Poll: Favorite Rock Albums of 1968

Laura Nyro - Eli’s Coming

 

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The Byrds The Notorious Byrd Brothers

 

The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
The Beatles - White Album
The Doors - Waiting For The Sun
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Cream - Wheels Of Fire

 

In this order...
"The White Album"~ The Beatles
"The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society"~ The Kinks
"Astral Weeks"~ Van Morrison
"Beggar's Banquet"~ The Rolling Stones
tie- "Music From Big Pink"~ The Band (got my vote because it had less votes)
tie`- "Electric Ladyland"- The Jimi Hendrix Experience

 

White Album
Crown of Creation
Beggars Banquet
Eli
Waiting For The Sun

 

Lost Chord for the win

Also don't forget
Steve Miller Band Sailor
Buffalo Springfield Last Time Around
Tim Buckley Happy Sad
Procol Harum Shine On Brightly

 

Beatles
Stones
Kinks
Hendrix
went with Steppenwolf over Wheels of Fire on a tough choice

 

Only one of the listed that I consider really worthy is Astral Weeks.

Omissions of personal significance to me:

* Byrds - Notorious Byrd Brothers



* Beach Boys - Friends

* The Immortal Otis Redding

* VU - White Light White Heat

 

What a fantastic year for music. I chose Van, The Kinks, The Zimbies, The Stones, and Jimi. But it was tough with so many great choices.

 

My top 5:

Caravan - S/T
Soft Machine - S/T
Procol Harum - Shine on Brightly
Family - Music in a Doll's House
Touch - S/T

 

1968 was an exceptional year for music with numerous releases of significant merit. IMO, of the 14 albums listed, half are among the very best and virtually all are very good. Two stand out: Wheels of fire and In search of the lost chord.
The following albums however, all deserve to be in the 1968 top 14, being even better than the 14 chosen by the OP except those last 2 I mentioned:

*Spirit: the first album by this great L.A. band, when Jay Ferguson was the leader. Mark Andes delivers one of the greatest bass performances in all of rock.
*The family the plays together: the second album by Spirit, as fresh and revolutionary as the first and yielding the obscure masterpiece that is She smiles.
*Ogden's nut gone flake: the Small Faces swan song, a very English record which probably prevented it to be more successful in the U.S., loaded with great songs and the inimitable enthusiasm of Marriott and Lane.
*We're only in it for the money: the Mothers of Invention, in their third album, are joking about the hippie phonemenom with songs and snippets that are melodic, fun and innovative.
*The Notorious Byrd Brothers: that the Byrds morphed from a top-rate folk-rock band to a top-rate psych band was totally unexpected. This is their masterpiece.
*Last time around: even being the Springfield's least satisfying album, it is still a masterpiece by probably the best American band of all time.
*A long time comin': the Electric Flag in full bloom with all the key members, Gravenites shining and the sublime Groovin' is easy with Cass's backing vocals.
*The Move: the only album featuring the original quintet, it is full of gems from start to finish.
*Song to a seagull: Joni Mitchell's debut is a joy with the minimalist Crosby production.
*Truth. Jeff Beck's original group was full of talent with the exceptional drummer Mickey Waller. Ronnie Wood on bass shines as well.
*The Hangman's beautiful daughter. This album paints a world of its own, never glimpsed before or since.
*In a gadda da vida: Iron Butterfly's masterpiece includes a batch of exceptional, underrated short songs, including probably the best song intro of all time, the first few seconds of My Mirage before the vocals come in.
*Steppenwolf The second: even better than their fine debut, recorded with Michael Monarch and Rushton Moreve still in the band, this is a celebration of L.A. sixties sounds.

All my own opinion and would love to get feedback.

 

Of the "missing in action albums"...
"Bookends"~ Simon & Garfunkel would have been #2...and...
"The Notorious Byrd Brothers"~ The Byrds would have been #3...
...and move everyone else down accordingly...

 

Poll?
White A
EL
Village
BB

 

1968 the best year for music ever.


From the list:
Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)
Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society
Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
Moody Blues - In Search Of The Lost Chord

Real Top 5:
Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)
Pretty Things - SF Sorrow
Small Faces - Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Turtles - Battle Of The Bands

 

Child Is Father To the Man

 

For me it would be Astral Weeks and Hendrix.

I'm surprised Van doesn't have more votes. No mentions previously for the Creedence debut or Lady Soul by Aretha, which would be in my top 5. The Temptations Wish It Would Rain would be close for me also.

 

Beatles, Stones, Doors

 

The Beatles
Beggars Banquet
Waiting For The Sun
Bookends
A Saucerfull Of Secrets

 

voted : The Beatles, The Band MFBP

Also like :
Procol Harum - Shine on Brightly
( several mentions here),
Vanilla Fudge -Rock & Roll,
the Jeff Beck Group - Truth (mentioned),
two great lps from Eric Burdon and the Animals that year - The Twain Shall Meet and Love Is.
Miles Davis - Miles In The Sky

....just to name a few...

 

The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
The Doors - Waiting for the Sun
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Big Brother & The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills

not listed:
Saucerful Of Secrets
The Dock Of The Bay
The Immortal Otis Redding
Nefertiti
Underground
Initials B.B.
Shine On Brightly
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Friends

 

Not heard too many on the list. My top five is:

Tim Hart & Maddy Prior - Folk Songs Of Old England Vol I & II

Gordon Lightfoot - Back Here On Earth

Small Faces - Ogden's Nut Gone Flake

The Dillards - Wheatstraw Suite

Melanie - Born To Be

EDIT:

Please ignore the above - I've just noticed the word "rock" in the thread title.

My revised top five:

Small Faces - Ogden's Nut Gone Flake

Jethro Tull - This Was

Moody Blues - Lost Chord

The Byrds - Notorious Byrd Brothers

Caravan - S/T

 

Smothered in jewels I'm feeling. How about Rascals' "Once Upon A Dream"?

 

Beatles Kinks and Zombies from the poll

Overall Bookends would be my number 2 behind The White Album