Listed below are the best albums of the 1960s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 58,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 2 hours ago).
"The way I feel about this album is best represented by the scene in High Fidelity in which Jack Black's character, Barry, describes not owning it as "perverse." That about sums it up. Song for song, this is finest folk rock album ever made. "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" is probably the highligh...""The way I feel about this album is best represented by the scene in High Fidelity in which Jack Black's character, Barry, describes not owning it as "perverse." That about sums it up. Song for song, this is finest folk rock album ever made. "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" is probably the highlight for me, but there's not a weak track here."[+]Reply
"Not sure if this is Zeppelin's best album, but it is my favorite. Plant's vocals have never been better, Bonham's drums are insane, and whether the lyrics are about sex, citrus, or Lord of the Rings, every track is essential. It's tough to pick core tracks, but for me Thank You, Heartbreaker, Ram...""Not sure if this is Zeppelin's best album, but it is my favorite. Plant's vocals have never been better, Bonham's drums are insane, and whether the lyrics are about sex, citrus, or Lord of the Rings, every track is essential.
It's tough to pick core tracks, but for me Thank You, Heartbreaker, Ramble On, Moby Dick, and Bring it on home really make the album for me."[+]Reply
"By the time he began to record 'Electric Ladyland', Jimi Hendrix had already learned enough about studio recording to be able to reproduce all the sounds he had in his head, note for note. The result was, in my opinion, the ultimate Jimi Hendrix experience and a testament to his songwriting and p...""By the time he began to record 'Electric Ladyland', Jimi Hendrix had already learned enough about studio recording to be able to reproduce all the sounds he had in his head, note for note. The result was, in my opinion, the ultimate Jimi Hendrix experience and a testament to his songwriting and performance abilities. The whole thing is amazing, from the cosmic blues of 'Voodoo Chile' to the psychedelic 'Gypsy Eyes' to the jazzy prog-rock epic, '1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be), Hendrix managed to incorporate all of his musical influences without it sounding too convoluted or pretentious. Even near the end, the album keeps surprising us, its most memorable songs being its last two: 'All Along the Watchtower', probably the best cover ever made, and 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)', a standard for rock guitarists all over the world.
"[+]Reply
"The brilliance of Let It Bleed-one of the finest in the Stone's catalog and one of the greatest albums ever recorded-is the brilliance of the Stones themselves. The album is so varied with a heavy reliance on country rhythms and chord structures, starting off with the terrifying Gimme Me Shelter ...""The brilliance of Let It Bleed-one of the finest in the Stone's catalog and one of the greatest albums ever recorded-is the brilliance of the Stones themselves. The album is so varied with a heavy reliance on country rhythms and chord structures, starting off with the terrifying Gimme Me Shelter and ending with what might be their best song, You Can't Always Get What You Want. On an apocalyptic album recorded as an decade winded down, Monkey Man is a sleek and classy as it is wild. It's also pretty damn scary, unique, and armed with Jaggers acid lyrics and vocal bite. Much as The Beatles Revolver feels like a continuation of Rubber Soul, this is on the same wavelength as Beggars Banquet released the year before for me. Both rank as two of the most amazing achievements in modern music."[+]Reply
"LED ZEPPELIN (I) is magnificent showcase for a band that has since attained almost godlike status among their diehard fans. The bombastic volume of their heavier numbers easily matched (and often surpassed) the intensity of their contemporaries in 1969. At the same time, their songs were quite dy...""LED ZEPPELIN (I) is magnificent showcase for a band that has since attained almost godlike status among their diehard fans. The bombastic volume of their heavier numbers easily matched (and often surpassed) the intensity of their contemporaries in 1969. At the same time, their songs were quite dynamic and borrowed widely from different genres including folk & blues. It seems obvious that Jimmy Page had been paying close attention to Jeff Beck's debut TRUTH while crafting the sound of his new band, even going as far as covering "You Shook Me". It's never been any great secret that Zeppelin borrowed & stole many of its ideas from other songwriters. Still, they were great interpreters and often knew how to elevate these songs & ideas to their full potential. Their debut album remains a towering achievement to behold, both for musicians wanting to follow in their footsteps and more casual music fans."[+]Reply
"This remains for me one of those albums where its clear something strange and abstract and almost divine happened. Like few albums before or since such as A Love Supreme, this album almost feels like it has a Godly influence. I don't know how to explain it, but almost every aspect of this record ...""This remains for me one of those albums where its clear something strange and abstract and almost divine happened. Like few albums before or since such as A Love Supreme, this album almost feels like it has a Godly influence. I don't know how to explain it, but almost every aspect of this record seems soft as air, like a fleeting moment of clarity, like some gossamer in the air which when you reach for it, it is gone, never quite attainable in terms of full conception.
The music, a brilliant mix of irish folk, soul, jazz, blues, and a hundred other things seemingly, is impossible for me to really pin down or categorize. There are moments here of musical beauty and ascendance which is rarely heard. And the vocals by a 23 year old master Van Morrison are mercurial, passionate, they sweep from extreme to extreme as if guided by some unseen hand of some unseen higher power. And the words keep the theme of dichotomy going. Insofar as there are words here that just feel right, they conjure up images and feelings so innate in us as human beings, so true to our conceived form or essence, and yet when you really try to analyze them they, again, seem completely unknowable and abstract.
