15 Breakthrough Classic Rock Albums That Made The Bands Superstars

aerosmith-breakthrough

[Artwork Courtesy of Columbia]

u2-breakthrough

[Artwork Courtesy of Island Records]

allmanbrothersband-breakthr

[Artwork Courtesy of Capricorn]

styx-breakthrough

[Artwork Courtesy of A&M]

metallica-breakthrough

[Artwork Courtesy of Elektra]

rush-breakthrough

[Artwork Courtesy of Mercury]

pinkfloyd-breakthrough

[Artwork Courtesy of Harvest]

jeffersonairplane-breakthro

[Artwork Courtesy of RCA Victor]

soundgarden-breakthrouhg

[Artwork Courtesy of A&M]

REM-breakthrough

[Artwork Courtesy of I.R.S.]

queen-breakthrough

[Artwork Courtesy of EMI and Parlophone]

kiss-breakthrough

[Artwork Courtesy of Casablanca]

redhotchilipeppers-breakthr

[Artwork Courtesy of Warner Bros.]

fleetwoodmac-breakthrough

[Artwork Courtesy of Reprise]

zztop-breakthrough

[Artwork Courtesy of Warner Bros.]

Not every band can be Led Zeppelin or The Beatles or The Jimi Hendrix Experience and immediately make rock history and find fame with their debut album. Many groups we now consider legendary toiled away for years in relative obscurity or achieved cult success, gradually building their fan-bases until one gold album launched them into the stratosphere. Several of the following artists even considered breaking up before finally breaking big; after all, when you put as much work as these bands did into promoting, touring and crafting your own signature style, there’s a point where you just don’t know where it’s all going. But, oh did it go somewhere, to say the least. Whether it’s U2’s The Unforgettable Fire, Rush’s Moving Pictures or Queen’s A Night at the Opera, these groups reached superstar status with one single album – breakthrough successes that contained their biggest hits to date and solidified them as rock legends.

Here are 15 historic rock albums that broke the band.