The Essential Rock Collection (Rolling Stone, 1997)

Diese Liste der 200 wichtigsten Rock-Alben erschien 1997 im amerikanischen Rolling Stone Magazin.

The 50s Era

• Chuck Berry – The Great Twenty-Eight
• Ruth Brown – Rockin' In Rhythm: The Best of Ruth Brown
• Johnny Cash – The Sun Years
• Ray Charles – The Birth of Soul
• Ray Charles – Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music
• Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley/Go Bo Diddley
• Fats Domino – My Blue Heaven – The Best of Fats Domino
• The Everly Brothers – Cadence Classics (Their 20 Greatest Hits)
• Buddy Holly – 20 Golden Greats
• Jerry Lee Lewis – The Jerry Lee Lewis Anthology: All Killer No Filler!
• Little Richard – The Georgia Peach
• Roy Orbison – For The Lonely: A Roy Orbison Anthology, 1956–1964
• Carl Perkins – Original Sun Greatest Hits
• Elvis Presley – The Complete Sun Sessions
• Elvis Presley – Elvis' Golden Records
• Elvis Presley – The Memphis Record
• Joe Turner – Big Bad and Blue
• Various Artists – Atlantic R&B 1947–1974
• Various Artists – The Best of Doo Wop Uptempo
• Various Artists – The Sun Records Collection

The 60s Era

• The Animals – The Best of the Animals
• The Band – The Band
• The Beach Boys – Endless Summer
• The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
• The Beatles – 1962–1966
• The Beatles – Rubber Soul
• The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• The Beatles – The Beatles
• The Beatles – Abbey Road
• James Brown – Star Time
• Buffalo Springfield – Buffalo Springfield Again
• The Byrds – The Byrds' Greatest Hits
• Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica
• Sam Cooke – The Man and His Music
• Cream – Wheels Of Fire
• Creedence Clearwater Revival – Willy and the Poor Boys
• Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – Déjà Vu
• The Doors – The Doors
• Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home
• Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
• Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde
• Bob Dylan – The Basement Tapes
• Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
• The Flying Burrito Brothers – The Gilded Palace Of Sin
• Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You
• Aretha Franklin – Lady Soul
• The Grateful Dead – Live Dead
• The Grateful Dead – Workingman's Dead
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced? (British Version)
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Axis: Bold As Love
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland
• Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow
• The Kinks – The Kinks Greatest Hits!
• The Kinks – Something Else
• John Mayall – Bluesbreakers – John Mayall With Eric Clapton
• Joni Mitchell – Blue
• Pink Floyd – The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
• Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon
• Otis Redding – Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding
• Smokey Robinson and the Miracles – Anthology
• The Rolling Stones – Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)
• The Rolling Stones – Beggar's Banquet
• The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed
• The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
• The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St.
• The Rolling Stones – Some Girls
• Simon and Garfunkel – Greatest Hits
• Phil Spector – Back To Mono (1958–1969)
• Dusty Springfield – Dusty In Memphis
• Diana Ross and the Supremes – Anthology
• The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico
• The Velvet Underground – Loaded
• The Who – Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
• The Who – Tommy
• The Who – Who's Next
• Jackie Wilson – Mr. Excitement!
• The Yardbirds – Greatest Hits, Vol. I (1964–1966)
• Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention – Freak Out!
• Various Artists – The Best of the Girl Groups, Vols. I and II
• Various Artists – Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection, 1959–1971
• Various Artists – Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968

The 70s Era

• AC/DC – Highway To Hell
• Aerosmith – Rocks
• The Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East
• Big Star – Radio City
• Black Sabbath – Paranoid
• Blondie – Parallel Lines
• David Bowie – Hunky Dory
• David Bowie – Low
• Jackson Browne – Late For The Sky
• Chic – Risqué
• The Clash – The Clash
• The Clash – London Calling
• Elvis Costello – My Aim Is True
• Derek and the Dominoes – Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
• The Eagles – Hotel California
• Brian Eno – Another Green World
• Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
• Marvin Gaye – What's Going On
• Marvin Gaye – Anthology
• Al Green – Greatest Hits
• Billy Joel – Greatest Hits: Vol. I and Vol. II
• Elton John – Honky Château
• Elton John – Greatest Hits
• Carole King – Tapestry
• Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express
• Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II
• Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV
• John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band
• John Lennon – Imagine
• Bob Marley and the Wailers – Burnin'
• Bob Marley and the Wailers – Live!
• Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions – The Anthology 1966–1977
• Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
• Van Morrison – Moondance
• Van Morrison – The Best of Van Morrison
• Willie Nelson – Red Headed Stranger
• Randy Newman – 12 Songs
• The New York Dolls – New York Dolls
• The O'Jays – Back Stabbers
• Parliament – Mothership Connection
• Funkadelic – One Nation Under A Groove
• Pere Ubu – The Modern Dance
• Pretenders – Pretenders
• Ramones – Ramones
• Roxy Music – Siren
• The Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols
• Sly & The Family Stone – Greatest Hits
• Sly & The Family Stone – There's A Riot Going On
• Patti Smith – Horses
• Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run
• Bruce Springsteen – Born In The U.S.A.
• Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic
• Rod Stewart – Every Picture Tells A Story
• The Stooges – Funhouse
• James Taylor – Sweet Baby James
• Stevie Wonder – Talking Book
• Stevie Wonder – Innervisions
• X – Los Angeles
• Neil Young – After The Gold Rush
• Neil Young – Tonight's The Night
• Neil Young – Rust Never Sleeps
• Various Artists – The Harder They Come
• Various Artists – Saturday Night Fever

The 80s Era

• Laurie Anderson – Big Science
• Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force – Planet Rock – The Album
• Beastie Boys – Paul's Boutique
• Black Flag – Damaged
• The Cure – Staring At The Sea: The Singles
• De La Soul – Three Feet High and Rising
• Eurythmics – Touch
• Gang Of Four – Entertainment!
• Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five – Greatest Message's
• Guns N' Roses – Appetite For Destruction
• Don Henley – The End of the Innocence
• Hüsker Dü – Zen Arcade
• Michael Jackson – Off The Wall
• Michael Jackson – Thriller
• Jane's Addiction – Nothing's Shocking
• The Jesus and Mary Chain – Psychocandy
• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – I Love Rock & Roll
• Joy Division – Closer
• LL Cool J – Radio
• Madonna – Like A Prayer
• Metallica – Kill 'Em All
• Ministry – The Land of Rape and Honey
• Minutemen – Double Nickels On The Dime
• N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton
• Sinéad O'Connor – I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
• Pixies – Surfer Rosa
• Prince – Dirty Mind
• Prince – Purple Rain
• Prince – Sign 'o' the Times
• Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
• Bonnie Raitt – Nick Of Time
• R.E.M. – Murmur
• R.E.M. – Document
• The Replacements – Let It Be
• Run-D.M.C. – Raising Hell
• The Smiths – The Smiths
• Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
• Talking Heads – Remain In Light
• U2 – The Joshua Tree
• U2 – Achtung Baby

The 90s Era

• Beck – Odelay
• Dr. Dre – The Chronic
• PJ Harvey – Dry
• Hole – Live Through This
• Massive Attack – Blue Lines
• Moby – Go
• My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
• Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine
• Nirvana – Nevermind
• Nirvana – Unplugged In New York
• The Orb – The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld
• Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted
• Pearl Jam – Ten
• Liz Phair – Exile In Guyville
• The Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
• The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses