Which band best typifies "hard rock"?

Cafe Society
181

That’s a really good idea.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness

182

I like that the scale goes up to 11.

183

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram by Ram Jam recently popped up on my YouTube recommendations and upon playing it, I think that outside of AC/DC and possibly Boston and Heart, it fits as the best album typifying Hard Rock.

I’m not sure if this will play the album for everyone since YouTube like to break albums into tracks for more ad opportunities, but here is the first track.

184

The Ram Jam album is fine, but not close to best hard rock album in my opinion.

Here are my picks:

  1. Guns N’ Roses - Appetite for Destruction
  2. Van Halen - Van Halen
  3. The Who - Who’s Next
  4. Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
  5. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
  6. Van Halen - 1984
  7. The Who - Quadrophenia
  8. Molly Hatchet - Flirtin’ with Disaster
  9. Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
  10. AC/DC - Highway to Hell

As for best hard rock band, I’d go with Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin in order.

185

What, no Deep Purple? Surely Smoke on the Water is almost a definition of “hard rock”?

186

To get a stronger female presence in the list, I’ll add Pat Benatar. Most of her stuff is pretty hard rock.

187

I was going to give you a “Yep, 100%”, then I read:

And then I thought, “Yep, 100%”. Well, except for Smoke on the Water which no one needs to hear again. Put on Deep Purple in Rock or Fireball for proof. I left off Machine Head because of…well, you know. Go to Guitar Center on a busy Saturday if you really want to hear it.

188

Yeah, I could put Deep Purple in there. My list of great hard rock albums is also iffy - on second thought, Quadrophenia is NOT a hard rock album, just one of my favorite Who albums.

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

189

Right, Smoke is one of those iconic things that can only be done once.

Purple at their best were very capable musicians who produced music that has never quite been replicated. But didn’t really leave a “legacy”… they didn’t exactly ‘create’ Heavy Metal or other genres…

190

There again, 5:15 rocks like hell, I’d say!

191

Yep! However, “Sea and Sand”, not so much. Still love the song though.

192

I dunno, I would describe “Sea And Sand” as a guitar-riff driven rock song, with some quieter moments.

193

AC/DC, there is really no need for discussion.

And it is not true that they made 11 albums that all sound the same, they made 12.

Here’s how Angus Young reacted to the criticism regarding the sound of AC/DC album:

“I’m sick to death of people saying we’ve made 11 albums that sound exactly the same. In fact, we’ve made 12 albums that sound exactly the same.”

Here’s How Angus Young Reacts To Claims That AC/DC’s All Albums Sound Like The Same - Metalhead Zone

194

One hard rock album you don’t hear much about is Cheap Trick’s debut album. It rocks! I’ve probably played it a thousand times. Sadly, they later changed their style to make them more radio-friendly.

195

But they always stayed on the good side of radio-friendly with their power pop and never sold out.

196

Agreed. Don’t write them off if you haven’t heard any of their releases from the past 30 years.

197

Grand Funk Railroad. OK, not the best musicians, not the best songwriters, but they were LOUD and really put on a great show when I saw them. Every song was rock and roll, no ballads.

198

Your post reminded me of the Steppenwolf song Born To Be Wild when they sing about “heavy metal thunder.” Does anyone remember which three bands were considered the originators of heavy metal? I believe it was Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, but I can’t remember who the third band was.

I saw Deep Purple mid to late 70s. They were the openers. Highway Star kicked ass!!! So did their whole set. They blew away the headliners whoever they were,maybe Kansas, or one of the other popular bands at that time.

199

Led Zeppelin. Together, the “unholy trinity”

200

If I were to come up with a distinction, “hard rock” tends to be about sex, drugs, and rock & roll where as “heavy metal” tends to invoke the occult, spiritualism, philosophy, literature, or weird and esoteric topics. Or it’s just “hard as shit” so you just know.

For example:

MORE METAL

Slayer
Metallica
Iron Maiden
Led Zeppelin
AC/DC
Kiss
Motley Crue
The Who
The Rolling Stones

MORE HARD ROCK