G.I. BLUES, Presley's first movie following his return from military service was, like most of his '60s movies, a light romantic comedy with plenty of musical numbers. As the decade progressed and the Presley movie formula ossified, Hollywood and Colonel Tom expended less effort finding suitable musical material for Presley to sing. Presley's earliest '60s movies, however, usually boasted strong soundtracks, and G.I. BLUES is among the best of them. None of the songs are embarrassing--no "Yoga Is As Yoga Does" or "Queenie Wahini's Papaya" here--and, in fact, nearly all are very good.

Best,of course, is the Carl Perkins classic "Blue Suede Shoes", but also excellent are "Such A Night"-like boogie entitled"Tonight Is So Right For Love", the title track, and several lovely ballads, among them "Pocket Full Of Rainbows", "Wooden Heart", and the lullaby "Big Boots". Overall, G.I. BLUES doesn't rock quite as hard as Elvis' pre-Army soundtracks, but it does demonstrate considerably more life than most of the soundtracks that followed. In fact, Presley's handlers should have worked harder at getting him material of this quality for his later films.

Track Listing

Side 1

Tonight Is So Right For Love

What's She Really Like

Frankfort Special

Wooden Heart

GI Blues

Side 2

Pocketful Of Rainbows

Shoppin' Around

Big Boots

Didja Ever

Blue Suede Shoes

Doin' The Best I Can

This album now seems as remarkable as his mid-'60s breakthroughs. Like Presley's Sun Sessions, it is both the remnant of a lost rural America and the seed of rock culture. The music is primarily Dylan, with acoustic guitar, barking traditional folk, and blues. He was 20, a Northern hick come to New York to be the next Woody Guthrie. It's amazing that at 20 he sings "In My Time of Dying" and "See That My Grave is Kept Clean," not as traditional songs, but making their doom and resignation sound personal. --Steve Tignor

Track Listing

  1. You're No Good

  2. Talkin' New York

  3. In My Time of Dyin'

  4. Man Of Constant Sorrow

  5. Fixin' To Die

  6. Pretty Peggy-O

  7. Highway 51 Blues

  8. Gospel Plow

  9. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down

 10. House Of the Risin' Sun

 11. Freight Train Blues

 12. Song To Woody

 13. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

Best Albums of the Sixties

Sixties Music albums

1960’s Music

Released in 1962, the first full-length album by Booker T. & the MG's, GREEN ONIONS, revolves around the classic, slow-burning, organ-led instrumental title track. It's impossible to overstate the importance and impact of this, the band's biggest chart hit, which oozes smokey cool as Steve Cropper's strangled guitar cries and Booker T.'s terse keyboard bursts criss-cross over a framework that prefigures everything from funk to dub. Al Jackson and Lewis Steinberg keep the rhythm firmly in the pocket here and on covers such as "I Got a Woman" and the chill, down-tempo blues of Acker Bilk's "Stranger on the Shore". Together, the MG's (short for Memphis Group) developed a collective groove that would prove crucial to the development of '60s soul.

Track Listing

  1. Green Onions

  2. Rinky Dink

  3. I Got A Woman

  4. Mo' Onions

  5. Twist And Shout

  6. Behave Yourself

  7. Stranger On The Shore

  8. Lonely Avenue

  9. One Who Really Loves You

 10. You Can't Sit Down

 11. Woman A Lover A Friend

 12. Comin' Home Bab

Containing many of his most striking early compositions--and sounding today far less dated than The Times They Are A-Changin', his next largely "protest" album--the guitar/voice/harmonica sound and vision of Freewheelin' remains by turns hilarious ("Talking World War III Blues"), sweet ("Corrina, Corrina"), bitter ("Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"), enraged ("Masters of War"), questing ("Blowin' in the Wind"), and all of these things at once ("I Shall Be Free"). More than any other album, Freewheelin' established Dylan as the "voice of a generation," though even that expansive title was destined to be constricting in the face of the art he would soon create. --David Cantwell

SIDE ONE

Blowin’ In The Wind

Girl From The North Country

Masters Of War

Down The Highway

Bob Dylan’s Blues

A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall

SIDE TWO

Don’t Think Twice It’s All right

Bob Dylans Dream

Oxford Town

Talking World War lll Blues

Corrina, Corrina

Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance

                     I Shall Be Free

Thank God someone thought to record the Godfather in concert at this vital stage of his career--and at the ultimate shrine of black American music to boot. There is no more exciting document of live performance in the history of R&B: powered by tireless drummer Clayton Fillyau, James Brown and the Famous Flames tear their way through a slew of King hits--from "Please, Please, Please" to "Night Train"--taking soul power to the very edge of gospel abandon in the process. The Apollo audience, hysterical with adulation, plays as big a part in Live at the Apollo as Brown himself. The shrieking build-up and sudden drop down into "Lost Someone" is one of the most heart-stopping moments in soul. --Barney Hoskyns

