Subscribe to ListverseYour View: What is the Best Rock Album?
- Published February 8, 2008 - 371 Comments
It is Friday again, and I have just posted a cocktails list – so I thought what better way to pass our time whilst drinking our cocktails than discussing music with other listversers! So, here we have our third installment of “Your View”. This time we have a slightly more controversial topic! I am sure that we can all thrash this one out and come up with some great choices!
What is the best Rock Album in History?
I must confess to being much more of a light pop music type of person (second to Classical) so this is a very tough one for me. However, having given it some thought, I give my vote to the Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Remember to give your reasons for your selection – we are looking for the BEST.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Metallica- “Metallica” (The Black Album)
February 8th, 2008 at 9:06 am
depends on your def of rock. i dont call the beatle rock. i would say styx/reo speedwagon “arch allies”.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Pink Floyd, The Wall. without question the all time best. Metallica’s black album would be second. Bat out of Hell would rank up in my top ten as well, along with a couple of the Beatles albums, just can’t think of the names off the top of my head.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Theres waaaaay too many rock albums to choose one single best one. I could list so many.
One I’ve listened to recently that’s amazing (not the best, but it’s one of those ones where every song is a cracker): Bullet For My Valentine’s ‘The Poison’. Amazing riffs, incredible vocal & guitar harmonies, tight as hell, great drumming, plus the intro with Apocalyptica! Last listened to that a few days ago…
Not the best, but the most recent ‘wow’ album I’ve listened to, though I have listened to quite a few of them.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon
February 8th, 2008 at 9:10 am
The most recent? The Blackening by Machine Head. Awesome!!!!!!!!!!
February 8th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Even though I have heard it 50 billion times. It is difficult to say anything other than Dark Side of the Moon. akKris agrees.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Cream “Disreali Gears”
February 8th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Led Zeppelin IV… It contained the sounds of several genres, including heavy metal, folk, and blues, to define the sound of 70’s hard rock.
Opening up with Black Dog, and closing with When the Levee Breaks, this album has more playtime than anything in my entire collection.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Rolling Stones Any of them
February 8th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Mike: That album is absolutely incredible.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Ahem….the best rock album of all time is a toss-up between Led Zeppelin II and Led Zeppelin IV, if you happen to take the songs individually. The best cohesive rock album, IMO, is a toss-up between Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band and the White Album.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Skid Row, by Skid Row…absoultley the best album ever created!
February 8th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Toss up between three:
The Beatles – Sergeant Pepper
Love – Forever Changes
The Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bullocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols
February 8th, 2008 at 9:22 am
I agree with khen913. Metallica (the black album)
February 8th, 2008 at 9:24 am
my vote has to go to bob dylan…blood on the tracks…its seems to always be on any list of top albums . sgt pepper as well is also always there, but if i were to vote for a beatles album it would have to be revolver. just because it has…taxman… on it and it is that time of year.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I will have to put my vote in for Pink Floyd and Dark side of the Moon also.
Sgt. Peppers is a good album to though I have to agree on that!!!
February 8th, 2008 at 9:36 am
dangorironhide: you have impeccable taste!
My top 5(in no particular order)
1 The Blackening – Machine Head
2 Master of Puppets – Metallica
3 Live After Death – Iron Maiden
4 Appetite for Destruction – Guns n Roses
5 Rust in Peace – Megadeth
February 8th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I can’t pick one so here is my top 10:
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely hearts Club Band – The Beatles
Appetite for Destruction – Guns N Roses
The Joshua Tree – U2
London Calling – The Clash
Led Zepplin IV – Led Zepplin
Back in Black – AC/DC
Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys
Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
Nevermind – Nirvana
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
And just because I love him so much (even though it might not qualify) Graceland by Paul Simon.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Tool’s Undertow album is one of my alltime favorites. Other than Tool I mostly just listen to electronica stuff like Daft Punk, but that doesn’t count, so – TOOL.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:40 am
and maybe inhuman rampage by dragonforce.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:44 am
What about RUSH 2112 ?
The defining album for the defining prog rock band!
February 8th, 2008 at 9:45 am
rock probably has more great albums than any other genre. stones, zep, floyd, who, fleetwood, u2, g’n'r, nirvana…
it seems rock holds up better than other music.
my vote: nevermind-nirvana
February 8th, 2008 at 9:46 am
The problem with this is everyone has their own classifications of rock. For me for instance I dont consider Bob Dylan anything close to being rock… hes a folk man, thus not a choice in this competition (THATS MY OPINION). Although for me I would go with either Led Zeppelin III or IV.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
February 8th, 2008 at 9:49 am
metallica – master of puppets by a wide margin for me
gloriously put together in every conceivable way
February 8th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Sgt. Pepper, Achtung Baby, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Rumours.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Woah! Too many definitions of rock here!
For me personally,
Classic rock: Dark Side of the Moon- Pink Floyd
Modern: Permission to Land- The Darkness
Pop rock: Hot Fuss- The Killers
February 8th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Zeppelin IV, Sergeant Pepper’s, Dark Side of the Moon
more recently,
We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Modest Mouse)
February 8th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Any Metallica Album from the Black Album on backwards; Led Zeppelin IV; AC/DC Back in Black; RATM-RATM.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Top 5 (in no particular order) and why:
Sgt. Peppers – The album that redefined the Beatles
The Wall – Great Rock Opera by Pink Floyd (find and read the storyline)
Cheap Thrills – Big Brother & Holding Co. (Janis Joplin’s breakout put Psychedelic music on the national map)
Disraeli Gears – Cream (Where Eric Clapton starts to shine)
Workingman’s Dead – Grateful Dead (their first Platinum, and possibly most influential album)
(it seems that one can guess the age of the writer by the selections)
February 8th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Abbey Road (duh)
February 8th, 2008 at 10:20 am
And speaking of rock operas-Tommy.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Metallica-Black Album, Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightining
Pink Floyd- The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon
Type-O-Negitive- October Rust, The Origin of the Feces
Aerosmith- Get a Grip, Toys in the Attic
February 8th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Ravyn: I completely forgot about Type-O-Negative
February 8th, 2008 at 10:27 am
This is basically impossible, so maybe I’ll set this up by saying these are my favorites; i.e. the ones I can throw in at anytime and love from start to finish.
Stavesacre, “Absolutes”
Project 86, “Songs to Burn Your Bridges By”
Metallica, the black album
The Beatles, “Rubber Soul”
Led Zeppelin, “Houses of the Holy”
I would add a Dylan album, but there’s too many to narrow it down to even 4 or 5.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:27 am
riledupone: I didn’t forget Tommy – It’s the complexity of Pink’s story (the anti-hero of The Wall) that gives this album more depth.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Too many to list, but I really like Aerosmith Rocks.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Mystern- I love Typu-O-Negitive. I made a tough desision one time and passed up going to a Type-O concert (back stage passes) to shovel an elderly neighbors driveway after a blizzard.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Beatles – White Album
February 8th, 2008 at 10:32 am
The Beatles, “Revolver”.
Minor Threat, “Minor Threat”.
Nirvana, “Nevermind”.
In my humble opinion.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Ravyn: Bah! You could’ve shoveled it after the concert.
At least you had a chance to go to a concert. I’ve never been to a single concert, ever. I’m woefully inept, inexperienced and uneducated when it comes to music.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Nevermind – Nirvana
February 8th, 2008 at 10:44 am
“The White Album”
“Led Zeppelin IV”
“Pet Sounds”
February 8th, 2008 at 10:45 am
The Velvet Underground-White Light/White Heat
Slint-Spiderland
Nothing else even comes close.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Judas Priest – Sin after Sin
Megadeth – Peace Sells…who’s buying
Any Metallica stuff before the black album
Aerosmith – Toys in the attic (if you haven’t heard this one…check it out asap)
Nirvana – Nevermind
Def Leppard – Hysteria
Iron Maiden – Quite a few..never remember the album names
Black Sabbath – Early Ozzy years..
Pink Floyd – Live at Pompeii
Beatles – Abbey Road (c’mon people!!)
Blind Faith – Blind Faith
Deep Purple – Machine Head
AC/DC – Highway to Hell
Allman brothers band – At Fillmore East
Neil Young – Harvest
The Doors – Any and all
Thin Lizzy – Live and Dangerous
(Some of the above fall may fall into the metal category but i consider metal as a subset of rock)
and btw #JF: Nice one eh? Light and fire n sit back n watch!!
February 8th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I am pleased to see that U2 has only been mentioned twice out of 45 comments – I despise that band!
February 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am
heavybison: hahaha – isn’t that what the site is all about? It happens on virtually every list – we might as well make it happen on these topics too
Just wait until “What is the best religion” 
February 8th, 2008 at 10:50 am
This is wayyy to difficult for me to answer with a single album. But some of the best of the best include:
Can – Tago Mago
Can were always a step ahead every other rock band in the 70s, their weird kraut rock and yelping vocals and their everending groove are incredibly compelling. When it comes to experimental rock music, Tago Mago is the godfather of them all.
The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour
An often overlooked album in the Beatles catalog. Perhaps because it’s not a real album per se. The first six songs were written for the Beatles’ psychedelic flop film, Magical Mystery Tour and they were released as en EP in the UK. But the A&R’s in the USA knew that an Beatles LP would sell alot better than en EP (plus LP’s cost more) so the put the original EP on the A-side and compiled recent singles and their accompanying b-sides on side B on the LP. But anyway, the fact that one album includes the songs Strawberry Fields Forever AND I Am the Walrus, two of the greatest songs ever written in the world ever, is enough to be considered one of the greatest albums released. But the other nine songs are also fantastic, Hello Goodbye, Penny Lane and All You Need Is Love are songs that every child on earth knows by heart. Than there are other gems like Harrison’s Blue Jay Way, Baby Your a Rich Man and the very awesome title song. I could have easily mention the other three songs (ok, maybe not Flying) but to put it simply. Every song on the album is great. That is something I can’t say about the more praised Sgt. Pepper’s (although it is by no means a bad album, it’s great, but song 2… possibly the worst Beatles song, it’s at least in the bottom 10 for me). So yeah, I’ve really rambled, but this album deserves rambling about.
Slint – Spiderland
A somewhat legendary band. Released only two albums before breaking up, Spiderland being the latter. This album is full of emotion and angst. The reason for the break-up is said to have been that the creation of the album was to emotionally difficult and straining for the band members. The lyrics are delivered with a kind of spoke/singing and can all easily stand on their own as beautiful poetry. I guess you can call this a guitar album. The two guitarist intertwine their melodies and the songs are characterized with a lot of rhythm changes. One really has to listen to know how their sound is, but be sure to get it on vinyl, the cd version has the message “this recording is meant to be listened to on vinyl” printed in its booklet.
Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden
I’m gonna be brief and say this is one of the few albums recorded that truly has it’s own soundscape.
Sigur Rós – Ágætis byrjun
A band from my native Iceland. This album transcends what rock music can be. Incredible vocals, gorgeous melodies and this album made Tommy Lee lie on the floor in the fetal position when he first heard it. I mean, really, is there anything more to say.
The Mountain Goats – Zopilote Machine
I don’t know if this counts as a rock album but since someone mentioned Blood on the Tracks, this singer/songwriter album deserves a spot on my list. John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats is the best lyricist of music today and pretty much anything he releases is of very high quality. All of these songs were recorded on a panasonic boombox so they have a very lo-fi sound which suit the songs very well. Zopilote Machine is not necessarily his best album, but it’s the first I fell for. His newest album is to be released in a few days and you can stream it here!
Ok, I’ve said enough.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:55 am
jfrater- I hate U2 as well, I think they may be the most overrated band in history.
andrew-Marry me? I adore The Mountain Goats. I love “The Sunset Tree” most.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Pink Floyd – The Wall – The most artisticly vibrant and theatrical album of all time. Sooo fooking important. Sgt. Peppers ain’t sh*t
From wikipedia…
The storyline portrays the fictional life of an anti-hero named Pink, who is hammered and beaten down by society from the earliest days of his life: having lost his father (killed in Anzio during World War II, as was Roger Waters’ own), smothered by his over-protective mother, oppressed at school by tyrannical, abusive teachers who tried to mould him and the other pupils into the “right” shape for society (hence the recurring image of the meat grinder) and a cheating wife, Pink withdraws into his own fantasy world, building an imaginary wall, an allegory for being emotionally distant, to protect himself from the rest of the world. Every bad experience in his life is “Another Brick in the Wall”. After heavily contemplating how to fill in the last few empty spaces in the wall, Pink puts off its construction for a while. He becomes a rock star and gets married, only to be cheated on by his wife due to his distance and coldness, as well as the life as a rock star. After this, he resumes and eventually finishes building the wall.
Pink slowly goes insane behind his freshly completed wall. He is lost on the inside, but is forced to surface by his demanding lifestyle, and I.V. drug use distributed by his crew to “keep [him] going through the show”. Hallucinating, Pink believes that he is a fascist dictator, and his concerts are like Neo-Nazi rallies where he sets his men on fans he considers unworthy, only to have his conscience rebel at this and put himself on trial, his inner judge ordering him to tear down his wall in order to open himself to the outside world.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Anything by Good Charlotte.
Just kidding. Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys, Sgt. Pepper – Beatles
February 8th, 2008 at 11:04 am
mandie: I’m with you in your hate of the evil Bono. And about the proposal, I’m just gonna pull a Brady and say “thank you”. Also, I don’t want to move and you probably wouldn’t like Iceland anyway. It’s really cold.
mr. jeffy: c/p-ing a wikipedia article is kind of cheating.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Jfrater: Down with u2, so precocious, so overrated.
Celeste: I agree with Tool, I can listen to every one of their albums front to back without skipping a song, they have touched me on a level that I can’t explain. I’ve seen them twice, and both times I was completely floored. One thing I disagree on is the album.
Its gotta be Aenima, “Learn to swim”
February 8th, 2008 at 11:08 am
One of my favourites that I’m not seeing mentioned is the best selling debut album of all-time:
Boston – Boston
(This may have changed since last I bothered to check the fact, so I apologize if the statement is no longer true)
February 8th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Totally forgot. . . also Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon. If you haven’t listened to this album with a pair of good headphones I would strongly suggest it.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I’d expect people to say albums by like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd etc, and rightfully so. But the single album that I think changed how we look at music was Nevermind by Nirvana. It caused a musical revolution (grunge)..
February 8th, 2008 at 11:14 am
whoa whoa whoa
hating on u2?!?
jamie and others, go back and listen to some early u2 stuff like sunday bloody sunday or new years day trying not to think about bono and his god-wannabe tendencies and his stoopid sunglasses, im sure youll like it
February 8th, 2008 at 11:15 am
#JF: About U2, i beg to differ, just check out any of their albums before Joshua Tree to see how raw and incredible they were. You don’t have a Billy Joel mention them in his song everyday.
You should check out these albums at least:
The unforgettable Fire
Boy
Under a blood red sky
Wide awake in America
War
Here are some youtube links to get you started, if at all you want to break that mental block:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPyhYczii8I
February 8th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Sorry – there is just something about Bono that makes me throw up a little in my mouth!
February 8th, 2008 at 11:27 am
toolnut: Love Learn to Swim. When I saw that one live in 2000, it was an outdoor concert. The clouds opened up and started raining right around the time he said “I’m praying for rain, I’m praying for a tidal wave.” I’m glad to hear that they have touched someone else so deeply, too. No one could ever really understand my fascination with them; their music is just sooo emotional to me (and it ALWAYS has a message). I actually met Danny Cary once and he inspired me to get my Tree of Life tattoo on my back.
MUCH LOVE TO YOU TOOLNUT!
February 8th, 2008 at 11:28 am
#JF: Geez…thats a strong emotion…can’t say much to that..
February 8th, 2008 at 11:30 am
I have been thinking on this for a while now. Singling down just one single album in that genre to be the best is very VERY difficult. Now I am thinking that it is impossible. Plus I listen mostly to heavy metal and all of my “rock” albums are compilations or best of albums. So I really don’t know. And here I was trying to rest my brain from a hard 1/2 day’s work…
February 8th, 2008 at 11:34 am
U2 Sucks by the way. Anytime a bar starts playing them, I leave (and not quietly).
February 8th, 2008 at 11:39 am
HAH I hate U2… too. Have you seen the South Park episode in which Bono and Stan’s dad fight for the title of having the biggest crap in the world? Anyways, turns out Bono IS the biggest crap in the world in disguise. Hilarious.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Hmm, pretty hard to narrow it down to just one album, especially when the criteria are so vague. I’ll take a very wide definition of Rock, most of the albums I’ll list here are actually pop for me.
Lyrics – Blood on the Tracks: Bob Dylan
Been listening to this album a lot over the last six months. Tangled Up in Blue is possibly my favourite song at the moment. Idiot Wind, Shelter from the Storm, If You See Her, Say Hello. There is no weak song on this album, the sheer depth of lyrical beauty on this album will make it eternal for me.
“Beauty walks a razor edge, someday I’ll make it mine’s”
We’ll you certainly did on this piece of work Mr Zimmerman.
Sheer Masculinity – Songs for the Deaf – Queens of the Stone Age
Not many people would have this album high up in a list of great albums but I do. This was my teenage album. The sheer force of the playing combine with the tripped out lyrics, pop hooks an sheer ability to rock make this one of the most visceral albums to listen to.
Lilting Beauty – Rubber Soul – The Beatles
I actually prefer this to any other Beatles album, with the possible exception of Abbey Road. While Sgt Peppers and Revolver are fantastic albums, I just feel they are aging poorly. The less experimental Rubber Soul sounds fresher to my ears. In My Life is one of the most luxiourously beautiful songs I have ever heard and the simplicity of the instrumentation belies the complexity of the songwriting. The songs occasionally lift me away with a mild buzzing at the back of my head.
Honesty and Intensity – Grace – Jeff Buckley
This album is the one guaranteed to move me every time. The emotion that is invested in these songs is incredible. Grace is easily my favourite song and the note that he hits at the end of the title track continues to send shivers up my spine even after hundreds of listens. Last Goodbye, his cover of Hallejullah and pretty much every other song on here are pure brilliance. I will say however that the epic, sweeping live versions of Dream Brother and Eternal Life are better than the ones to be found here. Which is quite an achievement in itself considering the quality of the originals.
Most Consistent and Varied – Led Zeppelin IV
This album is probably the most varied and complete album in all of guitar rock. It has everything, the grand sweeping epic to end them all in Stairway, sheer riffage in Black Dog and Rock and Roll, more gentle acoustic work in Going to California and one of the greatest sweeping cascading waves of noise in any piece of music in When the Levee Breaks. When the Levee Breaks is probably my favourite song to listen to off the album itself but the live versions of Stairway are impossible not to end up shivering over.
Well that is five albums, more will come to me later I am sure, in fact they already are. The Bends, anything by The Doors, London Calling, The Dead Kennedys. Go I love Rock.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Has anybody seen the Southpark episode where Bono and Stan’s dad get into a contest to see who can take the biggest crap? At the end we find out that Bono is actually. . . . a big piece of crap, literally. Ha ha ha funny shit
February 8th, 2008 at 11:42 am
wow! TMo great minds think alike
February 8th, 2008 at 11:43 am
After consideration, the runners up were ‘The White Album’ by The Beatles, ‘Unknown Pleasures’ by Joy Division, ‘Silent Alarm’ by Bloc Party, ‘Meat is Murder’ by The Smiths and ‘Is This It?’ by The Strokes…
AND THE WINNER IS!! (in my humble opinion!)
‘Hunky Dory’ by David Bowie!!!!
It is a nigh perfect meshing of pop, rock and glam in a visionary album full of fantastic, innovative and awesome songs! The lyrics on the track stand out above nearly all other lyrics I can ever think of, with riffs to match and Bowie’s voice lending a credibility with subtle nuance that has yet to be matched (in my opinion lol).
Tracks like ‘Changes’, ‘Oh You Pretty Things’ and ‘Life On Mars’ are classic pop songs that pretty much reach perfection on all areas! ‘Kooks’ and ‘Queen Bitch’ provide some of the most amazing jaunty riffs and lyrics ever put to record and ‘Andy Warhol’, even with the odd chat at the beginning, remains one of my most repeated track of all time, once listening to it around 10 times in a row for some reason lol
Basically its amazing and stands in tough competition from Bowie’s other albums, such as the genius ‘Ziggy Stardust’ and the simmering gem that is ‘Low’…
Bowie is my God!!!!
(Iggy is my Jesus and Lou is my Noah…haha)
February 8th, 2008 at 11:43 am
I got these for my top ten:
1. Hotel California – the Eagles
2. Abbey Road – The Beatles
3. Aja – Steely Dan
4. The Stranger – Billy Joel
5. Rumours- Fleetwood Mac
6. The Innocent Age – Dan Fogelberg
7. Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette
8. Book of Dreams – Steve Miller Band
9. Main Course – The Bee Gees
10. A New World Record – ELO
I could add a few more, but I think these were my favorites.
Of course, you can’t go wrong with “Paradise Theater” by Styx, Billy Joel’s “Nylon Curtain” or Supertramps “Breakfast in America.”
February 8th, 2008 at 11:43 am
jfrater: Oh that made me laugh! He wants to be taken sooooo seriously but he never takes off those god damn glasses!!!!!!
