Are you married to a classic rock fanatic? Or perhaps your buddy keeps going on and on (and on) about The Beatles versus the Stones (and why the ‘the’ is capitalized here for one and not the other). Which “Boss” album is superior. Or perhaps whether Pink Floyd’s The Final Cut is a dud or a delight…or even whether one should consider it a Roger Waters solo album that doesn’t even count (whatever that means). For those nodding their heads, we thought we’d assemble five albums the long-suffering classic rock spouse (or friend) must get to know in order to at least chime in once in a while.
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Classic rock doesn’t mean old rock. Wait long enough and rock albums released today will end up on a list like this. The War on Drugs and Wilco deserve mentions. What makes rock “rock,” though, is another question. As artists continue to innovate, the boundaries of rock as a genre expand.
The iconic albums on the list below went a long way to change what a rock album could sound like. Led Zeppelin made heavy rock out of Willie Dixon’s blues. The Rolling Stones took their name and early sound from Muddy Waters. How did The Beatles go from Chuck Berry to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?” Born to Run almost didn’t happen for “the Boss” (a.k.a. Bruce Springsteen). And in an age of disposable pop, Pink Floyd turned radical experimentalism into a global smash.
[RELATED: Ranking the 5 Best Songs on Pink Floyd’s Polarizing ‘The Final Cut’]
So, just FYI, if you do listen to these five classic rock albums, just know they sound as fresh now as the day the landmark artists involved released them. And if you do get to know them, even a little bit, you might just be able to decipher what the heck your classic rock-crazy spouse or friend is talking about when they start going on…and on…and on…. (And if you’re the classic rock crazy, feel free to share this with your significant other!)
1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles (1967)
A half century has passed since the world first heard Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Universally recognized as an innovative masterpiece. It turned recording technology on its head, removed its limits, and forever changed how records were made.
Engineer Geoff Emerick recalls in his book, Here, There and Everywhere, how the session was defined by breaking the studio’s rules. EMI capitulated. After all, The Beatles were successful enough to buy any equipment they might break during the sessions. Emerick placed microphones close to the orchestral musicians. The musicians would nudge back in their seats out of fear but Emerick convinced them to stay put. He drove the console’s pre amps into distortion. These techniques are industry standard but to the Abbey Road employees in 1967, it was radical. They were sweating right through the white lab coats they wore in the studio.
2. Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen (1975)
When the Boss released Born to Run in 1975, he emphatically drew a line in the sand between adolescence and adulthood. The album represents a desperate plea to go somewhere. Anywhere but here. Themes of loneliness and hopelessness were wrapped in arena anthems. The lonely people were now in communion with the Boss. His songs sounded hopeful. Springsteen spoke to the pain felt my millions, then showed a flicker of light. Sometimes solidarity is just enough to get by.
Springsteen draws vivid characters in scenes so descriptive, it feels autobiographical. The summer rain and the cars in the songs appear like a dream to revisit. His characters can be dark, living in dire circumstances. Backed by the E Street Band, Springsteen gives power to the powerless. Born to Run gives a title to the natural state—fight or flight. In the Boss’ world, sometimes it’s both.
[AS OF THIS WRITING: Boss Tickets Are Available! – Get ‘Em Right Here]
3. Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin (1969)
The idea of Led Zeppelin was first attempted on the Jeff Beck instrumental “Beck’s Bolero,” written by Jimmy Page. Beck and Page played together briefly in the Yardbirds. A heavier version of American blues can be heard on Beck’s debut album Truth. Page continued the evolution on Led Zeppelin’s debut. He perfected the sound on Led Zeppelin II. “Whole Lotta Love” opens the album with a god-like riff. Equally significant: when John Bonham enters, literal rock gods are born.
Everything great about Led Zeppelin is contained in “Whole Lotta Love.” The album continues with 41 minutes of damn-near perfection. John Paul Jones’ slinky bass is the band’s secret weapon—listen to the bass riff on “Heartbreaker.” Robert Plant sings like a man possessed. Led Zeppelin took Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor” and turned it into “The Lemon Song.” The circle was complete. Led Zeppelin made, arguably, the greatest guitar rock album of all time.
4. Exile on Main St. by The Rolling Stones (1972)
Exile on Main St. needed to be a double album. Although, unlike most double albums, there’s not a whole lot here to leave off. Exile is the sound of the Stones at their most dangerous. “Rocks Off” into “Rip This Joint” might be the strongest beginning to any rock album. “Happy” is one of Keef’s best riffs. “Sweet Black Angel” is a gorgeous ballad. “Sweet Virginia” is the sound of the Stones traveling through the American South. The Rolling Stones are stewards of the past, preserving and innovating rock ’n’ roll for the future.
[AS OF THIS WRITING: Stones Tickets Are Available! – Get ‘Em Right Here]
5. The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd (1973)
Pink Floyd’s masterpiece is full of songs about greed and madness. Pink Floyd’s radically experimental album is paradoxically one of the best-selling albums of all time. Not a single trend in music could dislodge it from the Billboard 200 for 14 years. Conceived by the band’s ambitious leader Roger Waters, Dark Side addresses the literal dark side of success and the toll it took on the band’s co-founder Syd Barrett. Waters wanted the lyrics on the album to be clear and direct. On “Money,” Waters somehow composed a hit radio song using an odd 7/4 time signature. Pink Floyd are famous for making grandeur accessible.
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