Opinion: The Best Rock Albums of All Time

Opinion: The Best Rock Albums of All Time

In light of Rolling Stone’s new ranking of the top 500 albums of all time, I want to share my personal picks the best albums of the rock genre. A great album is not just one with some good songs on it, but one that carries influence to the next generation of music. Take this list with a grain of salt, as I am no more qualified to rank this than anyone else. In no particular order, here are my personal choices for the most influential rock albums of the era.

Dark side of the Moon

Perhaps the most well known album of all time, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon has stood the test of time better than many other albums from their time. Even without ever having listened to the album, most people recognize the light spectrum through the prism. The album explores existentialism through “Time” and “Us and Them.” It also has moody art-rock tracks like “Money” and “Breathe” that have upbeat sounds with deeply introspective lyrics.

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin’s fourth self-titled album paved the way for the rock and roll culture of the 80’s. The genius guitar riffs and solos from Jimmy Page, along with the incredible vocalist Robert Plant are two key elements that bring this album to legendary status. The album is also incredibly diverse, with heavy rock songs like “Black Dog,” to mellow acoustic tunes like “Going to California.” Last but not least, the album contains the greatest rock song of all time: “Stairway to Heaven.” Though arguably overplayed, the iconic riff and heavenly lyrics still make this song one of the greats of all time.

 

Abbey Road 

This is the obligatory Beatles album of the list.  Abbey Road is widely regarded as The Beatles’ best album. Although die hard Beatles fans could argue otherwise, for most of us, Abbey Road is a staple of the Beatles’ music catalog. One of their most famous songs “Here Comes the Sun” is on there, along with “Come Together.” The simple sounds of the album along with Paul McCartney’s voice is the highlight of Abbey Road.

 

American Beauty 

The first of Jimi Hendrix’s albums, the guitar virtuoso set the stage for the psychedelic rock era with Are You Experienced. Hendrix displays his talent both on the guitar and vocally. Notable tracks include psych-blues songs like “Purple Haze” and “Foxey Lady.” Jimi’s vocal talent is displayed throughout the album, but noticeably appears on “May This Be Love” and “51st Anniversary.” The album beautifully fuses together his blues roots with the new age sound of psychedelia.

 

American Beauty 

The most American band of all time, The Grateful Dead. Although the best dead is live dead, this studio album best exemplifies the songwriting talent of Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir. Themes of the American overtake this album. With beautiful acoustic songs like “Friend of the Devil,” the dead takes a step back to their bluegrass roots. The album also debuted one of their most psych-rock jam songs “Sugar Magnolia.” American Beauty also has powerfully electric songs like “Truckin” that coined the famous phrase “what a long strange trip it’s been.” The true writing genius of ghostwriter Robert Hunter is shown through “Ripple” with lyrics that sound like they were taken straight from the Bible.

 

Rumors 

The most culturally influential band of the 90’s- Nirvana. Nevermind showcases Cobain’s alt-rock grunge style with their most famous track “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The reckless guitar style mixed with introspective lyrics bring this album to be one of the greatest of all time. Nirvana’s ability to seamlessly switch between soft sounds and heavily distorted metal sounds are shown throughout the album. Most notably on songs like “Lithium” and “Come As You Are.” The album defined a generation, and is the definition of music your parents hate. Maybe if you’re young enough, the music your parents grew up on.

 

Rumors 

Revered by the Rolling Stone in their latest ranking of the top 500 albums of all time, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors undoubtedly a legendary part of rock history. The album has recently had  a resurgence in pop culture via the viral video with the song “Dreams.” The album is an acoustic masterpiece, shown in songs like “The Chain” and “Never Going Back Again.” Without knowing anything about Fleetwood Mac, it is safe to say that everyone has heard at least one of the iconic songs on this album.

The Wall

Pink Floyd had always had David Gilmour at the forefront of the band. However, bassist Roger Waters’ genius came out in his ambitious album and movie The Wall. The main theme of the album is insanity, and a revolt against the machine. “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt.2” explores themes of breaking free from monotony and “thought control.” Other iconic tracks like “Hey You” shows Waters’ ability to dive deep into the human condition with the very strange and off-putting lyrics. The movie that accompanies the album is just as strange, as the main character goes insane and is a reflection of the experience of both Roger Waters and the terminally psychotic bandmate Syd Barrett.