February 8th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Alanis Morisette?
February 8th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Celeste: much love back, just curious how do you feel about A Perfect Circle?
That would be another choice of mine A Perfect Circle – Mer de Noms or 13th Step
also Radiohead – Kid A
sooooo good
February 8th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Deep Purple – Machine Head (by a large margin)
My choice for #2 is Steely Dan – Aja
February 8th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Celeste: I don’t agree with Morisette as the best – but I think she is absolutely amazing! Jagged Little Pill is a brilliant album.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:49 am
toolnut: too true, too true
February 8th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Wow…
No mentions of “Revolver” or “Zeppelin III” or perhaps “Sticky Fingers”.
Now those are the top three…IMHO w/ “Revolver” being #1.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:50 am
kiwiboi: was it deep purple that did Smoke on the Water? I really like that song.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Thin Lizzy – Bad Reputation.. man just when i want to bash someone up real bad..
February 8th, 2008 at 11:51 am
oooooh, completly forgot about Sacrement by Lamb of God! One of the most powerful albums i’ve ever heard!
February 8th, 2008 at 11:51 am
So anyway… who is better? The Beatles or Led Zep? MUAHAHAH!
February 8th, 2008 at 11:52 am
#JF: Thats right and do read up on the funny story behind that song..
February 8th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Oh god, jfrater, i knew it’d come to this. The Beatles are better, but Zeppelin in London was the best day of my life
February 8th, 2008 at 11:54 am
jfrater – yeah, but whilst that is the most famous (notorious?) track…the entire album is pure class!
February 8th, 2008 at 11:54 am
heavybison: thanks – I will go and download it I think – from iTunes of course
TMo: hehe – I was just kidding
Trying to get everyone in to the spirit.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:55 am
zepp suX0r IMHO (almost as much as U2)
February 8th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Ahhh, Hunky Dory, the most melodic album I can think of. How anyone who likes music can islike Bowie is simply beyond me.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Sephiral: I would definitely have QOTSA-Songs for the Deaf in my top 10 or 15 (I’d have to think about it). I looove Millionare, and Dave Grohl brings a whole new sound on that album that they haven’t been able to reproduce since.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:56 am
NO I wasn’t saying I like Alanis MOrisette, I was questioning someone else putting her on this list (I don’t happen to agree).
February 8th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Celeste: hahah okay – sorry
I can see how it might upset a person to be accused of liking her – she is quite controversial 
February 8th, 2008 at 11:58 am
My vote is for Zep. . . but you can’t deny that the Beatles are prolly the most influential band in rock music
February 8th, 2008 at 11:59 am
We really need more Priest and Maiden fans up here…(if only Randall liked them, we would reading his godamm kms long posts here..)
February 8th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Alanis is way cool! But she shouldn’t be on this list.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:59 am
for me it’s a tie between:
Metallica – Master of Puppets
Led Zeppelin IV
February 8th, 2008 at 11:59 am
toolnut: I think it was the fact that they kicked out Nick Oliveri that has robbed them of their edge. They are still a fantastic band and their last album suggests a new direction that almost reminded me of My Bloody Valentine in the way that the guitars were layered but nothing else has touched the sheer power of Songs for the Deaf, the genius in some of the songs like God is in the Radio is fantastic.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
toolnut- Radiohead is AMAZING!! I have recently come to a much greater appreciation for their art in understanding much better their fight with technology as a love/hate type relationship. I feel the same so I relate well. Perfect Circle is great, too. I definately like Mer de Noms bettter than 13th step. I love the messages behind 13th step (the whole battling with various addictions thing) but to me the music was better on the first one.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
im going to ignore the u2 bashing (for now!) to say ive noticed almost no mentions for anything recent. nothing in the last 10 years anyway. where are the next great bands? is it because rap and dance/pop have such a stranglehold in the US, that rock bands arent getting noticed? Any one know a current band that will be influential/revered 10 years from now? I cant think of any.
the best recent band ive heard is The Zutons, agroup from england. their ‘who killed the zutons’ was a dazzling debut with much promise.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Okay glad we cleared that up.. Just so we are clear, everyone gets that CELESTE DOES NOT LIKE ALANIS MORISETTE!! right?
February 8th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Celeste: fair enough, I can understand your reasoning for that, but I am hard core about APC, I have their symbol tattoed on my neck, I would almost say that they were better live than Tool
Sephiral: I remember thinking to myself the first time I heard that album that it was insanely different from a lot of the stuff coming out at the time (and that has come out before or since) Hanging Tree gives me chills
February 8th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
We’re gonna run out of Your View topics pretty soon. Truthfully, I don’t see how it’s that much different from the comments on any other list, only there’s no list. I think it would be cool, if, at the end of the day, there was a list put up that represented “Listverse Members’ Top Five/Ten/Whatever Best Rock Albums” according to votes in the comments. I think that would distinguish these lists from the regular ones, and it would be cool to work collectively to make a list. If that would be too hard, another option would be simply to add a poll once enough comments are made so we could have some idea what the community has decided.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Almost better live than Tool. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE APC, I’m sad they are gone. The two times I saw APC live it was in much smaller, more personal venues, which is probably how I was able to get a much better experience (being that close to Maynard, I must admit, made me hott).
February 8th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
islanderbst: who cares? srsly. influential does not mean good by a long shot. like, uh, THE RAMONES, possibly one of the worst bands in history, but still, very influential. There is so much good music being released today, so i’m just gonna enjoy that and not worry about if history will remember it. although the most of the music played on radio is really bad, i’ll admit.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I second Borg’s idea… maybe choose a few nominations that are constantly repeated, and have a poll to make a user’s list.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Toss-up between Blonde on Blonde or Freewheelin’ by Bob Dylan, but only b.c. i love “girl from the north country.”
so, Blonde on Blonde by Bob Dylan.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
And my vote goes to The Beatles- White Album.
Unless, of course, the question is “What is your favorite album?” In that case, I would probably choose My Morning Jacket- At Dawn. If you haven’t heard MMJ, they are like a mash up of Neil Young and Band of Horses, and they rock the house live.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
OK Computer – Radiohead. Unparalleled.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Did you people forget about Lynyrd Skynyrd? They are the best rock band ever! Free Bird, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, Simple Man, Sweet Home Alabama, Gimmie Three Steps, Gimmie Back My Bullets, Call Me The Breeze, That Smell, Whats Your Name, Swamp Music, and Saturday Night Special are some of the best songs ever.
The Eagles are a good band also. What are you people thinking forgeting about such great bands! Shame on you!
February 8th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Well after reading some of the above comments I was wondering what “rock” is being defined as so far as this post is concerned?
I have read about Zepplin, Sex Pistols, Queens of the Stone Age, The Beatles and a lot of other bands.
If we are using a loose term for “rock” then I will add (in no particular order) :
AC/DC- Who Made Who
Motley Crue- Shout at the Devil
Guns n Roses- Appetite for Destruction
Ramones- End of the Century
Ramones- All the Stuff and More Volumes 1 & 2
The Doors- 2 CD Best of collection
The Best of The Beach Boys
CCR- The Best of Volumes 1 & 2
February 8th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Kristin – “What are you people thinking forgeting about such great bands! Shame on you!”
I agree. So let’s throw Little Feat – Waiting for Columbus into the mix…
February 8th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I don’t like Lynyrd Skynyrd or however you spell it, because I live in an apartment where right down the street is an outdoor concert venue (in the summertime), and when (the new) LS (not gonna try to type that all out anymore) played there, I have never in my life encountered so many drunk rednecks, that definately weren’t showing off their high IQs, in my life. And they all wanted to sing… at the top of their lungs… at 1:00 in the morning.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
some more of my faves. . .
Muse – Absolution
The Mars Volta – De-loused in the Comatorium
Primus – Sailing the Seas of Cheese
Weezer – Blue Album
The Shins – Wincing the Night Away
Death Cab for Cutie – Plans
Nine Inch Nails – Downward Spiral
The White Stripes – Elephant
Arcade Fire – Funeral
Spoon – Gimme Fiction
Rage Against the Machine – Renegades
February 8th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
The White Album is probably the best album ever made. I also think that “Who’s Next” by the who is a fantastic album.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
To vote for the best ever, I’ll take Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
My favorite Beatles album is Rubber Soul though.
My favorite from last year was Spoon’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.
My favorite album period is Jimi Hendrix’s Axis: Bold as Love.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Gotta give it up for Sgt. Pepper. No questions asked, it changed rock forever and all the critics and musicians pretty much are agreed.
I think in terms of history Never Mind the Bollocks by the Sex Pistols, Exile on Main Street by the Stones, Nevermind by Nirvana, Who’s Next by the Who, The White Album and Dark Side of the Moon would have to be considered.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
ok toolnut, this is getting creepy. You just reminded me of how great Muse and NIN is. (Love the new Muse album). Have you heard this great remix/cover of a Muse song done by Paul Oakenfold (it was on the Swordfish soundrack, can’t remember the name of it). I love mixes of british pop/rock and electro.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Celeste: I haven’t heard it (not that I can remember) but I will definitely check it out. So glad I found someone that has my same taste in music.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Here Here!
February 8th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Appetite for Destruction is THE best album of all time!!!
February 8th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
This always astounds me, not to sound knowitally, but how can anyone look at the history and say anything besides dark side of the moon? 14 years on the charts! what’s the next best, 5 or 7 or something, dark side of the moon is without any question THE best rock album EVER!!!
February 8th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
i’d like to put in a vote for “daydream nation” by sonic youth.
maybe not the best rock album of all time, but definitely one of the biggest influences behind modern rock music.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I would like to add that I disagree with the polling thing. Not everybody likes the same thing, and this forum gives an opportunity for people to discuss less common occurrences, and less heard of bands.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I think the world agrees that it’s Sgt. Pepper’s
but in my opinion its gotta be London Calling by The Clash
February 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Yeah, uh I think I used Appetite for Destruction under my car to catch the oil drips. No, wait, I used it to scrape up dog crap in the yard. Oh, I forgot that put it in my bird cage for my parrot to shit on, but he refused until I put some proper shit paper to line the cage. After all, he’s got standards.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
my props to The Blackening by Machinehead – fav. song Halo!!!
City of Evil by Avenged Sevenfold isn’t bad… think about that…
But ‘A fever you cant sweat out’ by P!ATD (Panic! At the Disco) is the overall bestest
February 8th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
marquee – “how can anyone look at the history and say anything besides dark side of the moon? 14 years on the charts!”
