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: 4 hours ago).
"If aliens from another planet landed here and wanted to know what music from earth was like, this is what I would give them. I don't know if words can describe, but this would also serve as my desert island record. I can literally listen to this over and over with a smile on my face. I can't say ...""If aliens from another planet landed here and wanted to know what music from earth was like, this is what I would give them. I don't know if words can describe, but this would also serve as my desert island record. I can literally listen to this over and over with a smile on my face. I can't say that about any other recording that exists. Needless to say, this is my favorite album of all time."[+]Reply
"Once, coiled soundly beneath the kaleidoscopic cornucopia of musical excess that was the 1960's, a tidal wave which reached sacred heights but synchronically cannibalized itself ten times over, there was a man. A man who, fit with somber body language and European sensibilities, wore dark sunglas...""Once, coiled soundly beneath the kaleidoscopic cornucopia of musical excess that was the 1960's, a tidal wave which reached sacred heights but synchronically cannibalized itself ten times over, there was a man. A man who, fit with somber body language and European sensibilities, wore dark sunglasses indoors and crooned with regard to the fraudulent nature of suburban, posh societies and serial drinkers who typify carnal, animalistic yearnings on midnight pub parades. The man's name was Scott Walker and he's seemingly lived a thousand lifetimes, shuffling along in the footwear of names past and present, rich and poor, angelic and depraved in equal measure. Here, on 'Scott', Walker begins to chisel out his first, significant artistic personality, free from the restraints of the pop band expectations of the Walker Brothers and into a new era of thought-provoking, thematically challenging baroque pop. On his first solo record, the enigmatic songster registers a mere trio of writing credits, however, it's the ascendancy and grandeur of the LP that transfigures the collective into something wholly idiosyncratic. On 'Scott', a caged, creative genius breathed new air that billowed with currents of Belgian chanteurs and classical composers and laid the bedrock for one of the most beguiling careers of the modern era.
The album begins with 'Mathilde', an English rendition of Jacques Brel's 1964 chanson that details an abusive, romantic entanglement that forever resurrects like a pitiful, desperate phoenix. This is an opportune time to discuss Walker's admiration and veneration for Brel's work, once even calling him the "most important singer-songwriter in the world". Brel's pension to uncover and rhapsodize on all things strange and uncomfortable in society appealed to Walker, during a period where such things weren't touched or even discussed in pop music, let alone music at large. As a result, Walker christened his exodus from the mainstream by breathing life into Brel's haunting, challenging and sunless parables. At their moral best, they're hopeless, demoralizing accounts of unrequited love and at their worst, accounts of molestation, both mentally and physically at the hands of Army officers. Despite Walker's radical and firmly adult direction, his albums began to fall on a more gradually disinterested audience. Yet, it began to plot the roadmap for a rapidly escalating sonic approach that few (if any) could find parallels to. On 'Mathilde', Walker channels Brel while proclaiming, "My hands, you'll start to shake again when you remember all the pain; Mathilde's come back to me; You'll want to beat her black and blue but don't do it, I beg of you." The track is framed within an up-tempo sheen, reminiscent of a march into battle or a swaggering anthem of boisterous victory. The subject's early indecision is apparent with his mind made up by the end of the piece. Walker employed the assistance of three composers on 'Scott', perhaps most synonymously, Angela Morley (then Wally Stott), who would go on to further heights as Walker's arranger. On track two, Montague Terrace (In Blue), one of three penned by Scott himself, Morley crafts a dizzying, yet chic sheen before propelling walls of brass that instantly unionize with Walker's baritone hollers. There's an air of satire purveying here, like a thick vapor. "The girl across the hall makes love; Her thoughts lay cold like shattered stone; Her thighs are full of tales to tell of all the nights she's known," Walker details. It's unclear if the image is one of a much yearned for, idyllic, societal upgrade or a disdain for others' possessions and dispositions.
