I’ve recently been going through every year in music for my thorough retrospectives, and as such I’ve been exposed to some fantastic albums. I wanted to talk about some of my favourites – for this first edition, I’ll be looking at the 1960’s.
I reviewed fifty albums as part of that decade’s retrospectives (five per year), all of which were voted online as the best of their respective years. I’m picking my top 10 based on those original fifty. It’s possible I’ll miss out one some great albums, so I think these top 10’s should be viewed as companion pieces to those original retrospectives.
Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:
1960: The Year In Music
Beatles Albums Ranked
David Bowie Albums Ranked
“Electric Ladyland” (Jimi Hendrix) – Every Song Ranked
Honourable Mentions
I listened to fifty great albums from the 60’s during my retrospectives, so it was almost impossible to pick the ten best. Here are five albums that almost made the cut:
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady (Charles Mingus) was the first great album of the 60’s. It’s a cornerstone of Jazz and it still sounds fantastic sixty years on.
Highway 61 Revisited (Bob Dylan) was a great album … but Dylan released another album in the 60’s which I thought was slightly better. At least it gave us one of the best songs of the decade with “Like a Rolling Stone”.
Few debuts have been better than Are You Experienced (The Jimi Hendrix Experience). It’s trippy, heavy, and Hendrix’s style is one of the coolest things the musical world has ever heard.
The White Album (The Beatles) has amazing highs, but there were too many lows for it to be an all-time great album experience. And I already had too many Beatles albums in my top ten so this was an easy one to get rid of.
And finally, no list from this era would be complete without Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin II is my second-favourite album of theirs … If this was a top 11 list, it would have made it.
10 – Getz/Gilberto (Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- The Girl From Ipanema
- Corcovado (Quiet Night Of Quiet Stars)
- So Danco Samba
I could have very easily flooded this top 10 with albums from the second half of the 60’s, as those tended to be my favourites, but I wanted to use this slot to highlight an early 60’s album which impressed me.
I was already a fan of “The Girl From Ipanema” before listening to “Getz/Gilberto”, but I loved the rest of this Bossa Nova album. It’s such a slick, relaxing experience from front to back.
9 – Blonde On Blonde (Bob Dylan)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Visions of Johanna
- Just Like a Woman
- I Want You
Any 60’s albums list wouldn’t be complete without a bit of Bob Dylan, and I think “Blonde On Blonde” is his best, most consistent album of the decade.
He’s a lyrical and songwriting genius, made evident by tracks like “Visions of Johanna” and “Just Like a Woman”.
8 – The Doors (The Doors)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- The End
- Break on Through (To the Other Side)
- Light My Fire
One of the greatest debut albums a band has ever made.
Jim Morrison and the rest of the band nail their all-American, whisky-soaked style straight off the bat. There are loads of classics here – “The End”, “Light My Fire” and “Break on Through (To the Other Side)” will be played for the rest of time.
What makes the album special, however, is the plethora of underrated gems – “Soul Kitchen”, “The Crystal Ship” and “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)” are all equally worthy of praise.
7 – The Velvet Underground & Nico (The Velvet Underground & Nico)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Sunday Morning
- I’ll Be Your Mirror
- Heroin
The Beatles are the obvious candidate for “most influential artist of the 60’s”, but I think the other trailblazers of the era were The Velvet Underground – especially on their iconic album with Nico.
They were band who did their own thing and created their own sound, not caring what critics or fans thought. Harsher songs like “Venus In Furs” and “Heroin” get the plaudits nowadays, but I’m more impressed by the quieter tracks “I’ll Be Your Mirror” and “Sunday Morning”.
6 – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- A Day In The Life
- Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
- With A Little Help From My Friends
It took everything in my power not to include loads of Beatles albums in this top 10. “The White Album” got relegated to the honourable mentions, and fantastic albums like “Rubber Soul” and “Magical Mystery Tour” had to be left by the wayside.
