# Quintessential classic rock albums **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 20, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166 "2010-03-20T20:22:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/1 "2010-03-20T20:22:42Z")
I was killing time the other day in a coffee-purveying establishment that was playing a classic rock channel on the in-store radio, and “Maggie May” came on. “What a great album,” thought I of _Every Picture Tells a Story_, “not a bad song on it.” That got me thinking about whether it should be considered one of the quintessential albums of classic rock or not. Which means, of course, that we need to compile the list of the top ten quintessential albums of classic rock. Note that these may or may not be your favorite albums, or may or may not even be by your favorite artists – but they’re the albums that you can’t understand the music of the late '60s and early '70s without. My list so far: 1. _Sticky Fingers_ 2. _Abbey Road_ 3. _Who’s Next_ 4. _Dark Side of the Moon_ 5. _Layla_ Those five are absolutely on the list. The next three I think belong on the list, but I’d be willing to discuss the possibility that something else should be subsituted in for one of them. If you want to add another album, you need to specify which of these should come off the list. 1. _Every Picture Tells a Story_ 2. _Crosby Stills and Nash_ 3. _American Beauty/Workingman’s Dead_ (All these years later, I still don’t understand why these were released separately – they function perfectly as a double album and I am happy to pretend that they actually were.) I’m really undecided about the last two, but the following candidates have occurred to me: _Blonde on Blonde_ _Hotel California_ _The Doors_ _Disraeli Gears_ _Blind Faith_ _Music from Big Pink_ And one final note: I consider The Allman Brothers _Live at the Fillmore_ and Joe Cocker’s _Mad Dogs and Englishmen_ both damn close to perfect albums, and I can still listen to both of them repeatedly with enormous delight (which is very far from the case with most of these – I’m emphatically not an oldies listener in general), but I’m not sure if either of them belongs on the list. So – whaddya think? (Note: If you need to specify an artist, it probably doesn’t belong on the list. 😛 ) ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/2 "2010-03-20T21:02:56Z")
I’ve always preferred ‘Wish You Were Here’ to ‘Dark Side of the Moon’. Songs from Sun Street - The Saw Doctors. Dare - Human League Blowin your mind - Van Morrison Silk Degrees - Boz Scaggs Pet Sounds - no need to name the artist Revolver - Beatles Park Life - Blur Ziggy Stardust Goodbye Yellow Brick road Paralell Lines - no need to name the artist Blue - should be no need to name the artist, but for the musicly uneducated, it was Joni Mitchell Thriller Appetite for destruction - you should know this. Songs in the key of life - another you shold know Innervisions - you should know this one too. Sexual healing untitled. but usually known as their fourth work IV - you should know this. AJA - another you should know Harvest - I’m giving up on clues now. Brothers in arms Hunky Dory Toys in the attic Talking book Jailbreak Band on the run American Pie Piano Man Tea for the tillerman Equinoxe Tubular bells Bat out of Hell Bridge over troubled water Bookends Tapestry Purple Rain The Bends Music for the Jilted Generation ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/3 "2010-03-20T21:04:03Z")
My 10, which includes a lot of the same artists, but with mostly different albums. Also, I tried not to duplicate artists or it’s be easy to fill slots 1-7 with Beatles albums: 1. Sgt. Pepper 2. Tommy 3. Highway 61 Revisited 4. Let It Bleed 5. Born to Run 6. Dark Side of the Moon 7. IV or ZoSo or whatever you want to call it 8. American Beauty 9. Tres Hombres 10. Raw Power I don’t even like some of those albums, but I think many of them were genre-defining shifts within the broader category of classic rock, while others simply have incredible staying power. Other albums I considered, in addition to the ones listed in the OP, were Pet Sounds, Anarchy in the UK, and Radio City. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/4 "2010-03-20T21:14:33Z")
Interesting list, **Casdave** , but can you get it down to ten? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/5 "2010-03-20T21:40:01Z")
1. _Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-erd_ 2. _Led Zeppelin IV_ 3. _The Doors_ 4. _Are you Experienced?_ 5. - Pearl\* 6. _The Wall_ 7. _Who’s Next_ 8. _Tattoo You_ 9. _The White Album_ 10. _Bayou Country_–may be a little obscure, but I love me some CCR. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/6 "2010-03-20T21:41:40Z")
In no particular order: Abbey Road Back in Black Dark Side of the Moon Are You Experienced? Led Zeppelin 1 Not Fragile Paranoid What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been Boston Morrison Hotel ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/7 "2010-03-20T22:54:02Z")
> [@I'm Not Dennis Bergkamp](#): > > 1. Sgt. Pepper > 2. Tommy > 3. Highway 61 Revisited > 4. Let It Bleed > 5. Born to Run > 6. Dark Side of the Moon > 7. IV or ZoSo or whatever you want to call it > 8. American Beauty > 9. Tres Hombres > 10. Raw Power I like this list a lot. I’d take out Tres Hombres and MAYBE Born to Run, and add White Light / White Heat by Velvet Underground, and Everybody Knows This is Nowhere by Neil Young & Crazy Horse. I’m finding it hard to keep it to 10. ETA : Shit, no Hendrix? Screw it, it’s impossible. Make it top 15, at least… Joe ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/8 "2010-03-20T23:25:54Z")
Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East Abbey Road Let it Bleed Are You Experienced? The Band Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround John Barleycorn Must Die Blonde on Blonde Tommy Woodstock Procol Harum (first album) Meddle Led Zeppelin IV A Night at the Opera Aqualung Layla Disraeli Gears Ladies of the Canyon Moondance Mott We’re Only In It for the Money The Notorious Byrd Brothers Workingman’s Dead ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/9 "2010-03-21T00:12:07Z")
