Metalluk's Top-Fifty Pop Albums from the Sixties, Part II (Nos. 26-50)
Jan 15 '07 (Updated Feb 03 '07)
The Bottom Line Rock and other forms of popular music blossomed magnificently in the mid and late sixties. You'll find many treasures listed here well worth checking out.
One of the momentous developments in popular music during the sixties was the advent of long-playing albums (LPs). Although LPs had come into existence in the late fifties, it was not until about 1965 that they acquired an importance comparable to singles. Billboard magazine had maintained charts for top singles since 1955 but only introduced a chart for top albums beginning in 1965. So, although this list purports to represent the best albums for the entire decade of the sixties, the bulk of the entries are from the latter half of the decade and, especially, 1967-69.
Rock music was rapidly expanding in its complexity and sophistication during the sixties, so the music from the second half of the decade is generally better than that from the first half. In fact, during the first few years of the sixties, the folk music scene took precedence briefly over the rock genre. The most interesting pop music developments in the early sixties, in my opinion, came from performers like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan (initially more folk than rock), Pete Seeger, the New Lost City Ramblers, and so forth. It almost seemed that rock had run its course, by around 1963-4, but that, of course, proved not to be the case. Rock was massively reinvigorated by the British invasion as well as exciting new American groups emerging in the mid and late sixties.
This is my personal selection of the fifty best albums of the decade. I have limited the list to albums with which I have at least some familiarity. I don't claim to know every album from the sixties, whether from the major groups or more obscure cult groups. Please be tolerant if you find one or more of your favorites omitted. Most of these albums are now available on CD and most also have reviews here at Epinions. The albums are listed from last (fiftieth) to first, according to proper "countdown" tradition. This is Part II of my list, encompassing albums in positions 26-50. You can find Part I at:
Metalluk's Top-Fifty Albums from the Sixties Part I (Nos. 1-25)
*********************************************************************************
TOP-ALBUMS OF THE SIXTIES (Nos. 26-50):
*********************************************************************************
50. Pearls Before Swine: Balaklava (1968). Pearls Before Swine was a psychedelic folk band. Balaklava, a thoughtfully poetic, antiwar album, was their best work. The band's spiritual guru was singer and songwriter Tom Rapp.
49. Ultimate Spinach (1968). Ultimate Spinach was the best of the sixties bands from Boston. The group included singer Barbara Hudson and Ian Bruce-Douglas playing keyboards and guitar. Ultimate Spinach was taken to court by Country Joe MacDonald for alleged copyright infringements. Ultimate Spinach made only two albums.
48. Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited (1965). Dylan wrote and sang many of the quintessential songs of the sixties. This particular album included "Like a Rolling Stone." Dylan's vocal skills were highly suspect, at the time, but the sheer poetry of his songs was unequaled.
47. Captain Beefheart: Trout Mask Replica (1969). This album was produced by Beefheart's (Don Vliet) high school classmate, Frank Zappa. Zappa succeeded in capturing the essence of Beefheart and his Magic Band and this album is considered the pinnacle of Beefheart's strange career.
46. The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (1966). Although the Beach Boys were not especially to my taste, this particular album was voted the greatest pop album ever made in a poll conducted by MOJO magazine and placed second in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of top 500 pop albums ever. Even the Beatles acknowledged being influenced by it.
45. Three Dog Night (1969). Although Three Dog Night continues to perform even today, they were most popular between about 1968 and 1975. This album helped launch them into fame. With lead vocalists Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells, backed by Michael Allsup on guitar, Floyd Sneed on drums, Joe Schermie on bass and Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards, the group ultimately produced fourteen gold albums.
44. Grateful Dead: Anthem of the Sun (1968). This was the Dead's second album and finds them in their prime, with classic tracks like "Aligator" and "Caution." The personnel at this point included Jerry Garcia (vocals, guitar, kazoo), Bob Weir (guitars and kazoo), Ron Pigpen McKernan (vocals, organ, celesta), Phil Lesh (vocals, trumpet, harpsichord, kazoo), Tom Constanten (keyboards), and Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzman (percussion and drums).
43. Canned Heat: Living the Blues (1968). This was the third album for Canned Heat, following quickly on the heels of Boogie. Canned Heat consisted of a quintet of musicians: Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson (guitar and vocals), Larry "The Mole" Taylor (bass), Henry "Sunflower" Vestine (guitar) Aldolfo "Fido" Dela Parra (drums) and Bob "The Bear" Hite (vocals). One entire CD in this double album consists of a forty-one minute piece entitled "Refried Boogie."
42. Creedence Clearwater Revival: Green River (1969). The Revival's third album may not have been as immortal as their 1970 release, Cosmo's Factory, but nevertheless includes such stellar tracks as "Lodi" and "Bad Moon." John Fogarty was the band's leader.
41. Santana (1969). The group's nominal leader, Carlos Agusto Alves Santana, was a Mexican-American. Originally called Santana Blues Band, the group's music blended rock, blues, Latin salsa, and jazz into their own unique style. Other band members included Tom Frazier (guitar and vocals), Mike Carabello (percussion), Rod Harper (drums), Gus Rodriguez (bass guitar), and Gregg Rolie (organ and vocals).
40. Everly Brothers: It's Everly Time (1961). The Everly Brothers were popular mainly in the fifties and casual fans will be better served by purchasing one of their "hits" compilations, but this album, now out of print but available in a two album combination with A Date With, has some fine songs.
39. Cream: Fresh (1966). This was the first of three consecutive great albums from Cream and would rate higher on my list except that the subsequent albums are even better. The trio consisted of Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce, and drummer Ginger Baker and their musical blend was every bit as creamy as their name implies. The great track on this album is "I'm So Glad."
