The best "self-titled" Classic Rock albums

22 February 2025, 17:00

The greatest examples of the eponymous classic rock LP - from The Beatles and The Stones to The Clash and the Ramones.

1. The Rolling Stones

   • Release date: 17th April 1964
   • Produced by: Eric Easton and Andrew Loog Oldham

   The moody half-shadow cover portrait of the nascent Stones was a nod to the Fab Four's With The Beatles sleeve of the previous year, but the track listing showcases the London band's love of blues, R&B and soul, effectively capturing their live show of the time. Standards like Route 66, Walking The Dog and Chuck Berry's Carol are given the Stones treatment. America dubbed the album "England's Newest Hit Makers", which just isn't cool enough.

   

2. The Doors

   • Release date 4th January 1967
   • Produced by Paul A. Rothchild

   Another great eponymous debut and one of the key American albums of the psychedelic era. The Doors kicks off with the jazzy shuffle of Break On Through (To The Other Side) and climaxes with the epic raga of The End.

   

3. The Velvet Underground & Nico

   • Release date 9th March 1967
   • Produced by Andy Warhol and Tom Wilson

   Brian Eno said that the first VU album sold relatively few copies at the time of release - but that everyone who bought one went out and formed a band. He's right - from the gentle opening of Lou Reed's Sunday Morning to the chugging beat of I'm Waiting For The Man and Run Run Run, this is one of the most influential eponymous albums of all time. If you call the album "Andy Warhol". you are wrong - that's just the name of the dude that painted the sleeve artwork.

   

4. The Beatles

   • Release date 22nd November 1968
   • Produced by George Martin

   This classic quickly became known as "The White Album” due to the blank cover, but it was actually the Fab Four’s entry into the eponymous stakes, as the classy embossed title proves. Calling this 30-song double album "The Beatles" is entirely appropriate as the set showcases the four members’ different styles and characters. Even Ringo gets his first solo Fabs composition in the shape of the country hoedown Don't Pass Me By.

   

5. Led Zeppelin

   • Release date 13th January 1969
   • Produced by Jimmy Page

   Like Peter Gabriel and Weezer, the Zep were fond of an eponymous title, notching up four self-titled LPs until they had a brainwave and came up with Houses Of The Holy in 1973. Opening with the peerless opener Good Times Bad Times, the songs range from the breathless (Communication Breakdown) to the epic (Dazed And Confused).

   

6. The Stooges

   • Release date: 5th August 1969
   • Produced by: John Cale

   Punk essentially started here when Iggy Pop and his Detroit-based comrades issued this primal slab of garage rock. The key tracks are the panicky bop of 1969 and the relentless jam of I Wanna Be Your Dog; this was another LP that only gained in stature over the decades.

   

7. David Bowie

   • Release date: 14th November 1969
   • Produced by: Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti

   This is the second eponymous album from the former Davy Jones: his 1967 debut was also title-free, while the follow-up later became commonly known as Space Oddity in the wake of the LP's biggest hit. In America, it was known by a stapline "Man Of Words, Man Of Music', but whatever you called it, this is the height of the Hippie David era, with the blissed out sounds of Memory Of A Free Festival and the heartbreaking Letter To Hermione giving some idea of where his head was at in '69.

   

8. Black Sabbath

   • Release date: 13th February 1970
   • Produced by: Rodger Bain

   As the 60s turned into the 70s, music began to get loud. Sabbath's debut was issued to poor reviews but fans knew better and the record's influence would only grow over the decade when the title track became the template for a new genre: heavy metal.

   

9. The Electric Light Orchestra

   • Release date: 3rd December 1971
   • Produced by: Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne

   Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne called time on Birmingham band The Move and, together with Bev Bevan, formulated a spin-off band that merged rock music with symphonic pop. Opening with the superb 10538 Overture, this album was known as "No Answer" in the US when a record company exec didn't get a reply to his phone call and his written note was taken a little too literally.

   

10. Eagles

    • Release date 1st June 1972
    • Produced by Glyn Johns

    Opening with the perfect first track, Take It Easy, it was no surprise that this 1972 debut was the springboard to superstardom for Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. Their biggest hit would come with 1977's Hotel California, but the perfect template was set with this debut.

    

11. Roxy Music

    • Release date 16th June 1972
    • Produced by Peter Sinfield

    The perfect blend of art rock, glam posturing, futurism and chic nostalgia, Roxy were second only to Bowie in terms of setting the musical agenda in Britain for the rest of the 1970s. Boasting a line-up that included Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno, this slick debut manages to overlook their hit Virginia Plain, but includes tracks like Ladytron, Re-Make/Re-Model and If There Is Something.

    

12. Aerosmith

    • Release date 5th January 1973
    • Produced by Adrian Barber

    If the Stones were losing their mojo as the 70s progressed, Aerosmith were ready to step in with the perfect bar-room boogie that included the epic Dream On. Future members of Guns N'Roses and the like were listening in their bedrooms, taking note.

