Best Albums of the 1960s

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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."  [More]  Reply  
- chivocosmico | 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:

3,747 charts

Rank Score:

55,797

Rank in 1969:

1

Rank in 1960s:

1

Overall Rank:

3

Average Rating:

 92 (4,655 votes)

Comments:

476

2.

Revolver 

 The Beatles

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"Wow! Those two previous comments totally befuddle me. I couldn't disagree more. In fact, I would argue Revolver is way more cohesive than Abbey Road and most definitely, The White Album, which sounds like a musical scrapbook. That doesn't mean those aren't great albums, but they're not as cohesiv...""Wow! Those two previous comments totally befuddle me. I couldn't disagree more. In fact, I would argue Revolver is way more cohesive than Abbey Road and most definitely, The White Album, which sounds like a musical scrapbook. That doesn't mean those aren't great albums, but they're not as cohesive as Revolver. I'd be willing to bet that you probably think "She Said, She Said" is filler, while I think it's one of the coolest songs they ever did. Different perspectives, I guess."  [More]  Reply  
- Mr. Shankly | 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:

1966

Appears in:

3,602 charts

Rank Score:

48,247

Rank in 1966:

1

Rank in 1960s:

2

Overall Rank:

4

Average Rating:

 91 (4,612 votes)

Comments:

486

3.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 

 The Beatles

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"The influence of this album on the trajectory of popular music cannot be overstated. The Beatles experimentation with the recording process was something that hit a definite high point on this album. This process was something no bands had the rescourses to do at the time(with the exception of th...""The influence of this album on the trajectory of popular music cannot be overstated. The Beatles experimentation with the recording process was something that hit a definite high point on this album. This process was something no bands had the rescourses to do at the time(with the exception of the beach boys). They had money, time away from touring, and a long track record of success that made an experiment like this viable financially. That being said, an understanding of ANY work of popular music since is informed by a thorough listen to this album. Everything from the big breaks in the norm that punk brought in the 70s, to the dedication to experimentation that electronic music brought in the 90s, the Beatles Sgt. Pepper album has had a hand in every major change in the scene of popular music since its creation. This album can be hard to appreciate, The Beatles have a reputation and track record that is universally easy to understand and fall in love with. This album is IMHO the only exception. They werent going for chart topper (although it was the best selling album of the 60s i believe) they were going for world changing. So while Revolver might be easier to digest, or abbey road may have more hits, Sgt. Pepper stands as The Beatles Largest contribution to popular music What makes this album great is it sounds hyper-contemporary. It sounds not only new but truly outside of the sounds, composition styles, production and themes that we expect from popular music. 10/10"  [More]  Reply  
- audiooasis2012 | 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:

1967

Appears in:

3,502 charts

Rank Score:

42,256

Rank in 1967:

1

Rank in 1960s:

3

Overall Rank:

7

Average Rating:

 90 (4,618 votes)

Comments:

493

4.

The Velvet Underground & Nico 

 The Velvet Underground & Nico

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"One of the finest compliments I can pay this album is that despite the fact it's a product of the "classic rock" era, it still gets virtually no radio airplay on classic rock FM radio. You are still far more likely to hear it on college radio. More than 45 years later, it's still too "out there" ...""One of the finest compliments I can pay this album is that despite the fact it's a product of the "classic rock" era, it still gets virtually no radio airplay on classic rock FM radio. You are still far more likely to hear it on college radio. More than 45 years later, it's still too "out there" for mainstream audiences."  [More]  Reply  
- Decurso | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +21 votes (21 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:

3,051 charts

Rank Score:

38,715

Rank in 1967:

2

Rank in 1960s:

4

Overall Rank:

10

Average Rating:

 89 (3,573 votes)

Comments:

355

5.

Pet Sounds 

 The Beach Boys

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"What can I say about "Pet Sounds"? This album is just so ridiculously out-of-this-world. Especially considering where music was at in 1966, it is very hard to believe that a guy could create this music almost single handedly. Composition and production-wise, this album is a complete masterpiece a...""What can I say about "Pet Sounds"? This album is just so ridiculously out-of-this-world. Especially considering where music was at in 1966, it is very hard to believe that a guy could create this music almost single handedly. Composition and production-wise, this album is a complete masterpiece and showcases the genius of Brian Wilson like never before, or after. I think the Beatles were a better band than the Beach Boys, but for me, "Pet Sounds" is better than any Beatle album. There is absolutely no flaws in it and, in my perception, it is the very first album that really felt like an album. "Rubber Soul" was close, then "Pet Sounds" was it. And the rest is history."  [More]  Reply  
- bonnequestion | 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:

1966

Appears in:

2,863 charts

Rank Score:

37,747

Rank in 1966:

2

Rank in 1960s:

5

Overall Rank:

11

Average Rating:

 88 (3,305 votes)

Comments:

361

6.

