Greatest Rock Albums

[Paul McGaha]

A companion for Vans post about greatest rock artists, What are your (5) favorite rock albums?

Some of mine would be (Not really in order):


Rolling Stones-Exile on Main Street
Rolling Stones-Sticky Fingers
Derek and the Dominos-Layla and other love songs (I have a grand daughter named after that song by the way)
Joe Cocker-Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Elton John-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

[Joe Mioux]

The Who, Who's Next
Little Feat, Feats Dont fail me now
Aerosmith, Rocks
Bruce Springsteen, Born To Run
Chris Isaak, Forever Blue, actually anything from Chris Isaak

Pete Townsend's,Empty Glass

honorable mentions: Dire Straits, Money for nothing.

[Van Huskey]

1. The Who Who's Next
2. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV
3. The Who Physical Graffiti
4. Jimi Hendrix Are You Experienced
5. Cream Diraeli Gears


Back in Black, Dark Side of the Moon, The Doors (by the Doors), London Calling and Exile on Main Street would round out my top ten.


One album on a desolate island would be Led Zep IV, The Who might be a little depressing in that situation since they were the angst band of the time.

[Bill Geyer]

Europe 72 - Grateful Dead
Born to Run - Springsteen
Too many others are tied from here on

[John Toigo]

Hmmmm......

Electric LadyLand
Welcome to the Canteen
Surrealistic Pillow
Let it Bleed
Mar Y Sol


Just a few worth mentioning that weren't already

[Greg Peterson]

Rolling Stones - Exile on Mainstreet
Queen - Jazz
SRV - Couldn't Stand the Weather
Van Halen - Fair Warning
Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East
AC/DC - If You Want Blood
Cheap Trick - Budokan

[Doug Shepard]

Rolling Stones-Exile on Main Street
Derek and the Dominos-Layla - probably the best 2 guitar dual lead album every made. Clapton and Allman together were awesome.
CSNY - 4 Way Street
Led Zepellin III
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Not necessarily my favorite albums but you asked for the best Rock albums.

[Dave Gaul]

Any album from Led Zeppelin... Physical Graphitti is my favorite...

Also, more modern rock, Linkin Park's Meteora is incredible... Linkin Park is today's Led Zep to me...

[Mitchell Andrus]

Not in any particular order:

Spell Chech - Beetles
One Street to the West - Springteen and the F Street Band
Military Life - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
My Complicity - Judas Priest
Not In My Coffee - Cream
Can't Get It Off The Ground - Led Zeppelin
.

[Alan Trout]

AC/DC Back In BlacK
The Beatles Abbey Road
Cure Head On The Door
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV
David Bowie Scary Monsters
Steve Winwood Arc Of A Diver
Ozzy Osborn Blizzard Of Ozz
Dire Straits Dire Straits self titled
Roxy Music Avalon
The Kinks You Really Got Me
The Black Crows Shake Your Money Maker
Stevie Ray Vaughan Texas Flood
Nirvana Nevermind
ZZ Top El Loco

[Prashun Patel]

Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy or Physical Graffiti
Beatles - Abbey Road
Bowie- Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars
Rush - Permanent Waves or Moving Pictures
Police - Ghost in the Machine
Elton John - Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road

And if we wanna get into alt rock:

The Stone Roses (self-titled)...by a huge mile
The Cure - Staring at the Sea
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
REM - Life's Rich Pageant
Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual
Blur - The Great Escape
The Killers - Sam's Town

[Karl Card]

percy sledge - greatest hits
journey - evolution, infinity
sniff n the tears - best of
Molly Hatchet - molly hatchet
nazareth - hair of the dog

There are many more but these are the few that I really like every song on the album (cd).

[Jerome Hanby]

Order changes base on mood, but...

Elephant - White Stripes
Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan
I - IV - Led Zeppelin (no way to separate these four albums in my mind)
Abbey Road - The Beatles
Fragile - YES
Signals - Rush
August and Everything After - Counting Crows (really all their albums)
Southern Music Harmony Companion - Black Crows
The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life - Frank Zappa (live album, so maybe it shouldn't count)
The Road To Ensenada - Lyle Lovett (may not be rock, it's not really any other category either)

[David Weaver]

Led Zeppelin - I and II
Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Rush - 2112
Pink Floyd - Wall and Dark Side of the Moon
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gold and Platinum (I think that's a compilation)

[Rick Prosser]

I was never much into the albums -as such. Mostly individual songs. Really hated to have to buy an album for just a couple good songs...