Arriving third, LP highlight 'Angelica' softly vibrates before segueing into Walker's cries for the song's titular maiden. The organ tones from the onset color the track with melancholy, conjuring images of eulogization for lost love. Walker explains, "Now in my solitude, I tend the flowers that I buy, As they slowly fade and die, watered by the tears I cry." 'Angelica' represents a landmark in the early days of Walker's solo odyssey, as an indication of his desire to routinely croon overtop pessimist anthems far before it was vogue, complete with a dim worldview that would become progressively overcast. Fourth Track, 'The Lady from Baltimore', is Walker's attempt at Tim Hardin's classic. Scott's take is fittingly folky, with the prose in lock-step with his bleak paradigm. His voice sports a twangy timbre, faintly foreshadowing his self-assessed "Wilderness Years" in the early 1970's. However, his foray into folk and flirtation with country is marvelously executed. Walker's most ardent statement on the LP is the final track, 'Amsterdam', a swooning, cinematic recoloring of Jacques Brel's famous live staple. It's through this piece that Walker proves himself to be most worthy to succeed Brel as the patron saint of fatalistic allegories. The track opens with accordion hisses that wash over the empty pockets of sonic space like a patient sunrise as eyelids softly open to greet it. Walker sets the the scene for the finale with a tale of the rawest kind of human desperation, with a pistol of willful ignorance tucked away in its holster. The tale is as much about revelry as it is despair, or maybe more astutely, how the two co-exist in the minds of the downtrodden. 'Amsterdam' steadily ascends, starting as a lone man recounting a drunken memory out loud. Soon, it seems as if others join in (characterized by the power of Walker's vocals). Finally, the collective emerges, taking the form of the swirling instrumentation that rises the tide lead by Walker's voice. It's a picture so vivid that it's hard to disassociate the visual from the track. It's a stunning statement ushered off by Walker's repeated chants. 'Amsterdam' is without question Walker's finest Brel interpretation and one of his career's most prolific efforts.
Noel Scott Engel died on March 22, 2019, but the world knew him as Scott Walker. However, few people knew that he died in 1967 as well. This death did not serve as a passageway to the afterlife, but rather, a reincarnation. An invigoration. A rebirth. 'Scott' remains the genesis of a career that words couldn't succinctly articulate. The Scott Walker of the Walker brothers walked and died, dried up in a desert of creative disillusionment and disgust so that the Scott Walker that would follow could run and consequently, swim oceans fiercely cavernous and artistically unbound. The transaction included trading in a handsome, youthful face for a stern demeanor and a military cap that slumped lower and lower throughout the years, reflecting the thematic directions his music would take while hiding the weathered, hardened features of his face. The seedlings planted within 'Scott' would grow to spawn a wonderous garden whose fruits few would taste. Walker saw very little monetary success throughout the remainder of his career and by 1978, he was a recluse. He would occasionally resurface with records that would scorch earth and send those with their ears to the ground into a frenzy. By some, he is regarded as the most unheralded genius in music history. To others, he was a passing shadow of an assembly line industry of musical malaise. In 1967, with a brilliant, stark solo debut, he began a journey of endless ambition fit with thankless repercussions. It's a journey we all should take, for it is rooted in the very soul of what music should be, endlessly imaginative and unyielding. However, few have the inclination to look at the natural world as Walker did. It's a blessing and a curse.
"In the port of Amsterdam there's a sailor who drinks
And he drinks, and he drinks, and he drinks once again,
He drinks to the health of the whores of Amsterdam
Who have promised their love to a thousand other men
They've bargained their bodies and their virtue long gone
For a few dirty coins, and when he can't go on,
He plants his nose in the sky and he wipes it up above,
And he pisses like I cry for an unfaithful love."
-Amsterdam
Standout Tracks:
1. Amsterdam
2. Angelica
3. The Lady from Baltimore
91.6"[+]Reply
"The best voice of all time singing like never, Claus Ogerman´s delicate and inspired arrangements and a first line Tom Jobim and American Standards repertoire, all in a sofisticated Bossa Nova style. Everything here is perfect."Reply
"Love first album from 1966 has often been overlooked because of the extraordinary greatness of the two following albums "Da Capo" and "Forever Changes". The general sound on the album is rougher than on the following albums. But the album is actually a fine mixture of hard-rocking tunes and melod...""Love first album from 1966 has often been overlooked because of the extraordinary greatness of the two following albums "Da Capo" and "Forever Changes". The general sound on the album is rougher than on the following albums. But the album is actually a fine mixture of hard-rocking tunes and melodic ballads.
