Life is too short to spend time listening to bad music. The task of rock critics is to help listeners discover the best of the best. They act as gatekeepers, influencing what plays on radio and streaming services, while simultaneously solidifying a “musician’s place in rock history.” Below are the 10 Classic Rock Albums That You Can’t Skip A Single Track:
Led Zeppelin III – Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin began exploring folk music and a more acoustic sound on their third studio album, which debuted in October 1970. The album was written while the band was taking a break in the Cambrian Mountains, a bucolic setting that influenced the music, after a whirlwind year of touring.
Led Zeppelin IV – Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin’s fourth studio album sold more than 32 million copies and spent more than 15 months topping the charts, with songs like “Stairway to Heaven,” “Black Dog” and “Going to California” going down in history. rock music. The band created a lot of mystique around the album by releasing it without a title or explanation of the symbols that adorn it.
Paranoid – Black Sabbath
.The second album from the fathers of heavy metal as we know it was to be called War Pigs until the last moment and the mythical theme that gave it its name was a filler song recorded in a rush and running, based on a simple guitar riff by Tommy Iommi. And yet the British band still managed to put out a record that was a veritable instruction manual for all subsequent hard rock bands and a punch to the face of the hippy movement and the psychedelic prevailing at that time.
Exile On Main Street – The Rolling Stones
Exploring themes like hedonism and sex, the Rolling Stones’ 10th studio album features many of their staple concerts. While initially receiving mixed reviews, the commercial hit record became a legacy for the band, and Rolling Stone magazine called it “a dirty whirlwind of blues and boogie.”
Machine Head – Deep Purple
After having shown all their talent with the LP “In Rock” in 1970 and its commercial consolidation with the album “Fireball” in 1971, Deep Purple would be ready to release this wonderful album in 1972, which would reach number five on the American charts. , also reflecting a sublime harmony between all the members of the band and containing one of the most recognized songs of the band, the brilliant “Smoke On the water”.
Raw Power – Iggy & the Stooges
“Raw Power” has earned astronomical cult recognition since its release in 1973, according to Jonathan Hatchman of DIY Magazine. Featuring eight songs co-written by Iggy Pop and James Williamson, the album plays on a mix of jazz and proto-punk rock and creates a sound that continues to feel fresh.
Van Halen – Van Halen
CG / Rhino reissues several of the LPs by Van Halen, a Californian rock band with influences hard, blues rock, glam … that began recording at Warner in the late ’70s with production by Ted Templeman and the line-up composed by singer David Lee Roth, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, bassist Michael Anthony, and drummer Alex Van Halen.
London Calling – The Clash
The Clash expanded beyond its punk roots to explore reggae, rockabilly, ska, and even R&B on “London Calling.” The band wrote the double album in a secluded room in a London garage, giving them the privacy they needed to explore various musical influences. Key double album in the history of the British The Clash, components along with other important groups such as Sex Pistols, Damned or Buzzcocks of the English punk explosion of the late 70s that with this work transcends their first punk label to record one of the fundamental records of the period.
Back in Black – AC/DC
How could AC/DC repeat the resounding success of its Highway To Hell? And above all, how could they do it after their charismatic frontman Bon Scott passed away? Well, with the blessing of Scott’s family, they recruited Brian Johnson, and against all odds, they created the best album of their career: a work of pure rock energy in 42 devastating minutes. The unfortunate loss of charismatic vocalist Bon Scott sparked this AC / DC mourning comeback that introduced a new razor-throated singer named Brian Johnson, a former member of the group Geordie who perfectly matched his stringy vocal expressiveness on rooted hard rock.
Moving Pictures – Rush
“Moving Pictures” is a key album by the Canadian trio Rush in their transition between the progressive rock of the 70s and the hard rock of the 80s, the two sounds merging brilliantly in this album co-produced between the group and Terry Brown.