60@60 1967 Albums

My favorite albums in my collection released in 1967. This was the year that I really wanted lots of albums. I was constantly reading every review or story in the paper or any magazine I could get a hold of that had anything at all about the contemporary music scene. I was getting obsessed but I was also a high school student without a job and spending money.

I would be another year before I had a decent job making some money to buy albums. This is also the time I started hanging out in record shops.

Looking back now on this time... was Sgt. Pepper's really the best album that year? In a way it hasn't dated as well as some others on this list but the overall influence continues today. It also had a tremendous impact on me back in 1967.

1. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
   
2. Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
3. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
4. Love - Forever Changes
5. The Doors - The Doors
6. Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow
7. The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
8. Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
9. Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold as Love
10. The Kinks - Something Else
11. Vanilla Fudge - Vanilla Fudge
12. Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
13. Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen
14. The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday
15. Cream - Disraeli - Gears
16. The Hollies - Butterfly
17. The Temptations - With a Lot o' Soul
18. The Rolling Stones - Between The Buttons
19. Etta James - Tell Mama
20. The Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come Today
21. The Beach Boys - Smiley Smile
22. The Who - The Who Sells Out
23. Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield Again
24. The Young Rascals - Groovin'
25. The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee
26. The Moody Blues - Day of Future Past
27. The Rolling Stones - Their Satantic Majesties Request
28. Tim Buckley - Goodbye and Hello
29. Laura Nyro - More Than a New Discovery
30. Donovan - Mellow Yellow
31. The Chocolate Watch Band - No Way Out
32. The Rolling Stones - Flowers
33. Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Absolutely Free
34. The 13th Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere
35. Nico - Chelsea Girl
36. Love - Da Capo
37. Traffic - Mr. Fantasy
38. Moby Grape - Moby Grape
39. Phil Ochs - Pleasures of the Harbor
40. Country Joe & The Fish - I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die
41. Aretha Franklin - Aretha Arrives
42. Judy Collins - Wildflowers
43. The Pretty Things - Emotions
44. The Beach Boys - Wild Honey
45. Captain Beefheart - Safe as Milk
46. The Doors - Strange Days
47. Mississippi John Hurt - The Immortal
48. Gene Clark - Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers
49. Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing at Baxter's
50. Bee Gees - Bee Gee's 1st
51. Procoh Harum - Procol Harum
52. Richie Havens - Mixed Bag
53. The Incredible String Band - The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion
54. The Electric Prunes - Underground
55. Arlo Guthrie - Alice's Restaurant
56. Pearls Before Swine - One Nation Underground
57. Grateful Dead - Grateful Dead
58. Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity - Open
59. Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding
60. The Monkees - More of the Monkees

60@60 1966 Albums

Favorite albums in my collection released in 1966. Another early year in my collecting that I mostly purchased singles rather than albums. The first album here that I got was Freak Out with Dylan, the Beatles and the Beach Boys not far behind.

By the late 60s and early 70s I had most of the albums here except for the Coltrane.

1. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
   
2. The Beatles - Revolver
3. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
4. Otis Redding - The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul
5. Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out
6. The Kinks - Face to Face
7. The Rolling Stones - Aftermath
8. The Byrds - Fifth Dimension
9. The Beatles - Yesterday and Today
10. Simon & Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Tyme
    
