10 Classic Rock Albums To Listen to Before Kicking the Bucket

Image via Warner Bros. Published Nov 13, 2026, 7:38 AM EST Lloyd 'Happy Trails' Farley: the man, the myth, the legend. What can be said about this amazing - and humble - man that hasn't been said before? Or, more accurately, what can be said in public? Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Lloyd is a master of puns and a humorist, who has authored one pun book to date - Pun and Grimeish Mint - and is working on a second. His time with Collider has allowed Lloyd's passion for writing to explode, with nearly 1,000 articles to his name that have been published on the site, with his favorite articles being the ones that allow for his sense of humor to shine. Lloyd also holds fast to the belief that all of life's problems can be answered by The Simpsons, Star Wars, and/or The Lion King. You can read more about Lloyd on his website, or follow his Facebook page and join the Llama Llegion. Happy trails! Sign in to your Collider account ​​​​​​Joining the choir invisible. Shuffling off this mortal coil. Ceasing to be. Biting the dust. Wearing wooden pajamas. Vacating the earthly meat prison. No matter how it's said, it all means the same thing: death. Death is the great equalizer, the one thing that is inevitable regardless of one's race, religion, income or social status. Every day brings us closer to hopping the twig. But hey, you're still on this side of the grass, right? Unless you're a well-read zombie, but that seems unlikely (but not impossible... discuss). So you have a choice to make: sit idly by, paralyzed by the thought you may have had your last Slurpee; or make the most of the time you have left. And if — hopefully — you've selected the latter, before kicking the bucket you've got things you want — nay, need — to do, see, and hear. Thankfully, your friends here at Collider have compiled a list that speaks to the latter: 10 rock albums you need to listen to before going belly up, ones that are not only awesome but offer guidance as you prepare for the inevitable. We're dying, literally, to share those with you now. 10. Fleetwood Mac: Rumours There comes a point in everyone's life where it's time to drop the charades and get real. That means raw, emotional honesty with others and yourself, and there is no better album that wears emotional honesty on every track like Fleetwood Mac's 1977 classic Rumours. The story behind the album is legendary at this point, recorded as the interpersonal drama among the group was akin to a soap opera, with separations, outright spite and heartbreak, making the atmosphere in the studio, shall we say, tense. A lesser band would have buried that under upbeat pop/rock songs, recording in separate sessions if needed. Not Fleetwood Mac: they owned that energy and put it all on vinyl, creating a timeless masterpiece that is relatable, real, and, in the case of "Don't Stop," even hopeful. 9. Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon Getting real with ourselves potentially opens up a proverbial Pandora's Box of questions about life, death, time, money, or even one's mental health. While it may not provide any answers to these questions, Pink Floyd, with their iconic album Dark Side of the Moon, sure as all hell wax philosophical about those same themes. Like Rumours, the album has an emotional honesty that resonates only with the fluid cohesion that comes from being a concept album. As a result, Dark Side of the Moon is less a record than it is an experience, one that should be made before going up to the "Great Gig in the Sky." 8. KISS: Alive! Speaking of experiences, seeing KISS in concert is one that is an absolute must. Or at least was, given the band gave their last performance at Madison Square Garden on December 2nd, 2023. So if that's on your bucket list, you now only have two options: wait for the KISS virtual avatars to hit town, or listen to their 1975 album Alive! Opt for the latter. Their breakthrough album, consisting of cuts from their first three albums (KISS, Hotter Than Hell and Dressed to Kill), achieves something that other live albums have mostly failed to accomplish: the feeling of being there. Alive! captures the bombastic, take-no-prisoners energy of a KISS live show and puts it on vinyl. Twice, that is, with that raw power requiring containment on a double album. Good luck replicating that, avatars. 7. Van Halen: 1984 The "when" of kicking the bucket is assured. The "how," on the other hand, is another story. There are millions of ways one could go, from horribly tragic to an eternally looping end as a Darwin Award winner. You could, as alluded to in the aforementioned Rumours, even "Go Your Own Way." And if that's the case, as Van Halen cheerfully suggests on their 1984 album, you "might as well jump" (but in all seriousness, please don't — help is always available). The last album with long-time frontman David Lee Roth (until 2012's A Different Kind of Truth) is also, arguably, their best, with "Panama," "Hot for Teacher," "Drop Dead Legs" and "Jump" the standouts. Really, though, the album is so good it doesn't really matter where you "jump" in. 6. The Beatles: Abbey Road It's ironically fitting that the last album the Beatles recorded before their demise, one that includes "The End," would show up on a list like this, no? As Collider explains, Abbey Road is arguably the greatest record of the 20th century. It's high praise, and even if you may disagree — you shouldn't, it's pretty damn good — then it still stands tall amongst the crowd. Noted as much for its iconic album cover as its tracks, Abbey Road has contributions from all four of the Beatles, with George Harrison and Ringo Starr each providing their strongest entries ("Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" for Harrison, "Octopus's Garden" for Starr). Even the much-maligned "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is far better than its reputation. The album has a blend of genres that work as a whole, serving as a snapshot of the band at the apex of their creativity. 