Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 10/09/2025 17:15
- (Created: 12/04/2011 20:31).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 15 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 37 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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[First added to this chart: 11/13/2013]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
931
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
14
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1966-PARLOPHONE
Produced By GEORGE MARTIN
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
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
The album in between Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper, Revolver is maybe the best album of all time...certainly in the conversation. Following the more folk feel of Rubber Soul, Revolver gets louder and rocks harder, and introduces more of the studio innovations that the band was getting into. It's also a landmark album as far as songwriting goes...no one had ever heard anything from a rock band like "Eleanor Rigby" or "Tomorrow Never Knows" anywhere before. Highly influential, expertly entertaining, maybe the band's best work.
George Harrison flexes his songwriting with three songs, while Lennon and McCartney trade some of their best work. Even the Ringo vocal on "Yellow Submarine" works. This was a band that could do no wrong, and Revolver is right in the middle of that period. This is a classic, no brainer, must own. A masterpiece. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2011]
Produced By GEORGE MARTIN
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
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
The album in between Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper, Revolver is maybe the best album of all time...certainly in the conversation. Following the more folk feel of Rubber Soul, Revolver gets louder and rocks harder, and introduces more of the studio innovations that the band was getting into. It's also a landmark album as far as songwriting goes...no one had ever heard anything from a rock band like "Eleanor Rigby" or "Tomorrow Never Knows" anywhere before. Highly influential, expertly entertaining, maybe the band's best work.
George Harrison flexes his songwriting with three songs, while Lennon and McCartney trade some of their best work. Even the Ringo vocal on "Yellow Submarine" works. This was a band that could do no wrong, and Revolver is right in the middle of that period. This is a classic, no brainer, must own. A masterpiece. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2011]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
50,244
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1966-COLUMBIA
Produced By BOB JOHNSTON
1. Rainy Day Womer #12 & 35
2. Pledging My Time
3. Visions of Johanna
4. One of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)
5. I Want You
6. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
7. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
8. Just Like A Woman
9. Most Likely You'll Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine
10. Temporary Like Achilles
11. Absolutely Sweet Marie
12. 4th Time Around
13. Obviously 5 Believers
14. Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands
In 1966, while The Beatles were just getting around to recording Revolver, Bob Dylan was already at his creative peak...for the first time. Blonde On Blonde was a new high for Dylan, and also the end of an era. Continuing where Highway 61 Revisited had left off, the album stays in the electric blues vein, but with a lot more of an eclectic sound. "Just Like A Woman" is a classic, and the album also boasted hits in "I Want You" and the questionable "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35". This is a stunning and beautiful album...who knows where he would have gone from here?
After the release of Blonde On Blonde, Dylan was in a motorcycle accident that led to his holing up in New York with The Band and recording The Basement Tapes. Blonde On Blonde is also the first significant double album in rock. It's a true classic, one of the greatest albums ever made. An easy one to rate. [First added to this chart: 12/04/2011]
Produced By BOB JOHNSTON
1. Rainy Day Womer #12 & 35
2. Pledging My Time
3. Visions of Johanna
4. One of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)
5. I Want You
6. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
7. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
8. Just Like A Woman
9. Most Likely You'll Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine
10. Temporary Like Achilles
11. Absolutely Sweet Marie
12. 4th Time Around
13. Obviously 5 Believers
14. Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands
In 1966, while The Beatles were just getting around to recording Revolver, Bob Dylan was already at his creative peak...for the first time. Blonde On Blonde was a new high for Dylan, and also the end of an era. Continuing where Highway 61 Revisited had left off, the album stays in the electric blues vein, but with a lot more of an eclectic sound. "Just Like A Woman" is a classic, and the album also boasted hits in "I Want You" and the questionable "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35". This is a stunning and beautiful album...who knows where he would have gone from here?
After the release of Blonde On Blonde, Dylan was in a motorcycle accident that led to his holing up in New York with The Band and recording The Basement Tapes. Blonde On Blonde is also the first significant double album in rock. It's a true classic, one of the greatest albums ever made. An easy one to rate. [First added to this chart: 12/04/2011]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
25,143
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Produced by Brian Wilson. One of the records that changed the way albums are made, Pet Sounds is a great mix of non traditional rock instrumentation, great songwriting, and what always made the Beach Boys great: perfect harmony vocals. "God Only Knows" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and Wilson's vision here is breathtaking. With just enough doo wop influenced surf rock in the mix to make Pet Sounds a truly unique album, one of the best ever made.
