Best Rock Albums of All Time (Excluding Greatest Hits)

The Top Ten
1 Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

It is hard to pick between this and Zeppelin IV, but overall as an album the songs are put together so perfectly. This will honestly be the most well spent 42 minutes of your life. And honestly... Journey is alright but it has nothing on Floyd, Zeppelin, Queen, and a bunch of other bands.

Led Zeppelin IV and Night at the Opera are also really epic but this one can really change your mind. The Dark Side of the moon has a concept, a whole lotta great wise lyrics and I love albums that are like a trip into the music.

You see...there are undoubtedly 5 rock bands that rule the world...(used to)..we have The Beatles, Pink Floyd,Led Zeppelin, Queen and AC/DC...but when it comes to the greatest album..its undoubtedly Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon..you listen to the songs and you go into a trance...it melts your eardrums...

Number two for sure. But above the album that contains the greatest rock song ever written by the greatest rock band ever? Not so much.

2 Appetite For Destruction - Guns N Roses

The hell is this? AFD at 2? Okay, it may be a good album, nice songs, revived rock and all that but it's not even a speck of dust in front of legendary albums like Led Zeppelin IV, sgt. Peppers, nevermind, abbey road, revolver, the doors, dark side of the moon, ok computer, kid A, a night at the opera...no where near buddy, its just some sissys who haven't heard of the classic and real rock who vote for such stuff, thank god Imagine Dragons is not in the list or they would've put them in the top.

Best debut album of all time. Shame they couldn’t build on their success from Appetite, but the fact that this album still holds up, in my opinion, makes up for it. Best dose of pure rock and roll when it was absolutely necessary at the time.

These were the days when Guns N' Roses were #1. This album was the only reason they were as big as they were. This album is sensational! Legendary!

Just a amazing job at their very first album, and the best lineup to ever play in this band.

3 Every Picture Tells a Story - Rod Stewart

Exile On Main Street, Sgt Pepper, Every Picture Tells A Story, Are You Experienced, Never Mind The Bollocks, Cosmo's Factory, Hunky Dory, Dark Side Of The Moon, Truth, Ogdens Nut Gone Celebrated Flake and A Nod's As good As A Wink To A Blind Horse.
That's the absolute top ten and nothing else can overclass those albums. Nevermind by Nirvana is a good addition.
Thes albums made and coloured Rock & Roll after the greats, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis opened a door no one can shut again.

4 Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin. Country musicians. Blues musicians. Rock musicians. The band with the greatest drummer of all time, one of the greatest guitarists and possibly the best lead singer. Oh, and John Paul Jones - a one man band who gave Zep the edge and yet is often overlooked. Bit like a cake mix, they're outstanding on their own, but mix 'em together and you have something far, far superior. Best band ever.

The greatest rock album ever... But only real rockers could understand it. Why is Guns N' Roses on top? Appetite is a very good album and maybe the best debut album too but it is definitely not the best rock album of all time... And what the hell's linkin park doing on this list?

Are you kidding? How could this album not be number one indefinitely and indisputably? Dark side would be number two for sure. Appetite is truly great rock album but number two? You people need your art spoon fed to you. This list is a joke.

What the hell? How is Appetite for Destruction better than this? Nearly every song on the album was great, Appetite only had Sweet Child, Welcome to the Jungle and Paradise City.

5 Nevermind - Nirvana

This is one of the greatest albums with some of the greatest tracks of all time for example. Smells like teen spirit lithium come as you are in bloom drain you polly are all great tracks can't believe kurt killed himself but nirvana will always live on in my heart let it be!

Are you kidding? How could this album not be number one indefinitely and indisputably? Dark side would be number two for sure. Nevermind is truly great rock album but number two? You people need your art spoon fed to you. This list is a joke.

On this list only because of the despair and honesty of the tortured soul who created it. Life changing for sure but I think timing had everything to do with this albums success. A truly great album for sure but not top ten.

