1960s Singer/Songwriter Albums by 
Mercury 
NOTE: I actually did rank this. Some of these ranks go against where they were initially ranked in my Music Diary. But Here ya go. I did not rank the honorable mentions YET. They are in order of when they appeared on the Music Diary.
I had a Diary, maybe even still do, where I listened to a bunch of Singer/Songwriter albums. First from pre 66, then 67, then 68, and then I went absolutely nuts deep dive into 69. This chart basically lists out every album mentioned with its corresponding review or note in that September-October 2017 Music Diary project. That is why some things won't make sense, references to videos posted in that thread won't make sense. References to rank won't make much sense. My system even changed, the number of albums ranked per year changed. The first thing though was I essentially pointed out that Dylan 63-66 dominated. After the dylan you have my top 10 pre 67 singer songwriter albums, then some albums which were honorable mentions for that period, then top 8 1967 albums, then some honorable mentions, then top 5 1968, followed by honorable mentions, then you have hella honorable mentions for 69 followed by the top 25(!) 69 singer songwriter albums ranked.
The total number of albums mentioned came out to 95. I added 5 albums i hadn't mentioned to get it to an even number.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and okay bye.
- Chart updated: 10/17/2017 20:15
- (Created: 10/14/2017 06:40).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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#3 of 1969
This is my favorite Leonard Cohen album. It is my favorite for many of the same reasons the self titled Townes Van Zandt album is my favorite Townes album or why Nebraska is the best Springsteen album, or Pink Moon is my fave Nick Drake, or or or etc. Its one of the most starkly grim albums I've ever heard. This album has shadows and pits of blackness so deep, when I listen to this record I am transported to some sort of bleak world with brief flashes of wonder and humanity. This album takes me on a surreal tour through the more shadow lands which exists right before me but is never seen or fully confronted, and my guide is a grizzled wiseman who has seen it clear and has charted and documented all its byroads and ramifications.
I don't know how to talk about this album without getting lost in some ethereal goo. Leonard Cohen was such an accomplished writer and artist by this point. A relatively "old" and very wise 35, already a published and respected Poet. He had more questions and insights than maybe any songwriter at the time of this album. Yet, this album isn't just some scholarly exercise. There is such a depth of feeling in this album which is unleashed in waves of pain and awe due, i think, to the fact that the words are so carefully chosen and so spot on that it strikes a very deep and up that point sleeping nerve.
The opener "Bird On The Wire" is truly one of the very few sacred moments in music history for me. The hugeness of its simple verses, the sheer pain of it, the emotion which that song wells up for me, is something I can't fathom. The sorrow, the need for forgiveness, the brittle vocal delivery, everything....oh man.
The album from that stunning opener, continues to hit you with bleak, austere portraits of friends lost to suicide (Seems So Long Ago, Nancy), of biblical visions of the darkest side of human beings (Story of Isaac), of the immutable devotion to freedom and the endless struggle to overcome evil no matter how futile and no matter what the cost (The Partisan), andof the mysteries of long nights of transient liberty and romance (Lady Midnight), etc.
Musically, there are eccentric touches. The sound backing Cohen on "The Old revolution" (i've no idea what that is, but its cool), the dirgey, low end chug of the acoustic guitar in "The Butcher", hell there is a similar strange effect on "A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes" and "Lady Midnight as on "The Old Revolution"(can someone smarter than me explain to me what that rattly effect is? I am ignorant, but I like it.) also that sweet, far-off electric guitar is freaking awesome, the women speaking french in the most angellic and doomed way on "The Partison,
the organ in "Lady Midnight", etc. There are a lot of little moments on here which push this album, somehow, to new heights.
And finally the closer "Tonight Will Be Fine" is such a great closer. Its by far the least bleak moment on the album, Cohen humsa sweet childish tune, he makes funny rhymes, he talks sex, he whistles, and the bass line is a playful bounce. If I am thinking of this album as a tour through the darkness, then this is the moment toward the end of the tour when the wise man, seeing you are really shook up takes pity, gives a soft smile, shakes you out of your glossy-eyed horror and looks you straight in the eyes and says in his deep, baritone voice "It's okay, there is much beauty and there is some hope and there are reasons to love and to live and to care. It will be fine for awhile.".
"It seems so long ago,
Nancy was alone,
a forty five beside her head,
an open telephone.
We told her she was beautiful,
we told her she was free
but none of us would meet her in
the House of Mystery,
the House of Mystery.
And now you look around you,
see her everywhere,
many use her body,
many comb her hair.
