10 Perfect Albums That Started Rock Genres

10. The La's - The La's

The rock world was in dire need of a shakeup coming out of the late '80s. Though the hair metal scene may have still been thriving, bands like Guns N Roses seemed like the only group left with actual substance, with the rest of the Sunset Strip being populated by bands more concerned with their hair color than the songs they were singing. The States may have gotten their wake up call through Nirvana, but the indie scene in Britain had something brewing that was a lot closer to pop music.

On The La's sole studio record, you can hear Lee Mavers taking his cues from the golden age of rock and roll, being equal parts the Smiths, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones across the record. Aside from the typical silly love songs on here like There She Goes, there's also a sense of getting away from your little town like Way Out and Doledrum, making sure that there's something a lot better coming on the horizon. This may have been put out in the '80s, but the rest of the British rock scene wouldn't see the results of this record until after grunge faded.

Coming a little before the Stone Roses started to break onto the scene, Lee Mavers' songwriting became the blueprint for what the Britpop sound would turn into, with Noel Gallagher citing this as one of his favorite albums and even ex-La's guitarist John Power eventually becoming a veteran of the Brit-rock scene with Cast once his old band broke up. The La's could have been the kings of the indie rock movement alongside bands like Pulp and Oasis...they just happened to come out a few years too early.