8.4/101,916 votesLoading...#1 - Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
Season 6 Episode 2 - Aired 10/5/2006
Listen as all four band members tell the story behind one of the greatest albums ever made. Pink Floyd's masterpiece, 1973's The Dark Side of the Moon broke records when it sold more than 30 million copies and spent 740 weeks on the U.S. charts.
Director: Matthew Longfellow
Writer: N/A
8.2/10150 votesLoading...#2 - The Doors: The Doors
Season 8 Episode 1 - Aired 4/14/2008
The Making of the Doors' Debut Album traces the history of the revolutionary 1967 album in a 90-minute package that features live footage and in-depth interviews with the three surviving band members members -- keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Kreiger and drummer John Densmore -- as they demonstrate the unique musical stylings that contributed to the making of this pivotal album. Others interviewed include engineer Bruce Botnick, and Doors-influenced musicians Henry Rollins and Perry Farrell.
Director: Bob Smeaton
Writer: N/A
8.2/10129 votesLoading...#3 - Rush: 2112 & Moving Pictures
Season 9 Episode 3 - Aired 6/26/2010
2112 was the album that saw Rush break through to major chart success, going to No.1 in their native Canada and Top 75 in the USA where it would eventually be certified triple platinum. Moving Pictures opened them to a mass audience for the first time and remains the biggest selling album of their career. It also went to No.1 in Canada and went quadruple platinum there while hitting No.3 in both the UK and USA. Rush members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart talk us through the making of the albums, together with original producer Terry Brown via interviews, demonstrations, archive videos and use of the original multi-track tapes.
Director: Martin R. Smith
Writer: N/A
8.1/10533 votesLoading...#4 - Iron Maiden: Number of the Beast
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 11/1/2001
Iron Maiden has been both criticized and praised for their unforgiving presentation of hard rock. This album took them to worldwide stardom, and awoke accusations of backward masking, subliminal messages, and Satanism. Producer Martin Birch dissects the master tapes with the five band members, who discuss the writing and recording of each song, while looking for the 'hidden' elements.
Director: Tim Kirkby
Writer: N/A
7.9/10237 votesLoading...#5 - The Band: The Band
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 4/17/1997
Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson discuss the making of their classic 1969 release. Each member explains how they achieved their distinct sound, with all of them often switching instruments. We hear from Eric Clapton and George Harrison on the influence the record had. Also included is a tribute to suicide victim Richard Manuel.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/10468 votesLoading...#6 - Queen: A Night at the Opera
Season 6 Episode 1 - Aired 5/17/2006
The musicianship that went into one of rock's premier achievements is examined. Surviving members Brian May and Roger Taylor talk about Freddie Mercury's contributions, and producer Roy Thomas Baker shows us some isolated channels from the master tapes. Also commentary from Joe Perry and Ian Hunter is included.
Director: Matthew Longfellow
Writer: N/A
7.9/10551 votesLoading...#7 - Black Sabbath: Paranoid
Season 9 Episode 1 - Aired 5/1/2010
With Paranoid celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Classic Albums/Black Sabbath episode is particularly timely. Music buffs will relish at the 97-minute DVD that touches upon everything from Black Sabbath’s influences, the songwriting process behind tracks like “War Pigs and “Iron Man,” the band’s introduction into America, and even hands-on explanations of the riff work from Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler. In stark contrast to the band’s self-titled debut album (recorded over two days and mixed in one), Paranoid was allowed an opportunity to be crafted in more accommodating studio environment. Those sessions bore a variety of intriguing stories, specifically one that details how “Paranoid” was written off-the-cuff after executives requested a “short song.”
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/10334 votesLoading...#8 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 4/18/1997
Jimi is recalled here with archival footage, and current interviews with Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, and engineer Eddie Kramer, explain the creative processes that went into the 1968 album. Jimi's manager, Chas Chandler, contributes some details, in what was to be his final interview.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/10343 votesLoading...#9 - The Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollocks
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 1/13/2003
The Sex Pistols only released one album before breaking up, but it set off the punk movement, and turned the British music industry on its head. Featuring interviews with John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), Steve Jones and Paul Cook, plus original bassist Glen Matlock, along with producer Chris Thomas, Classic Albums looks at the way it was written and recorded. Also shown is some rare television footage from that time, and some concert performances by the groundbreaking band.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/106 votesLoading...#10 - Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 5/4/2003
Engineers Chris Thomas and Alan Parsons peel layers off the master tapes from this 1973 masterpiece. The songs are dissected methodically, and Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Rick Wright are on hand, (though separately), to demonstrate how simplistic some of the writing was.
Director: Matthew Longfellow
Writer: N/A
7.8/10684 votesLoading...#11 - Nirvana: Nevermind
Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 2/18/2005
In 1991 Nirvana’s Nevermind, with the songs of Kurt Cobain, changed the music business without compromise, record company hype or media overkill. The album replaced Michael Jackson at the top of the American charts and so began a rapid rise to international superstardom for the band. This is the story of how Nirvana came to record Nevermind and the effect the record had on the music world and on the band themselves. It offers an insight into the songwriting genius of Kurt Cobain and reveals why Nevermind remains a milestone in rock history.
Director: Bob Smeaton
Writer: N/A
7.8/10161 votesLoading...#12 - Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (')/Over-Nite Sensation
Season 7 Episode 1 - Aired 5/1/2007
Tells the story of the recording of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention's "Over-Nite Sensation" and Zappa's solo album "Apostrophe (')".
