Toys in the Attic
Artist: Aerosmith
Community Score: 7.91

After nearly getting off the ground with Get Your Wings, Aerosmith finally perfected their mix of Stonesy raunch and Zeppelin-esque riffing with their third album, Toys in the Attic. The success of the album derives from a combination of an increased sense of songwriting skills and purpose. Not only does Joe Perry turn out indelible riffs like... Read More

Slow Motion
Artist: Man
Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics
Artist: Man

An excellent set of material energized by the return of the pleasingly abrasive vocals of Deke Leonard; it charted nearly as well as Back Into the Future, and its tighter composition means that in many ways it's held up better over the years. The second half may be the band's artistic high point -- bookended by the pomp-wah instrumentals,... Read More

Degüello
Artist: ZZ Top
Community Score: 9.38

ZZ Top returned after an extended layoff in late 1979 with Degüello, their best album since 1973's Tres Hombres. During their time off, ZZ Top didn't change much -- hell, their sound never really changed during their entire career -- but it did harden, in a way. The grooves became harder, sleeker, and their off-kilter sensibility and humor began... Read More

Live and Dangerous
Artist: Thin Lizzy
Community Score: 6.40

Along with Kiss' Alive, the Who's Live at Leeds, and the Rolling Stones' Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out, Thin Lizzy's 1978 double album, Live and Dangerous, is one of the greatest live rock albums of all time. The band wisely hooked up with producer Tony Visconti, again, and although it's become known in later years that the tracks included extensive... Read More

Queens of Noise
Artist: The Runaways
Community Score: 9.50

The Runaways didn't compromise a bit on their outstanding sophomore effort, Queens of Noise. Melodic yet tough and aggressive, this is hard rock that pulls no punches either musically or lyrically. Classics like "Neon Angels (On the Road to Ruin)," "Take It or Leave It" and "I Love Playing With Fire" wouldn't have been shocking coming from... Read More

Rising
Artist: Rainbow
Community Score: 7.59

On their second release, Rainbow not only avoid the sophomore jinx; they hit a home run. After replacing the entire band (except Ronnie James Dio) immediately following the recording of the first album, Ritchie Blackmore and the Rising lineup (Blackmore; Dio; Tony Carey, keys; Jimmy Bain, bass; and the late, great Cozy Powell, drums) had plenty... Read More

Lust for Life
Artist: Iggy Pop
Community Score: 9.50

On The Idiot, Iggy Pop looked deep inside himself, trying to figure out how his life and his art had gone wrong in the past. But on Lust for Life, released less than a year later, Iggy decided it was time to kick up his heels, as he traded in the mid-tempo introspection of his first album and began rocking hard again. Musically, Lust for Life is... Read More

Physical Graffiti
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Community Score: 8.45

Led Zeppelin returned from a nearly two-year hiatus in 1975 with Physical Graffiti, a sprawling, ambitious double album. Zeppelin treat many of the songs on Physical Graffiti as forays into individual styles, only occasionally synthesizing sounds, notably on the tense, Eastern-influenced "Kashmir." With John Paul Jones' galloping keyboard,... Read More

Little Queen
Artist: Heart
Community Score: 8.70

After acquiring a substantial following with Dreamboat Annie, Heart solidified its niche in the hard rock and arena rock worlds with the equally impressive Little Queen. Once again, loud-and-proud, Led Zeppelin-influenced hard rock was the thing that brought Heart the most attention. But while "Barracuda" and "Kick It Out" are the type of sweaty... Read More

Dreamboat Annie
Artist: Heart
Community Score: 8.58

In the 1980s and '90s, numerous women recorded blistering rock, but things were quite different in 1976 -- when female singers tended to be pigeonholed as soft rockers and singer/songwriters and were encouraged to take after Carly Simon, Melissa Manchester, or Joni Mitchell rather than Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. Greatly influenced by Zep,... Read More

Night Shift
Artist: Foghat
Community Score: 7.25
Crazy Moon - BONUS TRACKS
Artist: Crazy Horse

The 1997 Australian re-release of the Crazy Horse album Crazy Moon is quite a find for fans of the band, as well as for admirers of Neil Young. Although this isn't a Neil Young album per se, it's just as inspired and similar sounding as such '70s Neil Young & Crazy Horse classics as Zuma and Rust Never Sleeps. Although the songwriting and the... Read More

No Exit
Artist: Angel City