Good rock albums have the ability to energize you. They grab listeners’ attention and make them rethink what music can be. Here are just 10 of the top rock albums of all time, which have furthered the genre and subsequent subgenres, and inspired other artists to pick up a guitar and jam.
Number Ten: Fleetwood Mac, ‘Rumors’
Fleetwood Mac’s second major label album, Rumours saw the recently reformed band at their most emotionally raw. Featuring such hits as “Dreams” and “Go Your Own Way,” many of the songs are various takes on love and breaking up. Rumours is the band’s best-selling album to date and one of their most versatile, providing inspiration for artists within several different genres.
Number Nine: Led Zeppelin, ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ …show more content…
With songs about drugs (“Heroin,” “I’m Waiting for the Man”), sadomasochism (“Venus in Furs”) and love (“I’ll Be Your Mirror”), as well as observations about the people that hung around Warhol’s Factory, the band pushed the boundaries with this album. It became a precursor to the 1970s punk scene and set Lou Reed up for a long, successful career.
Number Four: The Clash, ‘London Calling’
London Calling brings together elements of rockabilly and ska to become one of the most revered punk British punk albums of all time. The amount of diversity the band shows on this album between songs like the energized title track, the ska influenced “Rudie Can’t Fail” and the pop-ish “Lost in the Supermarket” without losing the punk sense of immediacy has made it a critical and fan favorite.
Number Three: The Rolling Stones, ‘Exile on Main Street’
The Rolling Stones have put out a number of well-respected albums, but Exile on Main Street has become their most notorious. Critics, though originally panning the album, have called it the “greatest rock ‘n’ roll record ever.” Numerous artists have also paid homage to the album by naming their own albums after
Number Ten: Fleetwood Mac, ‘Rumors’
Fleetwood Mac’s second major label album, Rumours saw the recently reformed band at their most emotionally raw. Featuring such hits as “Dreams” and “Go Your Own Way,” many of the songs are various takes on love and breaking up. Rumours is the band’s best-selling album to date and one of their most versatile, providing inspiration for artists within several different genres.
Number Nine: Led Zeppelin, ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ …show more content…
With songs about drugs (“Heroin,” “I’m Waiting for the Man”), sadomasochism (“Venus in Furs”) and love (“I’ll Be Your Mirror”), as well as observations about the people that hung around Warhol’s Factory, the band pushed the boundaries with this album. It became a precursor to the 1970s punk scene and set Lou Reed up for a long, successful career.
Number Four: The Clash, ‘London Calling’
London Calling brings together elements of rockabilly and ska to become one of the most revered punk British punk albums of all time. The amount of diversity the band shows on this album between songs like the energized title track, the ska influenced “Rudie Can’t Fail” and the pop-ish “Lost in the Supermarket” without losing the punk sense of immediacy has made it a critical and fan favorite.
Number Three: The Rolling Stones, ‘Exile on Main Street’
The Rolling Stones have put out a number of well-respected albums, but Exile on Main Street has become their most notorious. Critics, though originally panning the album, have called it the “greatest rock ‘n’ roll record ever.” Numerous artists have also paid homage to the album by naming their own albums after