What don’t we love aboutthe iconic logos, look, and swagger of signature rock and roll music? There’s a rebellious yet inspiring sense of leather jacket-wearing cool factor that has long surrounded the genre, going back to the likes of Chuck Berry shaking up audiences of all races with songs like “Maybellene” and “Johnny B. Goode.” As the decades have advanced, rock has evolved alongside them, bringing along not onlynew voices of creativity, but cementing the foundational forerunners of it into the hallowed halls known as classic rock.
Immortalized by radio stations and playlists the world over, classic rock contains a scrapbook of stories that define where the sound has been and where it continues to go. Some ofclassic rock’s greatest names keep their on-stage torch going, while others have retired or sadly passed away over time. It’s important not to forget that history, especially when it comes to classic rock debut albums and the statementsthat launched countless careers. Not all were created equally, of course, but many delivered an introduction deemed worthy of being considered timeless.
10Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young,Déjà Vu(1970)
A Folk-Rock Quartet’s Breakout
Released in 1970,Déjà Vuwas the second album for Crosby, Stills, & Nash, but their first withfamed singer-songwriter Neil Young. While the quartet’s relationship was often rocky over the years, they had just the right formula when it came toDéjà Vu. The meticulously crafted LP blendsplaintively sepia-gold country, folk, and rockinto stellar highlights throughout, including the contemplative “Teach Your Children,” the rich tapestry of “Our House,” and Young’s stellar, lonely cut “Helpless.”
Déjà Vustrikes an eloquent balance throughout between the group’s signature harmonies and solo standout moments for each member. Add in guest appearances from the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and the Lovin' Spoonful’s John Sebastian, and you havea classic rootsy masterclasswithDéjà Vuthat CSN&Y would never eclipse again.
9The Cars,The Cars(1978)
A Horsepowered Charge Of New Wave
From the moment that electric guitar chug comes skidding out on the opening track, “Good Times Roll,” you know you’re in for a special experience with the 1978 self-titled debut album from Boston-based new wave rock warriors The Cars. After all, how many bands start their recording career with a trio of songs the caliber of “Good Times Roll,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” and “Just What I Needed?” That tone sets the pace for this 9-song tracklist, and like so much good rock and roll,lives fast, free, and for in-the-moment excitement.
Lead man Ric Ocasek and bassist Benjamin Orr swap vocals on multiple songs here, with both having an endearing sense of confident, drawling cool behind each note of this swagger-charged group.The Carsleaves you wanting moreand never surrenders its robust sense of horsepower.
8Heart,Dreamboat Annie(1975)
A Titanic Statement Of Girl-Powered Rock
There aren’t many better duos in the history of rock, let alone a female duo as monumental as the pairing of sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson in the band Heart. With Ann on lead vocals and Nancy handling guitar and backing vocals,the two bulldozed into the rock worldwith the release of their introductory albumDreamboat Anniein 1975. Leading off with the song “Magic Man” begins a statement that’ll immediately carry you off within the group’s entrancing spell.
Dreamboat Anniehas it all, from the acoustic roots of contemplation of the title track and the aggressive rock-god highs of songs like “Crazy on You,” to the bluesy in-betweens presented by “White Lightning and Wine” and “Sing Child.” Heart was an immediate rock and roll tour de force withDreamboat Annie, andnot a single note has lost relevant forcesince then.
7George Harrison,All Things Must Pass(1970)
An Overlooked Beatle Gets His Spotlight
Seeing singer-songwriter George Harrison release his first solo material after parting from his famed band, The Beatles, was like taking the cork out of a geyser. 1970’sAll Things Must Passwas a triple album of breakthrough song proportion, including the title track, “My Sweet Lord,” “What Is Life,” and “Isn’t It a Pity.” Elements of rock, gospel, folk, world, country, and blues were intricately woven together to create a visionthat was (finally) Harrison’s own.
Backing by guest stars like guitarist Eric Clapton, fellow Beatle and drummer Ringo Starr, keyboardist Billy Preston, and members of the band Badfinger (among many others) gaveAll Things Must Passan astral feeling worthy of producer Phil Spector’sfamed “Wall of Sound” style. This was Harrison’s arrival party, and this record made for a majestic level of celebration.
