Update: Follow Ranker's official New Rock 2020 playlist on Spotify!
Remember when sex was safe and motorcycles were dangerous, and every rock song had at least a half assed decent guitar solo, and people were doing real drugs and not bath salts? Well, this is a tribute to the music in a time when America was simply about life, liberty, and the pursuit of SEX, DRUGS, AND ROCK-N-ROLL! That said, guitar rock may not be as popular as it was in the past, but that doesn't mean that in the genre's heyday, there weren't albums that transcended genres, music types and connected with fans from all over the globe. For starters, who can forget the entire Led Zeppelin catalog? Jimmy Page's bonecrunching riffs and Robert Plant's howls brought heavy blues chords to the mainstream while establishing the band as one of guitar rock's greatest bands.
There are so many influential albums and top guitar albums here that it's impossible to list them all right here. But so many of the biggest bands in the world populate this list and all of the biggest guitar players in the world are rightfully present on here. Their mere presence alone means that their particular album is going to rock. You have dudes like Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Angus Young, Tony Iommi and Stevie Ray Vaughn amongst others whose guitar prowess is showcased on so many of these albums.
So what are the best guitar rock albums of all time? You'll notice Led Zeppelin II, Are You Experienced and Couldn't Stand the Weather, but there are so many more. If you think something including amazing guitars is missing, feel free add that album to this list. Vote and re-rank to how you deem it to be fit.
- 1
- Release Date: 1971
- Producer: Jimmy Page
- Tracks: Black Dog, Going to California, When the Levee Breaks
- 2
- Release Date: 1969
- Tracks: Bring It on Home, The Lemon Song, Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)
- 3
- Release Date: 1973
- Producer: Pink Floyd
- Tracks: Time, Any Colour You Like, Speak to Me / Breathe
- 4
- Release Date: 1968
- Tracks: Little Miss Strange, Burning of the Midnight Lamp, House Burning Down
- 5
- Release Date: 1969
- Tracks: Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, You Shook Me, How Many More Times
- 6
- Release Date: 1975
- Producer: Jimmy Page
- Tracks: In My Time of Dying, Custard Pie, Houses of the Holy
- 7
- Release Date: 1973
- Producer: Jimmy Page
- Tracks: The Ocean, The Crunge, The Rain Song
- 8
- Release Date: 1975
- Tracks: Wish You Were Here, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts VI–IX
- 9
- Release Date: 1967
- Producer: Chas Chandler
- Tracks: Remember, Third Stone From the Sun, Are You Experienced?
- 10
- Release Date: 1979
- Tracks: In the Flesh, The Thin Ice, Another Brick in the Wall Part 1
- 11
- Release Date: 1970
- Producer: Jimmy Page
- Tracks: Hats Off To (Roy) Harper, Friends, Bron‐Y‐Aur Stomp
- 12
- Release Date: 1980
- Tracks: You Shook Me All Night Long, Back in Black, What Do You Do for Money Honey
- 13
- Release Date: 1969
- Producer: George Martin
- Tracks: Here Comes the Sun, Oh! Darling, Because
- 14
- Release Date: 1970
- Tracks: Paranoid, Iron Man, Rat Salad
- 15
- Release Date: 1978
- Producer: Ted Templeman
- Tracks: Jamie's Cryin', Atomic Punk, Runnin' With the Devil
- 16
- Release Date: 1979
- Tracks: If You Want Blood (You've Got It), Get It Hot, Touch Too Much
- 17
- Release Date: 1971
- Producer: Jimmy Miller
- Tracks: You Gotta Move, Bitch, Dead Flowers
- 18
- Release Date: 1968
- Tracks: Piggies, Back in the U.S.S.R., Rocky Raccoon
- 19
- Release Date: 1971
- Tracks: Behind Blue Eyes, Bargain, The Song Is Over
- 20
- Release Date: 1972
- Tracks: Never Before, Maybe I’m a Leo, Space Truckin’
- 21
- Release Date: 1970
- Tracks: Evil Woman, Don't Play Your Games With Me, N.I.B.
