Best Rock Albums of each Decade

I am making my selection for the best rock albums of each decade (in my opinion). You are going to disagree with me; of course you are. All art is subjective, but music is the artform that everybody has the strongest opinions on. Everybody is an expert on their own favorite music. And everyone is right!

Rock and roll was born in the 1950’s, but I am going to skip the 1950’s because I wasn’t there and it is not quite the same thing to listen retroactively to music as it is to be brought up with it. The 60’s and 70’s are going to be hardest to pick because this was the music of my formative years. Do you ever hear music the way you did when you were growing up?

1960’s

Abbey Road -- The Beatles. If it is the 60’s, the best album has to be from The Beatles, and there are many to choose from, but I am going to give it to their swan song, an album that showed how far they had come from their beginnings.

Honorable Mentions:

Surrealistic Pillow -- Jefferson Airplane

Days of Future Passed -- The Moody Blues

The Doors -- The Doors

1970’s

Led Zeppelin 4 -- Led Zeppelin (If for no other reason than the fact that it has the greatest rock song of all time. But the rest of the album is no slouch either).

Honorable mentions:

Damn the Torpedos -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

The Dark Side of the Moon -- Pink Floyd

In the Heat of the Night -- Pat Benatar

Rumours -- Fleetwood Mac

Dreamboat Annie -- Heart

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road -- Elton John

Equinox -- Styx

1980’s

Pat Benatar . . . yeah, just any album by Pat Benatar in the 80’s

Honorable mentions:

Escape -- Journey

The Joshua Tree -- U2

Synchronicity -- the Police

1990’s

Violator – Depeche Mode

Honorable Mentions:

The Black album -- Metallica

Nevermind – Nirvana

The Division Bell – Pink Floyd

2000’s

Fallen – Evanescence

Honorable mentions:

Hot Fuss – The Killers

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb – U2

2010’s

The Greatest Show on Earth – Nightwish

Honorable mention:

The Unforgiving – Within Temptation

What can I say? As I get older I become less aware of popular music. My listening practices have become sporadic and more niche. And the industry itself has changed. LP’s giving way to CD’s, giving way to Napster, giving way to streaming. These are albums that hit me in the right way at that particular point in my life’s journey. This list says less about what makes a great rock album than it does about what makes me, me.

Star Liner

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