Rocks
Artist: Aerosmith
Community Score: 7.83

Few albums have been so appropriately named as Aerosmith's 1976 classic Rocks. Despite hard drug use escalating among bandmembers, Aerosmith produced a superb follow-up to their masterwork Toys in the Attic, nearly topping it in the process. Many Aero fans will point to Toys as the band's quintessential album (it contained two radio/concert... Read More

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

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

Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
Artist: Rainbow
Community Score: 7.50

Long Live Rock 'n' Roll is singer Ronnie James Dio's last album with Rainbow, but at least he went out on a high note. While the material is not quite as strong as on the previous studio effort, Rising, Long Live Rock 'n' Roll maintains the momentum the band had built up. "Kill the King" had been previously heard on the live On Stage record, but... Read More

Hell Bent for Leather
Artist: Judas Priest
Community Score: 8.06

In 1979, Judas Priest was growing more and more influential. And as the 1980s progressed, it would become crystal clear that the British headbangers -- who influenced everyone from Iron Maiden to Metallica to King Diamond -- had every bit as great an impact as fellow British headbangers Black Sabbath. One of the Priest's strongest albums, Hell... Read More

Sin After Sin
Artist: Judas Priest
Community Score: 8.00

Although Sad Wings of Destiny wasn't a huge seller, it did land Judas Priest a major-label deal with Columbia, for whom they debuted with the fearlessly experimental Sin After Sin. Retaining the progressive elements of its predecessor, Sin After Sin upped the levels of instrumental technique and melody while incorporating a greater variety of... Read More

Sad Wings of Destiny
Artist: Judas Priest
Community Score: 8.58

The groundbreaking Sad Wings of Destiny was the first great Judas Priest album, simultaneously taking the entire heavy metal genre to new depths of darkness and new heights of technical precision and musicality. Sad Wings of Destiny sounded like little else on the metal scene in 1976: it was heavy and chillingly bleak, in an almost unrelenting... Read More

We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll
Artist: Black Sabbath
Community Score: 7.34

We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll is a good single-disc collection of many -- but not all -- of Black Sabbath's best tracks from the Ozzy Osbourne era, drawing about half of its material from the group's first two albums, Black Sabbath and Paranoid. That makes it ideal for the fan who only wants one Black Sabbath disc, but those who want to dig... Read More

Slow Motion
Artist: Man