The most important rock albums of ALL time

Not really of all time, but of my time. These albums are important because they are the first ones I ever bought, the ones I first listened to over and over, the melodies and lyrics that burrowed deep into my brain. I haven’t listened to any of these albums in a long time, 20 years at least, but I could probably sing along to every word if I heard them today.

I owned all of these albums on vinyl, of course. Never upgraded any of them to CD.

#5 REO Speedwagon, Hi in Fidelity
“Take It on the Run,” “Keep on Loving You”



#4 Journey, Escape
“Don’t Stop Believing,” “Who’s Crying Now,” “Open Arms,” “Stone in Love”



#3 Styx, Paradise Theatre
“Too Much time on My Hands,” “The Best of Times”



#2 Queen, The Game
This is the first album I can remember buying with my own money. “Another One Bites the Dust” was my favorite song. It was also the theme song for the Detroit Lions in 1980. That was when Billy Sims was the star back. They went 9-7. The song also gained notoriety for backmasking. If you played the record backward, it “clearly” said, “Try to smoke marijuana.” I tried it, of course, but never heard the message all that clearly.



#1 Kiss, Alive
This was THE album of my childhood. My brother and I used to play Kiss with other boys in the neighborhood. I was usually Ace Frehley with the smoking guitar. All the sexual innuendo in the lyrics went right over my head.