A Short History Of Hard Rock in 13 Albums

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at a short history of hard rock, summed up by thirteen albums which defined the genre and everything it stands for.

“Are You Experienced?” (1967)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Guitar-playing before and after Jimi Hendrix first burst onto the scene were two very different things. Backed by the duo of Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, Hendrix and his band were truly on a different level. Their debut, “Are You Experienced,” altered rock and roll forever, introducing a level of psychedelia and all-round virtuosity that remains unmatched to this day. Hendrix wasn’t just a great instrumentalist either; he was also an excellent singer and songwriter. Songs like “Purple Haze” and “The Wind Cries Mary” are revered as classics and covers like “Hey Joe” never sounded fresher than they did in 1967. An all-time benchmark for several genres and a game-changer in the foundation of hard rock.

“Led Zeppelin” (1969)

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin announced themselves to the world at the end of the 1960s. Founded by incomparable guitarist Jimmy Page, the group reconceptualized rock and roll for the next decade. For as much as they would perfect the formula on later releases, their self-titled debut album was a remarkably strong way to begin. Robert Plant redefined the hard rock frontman, John Bonham took the genre’s drumming to a new level, and, of course, the unsung hero that is John Paul Jones brought it all together. Page and Plant were an exceptionally sharp songwriting team too, and while Zeppelin would go on to refine their sound, this was one hell of a first taste.

“Paranoid” (1970)

Black Sabbath

Heavy metal existed only in brief ideas and singular moments before Black Sabbath brought it all together on their seminal album “Paranoid.” Sure, their debut was just as good in that regard, but in terms of commercial success and overall fluidity, “Paranoid” was the blueprint that so many other bands would follow. It had an unmistakably heavy metal aesthetic from start to finish, highlighted by instant classics like “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” and the title track. The fact that an album that practically birthed a genre went to number one in the UK tells you everything you need to know about its importance and impact.

“Who’s Next” (1971)

The Who

Following on from the smash hit that was their previous album “Tommy,” The Who felt like stripping things back for their next release. However, that didn’t mean that 1971’s “Who’s Next” was a minimal piece of music. No, the band indulged themselves by introducing modern recording techniques and synthesizers, all while keeping rock and roll at the center of what they were doing. Songs like “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” were just hits because of the songs themselves. They let us know where hard rock was headed… and when you look at the decade that followed “Who’s Next,” they were certainly on to something.

“Machine Head” (1972)

Deep Purple

No band defined straight-up 70s hard rock quite like Deep Purple. It was their sixth album and their second lineup that truly nailed their formula. “Machine Head” is rock and roll at its most urgent and immediate. Tracks like “Highway Star” are the type of pieces that could’ve only been written and recorded in the 1970s. Plus, album standout “Smoke on the Water” is a song that is so ingrained in musical culture, its guitar riff is arguably more famous than the band that created it. Deep Purple was a band with several creative peaks and “Machine Head” might just have been the greatest of them.

“Van Halen” (1978)

Van Halen

Van Halen injected some serious energy and fun into the hard rock genre with their debut album at the end of the 1970s. Led by the blistering guitar work of Eddie Van Halen, they found their footing immediately with their self-titled debut album. The opener “Runnin’ With The Devil” tells you everything you need to know about these rock titans… or at least it does until you’re hit with the follow-up track, “Eruption.” Never before had a guitar been tamed quite like it had been in the hands of Eddie on that tune. This album laid the framework, not just for many standout guitarists of the 80s but also for entire bands.

“Hemispheres” (1978)

Rush

By the time the 60s had finished, rock music was ready to branch off in several different directions. If there was one thing that defined the post-Hendrix, post-Beatles, and post-Cream world, it was the fusion of psychedelic rock and arena rock into the bizarre and beautiful world of prog. Rush was a band that pivoted from a pretty regular hard rock sound to full-on, spaced-out, progressive rock. They had been in transition long before the release of 1978’s “Hemispheres,” but this was the album that truly broke them into the mainstream. Just listen to a track like “Circumstances” and imagine how that would’ve sounded to audiences in the late 70s. A band of virtuosos who were clearly ahead of their time.

“London Calling” (1979)

The Clash

Punk, in its truest form, was never fated to last for a very long time. Even a band like The Clash eventually moved away from the punk genre for the most part. However, after their first two albums displayed their mastery of the genre, it was their third release, “London Calling,” that showcased their style-bending talents to the fullest. The Clash were too good to be confined to one type of music, and as a result, this 1979 classic ended up becoming one of the richest melting pots of musical influences imaginable. On top of it all, the songs are absolutely fantastic from start to finish. It was still punk, but very noticeably drew from ska, reggae, post-punk, and new wave.

“Back in Black” (1980)

AC/DC

Dealing with the untimely death of your lead singer is the type of tragedy that would decimate most bands. The passing of Bon Scott could’ve ruined AC/DC, and yet, the surviving members pretty quickly decided that their frontman would’ve wanted them to soldier on. That’s exactly what they did. Recruiting Brian Johnson was a bona fide masterstroke and out of nowhere, AC/DC, with “Back in Black,” reached a level of fame and acclaim that nobody saw coming. In many ways, this was a defining hard rock album of the 1980s - and it came out just seven months into the decade.

“Iron Maiden” (1980)

Iron Maiden

We could have picked so many albums from this era, “High ‘n’ Dry” by Def Leppard being another huge one. However, we couldn’t look past Iron Maiden’s blistering self-titled debut album as the definitive pick of the lot. There was some real ‘take no prisoners’ energy to this one, a furious approach to hard rocking that melded elements of metal, punk, and classic rock flawlessly. The riffs are the thing that bring it all together, though, and boy, do Maiden bring out the big guns here. Even at this early stage, they were the perfect heavy metal band!

“Master of Puppets” (1986)

Metallica

Though they would perfect the balance between raw metal and commercial appeal five years later, 1986 was truly the year when Metallica burst out of their shell. “Master of Puppets” was the sound of a band who could barely put a foot wrong. Across the album’s eight tracks, they dragged heavy metal into a totally different stratosphere. The title track is the perfect example of frenetic thrash metal that can be enjoyed by anyone. The songs on here are so undeniably tight and well-written that they made Metallica way more mainstream than they had any right to be. Sure, “The Black Album” would push their pop sensibilities further, but this is rougher around the edges in the best way possible.

“Appetite for Destruction” (1987)

Guns N’ Roses

Guns N’ Roses broke into the mainstream during a time when rock music was becoming a caricature of itself. Hair metal had dominated the airwaves in the 1980s, and while Axl Rose, Slash, and co. certainly had hair, they delivered a sound that brought so, so much more. The riffery on display was simply on a different level than their contemporaries. This was an album that made rock sound urgent again. Track for track, this is just about as solid as it gets. Every song on the album could’ve been a hit… and a lot of them were. Sure, GNR burned so brightly that it was inevitable that they would implode, but boy, was it good while it lasted

“Ten” (1991)

Pearl Jam

The birth of grunge was yet another important step in shedding the excess and glaour of the 1980s. While bands like Nirvana edged closer to the side of apathy and angst, Pearl Jam delivered the raw power of hard rock, albeit in a modern form. Led by Eddie Vedder’s impassioned vocal delivery, the band hit the ground running with their debut “Ten.” Songs like “Even Flow” and “Alive” exemplified what arena rock could be to the modern listener. There’s a reason these songs still sound as fresh today as ever, Pearl Jam updated hard rock music with “Ten” in a way that is undeniably timeless.

But what milestone album for the hard rock genre would make it onto your list? Let us know in the comments below.