Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s
by RoundTheBend

***Not Yet Complete***

I still need to fine tune this chart within the rated tiers, but I like some of the advice I got from Romanelli of establishing tiers (for me it was grouped scores) and to not put anything on my chart lower than 80, but stooped to 75 for me for now. Why rank something you don't absolutely love? Sometimes I felt it good to recognize an album that was above average and historically important, but maybe not my favorite... balancing that still.

I'm also maybe only a little more than half way complete with my "assessment" of the 1960s. I've listened to a little more than 200 albums. It is tough because I find gems ranked on this site in like the 500 range, but I don't want to spend too much time drudging through a bunch of stuff I don't like just to find em...

Also a little bummed that I deleted my last chart... lost some cool notes left by others, etc... so won't do that again.
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100/100

Every time I listen to this record, I mean really listen to it, I am mentally and emotionally bettered. It just fills my soul to the brim. Why, I don't know, but it does. It's sad, funny, happy, beautiful, loving, solemn. It just hits all the right spots. I've really gained a personal relationship with this record. It also just blows my mind this is the last stuff they recorded together (in seriousness... there's that old toot and a snort thing floating around and George would have Ringo come drum, etc., but not as a group). Let It Be was actually recorded before, but released after.

I know everyone says it, but I really do love the last bit of songs at the end of this album. Some of them, in of themselves, aren't much, but they are these sketches of different thoughts and feelings that I think because they execute the thought or feeling so well, are so good. As a musician I often write stuff that I think well I have this emotion and I can only really convey 1 minute of that feeling, what now... instead of forcing more... I wonder if learning from this and just cutting it off there is good enough. If the whole record was like this, I'm curious if it would be too jittery though. Anyway, I think the credit has gone to Paul for it (at least that's what I heard, either he chased the others out of the studio with his controlling stuff, or they just weren't there) and it's just genius how it worked out in my opinion.

Having said that, really solid performances by all of the band on the record. Come Together is some of John's best work ever, as well as Here Comes the Sun for George, and Octapus' Garden for Ringo.

This really is and deserves to be my favorite record of all time.
[First added to this chart: 03/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
57,203
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (92/100 - 4630 votes)  92 (4,630 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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100/100

Minus when I'm 64 (which at times is a "cute" song and I still give it an 85), this album is flawless. It also marks when the Beatles went from a status of boy band, big well known band, to respectable artists. They are studied at university, whereas the Stones aren't, for example (USC School of Music as my real life example), and I really think it has to do with the level of greatness the album achieved. Plus the idea to stop touring and have your album go on tour for you was quite the fun idea and allowed for the Beatles to even further mature their music.

All that aside, one of my personal all time favorite albums. Something magical about each song. It always mentally and soulfully fulfills me.
[First added to this chart: 03/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
43,106
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (90/100 - 4596 votes)  90 (4,596 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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95

I think the last few songs really have some of the best vocals from the Beatles. Maybe not melody, but just belting out good vocals. This album is the marker really of them maturing way beyond where they were as musicians. That's one thing I REALLY respect - the ability of a musician to explore new ideas but not go so far out that they loose focus of good music. Beatles really nail that on the head and it really started on this record in my opinion. They had some things like the first feedback recorded, but nothing as groundbreaking sonically as this album. Not my favorite or even what I think is their best work, but a really good mix between a good pop group and true artists. Pivotal moment.

I'm realizing that probably why this record is great, but not my favorite of theirs is it doesn't have my favorite songs on them. Great songs, but not my personal favorites, which is kinds strange considering this is the first Beatles record I owned (my parents had Sgt. Peppers and Abbey Road already). But those latter two still are my favorites.
[First added to this chart: 03/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
49,371
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (91/100 - 4589 votes)  91 (4,589 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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95

They continued the idea of having the album going on tour for you. I haven't seen the movie yet.

Anyway, I am not sure why this album is held in such low esteem. I feel this is better than pre-revolver era and pending on my mood is just as good as revolver because it has a quality that is as good as post-revolver (I see that album as the switch that went off that they really were becoming more or less artists). It's not just a guitar, bass, vocal, drum group no more and that's what I love.