If you want statistics to determine the best album, then – according to RIAA figures – here are the top 2 albums based on all-time sales figures :
Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 – Eagles (28m sold)
Thriller – Michael Jackson (23m sold)
Dark Side is 9th equal (15m). However, The Wall is 3rd (22m)
February 8th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Panic! at the Disco! you gotta be shitting me, right? Not even comparable to most the albums on this list
February 8th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I could name so many…from Hard Rock to Heavy Metal to Prog to Alternative. But I go also with
Led Zeppelin – IV
since it is their best album and without Led Zeppelin there would be no Rock Music as we’ve got it today
Runner-ups:
Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast
Metallica – Ride the lightning
Dream Theater – Images and Words
Red Hot Chili Peppers – By the way
Tool – Lateralus
and so on…
February 8th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
it’s a toss up between The Best of Nelson: The Millennium Collection and Forever More: The Greatest Hits of John Tesh.
hmmmm
February 8th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Yay more tool fans!
February 8th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
OK computer by Radiohead!
February 8th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
eric: another Tool fan, right on!!
February 8th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Though I love both Nirvana and Pink Floyd, Nirvana was less impactful for their music than for the time period when their music came out. People were sick of and strung out from all the crappy pop and hair metal that came out of the 80’s, and grunge music was a totally fresh thing. The emergence of this music, or something similiar, was bound to happen anyway, and if not Nirvana, than someone else would have some along. Floyd’s DSotM was a FANTASTIC album, no doubt, but being among the most successful albums of all time doesn’t equate with being the best rock album of all time. If that were the case, Frampton Comes Alive would be high in the running for best rock album of all time, and there is only 1 song on that album that I thought was worth a goddamn. Anyway, thats my take on the situation.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
eric – “without Led Zeppelin there would be no Rock Music as we’ve got it today”
Huh ???
Actually you may be right. Without them music today might even be better than it is
February 8th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
TOP FIVE TODAY:
This Year’s Model- Elvis Costello
Highway 61 Revisited- Bob Dylan
A Hard Day’s Night- The Beatles
Layla- Derek and the Dominoes
Are You Experienced? Jimi Hendrix
February 8th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
kiwiboi:
Whoa…whoa…whoa. Hold everything. Ladies and gentlemen….the ladies and gentlemen in the back, be quiet for a moment please!
How in the blue hell could rock music POSSIBLY be *better* if Led Zeppelin never existed? There were essentially the first proto-heavy metal band….without Led Zeppelin’s influence, so many of the great artists you love might not exist. You may not like the Zep, but most of your favorite artists do, and (like Alice in Chains) Led Zeppelin is one of the most influential and highly imitated rock bands of all time!
February 8th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Metallica’s black album – agree, though I hate that band now because of their position on music sharing.
Tool – any of them rank in my opinion, love that band!
Any classic rock band’s music (except for Rush and U2; GOD! I hate those two bands. Rush is just as pretentious and even more mediocre when compared to U2) is awesome.
My picks though, are a little different, just because I like to rub people raw. What can I say, I’m sadistic…
ICP – “Hell’s Pit”
This album has some great flow to its songs, as they each roll one into the next with a smoothness that most others ought to envy. They attack the religious hypocrisy in the world in this album, sending a positive message of intolerance for hypocrisy and a complete contempt for those who would victimize the innocent.
ICP is a band I definitely support on their principles. In a time when so many others sell out to make it, they not only made it the hard way, they actually stand by their principles on drugs, crime, and other things.
Slipknot – “Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
Where can I begin with this album? In some places it is such a huge departure from their past work that it has surely alienated some of the more ignorant among their fans. Songs such as “Vermillion pt. 2″ are so peaceful that they seem to be a different band entirely. Others, like “Circle” are hypnotic and can also make one physically ill, as I can attest from nearly puking every time I listen to this song. However, I still love it, there’s just something about it. This album came out after a near suicide attempt by the lead singer, in response to his wife’s ultimatum to reign in the extremism in his music and the drug use.
KoRn – “Take a Look in the Mirror”
Another great album, though this one is so depressing that it’s amazing that it hasn’t brought about a huge rash of suicides. One song in particular, hits home especially hard for me; “Counting on Me”, it summed up my feelings at the time and in many ways still does.
I highly recommend any of these bands, as well as many others, to anyone.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Islanderbst: I mentioned Modest Mouse way, waaaay above, but you know, good rock bands don’t get credit these days. They’re not profitable because they usually don’t garner a quick buck. That being said, I love that Zutons cd… conjures images of The Beatles and The Who… Red Hot Chili Peppers are good, they’ll probably still be big in 10 years. Most of the good music these days is “underground” and therefore dies out because of lack of commercial success. So it goes.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I don’t really want to get into an offshoot of the main topic, but I happen to like Rush.
You, Shadow, go on to tell us about Slipknot and Korn in a discussion about the greatest rock album of all time and you piss on Rush and U2?
I didn’t know Jr. High got out this early. Consider myself rubbed raw.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
bucslim: There is no fucking drummer better than Neil Peart! *smashs table, looks at bloody hand* It ain’t easy bein cheesy….
Haha…..seriously though, Rush…friggen spectacular band. Geddy Lee is some sort of demi-god, I’m sure of it. Who else do you know of that can play sick, crazy-ass basslines WHILE singing WHILE playing the synthesizer/sampler with his feet? Not to mention listening to Neil Peart’s skills behind the skins makes my dick stiff.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Slick,
Yeah, I got a rodney for them back in the day. Lately I really haven’t cared much for their stuff. But before Power Windows they pretty much friggen ruled. Seen em 5 times in concert.
Ya forgot for all the shit Geddy does on stage while being the ugliest mofo to ever walk the planet.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Im saying Pink Floyd: The Wall, without a doubt. Metallica’s Black Album is a close second, then AC/DC Back In Black, all of them are all time classics.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
No offence, but Bono has one of the greatest voices ever! Even if you dont like his mucis, you cant egnore all of the amazing humanitarin( spelled wrong) work hes done.
WITH OUT A DOUBT, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN IS THE GREATEST ROCK STAR EVA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 8th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Wait, Spinal Taps Black Album is the best EVER! LOL!
February 8th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
bucslim:
Hahaha….yeah, you’re definately right about that. For Geddy to rock out all that equipment while rocking out that ugly mug just adds to the whole rock-n-rollness of it all. Some of the best musicians of all time might have fallen from the highest branch of the ugly tree.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
TMO- modest mouse=good
and there are some good bands out there now. ive got hope for jet, hothotheat, and the bravery that they can keep it going
itd just be nice to experience some group just come out all groundbreaking and blow up into the stratosphere, like beatles, stones, or zep did before my time
February 8th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Just some of my favs
Pink Floyd- Darkside of the Moon
The Moody Blues- Days of Future Past
Queen- Night at the Opera
Styx- Killroy Was Here
Led Zepplin- Physical Graffiti (mainly for Kashmir)
The Beatles- Abbey Road
February 8th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Between the people advocating some pretty damn shallow bands and those confusing influence for goodness there is not much hope in this list so far…
February 8th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
any specifics, sephiral? or are you gonna keep us guessing.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
1. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
2. Pink Floyd – The Wall
3. Queen – A Night At The Opera
4. Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell
5 Liquid Tension Experiment – Both
February 8th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I think jfrater pretty much ended the discussion with his suggestion, Sephiral. Most of the rest of this is pissin and moaning about peoples faves. Pretty standard around the listuniverse universe.
February 8th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Beatles – Revolver
Led Zep – II
Deep Purple – Machine Head
Black Sabbath – Paranoid
Slayer – Reign in Blood
February 8th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Ok Computer – Radiohead and Automatic For The People – REM.
February 8th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Okay, the ones I’ve seen listed that I agree with are:
Metallica – Black Album
Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
The Eagles – Hotel California
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
Queen – A Night At the Opera
But I’m gonna toss myself to the wolves here, and I’m completely aware of that, but… To me, the best rock album of all time is Aerosmith’s Nine Lives. Aerosmith is my all-time favorite band. Get A Grip was considered their comeback album, but I think they REALLY did it right with Nine Lives, and it was the last good thing they put out. I think Nine Lives combines a little bit of every sound they’ve taken on through the years, and takes it to a new level. I know it’s blasphemy to take a band who’s been around as long as Aerosmith and say their 1997 album is the best damned thing they’ve done, but it’s my honest opinion. Nine Lives is the best rock album of all time.
And if you REALLY wanna stretch the boundaries for rock, Arlo Guthrie’s Outlasting the Blues was an amazing album…
February 8th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I think Uncle Meat by Frank Zappa is the best album I’ve ever heard. My personal favorite is In Utero by Nirvana, but I always go back and forth between that and Are You Experienced by Hendrix. Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix are the only rock musicians I would call genius’.
February 8th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Led Zepplin IV or Metallica Ride the Lightning
but there are some others that deserve to be on the list
February 8th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I would definitely say Pink Floyd’s The Wall. After that, maybe The Who By Numbers.
February 8th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
My favorite rock album is The Eagles Greatest Hits. I may be young, but I enjoy good music…
February 8th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
The Velvet Underground with Nico
February 8th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Can’t say anything about albums I never heard, of course. Of the ones I heard: AC/DC – Back in Black. I liked it when I was young, I still like it.
–
Jeremy
February 8th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Rubber Soul
February 8th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
man, this is very difficult.
IMHO, not in this particularly order:
Pink floyd – Darkside of the moon
Beatles – Sgt’s Peppers lonely hearts club band
beach boys – pet sounds
the doors -the doors
creedence clearwater revival – green river
rolling stones – sticky fingers
the who – who’s next
david bowie -ziggy stardust
queen -a night at the opera
ozzy osbourne – blizzard of ozz
metallica – master of puppets
the cure – disintegration
U2 – joshua three
ac/dc – back in black
led zeppelin -led zeppelin IV
nirvana- nevermind
velvet underground -velvet underground
the stooges -the stooges
the ramones- the ramones
elvis presley- elvis
red hot chili peppers – blood , sugar, sex, magik
jane’s addiction – ritual de lo habitual
guns and roses -apetite for destruction
eagles – hotel california
frank zappa – we’re only it for the money
obviously this list has some notorious omissions
cheers!
February 8th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Led Zep IV and Sgt. Peppers
PERIOD
February 8th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
“Revolver” “Rubber Soul”… I can’t decide.
“Nevermind” was awesome as well
February 8th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
nevermind-nirvana
by the way- rhcp
February 8th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
OK Computer-Radiohead
February 8th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
So many records. So many great albums…
But, after much deliberation, I’m going to have to agree with Kyle and Stan on this one-
Disintegration is the best album ever.
In every conceivable way, from beginning to end, absolutely perfect.
February 8th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I have to say that
A Night At The Opera by Queen
is just absolutely fantastic.
February 8th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Fleetwood Mac-Rumours
Bob Dylan-Blood on the tracks
there are too many to choose from!!
February 8th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
i thought In Utero was better than Nevermind, and i also like the Division Bell better than Dark Side of the Moon.
