Top 200 Albums of the 1960s: 100-51

100. Toots and the Maytals - Sweet and Dandy
Toots and the Maytals practically wrote the book on reggae. In fact their song “Do the Reggay” is credited with naming the genre. Whether you’re looking at this album for anthropological purposes, it is clear by the time “Pressure Drop” ends you’re in for a good time. “54-56 That’s My Number” was about Toots Hibbert’s time getting arrested. “Monkey Man” was also on this album and became a breakthrough international hit. Along with defining a genre and dropping iconic catchy anthems, the rest of the album maintains a filler-free standard of excellence. Over it all is Hibbert’s excellent vocals. 

99. Johnny Winter - Johnny Winter
There were white guys playing the blues in the 60s, and then there was Johnny Winter. The Texas albino’s first album for Columbia records set a new standard in blues guitar. As was often the style at the time, the album is a mix of originals and blues standards, backed primarily by his trio of “Uncle” John Turner on drums and future Double Trouble bassist Tommy Shannon. Winter’s guitar playing is absolutely the star here though, as he finger picks and slides his way through a complete mastery of Texas blues. His original “Dallas” is about as pure as it gets, but whether running through BB King (“Be Careful With a Fool”), Robert Johnson (“When You Got a Good Friend”) or everyone’s favorite creepy blues jam (“Good Morning Little School Girl”) one thing is certain, this boy can play.

98. The Sonics - Here Are the Sonics
There are some albums that you put on for the first time and wonder where the hell it's been your whole life. The debut album from Seattle’s garage rock legends The Sonics is one of those. It epitomized the lo-fi raucous guitar driven noise of a thousand hipsters, but in true “before it was cool” fashion. Lead singer and keyboardist Gerry Roslie pushes those early analog meters deep into the red and nearly every song, howling his way through every parent’s worst nightmare of a dance band. As iconic as their version of “Have Love Will Travel” is, it is his originals “The Witch”, “Strychnine”, “Boss Hoss”, and “Psycho” that might leave the biggest impression. The magic of their live sound was never quite duplicated on record again, which makes this a particularly special moment in music history. 

97. The Ronettes - Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica
The only full length album released by The Ronettes, this is the gold standard of all girl groups. Veronica Bennett, better known as Ronnie Spector had some early voice of a generation chops, and makes it clear she is the star here. One of pop music’s early “bad girls” she brought an attitude and some street credibility to the occasional saccharine lyrics. Producer and Veronica’s future ex-husband and noted murderer Phil Spector hit gold here. His still burgeoning wall-of-sound met its match with Ronnie’s vocals. Drink every time you hear a song that was used in a Martin Scorsese movie and you might black out. 

96. Max Roach - We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite
There was little doubt whether or not jazz artists would get political as the 60s began. Max Roach and Clifford Brown began collaborating on this project from New York and Chicago, trading ideas mostly over the phone. After increasing tensions of the direction of the piece, they eventually split leaving Roach to ultimately decide on the final arrangements. Roach and future wife Abbey Lincoln are the only two people featured on the entire album, with a few guest musicians popping up. From the opening 5/4 rhythm of “Driva Man” We Insist! pulls no punches. It is an album of protest, urgency, and incredible power. Along with his follow up Percussion Bitter Suite, it is absolutely essential listening. 

95. Eddie Palmieri - La Perfecta
Bronx born Eddie Palmieri brought his prodigious talents to Puerto Rican music and helped define Latin music in the 60s and beyond. The Cuban influence that dominated the sound in the late 50s is still present in La Perfecta, but with a noticeable variation. Palmieri replaced the violins with a more forceful trombone. Whatever the makeup of the band, the music here is infectious and outstanding. Ismael Quintana was the voice of the group, becoming a future star himself. This is a dance album to be sure, with nearly every number up-tempo. Incredibly accessible and timeless, it is a perfect primer for Latin music.