- 22
- Release Date: 1976
- Producer: John Boylan, Tom Scholz
- Tracks: Rock & Roll Band, Something About You, More Than a Feeling
- 23
- Release Date: 1967
- Producer: Paul A. Rothchild
- Tracks: The End, Take It As It Comes, The Crystal Ship
- 24
- Release Date: 1976
- Producer: Bob Ezrin
- Tracks: Take it Easy, Life in the Fast Lane, Already Gone
- 25pink floyd
- Release Date: 1977
- Producer: Pink Floyd
- Tracks: Pigs (Three Different Ones), Sheep, Pigs on the Wing
- 26
- Release Date: 1966
- Producer: George Martin
- Tracks: Yellow Submarine, Taxman, She Said She Said
- 27
- Release Date: 1967
- Producer: Felix Pappalardi
- Tracks: Take It Back, World of Pain, We’re Going Wrong
- 28
- Release Date: 1967
- Tracks: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise), Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Within You Without You
- 29
- Release Date: 1970
- Tracks: Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?, I Looked Away, Anyday
- 30
- Release Date: 1973
- Tracks: Mississippi Kid, Mississippi Kid, Things Goin' On
- 31
- Release Date: 1987
- Producer: Mike Clink
- Tracks: Rocket Queen, Anything Goes, Sweet Child o' Mine
- 32
- Release Date: 1971
- Producer: Bruce Botnick
- Tracks: Crawling King Snake, Been Down So Long, The Changeling
- 33
- Release Date: 1977
- Producer: Richard Dashut, Ken Caillat
- Tracks: The Chain, Don’t Stop, Dreams
- 34
- Release Date: 1976
- Producer: Terry Brown
- Tracks: Tears, 2112: I. Overture / II. The Temples of Syrinx / III. Discovery / IV. Presentation / V. Oracle: The Dream / VI. Soliloquy / VII. Grand Finale, Something for Nothing
- 35
- Release Date: 1967
- Tracks: Castles Made of Sand, Little Miss Lover, If 6 Was 9
- 36
- Release Date: 1969
- Tracks: Midnight Rambler, Let It Bleed, Live With Me
- 37
- Release Date: 1975
- Tracks: Sweet Lady, Bohemian Rhapsody, Death on Two Legs (Dedicated To…)
- 38
Deep Purple in Rock
Deep Purple- Release Date: 1970
- Tracks: Living Wreck, Flight of the Rat, Child in Time
- 39
- Release Date: 1986
- Tracks: Master of Puppets, Damage, Inc.
- 40
- Release Date: 1985
- Tracks: One World, Why Worry, Ride Across the River
- 41
- Release Date: 1972
- Tracks: Smoke on the Water (live), Space Truckin', The Mule
- 42
The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- 43
- Release Date: 1972
- Tracks: Soul Survivor, Shine a Light, I Just Want to See His Face
- 44
- Release Date: 1973
- Tracks: Master of Sparks, Waitin’ for the Bus, Shiek
- 45
- Release Date: 1971
- Tracks: Wond’ring Aloud, Cheap Day Return, My God
- 46
- Release Date: 1965
- Tracks: Drive My Car, If I Needed Someone, Girl
- 47
- Release Date: 1975
- Producer: Jack Douglas
- Tracks: Uncle Salty, No More No More, Walk This Way
- 48
- Release Date: 1984
- Tracks: Jump, House of Pain, Top Jimmy
- Release Date: 1972
- Tracks: Ziggy Stardust, Rock 'N' Roll Suicide, Hang On To Yourself
- 50
- Release Date: 1969
- Producer: John Fogerty
- Tracks: Commotion, Cross‐Tie Walker, Tombstone Shadow
- 51
- Release Date: 1973
- Tracks: Looking for Today, Sabbra Cadabra, Who Are You?
- 52
Frampton Comes Alive
The live album was originally intended as a single LP disc, but at the suggestion of A&M Records additional shows were recorded and the album expanded to two LPs for release. During the concerts, Frampton principally used a distinctive black custom Gibson Les Paul electric guitar (with three humbucking pick-ups as opposed to the usual two).[3]
The double album was released in the US with a special reduced list price of $7.98, only $1.00 more than the standard $6.98 of most single-disc albums in 1976. The album was pressed in "automatic sequence", with sides one and four on one record, followed by sides two and three on the other. This arrangement was intended to make it easier to listen through the whole album in sequence on automatic record changers.
Three hit singles were released from the album: "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Do You Feel Like We Do" and "Show Me the Way". The talk box guitar effect became strongly associated with Frampton when it was heard on the latter two singles. The "Do You Feel Like We Do" single version was edited to 7:19 from the 14:15 album version. But even at just over 7 minutes, it is about twice the length of the average hit single and one of the longest ever to make the top 40 (even The Beatles' "Hey Jude" ran 7:11).