(not saying that i dislike those albums though!)
it’s pretty much impossible to pick just one. and are we rating on impact on music and people, or just good music? there’s a very big difference.
-odelay- freaking awesome
-Highway 61 revisited- i think we’ve figured out my name, haha
-the fragile- there’s is only one song that sucks on that (double disc) album.
i can’t even listen to The Wall, it irritates me too much. it’s really whiny.
-rid of me- also gets one of my votes
i don’t know… screw this. i can’t choose.
February 8th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Just one listen to this should calm some souls..
February 8th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Dark Side Of The Moon
February 8th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Of all the Beatle’s albums that I could say… I think Sgt. Pepper deserves it the most. I would name check the white album and abbey road though. Clapton’s 24 Nights is an EXCELLENT live album, and probably my personal favorite of all time. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys is also fantastic.
Personally, I can’t stand Pink Floyd OR Led Zeppelin. But that is just me. I like music I can listen to without feeling like I need to be on drugs to enjoy it. Sgt. Pepper’s nicely toes the line.
February 8th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Maybe being from the Detroit area influenced me a bit while growing up, but I would say Bob Seger’s “Nine Tonight” album is his best with “Live Bullet” following close behind it for showing the power that he tackled the songs with in concert.
Grand Funk Railroad would also be in the list with “Closer to Home.”
Non-Detroit related, I would say that either Jimi Hendrix’s “Axis: Bold as Love,” or “Are You Experienced?” would have to be on the list. Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “In Step” would be high on the list.
I can understand Zeppelin or even Floyd on the list, but The Beatles? Sorry, they never did do much for me.
And though his sound isn’t technically purely rock, I would say that if nothing else, an honorable mention should be given to Hank Williams, Jr. for his “Hank Live!” album. If you haven’t heard it, don’t knock it.
February 8th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Clapton’s 24 Nights is indeed great (as is expected). I remember years ago coverting an audio cassette of 24 nights to mp3.
February 8th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
#slipstick: Glad you mentioned Grand Funk Railroad for they have been universally derided for being too simplistic and tame. They were a good tight band..pure classic rock and very much underappreciated..
February 8th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
zoso is probably the greatest rock album of all time as led zeppelin is the greatest rock band of all time. led zeppelin 2 is also an awesome album. heartbreaker rocks
February 8th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Led Zeppelin III
Beatles-White Album
Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon
February 8th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
You don’t need to be on drugs to enjoy Floyd /or/ Zeppelin.
February 8th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
AC/DC-Back in Black
Pink Floyd-The Wall
Those 2 are my faves
February 8th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Also any Classic Rock
February 8th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
It seems it is pretty much divided in half with fans of “The Wall” and “Dark Side of the Moon”
February 8th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Also, apparently if you sync “Dark Side of the Moon” with the Wizard of Oz, the songs almost match the scene themes dead on.
February 8th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
“How in the blue hell could rock music POSSIBLY be *better* if Led Zeppelin never existed? There were essentially the first proto-heavy metal band….without Led Zeppelin’s influence, so many of the great artists you love might not exist.”
And if they didn’t have Led Zep to influence them some other band(s) would have…and life goes on. Their music is, IMHO, over hyped. I admire Jimmy Page as a musician (coincidentally he grew up about 5 minutes from my house) but, on the other hand, I find Robert Plant’s screetching tedious and uninspiring.
February 8th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Basically any album by the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin. Also Who’s Next by The Who.
February 8th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Gang of four …Solid Gold
The Damned …Strawberies
Ultravox …Vienna
OMD …Dazzle Ships
February 8th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
David Bowie – The Man Who Sold the World
Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers (or Exile On Main Street)
Bruce Springsteen – The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle
The Who – Who’s Next
Iggy Pop – Raw Power
Frank Zappa – Hot Rats
Temple of the Dog – Temple of the Dog
Patti Smith – Easter (or Horses)
The Clash – Give ‘Em Enough Rope
Uriah Heep – Demons and Wizards
These are some of my favourites off the top of my head.
February 8th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
I’d have to say that the best would have to be Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, there is a reason it spent 14 years on the billboard charts.
Though my favorite Pink Floyd album would have to be Animals, the lyrics on the album are just plain mind-boggling at times
February 8th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Kiwiboi:
its true that another band may have come along and influenced them anyway but I don’t think rock would be better without Zeppelin. Plus, the screeching of Plant is what makes them.
Honestly Tell me that rock would be better without “Black Dog” “Stairway to Heaven” “Rock and Roll” “Whole Lotta Love” “Immigrant Song” and “Kashmir”
February 8th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
This is kind of like asking yourself “IF you were stranded on a desert island what is the ONE album that you would wish you had, what would it be?” Out of the 2000 or so albums that I own, which is 99.99% rock music of one form or another, my answer is Beethoven’s 9th Symphony be Herbert Von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmonic Orchestra. It just fills me every time.
February 8th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Pixies – Doolittle
The Smiths – Meat is Murder
The Beatles – Abbey Road
My 3 favourite albums ever.
February 8th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Pepper -1
Rubber Soul -2
We’re Only In it for the Money #3 ( Mothers / Zappa )
The White Album ( all of the songs not just the 30 but all 40 songs ) -4
Ladies of the Canyon by Joni Mitchell @5
Village Green By The Kinks @ 6 one of the most underrated albums ever
Love-Forever Changes @7 if Pepper had not comeout in 67 this would have been the Album for the “Summer of Love ” and more buy it , sounds great in DTS AS DOES ALL THE BEATLES ALBUMS .
February 8th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Jocsboss: I have a pretty broad definition of rock myself, but if you consider Beethoven rock music, it’s no wonder that 99.99% of your collection is “rock music.” Just curious, what do you consider NOT rock?
February 8th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
SPINAL TAP: THE BLACK ALBUM
WITHOUT A DOUBT!
LOL!
February 8th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Csimmons: I always preferred “Shark Sandwich.”
February 8th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
ok, earlier i said metallica – master of puppets and led zeppelin IV. but i feel like a tard for forgetting:
AC/DC – BACK IN BLACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 8th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Okay, the Black album by Metallica was the beginning of the end for that band as far as I’m concerned. I’ll always love the albums before that hideous pop-metal LP.
All time fave though is a toss up between Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Blood, sugar, sex, magik” and Janes Addiction, “Ritual de la habitual”
February 8th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
We’re Only In It For The Money by Frank Zappa.
Beats everybody at their own game (plays their music better than they do), laughs hysterically at the illogic and rampant bullshit of it all, and then tops it all off by playing outrageously difficult and unique stuff of his own and steps quietly away leaving you questioning pretty much everything you’ve ever been told.
The record companies and the radio hated him, which should be praise enough for anybody.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
raw power – stooges
doolittle – pixies
DSOM – pink floyd
Zep iv – led zeppelin
dirt – alice in chains
ok computer – radiohead
unknown pleasures – joy divsion
london calling – the clash
paranoid – sabbath
rain in blood – slayer
Blood, sex, sugar, magik – rhcp
superunknown – soundgarden
All of these are contenders, but the greatest album of all time is without question Quadrophenia by the Who. Purchase it immediately while punching yourself for all the wasted years of not listening to it.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Wow, blood sex sugar magik sure sounds great eh? And while speaking of the chilis, anybody else forever fucking hating that shitty band krazytown? You know, the gay bastards who ruined pretty little ditty?
February 8th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
nevermind nirvana
sgt peppers lonely hearts club beatles
can johnny cash be considered rock?
^^ soundgarden is ill
life is peachy korn
led zepplin untitled (fourth one)
the doors waiting for the sun
February 8th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Guns N Roses – Appetite For Destruction. Coming out of nowhere in an era dominated by Glam Rock and Synth Pop, this gritty, raw album was and is the best of all time. No other album is more solid and tight than this one.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I try to think of an album that blew the music world away and didn’t have a bad note from beginning to end. Also one that, at the time, blew everyone else out of the water production-wise…Boston-Boston.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
anything by the beatles should be disregarded of the start
uhm
im going to say the balck album
metallica
February 8th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Hendrix Axis Bold as Love Clean pure original and heartfelt also interesting cover art symbolic of the times.
Close second The Who Quadrophinia IMO the apex of the band’s career. XLNT arrangements, Townsend, Entwistle Daltry and Moon all at peak performance.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Hotel California- The Eagles
I think this album is flawless.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
How about
Jethro Tull Thick as a Brick, Passion Play, Aqualung
Lynyrd Skynyrd, One for the road, Gimmie back my Bullets
Doors L.A. Woman
Cream Disreal Gears
Clapton One in every Crowd
Pink Floyd Wish you were here
Eric Burdon
Zepplin
February 8th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Hands down and without a doubt, I think the best rock album of all time has to be Grace by Jeff Buckley.
Flawless and inspiring. I was brought to tears the first time I heard Jeff play Hallelujah at Bearsville Studios.
It makes me sad that I was only 5 years old when he died, so I never got to see him when he was alive and experience his music then.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Glassjaw – Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence
hands down the greatest album of all time. a life changer for me. it was unlike anything i had ever heard at the time. plus daryl palumbo is one of the most dynamic singers of our time and maybe all time.
66. sephiral – good choice with Jeff Buckley’s Grace. Beautiful album
February 8th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
No Pearl Jam at all yet? Are you people kidding me?
Ten- Pearl Jam.
Soundtrack to my life.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
The Strokes- RoomOnFire
February 9th, 2008 at 12:17 am
I’m not going to argue, I don’t have enough knowledge to back any opinion. Just know what I like. The Beatles, every album, but the White Album is my fave and I think should be number one. I love the innovation; so many different sounds. The Eagles, whom I think are great, are only sorta rock, so I don’t think they should qualify. I was glad to see mention of Rush(I can sing along to all the tracks on 2112)and the Doors. Not a grand Floyd fan, too something. I’m not sure what, just too something. Almost every single album in the comments is a “tune of my youth” and most deserve a mention.
Mystern; have you seen the Killers live?, OMG they were just awful. I hope they were just having a bad day.
February 9th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Appetite For Destruction – Guns N’ Roses
It was their first album. Yet had so much of depth musically. Raw, yet refined. In your face.
February 9th, 2008 at 1:14 am
Eagles – Hotel California
Pink Floyd – Dark Side of The Moon
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
Bob Seger – Greatest Hits Vol 1
U2 – The Joshua Tree
U2 – Achtung Baby
February 9th, 2008 at 1:34 am
Queen. A Night at the Opera
February 9th, 2008 at 2:00 am
I’d have to list a few:
Abbey Road – The Beatles
The Wall – Pink Floyd
“Metallica” (The Black Album) – Metallica
February 9th, 2008 at 2:06 am
WOW I run some errands and go to work so I am gone probably about 12 hours and I come back to pages and pages of emails from here. Ok now to go back and read all of these!! LOL
February 9th, 2008 at 3:09 am
I can’t stand U2 either, and have always wondered what the big deal was about them.
