Far Out (read the full article here) magazine has compiled a list of the "10 best produced classic rock albums," and there are some that you expect to be there and a few that may surprise you.
Topping the list is Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. Tim Coffman, who wrote the article, says, "Outside of the ugliness behind the scenes, the band showed up with some of the greatest arrangements of their career on their second outing as this lineup [with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks]... Rumours became one of the cleanest records to listen to, turning into a fixture at record stores, where it was used as a reference record when testing out their new equipment... In just 11 tracks, Fleetwood Mac figured out how to sound truly timeless.
Here's the whole list
- Rumours - Fleetwood Mac - Outside of the ugliness behind the scenes, the band showed up with some of the greatest arrangements of their career on their second outing as this lineup. Whereas Nicks and Buckingham were the new kids on the block, they had already adopted the habits of seasoned pros, including the delicate fingerpicking on ‘Never Going Back Again’ or the sparse arrangements of ‘Dreams’. Some albums might seem like a product of their time, and others might try their hardest to be ahead of their time, but in just eleven tracks, Fleetwood Mac figured out how to sound truly timeless.
- Abbey Road - The Beatles - While they didn’t have a set concept this time around, Abbey Road is just the result of The Beatles and Martin making incredible music together, no matter what genre it may be. Whether they were making the avant-garde precursor to metal on ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ or pure pop on ‘Here Comes the Sun’, everything seemed to come naturally to them at this point, especially on the flip side where they try their hand at making their best operatic material.
Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys - This could justifiably be called a Brian Wilson solo album half the time, but its real strength is hearing every band member sing together, whether that’s the round-robin effect on ‘God Only Knows’ or the sunkissed choir on ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’.
At the same time, special attention needs to be paid to The Wrecking Crew, who turned in some of the finest performances ever heard on a pop record, even if Wilson was telling them to play arrangements they might not have been comfortable with.
The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon is one of the most haunting listens in history due to how much is going on. There might be some elaborate musical sequences on songs like ‘Time’, but that’s matched by the sound design on everything, with Alan Parker bringing in clocks on some tracks and the ringing sounds of cash registers to lead us into ‘Money’.
And while David Gilmour has never really played a bad solo, every guitar break he makes has its own distinct character, whether that’s the weary slide on ‘Breathe’ or the twinkling chime on ‘Us and Them’.
- Aja - Steely Dan - The song lengths might look a bit demanding for casual fans, but almost every instrument gets a moment to shine in the mix between Fagen’s vocals, whether that’s Denny Dias crafting an amazing guitar solo or Steve Gadd laying down the kind of drum solo that could serve as a litmus test for what drums ought to sound like. For as much as Steely Dan may have scoffed at being included in the rock category, they are still the owners of one of the most sophisticated-sounding records in the genre’s canon.
- Nevermind - Nirvana - Although Cobain would later complain that the sound of Nevermind was too slick, the work Butch Vig and Andy Wallace did behind helped the album is still the stuff of rock legend. Theres' Cobain’s pop melodies soaring above everything on ‘In Bloom’ and ‘Come As You Are’ and the tortured soul in the middle of ‘Something in the Way’ or the choice to make ‘Polly’ sound dry as a bone once it starts.
- "The Black Album" - Metallica -- "This feels closer to hearing the band live in a concert setting... They may have been setting their sights on mainstream success, but anyone saying that the thrash legends 'sold out' on this album should either take another listen to ‘Sad but True’ or have their ears checked."
- Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses -- "Guns N’ Roses may have been born in the same streets that produced Poison and Winger, but this was the first sign that rock and roll was about to get a lot more dangerous."
- Wildflowers - Tom Petty -- "Petty may have been a rocker, but he was a storyteller at heart, and once producer Rick Rubin understood that, they busted out an album that felt like the perfect rustic rock and roll weekend."
- Boston -- "Tom Scholz was always a producer first and a guitarist second, and when he finally got his sound, there was no one else who could touch him in Boston... This album should be studied by any high-profile producer to know what to look for in a great mix."
Source: Triple A Daily