Your Favorite Albums Of 1966

That's pretty kool.

 

Thanks! A mind altering album indeed.

 

My Top 10 Albums of 1966

1. Frank Zappa And The Mothers of Invention, Freak Out: While nothing can take away from the amazing work that The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Who, etc. were doing, let's face it; it's pretty easy to take them for granted. It's so ingrained that people, especially younger people, can forget how breathtaking it was for the time. That can't be said about Frank or The Mothers. Plenty have been inspired by them, but nobody really sounds like them even now. It's a code that can't just be cracked like that. It may have kept them from having multi-platinum, but it gave them such a lasting presence that's outlasted them all, pushing music in directions that nobody would dare and doing it with a great irreverence and sardonic wit.
2. John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton: If you want people to know why Slowhand is worshipped, I say listen to this bad boy. Killer guitar work, played by a hungry Clapton before fame and fortune set in, solid vocals by Mayall, Hughie Flint and some guy named John McVie are a tight ass rhythm section, this one's a keeper for sure.
3. The Rolling Stones, Aftermath: The Stones started out covering their heroes and occasionally making stabs at original material, and then Satisfaction blew up and they saw they could write songs and succeed at it. So come 1966 and we get the first album of all original material, and we also see them expanding their palette to include folk, European classical, baroque, and a dash of proto-psychedelia, largely thanks to the late great Brian Jones. An excellent start to many more years of excellence.
4. The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds: Despite being somewhat burnt on this record, it remains a masterpiece nonetheless, pushing pop music forward as well as demonstrating the band's growth and particularly Brian's growth as an artist and composer. To me this is such a human album, having a grandness symbolizing humanity's potential and ambition, and yet has such an aching vulnerability and fear to it. A timeless record that music is better off for having.
5. Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde: People May have given Bob hell for going Electric, but just for this album alone it was totally worth it. Bob was really on a roll writing wise and he was just knockin them out. And let’s not forget Robbie Robertson, who does some sweet guitar licks on here. Great record, one of Dylan’s best albums.
6. Simon & Garfunkel, The Sounds Of Silence: Man, Simon & Garfunkel. Beautiful songs, beautiful melodies, this was by far one of their best records, from the title track to Leaves of Green To We’ve Got a Groovin Thing, amazing record.
7. Love, S/T: Underrated band, underrated album, such a strong first showing from these guys who have sadly been somewhat lost to time, and they didn’t deserve to be. Arthur Lee! Brilliant writer.
8. The Kinks, Face to Face: The Kinks push forward with FtF, going from the punchy rock to their British-flavored pop, and succeed greatly.
9. The Who, A Quick One: The most overlooked sixties Who Record, But it’s a really strong offering from the group, between the title cut, Run Run Run, or Boris The Spider. I really need to get around to doing this album.
10. The Beatles, Revolver: Although I defintely don’t agree with the forum consensus and stand by all critical comments I’ve made, this is still a very solid album and an important milestone for the group, who’d perfect this approach on later albums.

 

Frank Zappa - Freak Out
John Fahey - The Great San Bernadino Birthday Party
Marion Brown - Three for Shepp
Gary Burton - The Time Machine
Don Cherry - Complete Communion
Don Cherry - Symphony for Improvisers
John Coltrane - Meditations
John Coltrane & Don Cherry - The Avant Garde
John Coltrane / Archie Shepp - New Thing At Newport
Miles Davis - Miles Smiles
Bill Evans - Further Conversations with Myself
Bobby Hutcherson - Happenings
Bobby Hutcherson - Stick-Up!
Yusef Lateef - The Golden Flute
Duke Pearson - Prarie Dog
Sam Rivers - A New Conception
Larry Young - Unity
Cream - Fresh Cream
The Free Spirits - Out of Sight and Sound
Glenn Gould - The Music of Arnold Schoenberg, Vol. 4
Pierre Boulez - Olivier Messiaen: Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum / Couleurs De La Cité Céleste
Jean Martinon / Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Edgard Varèse: Arcana / Frank Martin: Concerto For Seven Wind Instruments, Timpani, Percussion And String Orchestra

 

Yeah, I love all those albums too. Nice synopsis on each album.

 

That's a whole lot of great music you got there. Awesome list!

 

I certainly agree with the sentiment but I came upon this article a month ago, which questions the accuracy of the BoB release date:

http://gloriousnoise.com/2016/when-was-blonde-on-blonde-released-nobody-knows

 

A few months ago I would have included Revolver but I seem to be backing away from The Beatles and from this album in particular.

Simon and Garfunkel -- The Sounds of Silence + Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme
The Supremes -- The Supremes A -Go-Go (their 9th studio album and one of their 5 superb albums that year)
Martha & the Vandellas -- Greatest Hits.
Skip James -- Today!
Howlin' Wolf -- The Real Folk Blues
Frank Sinatra -- Moonlight Sinatra

and of course the best album, and the only genuinely insane album, of the year --

Bob Dylan -- Blonde On Blonde

 

Huh. That's interesting.

