20 Most Important Hard Rock Albums Of All Time

At the start of the 70's, rock music was still living in the afterglow of the 60's dream. Even as the Vietnam War raged on, rock fans were still finding their refuge in folk rock and psychedelia. Right underneath the surface though, one band was emerging out of Detroit and were about to signal the death of the Flower Generation.

Exploding onto the scene with Love It To Death, Alice Cooper emerged from the gutter and became every parents' worst nightmare. Donning horrific stage makeup and brandishing snakes and guillotines in his live performance, Cooper embodied all the grotesque aspects of society into the ultimate rock and roll villain. However, the songs inside the band's records were too good to pass up, with tracks like "I'm Eighteen" and "The Ballad of Dwight Fry" becoming staples of the hard rock genre. Produced by Bob Ezrin, Love It To Death was the first time that hard rock got a healthy dose of theatricality in its presentation.

Records like these may not have been as heavy as something like Black Sabbath, but without Cooper laying the groundwork, bands like KISS and Marilyn Manson may not have risen to prominence. There may have been many shock rockers that have come after him, but Alice Cooper will forever be known as Rock and Roll's Ultimate Antagonist.