Classic Rock
By Chris Wheatley
As the great ball of fire that was the 50s rock ‘n roll explosion blazed across the night sky, it left in its wake a shimmering trail of inspiration which, eventually, would crystallize into what we now define as classic rock. For this line-up we are aiming for the core ethos of the genre; loud, rebellious and kicking like a mule. That’s not all that we’re serving up. At Rock and Blues Muse we value craft, musicianship and integrity. Every entry on this list displays not only the vibrant, dangerous energy which made the birth of the most important development in popular music so exciting, but also the stamp of highly skilled musicians doing what they do best. Sit back, strap in and rock out – the ten albums presented below are landmarks you will want to hear.
Are You Experienced – Jimi Hendrix – 1967
The greatest rock guitarist of all time? Some will argue, but it’s unimaginable that any best-of list could not include Hendrix. It’s hard to envision how stunning this debut album must have been upon its release, not least because so much music has since been built upon its foundations. “Purple Haze” is the defining track. Rough-edged like a diamond, this classic-among-classics opens with that famous riff before expanding into the outer reaches of the galaxy with ever more incendiary ensemble playing. Hendrix’s guitar sounds unearthly. Drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding form a stellar rhythmic unit. That music of such power and intensity could be created by three humans remains stupefying. Excuse us while we kiss the sky.
Let It Bleed – The Rolling Stones – 1969
There are a half-dozen Stones albums which could easily make this list. Let It Bleed is as good a contender as any. Purists may point to the absence (for the most part) of guitarist Brian Jones, but the cuts on this album remain stone cold classics. “Gimme Shelter,” a four-and-a-half minute micro-odyssey of rock, by way of funk, soul and gospel yearning, retains a voodoo-like hold on the heart of the listener. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” with its famous accapella opening, provided by the London Bach Choir, explodes into a shuffling, sweating, extended work-out of pure pathos. Slinking from the alleys, under ominous, tinkling piano riffs and saw-edged guitar, “Monkey Man” is as exciting a bit of nonsense as you could wish for. Let it Bleed remains a benchmark for quality.
Live At Leeds – The Who – 1970
One stage. Four incredibly talented musicians, each trying his best to out-perform the others. Keith Moon’s legendary “everything including the kitchen-sink” approach to drumming has never sounded better than here. Moon takes an almost abstract approach, playing around, through, under and over, whirling up a hypnotic storm of percussion. John Entwistle is a bassist’s bassist. His ultra-melodic, pulsing runs propel the band forward at lightning speed. Roger Daltrey’s vocal histrionics match them both pound for pound. Then there’s Pete Townshend’s guitar, which circles and soars, cries and cuts. Live at Leeds is the aural equivalent of falling headlong into the loudest, prettiest firework display you could possibly imagine. Dive in and be swept away. “I Can’t Explain” is a highlight among highlights.
Paranoid – Black Sabbath – 1970
Ozzy Osbourne, of course, needs no introduction. The Black Sabbath frontman has lived long enough to pass from proto-metal idol to a shambolic, affectionately mocked reality-TV star. Forget all of the latter as you open the metaphorical, iron-bound doors of Paranoid. It is a bombshell of an album. Fuzzed-up blues rock double-baked into a heavy dish of propulsive drumming and rail-road bass, stuffed to the gills with an absurd number of now-famous riffs. Osbourne sounds as if he’s singing from the other side of the gates to hell. There’s nothing sophisticated here, and perhaps that’s the very key to the music’s power. Tony Iommi’s guitar sounds easy and plays hard. From the slow, rumbling intro of “War Pigs” to the trippy jam of “Fairies Wear Boats” this is muddy, murky rock which set a template for every heavy metal band which followed.
IV- Led Zeppelin – 1971
You can take your pick of the first six Led Zeppelin studios albums. In terms of classic rock, they’re all pretty darn perfect. None, though, remains more iconic that their fourth. Sometimes known as “four symbols” or simply “IV” (for this release, the band decided to each pick a “metaphysical image” to represent themselves, which stand in place of a title). You get eight unmitigated classics here. “Stairway to Heaven,” is the most famous cut, its power perhaps somewhat dampened by over-exposure, but check out “When the Levee Breaks.” John Bonham’s pounding, echoing drum intro is understandably one of the most sampled beats in history. The song’s production, with stereo effects, subtle phasing and layers of melody, is decades ahead of its time. When you’ve picked your jaw up off the floor, listen to the pure power of “Rock and Roll.” Twenty years of musical history condensed into under four minutes. An essential record.