11. John Mayall - Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton
12. The 13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
13. Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence
14. Donovan - Sunshine Superman
15. The Yardbirds - The Yardbirds (Roger the Engineer)
16. Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield
17. The Remains - The Remains
18. Paul Butterfield Blues Band - East/West
19. The Monks - Black Monk Time
20. Mississippi John Hurt - Today
21. Love - Love
22. Blues Magoos - Psychedelic Lollipop
23. Cream - Fresh Cream
24. The Shadows of Knight - Back Door Men
25. The Music Machine - (Turn On) The Music Machine
26. The Mamas & The Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
27. The Tempations - Gettin' Ready
28. James Brown - I Got You (I Feel Good)
29. Tim Buckley - Tim Buckley
30. The Fugs - The Fugs
31. Jefferson Airplane - Jefferson Airplane Takes Off
32. The Young Rascals - The Young Rascals
33. The Monkees - The Monkees
34. The Animals - The Best of the Animals
35. The Who - A Quick One
36. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - Volume One
37. Judy Collins - In My Life
38. The Four Tops - The Four Tops on Top
39. Los Bravos - Black is Black
40. John Coltrane - Meditations
41. Otis Redding - The Soul Album
42. The Incredible String Band - The Incredible String Band
43. The Rolling Stones - Got Live If You Want It
44. Sam & Dave - Hold On, I'm Comin'
45. The Association - And Then Along Comes The Association
46. Question Mark & The Mysterians - 96 Tears
47. The Seeds - The Seeds
48. Nancy Sinatra - Boots
49. John Coltrane - Ascension
50. The Rolling Stones - Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass)
51. Sir Douglas Quintet - The Best of the Sir Douglas Quintet
52. Tim Hardin - Tim Hardin
53. Bert Jansch - Jack Orion
54. The Blues Project - Projections
55. Them - Them Again
56. The Standells - Dirty Water
57. The Supremes - Supremes A-Go-Go
58. Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman
59. Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels - Take A Ride
60. The Righteous Brothers - Soul & Inspiration
    

60@60 1965 Albums

Here is my list of 60 favorite albums from my collection released in 1965. I was mostly buying singles at this time and the albums on the list were collected over the late 60s and early 70s.

I was definitely into a lot of Motown and folk back then along with the British Invasion stuff. Looking back on it now I guess things haven't changed much.

Rubber Soul is probably my favorite Beatles album and it was also the first album by any artist I replaced on CD in the late 80s. Highway 61 Revisited might be my favorite Dylan album although Blonde on Blonde is right up there too.

1. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
2. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
3. The Rolling Stones - Out of Our Heads
4. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
5. The Yardbirds - Having a Rave Up with The Yardbirds
6. The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man
7. The Who - My Generation
8. Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
9. The Beatles - Help!
10. The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones Now
11. Otis Redding - Otis Redding Sings Soul
12. The Beach Boys - Today
13. The Kinks - Kinda Kins
14. The Zombies - The Zombies
15. The Four Seasons - Entertain You
16. The Temptations - Temptin' Tempations
17. The Byrds - Turn Turn Turn
18. Wilson Picket - In The Midnight Hour
19. The Four Tops - Second Album
20. The Rolling Stones - December's Children (And Everybody's)
21. Them - Here Comes The Night
22. The Sonics - Here Are The Sonics
23. Horace Silver - Song For My Father
24. The Supremes - More Hits By The Supremes
25. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Going To A Go Go
26. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
27. Phil Ochs - I Ain't Marching Anymore
28. Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch
29. Marvin Gaye - How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You
30. The Pretty Things - The Pretty Things
31. The McCoys - Hang On Sloopy
32. Fred Neil - Bleecker and MacDougal
33. The Beau Brummels - Introducing The Beau Brummels
34. James Brown - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
35. The Beach Boys - Summer Days (And Summer Nights)
36. The Zombies - Begin Here
37. B.B. King - Live at the Regal
38. Joan Baez - Farewell, Angelina
39. The Kinks - The Kink Kontroversy
40. The Strangeloves - I Want Candy
41. Martha & The Vandallas - Dance Party
42. Tom Rush - Tom Rush
43. Ramsey Lewis - The In Crowd
44. The Pretty Things - Get The Picture?
45. Judy Collins - Fifth Album
46. John Fahey - Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death
47. The Temptations - The Temptations Sing Smokey
48. Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
49. Jr. Walker & The All Stars - Shotgun
50. The Turtles - It Ain't Me Babe
51. Paul Revere & The Raiders - Just Like Us
52. Son House - Father of the Delta Blues
53. Bert Jansch - It Don't Bother Me
54. The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Party
55. The Lovin' Spoonful - Do You Believe In Magic
56. Herb Albert & The Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream & Other Delights
57. Odetta - Odetta Sings Dylan
58. Tom Rush - Blues, Songs & Ballads
59. The Moody Blues - The Magnificent Moodies
60. Ian & Sylvia - Early Morning Rain
    

60@60 1968 Albums

I'm starting off with a list of my 60 favorite albums from my collection released in 1968. That was the year I had my first job and significant money to spend on buying records. My collection really started taking shape and I was running out buying albums as they were released.