Track Listing

  1. Introduction By Fats Gonder/ Opening Fanfare - James Brown & The Famous Flames, The James    Brown Band, Fats Gonder

  2. I'll Go Crazy

  3. Try Me

  4. Instrumental Bridge #1 (James Brown/Live At The Apollo, 1962)

  5. Think

  6. Instrumental Bridge #2 (James Brown/Live At The Apollo, 1962)

  7. I Don't Mind

  8. Instrumental Bridge #3 (James Brown/Live At The Apollo, 1962)

  9. Lost Someone

 10. Medley: Please Please Please/You've Got The Power/I Found Someone/Why Do You Do Me Like You Do/I Want You So Bad/I Love You, Yes I Do/Strange Things Happen/Bewildered/Please Please Please

 11. Night Train

Their first-ever album, Please Please Me is raw and rough and still very rock & roll. Having already scored two hits when this appeared, Lennon and McCartney were only just beginning to flex their writing muscles and so relied heavily on the cover material to see them through. Their insecurity about their own abilities seems curious in hindsight since they'd pulled the title song and "I Saw Her Standing There" (with thanks to Little Richard) out of their hats. But they were an unknown quantity, still to launch a million bands and take pop music to places it had never dreamed of. A small step for four men, a giant leap for music.

--Chris Nickson

SIDE ONE

I Saw Her Standing There(McCartney/Lennon)

Misery   (McCartney/Lennon)

Anna(Go to Him)    (Alexander)

Chains  (Goffin & King)

Boys        (Dixon & Farrell)

Ask Me Why    (McCartney/Lennon)

Please, Please Me  (McCartney/Lennon)

SIDE TWO

Love Me Do   (McCartney/Lennon)

P.S. I Love You    (McCartney/Lennon)

Baby It’s You (David/Williams/Bacharach)

Do You Want To Know A Secret (McCartney/Lennon)

A Taste Of Honey    (Scott/Marlow)

There’s A Place    (McCartney/Lennon)

Twist & Shout  (Medley/Russell)

Track Listing

  1. White Christmas - Darlene Love

  2. Frosty The Snowman - Ronettes

  3. The Bells of St. Mary's - Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans

  4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Crystals

  5. Sleigh Ride - Ronettes

  6. Marshmallow World - Darlene Love

  7. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Ronettes

  8. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Crystals

  9. Winter Wonderland - Darlene Love

 10. Parade of the Wooden Soldiers - Crystals

 11. Christmas - Baby Please Come Home - Darlene Love

 12. Here Comes Santa Claus - Bob B Soxx & The Blue Jeans

 13. Silent Night - Phil Spector & Artists

This lavish holiday set has been called the greatest rock & roll Christmas album of all time. That's an opinion that's tough to argue with when you find yourself immersed in the massive sounds painstakingly crafted by legendary producer Phil Spector. His "wall-of-sound" technique is perfectly suited to the music of the season, as he proves with layer upon layer of piano, sleigh bells, buoyant percussion, and, of course, those legendary Spector sound harmonies. The Crystals turn their sassy interplay into sheer magic on "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town", The Ronettes stroll sweetly through numbers like "Sleigh Ride", while Darlene Love delivers areal knockout punch with her yearning version of "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)". Sure to become the soundtrack for your holidays. --DavidSprague

This is the one that turned the world upside-down. Released as its creators evolved from pop group to phenomenon, WITH THE BEATLES both affirmed promise and proclaimed genius. A slew of memorable Lennon/McCartney compositions embraced pop at its most multi-faceted, robust, melancholic, excited, and wistful. Their grasp of melody and harmony startled, yet for every unusual chord sequence employed, the Beatles' vigour and sense of purpose remained true. Influences and mentors were acknowledged by a handful of cover versions, but the strength of the album lies in the group's own creations. WITH THE BEATLES freed artists to record their own material, and the course of pop was irrevocably changed.

SIDE ONE

It Won’t Be Long  (Lennon/McCartney)

All I’ve Got To Do    (Lennon/McCartney)

All My Loving    (Lennon/McCartney)

Don’t Bother Me     (Harrison)

Little Child     (Lennon/McCartney)

Till There Was You      ( Willson)

Please Mr. Postman (Dobbin/Garrett/Garman/Brianbert)

SIDE TWO

Roll Over Beethoven   (Berry)

Hold Me Tight      (Lennon/McCartney)

You Really Got A Hold On Me  (Robinson)

I Wanna Be Your Man (Lennon/McCartney)

Devil In Her Heart   (Drapkin)

Not A Second Time   (Lennon/McCartney)

Money   (Bradford/Gordy)

Track Listing

Side One

  1. A Hard Days Night

   2. I Should Have Known Better

  3. If I Fell

  4. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You

  5. And I Love Her

  6. Tell Me Why

  7. Can't Buy Me Love

Side Two

  1. Anytime At All

  2. I'll Cry Instead

  3. Things We Said Today

  4. When I Get Home

  5. You Can't Do That

  6. I'll Be Back

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT was the first Beatles album of all-original material, and the first to feature George Harrison playing his Rickenbacker electric 12-string guitar (on the opening chord of "A Hard Day's Night", for instance). The distinctive sound of the 12-string inspired countless guitarists including Roger McGuinn and David Crosby of the Byrds.

