10 Albums That Defined Rock And Roll

At the end of the '70s, Bruce Springsteen wasn't doing nearly as well as his critics were hyping him up to be. Since most of the reception to his first albums were lukewarm at best, it felt like the man was running out of gas after being heralded as the next Bob Dylan a few years before. As it turns out, those years were spent festering, waiting for that one great song to come to fruition.

Working his E Street Band almost to the point of insanity, Springsteen put those hours to good use on Born to Run, creating the ultimate rock and roll soundtrack for the rest of the decade. Combined with some of the greatest production he had ever seen, these songs were designed to be your favorite songs from the moment you hear them, from the title track's bombast to the almost cinematic presence of something like Thunder Road.

That's before you even get to the lyrics, as the Boss paints songs about down on their luck nobodies that are willing to do anything they can to get out of their normal lives and dream of better things. Even though this was the album that made Bruce the legend that he is today, there's a good chance that any of these songs could be the soundtrack to any young rocker's life.