Top 32 Music Albums of 1965
by kokkinos 
Disclaimer: The comments are taken from my diary, so there's a chance some of them might make little to no sense out of context.
- Chart updated: 10/30/2022 19:45
- (Created: 10/30/2022 19:41).
- Chart size: 32 albums.
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This album took me the longest to decide on a score – ignore the timing of my posts, it doesn’t always match the time I listen to the album and write the comment. The universe conspired so that I couldn’t give it a proper listen, I pushed play like four times in the space of a week and got interrupted each and every time. Finally, here we are.
And – unlike say The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, which was love at first sight - this is only the last chapter of my long and bumpy relationship with Bringing It All Back Home. You know, this album used to really piss me off. Probably more than any other album. Still does to a degree, but I’ve gotten over it. I thought of it as a wasted chance, because the phenomenal stuff - the sequence beginning with Mr. Tambourine Man and ending with It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue is incredible, I struggle to come up with any words to adequately describe that part, but I’ll try anyway – that is to be found here came after a series of songs I found disappointing.
First things first, what an iconic album cover, I’d only compare it to The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and this one probably edges it out. Dylan, the woman in red (Rest In Peace, Sally), the cat, everything’s perfect.
Ask me to name his best, too close to call – and I wonder how anyone could come up with a convincing answer to that question, probably Blonde On Blonde, but then again I don’t know. Ask me to name my favourite, it’s also an extremely tough task, but in the end I’ll have to say it’s not this one – not a surprise anymore, by now you know it is Another Side Of Bob Dylan. Ask me which is his most “important”, I ll point you to this one, he broke the chains/conventions, he is no more the voice of a generation , he is an artist that transcends generations. Maybe that’s how we should interpret the title, Bringing it All Back Home, he uses everything he’s learnt so far and creates his own artistic home, that’s who he really is, everything up to this point was him asking question and searching himself, this is the answer. There’s a line “It's easy to see without lookin' too far that not much is really sacred” that sums up what’s going on. That’s the essence of the album, both in terms of its themes and when viewed as a self-referential statement. Nothing is sacred or absolute or untouchable, the artist has everything at his disposal and can use it at will. Labels like folk or rock are meaningless, anything goes.
That being said, the contrast to his previous sound isn’t as striking as the whole fuss that surrounded it might lead you to believe, this has nothing to do with the hard and edgy sound he would present in Highway 61 Revisited. Rumour has it he listened to the Animals’ cover of The House Of The Rising Sun and had a moment of epiphany, realising that traditional folk and electric blues/rock aren’t meant to live in separation from one another forever, they can work together. (What an irony, a song that Dylan himself covered and included in his debut album back in 1962). If that’s true, well, Animals, I can’t thank you enough – even if it isn’t, many thanks anyways, a legendary band nonetheless.
As I’ve previously mentioned - see my comment on Highway 61 Revisited - the “Dylan goes electric” narrative is somewhat superficial or even misleading, as it calls attention to one – admittedly significant - part of his artistic development and ignores his growth as a songwriter.
What’s going on in that regard? So far, he drew influence from what was happening, no matter if he was dealing with universal themes (politics, morality, justice, etc.) or entering the sphere of private life, he was a bard, always on the move, making stories based on his own experiences or someone else’s whose story somehow reached his ears – and maybe twisting the facts or spicing them up.
Now, things have changed, an entirely different approach is being adopted. Critics love calling his new method “visionary” and I ‘d say it’s a reasonable and rather accurate description. “Real” incidents are not the driving force of his songwriting anymore, it’s the “visions” that show the way, which in turn is rather hard to define in a tangible manner, but I think everyone understands it intuitively - and I know what you are thinking, no, drugs are not the only way to create a vision, please don’t go there, I reject that notion. Up to this point, he was following reality, now he shapes his own version of it. The everyday, ordinary gives way to the surreal and extraordinary. Experts on literature have spotted various connections with giants of the past, someone will draw a line all the way to Dante, while another one will cite Rimbaud as the pioneer of such poetics. If one’s interested in analysis of this kind, there’s a ton of material to check. One thing’s for sure: the days of Woody Guthrie are a thing of the past. Of course, having a vision isn’t enough, you have to put that into words, transform it into art, that’s where talent lies. If you are desperate to find a connection with real life events, maybe we could link this to what was going on in the ‘60s on a greater scale, the world had gone wrong, there was no direction home, what we see isn’t what we see, we confuse the words and their meaning, we doubt on our self-identity, there’s nothing or no one to trust. All of that is reflected on Dylan’s writing.
