Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s by 
~SMiLE~ 
- Chart updated: 04/09/2013 19:09
- (Created: 03/09/2012 02:22).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 10 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 13 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band was the turning point in music. A groundbreaking exploration in concept, sound, songwriting, cover art and studio technology. It's impact was unprecedented.
To think this was done with a primitive four-track analogue recording equipment... no high tech state of the art studio and digital editing.
George Martin, producer for The Beatles, actually believed that the limitations of the four-track stimulated creativity and that the album would not have been as good if recorded on a 24-track. By using a multi-channel mixer several parts could be recorded to one channel. This however meant that any processing such as equalisation and compression would have to be applied during recording, as the tracks could not be separated once recorded. This yielded a far narrower margin for error than is available with modern digital recording.
This innovative adventure changed the musical landscape forever. [First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
To think this was done with a primitive four-track analogue recording equipment... no high tech state of the art studio and digital editing.
George Martin, producer for The Beatles, actually believed that the limitations of the four-track stimulated creativity and that the album would not have been as good if recorded on a 24-track. By using a multi-channel mixer several parts could be recorded to one channel. This however meant that any processing such as equalisation and compression would have to be applied during recording, as the tracks could not be separated once recorded. This yielded a far narrower margin for error than is available with modern digital recording.
This innovative adventure changed the musical landscape forever. [First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
50,824
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
480
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On the heals of the radiant textures of "California Girls","Pet Sounds" was an evolutionary masterpiece in which Brian Wilson reached a whole new level in terms of both composition and production.
This emotionally powerful album contains elaborate layers of lush vocal harmonies with stunning melodies, extravagant orchestration, unorthodox instrumentation (bicycle bells, harpsichords, Electro-Theremin, dog whistles, trains, Coca-Cola cans and barking dogs) , baroque arrangements, and technological advances in recording that heralded the psychedelic era and set a new standard for musical creativity. [First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
This emotionally powerful album contains elaborate layers of lush vocal harmonies with stunning melodies, extravagant orchestration, unorthodox instrumentation (bicycle bells, harpsichords, Electro-Theremin, dog whistles, trains, Coca-Cola cans and barking dogs) , baroque arrangements, and technological advances in recording that heralded the psychedelic era and set a new standard for musical creativity. [First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
45,081
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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"Abbey Road" the last album the group recorded together and is an outstanding imaginative farewell. It features two of George's finest songs "Here Comes The Sun" & "Something"; John's outstanding "Come Together" and the simply economy of language number "I Want You" as well as the stylishly medley of short songs skilfully woven together by Paul. Overall a very tightly constructed album.
[First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
65,427
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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This album has more electric guitar-rock, in contrast with their previous the folk rock inspired "Rubber Soul". From the 1-2-3-4 count in of "Taxman" to the climax "Tomorrow Never Knows", "Revolver" is a proclamation that the Beatles had grown well beyond those lovable mop-tops of old. Revolver paved the way for the extensive experimentation yet to to come.
[First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
56,944
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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"Rubber Soul" marks a considerable period of transition. An exploration of fresh sounds and subject matter. George on Sitar, Paul's fuzz bass and tampering with tapes to create an effect. They expanded their sound with influences from the folk-rock. This is the start of the group's self-conscious period and an exceeding artistic achievement.
[First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
30,611
Rank in 1965:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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An enthralling musical experience. "The White Album" confounded expectations due to it's simplicity and stripped down production, it was the exact opposite of Sgt.Pepper. Each song is an entity unto itself. It feel like a collection of solo songs rather than a Beatles album.It maneuvers through rock,blues,folk,country,avant-garde and beyond. An eccentric patchwork of twists and turns.
[First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1968
Appears in:
Rank Score:
43,256
Rank in 1968:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Ludicrous, fantastic and strange. A singular album.
Material that was both poppy and deeply out there.
An incredibly influential psychedelic album, full of surprising and inventive music. These surrealistic textures recommended to anyone with an open mind. Pink Floyd never made an album which even approached being this trippy. [First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
Material that was both poppy and deeply out there.
