1. The Beatles - Abbey Road 2. The Moody Blues - On the Threshold of a Dream 3. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground Others I love: Crosby, Stills and Nash - Crosby, Stills and Nash The Moody Blues - To Our Children's Children's Children The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed Bee Gees - Odessa Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willy and the Poor Boys Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from My Friends Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul Gal Costa - Gal Costa The Band - The Band Sly and the Family Stone - Stand! Led Zeppelin - II Neil Young - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis Laura Nyro - New York Tendaberry Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt Fairport Convention - Liege and Lief The Temptations - Cloud Nine Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country The Who - Tommy Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails Delaney and Bonnie - Home Fairport Convention - What We Did on Our Holidays Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin The Four Seasons - The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette Santana - Santana The Kinks - Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) Jorge Ben - Jorge Ben Joe Cocker - Joe Cocker! Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline Procol Harum - A Salty Dog Boz Scaggs - Boz Scaggs Good ones: Nina Simone - To Love Somebody Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers McCoy Tyner - Expressions Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left Spooky Tooth - Spooky Two Pharaoh Sanders - Karma Leonard Cohen - Songs from a Room The Flying Burrito Brothers - Gilded Palace of Sin The Meters - Look-a-Py-Py The Rascals - See Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago Transit Authority The Stooges - The Stooges King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King B.B. King - Completely Well Elis Regina - Como e Porque Herbie Hancock - The Prisoner Johnny Cash - At San Quentin The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers Band The Bob Seger System - Ramblin' Gamblin' Man MC5 - Kick Out the Jams Desmond Dekkar - This Is Desmond Dekkar Diana Ross and The Supremes - Cream of the Crop The Jackson 5 - Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell - Easy Dr. John - Babylon Martha Reeves and the Vandellas - Sugar 'n Spice Nina Simone - Nina Simone and Piano The Dells - Musical Menu The Four Tops - Now! Not a fan: Poco - Pickin' Up the Pieces The 5th Dimension - The Age of Aquarius Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica Targets for listening: Eddie Floyd - Never Found a Girl Roberta Flack - First Take Tim Buckley - Happy Sad Miles Davis - In a Silent Way Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking Pentangle - Basket of Light Alexander "Skip" Spence - Oar Scott Walker - Scott 4 Youngbloods - Elephant Mountain Frank Zappa - Hot Rats Blind Faith - Blind Faith David Bowie - Space Oddity Five Man Electrical Band - Five Man Electrical Band Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On Norman Greenbaum - Spirit in the Sky Steve Miller Band - Brave New World Jethro Tull - Stand Up Joni Mitchell - Clouds Tommy James and the Shondells - Crimson and Clover The Tony Williams Lifetime - Emergency! The Meters - The Meters Sir Douglas Quartet - Mendocino Tyrone Davis - Can I Change My Mind? Clarence Carter - Testifyin'
My first spin with them was I Think We're Alone Now in '67 and it blew me away. Planning on doing Crimson and Clover this year, too.
1. Crosby Stills and Nash - s/t 2. The Beatles - Abbey Road 3. Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Everybody Knows This is Nowhere I can’t rate the CSN debut highly enough. It is a fantastic and perfect record. As I mentioned in the 67 thread it’s Stephen Stills at the top of his game, and I consider that to be a fairly mountainous peak. As much as I don’t want to contribute to another Beatles victory, I think Abbey Road deserves as much praise as any entry in their catalog. It isn’t quite as perfect as Revolver nor is it at as interesting as the white album, but it is easily their third best record in my book and one of the finest records of the decade. Side 2 is a towering achievement. Went back and forth between Neil and Creedence for the 3 spot. I think the highs on EKTIN warrant placement here. CCR deserves a mention for one of the most ridiculous years in history, releasing 3 defining albums in 12 months, but they hadn’t peaked yet. Considering them for the 1 spot next year. Finally giving a full listen to Songs From a Room, which I suspect could have been a ranked option for me if I had gotten to it earlier. Regret not voting in the 67 thread for his debut which should have placed.
1. Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica 2. Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul That’s it. The end. That’s all there is for 1969. Everything else pales in comparison.
Oh ok, Hot Rats by Frank Zappa and Black Woman by Sonny Sharrock too. But they’re faaaaaaaaaaaaar behind Beefheart and Hayes.