Another thing that differentiates this from his earlier works is that he leaves his linguistic profile behind. (Funny thing: my initial intention was to rank this behind The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan so I was ready to write that we are at a paradox, because I haven’t brought up his linguistic tendencies yet, as I haven’t covered The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, which makes no sense as I reversed the order, oh silly me!). The one thing I can say is things get more personal, you can’t talk about a romantic relationship the same way you talk about a political crisis. His vocabulary gets more “private”, calling it codified wouldn’t be that much of a stretch, it’s almost as if he doesn’t want us to make any sense of it all. No more imposing narratives, it’s time for slightly bizarre, seemingly random characters and their personal dramas to dominate the scene.
So, his sound changed, his writing changed, what about his performance? Oh yeah, his relationship with melody becomes casual, he’s a sort of possessed figure that lives outside his environment and does his own thing.
The opening track, Subterranean Homesick Blues, is a whirlwind, it’s powerful and hasty, caught in the heat of the moment, you don’t have any time to realise what hit you. The song’s constantly moving, more like jumping around, but in a different way to its predecessors, there was a meaning, a point, here he’s aimlessly wandering, rejecting the past without being ready to accept the future, kinda stuck in an eternal motion. In his next records this confusion would be expressed through immobility, here it’s quite the opposite. On top of that, suddenly Dylan has turned into a rapper. According to some sources, it’s the first instance of “rapping” put on record, which is an exaggeration, if not an outright false information, as it would blatantly ignore the entire blues/talking blues tradition plus it’s well known this song is greatly influenced by Chuck Berry (to his credit, Dylan has never been shy about this sort of stuff). Socio-politically conscious lyrics that capture the zeitgeist paired with what would 2-3 decades later be called a “streets” (“underground” might be a more acceptable term) aesthetic and vocabulary, cultural references flying around (not to mention the inside jokes/references, I.e. Maggie or the wind blowing), mind-blowing rhyming, what more could you possibly ask? As you might have already guessed, one of my hobbies is to fantasise how it would have been to be able to listen to Dylan’s work in the ‘60s (if I had a time machine, the ‘60s would probably be a top-5 destination) and I’ve come to the conclusion that my favourite moment would be buying Bringing It All Back Home and listening to its opening track. Looking it from afar and it’s as majestic as it gets (and it’s barely 3 minutes long!), imagine being
And – unlike say The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, which was love at first sight - this is only the last chapter of my long and bumpy relationship with Bringing It All Back Home. You know, this album used to really piss me off. Probably more than any other album. Still does to a degree, but I’ve gotten over it. I thought of it as a wasted chance, because the phenomenal stuff - the sequence beginning with Mr. Tambourine Man and ending with It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue is incredible, I struggle to come up with any words to adequately describe that part, but I’ll try anyway – that is to be found here came after a series of songs I found disappointing.
First things first, what an iconic album cover, I’d only compare it to The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and this one probably edges it out. Dylan, the woman in red (Rest In Peace, Sally), the cat, everything’s perfect.
Ask me to name his best, too close to call – and I wonder how anyone could come up with a convincing answer to that question, probably Blonde On Blonde, but then again I don’t know. Ask me to name my favourite, it’s also an extremely tough task, but in the end I’ll have to say it’s not this one – not a surprise anymore, by now you know it is Another Side Of Bob Dylan. Ask me which is his most “important”, I ll point you to this one, he broke the chains/conventions, he is no more the voice of a generation , he is an artist that transcends generations. Maybe that’s how we should interpret the title, Bringing it All Back Home, he uses everything he’s learnt so far and creates his own artistic home, that’s who he really is, everything up to this point was him asking question and searching himself, this is the answer. There’s a line “It's easy to see without lookin' too far that not much is really sacred” that sums up what’s going on. That’s the essence of the album, both in terms of its themes and when viewed as a self-referential statement. Nothing is sacred or absolute or untouchable, the artist has everything at his disposal and can use it at will. Labels like folk or rock are meaningless, anything goes.