The Beatles (The White Album) 

 The Beatles

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"This album has it all. From gorgeous songs like 'while my guitar gently weeps' and 'blackbird', to just great songs like 'happiness is a warm gun' and 'im so tired', to hard rock (for the time) like 'helter skelter' and 'birthday', to blues jams like 'why dont we do it in the road' and 'yer blues...""This album has it all. From gorgeous songs like 'while my guitar gently weeps' and 'blackbird', to just great songs like 'happiness is a warm gun' and 'im so tired', to hard rock (for the time) like 'helter skelter' and 'birthday', to blues jams like 'why dont we do it in the road' and 'yer blues', to folk-bluesy story telling like 'rock raccoon' and '... bungalo bill', to extended experimentals like 'revolution 9', to whatever the hell 'piggies' is. Thats a lot of grund covered in one album, and they managed to do each of these disparate genres wonderfully. This is the kind of album where a good song from some genre like "gregorian chant" wouldnt feel terribly out of place, and the beatles would probably do it well. "  [More]  Reply  
- JulianR | 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:

1968

Appears in:

2,961 charts

Rank Score:

36,443

Rank in 1968:

1

Rank in 1960s:

6

Overall Rank:

14

Average Rating:

 89 (3,848 votes)

Comments:

342

7.

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!!"  [More]  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:

2,077 charts

Rank Score:

27,647

Rank in 1969:

2

Rank in 1960s:

7

Overall Rank:

25

Average Rating:

 89 (2,441 votes)

Comments:

221

8.

Highway 61 Revisited 

 Bob Dylan

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"People underestimate the musical quality of Dylan's albums because of how great he is lyrically. There is nothing further I can add on the subject of lyrics, but for such a big artist to release a record that was this raw and urgent without sacrificing any of its immediate accessibility is stunni...""People underestimate the musical quality of Dylan's albums because of how great he is lyrically. There is nothing further I can add on the subject of lyrics, but for such a big artist to release a record that was this raw and urgent without sacrificing any of its immediate accessibility is stunning. This record is a speeding train, each song chugging along at an alarming rate, with so much going lyrically that it's easy to miss some of the musical nuances. I honestly don't think keyboards have ever been put to better use in pop music, and some of the melodies are astonishingly complex for somebody who is supposedly lacking musically. But yeah, whatever. His voice is shit or something."  [More]  Reply  
- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (11 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:

1965

Appears in:

2,368 charts

Rank Score:

26,446

Rank in 1965:

1

Rank in 1960s:

8

Overall Rank:

27

Average Rating:

 89 (2,829 votes)

Comments:

228

9.

The Doors 

 The Doors

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"A drunk poet, a classically-trained pianist, a flamenco guitarist, a jazz drummer and no bassist at all: the Doors were just destined to be unique. All four members of the band took the different traditions of their diverse musical backgrounds and applied them within a rock context, making possib...""A drunk poet, a classically-trained pianist, a flamenco guitarist, a jazz drummer and no bassist at all: the Doors were just destined to be unique. All four members of the band took the different traditions of their diverse musical backgrounds and applied them within a rock context, making possible some absolutely brilliant moments such as the bossanova clave that drives most of 'Break On Through' and the Bach-inspired organ introduction to 'Light My Fire', one of Manzarek's finest achievements. The double acid attack of Krieger and Manzarek provided the perfect atmosphere for Morrison's esoteric prose and improvisational poetry passages, as spidery guitar licks and quirky organ riffs drunkenly dance their way into your skull, resulting in one of the most electrifying records of the psychedelic era."  [More]  Reply  
- chivocosmico | 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:

1967

Appears in:

2,435 charts

Rank Score:

26,375

Rank in 1967:

3

Rank in 1960s:

9

Overall Rank:

28

Average Rating:

 87 (2,859 votes)

Comments:

209

10.

Rubber Soul 

 The Beatles

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"This might not be a popular opinion but I consider this album to be better than both "The White Album" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". The compositions, songwriting, the emotions, the singing... just top-notch. Some of the songs even at their most simplest, really do have a long-term...""This might not be a popular opinion but I consider this album to be better than both "The White Album" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". The compositions, songwriting, the emotions, the singing... just top-notch. Some of the songs even at their most simplest, really do have a long-term emotional and transfixing effect on me. Not that the two above mentioned albums aren't great or anything but this one is something that I prefer. The fact is, The Beatles are just perfection. Their music is the best kind and there never was, is or will be any other ingenious artists like them. My favorite songs from this album are: 1. In My Life 2. Norwegian Wood 3. Michelle"  [More]  Reply  
- KHAN2705 | 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:

1965

Appears in:

2,349 charts

Rank Score:

25,996

Rank in 1965:

2

Rank in 1960s:

10

Overall Rank:

30

Average Rating:

 88 (3,394 votes)

Comments:

263

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of the 1960s composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Year	Albums	%
1960	58	6%
1961	64	6%
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%
Bob Dylan	10	1%
Nina Simone	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	972	97%
Yes	28	3%

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

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