In the hollow of the night
when you are cold and numb
you hear her talking freely then,
she's happy that you've come,
she's happy that you've come." - Leonard Cohen
Rating: 9.8/10 [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
This is my favorite Leonard Cohen album. It is my favorite for many of the same reasons the self titled Townes Van Zandt album is my favorite Townes album or why Nebraska is the best Springsteen album, or Pink Moon is my fave Nick Drake, or or or etc. Its one of the most starkly grim albums I've ever heard. This album has shadows and pits of blackness so deep, when I listen to this record I am transported to some sort of bleak world with brief flashes of wonder and humanity. This album takes me on a surreal tour through the more shadow lands which exists right before me but is never seen or fully confronted, and my guide is a grizzled wiseman who has seen it clear and has charted and documented all its byroads and ramifications.
I don't know how to talk about this album without getting lost in some ethereal goo. Leonard Cohen was such an accomplished writer and artist by this point. A relatively "old" and very wise 35, already a published and respected Poet. He had more questions and insights than maybe any songwriter at the time of this album. Yet, this album isn't just some scholarly exercise. There is such a depth of feeling in this album which is unleashed in waves of pain and awe due, i think, to the fact that the words are so carefully chosen and so spot on that it strikes a very deep and up that point sleeping nerve.
The opener "Bird On The Wire" is truly one of the very few sacred moments in music history for me. The hugeness of its simple verses, the sheer pain of it, the emotion which that song wells up for me, is something I can't fathom. The sorrow, the need for forgiveness, the brittle vocal delivery, everything....oh man.
The album from that stunning opener, continues to hit you with bleak, austere portraits of friends lost to suicide (Seems So Long Ago, Nancy), of biblical visions of the darkest side of human beings (Story of Isaac), of the immutable devotion to freedom and the endless struggle to overcome evil no matter how futile and no matter what the cost (The Partisan), andof the mysteries of long nights of transient liberty and romance (Lady Midnight), etc.
Musically, there are eccentric touches. The sound backing Cohen on "The Old revolution" (i've no idea what that is, but its cool), the dirgey, low end chug of the acoustic guitar in "The Butcher", hell there is a similar strange effect on "A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes" and "Lady Midnight as on "The Old Revolution"(can someone smarter than me explain to me what that rattly effect is? I am ignorant, but I like it.) also that sweet, far-off electric guitar is freaking awesome, the women speaking french in the most angellic and doomed way on "The Partison,
the organ in "Lady Midnight", etc. There are a lot of little moments on here which push this album, somehow, to new heights.
And finally the closer "Tonight Will Be Fine" is such a great closer. Its by far the least bleak moment on the album, Cohen humsa sweet childish tune, he makes funny rhymes, he talks sex, he whistles, and the bass line is a playful bounce. If I am thinking of this album as a tour through the darkness, then this is the moment toward the end of the tour when the wise man, seeing you are really shook up takes pity, gives a soft smile, shakes you out of your glossy-eyed horror and looks you straight in the eyes and says in his deep, baritone voice "It's okay, there is much beauty and there is some hope and there are reasons to love and to live and to care. It will be fine for awhile.".
"It seems so long ago,
Nancy was alone,
a forty five beside her head,
an open telephone.
We told her she was beautiful,
we told her she was free
but none of us would meet her in
the House of Mystery,
the House of Mystery.
And now you look around you,
see her everywhere,
many use her body,
many comb her hair.
In the hollow of the night
when you are cold and numb
you hear her talking freely then,
she's happy that you've come,
she's happy that you've come." - Leonard Cohen
Rating: 9.8/10 [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,847
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
15
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#5 of 1969
Joni has been blowing my mind lately. I previously had only a passing knowledge of her work, and in my head I almost thought of Blue as her coming out party, her first great album. I thought of her jazz albums as her most revered albums and perhaps that is true, but I just didn't have a clear picture of her capabilities as a musician or as a lyricist.
For my much more quickie 1968 list I discovered her debut and I was incredibly impressed. I was wondering why that album was not mentioned as one of the great debut albums of the 60s or even of all time. It was delicate, detailed, featured moments of intensely inventive musical expression. And it was number 4 for 68. And as I looked ahead at 69-72, my mouth watered with all the surely great albums I'd get to yap about in the future.
Which brings us to this album, 1969's sophomore album Clouds. And you know what? This is a masterpiece. It takes everything which made Song To The Seagull so vibrant and brilliant to me and turns it up even further. Joni just honed her talents to a bright, razor sharp level here. The lyrics became more personal and biting and, to me, more beautiful, the guitar playing is the same level of insane but more clear and mesmerizing, the arrangements were less busy and have more room to breathe.