That being said, the contrast to his previous sound isn’t as striking as the whole fuss that surrounded it might lead you to believe, this has nothing to do with the hard and edgy sound he would present in Highway 61 Revisited. Rumour has it he listened to the Animals’ cover of The House Of The Rising Sun and had a moment of epiphany, realising that traditional folk and electric blues/rock aren’t meant to live in separation from one another forever, they can work together. (What an irony, a song that Dylan himself covered and included in his debut album back in 1962). If that’s true, well, Animals, I can’t thank you enough – even if it isn’t, many thanks anyways, a legendary band nonetheless.
As I’ve previously mentioned - see my comment on Highway 61 Revisited - the “Dylan goes electric” narrative is somewhat superficial or even misleading, as it calls attention to one – admittedly significant - part of his artistic development and ignores his growth as a songwriter.
What’s going on in that regard? So far, he drew influence from what was happening, no matter if he was dealing with universal themes (politics, morality, justice, etc.) or entering the sphere of private life, he was a bard, always on the move, making stories based on his own experiences or someone else’s whose story somehow reached his ears – and maybe twisting the facts or spicing them up.
Now, things have changed, an entirely different approach is being adopted. Critics love calling his new method “visionary” and I ‘d say it’s a reasonable and rather accurate description. “Real” incidents are not the driving force of his songwriting anymore, it’s the “visions” that show the way, which in turn is rather hard to define in a tangible manner, but I think everyone understands it intuitively - and I know what you are thinking, no, drugs are not the only way to create a vision, please don’t go there, I reject that notion. Up to this point, he was following reality, now he shapes his own version of it. The everyday, ordinary gives way to the surreal and extraordinary. Experts on literature have spotted various connections with giants of the past, someone will draw a line all the way to Dante, while another one will cite Rimbaud as the pioneer of such poetics. If one’s interested in analysis of this kind, there’s a ton of material to check. One thing’s for sure: the days of Woody Guthrie are a thing of the past. Of course, having a vision isn’t enough, you have to put that into words, transform it into art, that’s where talent lies. If you are desperate to find a connection with real life events, maybe we could link this to what was going on in the ‘60s on a greater scale, the world had gone wrong, there was no direction home, what we see isn’t what we see, we confuse the words and their meaning, we doubt on our self-identity, there’s nothing or no one to trust. All of that is reflected on Dylan’s writing.
Another thing that differentiates this from his earlier works is that he leaves his linguistic profile behind. (Funny thing: my initial intention was to rank this behind The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan so I was ready to write that we are at a paradox, because I haven’t brought up his linguistic tendencies yet, as I haven’t covered The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, which makes no sense as I reversed the order, oh silly me!). The one thing I can say is things get more personal, you can’t talk about a romantic relationship the same way you talk about a political crisis. His vocabulary gets more “private”, calling it codified wouldn’t be that much of a stretch, it’s almost as if he doesn’t want us to make any sense of it all. No more imposing narratives, it’s time for slightly bizarre, seemingly random characters and their personal dramas to dominate the scene.
So, his sound changed, his writing changed, what about his performance? Oh yeah, his relationship with melody becomes casual, he’s a sort of possessed figure that lives outside his environment and does his own thing.
The opening track, Subterranean Homesick Blues, is a whirlwind, it’s powerful and hasty, caught in the heat of the moment, you don’t have any time to realise what hit you. The song’s constantly moving, more like jumping around, but in a different way to its predecessors, there was a meaning, a point, here he’s aimlessly wandering, rejecting the past without being ready to accept the future, kinda stuck in an eternal motion. In his next records this confusion would be expressed through immobility, here it’s quite the opposite. On top of that, suddenly Dylan has turned into a rapper. According to some sources, it’s the first instance of “rapping” put on record, which is an exaggeration, if not an outright false information, as it would blatantly ignore the entire blues/talking blues tradition plus it’s well known this song is greatly influenced by Chuck Berry (to his credit, Dylan has never been shy about this sort of stuff). Socio-politically conscious lyrics that capture the zeitgeist paired with what would 2-3 decades later be called a “streets” (“underground” might be a more acceptable term) aesthetic and vocabulary, cultural references flying around (not to mention the inside jokes/references, I.e. Maggie or the wind blowing), mind-blowing rhyming, what more could you possibly ask? As you might have already guessed, one of my hobbies is to fantasise how it would have been to be able to listen to Dylan’s work in the ‘60s (if I had a time machine, the ‘60s would probably be a top-5 destination) and I’ve come to the conclusion that my favourite moment would be buying Bringing It All Back Home and listening to its opening track. Looking it from afar and it’s as majestic as it gets (and it’s barely 3 minutes long!), imagine being
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,954
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
104
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The title, making a reference to the Highway 61 Blues and paying homage to his beloved blues tradition, tells you all you need to know about the direction this album intends to take – the addition of the word “Revisited” leaving no doubt he’s going to take the next step, you better be ready to follow along or you'll miss it. If Bringing It All Back Home is an angry yell, Highway 61 Revisited is a deafening roar, it’s finally time to rock. It presents rock at its purest form compared to the other two parts of the trilogy. It’s primitive yet daring and innovative, hard yet accessible (there’s a reason most people think it’s his best), raw yet stylish and sophisticated (great piano throughout and combining it with an organ was a cool idea, which as far as I can tell hasn’t been used that often), is there anything more one could ask for?