Most of the albums here I had in 1968 or over the next couple of years. There are a few here that I discovered much later. These are not necessarily what I would say was the best of the year but they are albums from that year that were favorites and records I kept coming back to over the years. They are loosely in order. The top few albums are interchangeable.

1. Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
2. The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)
3. The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
4. The Band - Music From Big Pink
5. Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul
6. Big Brother & The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills
7. The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
8. The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society
9. Cream - Wheels of Fire
10. Chocolate Watch Band - The Inner Mystique
11. The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo
12. The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
13. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Creedence Clearwater Revival
14. Donovan - The Hurdy Gurdy Man
15. Canned Heat - Boogie With Canned Heat
16. Aretha Franklin - Aretha Now
17. Sly & The Family Stone - Dance to the Music
18. Procol Harum - Shine On Brightly
19. Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends
20. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
21. The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers
22. Laura Nyro - Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
23. Blood, Sweat & Tears - Child Is Father to the Man
24. Jethro Tull - This Was
25. The Pretty Things - S. F. Sorrow
26. Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets
27. Bee Gees - Idea
28. Traffic - Traffic
29. The Young Rascals - Once Upon a Dream
30. Deep Purple - Shades of Deep Purple
31. Bloomfield, Kooper & Stills - Super Session
32. Steppenwolf - Steppenwolf
33. Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
34. Buffalo Springfield - Last Time Around
35. Johnny Rivers - Realization
36. Jeff Beck Group - Truth
37. Townes Van Zandt - For the Sake of the Song
38. Frank Zappa - We're Only in It for the Money
39. Dr. John - Gris Gris
40. Spirit - Spirit
41. Quicksilver Messenger Service - Quicksilver Messenger Service
42. The Doors - Waiting for the Sun
43. Canned Heat - Living the Blues
44. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
45. The Incredible String Band - The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
46. The Moody Blues - In Search of the Lost Chord
47. Pearls Before Swine - Balaklava
48. Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum
49. Jefferson Airplane - Crown of Creation
50. Small Faces - Odgen's Nut Gone Flake
51. Tom Rush - The Circle Game
52. The Beach Boys - Friends
53. Moby Grape - Wow
54. John Marytn - The Tumbler
55. Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
56. The Fugs - It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest
57. Nico - The Marble Index
58. The Monkees - Head
59. Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood - Nancy & Lee
60. Silver Apples - Silver Apples

The Decades of Rock

I'm calling this post the Decades of Rock because I want to rant a little bit about lumping music into calendar decades like it has some meaning.

In my previous blog listings of favorite albums from the last decade got me thinking about how we look at music and how we break the history of popular music up into decades. We see list of songs, albums, movies, etc listed by decades. We tend to lump together music based on the decade it was created or released. 80's music, 60's music, etc.

In my own personal collection of music in mixes and playlists I have used a different breakdown of musical eras. My groups are still about ten years but my time span is based more on style and culture rather than the calendar.

My first decade of rock 'n' roll begins about 1956 and goes to 1965. I call it the First Decade and includes a variety of music from the early pioneers of rock 'n' roll, Elvis, rockabilly, doo wop and early Motown, the Beach Boys and surf music, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, the girl groups, the Four Seasons, early British Invasion, those first few Beatles albums, the early Stones and the blues men such as Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters.

The Second Decade starts about 1966 or thereabouts because Rubber Soul was 1965 and that album really shows the difference in the decades. It was the beginning or what came to be known as Classic Rock. It was also soul music and the beginnings of funk and reggae. Classic country too.

