10 rock albums Classical fans must own

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British Steel,Judas Priest,needs no introduction to any fans of Britsh heavy metal

In Rock,Deep Purple,pure genius

Made In Japan,Deep Purple,best live rock album bar none

Long Live Rock and Roll,Rainbow,Ritchie Blackmore proving their was life after Purple

The forth Led Zeppelin album......................simply the best album ever made,possibly

Bat Out Of Hell,Meatloaf.................so much energy

Dark Side Of The Moon,Pink Floyd,almost as good as the forth Zep album

Obsession,UFO,unique style and still going strong (now that they dumped Schenker,at last)

Back In Black,ACDC,controversial choice going for this,and not a Bon Scott lp,but this is just brilliant,not a bad track on it (neither has Highway To Hell tbh,but ist just not quite as brilliant,imho)

Metallica,the black album,never ever has metal sounded so powerful,and utterly brilliant


nearly in the top ten

Hemispheres,Rush
loads of Hendrix
The Wall
Wish You Were Here
Paranoid
Lovedrive
Strangers In The Night
 
Saab said:
10 rock albums Classical fans must own

That's a bold claim - any chance you could expand on it a bit? FWIW I haven't got most of the albums you mention - I've got DSOTM and it's ok-ish though. Hendrix is tedious fingertwisting, nothing that Paganini didn't do (better) a hundred and fifty years earlier - probably great for guitarists but hardly great music.
 
pete, if you want unwanky Hendrix try "Are you Experienced" ;).

Saab, as good as Metallica's Black album is, I'd have to swap it for "Master of Puppets". I reckon classical fans would warm to it a much more because of the arrangements.
 
well Pete,is called completing your music collection with the genius that lies in the rock world.I am trying to help all those classical music fans who have money burning a hole and they perhaps want to see what the world of rock is all about.To me DSOTM is as great as anything else ever recorded,including Bach.That might make me a philistine though,or just poorly educated,or deaf,whatever:)
 
i'm with voodoo here. MOP is so much better than the 'black' album it's not even funny. cliff burton was a classically trained genius you can hear the point he died on 'justice' when the 2nd half of the album lost all of what made metallica great.

also i'd say 2112 is the best rush album. also i prefer wish you were here to dsotm but that's just personal preference i guess.

cheers


julian
 
2112 and Hemispheres,WYWH and DSOTM,MOP, and the black album,preverbial rislas between all those pairings

oh,and then there is The Wall and Farewell to Kings
 
i'd agree that rizzlas separate the rush and floyd albums but have to make a stanhd at the metalica. the black album is just too 'pop' for me to consider it metallicas masterpiece whereas MOP is just awesome in it's ferrocity as a metal classic.
but as with everything it's down to personal preference and therefore ymmv.
cheers


julian
 
yeah,the black album is a personal fave for me,so I am biased in that respect,its the quality of the song writing that gets me,its just superb,as they all are tbh,St Anger just doesn't deserve the stick it got,its a grower imo:)
 
it's the production on st anger that puts me off. cynically done to sound 'old school' but in reality just shite.
cheers


julian
 
I think I'd swap back in black for the AC-DC live album :)

I can't help but prefer AC-DCs 'proper' live sound, at least on the basis of this album, to the sound of the studio recorded albulms...its just a lot more raw and has more energy, which makes it more fun to listen to, and as a result just makes me prefer it :MILD:
 
Let There Be Rock:) the title track is indeed as raw and energetic as rock gets,brilliant stuff:)

I know what you mean about St Anger Julian,
 
For classical music fans?

It would have to be...

the one..

the only...

Trilogy.jpg


Classical music based guitar licks that make Richie Blackmore sound like someone glued his fingers together.

An album that makes you want to give up on learning the guitar.
 
Malmsteen is indeed a god,not got a lot by him,should get some more really (very sad Cozy Powell died,another great from the same era)
 
the first few iron maiden albums were damn good too (imho)
also from the 'L.A. hair rock' days, kiss, aerosmith and guns and roses are the best of their respective genres. i'd also have to fit yes in there somewhere.
cheers


julian
 
I don't understand what all the fuss about DSOTM is about, IMO Animals is far superior. I can't stand the Wall.

80% of what I listen to is classical, but I've also got just about everything by Led Zep. All other rock bands are just childish by comparison. As for all the rest mentioned so far, mainly noise and pubescent teenagers.

I'm far more impressed by more recent acts -the Red Hot Chilli Peppers but especially darker, more original stuff like PJ Harvey and Radiohead.

Speaking of whom.... if you want to impress classical buffs, surprised no one has mentioned prog rock yet - what about Yes? I have no idea what the words are all about, but Close to the Edge has some superbly inventive music in it.
 
BTW the solo violin line in the finale of Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor BWV 1041 is the great grandfather of all rock guitar solos. Try it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
alanbeeb said:
I'm far more impressed by more recent acts -the Red Hot Chilli Peppers but especially darker, more original stuff like PJ Harvey and Radiohead.

Hail To The Thief and OK Computer were magnificent albums, particularly OKC. The Divine Comedy's Casanova was superb too. That's about all I've heard that I'd really rate alongside proper music to be honest ;)
 
hmm.

Plenty of good rock albums, but not much that screams 'classical' IMHO.

Nuno Bettencourts 'flight of the (wounded) bumblebee' from Extreme's Pornograffiti is another one to impress with classical playing prowess.
 
JUlian,its the first 2 lps that made Maiden,with Paul Dianno,after that they at least stayed true to their roots,unlike Def Leppard who are a big sell out.Bruce Dickinson was with a band called Samson before Maiden,although he called himself Bruce Bruce then (saw them twice,great band).

I disagree Mr Super Moderator,I think Metallicas black album screams classical,like big Beethoven overtures,or a huge modern opera.

Interesting thought comparing violin solos worth guitar solos,I bet Jimmy Pages solo on Dazed And Confused from How The West was Won against Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor BWV 1041.I will go and listen and see.:)
 
To be honest I own quite a few of those, but I'm not quite sure where you're coming from. Notice nobody mentioned the Talk Talk Spirit of Eden album, which is almost verging on classical music in parts.
If the point is that heavy metal is classically derived I'm not sure, although people like Ywingie Maelstrom (that ain't spelt right but it'll have to do) made a career out mangling Bach together with rock riffs. Van halem and his tapping technique does make an effect similair to the last bit of the Bach Violin Concerto mentioned earlier. But ten rock albums all classical fans should own......

How about

Talk Talk Spirit of Eden
Pink Floyd Wish you were here
Kate Bush the kick inside
Tori Amos Songs for Pele
Jimi Hendrix Electric Ladyland
Radiohead OK computer
The Beach Boy's Pet Sounds
The Communards
The Divine Comedy Fin de Siecle is my favourite
The Beatle Sergeant Pepper

All these have parallells with classical music and they are all music not just a twiddly excuse to play lots of notes
 
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