10 Albums That Defined Rock And Roll

The entire back catalog of the Beatles could practically be heralded as a beginner's guide to rock all on its own. In the span of just over 5 years, the Fab Four made a string of albums that could be on par with some of the greatest musical achievements of the 20th century. If there's one that really says it all for the entire genre, it might as well be the one that is the most overstuffed.

First of all, the White Album might not be the best Beatles from one track to the next. There are definitely some sore spots like Wild Honey Pie that are a lot more...unique than actually good. What this album does have though is some of the rawest moments of the group's career, with each main songwriter being almost pitted against each other at every other song.

Compared to albums that just stay in one lane, this is practically a smorgasbord of everything rock could do at the time, from the folk rock of Paul McCartney's Blackbird to the melodrama behind something like George Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps. There are even glimpses into genres that hadn't even been invented yet, like the germs of metal on Helter Skelter or the genesis of avant garde rock on Revolution 9. Even though this project might be scattered as all hell, only true rock and rollers have the guts to make something this substantial.