The Third Decade starts in 1977 but that again is arbitrary because you could see the changes coming a little earlier in bands like the Ramones and Big Star. Of course the really big thing about this decade is Punk, New Wave and Disco. Why limit this era to 80's music when artists like the Clash, Talking Heads and Elvis Costello began in the 70's with essentially the same sound. There is also the early Rap and Hip-Hop starting at this time.

The Fourth Decade runs from the mid 80's to the mid 90's and includes what is sometimes called Modern Rock, Post Punk, Grunge, Rap and the assorted smaller genres that music seems to have been obsessively broken down into.

The Fifth Decade hasn't really jelled into something really unique or discernible yet. It is still too early to tell. All those Alternative genres and endless sub genres abound. Post-Rock I guess and all the various Alt-this or that. So here we're talking about the mid 90's to the mid 00's.

Now we are already half way into the Sixth Decade. So this is all just meaningless ramblings while I sit at my laptop listening to some great music and thinking about 60@60 mixes based on my decades of listening and collecting music. But I'm still not 60 yet.

Looking Back

I've been thinking about how to do this list thing. This looking back on all this stuff. I think I'll have some ready to put up this weekend.

The mixes that I've been creating for several decades started out as cassette tapes. Looking back on this process I think I started doing it because I hated radio so much. I wanted control of what I was listening to both in the car and at home. I should point out that I didn't always hate radio and I was a very big radio listener in the 60's and early 70's. Then classic rock came along and the corporate takeover of radio. But I digress.

Eventually I moved to using the computer and burning CDs for my mixes. I also began creating CD sleeves with interesting covers and listings of the songs on the CD. It has only been very recently that I've slowed down making CD mixes because now it seems to be much easier to create playlist in iTunes and to play an iPod attached to the car on trips. That leaves me to the idea of the 60@60 concept.

I recently started to create large playlist that were really several of my previous CD mixes strung together in a continuous mix. Some stretched on for many hours and I had them loaded on my iPod. They included mixes of soul, funk, reggae, garage bands, and collections of music from particular decades. The idea of sixty songs was the next step. It's really like taking about three of my standard mixes and putting them together. So these mixes of 60 songs will also be available as sets of three CDs.

There will be no shortage of source material for this blog but putting it up here is another matter.

We shall see. I'm not 60 yet.

The list and the rankings

I have lots of lists that will be posted here in the coming days, weeks and months. They really should not be taken as the best of this or that in a particular time period or category but rather as a retrospective snapshot. They are going to be collections of songs or albums or whatever that come to me at this time. They will be things I've listened to or read or seen. They will be things that have affected me in some way. They will be personal.

I will probably have some categories that may seem strange but will always have some personal meaning to me or maybe it just sounds right. I've been making mixes for many years and over time I've collected boxes of mix tapes and shelves of CD mixes. Many have been posted on a couple of different mixing community sites. I also have notebooks of listings and ideas for mixes. These will all be sources of upcoming mixes and lists on this site.

I have strong opinions about music and over the course of time here it will be fairly easy to identify a pattern of likes (and dislikes by omission). Many of the lists and mixes will probably need some comments and explanations. It's all coming soon but I'm not sixty yet.

60@60 - The Intro

This is the next phase of my online conversation with myself that began over twenty years ago. I've had numerous websites, blogs and other online social media activities with many usernames and accounts scattered across the net since the early 90s.

I created this particular blog today as I was thinking about my approaching 60th birthday. I thought this would be a good time to look back on my lifelong obsession of collecting music with a theme of 60. I would put together mixes of 60 songs from various categories and creating lists of 60 albums from each year. Some other lists will be 60 songs from a favorite artist or group. Then I began to think about all the books and movies in my life and the project continued to grow. I also may make lots of 60 word rants about whatever too.

So I eventually decided to have this blog as a home for all that I'll be putting together collected in one place. There will be lists. Lots of lists. Some of these lists and mixes will have shown up in other places such as Facebook, ZeRo, AotM, Last fm, RYM and who knows where including some of my older blogs.

We'll see how this goes. I'm not 60 yet.