- 53
- Release Date: 1971
- Producer: Rodger Bain
- Tracks: Embryo, After Forever, Orchid
- 54
- Release Date: 1981
- Producer: Rush, Terry Brown
- Tracks: Tom Sawyer, YYZ, Limelight
- 55
- Release Date: 1972
- Tracks: Trouble No More, Les Brers in A Minor, Mountain Jam
- 56
Bad Company
Bad Company- Release Date: 1974
- Tracks: Don’t Let Me Down, Ready for Love, Movin’ On
- 57
- Release Date: 1968
- Tracks: Sitting on Top of the World (live), Deserted Cities of the Heart, White Room
- 58
- Release Date: 1970
- Tracks: Se Acabó, El Nicoya, Samba pa ti
- 59
- Release Date: 1968
- Producer: Jimmy Miller
- Tracks: Sympathy for the Devil, Stray Cat Blues, Salt of the Earth
- 60
- Release Date: 1991
- Tracks: Breed, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Something in the Way
- 61
- Release Date: 1977
- Producer: George Young, Harry Vanda
- Tracks: Crabsody in Blue, Go Down, Overdose
- 62
- Release Date: 1975
- Producer: George Martin
- Tracks: Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers, She’s a Woman, Scatterbrain
- 63
- Release Date: 1980
- Tracks: You Lookin' at Me Lookin' at You, You Said It All, Goodbye to Romance
- 64
Fresh Cream
Cream- Release Date: 1966
- Tracks: Sweet Wine, Spoonful, Toad
- 65
- Release Date: 1971
- Tracks: Clap, I've Seen All Good People: a. Your Move - b. All Good People, Perpetual Change
- 66
The Very Best of Cream
- 67
- Release Date: 1971
- Tracks: Long Distance Runaround, We Have Heaven, Mood for a Day
- 68
- Release Date: 1972
- Tracks: Wheels of Confusion, Under the Sun / Every Day Comes and Goes, Cornucopia
- 69
- Release Date: 1984
- Tracks: Creeping Death, Escape, For Whom the Bell Tolls
- 70
- Release Date: 1978
- Producer: Roy Thomas Baker, David McLees
- Tracks: Good Times Roll, You're All I've Got Tonight, Moving in Stereo
- 71
- Release Date: 1975
- Producer: George Young, Harry Vanda
- Tracks: Show Business, She's Got Balls, Stick Around
- 72
- Release Date: 1976
- Producer: George Young, Harry Vanda
- Tracks: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Ride On, Big Balls
- 73
- Release Date: 1969
- Tracks: 21st Century Schizoid Man (including Mirrors), Moonchild (including The Dream and The Illusion), Epitaph (including March for No Reason and Tomorrow and Tomorrow)
- 74
- Release Date: 1979
- Tracks: Century City, Louisiana Rain, Even the Losers
- 75
- Release Date: 1979
- Producer: Ted Templeman
- Tracks: Women in Love, Somebody Get Me a Doctor, Dance the Night Away
- Release Date: 1981
- Producer: Robert Lange
- Tracks: Breaking the Rules, Inject the Venom, C.O.D.
- 77
- Tracks: A Hard Day’s Night, Things We Said Today
- 78
- Release Date: 1983
- Producer: Bill Ham
- Tracks: Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin’, Bad Girl
- 79
- Release Date: 1976
- Producer: Mike Flicker
- Tracks: Sing Child, Dreamboat Annie (Fantasy Child), Soul of the Sea
- 80
- Release Date: 1991
- Tracks: Of Wolf and Man, Nothing Else Matters, The Unforgiven
- 81
- Release Date: 1982
- Tracks: The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills, Gangland
- 82
- Release Date: 1971
- Producer: Pink Floyd
- Tracks: A Pillow of Winds, San Tropez, Echoes
- 83
- Release Date: 1984
- Tracks: Scuttle Buttin', Cold Shot, Couldn't Stand the Weather
- 84
- Release Date: 1973
- Producer: Glyn Johns, Kit Lambert
- Tracks: I’ve Had Enough, The Punk and the Godfather, 5:15
- 85
- Release Date: 1969
- Tracks: Sally Simpson, I’m Free, Tommy’s Holiday Camp
- 86
- Release Date: 1976
- Tracks: Emerald, Jailbreak, Angel From the Coast
- 87
- Release Date: 1974
- Tracks: Too Rolling Stoned, About to Begin, Little Bit of Sympathy
- 88
- Release Date: 1973
- Tracks: Jet, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five, Let Me Roll It
- 89
- Release Date: 1976
- Producer: Jack Douglas