"My Little Red Book" , which was a minor hit-single, is probably the best known track and also one of the highlights. Among the ballads Arthur Lee's "A Message to Pretty" is outstanding and Bryan MacLean's "Softly to Me" indicates what great tunes would come from him later. "Mushroom Clouds" is also a fine tune.
Among the harder rocking tracks "No Matter What You Do", in spite of its rough production, is both cathcy and moving. The acoustic early version of "Signed DC" is simply moving.
The B-side bonus track "Number 14" is a nice addition to the album, and the alternate version of "Signed DC" is great!
Though the album is not as consistent as the following albums, tracks like "My Little Red Book", "A Message to Pretty" and "No Matter What You Do" would have fitted nicely into the "Da Capo" album. A great album that deserves recognition as one of the best albums of 1966, alongside their inspirators' ( the Byrds ) album "Fifth Dimension". Especially the bass-lines are often reminiscent of the early Byrds sound. "[+]Reply
"TO LOVE AND LET IT GO Here I am believin' words again Here I am tryin' to find your love again Here I am down on my knees again Prayin' for a love That we used to know Both of us know How hard it is to love And let it go Both of us know How hard it is to go on living that way - I Must Have Been B...""TO LOVE AND LET IT GO
Here I am believin' words again
Here I am tryin' to find your love again
Here I am down on my knees again
Prayin' for a love
That we used to know
Both of us know
How hard it is to love
And let it go
Both of us know
How hard it is to go on living that way - I Must Have Been Blind
Then just like the river
I can change my ways - The River
To love and let it go. All of us have to go through this. It is part of being human. And it is one of the hardest things to do. And it is the central theme of this incredible album. Loving & letting go. And how we can blind ourselves. Deceive ourselves for a long, long time of the necessity to move on. But just like the river that provides the setting for so many of these beautiful, mournful songs - we can change our ways. We can move on. It can be so hard to believe that someone we feel so strongly about does not feel the same way. Does not reciprocate that love that we feel so deeply in our bones. We go into denial. And get stuck. Stagnate. And that’s disastrous for our soul. For our spirit. Luckily, Tim made this album for us during these these difficult times. Its an album that proves that we are not alone in this plight. That everyone loses love. That the feeling of love lost is universal. And we can go to that river that runs through all of us. Dance by the river's edge. And move on. Because just like the river, we can change our ways.
Grade: A+. I don’t know what this is. Is it Jazz? Folk? Who cares! Albums that bend and blur the genre lines are so often the best and this of course is no exception. Tim shows yet again that he was (by far!) the best vocalist of the folk rock kingdom for that era or really any era. His vocal prowess has really been unmatched. ( And if it has, school me! Please.) It was a singular instrument - sensuous yet longing. Full of vitality yet also vulnerable. Especially on Blue Afternoon - which even though he’s venturing even further into jazz terrain, it’s actually his most accessible and mellow album. Accessible is sometimes used as a four letter word. But, it really shouldn’t be. It just means it’s a natural fit. Like love should be! So sure Buckley has more challenging albums, more avant-garde albums such as BEA/Scaruffi faves like Lorca and Starsailor, but this is by far my favorite. It’s the perfect album to snuggle up with on this rainy, overcast morning with a cup of Numi's Aged Earl Gray. (I’m off coffee. Aargh!… Doctor’s orders, I’m afraid. Thanks for the tea recs, Paul & Jimmy!). And it meanders like a river all the way up to number six. "[+]Reply
"What’s the best album no one has heard of ? Music snobs have preached the the virtues of this album for decades and with good reason. Coming out in 69 this album was swamped by the land mark releases from The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin and very much suffered as the hippie summer of ...""What’s the best album no one has heard of ? Music snobs have preached the the virtues of this album for decades and with good reason. Coming out in 69 this album was swamped by the land mark releases from The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin and very much suffered as the hippie summer of love folk sound from 2 years prior was waning in popularity for an edgier harder sound
Regardless it remains a remarkable album full of passion and exceptional song writing who’s legend hopefully continues to grow with each generation "[+]Reply
DriftingOrpheus | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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CellarDoor | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +11 votes (11 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Repo | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Brad1770 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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