In this guide to the top ten classic rock albums, you will find reviews and ranking for the best rock n’ roll albums from the late fifties to the early nineties.
This golden age of rock n roll took us from Chuck Berry all the way to Guns N’ Roses and provided some the genre’s best licks, riffs and screams along the way. Browse rock albums at Catalogs.com, and add these to your collection.
10. The Beatles- White Album
The Beatles White Album was recorded in 1968 and its popularity has only grown since. What makes the album so special is the way that the group takes from so many genres including reggae, blues, jazz and others and fuses them into a cohesive sound that is as timeless as it is beautiful
9. The Rolling Stones- Some Girls
Released in 1978 Some Girls was the album that re-invigorated the Rolling Stones’ career and proved that they would remain a powerful force in rock after the initial “British invasion” mania. It bluesy and often somber tone was considered a return to form for the band which had been experiencing a decline in popularity.
8. Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin IV is the album that really put Led Zeppelin on the map and is perhaps one of the most influential albums of all time. Stairway to Heaven and Black Dog. both came off of this album and it spent a record breaking amount of time on the charts, as of 2018 it has gone platinum over 25 times.
7. Black Sabbath- Paranoid
Black Sabbath’s paranoid paved the way for generations of hard rock bands that came after it. It contains such classics as Fairies Wear Boots and, of course, Iron Man. Interestingly enough the band’s heavy sound was the unintentional consequence of the lead guitarist having to wear prosthetic nubs over his fingers which were partially severed in an industrial accident.
6. Nirvana- Nevermind
Nirvana was the seminal band behind the once popular though short-lived grunge rock movement. Over the years this 1994 magnum opus has attained sort of legendary status and is considered by many to be one of the most thoughtful and brilliantly produced albums in rock history.
5. Guns N’ Roses- Appetite for Destruction
Guns’ N’ Roses was a short lived band that produced a handful of great albums, none of which ever were ever quite as popular as 1987’s Appetite for Destruction. Appetite brought us such hits as Welcome to the Jungle and Mr. Brownstone, some consider this to be the last great classic rock album.
4. AC/DC- Back in Black
Recorded shortly after the death of original singer Bon Scott in 1980, AC/DC’s Back in Black served as both a tribute to the late singer and signaled a new direction for the band away from blues rock and towards a more hard-driving sound.
3. Chuck Berry- After School Session
Chuck Berry’s 1957 album After School Session is considered by many to be the album that put rock and roll on the map.
2. Steely Dan- The Royal Scam
1976’s Royal Scam proved to be one of Steely Dan’s most influential and popular albums. Leaning heavily on jazz and funk influences this project produced such hits as Don’t Take Me Alive and Kid Charlemagne.
1. Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon
Dark Side of the Moon is perhaps one of the most well played albums on classic rock radio stations. Hits like Money and Us and Them can still be heard playing across the country to this day. The album is also great for listening in one sitting as it intertwines themes like greed, mental illness and isolation in a very beautiful and unique way.
In this guide to the top ten classic rock albums we have covered some of the greatest albums from rock’s golden era. Next time you are looking for a good listen take a trip back in time with some of these beautiful and exhilarating pieces of art.
by Catalogs.com Info Guru Lauren DeJesus-Glasgow