94. The Meters - The Meters
The roots of funk had germinated during the later parts of the 60s, but crystalized in 1969. The Meters were a well oiled machine before making their debut, playing primarily as Allen Touissant’s backing band. When they had a hit on their hands with “Cissy Strut” a full length debut was quickly put together. Although there was no defined band leader, it is hard not to follow the lead of drummer Ziggy Modeliste. That man could put down a beat, and his style would become a huge influence on funk music throughout the seventies and deep into the hip-hop era. There is a similarity between their breakthrough hit and Sly Stone’s “Sing a Simple Song” which makes it fitting their own version of that number helps bookend the album. If ever an album could say “It’s got a good beat, you can dance to it” this was it.

93. Simon and Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme
After the somewhat rushed release of their second album Sounds of Silence, Simon and Garfunkel took a luxurious 3 months working on their follow up. The result was absolutely worth it and established a near perfect run before the duo called it quits. It was the first time Paul Simon was awarded major artistic control over the entire recording process. Utilizing the still cutting edge 8 track recorder, more and more overdubs were attempted and utilized. The iconic title track is the only song that even hits the 3 minute mark, which makes the richness of these compositions all the more impressive. The duo’s loveable dorkiness is present throughout on the barely self aware “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy)” and the Dylan-worship of “A Simple Desultory Philippic". 

92. The Byrds - Notorious Byrd Brothers 
Released at the very beginning of 1968, Notorious Byrd Brothers was an album in transition. They were stuck between the jangle pop of their first albums with some of the psychedelic experiments of 5th Dimension, and looking ahead to the country sounds of Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The blending of all of this makes Notorious perhaps the best place to dig into their catalogue as it touches on everything they did well. David Crosby was finally fired halfway through the recordings, and drummer Michael Clarke left and came back before permanently exiting after wrapping. Gene Clark who already left the group in 1966, came back briefly although his contributions are minimal. Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman largely stepped up as the driving forces of the group.  

91. Love - Da Capo
Nearly everyone’s favorite west coast cult rock group of the 60s, Love’s Da Capo was the second of three albums released. Lack of competition made it their highest charting album, but it was far from a smash success. The music follows a somewhat 60s approach to mixing as many genres and styles as you can find. It was the style at the time to feature some harpsichord and a drum solo, both boxes get checked here. Arguably more readily accessible than Forever Changes and without the enormous reputation to live up to. “Stephanie Knows Who” kicks things off wonderfully which sets up the short and concise side one. Also featured is “7 and 7 Is” their closest thing to a hit single. The second half of the album is the monster “Revelation” which predates Iron Butterfly in terms of side long psychedelic jams. 

90. Small Faces - Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake
Small Faces' final album in their original incarnation was their only concept album, and the only one that has any sort of definitive version. The first side takes a page out of The Kinks playbook by presenting a brief retrospective of British musical styles. For the first time a few songs are allowed to get into jamming territory as they began to abandon the concise pop singles of their early years. Side B leans more into Who territory with a six song suite complete with narration from Stanley Unwin. I’m not going to lie to you, the narration is probably why this album isn’t higher on the list. Minor gripe aside, perhaps ultimately the group they most resembled were The Zombies who immediately disbanded after their final masterpiece. 

89. Grateful Dead - Live/Dead
Despite being major fixtures in the summer of love, Grateful Dead had never quite figured out how to replicate their increasingly legendary live shows on record. The solution was somewhat simple, at least in theory to release a live recording. This particular record was pulled from multiple live sets and the first to utilize a 16 track recording. The result was a near lossless audio quality that could run directly to their PA. Opening with one of their signature songs “Dark Star” which takes up the entirety of the first side is a perfect test to find out whether or not you fuck with the Dead. What follows is the ultimate jam band oscillating between blues rockers, and experimental freak outs. The musicianship is first rate and finally the “you had to be there” experience of their concerts was accessible for everyone. Over the years, an absurd amount of live recordings have surfaced (including the complete performances these songs were pulled from), but this remains their defining release.

88. Fairport Convention - Liege and Leaf
If you want to know how different the music world was back in the 60s, this was the third album released by Fairport Convention in 1969 alone. They weren’t even the only band to drop three albums in a calendar year. Following up Unhalfbricking might have been tough for any band but if you ask me, they topped it a mere few months later. What set this apart from their first three albums was new addition Dave Swarbick who plays the ever loving shit out of the violin and mandolin on this. Another Dave, Mattacks became their new drummer after founding member Martin Lamble’s death when the group’s van crashed. Despite the tragedy, Liege and Lief was a gleeful celebration of all things English folk, they abandoned the covers of better known Dylan songs. Even the originals like the opener “Come All Ye” sound timeless. 

87. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
A live album almost as legendary as the Man in Black himself, At Folsom Prison was a comeback for the ages. After numerous drug problems, including a few arrests himself, Cash had gone several years without a hit. Once some personnel changes at Columbia records happened in 1967, Cash once again pitched his idea to record a live album in prison. His classic song “Folsom Prison Blues” made the choice of venue a very obvious one. He had been performing at prisons since 1957, so by the time these dates arrived he was a natural in front of the crowd. The entire set was full of prison friendly songs like “Cocaine Blues”, “25 Minutes to Go”, and “The Wall” and a few charming novelty numbers. Most of the recordings that made the eventual album were from the earlier show, at 9:40am, which is a hell of a time to have a concert. 

86. The Who - Tommy
At least as early as “A Quick One” in 1966, Pete Townsend seemed obsessed with musically telling a story. The Who Sell Out followed as a loose concept album about commercialism but really was mainly connected by interludes. Tommy was his most ambitious project at the time and aimed to tell the first Rock Opera. Plenty of bands had embraced the LP as a medium for story telling but rarely as deliberate as here. Tommy still works today because it has a damn fine collection of songs. The story of a deaf, dumb, and blind boy who becomes a pinball wizard and eventually treated as some sort of messiah is beautiful nonsensical 60s shit, but it works. A very ambitious and theatrical tour followed and eventually a movie and stage show. The pressure to top this led to Townsend having a nervous breakdown and eventually producing their greatest album, but well this is a tough act to follow.

85. Doc Watson - Doc Watson
In the initial folk boom of the early 60s there seemed to be an almost puritanical approach to real authentic American music. Bluegrass was about as American as it got but that was just one part of the gumbo Doc Watson was cooking on his debut album. Watson himself handled all the vocals, guitar, banjo, and harmonica on the album with only a little second guitar added to “Black Mountain Rag” and “Hashville Blues”. As was the style at the time, most of the numbers were re-workings of traditional tunes. Despite being oft-recorded, it is hard to hear anyone else doing “Sitting on Top of the World”, and “Tom Dooley” really drives the whole thing home. His follow up Southbound is nearly as good but everything great was already here. 

84. Cannonball Adderley - Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at “The Club”
If the day ever came when I made a list of my all time favorite jazz albums Something Else from Cannonball Adderley might very well be in my top ten. That album was from the 50s so just go ahead and check that out on your own. Due to some sly trickery, the album was actually recorded in studio with a live audience brought in (and open bar), with a special bit of free publicity to the Chicago club of the title. The title track, written by Joe Zawinul became a surprise hit and was recorded by nearly everyone in the latter part of the 60s. The Austrian born keyboardist spent much of the decade with Adderley before going on to much bigger things fronting Weather Report. Zawinul also contributed “Hippodelphia”, with the remaining songs written by Cannonball or his cornet playing brother Nat. Start to finish though this is a near perfect set.

83. Son House - The Legendary Son House: Father of Folk Blues
In 1964, a long retired Son House was rediscovered working at a train station in Rochester, New York. Unaware of the newfound folk blues fad, he was invited to perform at the Newport Folk Festival. The idea of getting old blues singers into the studio to record and preserve their work was not exactly new in 1965, but I’ll be damned if anyone did it better here. There is something to be said for having lived through hard times to sing about them, and I’m sure it isn’t the first or last time I bring that up. In addition to his powerful and weary voice, it is that steel guitar that gives this a special sound in the classic blues recordings. The songs don’t resemble much of the short and sweet blues standards of the day, with several songs topping six minutes, and the closer “Levee Camp Moan” topping 9 minutes. There is a little supporting guitar from Canned Heat’s Al Wilson who helped show some of the new generation of blues loving whites were alright. This is positively the real deal and no matter how much blues you listen to it is hard to deny how special the sessions that produced this album were.

82. Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man
Few artists in country music history ever had a run quite like Tammy Wynette across her first several albums. After four separate singles topped the country charts, her and writer-producer Billy Sherill went to work on a new album. The title track was reportedly written in 20 minutes during a break in recording. It not only became Wynette’s signature tune it later was named the greatest country song of all time, and hilariously covered in The Blues Brothers 11 years later. It is easy to overlook the rest of the album after the powerhouse opener, but this is start to finish her strongest set. “I Stayed Long Enough”, another Wynette original, is a highlight as well as “Forever Yours”, “It’s My Way”, and “Don’t Make Me Go to School”. 

81. The Four Tops - Reach Out
The copy and paste formula of Motown often put all of the emphasis on having hit singles, leaving the full length album to be a bit of a dumping ground for less successful tracks. However, as evident elsewhere on this list, sometimes that formula contained so many classic hits that everything was elevated. Is Reach Out the best Motown album of the 60s? Well keep checking this list to find out my answer. The legendary Holland-Dozier-Holland produced most of the album as well as writing the major hits “Reach Out I’ll Be There”, “I’ll Turn to Stone”, “Standing in the Shadows of Love”, and “Bernadette”. An attempt at a crossover was attempted with two Monkees songs on the album. Everything is anchored by the powerful vocals of Levi Stubbs, whose powerful baritone dominates. 

80. MC5 - Kick Out the Jams
Although Lincoln Park, Michigan is only a few miles from Detroit, the MC5 couldn’t be more different than the music coming out of Motown at the time. After gaining a lot of early buzz the group was signed to Elektra records in 1968 and several attempts were made to record a debut album. However nothing quite captured the sound of their live shows so around Halloween the decision was made to record their set across two nights at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit. A bold move for a debut it paid off, the proto-punk revolutionaries defining the moment. The intro to the title track proved to be quite the controversy at the time eventually leading to the Motor City 5 being dropped by Elektra, what’s more punk than that?

79. Santana - Santana
As evident elsewhere on this list, Latin music was a powerful force during the 1960s. In the great interest of fusion near the end of the decade no one had successfully integrated those sounds into rock music. San Francisco based Santana hit like a bolt of lightning late in the summer of 1969. Less than a week before the album was released they appeared at Woodstock and their rendition of “Soul Sacrifice” remains one of the greatest live recordings ever made. Their format was a lot more free-form jamming, but manager Bill Graham wisely suggested they write more concise songs. Although guitarist Carlos Santana left little doubt whose name was on the album, the intricate percussion anchored by 20 year old Michael Shrieve on drums truly was the driving force of the band. Keyboardist, vocalist, and future founding member of Journey Greg Rolie remained the group's most successful vocalist. Although they were just getting started, it is hard to find any fault with their brilliant debut here.

78. Muddy Waters - Folk Singer 
Despite being around for 50 years, Folk Singer was only the second studio album from Muddy Waters. The Newport Folk Festival helped to define what American folk music was and well someone at Chess decided Muddy fit the bill. Produced by Willie Dixon and featuring a young Buddy Guy as a second guitarist, Folk Singer was a near perfect capsule of blues past, present, and future. The mostly unplugged recordings helped emphasize Waters' powerful voice and the title certainly helped make the association to the currently en vogue folk scene. It would remain his best album at least until Johnny Winter came around.

77. Jerry Lee Lewis - She Still Comes Around (To What's Left of Me)
For most of the founding fathers of rock and roll, the 60s seemed to quickly leave them behind. Well when you marry your very underage cousin who can blame them? Jerry Lee Lewis began his transition throughout the decade learning where his bread was buttered and doubling down on his country background. She Still Comes Around is my favorite Lewis album because the master of the boogie-woogie piano was still capable of reminding everyone he could still rock like the best of them. Barely under 28 minutes, it is to borrow a future Lewis compilation title “All killer and no filler”. 

76. The Beatles - With the Beatles
Will every Beatles album appear on this list? Well keep scrolling but fans of the Yellow Submarine soundtrack might be disappointed. The second official UK album from the lads from Liverpool is a step up in almost every way from their debut. “It Won’t Be Long” might be my favorite opener on any Beatles album period. The trio of covers “Please Mr. Postman”, “You Really Got a Hold on Me”, and “Money” are three of the most listened to songs of my life. Not to say there were any weak links in the originals here. Along with the slightly inferior US version Meet the Beatles, this served as the official start of Beatlemania.