And here's the thing, when I hear the songs "Chelsea Morning, "That Song About The Midway", "The Gallery", "I Think I Understand" and "Both Sides Now" I am filled up with an intense affinity for Joni. Like, I am just in love, I feel like I hearing someone I just really like, I empathize, and I just smile and say "Sing it, I feels you". That is a silly point perhaps, but I just want to say that cuz its unique. I don't have that feeling about solo artists much where I just love hearing them speak their minds like I'm hearing a peer and I am just filling up with joy. Dylan on Nashville Skyline and Blood On The Tracks and Freewheelin' and Another Side has that going for it, Townes on Live At The Old Quarter in particular, Joni on this and Ladies of the Canyon and Blue, and there may be a few other examples, but its a rare feeling is all I'm saying.
Okay, and even on the songs which are a bit darker and detached from that feeling of kinship I feel on half this album, songs like "Tin Angel", "Songs To Aging Children" etc, I feel something else almost as powerful. Its like Joni could convey a whole complete world and feeling with some perfectly chosen guitar chords or piano chords and sing out these deep lyrics with such musical prowess that I just instantly buy in.
Okay, and I'm not on my game today expressing why I love this album. Its great! Okay!?
The way she says "I am Dead!" with that strange accent or something on "The Gallery" and the whole chorus just kills me! Its just so impossibly great! The mood and the dark, hypnotic beauty of the opener "Tin Angel", and the unearthly harmonies in "Songs to Aging Children", oh my gosh oh my gosh, the sheer joyeous beauty of the entirety of "Chelsea Morning", the sweet then sad then sweet etc yo-yo of "That Song About The Midway" with its just amazing everything,, and of course the stunning and hall of fame level perspective and joy and reality of "Both Sides Now", etc etc I just love so much about this album.
Now when I laid out these ranks a few days ago, I didn't foresee my sudden upsurge in love for that Steve Young album. So maybe when I get to the rating it will seem strange that this is higher than that. But really, I stand by these rankings. Cuz the highs of this album, the happiness and empathy I feel here is much greater than for Rock Salt and Nails, even if I feel that may be a better all around album.
I will say also that the A Capella (spelling that right? doubtful ryan, doubtful) performance of "The Fiddle and the Drum" grates on me a bit. scratch that, it grates on me a lot. Just annoys me and ruins the whole momentum of the otherwise genius album. Also the song "Roses Blue" is strange and has cool and strange effects and all but it (forum review too long cuts o [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
Joni has been blowing my mind lately. I previously had only a passing knowledge of her work, and in my head I almost thought of Blue as her coming out party, her first great album. I thought of her jazz albums as her most revered albums and perhaps that is true, but I just didn't have a clear picture of her capabilities as a musician or as a lyricist.
For my much more quickie 1968 list I discovered her debut and I was incredibly impressed. I was wondering why that album was not mentioned as one of the great debut albums of the 60s or even of all time. It was delicate, detailed, featured moments of intensely inventive musical expression. And it was number 4 for 68. And as I looked ahead at 69-72, my mouth watered with all the surely great albums I'd get to yap about in the future.
Which brings us to this album, 1969's sophomore album Clouds. And you know what? This is a masterpiece. It takes everything which made Song To The Seagull so vibrant and brilliant to me and turns it up even further. Joni just honed her talents to a bright, razor sharp level here. The lyrics became more personal and biting and, to me, more beautiful, the guitar playing is the same level of insane but more clear and mesmerizing, the arrangements were less busy and have more room to breathe.
And here's the thing, when I hear the songs "Chelsea Morning, "That Song About The Midway", "The Gallery", "I Think I Understand" and "Both Sides Now" I am filled up with an intense affinity for Joni. Like, I am just in love, I feel like I hearing someone I just really like, I empathize, and I just smile and say "Sing it, I feels you". That is a silly point perhaps, but I just want to say that cuz its unique. I don't have that feeling about solo artists much where I just love hearing them speak their minds like I'm hearing a peer and I am just filling up with joy. Dylan on Nashville Skyline and Blood On The Tracks and Freewheelin' and Another Side has that going for it, Townes on Live At The Old Quarter in particular, Joni on this and Ladies of the Canyon and Blue, and there may be a few other examples, but its a rare feeling is all I'm saying.
Okay, and even on the songs which are a bit darker and detached from that feeling of kinship I feel on half this album, songs like "Tin Angel", "Songs To Aging Children" etc, I feel something else almost as powerful. Its like Joni could convey a whole complete world and feeling with some perfectly chosen guitar chords or piano chords and sing out these deep lyrics with such musical prowess that I just instantly buy in.
Okay, and I'm not on my game today expressing why I love this album. Its great! Okay!?