These are the ones that I liked most/all of the songs on the album:

Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd
Toys in the Attic by Aerosmith
Appetite for Destruction by GNR
Alive! by KISS

[Eric DeSilva]

I'm going with:

London Calling, The Clash
Murmur, REM
Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
Exile on Main Street, Stones
The Velvet Underground & Nico

[Jim Tobias]

Sgt. Pepper - Beatles
Aqualung - JethroTull
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
Abbey Road - Beatles
WhiteAlbum - Beatles
Nevermind - Nirvana
Blind Faith - Blind Faith
Disraeli Gears - Cream
My Feet are Smiling - Leo Kottke
Live in Europe - Otis Redding

[George Beck]

Fleetwood Mac-Rumors
Beach Boys- Pet Sounds
The Beatles- Rubber Soul
The Beatles- Abby Road
The Doors-Strange Days
Bob Dylan-Highway 61 revisited

A few favs

[Kent A Bathurst]

The Who, Who's Next
Little Feat, Feats Dont fail me now
Aerosmith, Rocks
Bruce Springsteen, Born To Run
Chris Isaak, Forever Blue, actually anything from Chris Isaak

Pete Townsend's,Empty Glass

honorable mentions: Dire Straits, Money for nothing.

Joe- You're killing me here. Too much of my mis-spent youth was at Feat concerts.

Cannot argue with Feats Don't Fail Me. But I cannot walk away from Dixie Chicken, either - for studio albums. I'm torn. Live - Fat Man in the Bathtub from Waiting for Columbus is at the top of my list as #1 recorded song ever.

Boss - Born To Run, of course.

Jim T is in there also with Aqualung [the other half of my mis-spent youth was Tull concerts] and Blind Faith.

And Prashun - Ziggy. Definitely. Back in the vinyl days. Wore out - literally WORE OUT - two copies.

You non-heavy-metal guys are in the zone.

Kent

[Chris Padilla]

Led Zeppelin III
Yes - 90125
Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Def Leppard - Pyromania

[Prashun Patel]

Ziggy. Definitely. Back in the vinyl days. Wore out - literally WORE OUT - two copies.


and I think Rock and Roll Suicide would be on my top 5 songs of all time too.

[Karl Card]

Fleetwood Mac-Rumors
Beach Boys- Pet Sounds
The Beatles- Rubber Soul
The Beatles- Abby Road
The Doors-Strange Days
Bob Dylan-Highway 61 revisited

A few favs


seeing bob dylan on there made me think about I usually hate remakes of songs.. but I love knocking on heavens door by bob and also like the version by gnr just as much... so different but so good...

[Chris Kennedy]

In no particular order:

Guns 'n Roses: Appetite for Destruction
Metallica: Ride the Lightning
Nightwish: Once
Disturbed: Invincible
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV

Ask me in ten minutes, and I'll probably have a different list.

Cheers,

Chris

[Jerome Hanby]

seeing bob dylan on there made me think about I usually hate remakes of songs.. but I love knocking on heavens door by bob and also like the version by gnr just as much... so different but so good...
GNR did whole album of remakes, The Spagetti Incident. I liked all the covers, especially a T-Rex number, Buick McCaine (sp?). I liked their take on Live and Let Die too (I didn't really care for the original Wings version).

I think the best remake album is Acid Eaters by the Ramones.

[Mike Zilis]

Rush - Moving Pictures
Kansas - Leftoverture
Boston - Don't Look Back
Journey - Escape
Van Halen - Van Halen II

[Shawn Pixley]

No order:

Let it Bleed -Rolling Stones
London Calling - The Clash
All Mod Cons - Th Jam
Imperial Bedroom - Elvis Costello
Tim- The Replacements

Really there too many to list. Five is an inadequate number.

[Pat Keefe]

AC/DC - Powerrage
Led Zeppelin - IV
Metallica - Kill 'em All
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
Whitesnake - Whitesnake

A bit eclectic, but it stops music being boring:)

[Harlan Coverdale]

Rush - Moving Pictures
Kansas - Leftoverture
Boston - Don't Look Back
Journey - Escape
Van Halen - Van Halen II

I've got too many favorites to pick just five, but if I had to go on a long car trip with only these five I'd be just fine. :) Maybe replace the Boston with one of several Yes albums. Or Pink Floyd or Genesis. Or maybe Chicago. Or Steely Dan. See what I mean? Too many favorites.

[Prashun Patel]

I gotta give an honorable mention to:

Meatloaf - Bat out of Hell

[David Weaver]

Rush - Moving Pictures
Kansas - Leftoverture
Boston - Don't Look Back
Journey - Escape
Van Halen - Van Halen II

I wanted to say Kansas earlier, but I couldn't think of an album name and I think my kansas albums are best ofs.

Kansas had a huge influence on progressive metal, which I left out of my list of albums, but which to me is the music that gets old the fastest.

For the non-metal heads, progressive metal is way different than progressive jazz, and much more melodic than the metal most people are used to.

[Kent A Bathurst]

and I think Rock and Roll Suicide would be on my top 5 songs of all time too.

Chev brakes are snarlin
As you stumble across the road
But the day breaks instead

OTOH - Hey, Droogie, don't crash here, There's only room for one.......

[Randy Walker]

Yes to all of the above and sooooooo.....much more. How about
Pat Benatar, best shots
Allman Bro. all of them plus Duane and Gregs stuff
Tears for Fears ,Songs from the big chair
Greatful Dead, most of them
Genesis (cant remember)
Santana, Smooth and more.
I can add another 30 to 40 "favorites" too, and dont get me started on blues stuff.

Albert King
B.B. King
ect...ect...ect...http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon10.gif

Randy Walker

[Neil Brooks]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, you guys.

GREAT stuff.

I couldn't add, and and wouldn't subtract ... a thing from all your contributions.

You all got that big MP3 player in my mind just a-rockin out !

But ... somewhere along the way ... I sort of became a Dead Head (I see at least two of you, here !), so ... the other stuff ... gets short shrift :)

[Bill Cunningham]

Pink Floyd - Wall and Dark Side of the Moon

I can't think of any others I would use to check out a new sound system.. When the police show up, you just KNOW your neighbors appreciate it:D

[rick carpenter]

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Parallel Lines
Social Distortion
Don't Tell a Soul
(any Cure)
New Order: Live in Glasgow
Highway 61 Revisited
Sounds of Silence

in no particular order

[Pat Germain]

The Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon
The Mac, Rumors
Rush, Moving Pictures
Rish, Signals
Dire Straights, Brothers in Arms
Counting Crows, August and Everything After
John Cougar Mellencamp, The Lonesome Jubilee
Zeppelin II
AC/DC, Highway to Hell

[Dave Woods]

I'm on a Springsteen run right now. I love Born to Run, but Live From Dublin is pretty sweet. It's cool how this guy can be the quintessential American rocker, go to Dublin and bust out an album that is a soulful as the country he's in and still feel completely American rock.

[Keith Harrell]

Stevie Ray Vaughan.

[Zach Callum]

What about, "The Band"? I can't believe no one has mentioned them yet. They put out a lot of good music, its hard to pick just one. Be sure to check out Levon Helms new stuff, 70 yrs old and still sounding great!

[Mike Cutler]

Great lists!!!

One album I see missing, or I missed it, is Frampton Comes Alive.

David Weaver;
Kansas. Point of no Return.

[Keith Harrell]

Just listened to Eric Clapton crossroads festival and loved ZZ tops close

[Jerome Hanby]

What about, "The Band"? I can't believe no one has mentioned them yet. They put out a lot of good music, its hard to pick just one. Be sure to check out Levon Helms new stuff, 70 yrs old and still sounding great!
I know the Last Waltz is best "real" music documentary I've seen. Best ever would be Almost Famous, but it's a slightly warped, pseudo-fictional account of the Cameron Crowe traveling with the Allman Brothers just as they were becoming "big".