75. The Isley Brothers - It’s Our Thing
Motown could produce hits but they had their greatest success with artists who were malleable to how they did things. The Isley Brothers spent a miserable 3 ½ years being artistically stifled under Berry Gordy’s label. Finally free, they formed their own imprint T-Neck Records where they dropped this glorious celebration of funk. “It’s Your Thing” proved to be the breakout hit they desperately needed, and although that was the only charting single, it was far from the only highlight. “I Know Who You Been Socking it To” sets the tone immediately, “Somebody Been Messin’”, “Give the Women What They Want” are all funk classics. Finally in control, every song was written by the brothers and helped to establish them as major forces in funk and soul music heading into the next decade.

74. The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn!
The closest thing the Byrds had to any continuity was probably on their first two albums. However the fracturing was already beginning. Resentment over Gene Clark’s dominance, rejecting David Crosby’s songs, and infighting about the direction of the band and their sound would soon force some of the many personnel changes in the group. Two months before the album was released however, the title track was put out as a single, going on to top the charts. It became one of the decade’s defining songs, adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes by Pete Seeger and arranged by Roger McGuinn; it was tailor made for the moment. The rest of the record largely continues what began on Mr. Tambourine Man. There were a couple more Dylan covers, a trio of Clark originals, and some re-arranged traditionals. “Satisfied Man”, recorded at the suggestion of Chris Hillman was the first overt flirtation with country music which would come to dominate their later sound. 

73. Lonnie Mack - The Wham of that Memphis Man
There is great music all around us. Sometimes it comes from a Cincinnati based record label like Fraternity Records in 1963. Lonnie Mack was perhaps too much, too soon for his era. Although audiences in 1963 could have definitely used his rambunctious style of rock and roll, he was destined for cult adoration. His flashy guitar playing was years ahead of the blues rock stalwarts that would dominate the guitar god conversations. Despite a predilection for instrumentals, what is most extraordinary here is his vocals. Lonnie shreds his vocals as much as his guitar with a force not really heard in white music at the time. A truly revelatory album that is always ripe for rediscovery. 

72. Roy Orbison - Crying
Being familiar with Roy Orbison my whole life thanks to an inside joke in my family I was shockingly ignorant when it came to his albums. His third outing though is easily the best I heard. The title track is one of his all time classics, hell it might be his very best song which is saying something. 9 of the 12 songs were written or co-written by Orbison and everything serves as a showcase for one of music’s prettiest voices. 

71. The Beach Boys - Today!
A common refrain you will hear throughout your life is that you have to learn to walk before you can learn to run. While Today seems like a perfect representation of that for The Beach Boys it tends to grossly undersell how fantastic this album is on its own. Before recording the album Brian Wilson had a breakdown on tour and announced to the remaining band members that he would be leaving the road to focus on recording exclusively. Trying to emerge from just singing about cars and girls, Wilson attempted to broaden their themes to all manner of teenage life. Taking inspiration from Phil Spector and what the Beatles were doing he opted to get much more ambitious with his arrangements, moving beyond basic rock instrumentation. Despite the beginnings of baroque pop this is still very much a Beach Boys record. “Do You Wanna Dance?”, “When I Grow Up to Be a Man”, “Dance, Dance, Dance” and a re-working of “Help Me, Ronda” all became massively successful singles. Despite flashes early on (particularly on Surfer Girl), this is the first truly great Beach Boys album, a cohesive work that helped set the stage for even greater work ahead. 

70. Neil Young with Crazy Horse - Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
In many ways Neil Young’s second solo album was a rejection of his first and the work he did with Buffalo Springfield. Danny Whitten, Billy Talbot, and Ralph Molina were Laurel Canyon musicians playing as the Rockets before linking up with Young and eventually re-named Crazy Horse. Much of the sessions here were recorded in very few takes, with no rehearsals. Young would occasionally trim some of the jamming that didn’t work but finding a magic in what did. This spontaneous creation applied to three of the album’s best known songs “Cinnamon Girl”, “Down By the River”, and “Cowgirl in the Sand” were all allegedly written in the same day while Young was recovering from the flu. The style suited Young well and was a direct contrast to the polished nature of his early work. It announced him as a unique and important force in music, which would only see greater highs throughout the next decade. 