The way she says "I am Dead!" with that strange accent or something on "The Gallery" and the whole chorus just kills me! Its just so impossibly great! The mood and the dark, hypnotic beauty of the opener "Tin Angel", and the unearthly harmonies in "Songs to Aging Children", oh my gosh oh my gosh, the sheer joyeous beauty of the entirety of "Chelsea Morning", the sweet then sad then sweet etc yo-yo of "That Song About The Midway" with its just amazing everything,, and of course the stunning and hall of fame level perspective and joy and reality of "Both Sides Now", etc etc I just love so much about this album.
Now when I laid out these ranks a few days ago, I didn't foresee my sudden upsurge in love for that Steve Young album. So maybe when I get to the rating it will seem strange that this is higher than that. But really, I stand by these rankings. Cuz the highs of this album, the happiness and empathy I feel here is much greater than for Rock Salt and Nails, even if I feel that may be a better all around album.
I will say also that the A Capella (spelling that right? doubtful ryan, doubtful) performance of "The Fiddle and the Drum" grates on me a bit. scratch that, it grates on me a lot. Just annoys me and ruins the whole momentum of the otherwise genius album. Also the song "Roses Blue" is strange and has cool and strange effects and all but it (forum review too long cuts o [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,000
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Tie #4 of 1967
As for Songs of Leonard Cohen, well, I obviously love it. It is my second favorite Cohen album behind only Songs From A Room, and it has such a magical sound, a hushed, slow, prophetic and philosophical vibe which tends to just hold me in its grasp when it is playing. Songs like "Suzanne", and "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye" are some of the most geniusly written song ever. It is an essential for any fan of folk or music or poetry. Its that great.
Grade: 9.4/10 as well. [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
As for Songs of Leonard Cohen, well, I obviously love it. It is my second favorite Cohen album behind only Songs From A Room, and it has such a magical sound, a hushed, slow, prophetic and philosophical vibe which tends to just hold me in its grasp when it is playing. Songs like "Suzanne", and "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye" are some of the most geniusly written song ever. It is an essential for any fan of folk or music or poetry. Its that great.
Grade: 9.4/10 as well. [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,852
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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#8 of 1969, Part II
Sometimes I forget How HEAVY this album is, then I play it and then my ears are destroyed by the first 10 seconds of Cinnamon Girl and I remember: this thing is a freaking bloodbath of fuzzy, scuzzy, grungey, rock at its most fierce and furious!
Okay, how's that for a random way to start this review of Neil's first of many Great albums? Cool.
This album is of 2 minds, the heavy, frustrated, somehow fascinating and minimalist at the same time side is where its at its best. But there is the also great Folk/Country/Poetic/Sensitive singer-songwriter side (which is fuckind great here, but taken to its zenith on the next 2 Neil records).
I love the fact that this album doesn't split the jekyll and Hyde between night and day or side 1 and 2, which is what happens on albums like Remian In Light, Low and even Neil's Rust Never Sleeps to name a very few that do this excellently. Instead, these 2 sides of Neil are there back and forth, Once you get lulled into a chill and peaceful place with say "Round and Round" you are rudely reminded of the ugly, angry side of Young's mind with "Down By The River". There is a weird rhythm to this album. It doesn't seem like this kind of loud quiet loud sequence would make for a totally satisfying experience, but it does.
Lyrically, Neil is great throughout. He just paints vivid scenarios with few words like almost no one else in his time could do. And his voice, all quivery and lovable and classic, while not yet in peak form (again, just wait a year) is alrady just hypnotically brittle and inviting.
But really, if I'm being honest, the strangth of the album is the HEAVY parts. Specifically the far and away best song of the album (and maybe of the year) "Down By The River". Don't get me wrong "Cinnamon Girl" is crunchy excellence and a great opner. And "Cowgirl In The Sand" would be the highlight of 99.9% of all albums, with its fierce, screaming leads from Neil and its rock solid bass grooves which rattle me brain. But, BUT, Come on, "Down By The River". Down By The River!
From the first strutting, menacing, scowling strums, with the cascading slack lines from guitar two and then that bass, which leads straight into the most stunning melody on the album, from that start to the end of this 9 minute piece of art, the song has you by the throat. And its a Jam tarck. But its weirdest, most illogical jam track I've maybe ever heard. The guitar is at times right on the cusp of being laughable in its frustrated "WHY CAN'T I MAKE THIS PIECE OF SHIT SING?!? COME ON! WEEP, YOU MOTHER%$#@er!!!", but it never makes you laugh. Not me anyway. Instead I sit stunned, and yet my head bobs along with the band and the bass in particular. I am stunned because I hear something. I hear Neil in there, I hear what he is implying and what he is feeling, I am right there. I am in awe for some reason at these hypnotically ugly, ferocious at times 1 note "solos". And then it just builds and builds. And then the solo, counter-intuitively cuts off right when it may be about to soar, and then Neil sings again with the voice of a cooler than cool, nonchalant Hero. Later on he croons and really starts to emote those words. And so on and so on. The track is 9 minutes of miraculous music. How is this song so freaking good? Like, perfect?
