# What is the best rock album of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114 "2007-05-22T18:45:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/61 "2007-05-23T14:32:26Z")
I’ll nominate Layla (and other assorted love songs) by Derek and the Dominos. ---
**Author:** ![PlasticCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@PlasticCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlasticCloud)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/62 "2007-05-23T15:16:35Z")
I’d thought for sure that _Nevermind_, _We’re Only In It For the Money_, _Never Mind the Bollocks…_, and _OK Computer_ were sure to be mentioned by now! As soon as a contrarian comes in and nominates _Trout Mask Replica_ by **Captain Beefheart** (or maybe _Mirror Man_), the circle will be complete. :dubious: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/63 "2007-05-23T15:25:28Z")
The Stooges _Fun House_ is the greatest pure rock record of all time. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/64 "2007-05-23T15:26:43Z")
[QUOTE=PlasticCloud] I’d thought for sure that _Nevermind_ [/QUOTE] I was thinking of that. Certainly one of the greats, but no way does it beat out Abbey Road, Dark Side, and Zep IV. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/65 "2007-05-23T15:36:52Z")
Parts of Abbey Road seem too poppy, though. Octopus’s Garden? Here Comes the Sun? ---
**Author:** ![PlasticCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@PlasticCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlasticCloud)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/66 "2007-05-23T15:38:42Z")
[QUOTE=vibrotronica] The Stooges _Fun House_ is the greatest pure rock record of all time. [/QUOTE] This, along with _VU and Nico_, _Are You Experienced_, and _Marquee Moon_ (all mentioned above), I can really get behind. And their first album isn’t too shabby either. Certainly far better than any LP that fellow Detroiters the MC5 ever cut. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/67 "2007-05-23T15:54:36Z")
The first three that popped into my head: AC/DC – Back in Black. Led Zep – IV G n f’n R – Appetite for Destruction ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/68 "2007-05-23T16:10:48Z")
Depends on your definition of “rock”. Even though some would say they don’t really “rock”, the one album not mentioned yet that’s at the top of my list would be **Steely Dan**'s _Katy Lied_ . In your more conventional rock genre: _Quadrophenia_ – While _Who’s Next_ is truly a magnificent effort, nothing starts my head a-shakin’ like “The Real Me”. _Dark Side of the Moon_ – goes without saying. _Rocket to Russia_ – No love yet for **The Ramones**? Their influence cannot be dismissed. Although _Road to Ruin_ is probably better from a technical standpoint, _Rocket_ launched punk into the mainstream consciousness (at least I think so-YMMV.) _Every Picture Tells a Story_ – Wore this one out when I was a teenager and still love it today! Rock on, **Rod**! _War_ – I am shocked (shocked!) that no one has mentioned **U2** yet! As far as **The Beatles** are concerned, being a huge fan, there’s just too much excellence in their body of work to choose one album, but if I had to, I’d go with _Abbey Road_ . ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/69 "2007-05-23T16:57:25Z")
Zeppelin IV, without doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/70 "2007-05-23T17:20:29Z")
I’ll add my name to the _London Calling_ list as #1. I’ll also add U2 _The Joshua Tree_ to the others on the list of contenders. ---
**Author:** ![PlasticCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@PlasticCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlasticCloud)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/71 "2007-05-23T19:42:21Z")
Over in the Fuddrucker’s thread, Trunk [posted](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8604377&postcount=9) something I kind of agree with, and I would alter it slightly to apply to music: [QUOTE=Trunk] I’ll mostly stay off my soapbox about this stuff, but it really drives me crazy that people… get all hyped up, and give a ton of free publicity to a **n**** album** that doesn’t need it. [/quote] The day I agree that a bunch of magpies like Led Zeppelin made the ‘best rock album ever’ is the day that I agree that Fuddrucker’s makes the best burger in the world. :eek: (although judging from Trunk’s response below, he might not agree 🆒 ) But for what it’s worth, and to perhaps stir up a little discussion, I would say that as far as mainstream artists go, **David Bowie’s** _The Man Who Sold the World_ rocks harder and heavier, and is more of a mindf\*ck, than pretty much anything Zeppelin ever did. And this comes from someone who likes LZ and has all their albums. I just don’t think they’re on the same level as, say, Black Sabbath, whose first five albums IMHO also put LZ in the shade. Of course, it’s all subjective… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/72 "2007-05-23T20:27:59Z")
All of my contenders but one have been named already. George Harrison, _All Things Must Pass_. It isn’t exactly rock n’ roll, but whatever it is, it’s great. ---
**Author:** ![BlakeTyner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@BlakeTyner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakeTyner)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/73 "2007-05-23T20:42:21Z")
I was born after Led Zep and the Beatles, so my personal pick has to be _Nevermind_ I think that, in general, you have Nirvana people and Pearl Jam people, and while I’m not a fan (at all) of Pearl Jam, I do respect their contribution to getting the 80’s hair metal off the airwaves, but it takes “Even Flow”; “Alive”; and “Jeremy” all combined to even approach what “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is alone. I can’t speak for the Pearl Jam album as a whole, because I’ve never listened to the non-single tracks, but there really isn’t a bad song on Nirvana’s album. There are some that I generally skip when I listen to _In Utero_ but none that I skip on _Nevermind_. Oddly, I don’t think _Nevermind_ is Nirvana’s best work, though. Their genius album was _Unplugged_. Obviously, the above is all MHO. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/74 "2007-05-23T22:36:18Z")
I’ll stay away from my usual nomination of British folk-rock for this thread. Most of the best have already been mentioned, but I’d have to include The Byrds, probably “Younger Than Yesterday” or “Greatest Hits.” Also, “Live at Yankee Stadium” by NRBQ. And “Benefit” and “Thick as a Brick” by Jethro Tull. And with all the mentions of “Abbey Road” and “Revolver” (the latter of which I love; the former not so much), how about “Rubber Soul?” ---
**Author:** ![PlasticCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@PlasticCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlasticCloud)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/75 "2007-05-23T22:48:54Z")
[QUOTE=kelly5078] I’ll stay away from my usual nomination of British folk-rock for this thread. [/quote] Why? Fairport, Davy Graham, Forest, ISB, Trees and Comus need love too! Especially Comus–evil, dark Comus… [QUOTE=kelly5078] Most of the best have already been mentioned, but I’d have to include The Byrds, probably “Younger Than Yesterday” or “Greatest Hits.” [/QUOTE] For the Byrds, _Younger Than Yesterday_ is a real nice choice. Even though a lot of folks will try to push \*Sweetheart of the Rodeo \*(which is good and all), to me \*The Notorious Byrd Brothers \*has to top the list, thanks in no small part to Gary usher. > [@](#): > > And with all the mentions of “Abbey Road” and “Revolver” (the latter of which I love; the former not so much), how about “Rubber Soul?” I’m with you on Abbey Road. It’s just not as good as their best, which to me are _Revolver_, _A Hard Day’s Night_, _Rubber Soul_, and _Please Please Me_ (in pretty much that order). ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114/76 "2007-05-23T23:38:31Z")
[QUOTE=kelly5078] And “Benefit” and “Thick as a Brick” by Jethro Tull. [/QUOTE] Mmmmmm . . . Thick as a Brick is one of my all-time favorites. **pops it in the CD player** I know it’s been said already, but there are so many genres that have their genesis in “rock and roll,” that it’s pretty hard to come up with _the_ best. In the prog category, I would definitely nominate **The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway** by Genesis as #1. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-rock-album-of-all-time/405114.md?page=3)