38. Steppenwolf (1968). Steppenwolf emerged from the transformation of a Toronto blues band originally called The Sparrow. After moving to San Francisco, the group took on more of a hard rock sound. The original group consisted of John Kay (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Jerry Edmonton (drums), Michael Monarch (lead guitar), Goldy McJohn (keyboards), and Rushton Moreve (bass). The group achieved fame when two of their early songs ("Born To Be Wild" and "The Pusher") were used in the popular film Easy Rider. It was Steppenwolf that coined the term "heavy metal."
37. Iron Butterfly: In a Gadda Da Vita (1968). This group consisted of Doug Ingle (vocals, keyboards, organ), Erik Brann (guitar), Lee Dorman (bass), and Ron Bushy (drums). The organ is what gave this group its unique sound. Although the group made more than one album, this one was their only hit album and was propelled to that lofty status almost entirely by the album's title track.
36. Beatles: Abbey Road (1969). Were this the Beatles' only album, I would have rated it much higher on my list, but it came on the heels of other Beatles' offerings that rank among the best rock albums in history. The Beatles were struggling, at this time, with rancor between John Lennon and Paul McCartney and this album was designed to ease the conflicts by returning to the group's "old way" of doing things. Furthermore, one side of the album was designed according to Lennon's preference for individual tracks while the other side provided conceptual continuity of the kind McCartney preferred in the form of a long suite of short, segued tracks. Ringo Starr provides some of his best drum work on this album and even wrote one of the best songs, "Octopus's Garden." Other treats include "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," "Let It Be," "Come Together," and "Here Comes the Sun."
35. Who: My Generation (1965). Although this album was rushed out immediately following the Who's first hit single, it has consistently been listed among the top albums in Rock & Roll history. The title song was the hit single and reached #2 on the charts in the UK. Other highlights include "La-La-La Lies," "The Kids Are Alright," and "A Legal Matter."
34. James Brown: Live at the Apollo (1963). At the time of its release, this album crystallized Brown's reputation as the undisputed master of soul music. It reached #2 on the pop chart despite being a gritty rhythm and blues kind of music. Brown was backed by an extensive band as well as background vocals. "I'll Go Crazy" was just one of the great tracks.
33. Bob Dylan: The Times Are A-Changin' (1964). This album's title track will be forever emblematic of the sixties. The rest of the album (Dylan's third) is not quite up to the standard of Dylan's best work. Those with a fondness for Dylan will be best served purchasing one of the greatest hits compilations.
32. Doors: Strange Days (1967). The Doors' second album was a shade less satisfying than their debut album, partly because several of the tracks were leftovers that hadn't made it onto the first album. A couple of the most interesting songs were "Strange Days" and "Moonlight Drive." This album reached #3 in the U.S. market.
31. Donovan: Sunshine Superman (1967). Donovan was actually the man's first name. His full birth name was Donovan Philips Leitch. Donovan enjoyed friendships with many other pop musicians of the time, including Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and the Beatles. He even collaborated with the Beatles on a few songs. Donovan had a gentle, soothing style of performance that made his music popular at "toking" parties. Highlights include the title song, "Season of the Witch," "Guinevere," and, especially, "The Fat Angel."
30. Traffic: Mr. Fantasy (1967). This was Traffic's first album and its weirdest and most artsy offering. The group at the time of album production consisted of Jim Capaldi, Steve Winwood, Chris Wood, and Dave Mason, though the latter had left the group by the time the album was released. Traffic became know for a jazz-rock fusion sound and it was already partly in evidence for their debut release. Two of the better tracks are "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Coloured Rain."
29. Arthur Brown: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (1967). No doubt, this is one of my more eccentric picks for this list. Brown was a sensational nightclub entertainer, with gaudy makeup and a flamboyant style, with shades of Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Little Richard. The album peaked at #7 and the track, "Fire," at #2 on the Billboard charts, but "Fire" is all the better when you hear it preceded by the lead-in piece, "Prelude/Nightmare."
28. Cream: Disraeli Gears (1967). This was Cream's second album and it reached #5 on the charts in the UK and #4 in the US. Two of the best tracks for this blues-rock album are "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love." Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker not only comprised the performance group, but helped write the songs, along with lyricist Pete Brown and producer Felix Pappalardi..
27. Beatles: Rubber Soul (1965). This album was important to me personally, because it helped to convince me that popular music still had more room to grow despite the apparent dead end it seemed to have reached around 1964. In my opinion, this was the first of the truly great albums by the Beatles and demonstrated that they were more than just mop-heads riding the crest of Beatlemania. Songs like "Norwegian Wood" and "In My Life" were somehow better than anything that had gone before in popular music.
26. Aretha Franklin: Lady Soul (1968). Franklin was a preacher's daughter from Detroit and sang soul with a passion, after making gospel records as a teenager. Despite troubled marriages and legal problems, she built a legendary career, singing blues, gospel, soul, and jazz. This album was her second chart-topper and includes the great track "Chain of Fools."
*********************************************************************************
There you have it folks. Thanks for reading. Keep an eye out for Part I.
You might also want to check out my lists of Best Songs of the Fifties:
Metalluk's Top-120 Songs from the Fifties (Part I: 1-40)
Metalluk's Top-120 Songs from the Fifties (Part II: 41-80)
Metalluk's Top-120 Songs from the Fifties (Part III: 81-120)
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
metalluk
|
 - Top 100 |
|
Location: Saunderstown, RI, USA
Reviews written: 930
Trusted by: 231 members
About Me:
Five ... Four ... Three ... Two ... One ...
Blastoff!
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.