The film from which these songs still remains a classic combination of happy 1960s naivete and nascent hipster wit. Many of the most important rock bands to emerge in the latter half of the '60s came into being because of A HARD DAY'S NIGHT's irresistible vibrancy. The tunes flow like the finest red wine,as the title track leads to the glorious harmonica of "I Should Have Known Better" and the powerfully poignant "If I Fell".

A slew of albums by young white men out of their minds in love with music made by older black men came from both sides of the Atlantic during the mid-1960s, but two records really laid the groundwork for the decade's blues revival--the self-titled releases by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers out of London and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band out of Chicago. Both bands were led by harmonica-blowing vocalists; both featured ascending guitar gods--Eric Clapton with Mayall and Mike Bloomfield with Butterfield. Butterfield's ensemble, however, came of age closer to the roots of the music. The rhythm section heard on the group's 1965 debut was hired away from Howlin' Wolf, and Butterfield, while still in his early 20s when the album shipped, was already a familiar face on the Windy City's club circuit. "Born in Chicago" opens the album on a gritty note that never flags through this 11-track landmark. The slashing duo guitars of Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop and Butterfield's flash harp helped make Muddy Waters fathomable for a new audience and, decades later, it's still easy to understand how. --Steven Stolder

         Track Listing

  1. Born in Chicago

    2. Shake Your Moneymaker

   3. Blues With a Feeling

   4. Thank You Mr. Poobah

   5. I Got My Mojo Working

   6. Mellow Down Easy

  7. Screamin'

   8. Our Love Is Drifting

   9. Mystery Train

  10. Last Night

    11. Look Over Yonders Wall  

Rank 'em how you like, Rubber Soul is an undeniable pivot point in the Fab Four's varied discography no matter where, or how, you first heard it. The album was softened up in its original 12-song American edition to jibe with the Dylan/Byrds folk-rock sound, as well as squeeze money from the Parlophone catalog. The 14-song U.K. edition--the version now available on compact disc--is a different, more dynamic, and ultimately more accomplished achievement. So many classics: "Drive My Car" and "Nowhere Man" (both omitted from the U.S. edition) merge the early combustible Beatifics to a burgeoning studio consciousness; "The Word" can be read as a pre-psych warning shot; the sitar-laden "Norwegian Wood" and the evocative "Girl" (the latter written on the last night of the sessions) stand as turning points in John Lennon's oeuvre. George finally emerges too, with the McGuinn-ish "If I Needed Someone." --Don Harrison

Track Listing

  1. Drive My Car

  2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

  3. You Won't See Me

  4. Nowhere Man

  5. Think For Yourself

  6. The Word

  7. Michelle

  8. What Goes On

  9. Girl

 10. I'm Looking Through You

 11. In My Life

 12. Wait

 13. If I Needed Someone

 14. Run For Your Life

Otis Redding was a singer of such commanding stature that to this day he embodies the essence of soul music in its purist form. from the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fames website page on Reddings 1989 induction.

Though Otis Reddings career was cut tragically short by a plane crash,

his legacy and recordings are inestimably large. Intense, raw and emotional, his sound defines golden era Southern soul. Reddings third album, OTIS BLUE: OTIS REDDING SINGS SOUL, is considered his first LP masterpiece, and it ranks n#74 on the Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, noting that it was recorded in a single 24-hour period in 1965, calls it, a virtual soul-music primer.

The original album features a trio of songs by Sam Cooke, Reddings idol, who had passed away shortly before OTIS BLUE was made. It also features his version of Respect a song he wrote which Aretha Franklin made famous. It also includes his great cover of (I Can t Get No) Satisfaction plus other classic tracks.