Maybe it's because of songs like Flying/Blue Jay Way? I actually think those are great songs... not good pop songs, but definitely interesting/beautiful.

I'm curious how much of this was George Martin and how much of it was the 4 of them? I mean did they just write stuff on the acoustic guitar, put lyrics to it, and the genius of George Martin is all the rest? I honestly don't care... what matters is that I love it. It's high quality interesting music that fills my soul and tickles my brain.
[First added to this chart: 03/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,906
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (85/100 - 2572 votes)  85 (2,572 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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90

There's just SO MUCH... it's quite the double album and jam packed with so much from so many angles... it's like try and fit this into a box... just try. This leads to what's so great about it and also maybe why it will never be a perfect album (for me at least). It's not that things don't fit... that's what actually makes it great, is the uniqueness of each track... it's just some of it seem to be experiments and they were fun/good, but not great. Great showcase of the musicianship of the Beatles.
[First added to this chart: 03/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,183
Rank in 1968:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (89/100 - 3828 votes)  89 (3,828 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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90 [First added to this chart: 03/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,660
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (88/100 - 3378 votes)  88 (3,378 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
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90 [First added to this chart: 03/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,255
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
42. (=)
Help! 
Soundtrack
Buy album United States
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85 [First added to this chart: 03/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,871
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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85 [First added to this chart: 03/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1964
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,444
Rank in 1964:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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80 [First added to this chart: 03/05/2016]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,901
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 11. Page 1 of 2
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s composition

Year Albums %


1960 1 1%
1961 2 2%
1962 1 1%
1963 4 4%
1964 6 6%
1965 10 10%
1966 9 9%
1967 12 12%
1968 21 21%
1969 34 34%
Country Albums %


United States 59 59%
United Kingdom 32 32%
Canada 4 4%
Mixed Nationality 4 4%
Germany 1 1%
Compilation? Albums %
No 96 96%
Yes 4 4%
Live? Albums %
No 94 94%
Yes 6 6%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 97 97%
Yes 3 3%

Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s chart changes

There have been no changes to this chart.
TitleSourceTypePublishedCountry
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960sTheNowhereGuy1960s decade chart2020
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960shenriknaess1960s decade chart2016
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s eclab1960s decade chart2024
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960stoast2231960s decade chart2021
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960sjon54171960s decade chart2025
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s junodog41960s decade chart2018
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960sMaxStorm981960s decade chart2017
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s infinitejester1960s decade chart2020Unknown
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960sbruno742001960s decade chart2011
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s Sean1960s decade chart2018

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RoundTheBend has shared 6 more 1960s decade charts with the community. Browse them all here.
TitleSourceTypePublishedCountry
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s RoundTheBend2010s decade chart2023
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s RoundTheBend2000s decade chart2019

Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s ratings

Average Rating: 
88/100 (from 7 votes)
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RatingDate updatedMemberChart ratingsAvg. chart rating
 
100/100
 !
12/08/2020 22:55 Rhyner   1,45799/100
 
90/100
 !
02/03/2019 09:22 Purplepash   1,69588/100
 
90/100
 !
12/15/2017 22:57 bobbyb5   72590/100
 
90/100
 !
08/16/2017 08:31 sdees33   19781/100
 
95/100
 !
07/15/2016 01:08 vancevisuals   20785/100
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s comments

Showing all 4 comments |
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Rating:  
95/100
From 07/15/2016 01:13 | #171321
recommend To Our Children's Children's Children
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 07/15/2016 01:11 | #171320
could use a little more Moody Blues
Can't complain really good chart
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 04/14/2016 19:46 | #163822
Good original chart Seth especially as I will not come across some of these because they are not in the top 20 of the years (cf my music diary
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 03/30/2016 05:52 | #162979
I do envy the way you are able to to listen to 60s in such a structured way. This is full of great abums, to say the least. Overall impression - 90, +5 for 11 Beatles albums, -5 for not going outside Anglo-Saxon canon (yeah, I did notice Stockhausen at #100 for variety:)) Great job !
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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