10 Most Perfect Classic Rock Albums of the '70s, Ranked

The rock music of the 1970s remains central to the genre, spanning folk and psychedelic rock and the birth of punk. Icons such as Bob Dylan and Van Morrison released emotional work, while The Stooges and The Sex Pistols rose to fame for their iconoclasm and dynamism.

With so many enduring records, choosing ten is fraught, but this list narrows the decade to the most revolutionary and influential albums. It includes Queen's A Night at the Opera, The Beatles' Let It Be, Patti Smith's Horses and Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run.

Also featured are Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, a concept album notable for its synthesizer and multitrack recording; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Déjà Vu, which includes Neil Young and Joni Mitchell's 'Woodstock'; Santana's Abraxas with its Latin rhythms; Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, forged amid the band's fraught relationships; and the Grateful Dead's American Beauty, which blended country, folk and psychedelic rock and spent nineteen weeks on the U.S.

United States

1970s, classic rock, queen, the beatles, pink floyd, fleetwood mac, bruce springsteen, grateful dead, santana, patti smith