Songs, The Losing End, and The title Track, are great folk country songs too.
Anyway, I like the whole album. It features maybe the best song of the 1960s, and only one song I'm not big on - "Running Dry". Its anchored by 2 classics and it has the greatest classic in the middle, with some delicious bread filling in the gaps. This album is like a delicious inverted sandwich! There ya go. I coulda said that and that would have summed up the excellence of this album in a few words and I could have avoided the weird impossibility of describing with words the most physical of songs.
Grade: 9.3/10 [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
Sometimes I forget How HEAVY this album is, then I play it and then my ears are destroyed by the first 10 seconds of Cinnamon Girl and I remember: this thing is a freaking bloodbath of fuzzy, scuzzy, grungey, rock at its most fierce and furious!
Okay, how's that for a random way to start this review of Neil's first of many Great albums? Cool.
This album is of 2 minds, the heavy, frustrated, somehow fascinating and minimalist at the same time side is where its at its best. But there is the also great Folk/Country/Poetic/Sensitive singer-songwriter side (which is fuckind great here, but taken to its zenith on the next 2 Neil records).
I love the fact that this album doesn't split the jekyll and Hyde between night and day or side 1 and 2, which is what happens on albums like Remian In Light, Low and even Neil's Rust Never Sleeps to name a very few that do this excellently. Instead, these 2 sides of Neil are there back and forth, Once you get lulled into a chill and peaceful place with say "Round and Round" you are rudely reminded of the ugly, angry side of Young's mind with "Down By The River". There is a weird rhythm to this album. It doesn't seem like this kind of loud quiet loud sequence would make for a totally satisfying experience, but it does.
Lyrically, Neil is great throughout. He just paints vivid scenarios with few words like almost no one else in his time could do. And his voice, all quivery and lovable and classic, while not yet in peak form (again, just wait a year) is alrady just hypnotically brittle and inviting.
But really, if I'm being honest, the strangth of the album is the HEAVY parts. Specifically the far and away best song of the album (and maybe of the year) "Down By The River". Don't get me wrong "Cinnamon Girl" is crunchy excellence and a great opner. And "Cowgirl In The Sand" would be the highlight of 99.9% of all albums, with its fierce, screaming leads from Neil and its rock solid bass grooves which rattle me brain. But, BUT, Come on, "Down By The River". Down By The River!
From the first strutting, menacing, scowling strums, with the cascading slack lines from guitar two and then that bass, which leads straight into the most stunning melody on the album, from that start to the end of this 9 minute piece of art, the song has you by the throat. And its a Jam tarck. But its weirdest, most illogical jam track I've maybe ever heard. The guitar is at times right on the cusp of being laughable in its frustrated "WHY CAN'T I MAKE THIS PIECE OF SHIT SING?!? COME ON! WEEP, YOU MOTHER%$#@er!!!", but it never makes you laugh. Not me anyway. Instead I sit stunned, and yet my head bobs along with the band and the bass in particular. I am stunned because I hear something. I hear Neil in there, I hear what he is implying and what he is feeling, I am right there. I am in awe for some reason at these hypnotically ugly, ferocious at times 1 note "solos". And then it just builds and builds. And then the solo, counter-intuitively cuts off right when it may be about to soar, and then Neil sings again with the voice of a cooler than cool, nonchalant Hero. Later on he croons and really starts to emote those words. And so on and so on. The track is 9 minutes of miraculous music. How is this song so freaking good? Like, perfect?
Songs, The Losing End, and The title Track, are great folk country songs too.
Anyway, I like the whole album. It features maybe the best song of the 1960s, and only one song I'm not big on - "Running Dry". Its anchored by 2 classics and it has the greatest classic in the middle, with some delicious bread filling in the gaps. This album is like a delicious inverted sandwich! There ya go. I coulda said that and that would have summed up the excellence of this album in a few words and I could have avoided the weird impossibility of describing with words the most physical of songs.
Grade: 9.3/10 [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,208
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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#11 of 1969
This is an album which I've felt many ways about at many different times. When I first heard it I thought it was an emperor's new clothes situation. I heard all the glowing reviews, heard the story of Skip Spence, the way this ramshackle, indescribable album influenced a lot of my favorite artists like Uncle Tupelo and Tom Waits, and then I heard the album and I was like "Man, this is just sloppy.".
