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Dec 31, 2023 · The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The classics are still the classics, but the canon keeps getting bigger and better. By Rolling Stone. Illustration by Sean McCabe for Rolling Stone. Dec...
- 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.
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine Rolling Stone. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures.
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- 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.
- Editor's picks. To get you started, I've picked a few classic rock vinyl records that should definitely be in your collection, whether you're just starting out on your vinyl journey or if you're a seasoned rocker looking to update your collection.
- AC/DC: Back In Black. AC/DC looked to be on their way up in 1980. They had released a series of successful records, finally broke the US with their album Highway To Hell, and were set to record the album that would eventually become Back In Black.
- Black Sabbath: Paranoid. As anyone who likes unsociably loud music will tell you, heavy metal is popularly thought to have been born in 1970 when Brummie headbangers Black Sabbath released their self-titled debut album.
- Thin Lizzy: Live And Dangerous. Thin Lizzy, the hard rock titans fronted by the iconic Irish singer Phil Lynott, had already released seven albums in six years by the time they got around to releasing a live collection – but when it came, it was a monster.
Listen to hits from the Top 100 Albums of All Time, based on our all-new definitive ranking of the 500 greatest albums ever made.
May 22, 2024 · These are the best rock albums of all time. We've selected 65 of the greatest rock albums - all you have to do is vote!