Raw Power – Iggy and the Stooges – 1973
Has there ever been an album with a more arrogant, or more deserving title than this? Punk attitude before punk existed, the Stooges forsook fancy production in the name of all-out sonic assault. From first to last, Raw Power surrounds you, indeed drowns you in rough-edged, beautiful noise. Which is not to say that the band isn’t capable of nuance. Listen to the spooky, spaced-out “Gimme Danger.” This masterpiece starts out as an acoustic-guitar driven upbeat number before taking a left turn into a fuzzed-up, roaring maelstrom. “Shake Appeal” is a manic, drooling, wild-eyed ride. The secret at the heart of this album is that it contains plenty of memorable hooks and melodic shifts to match its muscle. “I’m a street-walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm,” sings Iggy, and you will believe him.
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap – AC/DC – 1976
You could justifiably substitute this entry for either of Australian rock band AC/DC’s other defining albums, Back In Black or Highway To Hell. Those two have been done to death, review-wise, so why not dive into Dirty Deeds, which easily holds its own. A smouldering slab of monolithic rock ‘n roll, sweaty, brash and, indeed, dirty, Dirty Deeds has more than sheer, rumbling power in its arsenal. Packed full of filthy, witty lyrics (witness “Love At First Feel”) and propelled by the twin guitars of Malcolm and Angus Young, Dirty Deeds great redeeming quality (apart from its humour and first-class musicianship) is its honesty. At no point do AC/DC pretend to be anything other than smutty, out-and-out rockers having fun. The band wring every last drop out of every track on this record and there’s a lot to absorb.
Live and Dangerous – Thin Lizzy – 1978
Before U2, there was Thin Lizzy. Ireland’s greatest rock band, fronted by charismatic bassist and singer-songwriter Phil Lynott (who easily makes the top ten greatest ever rock voices) Thin Lizzy released this monster double-live-album following a sting of impressive studio efforts. Cherry-picking from their back-catalogue, the band pump out track after track of excellent, raucous songs full of pathos, swagger and invention. Recorded in London, with post-production by the great Tony Visconti, this record winds sinuous as a snake, alternately venomous and playful, always compelling. Listen to the bluesy, rollicking “Dancing In The Moonlight” and the incendiary “Sha La La” for proof.
Born In The USA – Bruce Springsteen – 1984
Toward the tail end of a run of incredibly successful albums, both artistically and commercially, ‘The Boss” upped his game still further with this enduring set of elegant and vibrant rock. Backed by the ever-reliable E-Street Band, this is as refreshing a record as you could ask for. There’s something uniquely American about the sound, which is wholly appropriate for the home country of rock. Steel girders, wide highways, hot-roofed road trips and juvenile love mixed with dirt, grit and blue jeans make for the essential ingredients of Born In The USA. Springsteen’s song-writing prowess is at its height. Aside from the title-track, listen to the dusty innocence of “Darlington County” and the muddy, rootsy “Downbound Train” and revel in the mythic, eternal imagery of a time which perhaps never existed, but which every human, in his or her own way, has looked for.
Separation Sunday – The Hold Steady – 2005
Because every ‘best of’ list has to include at least one contentious entry (it’s the law). Separation Sunday is an album that, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, drags itself through the gutter whilst gazing up at the stars. Tales of street-rats, hoodlums and self-destructive binges are saved from any accusation of nihilism by the quite beautiful arrangements and the emotive and affecting vocals of Craig Finn. If the characters which Finn brings to life in these songs are desperate, confused and hurting, it is because, like all of us, they are searching for meaning, light and love. The best rock music taps into something primal within us. It makes connections which bypass the brain and go straight to the soul. Listen to the brilliant, exhausting, sparkling diamond which is “Cattle and the Creeping Things” and I challenge you to disagree that The Hold Steady have earned their place on this list.
Rock and blues? How about “Truth” by the Jeff Beck Group?