If you told me this is the best example this genre has to offer, I would easily believe you without asking any questions. Bringing It All Back Home and Blonde On Blonde (each of them in a different way) are much more than that, they go to places this doesn’t and as a result end up higher on my list. But if we are talking about rock music as I have it in my mind, that’s as good as it gets. Actually, when people ask me “what music do you like?” and I’m not in the mood for any detailed analysis, my go-to generic answer is rock. Five minutes later, I find myself thinking “dude, that was a blatant lie”. Then I remember this album exists, so it’s all good.
By the way, if one takes into account that The Times They Are A-Changin’ finished lower than The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and Another Side Of Bob Dylan, you might notice an interesting pattern: I consider the second album of each trilogy the weakest. Maybe the first one comes with the excitement and the joy of discovering the great unknown, while the third sees him slowly losing interest and setting off for new escapades, adding new twists to the already established ideas. The second sees him fully embrace said concepts, offering a close-up of them that is more or less flawlessly executed, but ends up just a tiny bit less interesting than the other two.
Moving on, I can’t help but notice that the whole “Dylan goes electric” narrative is a bit hm…, not sure how to call it, superficial maybe? No, misleading is the word. I mean, it’s not false or anything, everyone who happens to have a pair of ears could be called on to testify. The thing is it focuses on the most obvious – and controversial if you will - aspect of his transformation and ignores other equally – if not more – essential elements of it. One major issue I had while preparing this comment is if the points regarding the shift in his songwriting should be covered here or in Bringing It All Back Home – not to mention traces of it can be spotted all the way back to Another Side Of Bob Dylan, which goes on to show that his growth as a songwriter has little to do with “going electric”. Doing justice to my title as the great procrastinator, I decided to save it for Bringing It All Back Home. Also, I can already see this comment getting out of control length-wise, better not overload it.
Opening with his most classic song (for real, is there a more iconic moment in music history than the snare drum that opens Like A Rolling Stone?) and it’s worth all the praise it’s received – but if you want my hot take, it’s barely a top-3 song here, which speaks volumes about the quality of the rest of the material here and is by no means a criticism towards it. Its structure is nothing short of awe-inspiring. It starts as a fairy tale, everything’s rosy for our little princess. The verses slowly build up in intensity, he triumphantly strips her of all the glory and grandeur that surrounds her, as he puts on display her flaws (she Is arrogant, pretentious, insensitive, disrespectful, superficial, you name it) that lead to her dramatic, thundering fall. I’ve always had the impression that the chorus is meant to release tension, a moment of catharsis, she’s reached the bottom of the barrel, his “attack” is less vicious, almost soft. And the one million dollar question: Who is it addressed to? Is it real-life inspired, is there a specific person, could it be a friend that betrayed him or a lover that left him, or no one in particular (as the last verse opens up to include “all the pretty people”)? It doesn’t matter that much, some things are better left unsaid (and it inspires everyone to draw his own conclusions, some of them are surprisingly inventive, there’s even an interpretation that the song deals with drugs, i.e. the person in question had everything, did drugs and lost it all, had a good laugh while reading it, but I have to admit this theory is a stretch to say the least). One thing’s for sure, the bitterness comes through crystal clear, that’s the epitome of a diss track a good 3 decades before they were cool. Even the finest efforts (No Vaseline, Ether, Hit Em Up, etc.) would have a hard time keeping up with this. Another technique he’s mastered during this stage of his career is his tendency to include various, seemingly random yet undeniably mysterious and fascinating characters that add an extra dimension to each song (in this case it’s the mystery tramp, the diplomat and his Siamese Cat and of course Napoleon in rags). The way he handles the chorus, for example changing lyrics from one to the other, is of interest as well, though I have to resort to my favourite method of pointing to another album, as the chorus “manipulation” so to speak reached its peak in Blonde On Blonde, thus I’ll keep this subject for later.
