Your single favorite 'hard rock' album?

[WildRanger]

What would be your pick? Only hard rock.
So please don't mention albums by Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Black Sabath, Metallica, Queensryche etc. because they are heavy metal.

For me it's tough between Led Zeppelin II and Deep Purple in Rock, but I have to give the edge to Zep.

[The Walrus]

You know back in the day Led Zeppelin was called metal, right? Now you do. Anyway, Appetite for Destruction was sent down to Earth as a gift by God herself, so, that one.

[HOF]

Hmmm. Do Rush count as hard rock? What about Van Halen or hair bands that weren’t really “metal” per se? Not sure what the boundaries of the genre are to be honest.

If we’re just talking non-prog, I’d probably say something like Winger - Pull and Mr. Big - Bump Ahead. If Journey counts, then I’d have to include Escape or Frontiers.

[TAC]

UFO- Strangers In The Night.

[King Postwhore]

Just straight up rock for me would be Van Halen - Fair Warning.

[Stadler]

Big thumbs up for Fair Warning and Pull.  Nice.

For me, if Zeppelin counts, Physical Graffiti.

Honorable mentions:   Kiss - Rock And Roll Over; Aerosmith - Toys In The Attic; Billy Squier - Don't Say No; Night Ranger - Midnight Madness

[pg1067]

UFO- Strangers In The Night.

Probably my all time favorite live album.

A couple others that came to mind are Boston's debut Don't Say No by Billy Squier.

Also Allied Forces, Never Surrender and Thunder Seven by Triumph.

And I'll put in a plug for YYNOT's self-titled debut.

[King Postwhore]

Thunder 7 is right up there for me too.  Fantastic tour as well.

[KevShmev]

Rush - Moving Pictures

[NoseofNicko]

Vow Wow - V



Highly recommended Japanese hard rock.

[Indiscipline]

Burn




I mean the Deep Purple album.

[LudwigVan]

Houses of the Holy - Zeppelin

[Volante99]

You know back in the day Led Zeppelin was called metal, right? Now you do. Anyway, Appetite for Destruction was sent down to Earth as a gift by God herself, so, that one.

This is the correct answer. I’m not 100% sure what qualifies as “hard rock” but Appetite for Destruction is the best. Let’s be real, has there even been a rock (hard or otherwise) album that’s topped Appetite in the past 30 years?

AC/DCs Back in Black would probably be a good candidate as well.

[DTA]

Hey Stoopid by Alice Cooper

[Elite]

You know back in the day Led Zeppelin was called metal, right? Now you do. Anyway, Appetite for Destruction was sent down to Earth as a gift by God herself, so, that one.

This is the correct answer. I’m not 100% sure what qualifies as “hard rock” but Appetite for Destruction is the best. Let’s be real, has there even been a rock (hard or otherwise) album that’s topped Appetite in the past 30 years?

Are you serious though?    Katt / Firewings / Walrus was clearly joking.






Lordi - Hard Rock Hallelujah

[The Walrus]

Elite clearly did not look at my top 50 albums thread. Appetite is one of my all-time favorite albums by any musical artist. Appetite is the GOAT hard rock record. My real name is a combination of those three names but the human tongue cannot properly articulate it, so I have settled for The Walrus

[Elite]

Well, that makes me look stupid

[The Walrus]

On the seventh day, God did not rest. He crafted Africa by Toto.

[jjrock88]

Rush - Moving Pictures

  With the restrictions of whatever constitutes hard rock instead of heavy metal or whatever category is being placed..........this is an outstanding selection!

[pg1067]

I’m not 100% sure what qualifies as “hard rock” but Appetite for Destruction is the best. Let’s be real, has there even been a rock (hard or otherwise) album that’s topped Appetite in the past 30 years?

I think you'd be hard-pressed to name a hard-rock album that I don't think is better than Appetite.

[TAC]

On the seventh day, God did not rest. He crafted Africa by Toto.

Actually, it would appear he did, indeed, rest.

[Kotowboy]

Therapy? - Troublegum

It's not quite Metal. It's not quite Grunge. It's not quite Punk.

But it's all three. I always imagine it as if Nirvana made Metallica's Black Album.

[Indiscipline]

Therapy? - Troublegum

It's not quite Metal. It's not quite Grunge. It's not quite Punk.