Taught me to live, taught me to fight, taught me to not give a damn, taught me the real meaning of youth. Nirvana is not just music, it's a lifestyle. Nirvana and Eminem stopped me from commiting suicide.(I know its ironical but shut up)

6 Master of Puppets - Metallica

The Greatest album ever. This album has 5 songs that that just as monumental as the band itself. You can listen to just one song fifty times and it will still sound fresh. Other songs are great too, but can't be compared to other songs in this album. The worst song in this album-Leper Messiah is it self a great song. This album just pushed metal beyond everything. Undoubtedly number 1. And it's dedicated to living memory of The Great CLIFF BURTON.

How can Hybrid Theory be above the greatest album of all time? Master Of Puppets is the best album ever created! 8 songs, 8 masterpieces, 8 gifts from heaven.

MAster of puppets is the worst song of all, I hear old man singing, yuck!

I think this should be higher, this should be at least in the Top 5

7 Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park

An album that if not for Chester would be bland but enjoyable but thanks to Chester and his life of substance abuse, sexual abuse, loneliness and bullying it becomes something more. He uses his past to fuel the passion he uses in this album (want proof? Crawling). Also can we stop hating on other things in our comments, please! Can we just be told why the thing you voted for is good and not just bashing everyone else's votes please.

This was not even the best album of the year it came out, much less better than Sgt. Pepper, Revolver, or the White Album. Get real.

Awesome,iam when I was 3 years and till now this is my favourite album and band.
The songs of this albums are awesomely crafted and the voice of chester is exceptional. One word for this album great

Mind blowing album. The best selling debut album in this century

8 Back in Black - AC/DC

This is the best Rock Album ever, no doubt about that. The whole Album is a masterpiece; especially Hells Bells, Back in Black and You shook me all night long are just brilliant. It's a mystery for me, why it is only on Rank No. 12.

We are in the rock category, remember. This is straight rock and blows away everything else. You really can't compare this to Beatles or Queen, although they rule in pop and progressive respectively.

I like this album, but when every single song sounds like it has the same riff it doesn't really stick with me. This album is a little overrated.

This is the Greatest Album In all the time! AC/DC ROCKS! And they have one of the best albums... Back In Black! This Should be Number 1!

9 American Idiot - Green Day

Every song on this album is a masterpiece. This should be at the very least in the top 3. Nothing since this came out is anywhere near it's brilliance. Unbelievable lyrics, music, story and most of all its meaning. Thank God for Green Day!

I'm a massive Green Day fan as well as this album. Whilst I agree with most of the top ten, I question Guns n Roses, Linkin Park and Metalica. They must have a huge fan base. Can't explain why they are in the top ten other than this.

A band who's music was finally reconized by a broader Audience when American Idiot skyrocketed all the charts. Now back under the radar, but still one of the most talented ever!

My favorite album. I know this album isn't very iconic. But I like almost 90% songs from this album. That's why so far this album is my favorite album.

10 Night at the Opera - Queen

This album has has one song? One of Queen's worst? It angers me that someone even thinks this. Bohemian Rhapsody, Love of My Life, 39, You're My Best Friend, Death On Two Legs...Definitely not just Bohemian. I actually don't think it is their best, I like A Kind of Magic more,but it definitely isn't one of their worst.

Very mediocre, not overly popular when released, could only manage to reach #4 on the charts. At the time, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, and Elton John were much better and more popular.

This album has ONE SONG. And yes, Bohemian Rhapsody is the greatest song of all time, but this album in general is nothing special, it's actually one of Queen's worst.

The album Innuendo is better

The Contenders
11 The Beatles (The White Album) - The Beatles

The Beatles,had always been on the crest of the rock wave, on this double album they were working alone together and is still one of their best efforts for originality breaking new ground and breaking away from the standard rock album format.It that brought them up close and personal to their fans. It was also incognito, the beginning of their eventual break-up well All things must pass/ a cloud burst doesn't last all day. Jerome Walsh

Top 10 list of best rock albums of all time could be easily filled with Beatles albums only. What makes The Beatles (The White Album) outstanding is that this is their only double album, meaning two times more music to enjoy.

The Beatles are not just one of the best rock acts of all time: they are considered to be some of the greatest musicians of all time. Surely, their works should be more represented on this list.

