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: 5 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
"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
"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
"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
"'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
"Etta James is a gutsy and versatile singer ranging across the styles popular at the turn of the decade: blues, R&B, doo-wop, gospel, jazz, and the emerging soul. After some success in the early 60s, though her work continued to attract critical attention, she stopped being popular, and by the lat..."" Etta James is a gutsy and versatile singer ranging across the styles popular at the turn of the decade: blues, R&B, doo-wop, gospel, jazz, and the emerging soul. After some success in the early 60s, though her work continued to attract critical attention, she stopped being popular, and by the late 70s she was struggling with drug addiction. She re-gained public attention in the 90s, largely due to a 1996 Pepsi advert. She has a long list of singers who admire and respect her singing, including Diana Ross, Janis Joplin, Mick Jagger, Joss Stone and Adele. This is a great album"[+]Reply
"Cream's true masterpiece and along with Layla, Clapton's most relevant album, this is a really underrated record which shows the band mastering the blues and transitioning it to the sound that would later be part of the sound of Zeppelin, Purple and Sabbath, although the live recordings are too m...""Cream's true masterpiece and along with Layla, Clapton's most relevant album, this is a really underrated record which shows the band mastering the blues and transitioning it to the sound that would later be part of the sound of Zeppelin, Purple and Sabbath, although the live recordings are too much jamming for my taste there isn't a weak moment on the studio album (except for the babbling in track 4), far better than Disraeli Gears which seems less coherent and inspired..."[+]Reply