Everyone has their own list of albums that made a huge impact on them and their musical tastes. It’s a very personal list, often tied to key moments or periods in their life. Sharing a list of five classic rock albums that opened up new music to me may seem a bit odd.
But there is a point in doing so, several, in fact. The albums will bring back great memories for lots of people. They won't be the same memories for others, but seeing the albums listed and maybe hearing them again may trigger your own thoughts of time past. They certainly aren’t overplayed by any means,
You may also now be thinking about what five albums you might have chosen, and why. For me, the five albums are linked to my teenage years. Many came from listening to albums during breaks at school. They were brought in by others, borrowed from siblings, some parents, and an occasional teacher.
Five 1970s classic rock albums that opened doors
Each introduced a new world of music to me. It was a hugely informative period getting to hear music that wasn't played on the daytime chart radio. An introduction to album rock and more, across a wide range of genres. Here’s my five that opened doors musically.
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of The Moon
This album was a real eye-opener. I’d heard of Pink Floyd, but not knowingly heard their music. I assumed it was a bit weird, psychedelic, or heavy, and for quirkier tastes. It was one of the first I heard at school.
The Dark Side Of The Moon was very accessible. Not at all as expected. It was a glorious sound, multi-layered, almost spiritual, with amazing guitars and soundscapes. I was stunned and amazed by the whole album. And probably still am to this day.
The album opened doors to all sorts of other sounds. It encouraged me to listen more widely, and that school record player delivered on that front. Over the years, further Pink Floyd albums followed into my collection and were regular players on my own hi-fi. They were brilliant for headphones too, which suited my family a lot, as well as myself.
Queen - A Night At The Opera
This was the first proper rock album I bought. I wasn't sure quite what to expect, but then that's the case with many people when it comes to this band and album are concerned. I bought it as I liked their run of singles up to “Killer Queen.” I was bowled over by “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and the new album became a must-have. Pocket money earned from a Saturday job made it happen.
I recall opening the album up and playing it. I remember marvelling at the lyrics being on the cover, along with songwriters, instrument credits, and that proud “No Synths!” statement. The variety of music was typically Queen, highly varied from heavy or orchestral baroque rock, a bit of folk, some pastiche, and more.
A glorious collection from a band who became another top favorite over the years. The learning here was that bands could sound very different from one song to the next and were often hard to categorize. But that was a huge part of the fun.
Yes - Yessongs
The school listening led me down many genre paths. Prog rock hit home and became an area to explore. Yes came up quite often; I liked Relayer a lot and wanted to hear more. Often, live albums or compilations were a good route for that.
Yessongs was a natural candidate, so when I saw the triple album on sale in the local record store for the same price as a single album, it was a bargain to be seized. Full of complexity and power, it was, and still is, a terrific listen. That compelled me to go and see Yes live not long after. Concerts that remain firmly in my mind.
Tom Robinson Band - Power In The Darkness
Talking of concerts, it was seeing the Tom Robinson Band live that sparked this purchase. I hadn't heard of the band, but they were playing locally and were described as loud, up-and-coming, punk, and worth seeing. Our town wasn't on many decent bands’ tour stops, so you took what you could when something interesting was booked.
They were indeed. It wasn't the wild end of punk rock, but they were pretty angry and full of protests. Hard-hitting songs, anti police and gay rights, all of it radical. But a great sound. The album was a must and turned out unknowingly to be a bargain. It had a seven-track bonus disc included. This one led to many more punk-based albums and tunes.
Police - Outlandos d’Amour
It’s hard to remember at first how the Police were positioned when they emerged. They weren't mainstream old school rock. They weren't punk, but they had a real edge and brought that slight reggae and ska element too. Thinking now, I reckon they were dubbed as New Wave before that became more synth- and keyboard-driven.
The early singles led me to the album, especially “Roxanne,” still a top tune and favorite. They helped move their type of sound onto the airwaves. Increased radio play attracted more listeners. And like me, they started to dip into lots of other previously unheard bands. Through Sting and his jazz liking, that too became another style to explore over the years.
Add us as a preferred source on Google