Best Albums of the '60s

Best ROCK Albums (chronologically)…

Surrealistic Pillow (1967) – Jefferson Airplane
The Doors (1967) – The Doors
Electric Ladyland (1968) – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Led Zeppelin (1969) – Led Zeppelin

Revolver (1966) – The Beatles
Rubber Soul (1965) – The Beatles
Abbey Road (1969) – The Beatles
The White Album (1968) – The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band (1967) – The Beatles

(not in any real order)

Let it Bleed—The Rolling Stones
Revolver—The Beatles
Highway 61 Revisited—Bob Dylan
Everybody Knows This is Nowhere—Neil Young
Astral Weeks—Van Morrison
Electric Ladyland—The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Doors
White Light/White Heat—The Velvet Underground
English Rose-Fleetwood Mac
Live at Folsom Prison—Johnny Cash
Disraeli Gears—Cream
Rubber Soul—The Beatles
The Village Green Preservation Society—The Kinks
Stand!—Sly & the Family Stone
The White Album—The Beatles
Blonde on Blonde—Bob Dylan
Beggars Banquet—The Rolling Stones
Unicorn— Tyrannosaurus Rex
Blind Faith
Are You Experienced?—The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Axis: Bold as Love—The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band—The Beatles
Pet Sounds—The Beach Boys
The Stooges
The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

Matt forgot:

The Zombies – Odessey and Oracle
Love – Forever Changes
The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico

IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING (1969) – King Crimson
THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN (1967) – Pink Floyd
WE’RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY (1967) – The Mothers Of Invention
HOT RATS (1969) – Frank Zappa
DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (1967) – The Moody Blues
FACE TO FACE (1966), SOMETHING ELSE (1967) – The Kinks
VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY (1968), ARTHUR (1969) – The Kinks
THE WHO SELL OUT (1967), TOMMY (1969) – The Who
PET SOUNDS (1966) – The Beach Boys
BAYOU COUNTRY, GREEN RIVER, WILLY AND THE POOR BOYS (all from 1969!) – CCR
BITCHES BREW – Miles Davis (honorable mention, recorded 8/1969, released 4/1970)
LIVE 1966 THE “ROYAL ALBERT HALL” BOOTLEG VOL. 4 (another honorable mention) – Bob Dylan

Too bad this is limited to only rock …

H.P. Lovecraft II – H.P. Lovecraft (1968)
It’s a Beautiful Day – It’s a Beautiful Day (1969)
Silver Apples – Silver Apples
Soft Machine – Soft Machine
Freak Out! – Zappa (1966)
White Light/White Heat – Velvet Underground
Os Mutantes – Os Mutantes (1968)
Space Oddity – Bowie (1969)
Electric Ladyland – Hendrix
Andromeda – Andromeda
Surrealistic Pillow – Jefferson Airplane (1967)
White Album – Beatles

@Deckard, this isn’t limited to rock – I just decided to list rock alums.

Can – Monster Movie
Love – Forever Changes
Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
James Brown – Live at the Apollo
The Stooges
Velvet Underground White Light/White heat

Great thread, love ’60s music and LOVE The Creation, among many other bands.

1. Jimi Hendrix – Are You Experienced
2. Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde
3. Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland
4. The Beatles – Revolver
5. Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
6. The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico
7. Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home
8. The Beatles – Abbey Road
9. The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed
10. Tim Buckley – Happy Sad
11. The United States Of America – The United States Of America
12 . Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left
13. Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking
14. Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You
15. Laura Nyro – Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
16. James Brown – Live At The Apollo
17. Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
18. Neil Young – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
19. The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet
20. Otis Redding – Otis Blue

Most of those above are great. I would like to add for consideration:

The Impressons – S/T and Neverending
Blue Cheer- Vincebus Eruptum
Ann Peebles – This is
The Shaggs-Philosophy of the World
The Monks – Black Monk Time
The Sonics- Here are The Sonics
Ornette Coleman – Free Jazz
Albert Ayler – Spiritual Unity
Phil Ochs – Rehersals for Retirement
Skatalites – Ska- Boo- Da- Ba
Esquivel – The Genius Of Esquivel

Merle Haggard- Mama Tried
Townes Van Sandt- Our Mother the Mountain
The Mamas and Papas- If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin
CCR- Willie and the Poor Boys
Roy Orbison- In Dreams
The Band- Music From the Big Pink

—I didn’t realize how many great albums were released between 67-69.

Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
Songs of Leonard Cohen
Tim Buckley – Happy Sad

Days of Future Passed- Moody Blues
Surrealistic Pillow- Jefferson Airplane
Abbey Road- The Beatles
The Sound of Silence- Simon & Garfunkel
In-Gadda-Da-Vida- Iron Butterfly (it is a completely UNDERRATED album)
Maiden Voyage- Herbie Hancock
One Flight Up- Dexter Gordon
The Doors- The The Doors

I need to listen to more music, but these two are both masterpieces imo:

The Velvet Underground / The Velvet Underground & Nico
King Crimson / In the Court of the Crimson King

I don’t get The Beatles. Why do people love them?…

I mean, I listened to Abbey Road. Here Comes the Sun was awesome, Octopus’s Garden was pretty great, the rest just felt so simple and bland though :/

The Shaggs-Philosophy of the World

Cecil, I can kind of see why you’d find the Beatles bland in comparison to The Velvet Unerground and King Crimson. I mean, they don’t really have the rawness of the Velvets or the epicness of King Crimson. However, I advise you to keep listening to Abbey Road, as the second side at least is a masterpiece.

I don’t get The Beatles. Why do people love them?…

The White Album

White Light/White Heat – The Velvet Underground
Oar – Skip Spence
Let It Bleed – The Rolling Stones
Kick Out The Jams – MC5
HELP! – The Beatles
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin

Even though I prefer The Beatles pop albums, The White Album is my favorite.

Marvin Gaye-I Heard it Through the Grapevine
Stevie Wonder-Uptight
Bob Marley-The Wailing Wailers

Blonde on Blonde, Astral Weeks, The White Album: those are the 3 best of the decade for me.

And don’t forget about The Basement Tapes by Dylan and The Band. Released in 1975, recorded in 67, this is one of the best “60’s” albums.

Most of the albums I love have already been mentioned ( VU, Stones, Dylan, etc ).

Any Scott Walker fans on the site? His first four solo albums are great, especially the first and the fourth. These albums sound like nothing else from the late 60s, with their unique mix of orchestral music via MOR arrangements, heavily inspired by the likes of Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and Jacques Brel. While most everyone was tripping out to psychedelic rock, Walker cut 4 albums that sound more 50s than 60s to this day.

Scott ( 1967 )
Scott 2 ( 1968 )
Scott 3 ( 1969 )
Scott 4 ( 1969 )

Scott Walker has one of the most amazing voices in rock history. And he’s a huge cinema fan. The first track on Scott 4 is called The Seventh Seal, inspired by the Bergman film.

Doctor Dolittle Original Motion Picutre soundtrack

(just kidding)

Mingus Plays Piano

I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! (1969) – Janis Joplin

Also:
Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966)
Ummagumma (1969)- Pink Floyd
Silk and Soul (1967) – Nina Simone
Mr. Wonderful (1968) – Fleetwood Mac

My favourites:
The Doors – The Doors
In The Court Of The Crimson King- King Crimson
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin
Beggars Banquet- The Rolling Stones
Electric Ladyland – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Disraeli Gears—Cream
Surrealistic Pillow – Jefferson Airplane
The Piper At The Gates of Dawn- Pink Floyd
Tommy – The Who

And, of course, Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy Cornell 1964