An incredibly influential psychedelic album, full of surprising and inventive music. These surrealistic textures recommended to anyone with an open mind. Pink Floyd never made an album which even approached being this trippy. [First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,559
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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"Forever Changes" is built around interwoven acoustic guitar textures amidst strings and horns with subtle orchestrations, without softening the band's surreal power. An album of enduring beauty, which recognized the dark clouds looming on the era's cultural horizon. The music flows, balanced between it's narcotic textures and misleading beauty; the combination is remarkably captivating yet disquieting.
[First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,128
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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A stunning debut of divine madness. It was futuristic and traditionally rooted in rock, blues, pop, and soul. Hendrix's unique mastery of the electric guitar with the astonishing rhythmic pulse of drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding created a musical labyrinth that was a vanguard of the psychedelic sound. This is truly a period piece that stands the test of time. An essential album.
[First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
24,240
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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"Magical Mystery Tour" is a very underrated album. Opening the album is title track, an effervescent gem and “All You Need Is Love” closes things out with arguably the anthem of the Summer of Love with great songs in between. The psychedelic sound is very much in the vein of Sgt. Pepper's. Lots of orchestration, backwards cymbals, unusual instruments, with each song being unique. "Strawberry Fields Forever" edited together two completely different arrangements because John couldn't choose just one and this resulted in an incredible innovative recording. The sprawling disjointed personality of "I Am The Walrus" flows in images of words and sounds. The music you get on "Magical Mystery Tour" is pure delight.
[First added to this chart: 03/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,082
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1960 | 1 | 1% | |
| 1961 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1962 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1963 | 5 | 5% | |
| 1964 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1965 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1966 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1967 | 25 | 25% | |
| 1968 | 22 | 22% | |
| 1969 | 20 | 20% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Beatles | 12 | 12% | |
| The Beach Boys | 10 | 10% | |
| The Kinks | 7 | 7% | |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 4 | 4% | |
| The Yardbirds | 4 | 4% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 4 | 4% | |
| Otis Redding | 4 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 19th to 18th Help! by The Beatles |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 18th to 19th Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul by Otis Redding |
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~SMiLE~ (2013)Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s ratings
88/100 (from 13 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 13 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
60/100  | 12/31/2015 18:46 |  Applerill | | 75/100 |
75/100 | 12/29/2013 21:22 |  serpico | | 80/100 |
95/100 | 12/29/2013 15:26 | davidhuret | | 85/100 |
100/100 | 12/29/2013 14:47 |  tgarritsen | | 86/100 |
90/100 | 05/24/2013 16:56 | 5thbeatle | | 74/100 |
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 12% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 87.7/100, a mean average of 88.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.6.
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1960s comments
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95/100
From davidhuret 12/29/2013 15:26
Beautiful chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From tgarritsen 12/29/2013 14:49
tgarritsen 12/29/2013 14:49
Perfect choices and great comments. Maybe too much dominated by the Beatles but I love the Beatles so you won't hear me complain.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 5thbeatle 05/24/2013 16:56
Sweeeet chart! 42 in common with mine which is only 66 favs of the 60's
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
Mother Nature's Son 03/18/2013 13:21
Mother Nature's Son 03/18/2013 13:21
Very good, many surprising choices!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
RoundTheBend 01/11/2013 10:35
RoundTheBend 01/11/2013 10:35
wow 36 in common.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
C_Krug2009 11/06/2012 02:08
C_Krug2009 11/06/2012 02:08
Great choices! Especially Jefferson Airplane and Velvet Underground!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
junodog4 04/06/2012 03:33
junodog4 04/06/2012 03:33
Scary - it's just like mine. Hooray for Otis Redding!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From ~SMiLE~ 03/28/2012 03:03
~SMiLE~ 03/28/2012 03:03
Thanks ... I will have to check them out. I remember my older brother listening to "Nice" once upon a time, he was a big fan of ELP.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From TracyJacks 03/27/2012 21:14
Very good list! Many Kinks, Floyd, Beach Boys, Beatles, Yardbirds records, very good. Thanks for putting Wonderwall by G.H., that's a cool stuff. I'd recommend the Pretty Things, the Incredible String Band, the Soft MAchine or the Nice if you haven't listened to their records yet.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From alansarchives 03/10/2012 16:38
We have almost a quarter of our charts the same - and not the albums I was expecting either! An excellent list!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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