My favorite albums from 1961-1970: 75-51

Just THINKING about this album gives me a buzz.

SamuraiFrog turned me onto a Beach Boys song I had forgotten, even though I own it.

Now back to our regularly scheduled list:

75. Donovan: Barababajagal (1969)
Love IS hot.

74. Bob Dylan: John Wesley Harding (1967)

73. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass: The Lonely Bull (1962)
I preferred the cover of Whipped Cream and Other Delights, but I liked the music of this album better, which was not only the first one by the TJB, but also the first album on A&M Records.

72. Big Brother And The Holding Company: Cheap Thrills (1968)
This is the Janis Joplin album with the R. Crumb artwork

71. Crosby Stills & Nash: Crosby, Stills, and Nash (1969)
The first supergroup: guys from The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and the Hollies, though I did not know this at the time.

70. The Jackson 5: Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (1969)
My near-twin Gordon once noted that Michael’s vocal on Smokey Robinson’s ‘Who’s Loving you’ belied his tender age.

69. Bob Dylan: Nashville Skyline (1969)
My high school girlfriend really turned me on to Dylan generally, and this album specifically.

68. Beatles: Please Please Me (1963)
I didn’t grow up with those early UK Beatles albums, but with the US equivalents, which were, more or less Introducing the Beatles (VeeJay Records) and The Early Beatles (Capitol Records).

67. Simon & Garfunkel: Bookends(1968)
Wrote about ‘At the Zoo’ HERE.

66. Walter Carlos (Wendy Carlos): Switched-On Bach (1968)

65. John Lennon: Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Sometimes painful, but sincere.

64. Three Dog Night: Three Dog Night (1969)
Though it always bugged me that the a cappella ‘It’s For You’ is flat.

63. Yes: Yes (1969)

62. Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland (1968)
Just THINKING about this album gives me a buzz.

61. Van Morrison: His Band and Street Choir (1970)
‘Domino’ and ‘Blue Money’ and a bunch of songs you don’t know, but should.

60. Chicago: Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
The first album, which didn’t really hit its peak until after the second album was released. Especially love ‘I’m a Man.’

59. Mamas And Papas: If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears (1966)
That first album.

also featured \’A Girl Like You\’

58. Rascals: Groovin’ (1967)
In addition to the hits, ‘It’s Love.’

57. Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
The UK never had a comparable album, so they adopted the US model in 1976.

56. Simon & Garfunkel: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme (1966)
Actually, my father bought this album. He liked ‘7 O’clock News/Silent Night.’

55. Isaac Hayes: Hot Buttered Soul (1969)
Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic!

54. Bill Cosby: I Started Out As a Child (1964)
Loved the liner notes, how it described how his descriptions weren’t jokes but slices of life that caused one to laugh in recognition.

53. Beatles: Help (1965)
Though I missed the instruments from the US version – which was finally released a few years back – the rest of the songs make up for the loss.

52. Blood Sweat & Tears: Blood, Sweat, and Tears (1969)
Yup, that second album, the one with all the hits.

51. Rolling Stones: Aftermath (1966)
The first LP of theirs I considered an album, rather than singles and filler.
Slightly different in the US and the UK, but I have both.

Author: Roger

I'm a librarian. I hear music, even when it's not being played. I used to work at a comic book store, and it still informs my life. I won once on JEOPARDY! - ditto.

5 thoughts on “My favorite albums from 1961-1970: 75-51”

  1. So much great stuff on this installment that I can’t wait to read the rest. I have both versions of Aftermath, too. I dig every one of these.

  2. Roger, your dad and I agree on “Silent Night/7:00 News,” one of the most poignant social commentaries ever created by Simon and Garfunkel, along with “Save the Life of My Child” (the kid just needs space – O, my grace, I got no hiding place) and “America” (all come to look for America).

    Also, I remember the Herb Alpert cover, ha ha, wanted to look like that when I grew up. The only part that came true was the whipped cream, but that’s a story for another day! Amy

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