Best Albums of 1969

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1.

Abbey Road 

 The Beatles

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"Most great bands have at most one or two great songwriters, the Beatles had three! And I think no other album represents the Moptop Lyricist Trinity better than their seminal 1969 album 'Abbey Road', where the Fab Four for once put their differences aside to record a farewell worthy of their lega...""Most great bands have at most one or two great songwriters, the Beatles had three! And I think no other album represents the Moptop Lyricist Trinity better than their seminal 1969 album 'Abbey Road', where the Fab Four for once put their differences aside to record a farewell worthy of their legacy —even though they later decided to complete and release 'Let It Be', a not-so-great but still decent farewell. And what better way to culminate the story of one of the most influential and iconic artists of all time than with this little rock number aptly titled 'The End', which works as a little epitaph for the band. And it's in that song, when Paul, George and John begin to jam, that you can see how brilliant they were. Not because of their technical skills, because the Beatles were never about virtuosity. But it's rather because of their ability to complement each other that they were so great. Even though each solo showcased how fundamentally different their personalities are, the whole thing flowed so beautifully. They saw each other's ideas and took it to the next level. John's last solo gives way to a last sentence sung in their trademark vocal harmony fashion, 'And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make', a final statement that perfectly captures their message and essence. And with George Harrison's final solo, the Fab Four announce their end, and with them, the end of an entire decade."  [+]  Reply

- chivocosmico | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +13 votes (13 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:

3,760 charts

Rank Score:

55,638

Rank in 1969:

1

Rank in 1960s:

1

Overall Rank:

3

Average Rating:

 92 (4,661 votes)

Comments:

477

2.

In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson) 

 King Crimson

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""BWAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH BADUPP BAP BAP BAAAAAAAAA" should be a difficult hook to convey in writing but to anyone who's heard "21st Century Schizoid Man" a couple times it's likely to be one that's branded into the far reaches of their skull. The composition of this record is unapologetically big perso..."""BWAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH BADUPP BAP BAP BAAAAAAAAA" should be a difficult hook to convey in writing but to anyone who's heard "21st Century Schizoid Man" a couple times it's likely to be one that's branded into the far reaches of their skull. The composition of this record is unapologetically big personality; with just a handful of tracks to play with, there's no room for punchy, atmospheric mood-builders. We're treated to five prog ballads each not wasting a moment to wrench your attention from the hands of its predecessor. In contrast to the joyous big-band cacophony that brings to close the opening track, I Talk To The Wind's lead flute dances and shimmers between its warm, soft notes and tentative hi-hat. In this song, as with all the cuts, Sinfield's pastoral and poetic lyrics cut through the instrumentation with devastating effect, notable highlight being the cryptic and alarming "said the straight man to the late man/where have you been?". However, the frightened yelp of "I fear tomorrow I'll be crying" that brings side one to a close deserves special attention, somehow distilling all the pained dread of the cover into a single line. King Crimson were by no means the first prog band, but this is unequivocally the first prog masterpiece. Most of this is copied from the description of the album in my overall chart, do check it out if you have the time!!"  [+]  Reply

- ForegroundNoise | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +12 votes (12 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:

2,081 charts

Rank Score:

27,399

Rank in 1969:

2

Rank in 1960s:

7

Overall Rank:

25

Average Rating:

 89 (2,444 votes)

Comments:

221

3.

Led Zeppelin II 

 Led Zeppelin

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"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

- saltysurprise | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 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:

1,971 charts

Rank Score:

20,780

Rank in 1969:

3

Rank in 1960s:

13

Overall Rank:

40

Average Rating:

 87 (2,778 votes)

Comments:

177

4.

Let It Bleed 

 The Rolling Stones

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"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

- NathanTen | 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:

1969

Appears in:

1,792 charts

Rank Score:

16,853

Rank in 1969:

4

Rank in 1960s:

15

Overall Rank:

60

Average Rating:

 85 (2,122 votes)

Comments:

140

5.

Led Zeppelin 

 Led Zeppelin

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"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

- Robbit | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +11 votes (11 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:

1,810 charts

Rank Score:

16,657

Rank in 1969:

5

Rank in 1960s:

16

Overall Rank:

61

Average Rating:

 86 (2,611 votes)

Comments:

146

6.

