1978’s Best Classic Rock albums list defines a year in which The Rolling Stones and The Who released two spectacular albums that stood as some of their best work. In a year in which old school meets new school, debut albums by The Police and The Cars set the stage for a change in musical direction that would last into the mid 1980s. However, Van Halen’s debut album seemed to argue that pure rock and roll amped up to eleven and defined by the incredible talents of Eddie Van Halen would inspire musicians to practice,practice, practice.
The band Blondie released the album of their career while Elvis Costello’s follow up album entitled This Years Girl proved he was a talent to be reckoned with. Boston finally released their follow up album to their stunning debut in 1976 and Bruce Springsteen settled his legal troubles to allow him to release the highly anticipated follow up to Born To Run. A powerful new progressive rock band called U.K. released an incredible album showcasing the guitar genius of the late Alan Holdsworth that only lasted for one studio album.
The landscape of late 1970s rock and roll was far different than the earlier part of the decade. So many genres of musical styles continued to resonate and attract new fans. Mass communication and the spread of cable networks helped showcase many new artists. We were still a couple of years away from the birth of MTV, but there’s no denying that the success of albums like Frampton Comes Alive and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours the previous two years had convinced record companies that mass marketing of artists could prove to be highly profitable.
1978’s Best Classic Rock albums list may prove to be the most diverse yet. There are some great ones here. Numbers 50 through 10 are in random order. The top 10 is based on the order in which we think were the best and most influential albums released in 1978. We have also included a supplemental list of so many other great 1978 rock albums.