For sheer cultural impact alone, “Sgt. Pepper’s” has to make the cut. Not only is it a great album with some phenomenal songs – all of which tie together in a “concept album” package – but it took the world by storm back in 1967. Nobody had heard anything like it before.
Every Beatle gets their time in the spotlight. Ringo’s vocals on “With A Little Help From My Friends” are iconic. McCartney brings the Rock in the title track and its reprise. Harrison’s Raga Rock on “Within You Without You” is what separated this album from its contemporaries. Lennon leans into the psychedelia for “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”. And then, when you thought it couldn’t get any better, they all combine for one of the greatest songs of all time – “A Day In The Life”.
5 – Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- God Only Knows
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice
- Caroline, No
Paul McCartney would be the first to tell you that the only reason The Beatles pushed themselves so far creatively on “Sgt. Pepper” was because The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” set a new bar for Pop music.
Brian Wilson’s genius shines through on every song. The bigger hits like “God Only Knows” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” have stood the test of time, and other songs like “Caroline, No” and “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” deserve more love.
4 – Electric Ladyland (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- All Along The Watchtower
- Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
- Crosstown Traffic
“Are You Experienced” may have some of Hendrix’s best songs, but as an album experience I think “Electric Ladyland” has it beat.
Hendrix leans into the psychedelia yet again, but with a sturdy Rock backbone. I love deep cuts like “Gypsy Eyes” and “House Burning Down”, but the main attraction is clearly the final two songs.
“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” is one of the greatest closing songs ever, and “All Along The Watchtower” is one of the greatest songs ever. Period.
3 – Revolver (The Beatles)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Eleanor Rigby
- Tomorrow Never Knows
- Taxman
Objectively, it’s hard to pinpoint when The Beatles started making all-time great albums. Most would say “Rubber Soul” for its psychedelic twinge. “Help!” is a good shout for how it mastered the old style of 60’s Pop. My personal pick, however, would go to “Revolver” – one of the finest albums I’ve ever heard.
Of all The Beatles albums, it’s the one I have the hardest time picking a favourite song from because there’s so many amazing ones. “Taxman” is such an electric opener – borderline underrated by fans. “Tomorrow Never Knows” is such a mind-blowing finale.
Right now, if I had to pick, my favourite track would be “Eleanor Rigby”. It’s one of McCartney’s finest individual moments in the band, and George Martin’s string arrangement proved him to be one of the greatest producers and collaborators of all time.
2 – In The Court Of The Crimson King (King Crimson)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- 21st Century Schizoid Man
- Epitaph
- The Court Of The Crimson King
Almost all of Prog Rock’s influence can be traced to one album – “In The Court Of The Crimson King”. I’ve grown to really love King Crimson as a band, and their debut album is so masterful and confident it’s astounding.
Though it’s only five songs, all of them have a place (and the majority of them are outstanding). “The Court Of The Crimson King” is a grandiose closer, “Epitaph” has some of Greg Lake’s best vocals and lyrics, and “21st Century Schizoid Man” is such a glorious fever dream.
Nobody was making music like this back in 1969, and few have reached these heights since.
1 – Abbey Road (The Beatles)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Something
- Come Together
- Here Comes The Sun
After the disastrous “Let It Be” sessions, The Beatles resolved to make one more album before hanging up their boots. Little did they know they’d be making the greatest album of all time.
Is it a perfect album? Probably not, if I’m being fair. “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” is a bit of a dud, and some of the individual songs in the second half medley are sub-par on their own … but who cares? That medley, taking up the entire second half of the album, is one of the greatest artistic achievements in Rock music.
But don’t let that detract from the sheer number of bangers on the tracklist. “Something”, “Here Comes The Sun”, “Because”, “Come Together”, “Golden Slumbers”, “The End”, “Oh Darling” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” are some of my favourite songs ever. That’s eight songs on one album!
This is what timeless Rock music should be – entertaining, electric, and a monumental step forward for the medium.
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