10 Best Self-Titled Rock Albums Of All Time

The albums that need no name.

albums metallica libertines led zeppelin the beatles ramones
WhatCulture

The ever important album title plays a key role in the marketability and legacy of a record. But nothing makes a statement quite like naming the art after the artists.

Tradition dictates that a self-titled album is often the debut with which a band presents themselves to the world. If you want to forgo any confusion, and do away with a pretentiously wordy title, then self-titling is the way to go.

On the other hand, many bands wait to utilities this trope further down the line. In these cases, it's a way for bands to attribute some kind of significance to their latest body of work.

Either it alludes to a marked change in direction for an artist, or it indicates this is an album that represents them at their best. Although the originality of such an approach has long faded away, it nevertheless makes some kind of statement.

Then again, self-titling might simply be the last ditch attempt for a band to try and garner some attention... But fear not, this list is made up of the finest albums by the worlds most iconic and influential artists.

10. The Libertines (2004)

Often at each others throats, or causing bohemian chaos around the streets of Camden Town - there was a time when The Libertines were the most talked about band in the music press. However, the dangerous and alluring energy that helped fuel their rise to success also contributed to their downfall.

The raucous enthusiasm with which The Libertines delivered their music, was perfectly captured on this record. It was the love/hate letter, Pete Doherty and Carl BarĂ¢t, wrote to one another, serving to shine a light on their tumultuous relationship.

At time of recording, the band was on the brink of implosion.

Pete was wrapped up in his own romantic notions of becoming a poet junkie, and Carl was sick of his unpredictability. Much like Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, this was the cathartic outlet for the group to exercise their frustrations about a floundering band dynamic.

For the most part, the album is a chaotic shambles of highly energised indie rock, punctuated every now and then by moments of beauty. Both, Can't Stand Me Now, and, Music When The Light Goes Out, became enduring anthems for the indie rock movement. But, sadly this was the last hurrah of the band's glory days.

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