1978’s Best Classic Rock Albums
# 50 – Lionheart – Kate Bush
# 49 – Return to Magenta – Mink DeVille
# 48 – Brother to Brother – Gino Vannelli
# 47 – Backless – Eric Clapton
# 46 – Pyramid – The Alan Parsons Project
# 45 – City to City – Gerry Rafferty
# 44 – Alive on Arrival – Steve Forbert
# 43 – Shakedown Street – Grateful Dead
# 42 – Stage – David Bowie
# 41 – Heaven Tonight – Cheap Trick
# 40 – Caravan to Midnight – Robin Trower
# 39 – Infinity – Journey
# 38 – London Town – Paul McCartney and Wings
# 37 – A Tonic for the Troops – The Boomtown Rats
# 36 – Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll – Rainbow
# 35 – Heavy Horses – Jethro Tull
# 34 – Toto – Toto
# 33 – Living in the U.S.A – Linda Ronstadt
# 32 – Comes a Time – Neil Young
# 31 – Don’t Look Back – Boston
# 30 – Stone Blue – Foghat
# 29 – Misfits – The Kinks
# 28 – Life Beyond L.A. – Ambrosia
# 27 – This Year’s Model – Elvis Costello
# 26 – Zappa in New York – Frank Zappa
# 25 – Minute by Minute – The Doobie Brothers
# 24 – From Rats to Riches – Good Rats
# 23 – Jazz – Queen
# 22 – Hermit of Mink Hollow – Todd Rundgren
# 21 – Hearts Of Stone Southside Johnny & Asbury Jukes
# 20 – 52nd Street – Billy Joel
# 19 – Road To Ruin – The Ramones
# 18 – Blue Valentine – Tom Waits
# 17 – Wavelength – Van Morrison
# 16 – Stained Class – Judas Priest
# 15 – Powerage – AC/DC
# 14 – You’re Gonna Get It! – Tom Petty and Heartbreakers
# 13 – Stranger in Town – Bob Seger
# 12 – Dire Straits – Dire Straits
# 11 – Hemispheres – Rush
# 10 – Outlandos d’Amour – The Police
# 9 – U.K. – U.K.
# 8 – But Seriously, Folks… – Joe Walsh
# 7 – The Cars – The Cars
# 6 – Double Vision – Foreigner
# 5 – Parallel Lines – Blondie
# 4 – Who Are You – The Who
# 3 – Darkness on the Edge of Town – Bruce Springsteen
# 2 – Some Girls – The Rolling Stones
# 1 – Van Halen – Van Halen
More Fantastic Classic Rock Albums Released in 1978
These are listed in chronological order in which they came out throughout the year
Best Rock Albums – January 1978
Excitable Boy – Warren Zevon
White Music – XTC
Attention Shoppers! – STARZ
Double Live Gonzo! – Ted Nugent
I’m Ready – Muddy Waters
Best Rock Albums – February 1978
Earth – Jefferson Starship
All This and Heaven Too – Andrew Gold
Bring It Back Alive – The Outlaws
Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush – Live – Mahogany Rush
Street Action – Bachman–Turner Overdrive
Street Hassle – Lou Reed
What Do You Want from Live – The Tubes
Best Rock Albums – March 1978
…And Then There Were Three… – Genesis
Easter – Patti Smith Group
Southern Winds – Maria Muldaur
Another Music in a Different Kitchen – Buzzcocks
You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish – REO Speedwagon
Generation X – Generation X
Champagne Jam – Atlanta Rhythm Section
Jesus of Cool – Nick Lowe
A Song for All Seasons – Renaissance
Son of a Son of a Sailor – Jimmy Buffett
Squeeze – Squeeze
Waiting for Columbus – Little Feat
What If – Dixie Dregs
Best Rock Albums – April 1978
For You – Prince
The Last Waltz – The Band
Saga – Saga
Magazine – Heart
Heat in the Street – Pat Travers
Adventure – Television
Boys in the Trees – Carly Simon
Please Don’t Touch – Steve Hackett
Best Rock Albums – May 1978
Black and White – The Stranglers
The Man-Machine – Kraftwerk
David Gilmour – David Gilmour
Best Rock Albums – June 1978
Live and Dangerous – Thin Lizzy
Octave – The Moody Blues
Street-Legal – Bob Dylan
Nested – Laura Nyro
Best Rock Albums – July 1978
More Songs About Buildings and Food – Talking Heads
Americana – Leon Russell
Best Rock Albums – August 1978
Along the Red Ledge – Hall & Oates
Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! – Devo
All Night Long – Sammy Hagar
Twin Sons of Different Mothers – Dan Fogelberg and Tim Weisberg
Luxury You Can Afford – Joe Cocker
White, Hot and Blue – Johnny Winter
Best Rock Albums – September 1978
Bloody Tourists – 10cc
Pieces of Eight – Styx
Molly Hatchet – Molly Hatchet
Skynyrd’s First and… Last – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Studio Tan – Frank Zappa
The Kiss Solo Albums
Ace Frehley – Ace Frehley
Gene Simmons – Gene Simmons
Paul Stanley – Paul Stanley
Peter Criss – Peter Criss
Breathless – Camel
Never Say Die! – Black Sabbath
Nicolette – Nicolette Larson
Back on the Streets – Gary Moore
Flamin’ Groovies Now – Flamin’ Groovies
Some Enchanted Evening – Blue Öyster Cult
Weekend Warriors – Ted Nugent
Best Rock Albums – October 1978
Photo-Finish – Rory Gallagher
Hot Streets – Chicago
M.I.U. Album – The Beach Boys
Go 2 – XTC
So Alone – Johnny Thunders
Dog & Butterfly – Heart
Killing Machine – Judas Priest
If You Want Blood You’ve Got It – AC/DC
A Single Man – Elton John
Thoroughfare Gap – Stephen Stills
Inner Secrets – Santana
Live! Bootleg – Aerosmith
Pain Killer – Krokus
Playin’ to Win – Outlaws
Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) – Captain Beefheart
Trouble – Whitesnake
Two for the Show – Kansas
Best Rock Albums – November 1978
Midnight Oil – Midnight Oil
All Mod Cons – The Jam
Give ‘Em Enough Rope – The Clash
The Scream – Siouxsie and the Banshees
Blondes Have More Fun – Rod Stewart
From the Inside – Alice Cooper
Legend – Poco
Move It On Over – George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Best Rock Albums – December 1978
Quiet Riot II – Quiet Riot
Return of the Wanderer – Dion DiMucci
Public Image: First Issue – Public Image Ltd
American Dreams – – Jesse Colin Young
Back to the Bars – Todd Rundgren
Feature Photo Credits:
Eddie Van Halen – Photo: Carl Lender [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
Keith Richards – Photo: Gorup de Besanez [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
Blondie – Jean-Luc [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]
John Entwistle – Center of the Universe [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]
Sting – Helge Øverås [CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]
Ric Ocasek – Adanne Osefoh [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
Joe Walsh – Jim Summaria [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
Updated May 5, 2023
1978’s Best Classic Rock Albums article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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We all new that Parallel Lines would be top 5???