Album Day: Radio 1 DJ's five rock faves

National Album Day is back and this year the theme is rock.

When’s the last time you listened to an album in full? From start to finish, entirely as the artist intended?

BBC Bitesize asked Maia Beth, presenter and DJ who works with BBC Introducing and Radio 1, to recommend five albums that represent the spirit of rock. Maia says these are must listens and they might just entice us away from our playlists, at least for a couple of hours.

A quick warning, some of the songs on these albums do contain explicit language and adult themes.

Are We All Angels - Scowl (2025)

Sleeve Notes:
Scowl are a rock band from California, formed in 2019. Their debut album How Flowers Grow was released in November 2021 followed by We Are All Angels released in early 2025 to coincide with a UK and European tour.

What the critics said:
“‘I don’t wanna be special,’ declares Kat in the album’s first chorus. Sorry to be the bearer of good news, Scowl, but you are.” Nick Ruskell, Kerrang
NME clearly a fan called it an “explosion of emotions stemming from both overwhelm and excitement."

Maia Beth says:
If you’re looking for someone new who are going to be huge, Scowl were recommended to me by Daniel P Carter (presenter of the BBC Radio 1 rock show & all round icon) and I’ve not stopped listening to them since. Effortlessly cool and instantly likeable, this is an album for hardcore and grunge fans and everyone in between.

Rumours - Fleetwood Mac (1977)

Sleeve Notes:
Guitarist and singer Lindsay Buckingham told the BBC in 1976, the songs on Rumours are about being on the road and all the issues they were having with their relationships at the time.

This emotional turmoil and uncertainty created something incredible. Critics and fans embraced it then and still do today. In the UK the songs remain so popular, the album has spent 1,118 weeks in the Top 100 album chart so far, and it is even now sat at number 19.

What the critics said:
“It remains one of pop's most impervious generational touchstones.” The Independent
“Sonically, it's near perfect – there is little fuss, no mess and hardly any waste.” Daryl Easlea, BBC Music

Maia Beth says:
The classics are classics for a reason and with every year I understand the emotion behind these songs a little more. My friend Alice introduced me to this album when I was in school and I remember sitting entranced by Gold Dust Woman and being so excited to talk to her about it the next day.

So rarely does every song on an album have the potential to be the lead single, but there are no skips on this. It would be a cruelty to yourself to do so. My Mam and I went to see Stevie Nicks last year and belting these songs by her side showed just how timeless Fleetwood Mac’s music is.

Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters (2020)

Sleeve Notes:
This self-produced album is Fiona Apple’s fifth. It was released to huge critical acclaim and went on to win two 2020 Grammy Awards - Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Performance for the lead single Shameika.

What the critics said:
"This is an album that conveys one woman’s rage, vulnerability, confusion and wisdom in ways that we haven’t quite heard before.” The Telegraph
"She relays tales of feminism, abusive partners, the sacrifices of love and the dinner parties she won’t be quiet at. Unrefined sounds recorded in her LA home make for a visceral listening experience.” NME

Maia Beth says:
This is what female rage sounds like! It’s soundtracked so many angry walks, heartbroken baths and everything in between for me. And the fact it was released over two decades after her debut album Tidal is further proof of how unwavering her talent is. From the defiance of Under The Table to the fury of For Her. Consume it all.

Paranoid - Black Sabbath (1970)

Sleeve Notes:
This is the album credited with making heavy metal what it is.

Lead singer of the band Ozzy Osbourne sings the dark lyrics over a new heavier sound. That sound came courtesy of guitarist Tony Iommi. He had lost two fingers in a welding accident at the factory he worked at as a teenager and had to adapt his way of playing guitar. This led to a powerful, darker sound which soon became a hallmark of heavy metal.

Paranoid is number one in Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Metal Albums and most metalheads agree that this really is a genre defining album.

What the critics said:
“Sabbath may not have been the most musically adventurous group of their generation but they did one thing and did it exceptionally well. If you want proof just take a look at the world of heavy metal. Without this album there wouldn’t be one.” Sid Smith, BBC Music

Maia Beth says:
Shout out to my Dad he started my love affair with Black Sabbath playing Heaven & Hell in the car non-stop throughout my childhood. That album is an honourable mention, but I love the range Ozzy showed on Paranoid! The protest of hypocrisy on War Pigs, contrasted with the serenity that sweeps you from Planet Caravan, it’s like he encapsulated the whole of emotion and poured it into one record.

Made of Bricks - Kate Nash (2007)

Sleeve Notes:
This is the debut album from English singer-songwriter Kate Nash released in 2007. Kate was a teenager writing songs in her bedroom and posting them on MySpace when she was signed by a major label.
The single Foundations spent nine weeks in the UK Top Ten and by 2008, Nash was touring the world and won the best British female artist award at the Brit Awards.

What the critics said:
“As an empathetic soundtrack to similar growing pains Nash's debut hits its mark.” Q Magazine
“Consistently framed around a beat, a piano and her voice, her plucky and at times eccentric songs generally stick to themes of female neurosis, emotional fragility and, occasionally, what she likes to eat on her toast.” Observer Music Monthly

Maia Beth says:
This was one of the first albums I ever bought on CD and I played it over and over until I memorised every word. Naturally Foundations soundtracked every house party I went to but my admiration of this album is so much deeper than that. Nicest Thing still reminds me of the feeling of love when you haven’t quite got the words for it yet and Mouthwash walked so Lola Young's Messy could run.

My school music project was on Kate Nash so when I got to introduce her on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury this year, it felt like giving my inner child a big hug. I’m so proud that I picked her as a role model, her music encouraged me to be loud and opinionated and she has continued to do that, consistently using her platform to fight for people who don’t have a voice. What an album, what a woman.

Maia Beth is a presenter and DJ on BBC Radio 1 Happy Anthems every Saturday and BBC Introducing.

This article was published in October 2025.