Ok have had some time to think about it and here are two more albums that I would nominate for best.
Hotel California – Eagles
Back in Black – AC/DC
Led Zeppelin IV – Led Zeppelin
Some of my all time favorites though would include:
Paradise Theater – Styx
Breakfast in America – Supertramp
Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple
And I agree that Alanis Morisette is great but does not belong on this list. Jagged little pill is a great album, I like every song on it.
February 9th, 2008 at 3:35 am
Led Zeppelin IV
No other album is more consistently brilliant song by song than Zeppelin’s 1971 opus.
February 9th, 2008 at 3:53 am
Anything by Dire Straits-On Every Street,Brothers in Arms, and Mark Knopfler is still kicking ass with his solo albums, Goldenheart, The Ragpickers Dream, Sailing to Philadelphia. Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks, Bob Seegers Greatest Hits, Joshua Tree, Counting Crow’s Recovering the Satellites, This Desert Life, Hard Candy, anything by John Hiatt, Santana, I could go on and on.
February 9th, 2008 at 3:56 am
bucslim: If you’re going to whine about someone else’s opinion – why bother responding. Also, if you had been paying attention, you’d notice that I can’t possibly be a current enrollee in the American public education system; I can utilize proper English, not to mention all of those “big words” that seem to make the panties on some folks bunch up in knots.
My opinion on U2 AND Rush stands. I can’t stand bands that think they’re so high and mighty, that should never have left the garage. As a bonus jibe at U2; Megalomania is considered a mental illness if I’m not mistaken, and we Americans are having a pretty hard time with one of those types already. We don’t need a bunch of pretentious rock stars who are twenty years past their prime trying to get in on that action too.
In short, if your opinion differs from mine, say so, and explain your reasons for it in a civilized manner, please. Don’t throw around insults; doing that first just shows how weak your mind, opinion, and character are relative to the person you’re insulting.
February 9th, 2008 at 4:11 am
My top 10:
Pink Floyd – The Wall
Radiohead – The Bends
Led Zeppelin IV
Dream Theater – Metropolis
Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish
Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible
Metallica – The Black Album
Muse – Absolution
Queens of the stone age – Songs for the deaf
System of a down – Toxicity
February 9th, 2008 at 4:34 am
Firstly, there are many different definitions of ‘rock’.
Secondly, you people need to open your ears. There’s so much more music out there than The fucking Beatles and Pink Floyd. What’s with all these cliched answers? Are you all in your mid-forties? Not to be rude, but FUCK! Rolling Stone magazine isn’t the world.
My suggestion:
“Demanufacture” by Fear Factory
February 9th, 2008 at 4:41 am
Also, “The Downward Spiral” by NIN. Achingly beautiful at times, but also quite terrifying in places. Not to mention the lyrics. Trent Reznor somehow manages to lyrically convey the most complex feelings in the most simple way.
“I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel.” – ‘Hurt’
February 9th, 2008 at 5:16 am
wow, first time i checked this list and it is already at 223 comments. geez, we got a bunch of opinionated people
.
as far as the topic: i have to say “joshua tree” – U2. not a song i don’t like. matter of fact, i listened to it all yesterday.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:05 am
192 Borg: Sorry, I wasn’t very clear. Beethoven is obviously classical music. My collection is rock music by anybodies definition, ranging from Dire Straits to Cradle of Filth, but I do have a couple dozen albums and discs that are not; Enya, Deep Forest, Enigma and a handful of classical discs. I listen to music a LOT. It’s just that, what if you could only listen to one album, over and over? Would that be a way to define to Best Rock Album? Probably. I can think of several dozen albums that I could, and have, listened to many, many times. But when the album is over I put on something different. I am pretty much ignorant when it comes to classical music, no question, but when I play the 9th Symphony it really does something for me.
I’m not sure why I brought this up in the first place. Maybe it’s because when some people see how much music I own they often ask who my favourites are, or what my very favourite is. I already own a pretty big chunk of what is being suggested as Best Rock Album, so going over my collection and coming up with Beethoven was truly a surprise to me. I guess it is the answer to the obvious extension of Best Rock Album to Greatest Piece of Music.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:50 am
220 Shadow: I saw Bono at some charity thing and he introduces himself as “Hi, I’m Bono, a rock superstar”. Superstar!!!! He couldn’t just say he was a singer or a musician or the lead singer of U2, no he has to call himself a “superstar”. I still like U2’s music, even if Bono is an arrogant ass.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:23 am
It’s between The White Album, Sergeant Pepper’s, Dark Side of the Moon, and The Wall….but personally, I would have to choose The While Album
February 9th, 2008 at 8:10 am
dragon force-Inhuman Rampage
February 9th, 2008 at 9:23 am
wow… a lot of awesome bands missing here>
Meshuggah – Catch33
King Crimson – Discipline
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Trilogy
Neurosis – A Sun That Never Sets
Genesis – Foxtrot
Frank Zappa – Hot Rats
Mudvayne – L.D.50 (seriously, one hell of an album)
Gentle Giant – Octopus
Slayer – Reign in Blood
I know there’s a lot of music out there, but I really have to agree with those who mentioned The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon and/or Sgt. Pepper’s. Even though these are sometimes defined as overrated, they had an enormous impact on music.
February 9th, 2008 at 9:50 am
1. Amorphis – Am Universum
2. Agalloch – The Mantle
3. Sonata Arctica – Winterhearts Guild
4. Dark Tranquillity – Damage Done
5. Timeless Miracle – Into The Enchanted Chamber
I’ve not listened to more than a couple of songs by bands like the Beatles and Pink Floyd and the like, so there’s not really much point in me putting anything by anyone you’ve heard of forwards!!
February 9th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Definately The Wall and or Dark Side of the Moon
February 9th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
The best album I’ve ever purchased is Ayreon’s The Human Equation (2004). Just listen to it. It’s a rock opera about a man in a coma after a car crash, with 11 vocalists playing each character.
Classically, I’m working on Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
February 9th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
romerozombie; “I don’t mean to be rude”,,,yes you did…
February 9th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Only one other mention of Santana?
Supernatural. Carlos Santana may not be the centerpiece, but he was certainly the guiding spirit here. An awesome album, with some of the best rock stars around lending their own considerable talents to make this work.
February 9th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
L.A Woman – The Doors
February 9th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
The Who – Quadrophenia
February 9th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Mom424 – “romerozombie; “I don’t mean to be rude”,,,yes you did…”
No, I didn’t.
EJF – “The Who – Quadrophenia”
*vomits*
February 9th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
BAT OUT OF HELL – MEATLOAF
BACK IN BLACK – AC/DC
THICK AS A BRICK – TULL
HOTEL CALIFORNIA – EAGLES
HEART – ANYTHING!!!
February 9th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
romerozombie-
whether or not you meant them to be (and I think you did) your comments are rude and offensive. Just put forth your picks and let them stand on their own merit.
Oh, and if I were you, I wouldn’t mess with mom424. She’ll
take you to school! LOL
February 9th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
For me personaly i would have to say Audioslaves first album is one of those that you can listen to over and over, 7 years on and im still listening to it, I would say it has songs used in more movies then any other album of late, im pretty sure i heard on of them ont he upcoming ironman trailer.
February 9th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
kiwiboi- it’s not fair to judge by pure number sold, thriller sold so many copies and dark side so few because dark side sat at teice the pric of thriller and was never put into the one dollar bins, it is always a high priced album, but still stayed on the charts for 14 years
February 9th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Shadow, you pick your nose and eat it, poopy pants.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
RAGE AGAINTS THE MACHINE—-Evil Empire
February 9th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
The Beatles – Abbey Road.
The last 9 songs meld together to make the most moving ballad EVER.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Slickwilly; Did you or do you have the red vinyl copy of Hemispheres? I think mine is at my Mom’s House.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Can’t we incorporate spell check into the comments? Good lord I can barely make some of these out. Could we please do Top 10 Classic Opera next?
February 9th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
1.Any Led Zeppelin album…these are arguably the four most talented musicians to grace the airways.
2. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon…. amazing to listen to from start to finish.
3.KISS ALIVE For the pure fun of it.
4.Frank Zappa Overnight Sensation or Apostrophe…guitar genius if you havent heard these albums give them a listen
February 9th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
dirt by alice in chains
February 9th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Deloused in the Comatorium- The Mars Volta
Calculating infinity- The dillinger Escape Plan
Second Helping- Lynard Skynard
Boston – Boston
Nevermind – Nirvana
These are the first five to come to my mind.
February 9th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Van Halen – 1984
February 10th, 2008 at 4:24 am
for my part, i’ll say pink floyd, either the wall or dark side of the moon are the best rock albums ever.
and these are not necessarily what i think are the best rock albums, but a couple of my favourites…
incubus – any of their albums…
karnivool – themata (perth band. absolutely amazing)
day one – birds of tokyo (another perth band)
a perfect circle – mer de noms
annnnd the butterfly effect – begins here (queensland band)
and now i’m gunna sit here and wonder how many of you actually know who karnivool, the butterfly effect and birds of tokyo are
February 10th, 2008 at 4:25 am
easily Led Zeppelin IV or physical graffiti Because Led Zeppelin is the best rock band of all time
February 10th, 2008 at 5:18 am
The Who- Quadrophenia.
operatic structure, unforgettable lyrics and great delivery.
February 10th, 2008 at 9:33 am
marquee – “it’s not fair to judge by pure number sold”
I never said it was. I was merely showing that there are many ways of slicing statistics – in response to the statement that Dark Side was apparently #1 for 14 years; which is also interesting, but is also as meaningless as the top-selling album figures I quoted…
February 10th, 2008 at 10:13 am
I cant believe everyone likes Dark side of the moon, great with the wizard of oz btw. i do like it but when you have listened to it a billion time you tend to branch out. i will say that it is the definitive stoners album. but the all time greatest album ever as a whole would be Sublime – Sublime.
February 10th, 2008 at 11:00 am
I almost forgot Jimi Hendrix – Are You Experienced?
February 10th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Oasis? They were important to the Britpop movement of the 1990’s and are still relevant today.
Well at least Liam and Noel Gallagher would agree with their importance!
February 10th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Quite possibly, OK Computer by Radiohead.
That, or Sgt. Pepper, which is amazing for the Beatles if you look at their music just one or two years earlier.
February 10th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
The Beatles White album-hands down-ground breaking album in a lot of ways-really influential for a lot of musicians. Also, I’d have to say Nevermind from Nirvana is right up there for me too.
