Top 59 Music Albums of 1963 by 
Repo 
Films
================
1. The Silence
2. 8 1/2
2. Pink Panther
3. The Haunting
4. The Sword & The Stone
- Chart updated: 12/15/2023 02:15
- (Created: 07/09/2019 19:58).
- Chart size: 59 albums.
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What Dylan Saw
Is “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” the best breakup song of all time?
Is “Masters Of War” the best protest song of all time?
A “hard yes” and a “perhaps, maybe” from me. And these are the sorts of questions that can be asked for a bunch of the tracks on Freewheelin'. An album so complete and well-crafted that it pretty much formally announces the Era of THE Album for the which the 60s is known.
Two things stand out for me that I hadn’t really thought of before. First, Dylan is funny as hell! Like really, really funny. I guess he stole his sense of humor from Woody Guthrie, but he’s still a natural at it.
Second, at least half of these songs are incredibly warm and lived-in. Like that aging fleece blankie you keep in the car for those first cold nights of Fall. I never really though of Dylan as a comfortable fleece blankie before. But this album is totally that for me.
As I already mentioned, Freewheelin’ is one of the first important ALBUMS released. A cultural milestone to be dissected & discussed. So it not only announced Dylan, it announced the artistry of making “an album.” Something I’m sure the Beatles were already paying attention to even if they don’t quite come nearly as close as Dylan to making such a grand statement in 1963. It’s one of the reason I chose 1963 as the first year for this little project. And there’s no way in hell it won’t be my #1 record of 1963. [First added to this chart: 07/26/2019]
Is “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” the best breakup song of all time?
Is “Masters Of War” the best protest song of all time?
A “hard yes” and a “perhaps, maybe” from me. And these are the sorts of questions that can be asked for a bunch of the tracks on Freewheelin'. An album so complete and well-crafted that it pretty much formally announces the Era of THE Album for the which the 60s is known.
Two things stand out for me that I hadn’t really thought of before. First, Dylan is funny as hell! Like really, really funny. I guess he stole his sense of humor from Woody Guthrie, but he’s still a natural at it.
Second, at least half of these songs are incredibly warm and lived-in. Like that aging fleece blankie you keep in the car for those first cold nights of Fall. I never really though of Dylan as a comfortable fleece blankie before. But this album is totally that for me.
As I already mentioned, Freewheelin’ is one of the first important ALBUMS released. A cultural milestone to be dissected & discussed. So it not only announced Dylan, it announced the artistry of making “an album.” Something I’m sure the Beatles were already paying attention to even if they don’t quite come nearly as close as Dylan to making such a grand statement in 1963. It’s one of the reason I chose 1963 as the first year for this little project. And there’s no way in hell it won’t be my #1 record of 1963. [First added to this chart: 07/26/2019]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,192
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
87
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The Two Moods Of Sam Cooke
Aka Take What The Path Gives You
It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. My narrative was already set and (I thought) reasonably sound before I even set down the path. But it’s always best to just take what the path itself gives you. Stop fighting its trajectory and acquiesce to the sweet and saccharine charms of … Mr. Soul.
That’s right. Initially I was going to write how Night Soul was a necessary corrective from the candy coated confections of evil strings and cheesy over-production. But a funny thing happened along the way and I fell in love with Mr. Soul as well. Whereas Night Beat has an amazing concept & premise – Cooke stripped to the bones by a broken heart - my soft heart always ends up pulling for the under dog, and Mr. Soul has emerged as the near equal of the crushing Night Beat. The light to Night Beat’s darkness. Cooke's elocution on songs such as "Willow Weep For Me" or just the way he phrases puff on "Smoke Rings" has never been matched before or since. Total legend!
“Ok. But the assignment was Night Beat”, you say. Not talking Quite rightly, I say. And it’s a killer. Perhaps the single greatest breakup album of all time. Almost every song is crushing. The backing band is none other than the now legendary Wrecking Crew, in-demand session players in the LA area. Just check out the plaintive, lilting surf-like guitar intro to “I Lost Everything” for a prime example of what makes this album feel cared for and special. There’s heart in ALL these performances, not just Cooke’s. And it’s that detail & care that makes this my number TWO album for all of 1963. Just right below Dylan’s untouchable Freewheelin'. [First added to this chart: 07/26/2019]
Aka Take What The Path Gives You
It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. My narrative was already set and (I thought) reasonably sound before I even set down the path. But it’s always best to just take what the path itself gives you. Stop fighting its trajectory and acquiesce to the sweet and saccharine charms of … Mr. Soul.
