinement of the Decline — Stars of the Lid (2007)
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98
99
The Listening Shelf — How to Begin a Record Collection (Guide)
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100
Virgins — Tim Hecker (2013)
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Rafi Mercer writes about the spaces where music matters.
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