Best Albums of the 1960s

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21.

Odessey And Oracle 

 The Zombies

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"What I was trying to convey with the slightly awkward comment below is that this is not at all a fun and happy album as some commenters have said. I mean look at the lyric subjects for the first half of the album, we've got: longing (Care of cell 44), loneliness (A Rose for Emily), jealousy (Mayb...""What I was trying to convey with the slightly awkward comment below is that this is not at all a fun and happy album as some commenters have said. I mean look at the lyric subjects for the first half of the album, we've got: longing (Care of cell 44), loneliness (A Rose for Emily), jealousy (Maybe after he's gone), nostalgia (Beechwood Park) and lost love (?) (Brief Candles). Heavy stuff. Then suddenly it makes a full turn and we get hope for the future(Hung up on a dream, This will be our year), lust (I want her she wants me), with a slight reminder that war is horrible thrown in there (Butcher's Tale), all culminating in a euphoric description of friendship (Friends of mine). Actually if I have any critisism of the album it is that it could have ended after that one. Time of the season is really good, but it's the only song I could live without."  [+]  Reply

- gussteivi | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1968

Appears in:

1,309 charts

Rank Score:

13,571

Rank in 1968:

4

Rank in 1960s:

21

Overall Rank:

88

Average Rating:

 85 (1,358 votes)

Comments:

123

22.

The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady 

 Charles Mingus

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"The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady is a tense, passionate, fierce album that deals directly with the personal chaos Mingus found in his love life. It is a meticulously composed, multi-layered triumph that continually announces its motifs through a hefty series of deft variations, continually build...""The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady is a tense, passionate, fierce album that deals directly with the personal chaos Mingus found in his love life. It is a meticulously composed, multi-layered triumph that continually announces its motifs through a hefty series of deft variations, continually building in repeating, masterfully executed climaxes while scaling the walls of ecstacy, the depths of despair, the longing, passion, and weakened knees of love, and the "soap operas" of indulging in sin. It does this with a cathartic vigor that magnifies each stream of explosive emotions into a focused, intensely provocative event, giving emphasis to the gradual, rising phrases as if a feast of sensuality and desire were caught in the charging hormones and emotions that spring up in the most irrepressable of love affairs. It exploits the characters as if twisting them around eachother until each is a relentlessly pursued object of affection, left dizzy and exhausted by whetted appetites rung dry, offering bodies succumbed and their minds bent within an enigmatic, inescapable and confounding drama. "  [+]  Reply

- AfterHours | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +16 votes (16 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1963

Appears in:

978 charts

Rank Score:

12,741

Rank in 1963:

1

Rank in 1960s:

22

Overall Rank:

91

Average Rating:

 86 (1,038 votes)

Comments:

74

23.

The Velvet Underground 

 The Velvet Underground

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"This album was a real shock for me. Funny how their, I think, most accessible album was the most shocking for me. When I looked into VU's music I started with the first album and went in chronological order. After wearing out VU Nico and White Light/White Heat, I wanted more, so I went on the nex...""This album was a real shock for me. Funny how their, I think, most accessible album was the most shocking for me. When I looked into VU's music I started with the first album and went in chronological order. After wearing out VU & Nico and White Light/White Heat, I wanted more, so I went on the next album. Imagine the shock I had when I heard the sweet and delicate "Candy Says", the first track off the third album. Keep in mind, I'm coming straight off of the ear-shattering noise jam "Sister Ray", the last track off of their second album. For me, this is as much of a sign of their greatness as their more influential and groundbreaking works, because it shows that they were much more than a noisy art band. "  [+]  Reply

- joannajewsom | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +15 votes (15 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1969

Appears in:

1,225 charts

Rank Score:

12,267

Rank in 1969:

6

Rank in 1960s:

23

Overall Rank:

97

Average Rating:

 86 (1,651 votes)

Comments:

118

24.

Bringing It All Back Home 

 Bob Dylan

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"Dylan's great leap forward. Bringing it all back home, is where Dylan goes electric, well, for at least half of it anyway. Quite why the first side is given over to the electric songs, and side two the acoustic, I thought it would be better the other way round. Anyway, as far as the first(electri...""Dylan's great leap forward. Bringing it all back home, is where Dylan goes electric, well, for at least half of it anyway. Quite why the first side is given over to the electric songs, and side two the acoustic, I thought it would be better the other way round. Anyway, as far as the first(electric)side,is concerned, it kicks off with one of Dylan's most iconic tracks. Subterranean homesick blues, is Dylan's waterfall of words pouring out of him in a kind of rock/rap phrasing. She belongs to me, is a lovely blues ballad, and, Maggie's farm, is a great track, Dylan's kiss off to his folk past? Love minus zero/no limit, is one of Bob's most beautiful tracks. If there is any weak moments, it's the last three songs on side one. All are blues rockers, with 115th dream, still nonsensically enjoyable. Of the acoustic side, Mr. Tambourine man, is off course fantastic, but my favourite Dylan song of all time is the stunning, it's alright ma, I'm only bleeding. Incredible, still floors me every time I hear it. It's all over now, baby blue, ends the album, another goodbye to the folkies, possibly? The most amazing thing about this album is that the next two records would be even better. Dylan at his peak, at this time, he was untouchable. "  [+]  Reply

- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1965

Appears in:

1,263 charts

Rank Score:

11,409

Rank in 1965:

4

Rank in 1960s:

24

Overall Rank:

113

Average Rating:

 86 (1,694 votes)

Comments:

104

25.