5. AC/DC: Back in Black The Beatles fell apart after recording Abbey Road, while Australian rockers AC/DC could have done the same after the death of original frontman Bon Scott, and even toyed with the idea of disbanding. Instead, they stayed together, with Scott's father encouraging them to do so. They recruited Brian Johnson and set out to record what would be the definitive AC/DC album: Back in Black. It was created as a tribute to Scott, with the all-black cover a sign of mourning, while simultaneously launching a new era for the band. That new era came with a commitment to elemental, arena-ready guitar riffs and straight-forward rock, with a frontman who brought his own energy instead of being a Scott-lite. To say it worked out pretty well is an understatement: Back in Black hit the top of the UK album chart, became the best-selling album that never reached number one in the US charts, and is currently the second best-selling album of all time in music history. There is legitimately not a single track that sucks, from opener "Hells Bells" (which, hopefully, aren't what you hear on the other side) to "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution." IV. Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV Another album that showcases the band's mastery over a wide range of genres is Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin IV. "Black Dog" and "Rock and Roll" are straight bangers, "Going to California" has an acoustic folk vibe, while "When the Levee Breaks" takes the original blues song by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie from 1929 and reinterprets it as a slow-groove, blues-rock masterpiece. Every member of the band is at their best, which comes through the album's most prominent track: "Stairway to Heaven." The delicate acoustic softness of its opening melds seamlessly into its hard-rock crescendo and a fiery solo from Jimmy Page that arguably stands as his finest, with Robert Plant owning the track with his uncanny vocal range. And hey, when you do say goodbye to this world, it's nice to know you don't need to waste your time finding the elevator to Heaven. 3. Guns N' Roses: Appetite for Destruction And if you make that trek to the top of the stairway, you'll find "Paradise City," which is also a track from one of rock's all-time greatest debut albums, Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction. Neither the album or the band entered the music world quietly, but rather with a raw, explosive danger. They took the makeup, tights and hairspray that marked the hair-metal era and made it irrelevant overnight, ditching the sexualized, party-time dynamic in favor of a gritty, punk realism. The album balances radio-friendly(ish) tracks like "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Welcome to the Jungle" with darker cuts like "Mr. Brownstone," making it an album of all killer, no filler. Why waste the time you have left listening to crap? 2. Stryper: To Hell With the Devil Knowing that this life is fleeting, you may want to get familiar with the fella that'll be hosting you for eternity after you've bought the farm: God. To that end, you'll want to throw on Stryper's game-changing 1986 album To Hell With the Devil. With it, the holy-roller band did the unimaginable by making Christian rock music actually good. Like, MTV good, where they were in heavy rotation with the likes of Mötley Crue and Poison. They had all the bombast and flash of their secular hair-metal peers, even better than most, with a message that was radically different. "Honestly" is as good a power ballad as you'll ever hear, while standout tracks "The Way" and "To Hell With the Devil" showcase the blistering fretwork of Oz Fox and vocalist Michael Sweet's uncanny pipes. In a word, To Hell With the Devil is heavenly. 1. Aerosmith: Get Your Wings As we learned from It's a Wonderful Life, every time a bell rings, an angel gets their wings. Assuming the bells you hear on side B of life aren't one of Hell's, then congratulations, you get your wings! But why wait until you take the big Adios, when you can pick up Aerosmith's second album, Get Your Wings. First, a little context: Aerosmith's self-titled debut in 1973 was not a success, unaided by Columbia's promotional efforts being diverted to tout Bruce Springsteen's debut album Greeting from Asbury Park, N.J. That, and as Tom Hamilton points out, "a lot of people took a look at us and said, 'They're like a Kmart version of the Stones.'" They were given one more chance: "Unless your next album is really, really good, you're not going to be recording artists anymore." Suffice it to say, Get Your Wings