The second track, Tombstone Blues, sees him further explore his rapping antics, it could have come straight out of Bringing It All Back Home and it could just as easily pass as a sequel of Subterranean Homesick Blues. Speaking of quirky characters, this one goes above and beyond, I won’t even bother naming all of them, it would take forever. Now, were I to try and make sense of it all, that would be something else – I’m not sure Dylan himself could do it. A few years back I spent tons of time trying to change the order of some lines / reorganise the verses and make it work. It goes without saying it proved to be a futile attempt. Maybe, it’s better to accept it for what it is, simply entertaining, vibrant, neurotic to the point of almost being out of its senses blues/rock. That being said, there’s a stab against modern capitalist society that’s hard to miss. And of course the “Where Ma Rainey and Beethoven once unwrapped their bedroll tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole” line is one of my all-time favourites. Scratch that, the entire song is one of my favourites and I’d – watch your step, blasphemy ahead – take it over Like A Rolling Stone without a second thought.
Then we enter the part of the album that, for me, leaves a lot to be desired and if I were to find a more tangible reason – apart from the ones I ‘ve already brought up - I don’t rate it any higher, I’d point towards it . Now, you may ask, are the 8 albums above it flawless? Nope, but they have something else going for them, here the consistency – I’m sure someone’s already explained to you how it’s pound for pound the best album ever, 9 perfect songs in 50 minutes - is one of its main selling points, so it’s harder to ignore it. To put it into a more specific context, I’d go as far as to say that I consider Blonde On Blonde superior when comparing their track listing (the debate usually revolves around those two, I think Blood On The Tracks appeals to a slightly different audience) not so much because it has higher highs (if Visions Of Johanna is better than Desolation Row - supposing these two mark their respective highs - it’s only by a hair), it’s because it has no such lows – despite being a double album, even the usually dismissed as inferior third side is essential in my eyes, but more on that later.
Now, is there something particular I dislike about It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry? Not really, but there’s nothing that excites me either, a mildly pleasant slow-burning tune to have in your background,
If you told me this is the best example this genre has to offer, I would easily believe you without asking any questions. Bringing It All Back Home and Blonde On Blonde (each of them in a different way) are much more than that, they go to places this doesn’t and as a result end up higher on my list. But if we are talking about rock music as I have it in my mind, that’s as good as it gets. Actually, when people ask me “what music do you like?” and I’m not in the mood for any detailed analysis, my go-to generic answer is rock. Five minutes later, I find myself thinking “dude, that was a blatant lie”. Then I remember this album exists, so it’s all good.
By the way, if one takes into account that The Times They Are A-Changin’ finished lower than The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and Another Side Of Bob Dylan, you might notice an interesting pattern: I consider the second album of each trilogy the weakest. Maybe the first one comes with the excitement and the joy of discovering the great unknown, while the third sees him slowly losing interest and setting off for new escapades, adding new twists to the already established ideas. The second sees him fully embrace said concepts, offering a close-up of them that is more or less flawlessly executed, but ends up just a tiny bit less interesting than the other two.
Moving on, I can’t help but notice that the whole “Dylan goes electric” narrative is a bit hm…, not sure how to call it, superficial maybe? No, misleading is the word. I mean, it’s not false or anything, everyone who happens to have a pair of ears could be called on to testify. The thing is it focuses on the most obvious – and controversial if you will - aspect of his transformation and ignores other equally – if not more – essential elements of it. One major issue I had while preparing this comment is if the points regarding the shift in his songwriting should be covered here or in Bringing It All Back Home – not to mention traces of it can be spotted all the way back to Another Side Of Bob Dylan, which goes on to show that his growth as a songwriter has little to do with “going electric”. Doing justice to my title as the great procrastinator, I decided to save it for Bringing It All Back Home. Also, I can already see this comment getting out of control length-wise, better not overload it.