[First added to this chart: 12/05/2011]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
39,598
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 03/26/2017]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,277
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 04/23/2015]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,501
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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1966-ELEKTRA
Produced By PAUL A ROTHCHILD, MARK ABRAMSON & BARRY FRIEDMAN
1. Walkin' Blues
2. Get Out Of My Life, Woman
3. I Got A Mind To Give Up Living
4. All These Blues
5. Work Song
6. Mary, Mary
7. Two Trains Running
8. Never Say No
9. East-West
The importance of the Butterfield Blues Band is somewhat buried in rock history, but it should be well remembered. This was not just a bunch of white guys with a love of the blues...this was an interracial band formed in the early 60's with credentials...these guys were bonafied! Their rythym section came from Howlin' Wolf, and Butterfield himself was a blues prodigy. The big guns were the guitarists, boasting at the time of East-West none other than Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield.
The first 8 songs on East-West are good, but it's just a warm up. (Interesting note: "Mary, Mary" went uncredited on the record for years because the band refused to believe it had been written by Mike Nesmith of The Monkees). It's the title track, a 13 + minute instrumental, that is one of rock's most important songs (the late 60's San Francisco sound came from this one song). It's also the song that moved Bloomfield into the ranks of the guitar greats (he had already led Dylan into electric music on Highway 61 Revisited), and it's a truly remarkable song. (Bloomfield died in 1981.)
Don't forget this band. An underrated piece of the evolution of rock in the 60's. [First added to this chart: 09/23/2012]
Produced By PAUL A ROTHCHILD, MARK ABRAMSON & BARRY FRIEDMAN
1. Walkin' Blues
2. Get Out Of My Life, Woman
3. I Got A Mind To Give Up Living
4. All These Blues
5. Work Song
6. Mary, Mary
7. Two Trains Running
8. Never Say No
9. East-West
The importance of the Butterfield Blues Band is somewhat buried in rock history, but it should be well remembered. This was not just a bunch of white guys with a love of the blues...this was an interracial band formed in the early 60's with credentials...these guys were bonafied! Their rythym section came from Howlin' Wolf, and Butterfield himself was a blues prodigy. The big guns were the guitarists, boasting at the time of East-West none other than Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield.
The first 8 songs on East-West are good, but it's just a warm up. (Interesting note: "Mary, Mary" went uncredited on the record for years because the band refused to believe it had been written by Mike Nesmith of The Monkees). It's the title track, a 13 + minute instrumental, that is one of rock's most important songs (the late 60's San Francisco sound came from this one song). It's also the song that moved Bloomfield into the ranks of the guitar greats (he had already led Dylan into electric music on Highway 61 Revisited), and it's a truly remarkable song. (Bloomfield died in 1981.)
Don't forget this band. An underrated piece of the evolution of rock in the 60's. [First added to this chart: 09/23/2012]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
313
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
1966 – LONDON
Produced By ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM
1. Paint It Black
2. Stupid Girl
3. Lady Jane
4. Under My Thumb
5. Doncha Bother Me
6. Think
7. Flight 505
8. High And Dry
9. It’s Not Easy
10. I Am Waiting
11. Goin’ Home
The Rolling Stones were starting to change in 1966. Aftermath was their first album to consist of all original material. Brian Jones had his best album as a member of the band. They were starting to move away from straight blues to incorporating elements of other styles into their music. And the songs that were hits still rank among their best works. There are two different versions of this album. The British version has two more tracks, and has the following songs that are not on the American version: “Mother’s Little Helper”, “High And Dry”, “Out Of Time”, “Take It Or Leave It”, and “What To Do”. The only song the American version has that’s not on the British release is “Paint It Black”. This is the American track list above.