        SIDE 1

  1. Ole Man Trouble

   2. Respect

   3. Change Gonna Come

   4. Down in the Valley

   5. I've Been Loving You Too Long

       SIDE 2

   6. Shake

  7. My Girl

   8. Wonderful World

   9. Rock Me Baby

  10. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

  11. You Don't Miss Your Water

Track Listing

  1. Like a Rolling Stone

  2. Tombstone Blues

  3. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry

  4. From a Buick 6

  5. Ballad of a Thin Man

  6. Queen Jane Approximately

  7. Highway 61 Revisited

  8. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

  9. Desolation Row

Dylan was virtually gushing great songs when this masterpiece arrived in the summer of 1965. From the epochal opening of "Like a Rolling Stone" through the absurdly apocalyptic closer, "Desolation Row," his command of surrealistic language was daring and amazing. As a vocalist, he was rewriting the rules of the game. Jimi Hendrix made note of Mr. Z's technically suspect pitch and decided that he too was a singer. And the backing, though ragged, is precisely right. Is this the essential Dylan album? It's certainly one of them. --Steven Stolder

One suspects that Paul Simon cringes a bit when he listens to Simon & Garfunkel's 1966 breakthrough release. Lines from "I Am a Rock" ("For a rock feels no pain / And an island never cries") and the title track ("Fools, said I, you do not know / Silence like a cancer grows") are the essence of sophomoric poetry. And who but a couple of self-serious young men would sequence the suicide odes "Richard Cory" and "A Most Peculiar Man" back to back? That said, every callow couplet found here is counterbalanced by words that are disarmingly guileless. The unabashed romanticism of "Kathy's Song" is truly poignant; it ranks with "For Emily" and "The Only Living Boy in New York" among the duo's most resplendent performances. "April Come She Will" has a similar innocent appeal, while the title track, despite its overwrought moments and Tom Wilson's tacked-on production, is a folk-rock landmark. It's not hard to find fault with The Sounds of Silence, but it's easier still to bask in its inchoate splendour.

Steven Stolder

Track Listings

Side One

1. The Sound of Silence

2. Leaves That Are Green

3. Blessed

4. Kathy's Song

5. Somewhere They Can't Find Me

6. Anji

Side Two

1. Richard Cory

2. A Most Peculiar Man

3. April Come She Will

4. We've Got a Groovey Thing Goin'

5. I Am a Rock

Sound of Silence  1966

Track Listing

Side One

  1. Taxman

  2. Eleanor Rigby

  3. I'm Only Sleeping

  4. Love You To

  5. Here, There and Everywhere

  6. Yellow Submarine

  7. She Said, She Said

Side Two

  8. Good Day Sunshine

  9. And Your Bird Can Sing

 10. For No One

 11. Doctor Robert

 12. I Want to Tell You

 13. Got to Get You into My Life

 14. Tomorrow Never Knows

Revolver wouldn't remain the Beatles' most ambitious LP for long, but many fans--including this one--remember it as their best. An object lesson in fitting great songwriting into experimental production and genre play, this is also a record whose influence extends far beyond mere they-was-the-greatest cheerleading. Putting McCartney's more traditionally melodic "Here, There and Everywhere" and "For No One" alongside Lennon's direct-hit sneering ("Dr. Robert") and dreamscapes ("I'm Only Sleeping," "Tomorrow Never Knows") and Harrison's peaking wit ("Taxman") was as conceptually brilliant as anything Sgt. Pepper attempted, and more subtly fulfilling. A must. --Rickey Wright

Track Listing

  1. Flying High

  2. Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine

  3. Death Sound Blues

  4. Porpoise Mouth

  5. Section 43

  6. Superbird

  7. Sad and Lonely Times

  8. Love

  9. Bass Strings

 10. The Masked Marauder

 11. Grace

Country Joe And The Fish.

Given their origins, both geographically (San Francisco) and stylistically (founder Joe McDonald and lead guitarist Barry Melton first hooked up in a jug band), it wasn't surprising that the ragtag Fish sounded like an acid-soaked, plugged-in folk band when they debuted in '67. Simultaneously the most political and funniest of all the Northern California bands, the Fish's yippie-hippie philosophy was reflected in songs like "Superbird" (about Lyndon Johnson), "Flying High" (about getting you-know-what), and the bluesy free love saga, "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine." That they could periodically wax serious as well (the wide-angled instrumental "Section Forty Three" and the moody "Bass Strings") only added more bite to their satiric pungency. --Billy Altman

One of the most famous and influential albums ever recorded, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band had a huge impact on the music world, signaling the beginning of a new era of sophistication and maturity in rock. The musical experimentation was dynamic and fresh, several tracks were edited to create seamless transitions, and even the visual design was more elaborate than anything previously attempted. Producer George Martin and The Beatles searched for new sounds and studio effects. They added crowd sounds and animal cries from sound-effects recordings, sped up Paul McCartney's vocals in "When I'm Sixty-Four" (to make him sound younger), and sustained a single piano chord for 40 seconds to end "A Day In The Life." The orchestrations, scored by Martin, were hailed by critics as bridging the gap between pop and classical music, and many people who had never bought a rock record bought Sgt. Pepper's.

Track Listing

  1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

  2. With A Little Help From My Friends

  3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

  4. Getting Better

  5. Fixing A Hole

  6. She's Leaving Home

  7. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!