was, is, really, really good. The biggest sin of Aerosmith was that it simply didn't sound like Aerosmith, and Get Your Wings reflected the band's emergence from the blues roots that dominated the first album into their own hard-rock identity. Joe Perry and Brad Whitford's dual-guitars were accentuated by producer Jack Douglas, who also helped frontman Steven Tyler hone his songwriting to reflect the now-iconic, swaggering persona he was developing as a frontman. The album would define the distinct Aerosmith sound from that point on, with tracks like "Same Old Song and Dance," "Seasons of Wither," "Train Kept a-Rollin,'" and the playful sleaze of "Lord of the Thighs" particular standouts. COLLIDERInteractive Amp warmed up Music/Classic Rock/Band Match Collider · Classic Rock Who Is Your PerfectClassic Rock Band? Ten questions · five bands · one match Five legendary bands, one match. Ten questions about your personality, your attitude and your taste will work out which rock icon you belong with. Are you raw power, rolling swagger, operatic drama, thunderous riffs or timeless melody? On the bill AC/DC The Rolling Stones Metallica Queen The Beatles Begin the quiz Question 01 of 10ENERGY 01 How do you walk into a room? Pick the answer that feels most like you. ALike a freight train. Loud, fast, and everyone knows I arrived. BWith a slow, cool swagger. I take my time and own every step. CHead down, focused. I am here for a reason and small talk is not it. DWith total confidence and a flair for the dramatic. All eyes on me. EWarmly and curiously, genuinely glad to see what and who is here. ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next question Question 02 of 10THE WEEKEND 02 What does your ideal Friday night look like? Be honest, not aspirational. ALoud bar, cold beer, jukebox cranked. The louder the better. BA smoky club, good company, and whatever feels right in the moment. CAn intense gig, or staying in with headphones. Nothing in between. DSomething theatrical. A show, a dinner party, an experience worth remembering. EClose friends, maybe making music, relaxed and real. ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next question Question 03 of 10COMPLEXITY 03 Simple or complicated? What is your philosophy? Form is content. How you build a thing is what it says. ASimple is king. One great riff played perfectly beats any amount of cleverness. BKeep it loose and bluesy. The groove matters more than technical perfection. CGo deep and dark. I want layers, tension, and something that hits hard. DWhy not both? Elaborate arrangements and huge hooks can live together. ECraft every detail. A perfect melody is the sum of a thousand small choices. ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next question Question 04 of 10STYLE 04 How would your friends describe the way you dress? Your reputation is usually more accurate than your self-image. ANo frills, no nonsense. Jeans, a T-shirt, ready to go. BEffortlessly cool. Slightly disheveled in a way that somehow always works. CDark and deliberate. Black is a lifestyle, not a color. DBold and expressive. Getting dressed is a performance. EClean and classic. Timeless over trendy, always put together. ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next question Question 05 of 10LEGACY 05 How do you want to be remembered? Everybody is building one whether they mean to or not. AAs someone who never let the energy drop. Relentless, loud and alive. BAs someone who lived fully and on my own terms, with no apologies. CAs someone who was brutally honest and made something that meant it. DAs someone who went past every genre, boundary and expectation put in front of me. EAs someone who changed the world and left it better than I found it. ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next question Question 06 of 10CROWD 06 What kind of crowd do you want around you? Who shows up for you says a lot about what you are. APeople who came to have a blast. No pretension, just noise and fun. BRebels and free spirits who do not take themselves too seriously. CA loyal, passionate crew who are all in. Intensity over numbers, every time. DEveryone. I want to unite people who would never otherwise share a room. EPeople who notice the craft and feel connected by the music itself. ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next question Question 07 of 10SONGWRITING 07 If you were writing a song, what would it be about? The subject you reach for first is the one that is really yours. AHaving a good time, turning it up, and not overthinking any of it. BStreet life, desire, and the rawness of being a person. CAnger, grief, war, the darker end of the world. Music as a weapon. DSomething epic and emotional. Love, loss, triumph or pure fantasy. ESomething personal and universal at once, a feeling anyone would recognize. ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next question Question 08 of 10LONGEVITY 08 What is your secret to still being here in thirty years? Staying is harder than arriving. ANever change the formula. If it works, it works. Consistency is everything. BStay hungry, stay dangerous, and keep a bit of that rebellious edge. CEarn it through dedication. The work and the live show speak for themselves. DReinvent constantly. Never let anyone box you in or guess your next move. EWrite songs so good they cannot be ignored, in any decade, in any room. ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next question Question 09 of 10STAGE PRESENCE 09 You are playing to eighty thousand people. What does it look like? This is the one nobody can fake. AA wall of sound and sweat. Unfiltered energy from the first note to the last. BLoose, cool and dangerous. Every song sounds like it might fall apart and never does. CBrutal precision. Tight, heavy, and nobody leaves unmoved. DA full spectacle. Lights, costumes, vocal acrobatics, total theatrical command. EWarm, joyful and tight, with the crowd singing every word back at you. ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next question Question 10 of 10THE ESSENCE 10 Pick the word that sums up your relationship with rock music. This is the tiebreaker. Choose carefully. ARaw. Stripped back, high voltage, no frills. BRolling. Fluid, dangerous, built on blues and attitude. CHeavy. Powerful, honest, uncompromising. DMajestic. Theatrical, boundary-defying, unforgettable. ETimeless. Melodic, human, built to last. ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance See my result Your resultYour perfect band is Headliner AC/DC Sydney, 1973 Simplicity executed with absolute conviction is its own kind of genius. You are pure, undiluted rock energy. You do not need tricks, trends or theatrical gimmicks, because you have something harder to copy: a riff that lands like a thunderbolt and an attitude that never wavers. Like AC/DC, you understand that doing one thing with total conviction beats doing ten things cleverly. You are the person in the room who does not overthink it, does not pretend, and never turns the volume down. Why this is you You would rather be unmistakable than surprising. You have one gear and it is the right one. Nobody has ever had to ask whether you turned up. From the Collider file Back in Black, made in the months after Bon Scott's death, is one of the best-selling albums ever released. Angus Young has worn the same schoolboy uniform on stage since the early 1970s. The Power Up tour carried them through 2026, more than fifty years on from their first gig. High voltage No frills Never quieter Headliner The Rolling Stones London, 1962 You are not chasing perfection. You are chasing the moment it all clicks. You have swagger that cannot be taught. Rooted in the blues and soaked in street-level attitude, you move through life with a loose, dangerous elegance that pulls people in without appearing to try. Like the Stones, you have seen most of it, done a fair amount of it, and somehow look better for the mileage. Groove matters more to you than polish, and you have never needed a plan to end up exactly where the night was going. Why this is you You improvise better than most people prepare. You make a mess look like a decision. You have outlasted people who were sure you would not. From the Collider file They have been going since 1962, which makes them older than most of the genres they outlived. Hackney Diamonds in 2023 was their first album of new songs in eighteen years. Charlie Watts played drums for them for fifty-eight years, until his death in 2021. Blues and attitude Loose on purpose Still dangerous Headliner Queen London, 1970 You have never needed anyone's permission to be exactly this much. You are magnificent and you know it, not from arrogance but from a sense of self that was never up for negotiation. Like Queen, you refuse every category people try to file you under. You mix the epic with the intimate, the operatic with the anthemic, the deadly serious with the deeply silly, and you perform every part of your life as though someone is watching, because often enough somebody is. Why this is you You treat a dull room as a problem to be solved. You can be ridiculous and sincere in the same breath. Being hard to categorize has always worked in your favor. From the Collider file Bohemian Rhapsody took four Oscars in 2019, including Best Actor for Rami Malek. Their catalogue sold to Sony in 2024 in the largest deal ever done for a single act's music. Brian May built the guitar he still plays with his father, out of a fireplace mantel. Fits no box Epic and intimate Born performer Headliner The Beatles Liverpool, 1960 Something that is deeply personal and completely universal at the same time. You have the rarest gift there is: making a thing that feels private and shared at once. Like the Beatles, you are a natural connector, somebody whose warmth and curiosity pulls people together across every line that normally keeps them apart. You believe in melody, in craft, and in the quiet force of a song that says the exact thing somebody needed to hear. You have changed the people around you just by being the way you are. Why this is you You are the reason your group of friends knows each other. You fuss over details nobody else would notice, and they land. You get further by being open than other people get by pushing. From the Collider file Now and Then, finished in 2023 from a Lennon demo using audio separation, won a Grammy. They spent only about seven years making records together, from 1963 to 1970. Sam Mendes is making four films, one per member, all opening across April 2028. Natural connector Melody first Built to last The mix · your top three 1 2 3 ↻ Retake the quiz Copied to your clipboard Set list byCOLLIDERCollider.com · The Music Desk