Classic Rock Buying Guides

Buying guide Never the most prolific of bands, The Who have released some of the most enduring and influential albums in rock history

Buying guide Although the strength of the Goo Goo Dolls' songwriting has been frustratingly inconsistent, the band have shown moments of real class

Buying guide The Beatles have been gone for more than half a century, but their shadow still looms large over rock music and rock musicians - and these are their best albums

Buying guide Steely Dan brought jazz smarts and lyrical sophistication to rock, conjuring up brainiac music that sold millions - just don't mention 'yacht rock'

Buying guide Mötley Crüe left behind them a trail of destruction and nine albums – here ranked from worst to best

Buying guide Motörhead’s appetite for virulent, violent melodies charted over the course of 23 ear-threatening albums

Buying guide Bolstered by the genius songwriting and production of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys' best albums contain some of the greatest music you’ll ever hear

Buying guide Queen albums, like the band, were brilliant, flamboyant and preposterous, and the work of a band who lit up the 70s and 80s and remain a juggernaut today

Buying guide Eddie Money was a singer who was never as well known as he should have been, but the ‘patron saint of uncool’ made some cool records

Buying guide There’s a lot more to Blue Öyster Cult than more cowbell, as their best albums clearly show

Buying guide Ronnie James Dio's albums with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell and Dio helped define what a hard rock singer can be

Buying guide The complete set of 29 Kiss albums, ranked from woeful worst to wonderful best

Buying guide Navigating a path through classic pop, soul, garage-rock and rock’n’roll, Chrissie Hynde steered the Pretenders to major success - and these are their best albums

Buying guide A true songwriter's songwriter, Ian Hunter has improved with age, racking up critically acclaimed albums well into his ninth decade - and these are his best

Buying guide With Mountain, West Bruce & Laing and solo, Leslie West proved he was a class act - and these are his best albums

Buying guide Soul-stirring singer and guitarist Bonnie Raitt has carved her niche covering celebrated songwriters in blues, folk, R&B and rock

Buying guide With their legacy defined by the tragic death of guitarist Paul Kossoff and the ubiquity of All Right Now, it’s often forgotten just how miraculous Free were

Buying guide Originally just another R&B band, the Moody Blues would create one of the sounds of the late 60s/early 70s as psychedelic and progressive rock pioneers

Buying guide From Mississippi roots to wilderness years and redemption, John Lee Hooker always played the blues his way. Here are the albums that go boom boom