  8. Within You Without You

  9. When I'm Sixty-Four

 10. Lovely Rita

 11. Good Morning Good Morning

 12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

 13. A Day In The Life

Track Listing

  1. Dear Eloise

   2. Away Away Away

   3. Maker

   4. Pegasus

   5. Would You Believe

   6. Wishyouawish

   7. Postcard

   8. Charlie And Fred

   9. Try It

  10. Elevated Observations

  11. Step Inside

  12. Butterfly

The Hollies have been ignored for too long. There are so many 'Greatest Hits' albums available covering the Hollies 30 + years in the industry, all of them are good. However, this is an album that really works. Few of the songs that appear on this album appear on your average 'Hollies Greatest' releases but this is in no way a reflection of the material on Butterfly.

On their 1967 debut album, the Doors more than fulfilled the promise of their infamously challenging gigs around Los Angeles throughout the previous year. Whether belting out a standard like "Back Door Man" or talk-singing such originals as "The Crystal Ship" and "I Looked at You," leather-clad vocalist Jim Morrison exuded both sensuality and menace. The mixture, on the outsize album finale, "The End," helped rewrite the rules on rock song composition. None of this would have worked, though, were it not for the highly visual instrumental work of keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robbie Krieger, and drummer John Densmore, whose work on tracks such as "Take It As It Comes" and the lengthy hit "Light My Fire" virtually defined the rock-blues-jazz-classical amalgam that was acid-rock. --Billy Altman

Track Listing

  1. Break On Through (To The Other Side)

  2. Soul Kitchen

  3. The Crystal Ship

  4. Twentieth Century Fox

  5. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)

  6. Light My Fire

  7. Back Door Man

  8. I Looked At You

  9. End Of The Night

 10. Take It As It Comes

 11. The End

Track Listing

  1. Astronomy Domine

  2. Lucifer Sam

  3. Matilda Mother

  4. Flaming

  5. Pow R. Toc H.

  6. Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk

  7. Interstellar Overdrive

  8. The Gnome

  9. Chapter 24

 10. The Scarecrow

 11. Bike

While they took their name from blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council when they started out as an R&B combo in the mid-60s, Pink Floyd's leader, guitarist Syd Barrett, soon began piloting the band through unprecedented sonic excursions typified by the title of their 1967 debut album's most celebrated track--the outsized instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive." Equally adept at composing catchy-sounding, Gothic-themed pop songs such as "See Emily Play," "The Scarecrow" and "The Gnome," Barrett seemed destined for greatness--that is, until psychedelic drugs got the best of him, and he abandoned the band to bassist Roger Waters and new guitarist David Gilmour. The rest, as they say, is history. --Billy Altman

          SIDE1

  1. Mr. Soul

   2. A Child's Claim to Fame

  3. Everydays

   4. Expecting to Fly

  5. Bluebird

          SIDE2

  6. Hung Upside Down

  7. Sad Memory

   8. Good Time Boy

  9. Rock & Roll Woman

 10. Broken Arrow

Here's where Stephen Stills and Neil Young's on-and-off partnership fell apart for the first time. The liner notes to BS's debut album had announced, "Steve is the leader, but we all are" and described Neil Young as "hot and cold," which in retrospect seems like a warning. Young appears to have at least one foot out the door already, the ambitious "Broken Arrow" and "Expecting to Fly" clearly pointing toward a solo career. And for all the timeless excellence of Young's "Mr. Soul," it's Stills's "Bluebird" that defines Buffalo Springfield Again, much as his "For What It's Worth" defined its predecessor. In one song, the group demonstrates astonishing versatility (from rock to folk to bluegrass), without the saccharine touches that mar Stills's post-Springfield work. But for all their considerable recorded achievements, Buffalo Springfield always felt like a band that never reached its potential. --David Wolf

Track Listing

  1. The Day Begins

  2. Dawn Is a Feeling

  3. Another Morning

  4. Peak Hour

  5. Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)

  6. Time to Get Away

  7. The Sun Set

   8. Twilight Time

  9. Nights in White Satin

The Moody Blues' second album was also their first of what would be a succession of "concept" albums. Inspired by the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper and utilizing the London Festival Orchestra primarily for epic instrumental interludes between songs, Days of Future Passed moved the Birmingham band away from its early R&B roots (as displayed on its debut album with soon-to-depart future Wings member Denny Laine) into uncharted rock territory, making them the early pioneers of both classical and progressive rock. The concept of the 1967 release was very simple, tracing a day in the life from dawn to night, from awakening to sleep.

