4 Semi-Underrated Albums Every Classic Rock Fan Should Own

Need to add a few underrated classic rock albums to your collection? Some might argue that the following four records are not really underrated, but we think they deserve at least a little bit more love. Check it out!

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1. ‘A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse’ by Faces

A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse was released in 1971 and was English rock band Faces’ sophomore album that year. 

The early 70s was a pretty wild time for core member Rod Stewart, considering he just managed to score his first no. 1 album and single as a solo artist. With that momentum, Faces’ second album that year became quite a huge hit. This album is a fun, bluesy, almost drunkenly indulgent rock album that still hits well today.

2. ‘Reckless’ by Bryan Adams

Many would say that Bryan Adams isn’t underrated by any means, but Reckless is definitely worthy of any list of underappreciated classic rock albums. 

This stunning 1984 record was the one to give him superstar status. It reached no. 1 on the charts and produced six whole singles that did quite well. This piece of work is classic arena rock at its very best.

3. ‘Secret Treaties’ by Blue Öyster Cult

Secret Treaties was released in 1974 and is Blue Öyster Cult’s third album. This delightfully heavy rock record has some psychedelic leanings that made it stand out from similar hard rock records at the time. 

It’s an intelligent album with a solid sense of humor. The band’s next album would yield their biggest hit (“The Reaper”), but Secret Treaties is a superior album, in our opinion.

4. ‘Tarkus’ by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Would Emerson, Lake & Palmer be considered underrated in any sense? Maybe not to the diehard fans, but we have to say that Tarkus certainly deserves to be on our list of underrated classic rock albums. 

This incredible progressive record is impressive, to say the least. And it’s a fantastic example of the talents behind the trio in question. The first side features one whole 20-minute title track divided up into multiple parts, while the second side features shorter (and tighter) songs that you won’t forget.

Photo by Don Hunstein

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