
5 Iconic Albums Turning 50 in 2025: A Celebration of Music Legends
As we step into 2025, it's hard to believe that some of the most iconic albums in rock and pop history are turning 50 years old. From Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks to Queen’s groundbreaking A Night at the Opera, these timeless records have shaped the music landscape and continue to inspire new generations, and this year marks a major milestone for these albums and many others. Join us as we deep dive into these legendary albums turning 50 in 2025. We explore their history, impact, and ongoing legacy in the music world.
Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
Bob Dylan has been described as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century and with his biopic, the Timothée Chalamet-led A Complete Unknown hitting UK cinemas today, what better time to revisit one of his most iconic albums. Blood on the Tracks, his fifteenth studio album, released in 1975 to a largely mixed reception. In fact, Nick Kent of NME described it at the time as “so trashy [it] sounds like mere practice takes.” Over time however, it has come to be considered by many as his finest work, with Salon.com stating that it is “his only flawless album.” It was also included in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
There is even talk of a movie adaptation of the album’s story and themes to be helmed by Challengers director Luca Guadagnino. We don’t know if Timothee Chalamet will be reprising his role though, but that’d be pretty cool. We hope that there will be a 50th Anniversary reissue this year, but no word on that yet. We’ll surely keep you updated though!
AC/DC has their debut with the album High Voltage. It was released exclusively for their native Australia in 1975, before the songs were refined, shuffled and joined with those from T.N.T for an international release of the same name the following year in 1976. Many of the songs from this version of the album were released on later subsequent albums, with only "She's Got Balls" and "Little Lover" appearing on the ’76 version.
The first version of the album has been described as “inconsistent” owing to the fact that AC/DC were still a young undeveloped band finding their feet. For the same reason though, it’s a very unique album and one that will be unfamiliar to a lot of people outside of Australia. There is a 50th anniversary reissue of the international version, as well as many others as part of AC/DC’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd's ninth studio album Wish You Were Here stands as one of the most iconic albums in rock history. An experimental album with the 13 minute, nine-part opening track “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”- a tribute to founding member Syd Barret, whose mental health struggles had led to his departure from the group years earlier. The album explored themes of alienation and criticism of the music business. Initially, critics found its music “uninspiring” and inferior to Pink Floyd's previous work. Now, it is acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of all time.
Wish You Were Here solidified Pink Floyd's reputation as pioneers in progressive rock and concept albums. It became a chart-topping record in multiple countries. Band members David Gilmour and Richard Wright have both cited Wish You Were Here as their favourite Pink Floyd album, calling it their “most complete” along with The Dark Side of the Moon.
Having recently celebrated what would’ve been his 78th birthday, David Bowie’s influence on the music industry and much of culture over the years has been massive. With a career that lasted over five decades, From his ever-evolving sound to his public personalities and androgynous and flamboyant stage persona Ziggy Stardust to his presentation and stagecraft, his impact still continues today even almost 10 years after his passing in 2016.
Young Americans is Bowie’s ninth studio album and presents one of the times that his sound evolved. This record was a departure from his established glam rock sound and ventured into R&B and soul music and became his breakthrough in the US. An example of his influence: with this album, Bowie was one of the first white artists of the era to engage with black musical styles, and other British artists would follow suit. Bowie himself was critical of the album over the following years, but in 1990 he said “I shouldn't have been quite so hard on myself, because looking back it was pretty good white, blue-eyed soul [and] it was quite definitely one of the best bands I ever had.”
This one indeed does have a 50th anniversary edition on the way, and we hope you’re as excited as we are to relive this one!
The fourth album by Queen, A Night at the Opera is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most innovative albums in rock history. With Freddie Mercury commenting that the album contains “some of the strongest songs we've ever written”, it would mark a turning point for the band. A Night at the Opera showcased their fusion of rock, opera, and progressive music; with lead guitarist Brian May commenting that "it has a couple of the heaviest things we've ever done and probably some of the lightest things as well.” Fittingly, it is best known for the iconic "Bohemian Rhapsody," which combined complex harmonies, operatic sections, and hard rock in a way that had never been done before. It was wildly ambitious but became one of Queen’s most famous songs but also one of the most influential of all time.
A Night at the Opera propelled Queen to global stardom and was a critical success straight away, with one critic calling it “easily their best work to date” and it received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus and Best Arrangement for Voices. It is still regarded by many as their finest work. Fingers crossed for an anniversary edition!
Also turning 50 this year: Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac's Fleetwood Mac, ABBA's third album ABBA, Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band and Metal Machine Music by Lou Reed.
As these iconic albums celebrate their 50th anniversary, they remain an enduring testament to the power of music to transcend time and trends.
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