All Time Classics
The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St
Considered by many to be one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time, Exile In Main Street was viewed as more of a disaster when it first came out. Recorded in a haze of drugs and inter band chaos, the sometimes muddy double LP has ended up being viewed as an accidental masterpiece in many ways. 18 tracks with zero hit singles, Exile’s success is viewed as a whole instead of its separate parts and thrives on being a band that was doing whatever it wanted and not worrying about having a hit.
The 1983 debut album from Metallica, Kill Em All, is the birth of Thrash music as we know it. The San Francisco foursome blasted out the albums 10 tracks and changed the course of metal music for decades to come. It’s fast, mean and is a full volume blast from start to finish. Making this an even bigger must have, the copy in the store right now is a 1983 Megaforce Records original press and is in fantastic shape. I don’t often drool over records, but I have over this one multiple times.
Following up the somewhat disappointing album, The Soft Parade, and Jim Morrison’s arrest after a concert in Miami, The Doors were in a rough spot before the release of Morrison Hotel. Kicking off with the classic track, Roadhouse Blues, Morrison Hotel was found The Doors channeling the best of their Blues sound. This one is an album for fans more than the radio, but still has a number of tracks that still find play on classic rock radio.
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
It’s hard to imagine that in 1965, Bob Dylan had already produced 4 all time classic albums that started with folk and protest music and had eventually started to turn into rock and roll. Instead of splitting the difference between his rock and folk sides like he had with Bringing It All Back Home, Dylan hired a full time rock band and went all in with Highway 61 Revisited. Kicking off with the epic Like A Rolling Stone, Highway 61 would see Dylan finally move completely away from the music of the first part of his career and he would rarely look back.
Led Zeppelin - Houses of The Holy
Featuring an album cover that will get your reported on Instagram, 1973’s Houses of the Holy, the fifth album from Led Zeppelin is probably my favorite Zeppelin album. A bit looser feeling than their previous work, Houses finds the band stretching out and almost enjoying themselves. The rockers are more free, the arrangements are more gentle at times and the riffs are massive. My favorite track, No Quarter, is one of their spaciest tracks and still finds time to blow your mind.