69. Willie Colon - Cosa Nuestra 
What is the best salsa album of the 1960s? According to this gringo, Cosa Nuestra. This was one of those albums that I accidentally wrote down twice on my list, and mistook it for a different album. Meaning, it was so good I tried to include it three times. Like Eddie Palmieri Colon was born in New York to Puerto Rican parents. His main instrument was trombone, and he took some swings at singing in addition to directing his own band. He wisely took a back seat on vocals here to Hector Lavoe. Lavoe wrote my personal favorite song on the album “Te Conzco”, but the highlights don’t stop there. Colon himself would become quite political later in his career, eventually running for office in New York City and serving as a special assistant and advisor to both David Dinkins and Michael Bloomberg. 

68. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - East-West
On the surface, this might have seemed like business as usual for the Chicago blues group. Another collection of mostly traditional blues songs, electrified, and played in a classic Windy City style. Things take a far more interesting detour almost immediately though. Elvin Bishop actually got to play some solos here, but it was largely Mike Bloomfield and his newly discovered love of LSD that helped push the more extended jams into modal territory. Influenced heavily by what John Coltrane was doing and the growing influence of Indian music, he helped push the music from the more rudimentary blues progressions. The album does feature two instrumentals that show an amazing band in perfect form. For traditionalists this might have seemed like a betrayal, but it helped show an incredible sense of innovation. No longer just trying to sound like their heroes, PBBB were charting new territory and creating their own sound, helping birth acid rock in the meantime. 

67. Nina Simone - Pastel Blues
I have stated elsewhere that Nina Simone was at her best when her sound was largely stripped down. A classically trained pianist, she was often hidden underneath lavish orchestral arrangements, it’s one of the reasons why Wild is the Wind never hit me quite like others. Simone was not non-violent, and after the death of Malcolm X she was ready to fight. She fashions the blues as not just emotional turmoil, but urban protest. The entire album is full of covers, but it is the last two songs that really take this home. First up is “Strange Fruit” which she had been performing live for some time already and was sadly all too relevant in 1965. The last is “Sinnerman” and you’d be hard pressed to find any recording from anyone in the sixties that can match its energy and immediacy. For my money this is her finest album in a storied career with many highlights.

66. Rolling Stones - Between the Buttons
Between the Buttons saw the Stones in transition. Fresh off their first album of all original material, they opted to leave behind their blues roots and focus on the more fashionable baroque pop of the day. Brian Jones was hellbent and determined to play everything but guitar on this album, including marimbas, recorder, thermin, banjo, kazoo, and it goes on. As with Aftermath, the US version is my preferred version of the album, kicking things off with the all timer “Let’s Spend the Night Together”. The Stones then and now were never immune to musical trends, and this remains their most noticeably British album. There is a music hall tradition through this that would feel right at home on any Kinks album. 

65. Love - Forever Changes
Given enough time a piece of music can run from disappointment, cult favorite, to all-timer, to overrated, and eventually settling somewhere as damn good. The band was rapidly deteriorating and essentially made Forever Changes to finally get out of their deal with Elektra Records. Lead vocalist and main songwriter Arthur Lee was in a dark place, and every song seems marked by his increasing belief that he would die young (he lived until 2006). The entire album has a feeling that this is the end, not just of the band but Lee himself, and his own paranoia seems to be determined to get his last words down right. Like Frank Zappa, Lee wasn’t exactly buying the “Summer of Love” and realized there was a darkness to this. 

64. Sam Cooke - Ain’t That Good News
The final studio album from Sam Cooke shows the legend going out absolutely on top. The album spawned 5 singles, including the oft-covered “A Change is Gonna Come” which became one of the defining Civil rights anthems. “Good Times”, “Another Saturday Night”, “Meet Me At Mary’s Place” and the title track were all written by Cooke and help contribute to the party vibe of the album. The album isn’t all good times though, as the second side slows things down a bit. The final song “The Riddle Song” contains the line “I gave my love a baby with no crying” in reference to his son Vincent who died at 18 months old. 

