Definitions aren’t really much fun to read, but at least one is necessary for present purposes. Just what the hell is “classic rock?” It’s rock that’s classic. Well, it’s rock music from a certain era, and usually (but now always) of a certain sound. See rock music from the 1960s and ‘70s, almost always with an electric guitar in the mix, and with a certain amount of punchiness musically and lyrically… but not always.
Just going by radio-friendly rock would mean looking at pop rock more than classic rock, and here, all sorts of rock are worth including when trying to rank the best such albums definitively. Below, there’s some punk rock, progressive rock, pop rock, and art rock. Albums that are more pop than rock may not be included (Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys is obviously awesome, but doesn’t really feel like “rock” music), and also, there’s a limit of one album per artist, in the interest of keeping things varied and not dominated by a handful of particularly elite groups/singers.
25
‘All Things Must Pass’ (1970)
George Harrison
George Harrison was in a little band called The Beatles throughout the 1960s, though he got overshadowed a little, since John Lennon and Paul McCartney (initially writing together, but less so as the years went on) tended to have the most songs on any given Beatles album, writing/singing-wise. So, it’s not as surprising that Harrison was able to release probably the best of all the solo Beatles albums not long after the band’s dissolution, with All Things Must Pass… a triple album, no less.
What a triple album, though. Some of the songs here were written while The Beatles were still active, so the album as a whole serves as a good argument for the idea that George Harrison (maybe because he was the youngest) got a bit overlooked by the other Beatles. Lennon and McCartney also released some great solo albums, and Ringo Starr remained active in his own Ringo-y way, but All Things Must Pass does feel like it trumps all the other albums the other members did, once The Beatles broke up.
24
‘Berlin’ (1973)
Lou Reed
Lou Reed’s Berlin is so distressing an album, and so brutally downbeat, that including it in a ranking of great classic rock albums feels a bit strange, but it belongs here if you’re willing to stretch your definition of “classic rock” a little. It’s on the slow side of things, even by art rock standards, but the approach is fitting when the whole album tells a horrifically downbeat story of two people, once in love, experiencing their lives falling apart for a whole host of reasons.
It feels like an album penned by someone who was going through some stuff, though Reed channels difficult emotions well here, and does transform them into something genuinely artistic. He’s one of the few artists in this ranking who kind of gets to be featured here twice, since he was also a member of a soon-to-be-mentioned band before his solo career, but as far as his solo albums go, Berlin is his masterpiece (yes, even more so than the much breezier – and admittedly still great – Transformer).
23
‘Rumours’ (1977)
Fleetwood Mac
One of the gentler entries here, Rumours is more of a soft/pop rock album, truth be told, but it’s also legendary enough that it feels worth mentioning. It’s the definitive Fleetwood Mac album, which is saying quite a bit, but really is the one that showcases the band’s strengths at their strongest, even though it was famously written and recorded at a tumultuous time for the members of said band.
Rumours is often about falling out of love, but with enough energy that it never feels too depressing or heavy. There’s an unusual balance here, with a good deal of the album sounding upbeat musically while also being sometimes bitter lyrically, yet it works really well; better than you might expect. Rumours is one of those classic albums that’s a little front-loaded, truth be told, or maybe something of a drop-off is inevitable, for the last four songs, when track #7 is as good as “The Chain.”
22
‘A Night at the Opera’ (1975)
Queen
It’s a bit hard to reckon with the fact that Queen’s A Night at the Opera turned 50 in 2025, but then again, it’s hard to say how old it feels. The music here doesn’t sound modern necessarily, nor older than the release year of 1975 would suggest, since the whole thing is drifting out of time and unequivocally its own thing. It’s timeless, but in a slightly more unexpected way than most timeless albums.
A Night at the Opera is also the Queen album that has “Bohemian Rhapsody” on it, which makes it fairly easy to single out as the band’s greatest album, but there are other highs here too, of course. Still, that song has become iconic for good reason, and it’s a neat summation of just how eclectic this particular album is, alongside how Queen, as a rock band, generally were.
21
‘Horses’ (1975)
Patti Smith
Speaking of legendary albums that turned 50 in 2025, here’s Horses, by Patti Smith. As an artist, she did peak here, with her debut, but that’s understandable when the debut in question is so damn good. It’s also hard to break down exactly what genre this is, or what kind of rock it should be classified as, but it has that rock-and-roll spirit, and it’s also exceptionally poetic and lyrically engaging.