That’s right. Initially I was going to write how Night Soul was a necessary corrective from the candy coated confections of evil strings and cheesy over-production. But a funny thing happened along the way and I fell in love with Mr. Soul as well. Whereas Night Beat has an amazing concept & premise – Cooke stripped to the bones by a broken heart - my soft heart always ends up pulling for the under dog, and Mr. Soul has emerged as the near equal of the crushing Night Beat. The light to Night Beat’s darkness. Cooke's elocution on songs such as "Willow Weep For Me" or just the way he phrases puff on "Smoke Rings" has never been matched before or since. Total legend!
“Ok. But the assignment was Night Beat”, you say. Not talking Quite rightly, I say. And it’s a killer. Perhaps the single greatest breakup album of all time. Almost every song is crushing. The backing band is none other than the now legendary Wrecking Crew, in-demand session players in the LA area. Just check out the plaintive, lilting surf-like guitar intro to “I Lost Everything” for a prime example of what makes this album feel cared for and special. There’s heart in ALL these performances, not just Cooke’s. And it’s that detail & care that makes this my number TWO album for all of 1963. Just right below Dylan’s untouchable Freewheelin'. [First added to this chart: 07/26/2019]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,326
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Music For Films
Aka Good Guys Going Bad For Bad Girls
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus
It starts with a warning. A boozy, jarring warning. A night on fire. Until suddenly it slips into a tranquil, fantasy-filled dream of the prefect life. Domestic bliss behind white picket fences. The juxtaposition of the life he knows versus the life he thinks he wants but does not feel worthy of. Until the whole thing is pierced. Popped. Shot through with self-hate, frustration, and...
No. No, that’s not right. It’s…
Fuck this ballet bullshit. What a conceit! This is music for films, about films and from films. Our boy Mingus channeling every film noir motif – the confusion, the dread, the inevitabilities, the good guy going bad for the bad girl – taking THAT - all of THAT - and making it EVEN MORE. MORE psychotic. MORE bawdry. More, more more. And it sucks because even he can kinda see it coming. Even though he knows this is not the right life for him. That this going to end very, very badly. He just. can’t. help. himself.
Nah. That's not quite right either.
Honestly this album can hold a multitude of false-starts, wrong directions, and jags off course. And that's what's so great about it! AND why it took me a million days to write something up. Embarassed It’s just too BIG. A mad genius of an album if there ever was one. A fractured, tormented fever dream that was the perfect album to obsess over after catching The Big Heat (1953) a couple of weeks ago!
Can't see how this LP doesn't end up in my top five for 1963!!! [First added to this chart: 06/30/2023]
Aka Good Guys Going Bad For Bad Girls
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus
It starts with a warning. A boozy, jarring warning. A night on fire. Until suddenly it slips into a tranquil, fantasy-filled dream of the prefect life. Domestic bliss behind white picket fences. The juxtaposition of the life he knows versus the life he thinks he wants but does not feel worthy of. Until the whole thing is pierced. Popped. Shot through with self-hate, frustration, and...
No. No, that’s not right. It’s…
Fuck this ballet bullshit. What a conceit! This is music for films, about films and from films. Our boy Mingus channeling every film noir motif – the confusion, the dread, the inevitabilities, the good guy going bad for the bad girl – taking THAT - all of THAT - and making it EVEN MORE. MORE psychotic. MORE bawdry. More, more more. And it sucks because even he can kinda see it coming. Even though he knows this is not the right life for him. That this going to end very, very badly. He just. can’t. help. himself.
Nah. That's not quite right either.
Honestly this album can hold a multitude of false-starts, wrong directions, and jags off course. And that's what's so great about it! AND why it took me a million days to write something up. Embarassed It’s just too BIG. A mad genius of an album if there ever was one. A fractured, tormented fever dream that was the perfect album to obsess over after catching The Big Heat (1953) a couple of weeks ago!
Can't see how this LP doesn't end up in my top five for 1963!!! [First added to this chart: 06/30/2023]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,740
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Don't Forget About Me
The Setting: Forgotten. Jilted. The Everly Brothers could have been singing about their career on this set of country standards back in 1963. Once the steady of American teenage girls everywhere in the late 50s, they were completely forgotten in the wake of Beatlemania & the rising tide of Mersey Beat by the time this album rolled out in 1963. But was it fair?
The Listen: Not even close. If you ever need proof positive that life is not fair, well son, this is it. Perhaps the Everly's best album yet, this album is first class and first rate through and through. AND one of the best country albums of the entire sixties!
The Verdict: This will easily slide into my TOP TEN albums of 1963. Every song is immaculately played and a keeper. Once of those albums that stokes the fires of love more & more with each spin. A truly lost classic!!!
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 07/03/2023]
The Setting: Forgotten. Jilted. The Everly Brothers could have been singing about their career on this set of country standards back in 1963. Once the steady of American teenage girls everywhere in the late 50s, they were completely forgotten in the wake of Beatlemania & the rising tide of Mersey Beat by the time this album rolled out in 1963. But was it fair?
