Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac and Def Leppard Lead Classic Rock Records on Billboard’s List of All-Time Greatest Albums
Billboard has combed through its massive database to come up with a list of the Top 200 albums released between 1963-2015 — and the results, unsurprisingly, include a number of classic rock's greatest records.
All things considered, it's actually a pretty eclectic list, and one whose upper echelons range from recent hits like Adele's 21 (sitting pretty at No. 1) to the Sound of Music soundtrack. The classic rock contingent makes its first appearance with Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. at No. 5, followed by Fleetwood Mac's Rumours at No. 15 and Def Leppard's Hysteria at No. 25. (Also in the mix: Carole King's Tapestry, which came in at No. 10.)
Billboard used a weighted methodology to come up with its list, assigning different emphases to various sales periods and assigning greater point values the higher up an album moved on the chart — which is likely how Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, for example, ended up at No. 31 despite lingering on the Top 200 for an astonishing 14 years.
Other classic rock records making an appearance on the chart include Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet (No. 33), Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive, Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Metallica's self-titled "black album." The Beatles, meanwhile, make their first appearance at No. 54, with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, while Led Zeppelin's In Through the Out Door is the genre's lowest-ranking entry at No. 198.
Lists are made for quibbling, and no matter who your favorite artists are or how you personally rank the biggest hits of the last 50 years, there are bound to be a few surprises in here for everyone. Check out the complete list and judge for yourself.
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