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:

1,229 charts

Rank Score:

12,279

Rank in 1969:

6

Rank in 1960s:

23

Overall Rank:

96

Average Rating:

 86 (1,655 votes)

Comments:

118

7.

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:

990 charts

Rank Score:

8,567

Rank in 1969:

7

Rank in 1960s:

30

Overall Rank:

167

Average Rating:

 85 (1,089 votes)

Comments:

51

8.

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere 

 Neil Young & Crazy Horse

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"'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' (1969), the first Young album produced by David Briggs, is is first masterpiece, a complex and 'heavy' work punctuated by long sermons backed by the rhythm and the interweaving of instrumental rock band Crazy Horse and pierced by stigmata stabbing of his guitar. ...""'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' (1969), the first Young album produced by David Briggs, is is first masterpiece, a complex and 'heavy' work punctuated by long sermons backed by the rhythm and the interweaving of instrumental rock band Crazy Horse and pierced by stigmata stabbing of his guitar. The guitar playing is violent and his stories a neurotic exploration of urban alienation as if glimpsed behind the scenes of the great open spaces of North America. The album also exemplifies the painful convulsions of his generation, torn apart by drugs, civil unrest and fear. Young swings his ballads between the two extremes of solemn folk and archaic gritty rock. The tone of his voice, a kind of falsetto tenor, ranges from sublime pathos to a forceful aggression. Young's art is, first and foremost, a fusion of music and words that identifies with his era's zeitgeist. Young is unique in targeting the inner chaos of the individual that followed the outer chaos of society. While an artist like Dylan "transfers" his era's events into a metaphysical universe, or an artist like Springsteen relates the epic sense of ordinary life, Young carries out a more complex psychological operation that, basically, bridges the idealism of the hippy communes and the neuroses of the urban population. His voice, his lyrics, his melodies and his guitar style compose a message of suffering and redemption that, at its best, transcends in hallucination, mystical vision, philosophical enlightenment, while still grounded in a context that is fundamentally a hell on earth. "  [+]  Reply

- hairymarx1 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (5 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:

1969

Appears in:

955 charts

Rank Score:

8,141

Rank in 1969:

8

Rank in 1960s:

31

Overall Rank:

181

Average Rating:

 84 (1,124 votes)

Comments:

58

9.

In A Silent Way 

 Miles Davis

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"My favourite ever album. Complex, and simple, assured but experimental. Done in one session! with the best jazz musicians assembled, they were all on form. You cannot "get" this music, it seems to change and surprise and delight at every playing. Mature, confident, engaging and rewarding. The mor...""My favourite ever album. Complex, and simple, assured but experimental. Done in one session! with the best jazz musicians assembled, they were all on form. You cannot "get" this music, it seems to change and surprise and delight at every playing. Mature, confident, engaging and rewarding. The more you play the better it gets. The pinnacle output of a genius! It takes you to levels that other artists can only dream about. The best album ever made. "  [+]  Reply

- TadtheMod | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +12 votes (12 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:

811 charts

Rank Score:

7,486

Rank in 1969:

9

Rank in 1960s:

33

Overall Rank:

202

Average Rating:

 86 (908 votes)

Comments:

48

10.

Hot Rats 

 Frank Zappa

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"oh thank god i was worried. you see i really like this and i dont want to turn into some tool trying to interlectulise an art form of beauty emotion fun and expression. Fortunately you think this is overrated. Maybe its just too fun or somthing?"  Reply

- | 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:

1969

Appears in:

884 charts

Rank Score:

6,853

Rank in 1969:

10

Rank in 1960s:

37

Overall Rank:

229

Average Rating:

 83 (1,002 votes)

Comments:

57

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 1969 composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Artist	Albums	%
Various Artists	14	1%
Aretha Franklin	4	0%
Miles Davis	3	0%
The Byrds	3	0%
Steppenwolf	3	0%
The Hollies	3	0%
Scott Walker	3	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	518	52%
	213	21%
	49	5%
	32	3%
	27	3%
	22	2%
	19	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	950	95%
Yes	50	5%

Live?	Albums	%
No	983	98%
Yes	17	2%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	985	99%
Yes	15	2%