The Listen: Not even close. If you ever need proof positive that life is not fair, well son, this is it. Perhaps the Everly's best album yet, this album is first class and first rate through and through. AND one of the best country albums of the entire sixties!
The Verdict: This will easily slide into my TOP TEN albums of 1963. Every song is immaculately played and a keeper. Once of those albums that stokes the fires of love more & more with each spin. A truly lost classic!!!
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 07/03/2023]
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The Conversation
It’s not sex. It’s just a conversation. Three people. Telling stories on the spot. Ellington, the gregarious one. Mingus ever the contrarian. And the ever flowing host of the party, Roach. Pouring drinks for everyone. “Can’t we all just get along, fellas!" Smooth. Mellow. There with that gentle, affirming laugh or "Oh yeah!" just when the conversation needed it. Keeping the glasses filled. But not TOO fill. (He doesn’t want anyone to spill after all.)
The Verdict: I can already tell this might be my gold standard. Three legends at the top of their respective games. Ellington pushing everyone just enough (although supposedly Mingus got pissed off anyways, grabbed that last bottle of rye, told "everyone" off (no one was really left), and stumbled on home.) [First added to this chart: 04/12/2022]
It’s not sex. It’s just a conversation. Three people. Telling stories on the spot. Ellington, the gregarious one. Mingus ever the contrarian. And the ever flowing host of the party, Roach. Pouring drinks for everyone. “Can’t we all just get along, fellas!" Smooth. Mellow. There with that gentle, affirming laugh or "Oh yeah!" just when the conversation needed it. Keeping the glasses filled. But not TOO fill. (He doesn’t want anyone to spill after all.)
The Verdict: I can already tell this might be my gold standard. Three legends at the top of their respective games. Ellington pushing everyone just enough (although supposedly Mingus got pissed off anyways, grabbed that last bottle of rye, told "everyone" off (no one was really left), and stumbled on home.) [First added to this chart: 04/12/2022]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
610
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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It Always Rains in This City
The Setting: It always rains in this city. And it's always nighttime. I have to keep a cigarette lit just to keep warm. Warmth is life. At least, that’s what I tell myself. Maybe I'm just addicted to cigarettes. I see a corner bar up the block. It’s neon sign welcoming me in like the smile of a chorus girl. And I never could resist a chorus girl. I head down the stairs. The tables are arranged around the stage. A red glassed candle on each flickering at me to sit down. “Alright,” I says. “Just one”. At least this place has heat. The band starts playing up on the stage. They feel just like this city. Just like this bar. Ripped from some 40ish black & white film noir. The kind where there’s dames and broads and guys who always have a good quip at the ready. I want to be those guys. And, I want to be with those dames. So I stay. One leads to two. And two naturally leads to three. The cold is gone. A small smile even manages to cross my lips. “This ain’t so bad,” I say to myself. Guess I’ll stay for one more.
The Listen: This is the kind of jazz I picture in my head in those scenes in those old black & whites. You know. The ones on TCM. I don’t care if it’s historically accurate. It’s my head. My picture. It’s what gives those scenes on late night tv that something extra. A certain timelessness. The coolest cats playing the coolest blue jazz. The city is their music. And their music is the city. Interchangeable. Interlinked. You can't have one without the other. Just like this rain. Just like this night. Which is why it always rains in this city. And it's always nighttime.
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 07/07/2023]
The Setting: It always rains in this city. And it's always nighttime. I have to keep a cigarette lit just to keep warm. Warmth is life. At least, that’s what I tell myself. Maybe I'm just addicted to cigarettes. I see a corner bar up the block. It’s neon sign welcoming me in like the smile of a chorus girl. And I never could resist a chorus girl. I head down the stairs. The tables are arranged around the stage. A red glassed candle on each flickering at me to sit down. “Alright,” I says. “Just one”. At least this place has heat. The band starts playing up on the stage. They feel just like this city. Just like this bar. Ripped from some 40ish black & white film noir. The kind where there’s dames and broads and guys who always have a good quip at the ready. I want to be those guys. And, I want to be with those dames. So I stay. One leads to two. And two naturally leads to three. The cold is gone. A small smile even manages to cross my lips. “This ain’t so bad,” I say to myself. Guess I’ll stay for one more.
The Listen: This is the kind of jazz I picture in my head in those scenes in those old black & whites. You know. The ones on TCM. I don’t care if it’s historically accurate. It’s my head. My picture. It’s what gives those scenes on late night tv that something extra. A certain timelessness. The coolest cats playing the coolest blue jazz. The city is their music. And their music is the city. Interchangeable. Interlinked. You can't have one without the other. Just like this rain. Just like this night. Which is why it always rains in this city. And it's always nighttime.