Opening with his most classic song (for real, is there a more iconic moment in music history than the snare drum that opens Like A Rolling Stone?) and it’s worth all the praise it’s received – but if you want my hot take, it’s barely a top-3 song here, which speaks volumes about the quality of the rest of the material here and is by no means a criticism towards it. Its structure is nothing short of awe-inspiring. It starts as a fairy tale, everything’s rosy for our little princess. The verses slowly build up in intensity, he triumphantly strips her of all the glory and grandeur that surrounds her, as he puts on display her flaws (she Is arrogant, pretentious, insensitive, disrespectful, superficial, you name it) that lead to her dramatic, thundering fall. I’ve always had the impression that the chorus is meant to release tension, a moment of catharsis, she’s reached the bottom of the barrel, his “attack” is less vicious, almost soft. And the one million dollar question: Who is it addressed to? Is it real-life inspired, is there a specific person, could it be a friend that betrayed him or a lover that left him, or no one in particular (as the last verse opens up to include “all the pretty people”)? It doesn’t matter that much, some things are better left unsaid (and it inspires everyone to draw his own conclusions, some of them are surprisingly inventive, there’s even an interpretation that the song deals with drugs, i.e. the person in question had everything, did drugs and lost it all, had a good laugh while reading it, but I have to admit this theory is a stretch to say the least). One thing’s for sure, the bitterness comes through crystal clear, that’s the epitome of a diss track a good 3 decades before they were cool. Even the finest efforts (No Vaseline, Ether, Hit Em Up, etc.) would have a hard time keeping up with this. Another technique he’s mastered during this stage of his career is his tendency to include various, seemingly random yet undeniably mysterious and fascinating characters that add an extra dimension to each song (in this case it’s the mystery tramp, the diplomat and his Siamese Cat and of course Napoleon in rags). The way he handles the chorus, for example changing lyrics from one to the other, is of interest as well, though I have to resort to my favourite method of pointing to another album, as the chorus “manipulation” so to speak reached its peak in Blonde On Blonde, thus I’ll keep this subject for later.
The second track, Tombstone Blues, sees him further explore his rapping antics, it could have come straight out of Bringing It All Back Home and it could just as easily pass as a sequel of Subterranean Homesick Blues. Speaking of quirky characters, this one goes above and beyond, I won’t even bother naming all of them, it would take forever. Now, were I to try and make sense of it all, that would be something else – I’m not sure Dylan himself could do it. A few years back I spent tons of time trying to change the order of some lines / reorganise the verses and make it work. It goes without saying it proved to be a futile attempt. Maybe, it’s better to accept it for what it is, simply entertaining, vibrant, neurotic to the point of almost being out of its senses blues/rock. That being said, there’s a stab against modern capitalist society that’s hard to miss. And of course the “Where Ma Rainey and Beethoven once unwrapped their bedroll tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole” line is one of my all-time favourites. Scratch that, the entire song is one of my favourites and I’d – watch your step, blasphemy ahead – take it over Like A Rolling Stone without a second thought.
Then we enter the part of the album that, for me, leaves a lot to be desired and if I were to find a more tangible reason – apart from the ones I ‘ve already brought up - I don’t rate it any higher, I’d point towards it . Now, you may ask, are the 8 albums above it flawless? Nope, but they have something else going for them, here the consistency – I’m sure someone’s already explained to you how it’s pound for pound the best album ever, 9 perfect songs in 50 minutes - is one of its main selling points, so it’s harder to ignore it. To put it into a more specific context, I’d go as far as to say that I consider Blonde On Blonde superior when comparing their track listing (the debate usually revolves around those two, I think Blood On The Tracks appeals to a slightly different audience) not so much because it has higher highs (if Visions Of Johanna is better than Desolation Row - supposing these two mark their respective highs - it’s only by a hair), it’s because it has no such lows – despite being a double album, even the usually dismissed as inferior third side is essential in my eyes, but more on that later.
Now, is there something particular I dislike about It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry? Not really, but there’s nothing that excites me either, a mildly pleasant slow-burning tune to have in your background,
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,527
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Oh man, how I love this album. You know, shockingly enough, I’ll go on to say it’s my favourite of theirs on most days. I think The Beach Boys Today! Is for The Beach Boys what Rubber Soul – which by the way might also be my favourite entry in the Fab Four’s catalogue - is for The Beatles. It perfectly captures this rare moment of transition, they find themselves between being boys and men, innocent and mature, carefree and sophisticated, etc and we get the best of both worlds. And I find it highly fascinating that you can witness this development as the album progresses, all you have to do is compare the first side to the second and it should be instantly noticeable. Not sure why Help Me, Ronda is considered the best track here – especially this version - when Please Let Me Wonder exists, that song is nothing short of a heavenly beauty. As I’ve said before, there are probably 5 or 6 songs I would view as candidates for the title of the second greatest Beach Boys song ever and this is clearly one of them. Dance, Dance, Dance may be the weak link, just a simple and harmless rock and roll tune, though it’s “imperfect” moments like this that make me appreciate this record even more - not to mention I’m the kind of guy that loves Bull Session With The "Big Daddy" - being a bit messy and confused fits the state of mind of a teenager/young adult, which is what The Beach Boys will always represent in my mind, sometimes Pet Sounds feels too perfect.
