A '60s thread

[latenighttv]

So, a little confession I have to make is that, though I'm approaching my mid '30s, I'm pretty unfamiliar with the albums by the Beatles (and '60s music in general).

'A Hard Day's Night' is the only '60s album I was really familiar with before joining this site, as it was one of the first albums I ever heard. A beautiful vinyl copy was in the house when I was growing up - playing it as a young kid was quite a big moment in my musical life, and the album had been kind of special to me since then, even if I rarely or ever listened to it in more recent times. I suppose I had enjoyed it as the decent pop album that it is but I also viewed it as a great historical artefact, and thought it was a really incredible window into the '60s as a decade (maybe this was why I never felt the need to check out too many other '60s albums).

Anyway, the album ranked very high on my BEA chart until just a couple of hours ago. It was quite high when I made my very first chart, then got pushed down to top 20, but after earlier giving it a colder and harsher listen than ever before, it's now slumped to 96 or something, and will probably soon slip off my chart entirely.

So, there will probably soon be no '60s albums at all on my chart, and I'm not very easy with this.

I've been listening to other Beatles albums recently and while I have enjoyed them, I don't immediately believe that any of them will break my top 100 (that's not to say they won't, but my early instinct is that they're unlikely to).

So this thread will probably just be about my '60s journey. No big deal, just a place for me to maybe post my ratings and (very) brief reviews, and maybe ask for recs from those who know their way around the decade (and any other observations or input folks might have). I know that there are bound to be plenty albums from the decade that I will love, it's just a matter of finding them . . .

Of course, if anyone else is in a similar boat to me with the '60s feel free to use the thread as well.

[latenighttv]

So 'Abbey Road' is the one that I kind of ended up being drawn to. Have had about 5 listens since yesterday, and will keep it around for remainder of week. Should have a good enough idea of it by then.

[Kool Keith Sweat]

are you interested in jazz recs? or do you want more folk- or rock-oriented stuff?

[latenighttv]

Jazz is on my roadmap ppnw, but it's more of a long-term thing

Apart from Beatles, gonna probably go towards the psychedelic stuff. Procul Harum and Jefferson Airplane seem interesting so far (though I've not checked either out in depth).

Thing is, I'm probably not as quick to make my mind up about an album as I should be (usually need about seven or eight listens) so things could move fairly slowly in here

[latenighttv]

Didn't realise Jefferson Airplane had an album as high as this

http://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=1626

The first two plays have gone by in the blink of an eye Onto third listen now. Seems like a really decent album (which probably isn't a surprise given its high rank). I think I have 'The Cable Guy' and 'The Game' (Michael Douglas movie) to thank for making me aware of these guys back in the day.

[TracyJacks]

[antiloopje]

This might become an interesting thread to follow ...

[meccalecca]

if we're gonna talk about the 60s, I have to make some recommendations:

since your tastes generally lean towards the British, and not overly poppy

Pretty Things - SF Sorrow - early British Psych. possibly the first ever rock opera.
The Kinks - Something Else By The Kinks - my favorite Kinks record.

and some non British picks

Love - Da Capo - lyrically driven, powerful American rock
The Monks - Black Monk Time - basically a more creative version of the Hives 40 years earlier
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[Patman360]

If it's psychedelic stuff your looking for these might work:

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The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floo... Elevators

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The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn by Pink Floyd

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Days Of Future Passed by The Moody Blues



Some of the first ones I heard anyway...
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2023
2022

[sp4cetiger]

I'm in the middle of my own '60s journey. For a very detailed breakdown of some of the historical music landmarks of the '60s, see

Listening to the History of Popular Music

It only goes up to 1964 right now, but more will be coming soon. Here's a quick summary of some of the major '60s music movements (with an American bias):

Jazz
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The best jazz of the '60s tends to be avant-garde or free jazz. If you're a newbie to the genre, you may be better off starting with the '50s, but even so, there's a lot of diversity in '60s jazz. Some artists to look at include John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Dexter Gordon, and many others.

Folk
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The early '60s saw the commercial peak of the folk revival, including artists like Peter, Paul, and Mary and Joan Baez. This was the environment that gave birth to Bob Dylan, who is a must-listen artist for anybody exploring the '60s. Outside the mainstream, artists like John Fahey and Dave van Ronk pioneered guitar folk.

R&B
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The biggest story was the birth and development of soul music. Landmark artists in this area include James Brown, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and Booker T & the MGs. A related development was the birth of Motown records, which dominated mainstream R&B for most of the '60s. Check out the Supremes, the Miracles, the Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Four Tops for some great examples.

Blues
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The blues revival of the early '60s is sometimes considered a part of the folk revival. Regardless, there was a surge in the popularity of the electric blues, with artists like Muddy Waters, BB King, Howlin' Wolf, and Lightnin' Hopkins inspiring the blues rock of the late '60s and early '70s.

Country
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The early '60s saw the birth of the "Nashville Sound," a studio-driven attempt to make country music more accessible to the masses, featuring artists like Patsy Cline and Eddy Arnold. George Jones and Merle Haggard also got their start in the '60s. Also check out the first generation of bluegrass musicians, such as the Foggy Mountain Boys and the Country Gentlemen.

Rock
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There is too much going on here to give just a short summary, but major rock movements of the '60s include beat music (Beatles), surf rock (Beach Boys, Dick Dale), psychedelic rock (Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Donovan, 13th Floor Elevators, Cream, many others), blues rock (Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Butterfield Blues Band), folk rock (Byrds, Donovan), garage rock (Kingsmen, Fabulous Wailers, the Monks), just to name a few. Independent and experimental rock also grew out of the '60s, with artists like the Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, and Frank Zappa.

Other Pop
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The big thing in the early '60s was the girl group movement, with artists like the Shirelles and the Crystals leading the way. Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" was born out of this scene.

That's far from a complete summary, but it should give you a place to start in your journey. Enjoy!