Track for track, this is Simon & Garfunkel's best album. By 1968, Simon had shed his more precious tendencies as a songsmith. Meanwhile, the duo and coproducer/engineer Roy Halee had become adept studio technicians. "America" and "Mrs. Robinson" displayed the kind of sonic breadth that would flower even more fully two years later with "The Boxer" and "Bridge over Troubled Water." Bits of whimsy ("Punky's Dilemma," "At the Zoo") and melancholy ("Old Friends," "A Hazy Shade of Winter") complete this autumnal album.  --Steven Stolder

Track Listing

  1. Bookends Theme

  2. Save The Life Of My Child

  3. America

  4. Overs

  5. Voices Of Old People

  6. Old Friends

  7. Bookends Theme

  8. Fakin' It

  9. Punky's Dilemma

 10. Mrs. Robinson

 11. A Hazy Shade Of Winter

 12. At The Zoo

        SIDE 1

  1. Ogden's Nut Gone Flake

   2. Afterglow (Of Your Love)

  3. Long Agos and Worlds Apart

   4. Rene

  5. Song of a Baker

  6. Lazy Sunday

     SIDE 2

  7. Happiness Stan

  8. Rollin' Over

  9. The Hungry Intruder

 10. The Journey

  11. Mad John

 12. Happy Days Toy Town

Barely qualifying as a "concept" album, the second half of this album tells the story of Happiness Stan, a young man who sees the moon turn from full to half and decides he needs to find the missing part. It's a rather odd tale that's adorned with lush, psychedelic arrangements. The spoken narrative that links each song (provided by one Stanley Unwin in barely decipherable Clockwork Orange-style English) contributes to the yarn's surrealistic atmosphere. The real gems on this recording, however, are the six songs that make up the record's first half. From the sludgy, acid-jazz feel of the title track straight through to the comic plea for peace, love, and understanding ("Lazy Sunday," a song that opens with the universal sentiment "Wouldn't it be nice to get on with me neighbours..."), the real concept at work here is based on unforgettable songwriting. -—–-Percy Keegan

Better known as the "White Album," this was meant to be the record that brought them back to earth after three years of studio experimentation. Instead, it took them all over the place, continuing to burst the envelope of pop music. Lennon and McCartney were still at the height of their powers, with Lennon in particular growing into one of rock's towering figures. But even McCartney could still rock, and the amazement on "Helter Skelter" was that he had vocal chords at the end. From Beach Boys knock-offs to reggae and to the unknown ("Revolution #9"), this has it all. Some records have legend written all over them; this is one. --Chris Nickson

Disc 1:

  1. Back in the U.S.S.R.

  2. Dear Prudence

  3. Glass Onion

  4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

  5. Wild Honey Pie

  6. Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill

  7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

  8. Happiness Is a Warm Gun

  9. Martha My Dear

 10. I'm So Tired

 11. Blackbird

 12. Piggies

 13. Rocky Raccoon

 14. Don't Pass Me By

 15. Why Don't We Do It in the Road?

 16. I Will

 17. Julia

Track Listing

  1. Hello, I Love You

  2. Love Street

  3. Not To Touch The Earth

  4. Summer's Almost Gone

  5. Wintertime Love

  6. The Unknown Soldier

  7. Spanish Caravan

  8. My Wild Love

  9. We Could Be So Good Together

 10. Yes, The River Knows

 11. Five To One

1968's WAITING FOR THE SUN, the Doors' first chart-topper, delivered the #1 signature smash "Hello, I Love You" and the Top 40 hit "The Unknown Soldier."

Cheap Thrills - Big Brother & The Holding Company

One of the most eagerly awaited albums in rock history, Big Brother & the Holding Company's 1968 major label debut (they'd previously released one thinly produced collection on the small Mainstream label) made good on all the hype generated by Janis Joplin's amazing performance at the Monterey Pop Festival the year before. Crowned by its hit single, a churning remake of Aretha Franklin's sister Erma's "Piece of My Heart," the album also contained Joplin's Monterey showstopper, Big Mama Thornton's "Ball and Chain," as well as the Gershwin classic "Summertime," on which Joplin's always underappreciated band (especially guitarists Sam Andrews and James Gurley) match her vocal intensity with their own ferocious playing.

Track Listing

  1. Combination of the Two

   2. I Need a Man to Love

   3. Summertime

   4. Piece of My Heart

  5. Turtle Blues

  6. Oh, Sweet Mary

   7. Ball and Chain

Beggars Banquet is among the Stones two or three greatest albums, so it's also among the very best rock & roll albums ever made. Though known for its twin anthems of social decay, "Sympathy For The Devil" and "Street Fighting Man," it's actually the album's gritty yet beautiful acoustic country and country-blues numbers--"Dear Doctor," "Prodigal Son," "No Expectations," "Factory Girl"--that has helped Beggars stand up so effectively through the years--that and the fact that Keith Richard's lyrics here often come as close to sincerity as he's capable. When he sings "Let's drink to the hard working people," for once you almost believe him. --David Cantwell