Songs Of Leonard Cohen 

 Leonard Cohen

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"Decades ago, it was crystal clear that Bob Dylan will stand high above all other songwriters in the eyes of popular opinion. Dylan's prolific career is one of undeniable greatness. But there's another songwriter that deserves the same sort of recognition. Leonard Cohen's debut is a stunning maste...""Decades ago, it was crystal clear that Bob Dylan will stand high above all other songwriters in the eyes of popular opinion. Dylan's prolific career is one of undeniable greatness. But there's another songwriter that deserves the same sort of recognition. Leonard Cohen's debut is a stunning masterstroke. Over a lovely arrangement of finger-picked flourishes, Cohen's storytelling is heartfelt, poetic and philosophical. "  [+]  Reply

- meccalecca | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (9 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

1,045 charts

Rank Score:

9,592

Rank in 1967:

7

Rank in 1960s:

25

Overall Rank:

144

Average Rating:

 84 (1,123 votes)

Comments:

46

26.

The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society 

 The Kinks

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"Does anyone else realise that this is the first studio album by the Kinks that never made the album charts in the UK, and none of their subsequent albums did either. After Something Else - which only reached No 32 in 1967, only compilation LP's made the charts. I find this absolutely staggering, ...""Does anyone else realise that this is the first studio album by the Kinks that never made the album charts in the UK, and none of their subsequent albums did either. After Something Else - which only reached No 32 in 1967, only compilation LP's made the charts. I find this absolutely staggering, just what were the British public buying from 1967 onwards. Classics like this, Arthur, Muswell Hillbillies, Lola & Preservation Act's one & two seem to have been completely ignored at the time. I wonder how many copies these albums actually sold. I can't think of another band as huge as this that stopped making the charts at the height of their career. Does anyone have an explanation for this ?"  [+]  Reply

- Steppenwolf666 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1968

Appears in:

1,060 charts

Rank Score:

9,251

Rank in 1968:

5

Rank in 1960s:

26

Overall Rank:

150

Average Rating:

 84 (1,156 votes)

Comments:

77

27.

Beggars Banquet 

 The Rolling Stones

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"Quite simply, this is the Stones' best album IMO. Jagger comes through with his best set of lyrics on this album, especially on "Sympathy for the Devil", which is a chronicle of tragic historical events sung from the viewpoint of Satan, who admits to causing them to happen (no, it is definitely N...""Quite simply, this is the Stones' best album IMO. Jagger comes through with his best set of lyrics on this album, especially on "Sympathy for the Devil", which is a chronicle of tragic historical events sung from the viewpoint of Satan, who admits to causing them to happen (no, it is definitely NOT a song advocating Satanism, unlike what many believe). There is also an acknowledgment of the social protesting that was a clear component of the chaotic year of 1968 with "Street Fighting Man", and a sing-along tribute to the common working man and woman in "Salt of the Earth". In between, you have the band acknowledging their roots with a Delta blues cover, acoustic country and downright salacious rock. 'Beggars Banquet' has it all and has to rank as one of the three or four best rock albums of the '60's. The Stones never topped it, although 'Exile on Main Street' came close to equalling it. This one is a masterpiece."  [+]  Reply

- BlondGuy | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1968

Appears in:

1,225 charts

Rank Score:

8,876

Rank in 1968:

6

Rank in 1960s:

27

Overall Rank:

160

Average Rating:

 84 (1,560 votes)

Comments:

98

28.

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn 

 Pink Floyd

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"Well badfaith, I don't think this album would have been forgotten. It is just cast down in the shadows of The Dark Side of the Moon, and The Wall. This is their first album, and Syd Barrett created (what I think is one of Floyd's best) "Interstellar Overdrive." He had a good sense of Br...""Well badfaith, I don't think this album would have been forgotten. It is just cast down in the shadows of The Dark Side of the Moon, and The Wall. This is their first album, and Syd Barrett created (what I think is one of Floyd's best) "Interstellar Overdrive." He had a good sense of British Psychedelia, and was advancing it by adding strange sound effects such as sounds by voice, and overlapping sounds of metal object being ran up the fretboard. After this album he went far out of it, but if he had continued, I believe that he would have brought great success to Floyd (not saying more than that has been precieved.) Think about it, at the end of "Bike" he has clock alarms going off (Time,) he influenced the Floyd to write some of their best songs (Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Wish You Where Here, Brain Damage,) and thought up the idea of bringing a saxophonist and two woman singers into the band (a statement straight from Water's mouth.) In my opinion, the Floyd did amazing albums without him, Water's is the greater song writer, and Gilmour is the better guitarist, but Syd was the jumpstart to the band spawning ideas that would later be used, and inspired the band. As for my review for this album: There are three great songs on this album, and the rest are mediocore. Interstellar Overdrive (which is amazing,) Lucifer Sam, and Astronomy Domine. This was Syd Barretts burst of creativity before his collapse. The album isn't the most enjoyable album listening from track one to eleven, but it's still alright. I believe that this album is a bit overrated due to the glory that Pink Floyd brought to Syd Barrett, but oh well, it's still nice to listen to."  [+]  Reply