Aftermath would lead into their brief 1967 journey into psychedelic music, after which they would hit their peak and start the process of replacing Jones. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are starting to really find themselves as songwriters, and the energy of this then young band makes everything here work. “Paint It Black”, “Under My Thumb” and “Lady Jane” are not only excellent, but they also point towards the band’s future, all in good ways. But it’s ultimately the Brian Jones album. His guitar work with Richards is perfect, and he adds dulcimer, sitar, marimba…he could play just about everything, and he shows it off here. Aftermath is easily the best of the early period Stones albums. Either version works just fine. An essential volume in the history of one of our greatest bands. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2024]
Produced By ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM
1. Paint It Black
2. Stupid Girl
3. Lady Jane
4. Under My Thumb
5. Doncha Bother Me
6. Think
7. Flight 505
8. High And Dry
9. It’s Not Easy
10. I Am Waiting
11. Goin’ Home
The Rolling Stones were starting to change in 1966. Aftermath was their first album to consist of all original material. Brian Jones had his best album as a member of the band. They were starting to move away from straight blues to incorporating elements of other styles into their music. And the songs that were hits still rank among their best works. There are two different versions of this album. The British version has two more tracks, and has the following songs that are not on the American version: “Mother’s Little Helper”, “High And Dry”, “Out Of Time”, “Take It Or Leave It”, and “What To Do”. The only song the American version has that’s not on the British release is “Paint It Black”. This is the American track list above.
Aftermath would lead into their brief 1967 journey into psychedelic music, after which they would hit their peak and start the process of replacing Jones. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are starting to really find themselves as songwriters, and the energy of this then young band makes everything here work. “Paint It Black”, “Under My Thumb” and “Lady Jane” are not only excellent, but they also point towards the band’s future, all in good ways. But it’s ultimately the Brian Jones album. His guitar work with Richards is perfect, and he adds dulcimer, sitar, marimba…he could play just about everything, and he shows it off here. Aftermath is easily the best of the early period Stones albums. Either version works just fine. An essential volume in the history of one of our greatest bands. [First added to this chart: 07/27/2024]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,350
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 10/05/2012]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,487
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 02/03/2012]
Total albums: 10. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1960 | 1 | 1% | |
| 1961 | 1 | 1% | |
| 1962 | 2 | 2% | |
| 1963 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1964 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1965 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1966 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1967 | 18 | 18% | |
| 1968 | 16 | 16% | |
| 1969 | 28 | 28% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Beatles | 12 | 12% | |
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 7% | |
| The Byrds | 4 | 4% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 4 | 4% | |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 3% | |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 3 | 3% | |
| The Kinks | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s chart changes
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s ratings
90/100 (from 37 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 37 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 01/31/2025 14:14 |  SomethingSpecial | | 85/100 |
| 95/100 | 08/08/2024 20:52 |  pedro1976 | | 85/100 |
| 100/100 | 07/22/2024 19:21 | Rivera | | 98/100 |
| 100/100 | 09/15/2023 11:08 |  Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
| 95/100 | 03/06/2023 07:29 | Moondance | | 85/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 2% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 90.2/100, a mean average of 89.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 15.6.
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95/100
From 
Tamthebam 07/22/2024 08:41
Tamthebam 07/22/2024 08:41
Well what can I say 48 albums in common ! You have good taste ! the order we rank them is slightly different so overall 95/100 but a really good chart obviously its one of my favourites.
#304475 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Rm12398 09/15/2023 22:37
47 in common! Great list!
#299128 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Moondance 03/06/2023 07:29
Yep, nailed it.
#294753 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
Goliath 04/16/2022 17:39
Goliath 04/16/2022 17:39
26 in common (and there's only 36 in my 60's chart).
#284304 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Juneof44 04/13/2022 07:41
Really appreaciate the comments below the albums and the producer.
#284140 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From leniad 10/26/2020 01:57
good choices
#259787 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Johnnyo 10/25/2017 11:35
Great chart. I love the time that has gone into this with notes against albums. I've tried to do this myself but run out of patience. Respect.
#200055 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
NowhereMan 07/25/2014 21:04
NowhereMan 07/25/2014 21:04
Hard day's night in top 10. Brilliant.
#117790 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
Antonio-Pedro 10/29/2013 17:25
Antonio-Pedro 10/29/2013 17:25
Nice chart. I Agree with some Albuns. But i don't Guess ThatvThe White Album Is The Best Of The 60s. Yes He is one of the best abums of the beatles but not to be the best
#89713 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
tgarritsen 10/10/2013 23:13
tgarritsen 10/10/2013 23:13
Great Album. But I don't think the White Album is the best Beatles album
#88123 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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