Search results
- Van Halen: Van Halen. Close to 40 years on, Van Halen’s debut album has lost none of its shine, nor any of its importance. Before it, hard rock was in serious danger of becoming staid and lifeless.
- Nirvana: Nevermind. Nevermind isn’t just a huge-selling record; there have been far bigger. It’s not even just an iconic set of songs. With the 12 songs on the album, Nirvana defined a generation, and in doing so came as close as anyone could possibly expect in the 90s to revolutionising the concept of rock’n’roll.
- The Who: Quadrophenia. Arriving hard-at-heel after Pete Townshend’s aborted Lifehouse project, was supposed to be his defining moment of the 70s, a rock opera to out-Tommy anything that had gone before.
- The Who: Who's Next. Another classic band whose albums never score as highly in polls like this as you might think, The Who are possibly best loved for their extraordinary run of 60s singles than for their long-players.
- Brett Milano
- Little Richard – 17 Grooviest Original Hits. This is it, the essential sound that made most of the greatest rock albums possible. The deeper tracks here, like “Boo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoo” and “Send Me Some Lovin’”, bear out the gospel and blues roots that Little Richard channeled into rock’n’roll.
- Chuck Berry – The Great Twenty-Eight. Chuck Berry was such a master of the rock 45 that his definitive statement has to be this greatest hits album. There’s no filler or deep cuts in sight: Every track is a touchstone, from the debut single “Maybelline” to the Merseybeat nod on “I Wanna Be Your Driver.”
- The Beatles – The Beatles (The White Album) Revolver stands as one of the best rock albums ever. And Sgt. Pepper inspired a million bands to get psychedelic.
- Nirvana – Nevermind. Nevermind wound up having a far greater cultural impact than its creators intended or even wanted. But at the end of the day, songs like lead single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” really were strong enough to make this one of the greatest albums of all time.
- Arcade Fire, ‘Funeral’ Loss, love, forced coming-of-age, and fragile generational hope: Arcade Fire’s debut touched on all these themes as it defined the independent rock of the ‘00s.
- Rufus, Chaka Khan, ‘Ask Rufus’ Fronted by Chaka Khan, one of soul music’s most combustible singers, Rufus built its mid-Seventies sound on heavy-footed, guitar-slathered funk.
- Suicide, ‘Suicide’ These New York synth-punks evoke everything from the Velvet Underground to rockabilly. Martin Rev’s low-budget electronics are violent and hypnotic; Alan Vega screams as a rhythmic device.
- Various Artists, ‘The Indestructible Beat of Soweto’ The greatest album ever to be marketed under the heading “world music,” this 1985 compilation of South African pop was a huge influence on Paul Simon’s Graceland that still sounds jarringly fresh today.
Dec 7, 2022 · From Alvvays’ panoramic anthems to Chat Pile’s scorched-earth sludge, Soul Glo’s bruising hardcore to Wet Leg’s wily indie rock, these are the rock albums that stood out this year.
- Pitchfork
Dec 8, 2021 · The 31 Best Rock Albums of 2021. From Snail Mail’s explosive breakup anthems to the Armed’s conceptual fireworks, Lucy Dacus’ home movies to Mdou Moctar’s virtuosic guitar anthems, these are...
- Pitchfork
50 Rock Albums of All Times. A new music service with official albums, singles, videos, remixes, live performances and more for Android, iOS and desktop. It's all here.
Dec 6, 2023 · Below, find some of the year’s most striking rock releases. Listen to selections from this list on our Spotify playlist and Apple Music playlist. Check out all of Pitchfork’s 2023 wrap-up ...
People also ask
Are Your Favorite Rock Albums missing?
Is back in black a classic rock album?
When did Rolling Stone list the 500 Greatest Albums of all time?
What are 2021's Best Rock Albums?
What makes sweeping promises a rock album?
What is the best Radiohead album?