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,085
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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There are several Monk records that give me the impression “oh yeah, that’s definitely his best” as I listen to them – and this thought starts fading away when I get my hands on something else by the man. Solo Monk is no exception to that rule – Brilliant Corners, Monk’s Dream, Monk., Thelonious Alone In San Francisco all fit this description, maybe a couple more as well. His usual traits are present here and the fact that it’s a solo effort actually pays dividends, as it magnifies them and we get to enjoy them without any distractions. If you are a fan, you should love it. If you aren't -yet- this should answer all your questions and finally convince you. Bouncy and colourful, romantic in his own twisted way, though the one thing that stands out is how uplifting it is, perhaps it has to do with him falling back on the tradition/the simpler times of the past as a form of escapism.
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And let’s keep going with some more obscure jazz. The second half of the ‘60s saw some interesting developments in the Polish Jazz scene and this is one of the earliest and finest examples. It’s definitely experimental and forward-thinking, but at no point does it feel aimless or forced. Synopsis is the central piece of the album – in fact, it’s not hard to imagine it could have been a great album by itself. During its running time of more than 18(!!) minutes, each member of the band gets to do his own thing – and they are all fantastic, no doubt about it – but the most impressive is the chemistry between them, how each of them picks up where someone else left off and in the end all the pieces of the puzzle – seemingly miraculously even though it’s precisely calculated - fall into place. I am a big fan of the shorter tracks as well, where Andrzej Trzaskowski gets the chance to show that he is also a great pianist – apart from a phenomenal composer – as he combines elegance and lyricism in an effective and engaging way. Although this record is classified as “avant-garde”, I think its charm is universal and it should be easy to like for pretty much anyone no matter how he/she feels towards jazz in general, highly recommended.
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If you ‘ve been following this diary, there’s a very good chance you might have noticed my relationship to Otis Redding, namely that I absolutely adore him, so you might guess how I’m feeling towards this album as well. Soul music has provided us with many phenomenal singers and I can see why someone would prefer e.g. Sam Cooke’s super-smooth and crystal-clear voice, but for me there’s no one like Otis Redding. His raw and gritty but at the same time oh so very painfully fragile and emotionally devastating style is peerless. Simple and to the point, he speaks directly to the listener’s soul. GOAT debates are meaningless and stuff, but this man has as strong a case as any singer nevertheless. Now, are these songs good, bad or average? I’d say it barely matters, Otis could sing the alphabet and I am positive it would sound perfect. That being said, most – if not all - of them are indeed above average, my favourites being That's How Strong My Love Is, It's Too Late and For Your Precious Love. Overall, I consider this record slightly underrated, it stands comfortably next to his two "big" albums, Pain In My Heart and Otis Blue.
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Phil Ochs presents us his second attempt at creating his version of The Times They Are A-Changin’ and It’s clearly a better one. His protest is not as intense or vitriolic, yet equally effective and direct when it comes to getting his point across. He has an ear for melody which he puts to good use and makes it much easier to digest compared to Dylan’s more sparse/stripped to the bone approach. His guitar playing is spot on, adding extra depth without distracting from the message. His voice carries enough emotional weight without getting excessive. It’s not as commanding as Dylan’s– after all, there’s only room for one sheriff in this town voice of a generation - , but he makes up for it by being more sensitive and relatable. And what a surprise, the guy can actually mix it up and tell a story, it’s not entirely about politics and social injustice. When reviewing his debut album All the News That's Fit to Sing, I went on and called him a journalist. Well, now he is much more than that, he is a well-rounded songwriter and this diversity proves to be refreshing. Before I get carried away, let me say that I’d still take Dylan every day of the week and twice on Sunday, but this is a record that is definitely worth listening, the man has something to say, give him a chance.
