So one year ago tomorrow, if you recall, I published this. In case you don't recall and don't feel like reading that (which would be perfectly understandable; it's very longwinded) I'll give you the highlights. Basically it said that my tastes in music change and I also hear new stuff all the time blah blah blah I'm republishing my Best Albums of Decades albums list! Yeah!
This time around, though, I'll spare you the color-coordinating and whatnot--and by spare you, I mean spare myself; that took me a long time. I also don't think I'll be writing too many (or any) explanations. The albums can speak for themselves, and, to be honest, I don't think the lists have changed too much. The major difference is that I'm including 102 albums instead of 90. So there.
Everyone knows the music of the '60s. Even if you weren't actually there, experiencing the music firsthand like James Murphy was, you're very familiar with the various strands of rock and pop and soul and jazz that were really created in the '60s and have since gone on to influence the music of every succeeding decade. Though there was certainly interesting music before the 1960s, there was a sort of synthesis of innumerable great concepts and ideas that were put into play during this particular decade. And, of course, this is the decade in which the album really became important. Prior to the '60s, albums tended to just be catalysts for singles. When the notion of the album as an art form was established in the early to mid-60s, music--especially rock n' roll--was changed for the better forever.
You'll notice different types of music on this list than on, say, the 1980s one. No hip-hop on account of it didn't exist yet. There's a lot more jazz on account of the '60s were the best decade ever for jazz. There are a lot of Beatles album on account of they're the greatest and most influential band probably ever. As such, though, this is a tricky list to put together. How does one compare the music of Peter Brotzmann and that of The Rolling Stones? They're both musicians like apples and oranges are both fruits, which is to say they're of the same family (or, perhaps, genus) but certainly not the same species. Well, I compared them anyways, and, spoiler alert, in this particular instance, The Stones came out ahead with Satanic Majesties. (Sorry for the clauses in that last sentence...) Anyways, enough talk. Here's the list.
102. Joan Baez--Joan Baez
101. Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto--Getz/Gilberto
100. Serge Gainsbourg--Songs On Page One
99. Cromagnon--Orgasm
98. Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood--Nancy & Lee
97. Yusef Lateef--Eastern Sounds
96. Bill Evans--Sunday At The Village Vanguard
95. The Soft Machine--The Soft Machine
94. Duke Ellington--Money Jungle
93. Scott Walker--Scott
92. Ornette Coleman--Town Hall 1962
91. The Rolling Stones--Let It Bleed
90. Del Shannon--The Further Adventures of Charles Westover
89. John Coltrane--My Favorite Things
88. The Beach Boys--Wild Honey
87. Silver Apples--Contact
86. John Coltrane--Africa/Brass
85. Bob Dylan--Nashville Skyline
84. Frank Zappa--Hot Rats
83. Sun Ra--Heliocentric Worlds
82. Robbie Basho--Venus In Cancer
81. The Beatles--With The Beatles
80. John Fahey--Requia
79. John Coltrane & Don Cherry--The Avant-Garde
78. Anthony Braxton--3 Compositions Of New Jazz
77. The Sonics--Boom
76. Skip Spence--Oar
75. Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg--Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg
74. The Beatles--Help!
73. Johnny Cash--Live At Folsom Prison
72. Art Ensemble of Chicago--Live In Paris
71. Isaac Hayes--Hot Buttered Soul
70. Leonard Cohen--Songs From A Room
69. The Kinks--The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society
68. The Beatles--Please Please Me
67. Simon & Garfunkel--Bookends
66. Cecil Taylor--Unit Structures
65. Scott Walker--Scott 3
64. Bob Dylan--John Wesley Harding
63. The Band--The Band
62. Eric Dolphy--Out To Lunch
61. Creedence Clearwater Revival--Willy And The Poor Boys
60. Scott Walker--Scott 2
59. Sam Cooke--Night Beat
58. The Beatles--Beatles For Sale
57. Terry Riley--A Rainbow In Curved Air
56. Roscoe Mitchell--Sound
55. John Fahey--Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltzes
54. White Noise--An Electric Storm
53. Peter Brotzmann--Machine Gun
52. The Rolling Stones--Their Satanic Majesties Request
51. The Jimi Hendrix Experience--Electric Ladyland
50. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band--Safe As Milk
49. King Crimson--In The Court Of The Crimson King
48. Miles Davis--Sketches Of Spain
47. The Mothers Of Invention--Freak Out!
46. John Coltrane--Giant Steps
45. The Beatles--Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
44. Bob Dylan--Highway 61 Revisited
43. Otis Redding--Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul
42. Pharoah Sander--Karma
41. The Mothers Of Invention--We're Only In It For The Money
40. The Rolling Stones--Beggars Banquet
39. Van Morrison--Astral Weeks
38. Nico--The Marble Index
37. John Coltrane--The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording
36. Charles Mingus--The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
35. Van Dyke Parks--Song Cycle
34. The Beatles--A Hard Day's Night
33. The Byrds--Sweetheart Of The Rodeo
32. Anthony Braxton--For Alto
31. The Zombies--Odessey & Oracle
30. Nico--Chelsea Girl
29. The Monks--Black Monk Time
28. Nick Drake--Five Leaves Left
27. Pink Floyd--Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
26. Terry Riley--In C
25. Miles Davis--In A Silent Way
24. The Sonics--Here Are The Sonics!!!
23. Can--Monster Movie
22. John Fahey--The Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death
21. Scott Walker--Scott 4
20. John Coltrane--Ascension
19. Sly & The Family Stone--Stand!
18. The Beatles--Rubber Soul
17. Bob Dylan--Blonde On Blonde
16. The Jimi Hendrix Experience--Are You Experienced?
15. The Beatles--Abbey Road
14. Leonard Cohen--Songs Of Leonard Cohen
13. Albert Ayler--Spiritual Unity
12. The Beatles--Magical Mystery Tour
11. James Brown--Live At The Apollo
10. The Velvet Underground--The Velvet Underground
9. John Coltrane--A Love Supreme
8. The Stooges--The Stooges
7. The Beach Boys--Pet Sounds
6. Love--Forever Changes
5. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band--Trout Mask Replica
4. The Beatles--The Beatles
3. The Velvet Underground--White Light/White Heat
2. The Beatles--Revolver
1. The Velvet Underground & Nico--The Velvet Underground & Nico
So, not much changed at the top. Not much had to... I'll leave you a clip of my top album's immortal "Heroin" accompanied by footage of its creators, the coolest band of all time.
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