On the one hand, the word “classic” feels like a mighty challenge: A gauntlet being thrown down by the six-string gods of musicthat would require climbing Mount Olympus to join.Something I’m sure most bands can’t even begin to fathom or imagine when first picking up a guitar or recording a single note in a studio. And yet here we are today, with rock so classic, it’s nearly impossible to come up with a concise group that doesn’t miss someone’s critical contributions.
So, how did we get here? What epitomized the transition from a handful of musicians making a few good melodies to a style so expansively large that radio stations and Spotify alike still devote entire massive playlists to it? Well, when you take a few chords, sprinkle in some words of truth, add blood, sweat, and tears, and sprinkle in a few good hooks to finish, you might just wind up with a rock recipe that starts smooth and goes down with aclassicfinish.
Regardless of the definition, thanks to a wealth of talent through the 1970s and ’80s in particular, rock fans have an embarrassment of riches to choose from. But if you’re a serious classic rock fan, you should absolutely own all of these albums. They may not be the definitive catalogue, but every one of them is still an incredible listening experience.
1Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run (1975)
A Rock Storyteller’s Big Break
By 1975, New Jersey musicianBruce Springsteenand his E Street Band were looking for a win. Coming off the commercial failure of Springsteen’s prior two efforts,Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.andThe Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, the rocker was lookingto show the world he had staying power on his third LP. And show it he did withBorn to Run, which matched Springsteen’s knack for common man storytelling scenes with a rock and roll tapestry that moves with a sinewy, graceful agility thanks to the backing of the E Street Band.
Born to Runis a journey, the step of getting away from the tired life you know to explore the excitement that might just await if you get in the car and have the bravery togo. “Thunder Road” opens the gate with a triumphant screech of tires and burn of rubber down the road.This trek is long and there may be costs, but now you’re living and pushing the horizon for all it’s worth, from the exhilaration of “Night” and the title track to the operatic majesty of the near-ten-minute closer “Jungleland.”
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Born to Runis fragile, triumphant, and battles the light and darkness of existence in equal measure. It isn’t always the highs of every perfectly piercing saxophone and groaning guitar, but there’s beauty everywhere, even when things get ugly. This is life,your life, now get in the car and see each moment with every ounce of passion you’ve got.You’re on “Thunder Road” now.
2AC/DC - Back In Black (1980)
Arena Rockers Triumph Through Tragedy
Hard rockersAC/DChad begun to find career success with the release of 1979’sHighway to Hell, but the trajectory of their path infinitely changed when lead singer Bon Scott died of alcohol poisoning early in 1980. Facing the possibility of disbanding,the iconic Australians chose to carry on by recasting vocal duties to former Geordie singer Brian Johnson. And while such a switch might have potentially shrunk or changedthe legacy of AC/DC, what instead resulted was the towering figure ofBack in Black.
Leading with an album cover shrouded in black as a tribute to Scott, the initial track ofBack in Black"Hells Bells" feels like a funeral nod… until those trademark guitar riffs kick in. With Johnson’s growling snarl of a voice leading the way, the new era of AC/DC hits, and it hits fast through standouts like “Shoot To Thrill,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Givin' the Dog a Bone,” and the iconic title track.As though the band vowed to rock even harder despite their personal loss.
No one certainly wants to forget the legacy of Scott and his impact on the formation of AC/DC, but it’s hard to ignore how seamless the transition was over to Johnson’s ability to carry the vocal torch. And there was no bigger banner proof of thatthan in the immediacy ofBack in Black.
3The Beatles - Revolver (1966)
Next Leveling The Astral Plane
If 1965’sRubber Souldemonstrated thatThe Beatleswere inching up in their musical and artistic direction,then 1966’sRevolverran ahead by miles.The seventh studio album from Liverpool’s Fab Four was a far cry from their pop-laden boy-band ’60s roots, throwing in the rocking socially conscious edge of “Taxman,” the Far East psychedelia of “Love You To,” a prim piano-popped “For No One,” and the spaced-out drift of “Tomorrow Never Knows.“Revolverwas like a meteor to the musical consciousnesscourtesy of the band’s iconic John, Paul, George and Ringo.
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Incorporating enhanced studio techniques and the exploration of themes enhanced by the band’s interest in LSD and obscure philosophy,the album felt like taking a two-dimensional image and opening it up into four.Revolverwas a sneak preview kaleidoscope of what was to come for The Beatles with the likes ofSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,The White Album,Abbey Road, andLet It Be, and the world of music would never be the same again. Especially when it came to this unprecedented level of creative evolution, exploding and blooming into the brightest of flowers.
4Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet (1986)
High-Riding ’80s Action Rockers
If it’s one thing that comes to mind when it comes to rock and roll in the 1980s, it’s big hair and bigger guitar riffs glossy enough to hairspray down all of that big hair. AndBon Jovicertainly didn’t subvert that expectation, as the New Jersey rockersled by singer Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Samboraattacked their songs with sky-high levels of glammed-up fury on 1986’sSlippery When Wet. These tracks are expansive and hard yet move with allthe pumped-up energy of living life in the moment, for the moment.
While there’s still emotional space in songs like “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “Never Say Goodbye,” and “Livin' on a Prayer,” rock and roll is ultimately the gospel here, and rock is what Bon Jovi psychs up the most from the listener. The feelings withinSlippery When Wetcome in like the tide,you’re meant to grab the surf just in time to ride the wave of the next mile-high guitar solo.It’s exhilarating with a mainstream action movie finish, and every moment remains timeless even decades later.
5Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Night Moves (1976)
The Rough Rockers Gentle Poet
Detroit musicianBob Segerhas always hadthat rare combination of tender storytelling and the jagged-sharp sensibility of a rock and rollerwho could get right down into the deep urban grit of every growling riff and refrain. That mixture contains a quality a bit reminiscent of Seger’s 1970’s contemporary Bruce Springsteen, but withmore of a straight-up Southern soulfulnessthat’s closer to a roughneck crooner like Joe Cocker, who can charm you down to the last note.
There’s no better example of this balance in Seger’s storied catalog than on 1976’sNight Moves, which also features Seger’s Silver Bullet Band. Across nine tracks such as “Mainstreet,” “The Fire Down Below,” “Rock and Roll Never Forgives,” and the title track, Seger offers up those story songs of the regular people, the hard times on the tough streets,with a graceful weariness worthy of Springsteen or John Mellencamp at his most insightful.While still knowing how to get down with the rockin' thunder.
6Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes (1979)
A Refugee Builds On Success
Despite business issues inTom Petty’scareer during this time period, that still didn’t stop the Florida rocker and his trusty band The Heartbreakers from cranking out one of their best albums in the form of 1979’sDamn the Torpedoes. And who could argue with that ranking? The first three songs, “Refugee,” “Here Comes My Girl,” and “Even The Losers,” arearguably one of the best opening salvo trios of Petty’s careerthat are almost worthy of the classic rock ranking entirely on their own.
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Luckily, the rest of the six songs onDamn the Torpedoeskeep up the missile-like assault on the quickly slick 36-minute runtime of this LP, helping to characterize just what would make Petty such a popular staple on radio and in popular culture throughout his career and beyond since his passing.Damn the Torpedoeshas the perfect passage of a record that hangs around just long enoughthat by the time “Louisiana Rain” kicks on, you’re ready for this album to start all over again and repeat the story from the beginning.
7Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms (1985)
A Breezy Brand Of Rock Brashness
Where some classic rock entries on this list, like Seger, Petty, and Springsteen, hit the rock label with the fiery embers that so embraced the expected caricature of the genre,Dire Straitsgot to the promised land with a different approach. Especially when it came to their fifth album,Brothers in Arms. This record put out the fire and embracedthe breeze of pop crossed with the snapping guitar workof masterful frontman Mark Knopfler and his stellar bandmates.
Tracks like the lingering loneliness of “So Far Away,” the upbeat grooving of “Walk of Life,” the Sting-featuring funk of “Money for Nothing,” and the poignant lullabying of “Why Worry” bring an almost tropical feeling that servesas a reminder that the gentle shine of pop and the curling buzz of underlying rock can form a perfect union. And that Englishmen like the fellows in Dire Straits could create a sound much sunnier than their home country might initially imply.
8The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (1971)
The Stones Make Rock Go Country
While some might argue that the definitive rock entry inThe Rolling Stonescatalog is 1972’sExile on Main St., the more cohesive Stones salute to the rock pantheonis 1971’s country-inflectedSticky Fingers.With its iconic Andy Warhol-conceived cover and back-to-basics sound approach, the Stones' core group of frontman Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Mick Taylor, drummer Charlie Watts, and bassist Bill Wyman locked in onSticky Fingersand didn’t look back.
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Tracks like the slide-guitar slither of “You Gotta Move,” the crack-country harmonies of “Wild Horses” and “Dead Flowers,” and the scandalous rumble-rock of “Brown Sugar” just begin to scratch the surface of depth thatSticky Fingersreaches into the depths of the Stones and their cool rock persona. It’snot a wonder that the Stones' legacy has gone on as long as it haswith iconic entries likeSticky Fingersbookmarked into their resume. This is classic rock’s classic rock with a bluesy center core.
9Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (1977)
Going Their Own Way To A Classic
What is it they say about pain and turmoil leading to the making of great art?Well, whether or not that’s exactly what they say,Rumoursmay be one of the greatest examples on record of drama, disorder, broken relationships, infidelity, and infighting leading to studio magic. Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine and John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood were the center ofFleetwood Macin those days, and it’s safe to say no one in the group was free of stress in or out of the band. TheRumourswere rampant, but the results were… astounding.
“Dreams,” “Don’t Stop,” “The Chain,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Songbird,““Silver Springs,““You Make Loving Fun,” there is no end to the timelessness of these tracks. Every tempo, emotion, and band member contribution is essential to the motor that makesRumoursinto arelentless machine of classic rock.Buckingham’s guitar work, Nicks' earnest crooning vocals, Christine McVie’s crystalline voice, the backbeats of John McVie and Fleetwood…a truly comprehensive piece of art.
10Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction (1987)
Like Sandpaper To The Bite Of Snake Venom
For all the ’80s hair-leaning glossy rock of bands of the era that worked with success (like Bon Jovi from this list),Guns N' Rosesfelt like a whole different animal with their 1987 debut albumAppetite For Destruction. The guitar riffs were still big, sure, and the hair still impressive, but the lyrics and instrumentation felt more brash. More harsh and unforgiving with portrait backdrops of a worlddriven as much by lust as it was by logic. Like the world ofScarfaceplastered overMiami Vice.
And the world hasn’t forgotten Guns N' Roses ever since. Buoyedby the almost operatic belt of lead man Axl Roseand the ultra-inspired riff ripping of iconic guitarist Slash, tracks like"Sweet Child O' Mine,““Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City,” and “My Michelle” hit hard enough to almost graduate into heavy metal territory. But Guns N' Roses were still plenty melodic enough to classify in the classic rock territory, and once you start listening you won’t be able to get away from the sheerpowerof a killer of a debut.