February 10th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
The Beatles-Revolver
Aerosmith-Toys in the Attic
Boston-Boston
February 10th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
oh jimi hendrix – are you experienced?
thats the one i forgot to add to my list. argh, how oculd i forget that?!
February 10th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
dark side of the moon was #1 for 14 years but was on the top 200 chart for that long . selling enough every week to be there . as for other top sellers , they all did it in a relatively shorter span of time if compared to dark side.kinda like a fad or a flash in the pan as opposed to staying power
February 10th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
and how about a list of bands that weren’t exactly great just fun to listen too. dare i say the knack for one.
February 10th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Thanks for everyone’s comments…I’ve got so much to listen to now! I’ve only recently got into The Beatles and I’m absolutely loving their music. My favourite albums might not be the best according to everyone else but they would include Origin of Symmetry by Muse, Appetite for Destruction by Guns ‘N Roses and Automatic for the People by R.E.M.
February 10th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
It has to be Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins. It’s such an epic, epic album. It has so many amazing songs covering such a broad range of emotions.
February 10th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
ohhh mellon collie and infinite sadness is another great one!
February 10th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
1. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
2. Appetite for Destruction – Guns N Roses
3. Defenders of the Faith – Judas Priest
4. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin
5. Back for the Attack – Dokken
6. 2112 – Rush
7. Killers – Iron Maiden
8. Don’t Fear the Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
9. Essential UFO – UFO
10. MSG – Save Yourself
11. Van Halen – Van Halen
12. Flying in a blue dream – Joe Satriani
February 11th, 2008 at 12:58 am
I can’t believe noone has named this album on this list. Or maybe yes, but i wont read the 167 posts at all…:)
Nigth At The opera- Queen-
February 11th, 2008 at 1:38 am
undoubtedly “The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders From Mars” by Bowie , hands down
February 11th, 2008 at 2:57 am
sometimes i wonder why people are still bothering making rock albums? didn’t they hear TOOL’s Aenima?
February 11th, 2008 at 6:24 am
Tool Aenema
February 11th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Mom424: Haha…no, never on vinyl. My friend has a pretty kick-ass Rush vinyl collection, including original prints of Fly by Night, Caress of Steal, and Moving Pictures. My Rush collection has dwindled over the years from bad c.d. keeping habits and Rush-hungry, c.d.-grubbing friends. I never did have Hemispheres, though I did have 2112, Fly by Night, Moving Pictures, A Farewell to Kings, and the self-titled album. Rush *may* not be responsible for the greatest rock album ever, but they are definately one of the greatest rock bands ever.
February 11th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Oh, and an open note to all you metal-heads out there:
It’s fine to name your favorite death of thrash metal album as “best rock album ever made” but please don’t hate on non-metal people for their picks. Most of these people know how shitty the music you listen to is, but realize you still have a right to share your opinion. So, even if you think Pink Floyd or the Beatles or Led Zeppelin are crappy bands, keep it to yourself.
February 11th, 2008 at 8:37 am
“death OR thrash metal album”
February 11th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Heh. I was just thinking that if we had a list of Over-Rated Rock Albums it would likely include many of those mentioned here.
It’s all about your personal perspective, I guess
February 11th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
The following albums are perfect in every way
Ok Computer-Radiohead
Absolution-Muse
Origin of Symmetry-Muse
Battle of Los Angeles-Rage Against the Machine
The Wall-Pink Floyd
February 11th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
“Your View” has turned out to be a lot more popular than I expected. I am considering doing it as a daily feature. what do you all think? I have a brilliant one for tomorrow!
February 11th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Oh – and stephen: Nice to see the Muse in there twice – they are one of my favorite bands!
February 11th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
stephen: I agree with the your choices. I really feel like Muse deserves more recognition. Radiohead and Rage, obvious rock gods. And who could argue with Pink Floyd?
February 11th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
jfrater: Oh God, please don’t…..my productivity has already gone down the tubes since the last 3 “view” lists you have put up. If you make it a daily feature, I could very well lose my job! Then who is going to support me? You? I hope so, because I plan litigation if this scenario pans out.
February 11th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
jfrater: If you can come up with enough “your views” to do it daily, I say go for it. I love voicing my opinion
February 11th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
SlickWilly: hehe – how can you litigate when you are busy replying to lists?
toolnut: easily! You will love tomorrow’s
It will be our first political “Your view”
February 11th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
No contest, without a doubt it is Soulja Boy’s “Soulja Boy Tell Em’” album
http://thumbnail.search.aolcdn.com/truveo/images/thumbnails/83/E7/83E7EEFBA71538_Large.jpg
February 11th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
WHO THE HELL nominates rap in a rock category?
February 12th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks and Desire. Like a gypsy jam session. Scarlett Rivera owns on violin.
Beatles Abbey Road, Let it Be and Revolver.
CSNY 4 Way Street
Neil Young, Harvest
February 12th, 2008 at 2:28 am
Let It Bleed – Rolling Stones. Every song is a classic.
February 12th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Sgt Pepper, Help, The Black album, Blood sugar Sex Magic, Anything by Rise Against
February 14th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Two come to mind, one being Led Zeppelin IV and the other being Black Sabbath’s self titled first album. It seems that most bands after these two albums patterned themselves off of these tow archetypes.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:28 am
Dylan’s electrric 3 – Bringing it all back home, Highway 51, and Blond on Blonde
Kings of Leon – Youth and Young Manhood
The Strokes – Is this it
White Stripes – Elephant
Tool – Lateralus
The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour
Any Creedence Clearwater Revival Best of
Uncle John and Whitelock – There is Nothing
Captain Beefheart – Trout Mask Replica
The Stooges – Fun House
The Band – Music from Big Pink
The Killers – Sam’s Town
Cat Power – You Are Free
All of these have been my favourite at one point.
February 16th, 2008 at 8:04 am
The Allman Brothers, ‘Live at the Fillmore’
February 16th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
MOVING PICTURES = RUSH
VAN HALEN = VAN HALEN
LED ZEPPELIN 4 = LED ZEPPELIN
BLACK SABBATH – BLACK SABBATH
…AND JUSTICES FOR ALL = METALICA
AENIMA = TOOL
MECHANICAL RESONANCE = TESLA
DIARY OF A MADMAN = OZZY OSBOURNE
GODSMACK = GODSMACK
2112 = RUSH
DESTROYER = KISS
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON = PINK FLOYD
Licensed To Ill = The Beastie Boys
BOSTON = BOSTON
The Joshua Tree = U2
February 18th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Do Not Forget about “Who’s Next.” Anything that begins with the mezmerizing “Baba O’Riley” and ends with the viceral punch of “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” deserves to AT THE VERY LEAST be in the Top 10.
February 19th, 2008 at 7:06 am
I have to go with T. Rex’s “Electric Warrior.” With this album, Marc Bolan ushered in the era of Glam Rock, the influence of which is still felt today. Not only was the album chock full of great tunes (“Bang a Gong,” “Jeepster,” “Cosmic Dancer,” “Planet Queen”), but it started a movement akin to Beatlemana in the early 1970’s, T.Rexstacy. The music provided a bridge from the hippy-acoustic 60’s to the throbbing. boogie-influced rock of the 70’s. And not to forget Marc Bolan (1947-1977), quite the character! Ah…what a great album…
February 19th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Elton John “Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy”
Billy Joel “The Stranger”
I have owned these both on vinyl, cassette tape & cd. I can still sing all the lyrics. Loved these albums!
February 20th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Top 5:
1. Dark Side of the moon – Pink Floyd
2. Let It Be – The Beatles
3. in Rock – Deep Purple
4. Led Zeppelin Iv – Led Zeppelin
5. American Idiot – Green Day
February 25th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
1) “Pet Sounds”- The Beach Boys
2) “Eat A Peach”- The Allman Bros.
3) “The Soft Parade”- The Doors
February 27th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
1)Nevermind
2)Unplugged in New york
3)the one with stairway to heaven
4)back in black
5)Lynard skynard
6)dark side of the moon
7)and justice for all
February 29th, 2008 at 3:43 am
Nightwish- rock version of Phantom of the Opera
-The idea of a rock version of Phantom of the Opera can sound pretty stupid to some people at first, but Nightwish’s interpretation of this opera song is awesome! Just listen to it.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:26 pm
The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper. Influenced absolutely everybody. Nothing like it before or since. Enough said.
March 7th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
allman brothers live at the Fillmore
March 8th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
avenged sevenfold – waking the fallen
dragonforce – inhuman rampage
metallica – the black album, master of puppets, kill em all
u2 – joshua tree
guns n roses – appetite for destruction
pink floyd – the wall, dark side of the moon
deep purple – burn
March 15th, 2008 at 7:17 am
la concha de la lora (la puta que los pario)
el mejor cd es el de tu mama cogiendo
March 20th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
led zep IV and physical graffiti, sticky fingers as well
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Pink Floyd – The Wall.
March 31st, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, the Wall is also good
April 4th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Green Carnation – Light of day, day of darkness! THE sublimation of feelings, although a bit dark, from despair to hope and acceptation.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Pound for pound…Boston’s debut album “BOSTON”.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:05 am
London Calling by The Clash. So many genres are represented on this album, from the rockabilly stylings of “Brand New Cadilac” to the proto-ska of “Wrong ‘em Boyo, to the reggae of Revolution Rock, every single song on this album is an absolute gem.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon
God, I started listening to this when 8-tracks were popular (damn, I guess I gave away my age) and wore out too many to think about. Then did the same with cassettes. Of course now I have it in MP3 format on computer and iPod.
Boston – Boston was another one that got the same treatment.
Better stop, getting melancholy.
April 29th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
The Who – Who’s Next, The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper, Neil Young – Harvest, Paul McCartney and Wings – Band on the Run, Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Too many good albums to narrow it down.
May 4th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks. Not rock per se – it kind of defies classification – but many of the albums mentioned on the list aren’t “rock” necessarily. This album is extraordinary in too many ways to mention here – and typical of very little of Morrison’s discography.
May 4th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
slayers reign in blodd
May 24th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Some of my favorites in no particular order:
James Gang – James Gang Rides Again
Beatles – The White Album
Moody Blues – Question of Balance
Pink Floyd – Animals
Crosby, Stills & Nash -
AC/DC – Back in Black
Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
May 27th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Now this may sound a little out there, and some may not exactly classify it under “rock”, but I am using the broader definition of rock.
My vote goes to Operation Ivy, by Operation Ivy.
Why such and obscure and strange pick? Because it is brilliant. The songs on this album (the album was not released until long after the band broke up) inspired a generation of punk rockers, and helped to create some of the most influential punk bands of recent times.
Who are those you ask? Green Day were huge fans of Operation Ivy and saw them play often at the legendary Berkeley punk club, the 924 Gilman Street Club.