This album is the essence of rock'n roll. It has everything, whether it be soft folk-rock to proto hard rock to avante-garde absurdity. It certainly deserves the title of Best Rock album. As pretenders like Nirvana and Guns 'n Roses palie in comparison.

12 Use Your Illusion I - Guns N Roses

For all those people hating on this album, have you actually listened to it? November rain, the garden, don't damn me, coma, live and let die, don't cry and back off bitch are all killer, and even the less good songs like bad apples and right next door to hell are still far from being called filler. This is my favourite GNR album behind appetite

November Rain is the only great song on the album.

Use your Illusion II is better.

13 The Number of The Beast - Iron Maiden

Dickinson, Harris, Murray, Smith & Burr... Nothing more to say...

Awesome album, but its really metal, not rock

Up The Irons Up to the top 5 list

14 Colour and the Shape - Foo Fighters

Definitely the Foo's best. Everlong, My Hero, Monkey Wrench, Hey! Johnny Park, and so much more.

15 Use Your Illusion II - Guns N' Roses

Besides My World, all the songs on here are amazing, especially Estranged, Civil War, and You Could Be Mine.

This album is by far my favorite by Guns N' Roses. My World is joke, but all the other songs are amazing!

16 Abbey Road - The Beatles

The greatest albums of all time.. Abbey Road, Sgt Pepper, Revolver, Dark Side Of The Moon, Rumors, Nevermind, A Night At The Opera, The White Album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Wall, Led Zep 4, The Stranger, Exile On Main Street, Born To Run, Rubber Soul, Band On The Run, Imagine, Tug Of War, Pet Sounds, Captain Fantastic, Songs In The Key Of Life, Plastic Ono Band, Frampton Comes Alive, Venus and Mars, Boston, Tommy...

Your 100% right, Beach Boys Pet Sounds on most of the top albums of all time list is usually in the top 3. Most rock groups praise this album as the best for pure musical genius.

This album is the best thing to sex

17 Quadrophenia - The Who

Opera+rock+brass= Quadrophenia which was the first album ever to have synthensizers, but was later perfected in Who's Next, the quad speaker which was a technical marvel at the time, and some of the best bass and drum lines ever written. This was supposed to be their last album and went out with a bang until a few more years when they joined together once more.

Unquestionably the finest collection of rock songs on this double album without a letdown from 1-21. the writing is prolific, the vocals are mesmarizing, moons drumming is dominating, the guitar work is solid. the production value is perfect. simply the best rock ever recorded. at over 40 yrs old it has proven to be timeless

A brilliant work of art, start to finish.

The vocals and rifts changed my world

18 Dookie - Green Day

This has more votes than the number 1 on the list Guns and roses! What is going on with the votes man? Time for someone to sort this problem out please.

I had decisions on what to vote master of puppets by metallica or dookie by green day. I chose this because not all the songs on M.O. P are that good.

Why is this no. 28 when it has more votes than some in the top 10. Can't the program designed to place the albums in order count?

Should be a lot higher than 18. One of the albums of the year in 1994. Breakthrough album that that is still significant today.

19 Escape - Journey
20 The Wall - Pink Floyd

This should be at least in the top 20, it gives you a meaningful history with a great message, all of us have a wall that we have to take down before it consumes us.

This rating makes this list a joke...The Wall & Physical Graffiti should be ranked 1 & 2, how is this possible? Two amazing albums by two iconic groups!

Why is this so low? I love this album and is my favorite album ever. But putting it at number 40 is REALLY underselling it.

Pink Floyd's best album. Tells a story and very engaging music. Should be much higher on this list

21 1984 - Van Halen
22 American Tragedy - Hollywood Undead
23 Are You Experienced? - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Hybrid theory better, American idiot, dookie? Haha come on

Just this studio album alone is like a greatest hits album

This album makes Hybrid Theory look like a Nickleback album

Jimi is the best guitarist ever!

24 In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson

It is sad how little public interest there is in King Crimson. This album is absolute, raw perfection.

25 Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
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