63. Small Faces - There Are But Four Small Faces
The short lived Small Faces catalogue looks like Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake and a confusing mix of albums with very similar titles. There was Small Faces, Small Faces, In the Beginning (which contained mostly material from the self-titled albums), and There Are But Four Small Faces which also contains material from the ‘67 self-titled album. Some of these were different record companies cashing in, or US and UK companies repackaging the same material. Well sorting through all that chaos the one titled There Are But Four Small Faces is my personal favorite. Doesn’t hurt that their best songs “Itchycoo Park”, “Tin Soldier”, and “My Way of Giving” all appear here, but there isn’t a weak moment to be found. Ogden’s might have been a more complete “album” but as a collection of songs you’d be hard pressed to find any British group doing it better here.

62. Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen
Despite his initial unhappiness with the album and the arrangements, it is possible Leonard Cohen never made a better album than his debut. Despite relatively sparse arrangements, according to Cohen it could have been a lot more barren. After decades of listening to this it never crossed my mind that this was “overproduced”, but at least he was able to right some perceived wrongs with Songs From a Room. What makes this Cohen’s definitive album however is the songs included. Judy Collins had already recorded a version of “Suzanne” and “Hey That’s No Way to Say Goodbye”,, but she was far from the last person to offer her spin on these numbers. “So Long, Marianne” alone was covered at least 10 times. What Cohen lacked in vocal chops he more than made up for in lyrics, becoming one of the most celebrated writers of the last 60 years.

61. Crosby, Stills, and Nash - Crosby, Stills, and Nash
Supergroups cobbled together from the ashes of other bands (or in some cases drug loving members being booted) were aplenty in the 60s. Crosby, Stills, and Nash speculated what if three guitarists could form their own band. Well when the vocal harmonies hit that well, they sure could. Stephen Stills was noticeably the driving force behind the album, playing on all but two songs, and playing all the leads, organ, bass, and even some percussion to boot. Not to say it was a competition but Stills contributed “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”, “You Don’t Have to Cry”, “Helplessly Hoping” and “49 Bye-Byes”, while also co-writing “Wooden Ships”. Along the way they helped define the California brand of singer-songwriter music and setting the stage for a host of acts to follow in the next decade.

60. Deep Purple - Deep Purple
After two decent hard rock albums, Deep Purple got wonderfully ambitious for their third album. It was the closest they ever got to going full progressive rock, and perhaps the lack of commercial success of the album ultimately caused a change in direction. John Lord was embracing his inner Morricone on the epic “April” which Blackmore closes out with the earliest sweep picking I heard on record. Unlike their first two albums this only features one cover, the Donovan number “Lalena”, which is likewise reimagined in their own fashion. Both Lord and Blackmore were pushing the group in more classical directions, and inventing neo-classical before it was a thing. Released in June, but July the band had already replaced singer Rod Evans and bassist Nick Simper and was working on material that would become In Rock. As a result almost none of the songs from this album were played live after 1969, damn shame too.

59. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
Until the first Van Halen record came out it is safe to say no album altered the landscape of guitar playing quite like Are You Experienced? Jimi Hendrix gigged around with a few artists before meeting Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding in London and forming a power trio in the style of Cream, under the direction of Animals bassist Chas Chandler. The album wasn’t released in the US until after Hendrix’s show stealing performance at Monterey. However it had to happen, let’s be glad it did. As was typical at the time the US and UK versions have different track listings, but the US version opening with the iconic “Purple Haze” is absolutely the way this was meant to be heard. Not as bold or flashy as his next two albums, Are You Experienced set the table for the most important and influential guitar player to ever go on record. 

58. James Brown - Live at the Apollo 
The first of many live albums from James Brown, Live at the Apollo was James Brown’s most famous album and arguably his best. Recorded on October 24, 1962 it features Brown and his Famous Flames in top form. What stands out from a lot of other live albums is the brevity. The entire album is barely over 30 minutes and many of Brown’s best known singles are jammed in the middle of medleys. The result is a relentless energy that is all killer and no filler. The album helped cement his status as an R&B legend and helped break mainstream. Like many black artists at the time the studio records rarely captured the dynamics of their act. Live at the Apollo was the perfect representation of the hardest working man in show business.