Who else? Tim Armstrong was a member of Operation Ivy, you may know him from Rancid. How about Matt Freeman? Also a member of Operation Ivy and now Rancid.
They also inspired countless garage and underground bands to form.
Their LP: Energy is considered the first Ska Punk release.
June 9th, 2008 at 6:52 am
grant lee buffalo-mighty joe moon
June 21st, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Cannot pick albums; only bands/artists.
Pink Floyd (My all time fave)
Led Zep
Nirvana
‘Nof said.
June 26th, 2008 at 7:31 am
ALL ‘THE DOORS’ ALBUMS
July 1st, 2008 at 9:25 pm
MGMT- ocular spectacular
The Beatles- all albums!
Bob Marley- legend
Panic at the Disco- Pretty Odd.
Gun n roses- appetite for destruction
July 15th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Either Meat Loaf, Bat Out of Hell or Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell. You absolutely have to include Meat Loaf in anything that has to do with absolutely astounding music… nd both of those are obviously phenomenol.
July 19th, 2008 at 5:51 am
manditaaknfv You have to be absolutely retarded to consider a Panic at the Disco and a Guns n Roses album as one of the greatest ever.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
What’s Going on? –Marvin Gaye
The Round Room –Phish
Achtung Baby –U2
Unplugged –Eric Clapton
Revolver –The Beatles
The Days of Future Past –The Moody Blues
Covers –Johnny Cash
And to answere your question: The beatles were way better than Led Zepplin.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:25 am
Aenima is the greatest album ever made. What other album has a crazy german voice giving what sounds like a nazi rant when it’s only a recipe for cookies without eggs. UND KEINE EIER!
I’ve seen them 3 times, once during the Lateralus tour and then twice in two days during the last tour for 10,000 Days. I’ve been to quite a few concerts but Tool concerts are just a whole different kind of experience. Lateralus was their most “out there” album but Aenima just fucking rocked.
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Hello there. Most of you seem to forget that rock is very much about the electric guitar. So in my opinion there are really only two candidates for this title. For unparallelled combination of intensity, musical quality, emotional depth and sheer beauty, one has to turn to either Layla (Derek and the Dominoes) or Live at Fillmore East (Allman Brothers Band).
Does anything else come close ? In spite of Dylan’s masterful lyrics and other great musicians great music: not really.
Anyone who disagrees is, in spite of being a nice person, wrong.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Ágaetis Byrjun, ( ) or Takk… by Sigur Rós
absolutely breathtaking sounds, everything I have ever wanted music to be. Every song lifts any kind of emotion, sometimes all of them at once, and I personally think that is something not a lot of bands have done.
But having said that, there are so many albums out there that should have other albums licking their boots it’s unbelievable.
July 31st, 2008 at 5:04 am
I’m way late on this discussion, but my vote goes to AC/DC – Back in Black.
July 31st, 2008 at 5:09 am
I will also say Audioslave, The self-titled first album. That is a great collection of songs.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:42 am
Apparently nobody likes the foo fighters and dave grohl.
I have to say Echoes,Silence,Patience,and Grace- Foo fighters
July 31st, 2008 at 11:15 am
The Black Crowes – Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
Blind Faith – Blind Faith
Electric Ladyland – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Who’s Next – The Who
August 18th, 2008 at 3:10 am
Sgt. Peppers is amazing.
Pretty much anything Beatles is.
Panic At The Disco made 2 really amazing albums…Pretty.Odd. Is REALLY good. It’s nothing like there first album. I don’t think you could really classify it as rock though…so….ya.
But any beatles cd would deffinatly be the best rock album.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:23 am
…And Justice For All- Metallica
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:37 am
The Beatles Revolver-a true masterpiece with brilliant production from George Martin
September 16th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Can Linkin’ park -Meteora and Hybrid Theory at least make the list?
September 25th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
“Death Magnetic” by Metallica
September 28th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Hmmmm….
CLASSIC ROCK:
AC/DC- Powerage
Led Zeppelin- IV
Metallica- The Black Album
Guns N’ Roses- Appetite for Destruction
Deep Purple- In Rock
Black Sabbath- Black Sabbath
NEWER STUFF:
Airbourne- Running Wild
The Darkness- Permission to Land
Stone Gods- Silver Spoons and Broken Bones
October 4th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
So much aggression, fear, depression, and loneliness were put into this album.
October 15th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I say All Killer No Filler by Sum 41 because it is the only album that I love every single song, besides greatest hits albums but I don’t really count those because they aren’t the original album that the song was on.
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:45 am
The Stone Roses- The Stone Roses
Has to be included in the discussion.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
AC/DC’s Back in Black
November 25th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
my personal favorite is Led Zeppelin- Houses of the Holy
December 20th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
my favorite album has got to be EAT THE PEACH by the led zepplin -i listen to it very often and never tire of it
January 1st, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Shinedown – The sound of madness
January 6th, 2009 at 2:40 am
For it has to be:
10, 000 Days – Tool.
Amazing Prog Rock, great music techniques used, beautiful and mystical scales used, great to listen to, each band member is of great skill, the album is a great advancement in terms of prog rock because of it’s use of several other genre techniques to create a beautifully unique sound that is distinctively Tool.
January 11th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Would be a toss up for me between Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti and Jimi Hendrix Axis: Bold as Love.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I would have to say Lateralus. Thank you, Lekhter, for reminding me of Tool.
January 25th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (Derek and the Dominoes)
This double album has Eric Clapton playing at his absolute BEST, and it has the greatest guitar player EVER (IMHO) Duane Allman. Duane died very soon after this came out, so other than a few basement tapes, there are no other recordings of Eric and Duane together.
I don’t care if anyone else agrees or not – if I could only have one album for the rest of my life, this would be it.
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:26 am
Led zeppelin II
February 17th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
I would have to say:
Metallica’s Ride The Lightning
Led Zeppelin IV
Rush’s Moving Pictures
February 24th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
LOVE layla and pink flyod’s stuff but im sorry beatles are the CLEAR winners either white or sgt. pep
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:36 pm
ride the lightning,master of puppets and black album by metallica,highway 61 revisited by bob dylan,by the way by red hot chili peppers
March 7th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Oh jesus… How can I help myself when I stumble across this…
Led Zeppelin IV
I’m a bloody metalhead and Zeppelin are still right up there for me, wonderful band, absolutely phenomenal album.
346. Luka : Love II as well, Bring It On Home *drools* THE album of the 60’s for me. As a guitarist that’s saying a lot – Hendrix and the Yardbirds etc being around at the time – about how good I think that album was…. Can never get enough of it….
349. k14swayne : “….by the way by red hot chili peppers” o.O
March 22nd, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Dark Side of the Moon is best in my mind, followed by Momentary Lapse of Reason.
April 7th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
1) Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
2) London Calling – The Clash
3) Exile on Main Street – The Rolling Stones
4) After the Gold Rush – Neil Young
5) Led Zeppelin II – Led Zeppelin
The fact you kids keep sayin metallicas Black Album is fuckin stupid, that album is one of the three things in 1991 that killed music. Black Album is one of the worst albums ever made. im sorry, truth hurts. and i just skimmed the list, and i saw alot of Dark Side of the Moon which im very proud of, but i dont recall London Calling. SHAMEFULL!!
April 8th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Nirvana, Nevermind.
April 8th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Blood Sugar Sex Magik– Red Hot Chili Peppers.
April 8th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Swingshift by Cold Chisel, the ultimate pub rock album!
April 13th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Fine lists all of the above.
BUT definitive list must be……….
1970’s
1) Black Sabbath – Paranoid // Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin 1
2) Deep Purple – Machine Head
3) Rainbow – Rising
1980’s
1) Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden
2) Van Halen – 1984
3) Judas Priest – Screaming for Vengence
1990’s
1) Testament – The Ritual
2) Metallica – Black Album
3) Oasis – Definately Maybe
2000 -
1) Saxon – Inner Sanctum
2) Dragonforce – Inhuman Rampage
3) Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life and Death
Overall in the running as well must be;
Pink Floyd Dark Side and The Wall and Kiss’s Creatures of the Night.
April 21st, 2009 at 9:23 pm
352. JesusChrist : HAH! You’re ripping other people for suggesting an album they like over a superior one? Now that is hipocrasy at it’s most poetic – “5) Led Zeppelin II – Led Zeppelin”.
353. Katie : Meh, I’ve always liked Bleach and In Utero more, but Nevermind was a pearler
354. marjory stewart baxter : BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
355. Struth : You can tell the Aussies from miles away…
356. Richie the Red : Well, someone sure does like their heavy metal. One prob with that list, Zeppelin I was release in ‘68
May 14th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
1. Oasis – Be Here Now – The whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. ‘All Around the World’ is certainly not over produced or overly long.
2. Oasis – Definately Maybe – I could listen to ‘Live Forever’ forever.
3. Oasis – (What’s the story) Morning Glory – If ‘Whatever’ was on this I would put it above Definately Maybe =).
4. Oasis – Dig Out Your Soul – Such a change in style from previous albums is so refreshing yet still has the classic Oasis feel of previous albums.
5. Oasis – Heathen Chemistry – I don’t understand why this album is so underrated, it has so many classics on it with only Quick Peep being the only “bad” one, but that is because it is like the Swamp Song, more like filler from the album.
Did I mention Oasis?
June 28th, 2009 at 11:45 am
1) The Beatles – Revolver
2) The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
3) The Beatles – Rubber Soul
4) The Beatles – The Beatles (The White Album)
5) The Beatles – Abbey Road
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Metallica’s …And Justice For all
July 13th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
“Songs For The Deaf” Queens of the Stoneage
July 27th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
my favorite band, U2, have variously been called rock, pop, alternative and more–but in my opinion, their albums the joshua tree and achtung baby are the best albums ever.
August 12th, 2009 at 3:27 am
“Breakout” by Miley Cyrus
ALL MICHAEL JACKSON ALBUMS
August 13th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
“Exile on Main Street”
“Highway 61 Revisited”
“London Calling”
September 16th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Arctic Monkeys
Whatever People say i am, That’s what i’m not.
September 30th, 2009 at 6:02 am
The sound track to “The Sound of Music”
October 7th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I think the best album is the riddlebox album by insane clown posse
October 10th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Approaching Normal – Blue October
Every song is so full of emotion and you can’t help but to be completely enthralled it.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:33 am
its gotta be dark side of the moon- pink floyd but when i wanna freak out it has to be ACDC back in black
October 14th, 2009 at 2:35 am
@muffin launcher (369): Both great albums, Back in Black is better than sex…
November 16th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
@madcow39526 (314): Its a great album. Definitely one of the best. thanx for mentioning them. jfrater doesnt talk that much about punk when he talks about rock music tho =[