Listed below are the best albums of the 1960s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 6 hours ago).
"Okay, and here we are. His 3rd album, and his second of 1969. Townes output in 69 was better than anyone else. It was bonkers. And the production here is nearly perfect! Its so bare and breezy and simple and this gives TVZ's songs room to breathe, to float into your ears and heart and make you we...""Okay, and here we are. His 3rd album, and his second of 1969. Townes output in 69 was better than anyone else. It was bonkers. And the production here is nearly perfect! Its so bare and breezy and simple and this gives TVZ's songs room to breathe, to float into your ears and heart and make you weep. The lyrics and the actual songs, THE SONGS!!!! are even better here than on Our Mother The Mountain. TVZ had really turned the corner in the intervening few months and turned on his next gear. To keep that sports analogy going just a bit more (I hear your groans, I'm sorry, just one second) This album represents the age 27 season of that star QB, when he is still putting up the big numbers, still scrambling aorund and showing off his gifts, still throwing it deep, but now he's throwing less interceptions, he's reading the game next level, and he goes to the championship! But he loses... and its not close. In this case cuz of a couple 30 somethings who just act as killjoys to his glory and poke holes in his schemes. But he moves onto the next season to regroup and hopefully break through. With Townes, he just continues honing his craft and makes 3 or 4 more classics and wins a couple championships.
Okay, and I am done with that. Thank gawd.
What I think is amazing about this Self titled Townes album is how effortless it feels. Right from the jump you are treated with one of the breeziest and subtly morunful and confused songwriting feats ever. "For The Sake of the Song" features a gorgeous guitar line from Townes (who much like Joni, is an underrated guitarist). There's a very subdued little bass line. Some pretty percussion. And over the top of this beautiful and again Breezy sound, Townes just seems to be talking to a friend about his predicament with a relationship. The internal rhyme pattern is detailed but not over the top. And you are just sitting there as the audience marvelling at how deeply thought out and intricate the observations are and how quickly the5+ minute song goes by.
And this is true of the whole album. You go through this subtle, shimmering, at times deeply emotional, at other times just comfortably familiar, journey with TVZ, and you enjoy every second being in its presence.
The songs here don't jump out at me. When I look at the tracklist for Our Mother The Mountain or his debut, or even Delta Momma Blues, The Late Great Townes Van Zandt or even High Low and In Between, I am struck by 3 or 4 absolute stand outs, totally memorable and singular Townes moments. With this album though, the whole album coalesces and plays just right, one song to the next, that I just know when I finish the album there is not a less than stellar track here, and I wanna push play again, and again.
That is probably due to just how warm and simple the production is. There are some more flashy parts, like the groove of the bass on "Waitin' Round To Die" (oh and I suppose this song does stick out on the tracklist, so there is a correction from last paragraph). But those more fl;ashy moments are rare, and they are all in beautiful service to the songs. They make sense. The harmonica and bass groove, so dark and ominous, absolutely pushes this song over the top. It seems like Townes and his producer at the time finally realized the earthy genius of Townes, and that you didn't need bells and whistles to make these songs move mountains. The lone voice and guitar and minimal other things alone can just overcome a listener. This album is proof of that.
Other examples of the extra ornamentation working beautfully here is the strangely timed bass drum rhythm on the stunning blues reimagining of "Lungs". And the gorgeous violin backing, and tambourine fun of "(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria".
Songs like "Don't Take It Too Bad", "Colorado Girl", "None But The Rain", "I'll Be Here In the Morning" and "For The sake of the Song" seem to me like perfect examples of that distinctly Townes way of just being the most inviting, sensitive, singer/songwriter of the folk/country field.
Anyway, this album is damn near perfect. And if you wanna know where to get started with becoming a huge Townes fan, here it is your best bet methinks.
This album is proof that you can do a TVZ album without added stuff, and it proved that all by himself, Townes Can Zandt! (I'm sorry...)
"All the mountains and the rivers
And the valleys can't compare
To your blue lit dancin' eyes
And yellow shining hair
I could never hit the open road
And leave you layin' there
Lay your head back easy, love,
Close your cryin' eyes
I'll be layin' here beside you
When the sun comes on the rise
I'll stay as long as the cuckoo wails
And the lonesome blue jay cries" -Townes
Rating: 9.7/10"[+]Reply
"Finest example of the importance of creative freedom. When Stax broke with Atlantic Records in 1968 and lost her entire back catalogue, Hayes was compelled to make a studio album. He wasn't very happy to; his debut album "Presenting Isaac Hayes" failed to chart and Hayes had decided to stay in th...""Finest example of the importance of creative freedom. When Stax broke with Atlantic Records in 1968 and lost her entire back catalogue, Hayes was compelled to make a studio album. He wasn't very happy to; his debut album "Presenting Isaac Hayes" failed to chart and Hayes had decided to stay in the background as a songwriter and session musician. When Al Bell, record executive for Stax, persuaded Hayes to record a new album, Hayes demanded total creative freedom. The result: a groundbreaking soul record, consisting of only four tracks that changed the entire future for soul music. Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and Stevie Wonder's "Innervisions" aren't likely to have existed if it weren't for this album."[+]Reply
"What I find remarkable is how she was able to put so much passion into everything she did. I recommend listening to "Four Women" and "What More Can I Say?" Amazing."Reply