6Van Halen,Van Halen(1978)
A Glammed Up Guitar-Fest
Listening to California rock band Van Halen’s 1978 debut album feels like a prelude tothe big metal-leaning guitar rock (and bigger hair)that’d eventually follow in the ’80s as other groups sought to repeat their pioneering ways. With lead man David Lee Roth’s cocky yowl setting the table, guitarist Eddie Van Halen was positioned to light the world on fire. His instrumental acrobatics on songs like “Runnin' with the Devil,” the group’s cover of the Kinks' “You Really Got Me,” and the statement instrumental “Eruption” quickly became the stuff of legend.
Van Halen was known for having plenty of in-band acrimony over the years, but they were a battering ram when they were working together. Their debut was that well-oiled machine firing at the highest pace.
5The Jimi Hendrix Experience,Are You Experienced(1967)
The Debut That Redefined Towering Guitar
Jimi Hendrix only recorded three studio albums during his all-too-brief life, but made the most of it, beginning withAre You Experienced. Joining drummer Mitch Mitchell and guitarist/vocalist Noel Redding as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Hendrix was the explosive force within songs like “Foxy Lady,” “Fire,” “Purple Haze,” and “Hey Joe.” Mergingrock with blues and psychedelic sounds, Hendrix redefined the guitar like the instrument was an extension of his body.
It seems difficult to believe that Hendrix struggled in his career given his skills, butAre You Experiencedhelped turn his star from the basement to the presidential suite. The perfection of this LPwill never be replicatedin what it introduced to the world.
4Led Zeppelin,Led Zeppelin(1969)
A Weighty Blues-Rocking Tidal Wave
Released in 1969 (not long after Led Zeppelin was formed), it’s hard to imagine that a debut albumrecorded in 36 total hours with such a fresh bandwould approach any kind of iconography. EnterLed Zeppelin, though, which took a mixture of original material and cover songs like Willie Dixon-penned blues tracks “You Shook Me” and “I Can’t Quit You Baby” and brought the concoction to unprecedented, skyscraping heights.
Anchored by the thunderous John Bonham on drums and John Paul Jones on bass, vocalist Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page rounded out a signature quartetthat changed the face of hard rockas we knew it. Just listening to “Good Times Bad Times” alone will tell you there will only ever be one Led Zeppelin.
3Black Sabbath,Black Sabbath(1970)
The Bluesy Dusk Of Rocking Metal
Black Sabbath’s 1970 self-titled debut album perfectly exemplified the shape of the band’s career arc: rough around the edges, emotionally intense, and filled with plenty of hard, head-nodding guitar riffs. Recorded in one 12-hour session, the LP has such a dark level of blues-rock depth to it thatBlack Sabbathis consideredone of the earliest examples of a metal album.
Led by songs like “The Wizard” and the title track,Black Sabbathhas this doomed, foggy, perilous imperfection that thrivescloser to the bone of that metal genrethan through studio obsession. Lead singer Ozzy Osbourne and company were living on a different level through this introduction.
2Guns N' Roses,Appetite For Destruction(1987)
A Hard Rock Heavy Thrill Ride
Prime Guns N' Roseswere a force to be reckoned with, especially when it came to their bluesy, blistering, monumental 1987 debut record,Appetite for Destruction. Initially dismissed by critical reviews, the album is now seen as an absolute, well-deserved wrecking ball of hard rock, living on the sleazy side of the genre’s “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” mentality.
Between the searing pipes of lead vocalist Axl Rose and every barreling riff from guitarist Slash, it’s hard to even acknowledgeAppetite for Destructionas a debut when it’s this fully formed. This is a rough-riding band of brash bad boyswho tear up track after track, from “Welcome to the Jungle” to “Sweet Child o' Mine.“Appetiteknows how to make you lean forward and pay attention to the rough sides of the road.
1John Lennon,John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band(1970)
An Exploration Of Internal Pain
Influenced by John Lennon’s time in primal therapy, his 1970 debut solo album,John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band,is emotionally fraught, existential, and full of creative damage. Gone are most of the frills from his band, the Beatles, replaced bythe raw honesty of pure screamingon tracks like “Mother” and “Well, Well, Well.”
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Bandfeels like the closest look listeners will get at some of the demons that clawed at Lennon the most, including his mother’s death and his difficult childhood. With existential brilliance on a song like “God” and the political pulse of “Working Class Hero” present as well, this isthe truly flawed and most exploratory Lennonon classic display.