But it's all three. I always imagine it as if Nirvana made Metallica's Black Album.

I loved that album as a youngster! Going Nowhere, Screamager ...

I’m a bit surprised someone else knows it around here. Cheers.

[Peter Mc]

I would say Troublegum is a bit heavier than hard rock but that was a huge album for me in my late teens and they were a huge band for me back then.  I saw them live so many times and they were always superb.

In terms of what I would class as hard rock, I would probably have to go with Appetite For Destruction by GNR in a close run thing with New Jersey by Bon Jovi.

[KevShmev]

Rush - Moving Pictures

  With the restrictions of whatever constitutes hard rock instead of heavy metal or whatever category is being placed..........this is an outstanding selection!

 

[WildRanger]

Rush - Moving Pictures

It's not a hard rock album. Only two tracks Limelight and Red Barchetta could be qualified as hard rock.

[Kotowboy]

Therapy? - Troublegum

It's not quite Metal. It's not quite Grunge. It's not quite Punk.

But it's all three. I always imagine it as if Nirvana made Metallica's Black Album.

I loved that album as a youngster! Going Nowhere, Screamager ...

I’m a bit surprised someone else knows it around here. Cheers.

They made a sort of sequel a year ago called " Cleave " with the same producer. It's like 10 songs and 33 minutes but it's a great album. Check it out !

[ChuckSteak]

Captain Beyond
Sea Shanties
Never Turn Your Back On A Friend
Satori
Vincebus Eruptum
Lucifer's Friend

[Mladen]

Houses of the Holy - Zeppelin

Yep, this one.

[Trav86]

Led Zeppelin-IV
Deep Purple-Machine Head
Van Halen-Van Halen
AC/DC-Back In Black
Rush-Moving Pictures
Guns ‘N’ Roses-Appetite For Destruction

All perfection.

[Stadler]

Elite clearly did not look at my top 50 albums thread. Appetite is one of my all-time favorite albums by any musical artist. Appetite is the GOAT hard rock record. My real name is a combination of those three names but the human tongue cannot properly articulate it, so I have settled for The Walrus

This is a pretty good choice; I'm sticking to mine, but I can't really quibble with this.  I got the box set a couple weeks ago from eBay, and man did they hit paydirt on this one.

[bosk1]

Tough question.  I'll list some of my top contenders:

Y&T:  Black Tiger
Def Leppard:  Pyromania
Iron Maiden:  Somewhere in Time
Queensryche:  Empire
Tesla:  The Great Radio Controversy

It's REALLY hard to pick one favorite from the list.  I guess if I had to, gun to my head, I'd go with Empire, since it is one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time in any genre.  But those others are close.

[pg1067]

Rush - Moving Pictures

It's not a hard rock album. Only two tracks Limelight and Red Barchetta could be qualified as hard rock.

And I would say (as I think most everyone else here would) that every song on that album, with the possible exception of Vital Signs, is a hard rock song.  If you don't think MP is hard rock, then you're going to have to enlighten us as to your bizarro definition of what "hard rock" is.

Tough question.  I'll list some of my top contenders:

Y&T:  Black Tiger
Def Leppard:  Pyromania
Iron Maiden:  Somewhere in Time
Queensryche:  Empire
Tesla:  The Great Radio Controversy

I would say that the middle three of those are metal (although there might be an argument that Empire isn't).

[Trav86]

Tough question.  I'll list some of my top contenders:

Y&T:  Black Tiger
Def Leppard:  Pyromania
Iron Maiden:  Somewhere in Time
Queensryche:  Empire
Tesla:  The Great Radio Controversy

It's REALLY hard to pick one favorite from the list.  I guess if I had to, gun to my head, I'd go with Empire, since it is one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time in any genre.  But those others are close.

These are all excellent albums! And besides Pyromania, ones that seem to get looked over and generally under appreciated.

[bosk1]

I would say that the middle three of those are metal (although there might be an argument that Empire isn't).

Well then, you'll have to enlighten us as to what your bizarro definition of what "hard rock" is.   

Honestly, I just don't see a need to parse those terms that thinly.  For all but the heavier subgenres of rock/metal, they're virtually interchangeable, and have been since the early/mid '80s.