1)     The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd (1973)

Members - Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Richard Wright

Dark Side has always been one of those albums that makes one’s soul seemingly float gracefully into the distance, away from one’s body, leaving behind every trouble in one’s life. Every member brings a certain uniqueness to the overall sound – and what a sound it is. We embark on our journey with “Breathe”, a wonderfully psychedelic track that leads on to mind-boggling instrumental “On The Run”. We continue to “Time” – a song with extraordinarily thought-provoking lyrics and that gracefully flows into Rick Wright’s masterpiece “The Great Gig In The Sky” that manages to tell a magnificent story yet has no lyrics of any sort. The sarcastic jab at materialism “Money” leads on to my favourite tack on the album “Us and Them”. Another brain-bending instrumental “Any Colour You Like” finally carries to our climax – “Brain Damage/Eclipse”. “The Wall”, “Wish You Were Here”, and “Animals” are superb – but nothing beats TDSOTM. Thrillingly paced with outstanding instrumentation – Dark Side gets a rating of 9.5 from me.

2)     Led Zeppelin IV – Led Zeppelin (1971)

Members: Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham

The fourth self-titled album from the pioneers of heavy rock never fails to amaze. From the raw powerful vocals of lead singer Robert Plant, to the immensely intricate drumming of John Bonham. We kick of with “Black Dog” – one of the best Page riffs there is. Some stupefyingly syncopated guitar and bass parts with some tight drumming and superbly shrill vocals lead onto “Rock and Roll” – the guitar and bass are great but it is John Bonham’s steamroller drumming that really steals the show. “The Battle of Evermore” (a Celtic-inspired tale told through the medium of song) contains some magnificent mandolin from the guitarist. Then there’s “Stairway To Heaven”, arguably the best song ever. Then there’s “Misty Mountain Hop” and “Four Sticks” – two great songs that follow up with the acoustic masterpiece “Going To California”. The epic finale is “When the Levee Breaks”, originally recorded by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie – it is once again Bonham’s powerhouse drumming that shines through. Clear, concise and accurate, this album gets a 9.3 from me.

3)     Abbey Road – The Beatles (1969)

Members - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr

I talked about this one in my Beatles article so I’ll keep it brief. But this album is nothing but perfection. Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr all bring their top performances, both instrumentally and vocally. As I’ve said many times before and will continue to say, the medley is the best 16 minutes in the history of music. Abbey Road – iconic and killer – 9.6 from me.

4)     Revolver – The Beatles (1966)

Members - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr

Oh, how I love the Beatles. Again, I’ll keep it brief but this album never fails to amaze. There are no two tracks alike on this album. Pretty much perfect really. Nothing else to say really. 9.9

5)     A Night at the Opera – Queen (1975)

Members - Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon

If there’s one band that I like more than the Beatles, it’s these guys. A Night At The Opera is a perfect representation of the phrase “all killer, no filler”. There will never be another Freddie Mercury. Never. And of course, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is also the greatest song of all time. If you haven’t listened to this, go do it now. It will change your life. 9.9