Best Albums of 1966

Explore the best albums of 1966, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts. Help Click to see how the rankings are calculated
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1966 year summaryThe best artists of 1966 were The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, The Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, Nina Simone, The Kinks, John Coltrane and 13th Floor Elevators.
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Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
46,724
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Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (91/100 - 4627 votes)  91 (4,627 votes)
Comments:
"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..."  [+]  Reply
- bonnequestion | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
Rank Score:
36,683
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Average Rating:
Top rated album (88/100 - 3318 votes)  88 (3,318 votes)
Comments:
"The way I feel about this album is best represented by the scene in High Fidelity in which Jack Black's character, Barry, describes not owning it as "perverse." That about sums it up. Song for song, this is finest folk rock album ever made. "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" is probably the highligh..."  [+]  Reply
- buzzdainer | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
Rank Score:
23,719
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Average Rating:
Top rated album (88/100 - 2427 votes)  88 (2,427 votes)
Comments:
"Under-appreciated classic. It's been overshadowed by Beggar's Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile, but I'd take Aftermath over any of them except Let it Bleed. Highly focused, consistent record, each song is extremely satisfying, adding up to a rich experience over the course of the ..."  [+]  Reply
- migglemo | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
Rank Score:
4,316
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"Songwriting 101 right here. I don't really think of Simon and Garfunkle as a dark band, but this is a really dark album. It consistently evokes feeling of loneliness and isolation. I Am a Rock, Richard Cory and the title track are the stand out tracks."  Reply
- Decurso | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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
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Rank Score:
4,147
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Comments:
"This is a brilliant commentary on society in the 60's that is still extremely relevant to this day with the consumerism we have present in modern society. It is also a genius parody of the music in the 60's but also a demonstration of how it could be made to a higher musical quality if artists st..."  [+]  Reply
- Untitled | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
Rank Score:
3,514
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Comments:
"Their best album. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. On this one Simon has finally reached his peak as an arranger and composer (maybe not as a lyricist, but not a big problem) and Garfunkel and him sing these songs with pastoral youthful emotion. There's an emotional arc to almost every song, and the..."  [+]  Reply
- Lacobra | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
Rank Score:
3,411
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"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
- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
Rank Score:
2,392
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"More advanced musicianship and intricate song writing compared to their earlier, garage rock style albums. There are still great guitar riffs throughout the album, but they are couched in more lush compositions that would foreshadow the grandoise concept albums they'd put out in the late 60s and ..."  [+]  Reply
- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
Rank Score:
2,208
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,998
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 748. Page 1 of 75

Best Albums of 1966 composition

Best Albums of 1966 chart changes

Biggest climbersHelp Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month
Climber Up 7 from 102nd to 95th
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Climber Up 5 from 103rd to 98th
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Faller Down 2 from 78th to 80th
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New entry Up 7 from 102nd to 95th
New entry Up 5 from 103rd to 98th
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