- Tracks: Get the Lead Out, Back in the Saddle, Nobody’s Fault
- 90
- Release Date: 1983
- Tracks: Rainbow in the Dark, Shame on the Night, Don’t Talk to Strangers
- 91
- Release Date: 1974
- Tracks: “A” 200, Mistreated, What’s Goin’ on Here
- 92
- Release Date: 1980
- Producer: Martin Birch
- Tracks: Lonely Is the Word, Walk Away, Die Young
- 93
- Release Date: 1983
- Producer: Robert Lange
- Tracks: Billy's Got a Gun, Action! Not Words, Foolin'
- 94
In Through the Out Door
Led Zeppelin- Release Date: 1979
- Tracks: Carouselambra, Fool in the Rain, All My Love
- 95
- Release Date: 1969
- Tracks: Long Time Gone, Wooden Ships, Pre-Road Downs
- 96
- Release Date: 1972
- Tracks: Siberian Khatru, Close to the Edge: I. The Solid Time of Change / II. Total Mass Retain / III. I Get Up I Get Down / IV. Seasons of Man, And You and I: I. Cord of Life / II. Eclipse / III. The Preacher The Teacher / IV. Apocalypse
- 97
Can't Buy a Thrill
Steely Dan- Release Date: 1972
- Producer: Gary Katz
- Tracks: Fire in the Hole, Dirty Work, Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)
- 98
- Release Date: 1981
- Producer: Max Norman
- Tracks: Flying High Again, Believer, Over the Mountain
- 99
- Release Date: 1971
- Tracks: Squank, Bedroom Thang, Just Got Back From Baby’s
- 100
- Release Date: 1979
- Tracks: Brand New Cadillac, Rudie Can’t Fail, Lost in the Supermarket
- 101
- Release Date: 1969
- Tracks: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, The Emperor of Wyoming, The Loner
- 102
- Release Date: 1983
- Tracks: Every Breath You Take, Miss Gradenko, King of Pain
- 103
- Release Date: 1976
- Producer: George Martin
- Tracks: Sophie, Love Is Green, Play With Me
- 104
- Release Date: 1973
- Tracks: Seven Seas of Rhye…, Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll, Doing All Right
- 105
- Release Date: 1976
- Producer: Sandy Pearlman
- Tracks: E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence), Sinful Love, The Revenge of Vera Gemini
- 106
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival- Release Date: 1970
- Producer: John Fogerty
- Tracks: Who'll Stop the Rain, Long as I Can See the Light, Run Through the Jungle
- 107
- Release Date: 1979
- Tracks: Thrasher, My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)
- 108Rainbow
- Release Date: 1976
- Producer: Martin Birch
- Tracks: Tarot Woman, Starstruck, Run With the Wolf
- 109
- Release Date: 1987
- Tracks: Hysteria, Women, Love and Affection
- 110
- Release Date: 1977
- Producer: Gary Katz
- Tracks: Peg, Black Cow, I Got the News
- 111
Fly by Night
Rush- Release Date: 1975
- Producer: Terry Brown
- Tracks: In the End, Rivendell, Beneath
- 112
Kinks
The Kinks- Release Date: 1964
- Tracks: I’m a Lover Not a Fighter, Got Love If You Want It, Long Tall Shorty
- 113
Presence
Led Zeppelin- Release Date: 1976
- Producer: Jimmy Page
- Tracks: Hots On for Nowhere, For Your Life, Royal Orleans
- 114
- Release Date: 1980
- Producer: Ted Templeman
- Tracks: And the Cradle Will Rock..., Fools, Loss of Control
- 115
- Release Date: 1970
- Tracks: Apple Scruffs, I Dig Love, The Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
- 116
- Release Date: 1984
- Producer: Roger Glover
- Tracks: Knocking at Your Back Door, Under the Gun, Hungry Daze
- 117
- Release Date: 1975
- Tracks: Miss Misery, Hair of the Dog, Please Don't Judas Me
- 118
- Release Date: 1969
- Tracks: Someday (August 29, 1968), Introduction
- 119
Hemispheres
Rush- Release Date: 1978
- Tracks: Circumstances, Cygnus X-1, Book II: Hemispheres: I. Prelude / II. Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom / III. Dionysus: Bringer of Love / IV. Armageddon: The Battle of Heart and Mind / V. Cygnus: Bringer of Balance / VI. The Sphere: A Kind of Dream
- 120
- Release Date: 1975
- Tracks: Am I Going Insane (Radio), Supertzar, Megalomania