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 07/07/2023]
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Blowing Bubbles
Everyone wants to be him. That guy who is just effortlessly cool. Wherever he’s at, well, THAT’s the place to be at. He makes it THAT.
At first, I didn’t really get this album. Thought it was just background cocktail lounge music and fairly generic at that. Stuff I’d heard a thousand times before. But its slow charms and easy going nature eventually won me over. I let it in, you see. I let it ease that nagging tension in my lower back that'd been bugging me for weeks. Felt my muscles melt aways and relax. And slowly, a smile crossed my lips. And I thought, “THIS is the life.” Just chilling, not racing. My magical organ blowing bubbles as my boy Stanley Turrentine blows that sax and the rhythm section just bounces along with not a care in the world. No negativity on our block. No siree. No time to be wasting my time running around all ragged like. No. We’ll have none that. Not when I can be blowing bubbles.
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 09/15/2019]
Everyone wants to be him. That guy who is just effortlessly cool. Wherever he’s at, well, THAT’s the place to be at. He makes it THAT.
At first, I didn’t really get this album. Thought it was just background cocktail lounge music and fairly generic at that. Stuff I’d heard a thousand times before. But its slow charms and easy going nature eventually won me over. I let it in, you see. I let it ease that nagging tension in my lower back that'd been bugging me for weeks. Felt my muscles melt aways and relax. And slowly, a smile crossed my lips. And I thought, “THIS is the life.” Just chilling, not racing. My magical organ blowing bubbles as my boy Stanley Turrentine blows that sax and the rhythm section just bounces along with not a care in the world. No negativity on our block. No siree. No time to be wasting my time running around all ragged like. No. We’ll have none that. Not when I can be blowing bubbles.
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 09/15/2019]
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Soul
Great! [First added to this chart: 07/26/2019]
Great! [First added to this chart: 07/26/2019]
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[First added to this chart: 08/20/2023]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,826
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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(Impossibly) High Standards
Aka Sha la la la la ….
Uh, oh, many, many, many nights go by,
I sit alone at home and I cry over you.
What can I do.
Can't help myself, 'cause.... ---- Baby, It's You.
Gosh they set the bar awful high, didn’t they? They didn’t need to. They didn’t need to be perfect. Not yet. This wasn’t jazz. Or Dylan. But, they did. And thus they changed the whole game for Pop music. Made an art form of it right from the start. This stuff wasn't disposable. This was for keeps! How else to explain those guitars on "Anna (Go to Him)" ?! Or the harmonica that kicks off "Chains?"
Now, I'm not saying this is a perfect album. They're not Dylan level yet! There are still a few throwaways. Songs that I wouldn’t bother putting on a playlist. Like “Boys.” That song is relatively useless to me. And I find the vocals on “Ask Me Why” rather grating.
BUT, as pretty much the opening salvo for the British Invasion, I can't help but be a bit weak in the knees. Lovable mop tops indeed!
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 06/30/2023]
Aka Sha la la la la ….
Uh, oh, many, many, many nights go by,
I sit alone at home and I cry over you.
What can I do.
Can't help myself, 'cause.... ---- Baby, It's You.
Gosh they set the bar awful high, didn’t they? They didn’t need to. They didn’t need to be perfect. Not yet. This wasn’t jazz. Or Dylan. But, they did. And thus they changed the whole game for Pop music. Made an art form of it right from the start. This stuff wasn't disposable. This was for keeps! How else to explain those guitars on "Anna (Go to Him)" ?! Or the harmonica that kicks off "Chains?"
Now, I'm not saying this is a perfect album. They're not Dylan level yet! There are still a few throwaways. Songs that I wouldn’t bother putting on a playlist. Like “Boys.” That song is relatively useless to me. And I find the vocals on “Ask Me Why” rather grating.
BUT, as pretty much the opening salvo for the British Invasion, I can't help but be a bit weak in the knees. Lovable mop tops indeed!
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 06/30/2023]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,925
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 59. Page 1 of 6
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Top 59 Music Albums of 1963 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 5% | |
| Peter, Paul And Mary | 2 | 3% | |
| The Beatles | 2 | 3% | |
| The Searchers | 2 | 3% | |
| Lesley Gore | 2 | 3% | |
| Sam Cooke | 2 | 3% | |
| Buck Owens | 2 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 59 Music Albums of 1963 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
 Up 17 from 24th to 7thBack At The Chicken Shack by Jimmy Smith |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 7th to 8th Mr Soul by Sam Cooke |
| Down 1 from 8th to 9th James Brown Live At The Apollo by James Brown |
| Down 1 from 9th to 10th Please Please Me by The Beatles |
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Other year charts by Repo
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| Top 29 Music Albums of 1960 | Repo | 1960 year chart | 2023 | |
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