Rock and roll has a long, storied history.
From the early days when it was considered the Devil’s music to 2019 when it’s considered mainstream, there are very few albums that have truly left their mark on society.
Listed below are 9 of the best rock albums of all time. These are the true masterpieces that have helped shape and mold us from our youth into adulthood and have carried their own weight for generations. Check the Turntable Guide Reviews for some more interesting insight into the genre of rock music.
#9 – Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
From the funk opening of Custard Pie to the intense tempo changes during In My Time Of Dying, Led Zeppelin has secured their spot in the #10 place on our list.
The mix of acoustics and country-rock style helped propel Physical Graffiti to the top of charts shortly after it was released. By far, the best song on the album is Kashmir. It’s also one of the most known Zeppelin songs ever produced.
#8 – Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast
The Number of The Beast is widely regarded as one of the best heavy metal albums to ever grace our vinyl shelves. It, by itself, helped turn Iron Maiden into a household name and pushed them to the top 10 charts across the world.
When you’re looking for some of the finest metal that has ever been produced, the songs contained in The Number Of The Beast have exactly what you need.
#7 – AC/DC – Powerage
Powerage was titled as one of the best rock albums during the entire 1970s.
If you grew up during the 70s and didn’t hear about it, you may have been forced to listen to country or mainstream and weren’t allowed to listen to real music.
The album was sent to the top of the charts with two main titles: Highway To Hell and Let There Be Rock. Riff Raff, What’s Next To The Moon, and Gone Shootin’ are just a couple more chart-toppers that helped secure the #8 spot on our list for AC/DC.
#6 – The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Throughout the 60s, there was no bigger band worldwide than The Beatles. They travelled stages around the world, helping shift mainstream perceptions on what freedom and equality meant.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is, arguably, one of their most successful records. Smash hits such as Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever helped keep it at the top of the charts for nearly 10 years.
#5 – Led Zeppelin – IV
When it comes to direct impact, endurance, and intrinsic Led Zeppelin, you’re not going to find a better album than IV. As their fourth record, it’s also one of their most popular and widely admired.
From Stairway To Heaven and The Battle Of Evermore, the vocals to the heavy riffs, there aren’t many people on Planet Earth that haven’t heard one of the songs off of this album.
#4 – Metallica – Master Of Puppets
This is, by far, one of the heaviest metal albums we’ve featured. It secured its place in the world’s Top 20 Metal Albums of all time and helped transform the band from relatively known to the world’s stage.
Master of Puppets is uncompromising and completely uncompromised on every song that graced its lineup. From the riffs to the heavy vocals, double bass drums, and bass lines, you’ll be carried through the opening bars all the way to the end.
#3 – AC/DC – Back In Black
As the 1980s rolled in, AC/DC hit with a bang.
Their Back In Black album came on the heels of Bon Scott being found dead in his car in South London. Topping their previous records with Highway To Hell, Back In Black kept them in the top 20 for another decade.
The band dedicated the entire album to Bon and you can feel it in each song on the list.
#2 – Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction
Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite For Destruction is one of the best-selling albums of all-time. With more than 30 million sales across the world, it helped shift modern rock into what we know it as today.
Welcome To The Jungle is one of the most widely known songs on the CD, but Appetite of Destruction and Sweet Child O’ Mine helped keep the CD playing on radios around the world for nearly all of the 1980s.
#1 – Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon
Topping our list, nearly every metal band today has been influenced by Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon. The album has been featured on more than a dozen different big-screen movies and is still used throughout television shows today.
The long, melodic tunes were considered groundbreaking and way ahead of their time, making the album truly timeless and able to stand toe to toe with some of the greatest rock albums ever released.
What’s the best rock album of all time?
This is something only you can decide.
After ranking them based on the number of albums sold and active listeners, we still know that picking the best rock album of all time is an incredibly personal choice.
Hopefully, the ten listed here will help you change up your Pandora or Spotify, or even add a few new physical albums to your arsenal.
