The best albums of 2026 are, for the most part, firmly rooted in the past.
It’s not only the artists — classic rock legends and standbys such as Peter Frampton, the Rolling Stones and the two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr — that dominate the Top 10 Rock Albums of 2026 (So Far) selected by the UCR staff, but also the styles and sounds of records of artists that came of age after the ’70s’ golden era of FM rock.
The Black Crowes and Jack White are two artists who have carried the torch for classic rock music since the 1990s. The former have made two of their best albums since reuniting in 2019 following a few years torn apart by brotherly disagreements, while White, on a creative high since the return to form of 2024’s No Name, released another scalding tribute to the guitar in 2026.
READ MORE: 2026 Album Reviews
But the biggest stories of the year got their start in the early ’60s. The Rolling Stones, enjoying a late-career surge that started with 2016’s blues covers album Blue & Lonesome and continued with 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, released their third straight great record. It’s an even more surprising burst of activity, given that the band’s previous album was released in 2005.
And then there are the two remaining Beatles releasing new albums within months of each other, the first time since 2012 that McCartney and Starr put out solo albums in the same year. They’re widely divergent records — one is sentimental and based on old memories, the other is a country LP that’s played loose and as a fling— tied by their commitment to tradition. That’s a good summation of 2026, too.
The Top 10 Rock Albums of 2026 (So Far)
Classic rockers and some of their progeny are having a great year.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