 

Great picks! Awesome albums!

 

Alphabetically...

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
The Beatles - Revolver
The Beatles - Yesterday & Today
Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield
The Byrds - 5th Dimension
Bob Dorough - Just About Everything
The Free Spirits - Out of Sight and Out of Sound
Love - Love
The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!
Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil

 

It's kind of sad for me. I was born on May 16th 1966 and I really liked this as a factoid about my birthday but I too have read this article questioning the release date. It is pretty astonishing we don't have all sorts of facts about this era that you'd think would be solid, not the least release dates. It doesn't seem so very long ago, I'm still young...

 

Not mentioned yet (unless I missed them) -

River Deep - Mountain High - Ike & Tina Turner (UK)
Tim Hardin 1
Moods of Marvin Gaye
The Exciting Wilson Pickett
The Incredible String Band
Phil Ochs in Concert
Boots - Nancy Sinatra

 

Love- Da Capo
The Mothers- Freak Out!
? And the Mysterians- 96 Tears
Booker T & the MG’s- Soul Dressing
The Music Machine- Turn On
Butterfield Blues Band- East/West
Animals- Animalism
The Kinks- Face To Face

 

Revolver – The Beatles
(Yesterday and Today – The Beatles U.S.)
(Revolver – The Beatles U.S.)
Sunshine Superman – Donovan
Blonde on Blonde – Bob Dylan
Aftermath – The Rolling Stones
Sounds of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme – Simon and Garfunkel

 

... all these comments reinforce why I believe 1966
remains the pinnacle of pop.

Huh. Always thought "East/West" was '67.
Nope – August 1966.

 

BLONDE ON BLONDE

(and the rest... )

 

The Rolling Stones - Big Hits (High Tide, Green Grass)
The Beatles - Revolver
The Small Faces - s/t
The Byrds - Fifth Dimension
John Mayall - Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
Donovan - Sunshine Superman
The Who - A Quick One
Frank SInatra - At The Sands

 

The Rolling Stones - Aftermath (uk)

 

Donovan - Sunshine Superman
Zappa/Mothers - Freak Out
Kinks - Face To Face
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Beatles - Revolver
Dylan - Blonde On Blonde
Rolling Stones - Aftermath
Tim Hardin - Tim Hardin 1

 

All this posting of Blonde on Blonde made me give it a first listen. I only got half way through the third song before I couldn't take his voice anymore. I really like Dylan's songs as long as someone else is singing them.

 

Revolver
Fresh Cream
Aftermath
Roger the Engineer
Sonics - Boom
Pet Sounds
Blonde On Blonde
Butterfield - East West
Byrds - Fifth Dimension
Mayall - Bluesbreakers

 

The Beatles – Revolver
Dylan – Blonde on Blonde
Mothers of Invention – Freak Out

 

Gettin Ready[Temptations]..And Now[Booker T And The MG's.]

 

ANIMALS - Best Of The Animals (US)
ANIMALS - Animalisms
ANIMALS - Animalization (US)
ANIMALS - Animalism (US)
BEACH BOYS - Pet Sounds
BEATLES - Revolver (UK)
BEATLES - Yesterday and Today
JAMES BROWN - It's a Man's Man's Man's World
BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD
PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND
PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND - East-West
BYRDS - Turn! Turn! Turn!
BYRDS - Fifth Dimension
COUNT FIVE - Psychotic Reaction
CREAM - Fresh Cream
GENE CLARK WITH THE GOSDIN BROTHERS
DONOVAN - Sunshine Superman (US)
BOB DYLAN - Blonde On Blonde
FUGS - The Fugs
FUGS - Virgin Fugs
TIM HARDIN - Tim Hardin/ Tim Hardin 1
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - Takes Off
KINKS - Face To Face
KINKS - The Kinks Greatest Hits (US)
LOVE - Love
LOVIN' SPOONFUL - Daydream
LOVIN' SPOONFUL - Hums Of The Lovin' Spoonful
JOHN MAYALL with ERIC CLAPTON - Bluesbreakers
MONKS - Black Monk Time
MONKEES - The Monkees
MOTHERS OF INVENTION - Freak Out
QUESTION MARK & THE MYSTERIANS - 96 Tears
ROLLING STONES - High Tide and Green Grass (Big Hits) (US)
ROLLING STONES - Aftermath (US)
MITCH RYDER & The DETROIT WHEELS - Sock It To Me
MONKEES - The Monkees
SEEDS - The Seeds
SEEDS - Web of Sound
SHANGRI-LAS - Golden Hits
SIMON & GARFUNKEL - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
SMALL FACES Small Faces (Decca)
STANDELLS - Dirty Water
STANDELLS - Why Pick On Me / Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White
THEM - Them Again
THIRTEENTH FLOOR ELEVATORS - The Psychedelic Sounds of . . .
TROGGS - From Nowhere The Troggs (UK)/ Wild Thing
WHO - A Quick One (UK)/ Happy Jack
YARDBIRDS - Over Under Sideways Down (Can)/ The Yardbirds (UK)