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
410
Rank in 1965:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Point Of Departure is widely regarded as Andrew Hill’s magnum opus and as far as I’m concerned it more than lives up to its reputation. A while back I commented on his previous album - Black Fire - and I wrote that the tendency to compare him with Thelonious Monk isn’t entirely justified, as I was of the opinion that he fell short of that – ridiculously high – standard. Here, on the other hand, there are no complaints of any kind to be made, he totally smashed it. His playing is stylishly bouncy, full of energy and joy, adventurous yet easy on the ear, technical but not too serious, a Monk-esque vibe is undeniable. Not much needs to be said for Eric Dolphy, it’s business as usual, he quite simply delivers another monumental performance, what a legend. However, it’s the two comparatively “old school” guys, namely Joe Henderson and Kenny Dorham, that deserve a special mention. They are extremely essential to the success of this record, their grounded approach leaves plenty of room for Hill’s and Dolphy’s shenanigans and makes the final outcome much more colourful and multidimensional. They are the voice of reason if you will, take them out and all of a sudden nothing makes sense. The rhythm section – that would be bassist Richard Davis and Tony Williams, one of my favourite drummers that I’ve already brought up more than once in this diary - is also up to the task, you could hardly ask for anything more. Spectrum is my favourite track, but it’s far from an easy choice. Each of them has its own distinct personality and showcases a different aspect of the sextet’s brilliance, yet all of them contribute to the greater, stunningly beautiful, picture. All in all, I unreservedly recommend it, one of jazz’s finest achievements.
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
373
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The second album Albert Ayler released in 1965 is more accessible and easy on the ear compared to Spiritual Unity– especially the first side, after that things admittedly do get out of control -, so I’d suggest using it as an entry point before focusing on his magnum opus. Of course this doesn’t mean that you should expect a walk in the park of hard bop or something, you know it’s free jazz we are talking about and Albert Ayler never fails to offer his listeners a wild, chaotic, violent experience. Big props to the rest of the band as well, they keep up with him – far from an easy task as you can imagine. Actually, two of them, Gary Peacock and Sunny Murray would accompany him in Spiritual Unity, too. The last but not least member of the gang, Don Cherry, is equally impressive. Anyway, there isn’t that much to say about albums such as this, you have to listen to it in order to get the picture.
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Well, that’s a tricky one. On the one hand, I think it should be instantly clear that this is their strongest album up to this point and that’s by some distance. However, the problem I often face when rating works of artists I really like is that I overrate their “lesser” releases, so when I get to the really good stuff, it’s not that easy to adjust properly, Anyway, that was mostly irrelevant and unnecessary, just a note to myself to go back to their previous records and somehow fix it. It goes without saying that the vocals are the highlight and the main reason they stand out as a group. They are great singers individually but the most important thing is that their team chemistry is off the charts. It’s reasonably consistent, most of the songs showcase a willingness to move away from the generic pop soul of the time, the self-titled track being the obvious choice as the best of the bunch. Now, if you enjoy soul music in the style of Otis Redding, namely raw, gritty and devastating, be prepared for something different. Everything here is super clean and smooth. Think of it as Sam Cooke meets the pop sensibilities of Group Girl - actually, Smokey Robinson may be a better point of comparison, as he combines the sweet with the ambitious. There are moments one might feel it was overproduced and a simpler approach might have done it justice, but it works for the most part. That being said, if there’s one thing to keep from this album, it’s definitely its attitude. It comes with an Infectious joy that can make your day no matter how tough or stressful it has been.
Total albums: 32. Page 1 of 4
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Top 32 Music Albums of 1965 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Otis Redding | 2 | 6% | |
| Bob Dylan | 2 | 6% | |
| The Beach Boys | 2 | 6% | |
| Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra | 1 | 3% | |
| Thelonious Monk | 1 | 3% | |
| Albert Ayler Trio | 1 | 3% | |
| Them | 1 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
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Other year charts by kokkinos
(from the 1960s)| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 32 Music Albums of 1965 | kokkinos | 1965 year chart | 2022 | |
| Top 36 Music Albums of 1964 | kokkinos | 1964 year chart | 2022 | |
| Top 33 Music Albums of 1963 | kokkinos | 1963 year chart | 2022 | |
| Top 18 Music Albums of 1962 | kokkinos | 1962 year chart | 2021 | |
| Top 14 Music Albums of 1961 | kokkinos | 1961 year chart | 2021 | |
| Top 13 Music Albums of 1960 | kokkinos | 1960 year chart | 2022 | |
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