10 Hard Rock Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

1. Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin

Rock was definitely in for a new look once the '70s got underway. While the era of Flower Power was still in full swing by the end of the '60s, it was clear that the hippie idealism brought on by Woodstock wasn't going to stand the test of time. Even though the world of hard rock found its home in the '70s, things started a bit earlier in 1969 with Led Zeppelin's sophomore album.

Shattering everyone's illusions of what they had in store, Led Zeppelin II is one of the few instances in rock and roll where practically every song on the record could be numbered among the group's best. While their first record showed the band's promise as a blues act, this is where the blues worship goes into more experimental territory, from the trance-like middle section of Whole Lotta Love to the fantastic outro solo of Heartbreaker.

Along with having hooks for days, every musician is at the top of their game, from John Bonham proving his monstrous chops behind the kit to John Paul Jones' exquisite bass and keyboard flourishes to Jimmy Page practically perfecting what we know today as the hard rock guitar riff. Tying it all together is Robert Plant, whose golden god persona became the role model and attitude for every other hard rock frontman going forward.

Whereas other hard rock acts were still in their primitive stages, this record is where the genre stopped being an antecedent of rock and turned into its own glorious noise.

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