Remember cruising with your friends, blasting your favorite tunes? Us too. Sometimes the urge to go back to those times is so strong we just want to hop in the car and throw on our favorite classics.
So why not go for it? We explored music sites like allmusic.com and top 100 lists on Rolling Stone and elsewhere to pull together ten tunes that will send you right down memory lane. We included the release date, accolades, and notable tracks so you know exactly where to start your nostalgic journey.
1. ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin. Photo Credit: more19562003 / Wikimedia
Release date: Nov. 8, 1971
Accolades: Ranked #58 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Notable tracks: “Stairway to Heaven,” “Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll”
This album defined Led Zeppelin for the ages and perhaps rock music itself. The album mixes folk, blues, rock, and Robert Plant’s interest in mythology and religion to create one of the most iconic albums of all time. It’s hard to escape the impact of songs like “Stairway to Heaven.”
2. ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ by Pink Floyd
‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ by Pink Floyd. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Release date: March 1, 1973
Accolades: Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999
Notable tracks: “Money,” “Time,” “Us and Them”
“Dark Side of the Moon” takes Roger Waters’ lyrics about relatively mundane things and elevates them to a trippy, new level. This isn’t an album – it’s a whole soundscape. Few albums manage the strange twists and turns of this one while still forming a band- and genre-defining whole that has stood the test of time.
3. ‘The Beatles (The White Album)’ by The Beatles
The Beatles Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Release date: Nov. 22, 1968
Accolades: Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000
Notable tracks: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” “Helter Skelter”
The Beatles’ epic double album contains many of the hits the band is still known for. That’s saying a lot from a band that basically defined a genre and spanned the decades with its music. It’s hard choosing just a few tracks when most of the songs on “The White Album” are iconic to this day.
4. ‘Sticky Fingers’ by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones posing in an ad with covers of Sticky Fingers, with the original artwork, in 1971 Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Release date: April 23, 1971
Accolades: Ranked #63 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Notable tracks: “Brown Sugar,” “Wild Horses,” “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”
“Sticky Fingers” is a somewhat more somber and lyrical album from The Rolling Stones. A lot of these songs take things slower, allowing the band to really stretch its musical muscles and show off. The result is an album that is revered to this day, with hits that have struck a chord with listeners over multiple decades.
5. ‘Hotel California’ by The Eagles
Eagles performing “Hotel California” in 2010 with the image from the album cover in the background Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Release date: Dec. 8, 1976
Accolades: Ranked #37 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003
Notable tracks: “Hotel California,” “New Kid in Town,” “Life in the Fast Lane”
This album symbolized a big departure for the band. They changed guitarists and supposedly spent eight months crafting “Hotel California.” Apparently, all that work was well worth it. This album packs a punch, taking the group’s sound to a new level with hits that still rock to this day.
6. ‘Rumours’ by Fleetwood Mac
The cover art for Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Release date: Feb. 4, 1977
Accolades: Ranked #7 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Notable tracks: “Go Your Own Way,” “Dreams,” “The Chain”
Sometimes strife produces something magical. The band infamously suffered a lot of internal turmoil during the making of this album. As romantic entanglements unraveled, “Rumours” took shape. You can feel the pain and grief in some of these songs, a sentiment that has resonated with fans even up to today.
7. ‘Who’s Next’ by The Who
Who’s Next’ by The Who. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Release date: August 25, 1971
Accolades: Ranked #28 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Notable tracks: “Baba O’Riley,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Behind Blue Eyes”
The emotional highs and lows of “Who’s Next” result in an earnest, affecting album that came to define the band. The rage, heartbreak, and grief permeating this album captivated listeners. Those strong emotions have given the album staying power. There’s nothing like a rock ballad to send us down memory lane.
8. ‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen
Front Cover for the album Born to Run by the artist Bruce Springsteen. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Release date: Aug. 25, 1975
Accolades: Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003
Notable tracks: “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road,” “Jungleland”
Big sound, big songs, and big ambition combined to produce “Born to Run,” an epic album that many still regard as a masterpiece. Bruce Springsteen left nothing on the table during the making of this album. Every song is an epic in and of itself, with classics like “Born to Run” still blowing out our speakers to this day.
9. ‘Physical Graffiti’ by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Release date: Feb. 24, 1975
Accolades: Ranked #70 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003
Notable tracks: “Kashmir,” “Trampled Under Foot,” “In My Time of Dying”
Led Zeppelin makes our list again, but they’ve more than earned both spots. “Physical Graffiti” is a masterpiece of classic rock that marked the band’s return after a two-year hiatus. And boy, did they ever make a comeback. The songs span genres, showing off everything the band was capable of at its peak.
10. ‘A Night at the Opera’ by Queen
Queen
Release date: Nov. 21, 1975
Accolades: Ranked #128 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Notable tracks: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “You’re My Best Friend,” “The Prophet’s Song”
“A Night at the Opera” truly holds nothing back, and Queen was well aware of that when they made this classic. The “opera” moniker is only partially a joke. It’s hard to listen to epics like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and not feel like you’re witnessing a sonic opera. Exaggerated and sometimes ridiculous, this album stands the test of time.
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.
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