Then I came back to it, Something was calling me. There was something going on here. I just couldn't put my finger on it. I listened and I liked it! Then I listened again and I liked it more! Then, that moment came when it was 2am, I couldn't sleep, and the day was long behind and before me, I was a bit down and lost in my own head. I sat in my livingroom with almost no light outside of that emanating from my computer screen, and I just listened to this record. It was glorious. There is something here especially in tracks like "Weighted Down" and "Grey/Afro" and "Diana" which is low and so deeply broken hearted and lost that I just can't wrap my head around how Spence managed to capture such feelings.
And on other tracks, like the constantly off kilter, sweetness of the opener "Little hands", there is something weird happening. Like the music isn't where I would ever expect it to be, the drums and the guitars are doing things at weird times which don't make sense! But the result is something special and strange and peerless.
The record, again, is sloppy. And it is not a normal record at all. But the state of mind that the record captures is so rare, and its so unique and insightful into Spence's mental state that the album is just too good to ignore.
Oh and a few quick thoughts: its super cool that spence recorded everything by himself here. Or at least almost everything, I'm pretty sure he literally plays everything himself here. His voice is all over the place, and the interesting throughout, it makes me sad that a 22 or 23 year old can wheeze out lines like "Diana, I am in pain" with such heartbreak and realness. I mean the kid was a kid. But already was dredging up the ugliest realities of life that I wouldn't expect anyone to feel at all or if ever until much later in life. Another random rapid fire thought: the guitar playing in "War In Peace" is so sharp and screaming and intense its really jawdropping. "weighted Down" is the deepest blues you'll hear from anyone not named Blind Willie Johnson, or Tommy Johnson, or Blind Lemon Jefferson,e tc. Its on this track that I can hear some roots to similar ramshackle americana veins mined by Waits in albums like Mule Variations and Bone Machine.
Okay, that's all. This is an album almost sure to rise in my mind, due to just digging its claws deep into my psyche, until I can't listen to anything else. That inevitability hasn't happened yet. Still this is crazy good and probably should be higher than other albums on my list.
Rating: 9.1/10 [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
This is an album which I've felt many ways about at many different times. When I first heard it I thought it was an emperor's new clothes situation. I heard all the glowing reviews, heard the story of Skip Spence, the way this ramshackle, indescribable album influenced a lot of my favorite artists like Uncle Tupelo and Tom Waits, and then I heard the album and I was like "Man, this is just sloppy.".
Then I came back to it, Something was calling me. There was something going on here. I just couldn't put my finger on it. I listened and I liked it! Then I listened again and I liked it more! Then, that moment came when it was 2am, I couldn't sleep, and the day was long behind and before me, I was a bit down and lost in my own head. I sat in my livingroom with almost no light outside of that emanating from my computer screen, and I just listened to this record. It was glorious. There is something here especially in tracks like "Weighted Down" and "Grey/Afro" and "Diana" which is low and so deeply broken hearted and lost that I just can't wrap my head around how Spence managed to capture such feelings.
And on other tracks, like the constantly off kilter, sweetness of the opener "Little hands", there is something weird happening. Like the music isn't where I would ever expect it to be, the drums and the guitars are doing things at weird times which don't make sense! But the result is something special and strange and peerless.
The record, again, is sloppy. And it is not a normal record at all. But the state of mind that the record captures is so rare, and its so unique and insightful into Spence's mental state that the album is just too good to ignore.
Oh and a few quick thoughts: its super cool that spence recorded everything by himself here. Or at least almost everything, I'm pretty sure he literally plays everything himself here. His voice is all over the place, and the interesting throughout, it makes me sad that a 22 or 23 year old can wheeze out lines like "Diana, I am in pain" with such heartbreak and realness. I mean the kid was a kid. But already was dredging up the ugliest realities of life that I wouldn't expect anyone to feel at all or if ever until much later in life. Another random rapid fire thought: the guitar playing in "War In Peace" is so sharp and screaming and intense its really jawdropping. "weighted Down" is the deepest blues you'll hear from anyone not named Blind Willie Johnson, or Tommy Johnson, or Blind Lemon Jefferson,e tc. Its on this track that I can hear some roots to similar ramshackle americana veins mined by Waits in albums like Mule Variations and Bone Machine.
Okay, that's all. This is an album almost sure to rise in my mind, due to just digging its claws deep into my psyche, until I can't listen to anything else. That inevitability hasn't happened yet. Still this is crazy good and probably should be higher than other albums on my list.
Rating: 9.1/10 [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
532
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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#3 of 1968
I feel like Joni Mitchell is a genius. Like, I recognize that now. Its like she envisions or, more accurately, hears music with more clarity than almost any human in pop music history. From the jump, with this solo debut of hers, its clear she is a legitimate A+ guitarist, a freakishly pristine and perfect pitch singer, and lyrically a poetic force of nature. Even on this, her first go at an album, she took all these insane talents and managed to put out a truly gorgeously shimmering debut album, which feels full and completely filled in despite it being by and large just her and a guitar. She manages to fill up the sound completely with complex chord structures and intensely beautiful, constantly shifting and soaring vocals.