57. Sly and the Family Stone - Stand!
On the other end of the funk spectrum is Sly and the Family Stone. As a rare popular integrated band, Sly and co had a number of hits and solid albums throughout the late 60s. Stand however took the group into undisputed superstar status. It was their first platinum album and featured the number one single “Everyday People”. More exciting though was the funk the album contained, from the breakdown in “Stand!”, “I Want to Take You Higher”, “Sing a Simple Song”, “You Can Make it If You Try”, and the 13 minute “Sex Machine” everything hits on this. The group managed to thread the needle between pop respectability, drug induced jamming, and undeniable grooves. 

56. The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
I have gone over in the past the technical merits of this as an album. It is something of an anomaly.  It’s part soundtrack, but perhaps more oddly it is the only Beatles album that was superior in its US form.  The US version contained the UK EP but threw in a separate side of the singles “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “Penny Lane” and “All You Need is Love”, and well why isn’t it an album?  Obviously the Fab Four were unstoppable in 1967. However, it lacks the cohesive “album” feel that Sgt. Peppers, Abbey Road, or The White Album had.  It might be nitpicking, but when you’re discussing the greatest band in rock you have to measure their work on a different grading scale.  

55. Merle Haggard and the Strangers - Mama Tried
A pioneer of the Bakersfield sound, Merle Haggard quickly established himself as one of the all time greats with a string of excellent albums recorded with The Strangers. The best of those and by far the most enduring was Mama Tried. The title track, written by Haggard instantly became a standard and remains perhaps his best remembered song. Many of Haggard’s albums around this time had themes, and the theme here was definitely prison. It helped establish Haggard as a forerunner to the outlaw country movement. Merle recorded his own version of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” as well as the standard “Green, Green Grass of Home”. However, the originals were perhaps the most enduring tracks, “The Sunny Side of My Life”, “I’ll Always Know”, and “You’ll Never Love Me Now” all could have been future classics.

54. Otis Redding - Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
The ultimate album from Stax and Otis Redding. Recorded over 22 hours with Booker T and the MG’s as well as Isaac Hayes, Otis Blue was a landmark for Redding and mid-60s soul music. Paying tribute to Sam Cooke who died a few months before the album was released, there are three Cooke songs including “Change Gonna Come”. Redding contributed three originals including “Respect” which was soon to become synonymous with Aretha Franklin. Perhaps best of all was “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” which for my money was Redding’s finest song as a writer or performer. Showing his versatility are also great versions of the Stones “Satisfaction”, The Temptations “My Girl”, and BB King’s “Rock Me Baby”. 

53. Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Frank Zappa’s last album of the 60s was his second solo album and first since disbanding the original Mothers of Invention. Opting to take a more instrumental direction, 5 of the 6 songs were instrumental. Zappa and multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood helped run through the most musically adventurous and technical compositions he had come up with. For “Willie the Pimp”, high school friend Captain Beefheart was brought in to provide vocals and it is easily my favorite number he ever sang. “Peaches en Regalia” is still one of the most perfectly composed instrumentals of all time and helped show the more ambitious direction he would take in the next decade. 

52. The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers Band
Most of the roots of modern music began in the 1960s. Funk, soul, outlaw country, punk, progressive rock, and even electronica had their humble origins during the decade. At the tail end of the decade a band from Macon, Georgia single handedly gave birth to Southern Rock. Sure it might have just been blues based rock and roll just from a different region, but there was something particularly soulful about what the brothers Allman were cooking. As tempting as it is to overlook their debut for the high-highs they would achieve in the 1970s (quite literally), the blueprint was firmly laid down on their debut. With two guitarists, two drummers, and one of the most soulful white boys to ever double as a singer and organ player, this was an instant classic. “It’s My Cross to Bear” and “Trouble No More” were early highlights but the show stopping “Whipping Post” proved these guys were absolutely not fucking around.

51. Buck Owens - Together Again/My Heart Skips a Beat
Born in Sherman, Texas (sharing a birthday with myself fwiw) but defining the Bakersfield, CA country sound, Buck Owens was an absolute force in country music throughout the 60s. This album comes across like a greatest hits album and showcases him and his Buckaroos at the height of their powers. “My Heart Skips a Beat” might damn well be my favorite country song of the decade. “Together Again” and his version of “Save the Last Dance for Me” showed everyone he was just as formidable with the tempo slowed down.