Track Listing

  1. Sympathy for the Devil

  2. No Expectations

  3. Dear Doctor

  4. Parachute Woman

  5. Jigsaw Puzzle

  6. Street Fighting Man

  7. Prodigal Son

  8. Stray Cat Blues

  9. Factory Girl

 10. Salt of the Earth

Tommy had the dubious distinction of being the first-ever rock opera; however, it's none the worse for that, Ken Russell's adaptation notwithstanding. Due largely to Pete Townshend's skill as a songwriter and composer, Tommy tells a coherent story and includes quality rock and roll at the same time, an impressive feat by itself. While surprisingly more linear than the later Quadrophenia, Tommy boasts several songs that stand up well on their own, including the classic "Pinball Wizard," "The Acid Queen," "I'm Free," and "Sally Simpson." Much of the rest doesn't make much sense lyrically unless you listen to the entire album, but you'll probably want to do that anyway, preferably with the lights low and the stereo cranked. --Genevieve Williams

Side 1

  1. Overture

  2. It's a boy

  3. 1921

  4. Amazing journey

  5. Sparks

  6. Eyesight to the Blind (the hawker)

Side 2

  7. Christmas

  8. Cousin Kevin

  9. The acid queen

 10. Underture

Side 3

 11. Do you think it's alright?

 12. Fiddle about

 13. Pinball Wizard

 14. There's a doctor

 15. Go to the mirror!

 16. Tommy can you hear me?

 17. Smash the mirror

 18. Sensation

Side 4

 19. Miracle cure

 20. Sally Simpson

 21. I'm free

 22. Welcome

 23. Tommy's holiday camp

 24. We're not gonna take it

Track Listing

  1. Green River

  2. Commotion

  3. Tombstone Shadow

  4. Wrote a Song for Everyone

  5. Bad Moon Rising

  6. Lodi

  7. Cross-Tie Walker

  8. Sinister Purpose

  9. The Night Time Is the Right Time

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL

Remarkably, this is the third studio album Creedence Clearwater Revival released in 1969! During that stunning burst, John Fogerty could do no wrong. Green River isn't as chock-full of CCR standards as the record that followed it in 1970 (Cosmo's Factory), and, at 30 minutes, it's briefer than its rather brief predecessor (Willy and the Poorboys). Still, this is economy at its best. The title track, "Lodi," and "Bad Moon Rising" are all indelibly etched into the memory banks of classic-rock fans, while "Commotion" and "Cross-Tie Walker" are perfect swamp-rock complements. "The Night Time Is the Right Time" is one more in a series of spot-on Fogerty covers. And "Wrote a Song for Everyone" manages to be both rarefied and down to earth in the same breath--which is really CCR in a nutshell. - —Steven Stolder

STAND! - SLY & FAMILY STONE

In 1967, Sly Stone was unabashed: his debut, A Whole New Thing, claimed high ground--it was new, big time. He knew it. By 1969, the newness was transformed, Sly was imploring listeners to Stand! and breaking new ground. The snarl of "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" with its droning organ and wah-wah guitar had claws, it was unmistakable. And the full-on blast of harmonica, fuzz guitars, and horns that opens "I Want to Take You Higher" just cemented the claim: Music would unite and fight and kick and get you high. "Everyday People" almost seems an anomaly in this company, a breezy harmony vocal backing, simple piano framing, long horn lines, and a churchy chorus. It's the biggest hit from Stand!, a true pop gem. What you get with the rest of the album (and Sly's early catalogue overall) is sui generis. "Sing a Simple Song" has scouring, wordless shouts, a heavy beat backed by multiple voices half-atop each other, horn riffs jetting across guitar riffs, and an abrupt, scrambling end. It's a tight and tough embrace, an open door. It's 1969. --Andrew Bartlett

Track Listing

  1. Stand!

  2. Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey

  3. I Want to Take You Higher

  4. Somebody's Watching You

  5. Sing a Simple Song

  6. Everday People

  7. Sex Machine

  8. You Can Make It If You Try

Track Listing

  1. Tin Angel

  2. Chelsea Morning

  3. I Don't Know Where I Stand

  4. That Song About the Midway

  5. Roses Blue

  6. The Gallery

  7. I Think I Understand

  8. Songs to Aging Children Come

  9. The Fiddle and the Drum

 10. Both Sides, Now

CLOUDS - JONI MITCHELL

Joni Mitchell's second album contains the first manifestations of her artistic brilliance. Where her debut, Song to a Seagull, has hints of greatness, Clouds displays the real thing. With her newfound control on melody and lyrical economy, she delivers songs that are readily accessible, instantly hummable, and virtually timeless. Her hippie excesses are still in view ("Songs to Aging Children Come" is untamed), but, for the most part, she has found her voice. "Both Sides Now" has become a lite-FM staple (thanks to Judy Collins's cover). While songs such as the incredibly idyllic "Tin Angel" (nicely covered by Tom Rush on his classic Circle Game), "Chelsea Morning," and "I Don't Know Where I Stand" have become modern folk standards. --Rob O'Connor