A Specific moment which for some reason never fails to send shivers down my body is in "Madame George". You know that point at the very beginning when you've just gotten done being happy and exuberant on the previous track "The Way Young Lovers Do" when the bass comes in all slack and earthy like and at that moment Van comes in with his sweet soul? That part for some reason, that exact moment and the whole concatenation of moments leading up to it for some reason makes me think of mental clouds opening, like a person (could be me or you when you listen or Van) is having a moment of spiritual oneness, when he is experiencing a moment of true epiphany and clarity. That for some reason just blows me away every time.
Also the horn on "Slim Slow Rider" is unearthly. Anyway, I won't go into all the points which are exemplary of this albums majesty, cuz, I just don't wanna. Just listen to it again (and again and again and again...) or for the first time.
Just a little inside baseball, I have had this post open and being edited for 3 days. I'm a freak about these lists. I do a lot of listening and dorky "Research". Anyway, you know you have a true towering classic when you find it nearly impossible to move away from an album long enough to even consider other albums for a list. Well, that's been the struggle with Astral Weeks lately.
In closing, How this album came to be is one of those truly miraculous moments. 50 years later and there has still been nothing like Astral Weeks. And every time I go to listen to this profound statement of humanism and spiritual inspiration, I know that I am in for some sort of unearthly reward. This album... my God... Love Applause Love Applause Love
"In another world
In another world
In another time
Got a home on high
Ain't nothing but a stranger in this world
I'm nothing but a stranger in this world
I got a home on high
In another land
So far away
So far away
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven" - Astral Weeks
Grade: 10/10"[+]Reply
"It opens with a Chinese gong that carries its vibrations across Coltrane's saxaphone bursting through, with a light series of percussion gently bustling beneath, before the bass groove of his now signature "A Love Supreme" theme, a humble, beautiful dedication to God, casts its spell on the work....""It opens with a Chinese gong that carries its vibrations across Coltrane's saxaphone bursting through, with a light series of percussion gently bustling beneath, before the bass groove of his now signature "A Love Supreme" theme, a humble, beautiful dedication to God, casts its spell on the work. Coltrane continues to increase a series of wonderful variations on the theme throughout Acknowledgement, a masterstroke of an opening, brilliantly coaxing us along until, kneeled down, a voice comes forth in a gentle, relaxed mantra, singing "A Love Supreme" over and over again, meditating on the theme, before all instruments subside, excepting a lone bass number searching for the way. Coltrane will show them. He will be led forth by God.
Resolution breaks through with a monumental melody, towering above all else, and then holds back while a solo for piano dominates the next couple minutes, rising chords move upwards towards the sky, relentless drumming ecstatically following suit, weaving in and out and working off one another. Suddenly Coltrane charges into the mix, repeating a controlled assault on variations of the opening melody, huge phrases calling out to the Lord as he swiftly climbs upwards.
Pursuance one of the most emotional, awe-inspiring, towering masterpieces in all of music, is the pinnacle of Coltrane's career. After opening with an amazing series of drum rolls and an outstanding, flawlessly crafted piano number that builds perfectly right into the second phase of the song, Coltrane arrives with such conviction and abandon that it is hard to believe. Here walls come down, we are transported straight into the very essence of undying conviction and spirituality. Each time Coltrane and the climaxing drum rolls meet are moments of the most intense powers colliding. The song ends with a massive percussion climax before some intimate minutes of lone bass are spent repeating Coltrane's meditative themes.
The conclusion of Pursuance leads straight into the mesmerizing finale of Psalm. A completely overwhelmed Coltrane plays as if being touched by God. Beneath his extravagant, poignant melody arises great rumblings of percussion, casting an epic spell and a divine conclusion on the work, before each instrument eventually coalesces in unison as the psalm closes.
As John Coltrane's masterpiece, A Love Supreme is the most humble offering, a true miracle, an intensely emotional prayer that manages to carry forth undivided by religion or belief. Regardless of faith, it speaks personally to each of us. It is a beacon showing light on the beauty and artistry that raises the humanity in us all."[+]Reply
"This album just supports my reasons why 1967 is the single greatest year of music; The Doors, Sargent Pepper, The Who Sell Out, Strange Days, The Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Pink Floyd, Aretha Franklin, Jefferson Airplane, and so many more."Reply
"This is easily the Beatles' most overlooked release. Although glued together from some singles, and the film's soundtrack, Magical Mystery tour holds together. Although psychedelic like Sgt. Pepper's, Mystery Tour relies less on narrative and more on atmosphere. The heavy instrumentation of Straw...""This is easily the Beatles' most overlooked release. Although glued together from some singles, and the film's soundtrack, Magical Mystery tour holds together. Although psychedelic like Sgt. Pepper's, Mystery Tour relies less on narrative and more on atmosphere. The heavy instrumentation of Strawberry Fields Forever, the druggy layers on Blue Jay Way. Even the straightforward ballads feel more put together than usual for a Beatles' LP. (Your Mother Should Know, Fool on the Hill). Even the title track (a less successful version of Sgt. Pepper's opener) and Flying (a simple instrumental) are solid. But when this album is good its amazing. Strawberry Fields, All you Need is Love, and I am a Walrus are not only some of the Beatles' best, but some of the greatest songs of all time.
P.S. I would recommend any Beatles fan get this record on vinyl. It comes with a large and gorgeous twenty page picture book."[+]Reply