"This record is genius in so many ways and the group create some simply phenomenal music on here. The way they walk on the line between psychedelic and poppy is marvellous and they never tend to lean too heavy on either side. This leads to a very balanced sounding record that fulfils both things y...""This record is genius in so many ways and the group create some simply phenomenal music on here. The way they walk on the line between psychedelic and poppy is marvellous and they never tend to lean too heavy on either side. This leads to a very balanced sounding record that fulfils both things you could be looking for. If you enjoy the more sing a long, pop rock songs then they are on here and are so infectious and catchy. If you enjoy the psychedelic and complex musicianship of the group then that is also on here with a diverse array of instruments all played beautifully. The record never feels slow as well and the music flies by due to how well it is put together. No song is skippable also and the record is an experience right from the start all the way to the end as the group really find their flow on this album making it feel so cohesive. The only issue is the length which is just so short which can lead to me craving more of it once its finished. Other than that this release is stunning and such a delight to listen to. Overall, a fantastic album that really deserves a lot of credit for its progressiveness and for its very high quality which is evident throughout. "[+]Reply
"To me by far their worst album. Songwriting wasn't as sharp and covers weren't as good. Three good songs (It' Won't Be Long, All I've Got To Do, and All My Loving), but rest are just fillers and b-sides."Reply
"Bowie’s 2nd album is a very good one indeed. Space Oddity is one of his best songs. Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed is a deep cut waiting to be found. Cygnet Committee is another underrated deep cut. This is Bowie’s interpretation of the end of the hippie era"Reply
"Janis almost sounds better as part of a band. Here, she sounds a little more focused, even as she wails and belts it out with the best of them. The creation of a legend."Reply
"One of the best albums of all time, the quality of the songs is just sublime... so far ahead of most 1966 albums. The Kinks actually had something to say here unlike 99% of their peers. Middle class life in England and the gap between rich and poor (A House In The Country, Sunny Afternoon), runni...""One of the best albums of all time, the quality of the songs is just sublime... so far ahead of most 1966 albums. The Kinks actually had something to say here unlike 99% of their peers. Middle class life in England and the gap between rich and poor (A House In The Country, Sunny Afternoon), running away from home (Rosie Wont You Please Come Home), the opener song from this album deals with anonymity (Party Line) which is well ahead of its time. Look at where we are now, nobody knows you on the internet, just like the lyrics of Party Line predicted. "Is she big, is she small, is she a she at all" (preceding Lola, their biggest hit, a song about a transexual). The two songs Dandy and Fancy are about polygamy (Fancy: the music playing being an imitation of indian music - a novelty at the time, music and lyrics are from connected from that stand point, Dandy is a music hall style song of 2 minutes about Dave Davies and "that 2 girls are too many, 3 is a crowd and 4 you're dead"). The songs are connected through a certain theme, that being society in England and how it actually is, instead of what Ray Davies projects a fantasy of England (see: Village Green Preservation Society). Holiday In Waikiki is about winning a ticket to Hawaii, thus temporarily escaping the mundane middle class life and enjoying one self), Most Exclusive Residence For Sale is about the same guy who had a "House In The Country" who now loses his private property and has to pay off a mortgage (big problem in the 50s and 60s and after for that social class, the protagonist now being part of the middle class)
You don't have to read so much into the lyrics as all of this is really obvious.
Too Much On My Mind is about a mental breakdown that Ray Davies had earlier in 1966 (kind of reminds me of the many personal songs he wrote around that time, see: Two Sisters from another great album, Something Else).
I'll Remember and You're Looking Fine don't really fit in all that much like the 12 masterpieces on this album but they are alright, just average rock songs from 1966, nothing special, not too bad either, I certainly prefer them to a lot of songs featured in the album before this.
Rainy Day In June is a very atmospheric, unqiue song, using sound effects in a way not many other rock / pop bands did before (The Beatles and the Beach Boys did use sound effects too, the Kinks used them for multiple songs on the same album: Party Line, Holiday In Waikiki, Rainy Day In June. They also used effects for a single like the Beatles and Beach Boys did, Yellow Submarine, Caroline No, that Kinks single being Big Black Smoke)
All in all, I think Face To Face deserves to be so highly rated, being around the 890s in the overall ranking. Personally, I think it should be at least in the top 3 of 1966, but 8th place in 1966 isn't that bad. Evidently, more than enough people know about it, the instrumentation might be the reason why it's not as highly ranked in the Kinks discography like Arthur, Lola vs Powerman or even Something Else. All these albums have in common that the instrument playing is more enjoyable to the average listener and while Face To Face has good riffs and great basslines, the band who made it added more instruments for the following four albums and made the songs a bit deeper (not in a lyrical sense). In a way, Face To Face was the last garage rock album but at the same time the first operetta type concept album the Kinks did. "[+]Reply
"'Scott 4', by far Scott Walker's best album, maintained the Brel influence of his previous three, but now the material (a decadent mileu of prostitutes, gansters and misfits) and his operatic vocal style, was all his own. Whereas the arrangements on his previous albums were influenced by Bacharac...""'Scott 4', by far Scott Walker's best album, maintained the Brel influence of his previous three, but now the material (a decadent mileu of prostitutes, gansters and misfits) and his operatic vocal style, was all his own. Whereas the arrangements on his previous albums were influenced by Bacharach and Spector, here Morricone shines through. Walker's significance is he managed to transcend the up-dated but essentially old fashioned easy-listening sound of the ballad, to something altogether deeper and philosophical in a manner that not only predated, but was superior to, the work of somebody like David Bowie. Key track: The Old Man's Back Again. "[+]Reply
"They broke all the rules. A completely timeless masterpiece, and a wonderfully made album. No end of great songs. Highly recommend to anyone who likes avant-garde, or psychadelic, or punk, or really anything. It's just good."Reply
Mercury | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 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.
Brandon8 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 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.
junodog4 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 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.
Sandinistar | 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.