    

13. Queen

    • Release date: 13th July 1973
    • Produced by John Anthony/Roy Thomas Baker/Queen

    After toiling away on the college circuit for a few years under different aliases, Queen came into focus when frontman Freddie Mercury joined in the summer of 1970. By the time they'd acquired a record deal and gone into the studio, the quartet had a set of boisterous rock numbers that tipped a hat to Led Zeppelin's blend of heavy guitar and mysticism, while hinting at something bigger to come... Big tunes include Keep Yourself Alive and Liar.

    

14. Fleetwood Mac

    • Release date 11th July 1975
    • Produced by Fleetwood Mac and Keith Olsen

    The band's first eponymous album came out in 1968, while founder Peter Green was still in the group, but this later entry saw the arrival of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks - and worldwide success. The album includes the classic Rhiannon, plus the singles Warm Ways and Say You Love Me.

    

15. Ramones

    • Release date 23rd April 1976
    • Produced by Craig Leon

    Da Brudders Ramone knew how to rock hard and the barrage of tunes on their debut - 14 songs in just under half an hour - is a powerful statement of intent, setting the perfect template for punk. Some of the briskly-delivered tunes include Blitzkrieg Bop, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend and Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue.

    

16. Boston

    • Release date 25th August 1976
    • Produced by John Boylan and Tom Scholz

    At the peak of the US Bicentennial summer came this glossy debut, perfect for endless rotation on FM radio. Any album that opens with More Than A Feeling deserves our appreciation and tracks like Long Time and Peace Of Mind are enduring rock classics. It was the fastest-selling debut album in the US at the time of its reelase!

    

17. Blondie

    • Released December 1976
    • Produced by Richard Gottehrer and Craig Leon

    While the Ramones remodelled garage rock for the punk generation, fellow New Yorkers Blondie added attitude, melody and the most memorable frontwoman of the era in Debbie Harry. Their debut sets out their stall perfectly on tracks like X Offender, Rip Her To Shreds and In The Flesh.

    

18. Peter Gabriel

    • Release date 25th February 1977
    • Produced by Bob Ezrin

    The first of the former Genesis frontman's self-titled albums (code named Car or Blue Car after the striking Hipgnosis-designed cover art) was a leaner, more disciplined affair than some of his old band's more extravagant productions. Featuring a world-class band that included King Crimson's Robert Fripp on guitar, the record opened with the evergreen Solsbury Hill and came to a climax with the underrated Here Comes The Flood.

    

19. The Clash

    • Release date 8th April 1977
    • Produced by Mickey Foote

    While the Sex Pistols were signing and getting dropped by different record labels, their punk rivals made it onto long-playing vinyl first. Their debut includes the rabble rousing White Riot and Career Opportunities and shows off the musicians' musical dexterity on their cover of Junior Murvin's Police And Thieves.

    

20. The Cars

    • Release date 6th June 1978
    • Produced by Roy Thomas Baker

    The perfect showcase for Ric Ocasek's sharp songwriting talent, Boston's The Cars emerged from the 70s tradition of power pop, but found themselves aligned with the new wave thanks to the tight arrangements of songs like My Best Friend's Girl, Moving In Stereo and Just What I Needed.

    

21. Dire Straits

    • Release date 9th June 1978
    • Produced by Muff Winwood

    Featuring the twin talents of brothers Mark and David Knopfler, this debut album spawned a monster hit in the single Sultans Of Swing, which made the US Top 5. The album itself made Number 5 in the UK, with the song Water Of Love being issued as a single in some territories.

    

22. Van Halen

    • Release date 10th February 1978
    • Produced by Ted Templeman

    Based around star guitarist Eddie Van Halen, his brother Alex on drums and the charismatic David Lee Roth on vocals, this debut is packed with technical prowess and showmanship. Tracks include Runnin' With The Devil, Ain't Talkin' Bout Love and a bold cover of The Kinks' You Really Got Me.

    

23. Pretenders

    • Release date 11th January 1980
    • Produced by Chris Thomas and Nick Lowe

    Chrissie Hynde had paid her dues on the periphery of the punk scene, but as the genre began to fragment and expand, the time was right for her to find stardom with her own group. Classic originals (Kid, Brass In Pocket) rub shoulders with a brilliant cover of The Kinks' Stop Your Sobbing.

    

24. Iron Maiden

    • Release date 11th April 1980
    • Produced by Will Malone

    In stark contrast to the "yacht rock" swamping the States, Britain had the answer to making the genre essential again. The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal may have been a contrived label, but Maiden were one of the pioneers and their debut, with original vocalist Paul Di'Anno, set the tone across tracks like Running Free, Sanctuary and some iconic cover art.

    

25. Genesis

    • Release date 3rd October 1983
    • Produced by Genesis/Hugh Padgham

    The trio of Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks completed their transition from prog rock stalwarts into a genuine stadium-filling pop band with this accomplished collection. From the weird opener Mama to the surprisingly sour yet catchy That's All, it brought the group to a whiole new audience.