AC/DC - **Back in Black** Aerosmith - **Rocks** Beatles - **Abbey Road** Cream - **Disraeli Gears** Creedence Clearwater Revival - **Green River \*\* Deep Purple - Machine Head Doors - L.A. Woman Jim Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? Jethro Tull -** Aqaulung\*\* **Led Zeppelin IV** (“Zoso”) Moody Blues - **Days of Future Passed \*\* Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers Yes-** Fragile\*\* ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/10 "2010-03-21T02:11:35Z")
The Cars? The Cars Complete Greatest Hits? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/11 "2010-03-21T02:34:55Z")
My top ten, in no particular order; _War Pigs_ - Black Sabbath _Led Zeppelin IV_ - Led Zeppelin _Who’s Next_ - The Who _Bat Out of Hell_ - Meat Loaf _The Doors_ - The Doors _Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs_ - Derek and the Dominos _Dark Side of the Moon_ - Pink Floyd _The Ramones_ - The Ramones _Moving Pictures_ - Rush _Eliminator_ - ZZ Top ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/12 "2010-03-21T02:38:47Z")
_Rumours_ - Fleetwood Mac _The Stranger_ - Billy Joel ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/13 "2010-03-21T03:24:55Z")
_The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society_ _London Calling_ by the Clash _My Aim Is True_ by Elvis Costello _St. Louis to Liverpool_ by Chuck Berry _What’s Going On_ by Marvin Gaye ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/14 "2010-03-21T04:11:18Z")
_Abraxsas_ should be in there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/15 "2010-03-21T13:23:06Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East > Abbey Road > Let it Bleed > Are You Experienced? > The Band > Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround > John Barleycorn Must Die > Blonde on Blonde > Tommy > Woodstock > Procol Harum (first album) > Meddle > Led Zeppelin IV > A Night at the Opera > Aqualung > Layla > Disraeli Gears > Ladies of the Canyon > Moondance > Mott > We’re Only In It for the Money > The Notorious Byrd Brothers > Workingman’s Dead Okay, now cut it down to 10. That’s what makes it challenging. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/16 "2010-03-21T15:17:53Z")
There should be a _Steppenwolf_ album in my top ten, probably _Live_. Maybe _Monster_ ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/17 "2010-03-21T16:04:55Z")
OK, I’ll give it a shot. **Beatles** - Revolver **The Who** - Who’s Next **Springsteen** - Born To Run **Jethro Tull** - Aqualung **Rolling Stones** - Sticky Fingers **Cream** - Disraeli Gears **Boston** - Boston **Traffic** - Low Spark of High Heeled Boys **Led Zeppelin** - Led Zeppelin II **Supertramp** - Crime of the Century ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/18 "2010-03-21T16:20:37Z")
I find it hard to believe that only one person has listed Fleetwood Mac’s _Rumors_. Practically the whole album was released as singles! Another album that I have a soft spot for is _Never Mind the Bullocks: It’s the Sex Pistols_ but no one has mentioned it (and with a release in 1977, I would think that it’s outside of the “early 70s” requirement. What do you mean exactly by the “late 60s and early '70s”? Judging from some of the responses, the two extremes seem to be 1967 (Cream’s _Disraeli Gears_) to 1981 in the UK or 1982 in the US (Human League’s _Dare_). I am going to take the term as meaning 1967 through 1974 and suggest the following within these dates: 1. SPLHCB - Beatles 2. Exile on Main Street - Rolling Stones 3. Moondance - Van Morrison 4. Disraeli Gears - Cream 5. The Doors - The Doors 6. Machine Head - Deep Purple 7. The Eagles - The Eagles 8. IV/Zoso - Led Zeppelin 9. Who’s Next - The Who 10. Autobahn - Kraftwerk By no means a “Top Ten” - I could easily make it a top 20! The whole “singer/songwriter” phase of popular music really put a dent into the idea of “rock” in the early '70s, too… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/19 "2010-03-21T18:33:32Z")
> [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > What do you mean exactly by the “late 60s and early '70s”? Judging from some of the responses, the two extremes seem to be 1967 (Cream’s _Disraeli Gears_) to 1981 in the UK or 1982 in the US (Human League’s _Dare_). As the OP – I had in mind, say, '65-'75, so would definitely exclude the Human League – and also, reluctantly, Elvis Costello. I’d also knock out Joni Mitchell as not “rock.” I’m thinking of turning this into a poll, using as entries any album mentioned by somone who make a good-faith effort to keep their lists to 10 or 12. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166/20 "2010-03-22T11:02:50Z")
**twickster** : What do you mean by quintessential? If you’re saying that they needn’t be albums that you necessarily like, how do you judge them? By how much they influenced others? By how much they represented the times? By their cultural significance? Should they be defining examples of particular cultural movements, such as psychedelia, heavy metal, and folk? By how many other people you think like them? The best album by the best artists? Are you looking at the albums as representing the artist’s best achievement, or as a summation of what they achieved? If the latter, a ‘best of’ would probably be ideal. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin are examples of artists who are probably thought to have defined that period, but isolating the album that is the most significant might be difficult. We’ve already had Revolver, Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road from the Beatles. White Light/White Heat is an interesting example because it didn’t sell much at the time, but eventually has come to be seen as very influential on future musicians, whereas Sgt Pepper was influential at the time, but not so much now. Which qualifies? So many questions, so few answers. PS Although I too love ‘Every Picture’, is Rod Stewart a defining 60s/70s cultural figure? I don’t think he really qualifies. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quintessential-classic-rock-albums/533166.md?page=2)