Everything going on here coalesces into something great, and you know you’re in good hands when the opening track, “Gloria,” really takes off (a cover/re-working of a song by Them). The momentum is sustained past that point, too, even on the tracks where Horses decides to slow down a little. The whole thing works if you want something to zone out to, and then it’s also exceptional – and rewarding – if you’re willing to give it a more careful/intense listen, too.
20
‘The Doors’ (1967)
The Doors
The self-titled album by The Doors (the band’s first, and comfortably the best) really understands how to best pace a classic rock album. The opening track, “Break On Through (To the Other Side),” is appropriately bold and good at establishing the album’s tone, then another highlight, “Light My Fire,” comes right around the halfway mark, and things conclude with the epic-length – and fittingly named – “The End,” right at the end.
It’s one of the older albums mentioned here, and a truly definitive/groundbreaking one, therefore, for rock music in general. “The End” is the track that most rewrote what rock music was, or was capable of doing, but the rest of the album is also pretty immense and forward-thinking for something that’s almost 60 years old. Lots of The Doors is still eerie, tense, and mind-expanding, and those qualities will likely remain – and continue to be heard – within this album as further years/decades march on.
19
‘Raw Power’ (1973)
Iggy and The Stooges
What the self-titled album by The Doors did for rock, Raw Power did for punk. This is one of three super important albums by Iggy and The Stooges that defined much of what punk rock would sound like once it got popular later in the 1970s, and though many would point to Fun House as being the most significant of the three original Iggy and The Stooges albums… nah. It’s Raw Power.
This is one of the most appropriately named albums of all time, since it’s so loud, hard-hitting, and, indeed, both raw and powerful. “Search and Destroy” is a wild and ear-splitting opening track, and a perfect mood-setter (though track #3, “Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell,” and the final track, “Death Trip,” are arguably even more savage). Age has nothing to wear down Raw Power’s power, and if you listen to it another 50 years from now, it’s sure to still make your ears bleed, but in a good way.
18
‘Paranoid’ (1970)
Black Sabbath
Sure, Paranoid is more easily definable as a heavy metal album, but metal is just a more intense kind of rock, and Paranoid does indeed still rock, while also feeling enough like a classic rock album to be included here. What, you’re going to talk about classic albums from this time that have a certain amount of intensity and electric guitars without mentioning something by Black Sabbath? Ha.
Paranoid has an incredible title track, and then seven other tracks that are also pretty damn strong, including the opener, “War Pigs,” and “Iron Man,” which was used in the Marvel movie of the same name, because of course it was. It not being there would be as unlikely as Emerald Fennell resisting the urge to use “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush (either ironically or unironically) in her 2026 film adaptation. Also, uh, watch this space to see if such a prediction proves true, or completely off the mark.
17
‘Rust Never Sleeps’ (1979)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Neil Young directed a movie once, but there’s a reason why he’s not really very well known for that. Actually, there are two reasons. The first is that the movie’s beyond bizarre, and hard to recommend to anyone, unless they’re a person who stopped watching Twin Peaks because it was too normal, and the second is that Young’s musical achievements tower over anything else, because he was particularly prolific – and consistent – throughout the 1970s.
Some of his stuff leans more toward folk than rock, but then you’ve got the semi-live album with Crazy Horse, Rust Never Sleeps, which contrasts a folky half with a more down-and-dirty rock half. So, maybe it’s a semi-rock album, too, but the more intense songs here can’t be denied for how influential they were, with the closing track (“Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)”) illustrating particularly well why Young is sometimes labelled the Godfather of Grunge.
16
‘Bat Out of Hell’ (1977)
Meat Loaf
The term “Wagnerian rock” is hilarious on its own, and also perfect to use when it comes to describing Bat Out of Hell. This is regarded as a Meat Loaf album, and he’s an undeniable part of its success, what with his uniquely bombastic voice and all, but there’s an argument to be made that Jim Steinman’s name should be smack bang in the center of the album’s cover, too.
Steinman’s songwriting is so big, so over-the-top, and so infectious, while Meat Loaf sounds just as big.
Okay, it is on the cover, and centered. But Meat Loaf’s name is bigger and at the top. Still, you need both Steinman and Loaf as a team here, and what an undeniably well-matched duo. Steinman’s songwriting is so big, so over-the-top, and so infectious, while Meat Loaf sounds just as big, and sounds like you’d expect a singer who goes by the name “Meat Loaf” to sound, too. Bat Out of Hell might be too much for some, but if you like maximalist rock that could well have been written by Richard Wagner, had he been active in the 20th century instead of the 19th, then the album’s clearly a must-listen.