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10323 votesLoading...#13 - Meat Loaf: Bat Out Of Hell
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 11/9/1999
In 1977, Marvin Lee Aday, aka Meat Loaf, shocked the music world by releasing this 30 million-selling blockbuster. Previously little-known as an actor and singer , he hooked up with writer Jim Steinman, producer Todd Rundgren, and vocalists Ellen Foley and Carla Devito, to create one of the top five sellers of all time. Kasim Sultan and Max Weinberg, who also played on the album are heard from, and Todd isolates some of the masters to show how the sounds were created.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10304 votesLoading...#14 - Steely Dan: Aja
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 2/3/2000
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker delve into the master tapes to discuss the year-long effort that went into this, their biggest album. Well known as perfectionists in the studio, this labor of love is dissected layer by layer. Producer Gary Katz and engineer Roger Nichols help explain the craft and detail that the Dan, along with Michael McDonald and some other session players, spent on the Grammy-winning jazz-rock classic.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10421 votesLoading...#15 - The Who: Who's Next
Season 6 Episode 3 - Aired 10/19/2006
Interviews with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, along with the late John Entwhistle, who reminisce about the failed attempt to present a rock musical stage show called Lifehouse, tell us how the project evolved into the 1971 classic, Who's Next. Some archival footage is presented, and we are shown by Pete how he developed the synthesized keyboard riffs that gave sonic charges to the album.
Director: Bob Smeaton
Writer: N/A
7.6/10543 votesLoading...#16 - Fleetwood Mac: Rumours
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 7/22/1997
The band's Grammy-winning 1977 album is given the Classic Albums treatment. We hear from all the band members, and technicians who worked on the project. Each track is examined and the master tapes are analysed. Included is some archival performance footage, along with some home movies.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.6/10808 votesLoading...#17 - Metallica: Metallica (Black Album)
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 11/13/2001
Metallica's 12 million selling breakthrough album is examined in depth. Taped at One on One Studios, where it was recorded, Producer Bob Rock, along with all four band members, discuss the making of each song, and how they polished their sound to command a wider audience.
Director: Matthew Longfellow
Writer: N/A
7.6/10274 votesLoading...#18 - Def Leppard: Hysteria
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 1/6/2003
Def Leppard labored for more than a year to record this, their follow-up to 'Pyromania'. Producer Mutt Lange and the group describe track by track what went into the writing, rehearsing, and recording. Layers are peeled away at the mixing board as we see and hear how their vocal sound, guitar effects, and drums are engineered. Also, they play acoustic versions of two of their biggest hits from the record. As a bonus, an early rendition of 'Love Bites', which thankfully was given a complete overhaul, is presented.
Director: Matthew Longfellow
Writer: N/A
7.6/10253 votesLoading...#19 - Deep Purple: Machine Head
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 2/1/2003
The 1972 early metal classic is examined here. After a brief recount of Deep Purple's history prior, all five members of the group from that time recount the making of the album, and Jon Lord, Richie Blackmore, and Roger Glover isolate some of their parts, and play along live. Engineer Martin Birch also lends a hand, describing how the instrumental sounds were produced.
Director: Matthew Longfellow
Writer: N/A
7.6/10164 votesLoading...#20 - Peter Gabriel: So
Season 10 Episode 2 - Aired 3/23/2012
So stands as one of the greatest records of the 1980s, helping define its time to become a true classic album. The film features interviews with Gabriel himself, co-producer Daniel Lanois, bass players Tony Levin and Larry Klein, performer Laurie Anderson, drummer Manu Katché and Rolling Stone editor David Fricke amongst others.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.6/109 votesLoading...#21 - The Who: Tommy
Season 10 Episode 3 - Aired 11/9/2013
1968 was a time of soul-searching for the Who - with three badly performing singles behind them, they needed a big new idea to put them back at the top and, crucially, to hold them together as a band. Inspired by Indian spiritual master Meher Baba, Pete Townshend created the character of Tommy, the 'deaf, dumb and blind boy'. Broke and fragmenting when they started recording, the album went on to sell over 20 million copies. In this film, the Who speak for the first time about the making of the iconic album and how its success changed their lives.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10202 votesLoading...#22 - Grateful Dead: American Beauty
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/15/1997
This 1970 release was an important step in the rise of the Grateful Dead to legend status. Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, along with some interviews with Jerry Garcia, discuss what went into the writing and recording.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10106 votesLoading...#23 - Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 4/16/1997
Stevie's 1976 double album is looked at here. Stevie had already released the smash album, Innervisions, but as Berry Gordy explains, he took the experimentation to a new level. Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock are in the studio with Stevie, along with some other top musicians who contributed, as we examine the creation and recording process, of what many consider Stevie Wonder's finest hour.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10255 votesLoading...#24 - Elton John: Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 11/6/2001
Elton John, along with some of his past and present band members discuss the creation of his opus, 'Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road'. Producer Gus Dudgeon and engineer David Henschel pull up some of the original multi-tracks, and demonstrate how the music was played and sang. Bernie Taupin is also on hand to describe his lyric writing, and some rare footage of rehearsals, and photos shot in the studio, are presented.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10174 votesLoading...#25 - Motorhead: Ace Of Spades
Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 3/1/2005
This album, while not a huge seller in the US, was definitely a landmark in the annals of crushingly loud hard rock. Bassist/singer Lemmy and drummer Phil Taylor are in the studio reminiscing about the making of the music, and life while touring. Guitarist Fast Eddie Clark is interviewed separately, but all three discuss candidly what went into the making of the songs. Included are clips from live shows, and even one of Lemmy while with his earlier band, Hawkwind.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Classic Albums
Every episode of Classic Albums ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Classic Albums!
A documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify...
Genre:Documentary
Best Episodes Summary
"Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon" is the best rated episode of "Classic Albums". It scored 8.4/10 based on 1916 votes. Directed by Matthew Longfellow and written by N/A, it aired on 10/5/2006. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Doors: The Doors".