ABBEY ROAD - THE BEATLES

The Beatles' last days as a band were as productive as any major pop phenomenon that was about to split. After recording the ragged-but-right Let It Be, the group held on for this ambitious effort, an album that was to become their best-selling. Though all four contribute to the first side's writing, John Lennon's hard-rocking, "Come Together" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" make the strongest impression. A series of song fragments edited together in suite form dominates side two; its portentous, touching, official close ("Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight"/"The End") is nicely undercut, in typical Beatles fashion, by Paul McCartney's cheeky "Her Majesty," which follows.

--Rickey Wright

Track Listing

  1. Come Together

  2. Something

  3. Maxwell's Silver Hammer

  4. Oh! Darling

  5. Octopus's Garden

  6. I Want You (She's So Heavy)

  7. Here Comes the Sun

  8. Because

  9. You Never Give Me Your Money

 10. Sun King

 11. Mean Mr. Mustard

 12. Polythene Pam

 13. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window

 14. Golden Slumbers

 15. Carry That Weight

 16. End

 17. Her Majesty

Track Listing

  1. Gimme Shelter

  2. Love In Vain

  3. Country Honk

  4. Live With Me

  5. Let It Bleed

  6. Midnight Rambler

  7. You Got the Silver

  8. Monkey Man

  9. You Can't Always Get What You Want

One of the Stones' most beloved albums, 1969's Let It Bleed was a benchmark for several reasons. First, founding guitarist Brian Jones died during the recording process. Second, the Stones take their last significant look at pure blues (Robert Johnson's spooky "Love in Vain") and country ("Country Honk," the two-stepping alter ego of "Honky-Tonk Women") before folding both styles into a cohesive rock & roll vision. Third, it contains some of the band's most eerie hits, such as the flame-enveloped "Gimme Shelter," the drug-reality anthem "Monkey Man," the epic "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and Mick Jagger's menacing "Midnight Rambler."

--Steve Knopper

   Side 1

  1. Out in the Street

  2. I Don't Mind    

   3. The Good's Gone

  4. La-La-La Lies

  5. Much Too Much

  6. My Generation

Side 2     

   7. The Kids Are Alright

  8. Please, Please, Please

  9. It's Not True

 10. I'm a Man

  11. A Legal Matter

 12. The Ox

A glowering cover photo, on-the-run sound quality, and music to match. That's My Generation, and while it's hardly as consistent as The Who Sell Out, it's just as much fun to play. With the band steamrolling the title anthem, "The Kids Are Alright," "A Legal Matter," and a couple of James Brown covers, you can bet it was for them, too. Rock & roll for the hottest day of summer.

--Rickey Wright

Disc 2:

  1. Birthday

  2. Yer Blues

  3. Mother Nature's Son

  4. Everybody's Got Something To Hide

      Except Me And My Monkey

  5. Sexy Sadie

  6. Helter Skelter

  7. Long, Long, Long

  8. Revolution 1

  9. Honey Pie

 10. Savoy Truffle

 11. Cry Baby Cry

 12. Revolution 9

 13. Good Night

LET IT BLEED - THE ROLLING STONES - 1969

 Elvis is Back  1960

It’s Everly Time 1960

The Ventures Another Smash!!!  1961

The Beach Boys - All Summer Long   1964

Five Live Yardbirds

Animal Tracks  1965

The Zombies - Begin Here

Highway 61 Revisited 1965

Track Listing

Side One

  1. Mothers little helper

  2. Stupid Girl

  3. Lady Jane

  4. Under My Thumb

  5. Doncha Bother Me

  6. Going Home

Side Two

  1. Flight 505

  2. High And Dry

  3. Out Of Time

  4. It's Not Easy

  5. I Am Waiting

  6. Take it or Leave It

  7. Think

  8. What To Do

 Rolling Stones 1966

The Beach Boys are known as one of the most influential pop groups ever, and are especially renowned for their masterpiece album Pet Sounds, which is often considered the greatest pop album of all time. Led by Brian Wilson, they initially had success extolling the virtues of California, surfing and sunshine with obviously commercial pop songs.

Track Listing

Side One   

   1. Wouldn't It Be Nice

  2. You Still Believe In Me

  3. That's Not Me

  4. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)

  5. I'm Waiting For The Day

  6. Let's Go Away For Awhile

  7. Sloop John B

Side Two

  1. God Only Knows

  2. I Know There's An Answer

  3. Here Today

  4. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times

  5. Pet Sounds

  6. Caroline No

Blonde On Blonde - Bob Dylan 1966