Classic Rock 1970s Albums

Night in the Ruts puts Aerosmith’s blues-rooted grit, street-level swagger and raw nervous energy in the foreground.

In Through the Out Door, Led Zeppelin's eighth album, turns from guitar-led hard rock to a broader palette of keyboards and deep grooves.

Street Machine finds Sammy Hagar with guitar in hand, joining direct rock-and-roll drive to his high, open vocal power.

Black Rose: A Rock Legend joins Thin Lizzy’s hard-rock power, Irish feeling and narrative gift with unusual naturalness.

Hydra shows Toto using exceptional instrumental command not as an end in itself, but as a way to create distinct colors and stories from song to song.

Don’t Look Back presents the immense guitar sound and crystalline vocal harmonies that BOSTON established on its debut in a shorter, more tightly focused form.

Dog & Butterfly sets a harder first half against a more lyrical second side, carefully drawing out Heart’s two contrasting strengths.

Queen's seventh album, released in November 1978: their first made outside Britain, with Roy Thomas Baker back as co-producer, across 13 songs.

Toto’s debut brings together the technical command of veteran session players and the immediate pull of pop songwriting.

Obsession, recorded in Los Angeles and released by Chrysalis in June 1978, was Michael Schenker's last UFO studio album until his 1993 return.

Draw the Line sets Aerosmith’s dirty blues instinct against the urgent push of hard rock.

Little Queen joins heavy guitar riffing and bold melody through Ann Wilson’s overwhelming vocal force.

Magazine preserves the heat of early Heart while carrying the complicated history of an unfinished initial release during a contract dispute.

Queen's sixth album, released in October 1977: made in about ten weeks, it opens with "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions".

Musical Chairs by SAMMY HAGAR: track list, Spotify player and English liner notes on METAL BOOST.

Sammy Hagar centers on thick guitar, straight-ahead beat and Hagar’s powerful voice to make unadorned hard rock.

Bad Reputation condenses Thin Lizzy’s short, forceful riffs, springing rhythm and Phil Lynott’s distinctive storytelling.

UFO's sixth album, released in May 1977, their first with producer Ron Nevison and Paul Raymond, reached No. 54 in the UK and No. 23 in the US.

Rocks keeps Aerosmith’s dirty blues roots but sharpens the playing and dangerous tension to an extreme.

Boston’s debut is driven by Tom Scholz’s layered guitars and detailed studio work, cut through by Brad Delp’s high, clear voice.

Presence strips away much of Led Zeppelin’s decoration and centers its force on Jimmy Page’s guitar and John Bonham’s drumming.

Queen's fifth album, released in December 1976: their first self-produced record, closing with a song sung partly in Japanese for their fans there.

Nine on a Ten Scale gives Sammy Hagar his first clear solo identity after leaving Montrose.

Jailbreak finds Thin Lizzy using Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham’s twin guitars not simply for technique, but as a force that moves each song forward.

Johnny the Fox expands Thin Lizzy’s storytelling and tonal range after the success of Jailbreak.

UFO's fifth album, released in May 1976, added ex-Heavy Metal Kids keyboard player Danny Peyronel and was Leo Lyons's third production for the band.

Toys in the Attic joins Aerosmith’s blues-rooted roughness to sharper riffs and more immediate melodies.

Come Taste the Band is Deep Purple's tenth album, with Tommy Bolin in place of Ritchie Blackmore and more funk, soul and blues in its heavy rock.

Dreamboat Annie is Heart’s debut, joining the softness of acoustic guitar, hard-rock force and beautiful vocal harmony.

Physical Graffiti lets Led Zeppelin move freely through heavy riffs, blues, funk and acoustic shadow across a double album.

Queen's fourth album, released in November 1975: twelve songs recorded in six studios, "Bohemian Rhapsody" among them, and their first UK No. 1.

Fighting finds Thin Lizzy making a harder, more identifiable sound around Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson’s twin guitars.

UFO's fourth album, released in July 1975 and produced by Leo Lyons, was their first to reach the US chart, peaking at No. 71 on the Billboard 200.

Get Your Wings finds Aerosmith keeping the raw charge of its debut while taking a major step forward in songwriting, playing, and sound.

Burn is the opening statement of Deep Purple’s Mark III lineup, with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes turning a personnel change into fresh momentum rather…

Stormbringer takes the Mark III Deep Purple sound beyond the framework of traditional hard rock and captures the individual instincts of its members in…

Queen's second album, released in March 1974: a Side White led by Brian May, a Side Black all Freddie Mercury's, and No. 5 in Britain.

Queen's third album, from November 1974: recorded in four studios around Brian May's illness, it reached No. 2 in Britain, as did "Killer Queen".

Nightlife is Thin Lizzy’s fourth album and the point at which Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson begin building the twin-guitar foundation of the band’s later…

UFO's third album and first for Chrysalis, released in May 1974, introduced Michael Schenker and gave the band "Doctor Doctor" and "Rock Bottom".

Aerosmith begins with the rough feel of blues rock, yet it already reveals the streetwise instinct and vocal power that would support the band’s later success.

Who Do We Think We Are finds Deep Purple retaining the tension and virtuosity of its classic lineup while letting the members collide inside tighter, more…

Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin's fifth album, moves easily beyond heavy blues rock with varied rhythms, layered arrangements and a sense of play.

Queen's debut, released in July 1973: recorded in Trident's spare studio hours, with "Keep Yourself Alive", "Liar" and no synthesizers.

Vagabonds of the Western World captures Thin Lizzy before the later twin-guitar style was fully formed, moving freely among blues, folk, soul and hard rock…

Machine Head is a defining Deep Purple album from the Mark II lineup, joining riff, improvisation, vocal power, and groove with astonishing economy.

Shades of a Blue Orphanage is Thin Lizzy’s second album, made before the later twin-guitar attack and city-bred rock-and-roll identity had fully arrived.

Fireball finds Deep Purple’s Mark II lineup building on the fierce hard-rock language established on In Rock while testing speed, blues, folk-like quiet, and…

Led Zeppelin IV is the band's fourth album and its signature work, joining hard rock, blues and British folk on a grand scale.

Thin Lizzy is the debut made by the trio of Phil Lynott, Eric Bell, and Brian Downey before the band reached the twin-guitar attack and fast-moving hard rock…

UFO's second album, issued by Beacon in 1971, is a self-produced space-rock record built around the long "Star Storm" and "Flying".

Deep Purple in Rock is the record on which Deep Purple’s Mark II lineup turns decisively away from the earlier phase that crossed psychedelic ideas with…

Led Zeppelin III preserves the electric force of Led Zeppelin’s first two albums while moving much further into acoustic instruments, folk texture, and quiet space.

UFO's debut album, released by Beacon Records in October 1970, with Mick Bolton on guitar and three covers among its ten songs.