20 Greatest Ever Hard Rock Albums
By Joe Lavigne
Hard rock, a loosely-defined subgenre of rock music, began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. It is typified by a heavy use of aggressive vocals, distorted electric guitars, bass guitar, and drums, often accompanied with keyboards.
Rock has developed and evolved into so many different categories, but for the sake of making this list as uncomplicated as possible, we're sticking to the more traditional hard rock albums. Rock music simplified.
So, to celebrate our love for hard rock music, we've put together a list of the 20 greatest ever hard rock albums...
20. Led Zeppelin, 'Led Zeppelin II'
Led Zeppelin II is the second album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 22 October 1969 in the United States and on 31 October 1969 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. Having made their name with their self-titled debut album, the band's second record shot them to new heights, which would see them become the leading hard rock band.
19. Queen, 'Queen II'
Queen II is the second studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 8 March 1974 by EMI Records in the UK and by Elektra Records in the US. Forget their '80s pop-rock offerings - Queen II was released during an era when Queen were a proper hard rock band with a gritty edge.
18. Blue Oyster Cult, 'Secret Treaties'
Secret Treaties is the third studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in April 1974 by Columbia. The album spent 14 weeks in the US album charts, peaking at No. 53. It was certified gold by the RIAA in 1992. It is still regarded by fans and critics as the band's most relevant work, and one of the greatest ever hard rock albums.
17. Led Zeppelin, 'Led Zeppelin III'
Led Zeppelin III is the eponymous third studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in October 1970. It showed a progression from straightforward rock towards folk and acoustic music. This album would see the continued climb of Zep to their eventual unrivalled heights.
16. The Who, 'Who's Next'
Who's Next is the fifth studio album by English rock band the Who. It developed from the aborted Lifehouse project, a multi-media rock opera written by the group's Pete Townshend as a follow-up to the band's 1969 album Tommy. Who's Next is widely regarded as the band's bet work, and one of the greatest rock albums of the '70s.
15. Thin Lizzy, 'Jailbreak'
Jailbreak is the sixth studio album by Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy, released in 1976. It proved to be the band's commercial breakthrough in the US, and the only Thin Lizzy album with a certification in that country.
14. Def Leppard, 'Hysteria'
Hysteria is the fourth studio album by English hard rock band Def Leppard, released on 3 August 1987 through Mercury Records and reissued on 1 January 2000. It is Def Leppard's best-selling album to date, selling over 25 million copies worldwide, including 12 million in the US, and spawning seven hit singles.
13. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, 'Are You Experienced'
Are You Experienced is the debut studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in 1967, the LP was an immediate critical and commercial success, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest debuts in the history of rock music.
12. Aerosmith, 'Toys In The Attic'
Toys in the Attic is the third studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on April 8, 1975 by Columbia Records. Its first single, "Sweet Emotion," was released on May 19 and "Walk This Way" followed on August 28 in the same year. You could pick any one of Aerosmith's '70s albums to make this list, but we think Toys just about edges it.
11. AC/DC, 'Let There Be Rock'
Let There Be Rock is the fourth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It was the band's third studio album released internationally and the fourth to be released in Australia. It was also the last AC/DC album to feature Mark Evans on bass. This album contains one of rock music's greatest ever songs, "Whole Lotta Rosie."
10. Metallica, 'Metallica'
Metallica is the self-titled fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on August 12, 1991, through Elektra Records. It was recorded in an eight-month span at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles. This record propelled the band to international stardom, making them the biggest hard rock band on the planet.
9. Deep Purple, 'Deep Purple In Rock'
Deep Purple in Rock is the fourth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released in June 1970. It was the first studio album recorded by the Mark II line-up of Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice. It is arguably one of the greatest rock albums of the 1970s.
8. Led Zeppelin, 'Physical Graffiti'
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better than Led Zeppelin IV, the band came up with another masterpiece. Physical Graffiti is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released as a double album on 24 February 1975 by the group's new record label, Swan Song Records.
7. Def Leppard, 'Pyromania'
Hysteria made the big bucks, but Pyromania is the superior hard rock album, certainly for the rock purists. Pyromania is the third studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 20 January 1983 through Vertigo Records in UK and Europe and through Mercury Records in the US. It is widely regarded as the band's best work.
6. Van Halen, 'Van Halen'
Van Halen is the self-titled debut studio album by American hard rock band Van Halen. Released on February 10, 1978, the album peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200. This was an album that showed the band at their very best -- raw, cool, and edgy -- a far cry from their 'poppier' tone in the '80s.
5. AC/DC, 'Highway To Hell'
Highway to Hell is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979. It was the band's fifth studio album released internationally and the sixth to be released in Australia. It was the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who died early the following year on 19 February 1980. It is widely regarded by fans and critics as the band's best album.
4. Led Zeppelin, 'Led Zeppelin IV'
The untitled fourth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV, was released on 8 November 1971 by Atlantic Records. It was produced by guitarist Jimmy Page and recorded between December 1970 and February 1971, mostly in the country house Headley Grange. It went on to become an iconic rock album, and arguable the greatest of them all. It contains some of the bands biggest hits including "Stairway To Heaven."
3. Deep Purple, 'Machine Head'
Machine Head is the sixth studio album released by the English rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded during December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, and released in March 1972. Machine Head is often cited as a major influence in the early development of the heavy metal music genre.
2. Guns N' Roses, 'Appetite For Destruction'
Appetite For Destruction is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It was released on July 21, 1987, through Geffen Records. The album was released to little mainstream attention in 1987, but gained traction and fast become the biggest selling debt album from a hard rock band. It contains the band's iconic hits "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Paradise City," and "Welcome To The Jungle."
Post a Comment