10 Best Rock Albums Of The 1970s

While bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were breaking new ground in the 60's, the Who were the abrasive Mod band who were taking the sounds of rock and blasting them to gargantuan proportions. After years of working in the traditional rock format, singer Pete Townshend finally found another outlet for his musical vision with the rock opera Tommy. Though he couldn't follow it up with his aborted concept Lifehouse, Who's Next is where the band grew into what would become the sound of hard rock.

Most of the songs across this album were originally meant as conceptual pieces, but stand on their own as visceral rock workouts. The addition of the synthesizer on tracks like "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley" make every note coming from the band's amplifiers sound like they are coming from another plain of existence. Even the album's more subtle moments like "Going Mobile" and "Getting in Tune" have a certain emotional gravitas that make the song feel like more than just performances in a studio.

In an era where older rock acts were prone to sounding bloated, the Who stretched themselves to the limit to create songs that gave listeners a new lease on life upon first listen.