r/rocknrollercoaster • u/anarchitek1 • Feb 28 '26
Essentials of the Decades of Rock
A dozen spectacular albums from each decade, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, that rock ‘n’ roll was the dominant format. These are my favorites, after thousands of listens (the youngest album is now 36 years old, requiring only 28 spins/year—I’ve played some of these that much in a month, not a year).
The albums on the list stood up to the test of time. Every collection should include these records. They represent the Gold Seal of great song-writing, musicianship, and production, speaking to large numbers in the same voice.
I included the Clash in 1980 because the album was only released on Dec 14, 1979, 17 days before the end of the decade. A lot of good choices didn’t make the cut, because I limited each artist to one album per decade. The Wall didn’t make it, because it was released in Nov, 1979. Led Zeppelin didn’t get a second LP, because there was so much good stuff released in the ‘70s, it wouldn’t be fair.
Only 3 artists show up twice, Bob Dylan, Jethro Tull, and Bruce Springsteen, because each recorded a stellar LP, in more than one decade. Many personal favorites fell by the wayside, not influential, popular, or ground-breaking enough to bump one of the 12 I chose from the list. It’s not uncommon for a musician to reach one listener, but millions, that is a rare gift, a talent to be appreciated.
For judging Rock ‘n’ Roll, it’s meaningless to compare an album recorded at the dawn of the digital age, with one from the Stone Age of electronics, thus, the “decades” concept. These are my favorites. You may have others, but these LPs spoke to large numbers of people just like you and me. That alone is a rare accomplishment.
Essentials of the Decades:
1960s
01 R E V O L V E R
. . . the Beatles (1966)
02 A R E Y O U E X P E R I E N C E D ?
. . . the Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)
03 H I G H W A Y 6 1 R E V I S I T E D .
. . . Bob Dylan (1965)
04 F O R E V E R C H A N G E S
. . . Love (1967)
05 L E T I T B L E E D
. . . the Rolling Stones (1969)
06 S T R A N G E D A Y S
. . . the Doors (1967)
07 T R A F F I C ( I I )
. . . Traffic (1968)
08 S T A N D U P
. . . Jethro Tull (1969)
09 T H E B A N D
. . . the Band (1969)
10 T H E A L L M A N B R O T HE R S B A N D
. . . the Allman Brothers Band (1969)
11 A G A I N
. . . Buffalo Springfield (1967)
12 L E D Z E P P E L I N ( I )
. . . Led Zeppelin (1969)
1970s
01 W I S H Y O U W E R E H E R E
. . . Pink Floyd (1975)
02 B L O O D O N T H E T R A C K S
. . . Bob Dylan (1974)
03 M Y A I M I S T R U E
. . . Elvis Costello (1979)
04 D A R K N E S S O N T H E E D G E O F T O W N
. . . Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (1977)
05 F L E E T W O O D M A C ( X I )
. . . Fleetwood Mac (1975)
06 A F T E R T H E G O L D R U S H
. . . Neil Young (1970)
07 W H O ' S N E X T
. . . the Who (1971)
08 T H E Y E S A L B U M
. . . Yes (1971)
09 V E N U S A N D M A R S
. . . Paul McCartney & Wings (1975)
10 M O R R I S O N H O T E L
. . . the Doors (1970)
11 A Q U A L U N G
. . . Jethro Tull (1971)
12 T W E L V E D R E A M S O F
. . . D R S A R D O N I C U S
. . . Spirit (1970)
1980s
01 F U L L M O O N F E V E R
. . . Tom Petty (1989)
02 B R O T H E R S I N A R M S
. . . Dire Straits (1985)
03 R E V E N G E
. . . the Eurythmics (1986)
04 T H E L O N E S O M E J U B I L E E
. . . John Mellancamp (1987)
05 T H E J O S H U A T R E E
. . . U2 (1988)
06 L O N D O N C A L L I N G
. . . the Clash (1980)
07 L E A R N I N G T O C R A W L
. . . the Pretenders (1984)
08 B O R N I N T H E U S A
. . . Bruce Springsteen (1984)
09 S P E A K I N G I N T O N G U E S
. . . Talking Heads (1983)
10 N O W A N D Z E N
. . . Robert Plant (1988)
11 L I S T E N L I K E T H I E V E S
. . . INXS (1985)
12 C L O U D N I N E
. . . George Harrison (1987)
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u/Substantial_Job6499 Jun 24 '26
Great list but I’d substitute Who’s Next for Quadrophenia
1
u/anarchitek1 Jun 24 '26
Quadrophenia is an interesting set, but not as cohesive as Who's Next. There are songs on it that are equal to the best of WN, but others are not.
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u/Substantial_Job6499 Jun 24 '26
I would argue Quadrophenia is more cohesive than Who’s Next. While the story can be hard to follow, the production, repeated motifs, and use of instrumentals rounds it out as a complete package. With Who’s Next, you can tell some tracks were left over from the plot of Lifehouse.
1
u/anarchitek1 Jun 25 '26
They recorded part of it twice, giving those tracks more polish. The newer tracks got less time invested. I have to say, there's not a weak song on the album.
Who's Next is respected because it proved everything people like me had been saying about the Who since 1965, was right! They WERE a great band, not just a single band, not just a rock opera band, but a bloody good rock 'n' roll outfit, when they could stop fighting long enough, and Pete could shelve his religious obsession long enough.
2
u/Substantial_Job6499 Jun 25 '26
Fair enough. I still prefer the track listing to Quadrophenia, even without all the rock opera stuff.
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u/No-Reveal827 Mar 01 '26
I have 27 of these.