Ten most essential basic rock and roll albums game.
brianlux
Posts: 42,027
Your ten albums (no more, no less) must be records that were released as a whole unique album, not a collection, anthology, or "best of".
These albums should be as close to straight up rock and roll albums as possible- not prog, not metal, not psychedelia, not punk, not pop... rock and roll albums.
Don't just list your favorite albums. Make you choice about the subject, not you personal preferences.
You may challenge another persons choice but be nice. Yeah, OK, you can poke fun at me. We'll allow that.
The winner is you, if you really try hard and come up with a good list.
Sometimes rules are dumb and rock and roll is about rebellion and breaking the rules. Except here, sometimes.
Bonus points given for good explanations as to why you include each of your choices.
-All Beach Boys records. They are surf/pop, not basic rock and roll.
-All Beatles records: They are pop, psychedelia. None of their albums are primarily basic/ essential rock and roll.
-Jimi Hendrix: Blues, psychedelia.
Bad Company:, Bad Company: With this album, these Brits brought solid rock and roll back into the mainstream.
Bo Diddley: Bo Diddley: One of the earliest straight up rock and roll albums that was not merely a collection.
Buddy Holiday and
the Crickets: The Chirping Crickets Buddy Holly. Need I say more?
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Green River Simple, direct, get up and move rock and roll.
Led Zeppelin:
untitled (aka Led Zeppelin IV): Almost too close to metal or hard rock but hey, one of the songs is "Rock and Roll" Who's gonna argue that?
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Damn the Torpedoes: Tom blew the doors open here with this great rock and roll LP.
Elvis Presley:
Elvis Presley (1956 debut): Dubious choice because it is also rockabilly, blues, country and pop, but we needed to have Elvis in the house, right?
Ramones, Ramones: Call it punk, it's still rock and roll to me. The covers sure are!
The Rolling Stones:
Sticky Fingers : Well alllllllllright. I had to include something from "the greatest rock and roll band in the world". Pick one.
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It's a really great question though as I think there is much to be discussed about the bands.
What got me started with all this was reading the Allmusic review of Bad Company's first release- the self-titled Bad Company. The review talks about that album as being an essential rock and roll record. I have it, but hadn't heard it in a long time so I sat down and listened to the whole thing and thought, "Wow, yeah, that is a classic rock and roll album." That led me to thinking, What are some others? So I made this long list and pretty soon I was scratching off names left and right.
If you look at other list of "greatest rock and roll albums" you always see things like Sgt Peppers and Pet Sounds on them. But those are really not rock and roll records in the classic sense. They are great, for sure, but they really are not rock and roll. So it took me a surprisingly long time to come up with ten essential rock and roll albums. And my list could using refining, of that there is no doubt!
ZZ Top Eliminator. You have the masters of the power chords on full display.
Led Zep 2. Sooooo many great rock songs on here.
Queen A night At The Opera. Bohemin-friggin-rhapsody.
Boston. Self Titled
Pearl Jam Ten. it ain't grunge, it's a damn rock band.
I'll come up w more soon I promise. I changed my mind and accepted the challenge.
For real though if you ever did see AC/DC live you got one hell of a show.
Will try to think up some essential rock albums later, not wanting to derail Mr. Lux's thoughtful thread.
Well now, there's an image to wake up to!
I checked it out on Discogs. Whoa, scary!