[2025] Classic UK rock albums: A roundup of must-hear recommendations

Even among Japanese fans of Western music, rock that continually emerges from the UK enjoys immense popularity.

From the early days of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Pink Floyd, punk acts like the Sex Pistols, and the ’90s legends such as Oasis, Blur, and Radiohead; moving into the 2000s, Muse and Coldplay achieved worldwide success, and after the 2010s, bands like The 1975 have also appeared.

In this article, we introduce essential, definitive albums for beginners to UK rock.

Focusing mainly on rock band releases across different eras, we’ve selected classic masterpieces you should listen to at least once.

Playlist

[2025] Classic UK rock albums: A roundup of must-hear recommendations
	Title	Playlist	One point
1	(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?Oasis		When I hear “a British rock band representing the ’90s,” the one that comes to mind is…
2	Who’s NextThe Who		The Who, known as revolutionaries of UK rock…
3	Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m NotArctic Monkeys		Took the UK rock scene by storm in 2006…
4	OK ComputerRadiohead		Radi…, known as a landmark of UK rock
5	A Night at the OperaQueen		The album released by Queen in 1975, ‘…’
6	RevolverThe Beatles		Revolutionizing the history of pop music…
7	The Dark Side of the MoonPink Floyd		The world-renowned success of Pink Floyd’s masterpiece...
8	AbsolutionMuse		Muse, reigning as a titan of UK rock. 3…
9	The Number of the BeastIron Maiden		Iron Mai… released in 1982
10	Led Zeppelin IVLed Zeppelin		An album that could be called a milestone of UK rock, and...
11	Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex PistolsSEX PISTOLS		The punk mo… that occurred in the UK in the late ’70s
12	I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of ItThe 1975		Two albums by the British band, THE 1975...
13	ParanoidBlack Sabbath		A monumental landmark of heavy rock born in the UK, '…
14	The Stone RosesThe Stone Roses		A masterpiece that shines brilliantly in the history of UK rock—that is…
15	London CallingThe Clash		A name truly worthy of being called a landmark of UK punk…
16	X&YColdplay		In the early 2000s, a new presence emerged in the UK rock scene...
17	Girls & BoysBlur		A young band that fully showcases its Britishness…
18	Franz FerdinandFranz Ferdinand		A breath of fresh air swept through the UK rock scene of the 2000s…
19	The Queen Is DeadThe Smiths		The masterpiece that shines brilliantly in the history of UK rock, ‘The Q…’
20	Exile on Main St.The Rolling Stones		The priceless treasure of British rock, the Rolling…
21	Machine HeadDeep Purple		Hard rock band from the United Kingdom, Dee…
22	Aladdin SaneDavid Bowie		The iconic masterpiece representing glam rock, 'Aladdin…'
23	Electric WarriorT-REX		The album, known as a pinnacle of glam rock...
24	Different ClassPulp		Representative of the UK rock scene of the 1990s...
25	The KinksThe Kinks		The renowned British band, The Kinks, de...
26	The Man WhoTravis		A work that breathed new life into the UK rock scene…
27	DrownBring Me The Horizon		Since debuting as a promising young talent in deathcore...
28	Disraeli GearsCream		Indispensable when discussing the UK rock scene is...
29	lovelessMy Bloody Valentine		The al…, known as a masterpiece that will go down in the history of UK rock,
30	Seven and the Ragged TigerDuran Duran		This album, released in November 1983, …
31	Ogdens’ Nut Gone FlakeSmall Faces		It has established an unshakable place as a landmark album in UK rock...
32	HysteriaDef Leppard		Def Leppard's album 'Hysteri...
33	KKula Shaker		Kula Shaker, released in 1996…
34	90125YES		Carved a new page in the history of UK rock…
35	Costello MusicThe Fratellis		The Scottish indie rock band The...