When you buy through the links on our site we may earn a commission.Allied to the power of crazy drummers, rhino-like bass players and flamboyant frontmen, the era of rock was and is an unstoppable force of nature; a primordial attack that engages with the listener heart first, head second.
Upvote your favourites, and downvote others to sent them flying down the charts like a bands rubbish third album. Pure rock and roll thrills (literally, on track two), gentle folk and bulldozing hard rock. And, of course, in the case of Stairway To Heaven - all three in one song, complete with probably the greatest guitar solo of all time. There were moments of greatness throughout the subsequent six albums, but it all came to a head with The Dark Side Of The Moon. Everything about it was epic; the ambition, the scope, the dynamics. And, of course, it featured one of the greatest album covers of all time, designed by the legendary Storm Thorgerson. The public agreed: upon release, it stayed in the Billboard charts for an astonishing 741 weeks from 1973 to 1988. Profits from it even went on to help fund Monty Python The Holy Grail and you cant argue with that. Tensions within the band were high and Lennon proposed splitting the A and B sides between him and McCartney. Nevertheless, things came together - literally - for both principle songwriters, while George Harrison contributed two of his best-ever songs in the shape of Something and Here Comes The Sun. It stands, against all the odds, as a brilliantly cohesive piece of work. The blueprint for so much of what was to come in rock, it saw Jimmy Page come of age in the studio and as a guitar player, and Robert Plant refine his, in turns, howlin, then gentle, vocal style. According to engineer Eddie Kramer, the mid-song breakdown, where everything is going bananas, is a combination of Jimmy and myself just flying around on a small console twiddling every knob known to man. However, when audiences - who were meant to be part of the performance - failed to respond, it drove Townshend to the edge of a nervous breakdown and almost caused a band split. Eventually, they enlisted engineer Glyn Johns and instead recorded a straight-ahead rock record. It was a wise move - all nine tracks were incredible, theyd never sounded sonically better or more interesting, and every member was on top form. It extensively explored the theme of absence - inspired by original singer Syd Barretts plight - particularly on the stunning Shine On You Crazy Diamond, which bookended the record. A majestic record, dynamically and sonically rich, which explored different time signatures and sounds, but never forgot about the tunes and the lyrics. And of course, that 4-note riff in Shine On which never fails to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. A work of breathtaking quality - be it songwriting, performance, or sonically - and it opened up the boundaries of what was possible in popular music. Best Rock Albums Of 1975 Full Of ClassicsFull of classics, of varying styles: if youve never listened to it, you should do so right now.
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