Fine. These too… Santana - ST Tim Buckley - Happy Sad/Blue Afternoon Can - Monster Movie Dr John - Babylon Marlena Shaw - Spice of Life Herbie Hancock - Fat Albert Rotunda
Blind Faith - Blind Faith 2/3 of an absolutely essential album...and then a WAY overlong jam at the end. "Can't Find My Way Home" and "Presence of the Lord" are just incredible songs. Winwood and Clapton had a lot of chemistry and then Baker just does his Ginger Baker jazz thump thing. Tyrone Davis - Can I Change My Mind? A big, produced soul album from a blues singer. Gives you the holy-shit vocals you expect. The title track was a big hit for a reason and the soul-shredding singing on the closer is hair-raising. Also bonus points for a great looking cover. Scott Walker - Scott 4 Does anyone lie to themselves more than Scott Walker fans? "Well he's not really crooner/pop because he has such odd or dark subject matter." Hate to break it to you, he's not only a crooner, but he's much more Andy Williams than Frank or Tony, so not only do you like crooner pop, you like programatic crooner pop. Digression aside, this album rules. Really gorgeous arrangements, good songs, well-sung, and a little more variety of style than I recall on his debut, which is the other full-length I've heard.
Listened to From Elvis in Memphis. I think the only Elvis albums I've heard is a pretty comprehensive compilation, and his debut album, so clearly a big gap for me. The two songs I knew here (as sung by Elvis, specifically) are "In The Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds", both of which I love, the latter in particular for Elvis brilliantly desperate vocal performance. One of the best pop songs of all time for sure. I really enjoyed this - I know Elvis has that slight reputation for phoning it in on some of his many albums in the 60s, perhaps an unfair reputation, as I said I haven't heard much of him in album form at all, but this is consistently excellent, and he sounds full of life and energy in it.
In fairness, it's generally held as his most focused and committed record. It came in the wake of the '68 Comeback Special. I did like that one a lot, too. I just wish they'd hung together a little longer to write 2-3 songs to follow it.
i get that sentiment but it would have kept clapton from making layla and other assorted love songs, which is the best album he ever put his paws on
The '80s lover in me insists Journeyman might have something to say about that, but...you're probably right.
'69 has a bunch of stuff I've heard but haven't spent a ton of time with. Starting with the Zeppelin debut. One of those bands I always forget how much I really enjoy until I'm sitting down and listening to them. Not saying anything new here, but they really were a group of absurdly talented people
I know I've listened to a bunch of Zeppelin albums over the years but they must've been in one ear and out the other because none of the tracklists look familiar. Pretty big gap for me.
Maybe a lame way to say it but they're just an excellent rock band. Bonham is especially one of the best to ever do it. I'm mostly familiar with the singles so it's fun to go in order (lining up with whatever year we're in on Chorus) and just absorbing the whole thing
Ok, thought about this a bit. 1. The Beatles - Abbey Road 2. The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed 3. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I Abbey Road is right up there with Rubber Soul as one of my favorite Beatles albums. There's something so melancholy about it, as if you can hear their union disintegrating on tape, but still manifesting as some of the most beautiful music ever made. In particular, I'd say "Something" is my one favorite Beatles song, if I had to name one. Let It Bleed ignites one of the greatest three album runs in music history. It's probably my least favorite of those three, if I had to pick, but it's still such a dynamite collection of songs, flowing with such a palpable sense of turmoil and dread, that I can't help but be captivated by it. Doesn't hurt that it's on the shortlist for "greatest bookends on an album ever." I get the sense, from this thread and other reading, that Led Zeppelin II is the preferred 1969 album from the band, but I'm personally partial to Led Zeppelin I. So much of what makes that band special as a musical force is already fully formed on that album, and "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is my favorite Zeppelin song. II is remarkable stuff too, but if I had to pick just one...
let it bleed probably is a top 50 album ever for me can't wait to see the reaction for houses of the holy
He definitely phoned it in on a lot of the soundtracks, but every now and then he came back with a classic. Also check out “If I Can Dream” from the same sessions.
There's a ton of stuff on your list that I haven't heard. The CCR albums, Fairport Convention, and Dusty in Memphis are all things I've been meaning to listen to for a long time, so definitely those.