- mikeyskywalker | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +11 votes (12 helpful | 1 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

1,211 charts

Rank Score:

8,846

Rank in 1967:

8

Rank in 1960s:

28

Overall Rank:

161

Average Rating:

 81 (2,018 votes)

Comments:

119

29.

Five Leaves Left 

 Nick Drake

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"The story goes that Nick Drake's understated, intimate lyricism was a product of his being "too sensitive for this world," a remark that diminishes his skill and commitment to revision by reducing them to an emotional quirk. Nick had "a skin too few" maybe, as Gabrielle Drake would say, but hardl...""The story goes that Nick Drake's understated, intimate lyricism was a product of his being "too sensitive for this world," a remark that diminishes his skill and commitment to revision by reducing them to an emotional quirk. Nick had "a skin too few" maybe, as Gabrielle Drake would say, but hardly a superpower or malignant brand of genius. Five Leaves Left is his best album by a hair, and that hair grows on a little patch of versatility. While Pink Moon and Bryter Layter are masterpieces in their own right (and both would find spots on my chart if it weren't for my 1 album per artist rule), Five Leaves Left is more emotionally flexible. "Time Has Told Me" could be either your mother whispering the opening notes of a lullaby or your lover murmuring a gentle good morning. It's the balm you reach for to soothe or the champagne you sip to celebrate. Five Leaves Left is both a respite from the harshness of the world and an exploration of the thousands of beauties you might find in it, and that duality only happens through Nick Drake's willingness to speak as carefully as he listens."  [+]  Reply

- Rug | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1969

Appears in:

991 charts

Rank Score:

8,663

Rank in 1969:

7

Rank in 1960s:

29

Overall Rank:

163

Average Rating:

 85 (1,083 votes)

Comments:

50

30.

White Light/White Heat 

 The Velvet Underground

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"Drugged out album which involves nearly zero songwriting, the sound of a band that doesn't give a fuck! I can't see its experimental nature, all The Velvet Underground ever did on this record was to turn up the volume and allow the created feed-back and noise to be maintained in the mix. The poem...""Drugged out album which involves nearly zero songwriting, the sound of a band that doesn't give a fuck! I can't see its experimental nature, all The Velvet Underground ever did on this record was to turn up the volume and allow the created feed-back and noise to be maintained in the mix. The poem on "The Gift" sounds goofy, most songs consist of monotonous rhythm patterns and the variety on this album is minimal. I get that most people see this as a groundbreaking wall of noise, but I think the band were lacking discipline in the creating of the album to make it anywhere near great. Besides the opener, which works fine as opener but nothing more, and the idea of a long track to end the album, this album is nothing but free play! I wasn't looking for a pleasant pop-album, but even from an avant-garde music lover's point of view, I wouldn't be able to see the greatness from this album. After all it isn't very experimental, it's only a pumping rhythm section that never stops, where each member play whatever they want to. We've already seen this from free-form jazz! So why is this album ranked and rated so high? My guess is because of The Velvet Underground's completely exaggerated image. It's not because I'm scared of the album's dissonant and unstructured composition, but this band's discography and especially this album is like a complex joke: If you don't get it, you're probably just stupid. Hurry up laughing, or someone else will notice!"  [+]  Reply

- Mother Nature's Son | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (16 helpful | 10 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1968

Appears in:

983 charts

Rank Score:

8,636

Rank in 1968:

7

Rank in 1960s:

30

Overall Rank:

167

Average Rating:

 84 (1,423 votes)

Comments:

101

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 3 of 100

Best Albums of the 1960s composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Year	Albums	%
1960	57	6%
1961	65	7%
1962	50	5%
1963	52	5%
1964	70	7%
1965	89	9%
1966	98	10%
1967	139	14%
1968	188	19%
1969	192	19%

Artist	Albums	%
The Beatles	17	2%
The Beach Boys	15	2%
The Rolling Stones	14	1%
John Coltrane	13	1%
Miles Davis	12	1%
Nina Simone	10	1%
Bob Dylan	10	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	634	63%
	201	20%
	38	4%
	24	2%
	23	2%
	17	2%
	11	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	971	97%
Yes	29	3%

Live?	Albums	%
No	961	96%
Yes	39	4%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	979	98%
Yes	21	2%