Classic Rock Albums - Page 2

Bananas finds Deep Purple working from blues-rooted riffs, Hammond organ and expansive vocals with the conversational ease of a seasoned band.

Corporate America brings Boston’s trademarks—layered guitars, huge harmonies and clear melodic lift—back to the foreground.

Not 4 Sale lets Sammy Hagar move easily among hard rock, blues, funk and Caribbean-flavored grooves.

Through the Looking Glass is a covers album on which TOTO, a band of top session musicians, recasts songs it reveres in its own sound.

UFO's sixteenth album, released in September 2002 and produced by Mike Varney and Steve Fontano, was Michael Schenker's last with the band.

Just Push Play brings digital textures and pop-minded hooks into Aerosmith’s blues-rooted framework.

Ten 13 lets Sammy Hagar lean into the open-road side of his songwriting: muscular guitars, sunny hooks and a voice built to carry a chorus.

UFO's fifteenth album, released in July 2000 with Michael Schenker back and Aynsley Dunbar on drums, came with the live disc Live USA.

Red Voodoo is a useful way to hear SAMMY HAGAR from a different angle within the 1999 catalogue.

Mindfields uses Toto’s considerable musicianship in service of atmosphere rather than display.

Abandon brings Deep Purple’s heavy organ, blues-minded guitar and flexible rhythm into a mature hard-rock statement.

Nine Lives reconnects Aerosmith with thick riffs, loose-moving rhythm and Steven Tyler’s unruly vocal presence.

Marching to Mars places hard-driving rockers beside reflective ballads, bringing Sammy Hagar’s heat and human directness to the front.

Purpendicular finds Deep Purple gaining a new set of gestures with Steve Morse on guitar.

Queen's fifteenth album, from November 1995: the last studio album, completed over four years by the other three around vocals Freddie Mercury left.

Tambu keeps Toto’s precise ensemble work but shifts its center of gravity toward lower, heavier rhythms and muted color.

UFO's fourteenth album, out first in Japan on 15 April 1995, reunited Phil Mogg and Pete Way with Michael Schenker, Paul Raymond and Andy Parker.

Walk On is a useful way to hear BOSTON from a different angle within the 1994 catalogue.

Get a Grip finds AEROSMITH in a phase that joins the band’s blues-rooted roughness to a huge pop scale through heavier riffs and sharply defined vocal hooks.

The Battle Rages On... finds DEEP PURPLE in a phase that puts Deep Purple’s heavy hard-rock riffing and tense ensemble work back in sharp focus.

Desire Walks On finds HEART in a phase that moves Heart into a harder early-1990s rock frame by combining tactile guitar weight with dramatic vocal presence.

Kingdom of Desire retains Toto’s polish while bringing guitar weight and a more immediate band feel to the front.

UFO's thirteenth studio album, released in February 1992, was the only one with Laurence Archer and Clive Edwards and brought Pete Way back.

Queen's fourteenth album, released in February 1991 (in Japan on 30 January): the last released in Freddie Mercury's lifetime, and a UK No. 1.

Slaves and Masters is a useful way to hear DEEP PURPLE from a different angle within the 1990 catalogue.

Brigade is a useful way to hear HEART from a different angle within the 1990 catalogue.

Pump joins Aerosmith’s bluesy swing to the larger, polished sound of the late 1980s with remarkable control.

Queen's thirteenth album, released in May 1989: the first to credit every song to the whole band, behind a cover that merges the four faces into one.

The Seventh One unites Toto’s precise rhythm work, layered keyboards and open-hearted vocals without allowing studio polish to turn cold.

Ain't Misbehavin', a seven-track EP issued by FM-Revolver in 1988, was the last record Phil Mogg made with guitarist Atomik Tommy M.

Permanent Vacation reconnects Aerosmith’s blues-rooted instincts with the radio and MTV scale of the late 1980s.

The House of Blue Light puts Ritchie Blackmore’s hard-edged guitar and Jon Lord’s Hammond organ back in direct conversation.

Bad Animals surrounds Ann Wilson’s deep, powerful voice with thick guitar and expansive keyboards.

I Never Said Goodbye joins Sammy Hagar’s open, high voice to a stripped-down hard-rock frame.

Third Stage opens Tom Scholz’s painstaking sonic construction through Brad Delp’s clear, expressive voice.

Queen's twelfth album, from June 1986: built around the songs they wrote for the film Highlander, it entered the British chart at No. 1.

Fahrenheit keeps Toto’s precise musicianship while placing Joseph Williams’s bright, soaring voice at the center.

Done with Mirrors brings Aerosmith back toward guitar-led rock and roll after the return of Joe Perry and Brad Whitford.

Heart’s self-titled album connects Ann and Nancy Wilson’s expressive strengths to a more open pop-rock design.

Misdemeanor, released by Chrysalis in November 1985, brought UFO back with a new line-up around Phil Mogg, Atomik Tommy M and Paul Gray.