Certain themes emerged as we examined the best of 2017's best classic rock albums. Watch the video above to find out how they all stacked up.

You'll find striking returns to form: Neil Young delved back into his folk-rock roots on Hitchhiker, a 10-track set recorded in a single session on Aug. 11, 1976, where Young is captured performing with just his voice and a single acoustic guitar. The tapes were given a post-production pass by longtime associate John Hanlon, who's been at the boards for a number of Young's recent efforts.

There were surprising reunions: Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie decided to make their first-ever duet project, having apparently tired of waiting for Stevie Nicks to join sessions for a new Fleetwood Mac album. There were also emotional goodbyes: Gregg Allman completed Southern Blood, which was released posthumously, in the weeks leading up to his 2017 death at the age of 69 following a series of health setbacks.

Some things, on the other hand, fell neatly into place. For instance, there were political broadsides (Roger Waters? Whodathunkit?) – and exciting journeys deeper into world music (Robert Plant's late-career resurgence continues). Neither of those developments was exactly earth-shaking, but both artists found new ways to explore what have become career-defining elements of their muses.

So, which album was best? Watch the video above to find out who rose to first in our list of Top 5 Classic Rock Albums of 2017.

 

 

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