Intimate songs like "The Dawntreader" and the character study "Marcie" almost sound too angellic. And the guitar playing is, again, incredibly dexterous and sounds easy almost because she was such a virtuoso - case in point the ease of her singing over the top of the complex guitar of" Sistowbell Lane". There are also some parts that are just over the top with their speedy 2 or 3 part vocal parts like in "The Pirate of Penance" is unlike anything singer-songwriters of the time.
The only knock I have against this record is that the vocal pyrotechnics do get a bit over the top. Just every once in awhile. Also its not like the whole flow of the album or the poetry here bites quite as hard as they do on "Blue". So, no, I'm not quite ready to say this is on the same level as that album. Still, its G-R-E-A-T.
This album should be recognized as one of the best debut albums of the 60s. I don't feel like that is the general consensus, and that saddens me.
Grade: 9.0/10 [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
I feel like Joni Mitchell is a genius. Like, I recognize that now. Its like she envisions or, more accurately, hears music with more clarity than almost any human in pop music history. From the jump, with this solo debut of hers, its clear she is a legitimate A+ guitarist, a freakishly pristine and perfect pitch singer, and lyrically a poetic force of nature. Even on this, her first go at an album, she took all these insane talents and managed to put out a truly gorgeously shimmering debut album, which feels full and completely filled in despite it being by and large just her and a guitar. She manages to fill up the sound completely with complex chord structures and intensely beautiful, constantly shifting and soaring vocals.
Intimate songs like "The Dawntreader" and the character study "Marcie" almost sound too angellic. And the guitar playing is, again, incredibly dexterous and sounds easy almost because she was such a virtuoso - case in point the ease of her singing over the top of the complex guitar of" Sistowbell Lane". There are also some parts that are just over the top with their speedy 2 or 3 part vocal parts like in "The Pirate of Penance" is unlike anything singer-songwriters of the time.
The only knock I have against this record is that the vocal pyrotechnics do get a bit over the top. Just every once in awhile. Also its not like the whole flow of the album or the poetry here bites quite as hard as they do on "Blue". So, no, I'm not quite ready to say this is on the same level as that album. Still, its G-R-E-A-T.
This album should be recognized as one of the best debut albums of the 60s. I don't feel like that is the general consensus, and that saddens me.
Grade: 9.0/10 [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
611
Rank in 1968:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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#8 of 1969, Part I
I can't seem to figure out how to get his debut self titled debut to even show up as a link choice. Which is 2 things: REALLY INSANELY ANNOYING!!!!!!!!! and also a kind of sweet metaphor for the general concensus of this album.
Depending on what database you're on this is either a 68 or 69 album, and I trust BEA and RYM more than others. So there ya go.
Anyway, Neil's debut is not bad. I actually quite like certain aspects of it. Its clear that Neil Young wasn't yet sure about his image, sound, style at this point. As a result there is a lot of surprising Baroque folk, country sounds here. And even on some of the better tracks here, the orchestra, all weepy and at times over the top, undermines the general rugged grit of Neil Young's songs. Still, the strings sure are pretty!
Some of the songs here are actually excellent, such as "The Loner", "The Old Laughing Lady", etc. But boy, "The Loner" is amazing and rocks so hard! Then those fudging strings elbow in and I'm just not feeling it.
Anyway, I don't wanna stay on this album here too long. I'll just say there was some slight slivers of the potential greatness of solo Neil on this album. But, really it is a big surprise how quickly he shed the bs and made a dozen straight goodies. All he had to do was nix the string arrangements of Nitschke and bring his beats of beast bands into the studio and the legend of Neil Young would be born.
Rating: 6.7/10 [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
I can't seem to figure out how to get his debut self titled debut to even show up as a link choice. Which is 2 things: REALLY INSANELY ANNOYING!!!!!!!!! and also a kind of sweet metaphor for the general concensus of this album.
Depending on what database you're on this is either a 68 or 69 album, and I trust BEA and RYM more than others. So there ya go.
Anyway, Neil's debut is not bad. I actually quite like certain aspects of it. Its clear that Neil Young wasn't yet sure about his image, sound, style at this point. As a result there is a lot of surprising Baroque folk, country sounds here. And even on some of the better tracks here, the orchestra, all weepy and at times over the top, undermines the general rugged grit of Neil Young's songs. Still, the strings sure are pretty!
Some of the songs here are actually excellent, such as "The Loner", "The Old Laughing Lady", etc. But boy, "The Loner" is amazing and rocks so hard! Then those fudging strings elbow in and I'm just not feeling it.
