The Greatest Rock Albums of All Time
Arguably, rock is one of the best categories in music and there are countless masterpieces in this genre. These are the Greatest Rock Albums of all time. In order to diversify this list, I will only include one album per artist. This list is not ranked in any particular order. I hope that this is a good introduction to the greatest songs of this genre for you if you’re just started getting into rock.
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon
This is my personal favorite album of all time and I doubt that it’ll change anytime soon. In 1973, Pink Floyd released this masterpiece that would essentially change the way the listener looked at life. Even for those who don’t listen to Pink Floyd, the iconic album cover is surely a common sight. There’s a high chance that you will encounter a song that speaks directly to you, and the experience can be different for each listener. Some people do consider that The Dark Side of the Moon is overrated. Whatever the case, this album does not cease to be one of the marvels of music.
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV
More or less a perfect album, Led Zeppelin IV is the band at their best. Many of the most popular songs by them including “Stairway to Heaven” and “Black Dog” are from this best-selling album. Some songs are fast-paced and more akin to metal music; some remind us of popular Blues songs. Jimmy Page’s guitar solos and riffs also deserve a special mention, considering the fact that there are countless rock fans all around the world that declare the solo from “Stairway to Heaven” as the best guitar solo in the world, for example.
The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
This album competes with other great albums by the Stones like Let it Bleed or Exile on Main St. for the award for the best album by The Rolling Stones. Songs like “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” or “Paint it, Black” may be the most popular and well-known songs by this revolutionary band, but I can’t help but feel like Sticky Fingers has songs that are more consistent. This album is most popular for the two songs “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses”.
At the time of its release, this album’s original cover caused many controversies because of its obscene and even somewhat disturbing look of it. But after time passed, people recognised it for the distinctive and unique music the Stones are known for. And let’s not forget the banger of a guitar solo of “Sway”, the second song of the album. Overall, this is an album that defines The Rolling Stones for what they are: one of the greatest rock and roll bands in the world.
David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
Picking a single album by the legendary David Bowie was quite a difficult choice for me, especially considering that my favourite album by him is Blackstar. But I think many of us rock fans can understand how great and important The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust was, and how it still shines as one of the most beautiful works of music in rock history. Listening to David Bowie is an experience of its own, and learning the intriguing story of Ziggy Stardust and his life is an excellent way for a beginner to experience David Bowie’s music. With beautiful guitar solos and instrumentals, this album is a masterclass in terms of lyrics and music.
Queen – A Night at the Opera
Let me first start off by saying that A Night at the Opera is a masterpiece, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. This is arguably the best album by Queen and their best-known and most popular song, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is from this album. Freddy Mercury’s instantly recognizable and alluring vocals combined with the prepossessing guitar solos by Brian May along with the noticeably stellar performances of other instruments played by Roger and John make this an exceedingly delightful treat for your ears.
The Beatles – Revolver
Maybe your pick for the best album by the Beatles is “Abbey Road” or maybe “Let It Be”, but I included Revolver for the list because of a few reasons, two of them being the diversity of the songs in the album and the fact that a remixed version of the entire album with exceptional sound quality was released last year.
Let’s take one song from this album as an example of just how hauntingly beautiful it is: “Eleanor Rigby”. This mysterious song with an atmospheric instrumental track is quite different from your usual rock song. Loneliness is the subject of this song and it’s all the more haunting once you read the lyrics. Take “Love You To” as another example; George Harrison of the Beatles was heavily inspired by Ravi Shankar to learn Sitar, and this is one of the songs that combines classical Indian music with English vocals. Essentially, this album is a must-listen for any rock fan.
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