Anyway, I don't wanna stay on this album here too long. I'll just say there was some slight slivers of the potential greatness of solo Neil on this album. But, really it is a big surprise how quickly he shed the bs and made a dozen straight goodies. All he had to do was nix the string arrangements of Nitschke and bring his beats of beast bands into the studio and the legend of Neil Young would be born.
Rating: 6.7/10 [First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
554
Rank in 1968:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Honorable Mention for Pre-1967
[First added to this chart: 10/14/2017]
Total albums: 8. Page 1 of 1
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
1960s Singer/Songwriter Albums composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1960 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1961 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1962 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1963 | 3 | 3% | |
| 1964 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1965 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1966 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1967 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1968 | 22 | 22% | |
| 1969 | 38 | 38% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Bob Dylan | 8 | 8% | |
| Phil Ochs | 5 | 5% | |
| Tim Hardin | 3 | 3% | |
| Bert Jansch | 3 | 3% | |
| Laura Nyro | 3 | 3% | |
| Tim Buckley | 3 | 3% | |
| Fred Neil | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
1960s Singer/Songwriter Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 99 from 100th to 1st Looks Like Rain by Mickey Newbury |
| Up 93 from 99th to 6th John by John Phillips (ZW) |
| Up 91 from 98th to 7th Songs From A Room by Leonard Cohen |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 45 from 8th to 53rd The Paul Simon Songbook by Paul Simon |
| Down 41 from 17th to 58th Songs Of Our Times by P.F. Sloan |
| Down 41 from 18th to 59th Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest by Chris Lucey |
1960s Singer/Songwriter Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | Mercury | 1960s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Normlore |  Norman Bates | Custom chart | 2017 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | Moondance | 1960s decade chart | 2025 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | WilliamFrayer | 1960s decade chart | 2021 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s |  jnfbn | 1960s decade chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | Norman Bates | 1960s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s |  samistake2ice | 1960s decade chart | 2016 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s |  bertrandu | 1960s decade chart | 2017 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s |  MrFrogger | 1960s decade chart | 2015 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s | BorderFreeAndrew | 1960s decade chart | 2025 | |
1960s Singer/Songwriter Albums similarity to your chart(s)
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1960s Singer/Songwriter Albums ratings
90/100 (from 5 votes)
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N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 5 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
95/100  | 08/11/2024 19:15 |  DommeDamian | | 89/100 |
100/100 | 12/03/2023 01:52 | Moondance | | 85/100 |
 100/100 | 10/14/2017 17:52 |  baystateoftheart | | 96/100 |
| 100/100 | 10/14/2017 11:33 |  Repo | | 100/100 |
| 90/100 | 10/14/2017 07:09 |  bobbyb5 | | 90/100 |
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100/100
From Moondance 12/03/2023 01:53
Absolutely love this chart - I can feel the passion you had in creating it. I came to this chart via exploring Vince Martin's anthology - and I will certainly return here as I notice a few artists that have escaped me to date on my own journey through singer/songwriters.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Repo 10/14/2017 11:33
Repo 10/14/2017 11:33
I think the biggest surprise for me is how low you rank Nick Drake's debut which I consider a masterpiece. I know that you are just getting into Tim Buckley and his charms take a little time, but I know that you've adored Drake for a long time.
But, there is so much stuff here I do not know that's it's impossible to really argue with these ratings. You've become the master in a genre and time period that I thought I knew rather well. Proving yet again that I know nothing. Damn you for that, Mercury. lol
But, yeah this is really, really great stuff. You should definitely continue this project for as long as it still inspires you. Just don't feel compelled to move at such a breakneck speed. lol. When you do, well hop on over to my Mellow Zone. lol.
Peace, brother. Truly phenomenal work, here! Keep it up!!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From bobbyb5 10/14/2017 07:12
bobbyb5 10/14/2017 07:12
Awesome. I'm going to make one right now myself. It's going to look very different from yours. I'm more of a pop/rock singer songwriter type of guy. But your chart is awesome anyway, just different than mine will be.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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| Best Ever Artists | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Beatles | |
| 2. Radiohead | |
| 3. Pink Floyd | |
| 4. David Bowie | |
| 5. Bob Dylan | |
| 6. Led Zeppelin | |
| 7. The Rolling Stones | |
| 8. Arcade Fire | |
| 9. Nirvana | |
| 10. The Velvet Underground | |
| 11. Neil Young | |
| 12. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 13. Miles Davis | |
| 14. The Smiths | |
| 15. The Beach Boys | |
| 16. R.E.M. | |
| 17. Kanye West | |
| 18. Pixies | |
| 19. Jimi Hendrix | |
| 20. Bruce Springsteen |