The 1001 Albums Challenge: 1966 - 1970

 

Six months ago, in a fit of quarantine-induced boredom, I committed to a daunting task: listening through the entire list of albums from the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It was a formidable challenge, but I had plenty of both time and enthusiasm for the endeavor. I declared my commitment on Twitter and jumped right in. And after just a few short weeks and almost 60 albums, I had an article’s worth of new musical experiences to share with my tens of loyal followers.

That was six months ago.

It didn’t take long after that first article for fatigue to set in. As I’ve mentioned before, my motivation to listen to new music took a pretty serious hit as weeks of quarantine turned into months. Especially for the 1001 albums challenge, which A) started to feel more like a chore and B) often involved sitting through hours of music I had little interest in. There’s only so much 1950s jazz a guy can take.

But a man is only as good as his tweet, so I’ve picked the challenge back up. My article updates going forward will be mostly the same, with one tweak: the chunks will be five year periods instead of ten. There were THREE TIMES as many albums between 1966 and 1970 as there were between 1956 and 1965, so I knew working through another five years of albums would force me to gloss over too many great albums and artists. Also, I didn’t want to wait another six months to add an installment to the series.

So for those reasons, today’s albums were released between 1966 and 1970. These are by no means deep cuts, but rather albums that I personally was not familiar with and/or appreciative enough of.

The Kinks, Face to Face (1966), Something Else by The Kinks (1967), The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968), Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) (1969)

I’ll be honest: I don’t think I could have named a single Kinks song aside from “You Really Got Me” before this challenge. I had a vague understanding of their importance to the evolution of rock n’ roll, but I never bothered to hear it for myself. Apparently this didn’t sit well with the authors of 1001 Albums, who stuffed four Kinks albums into this five-year period. Though I can’t say they’re my favorite British Invasion band, I still appreciated the entertaining lyrics, ear-catching harmonies, and poppy, jangly guitar sound that went on to define British rock for decades. Definitely a discography I’ll be revisiting in the future.

Favorite Tracks: “Party Line,” “Love Me Till The Sun Shines,” “Picture Book,” “Victoria”

Simon and Garfunkel, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966), Bookends (1968), Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)

I’ve been a casual fan of Simon and Garfunkel for a while, so my hopes were high when I went into Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. Even so, I didn’t expect to add so many of their songs to my regular playlists. Not only were these guys great songwriters, their music sounds so GOOD. The rich, often haunting atmospheres Simon and Garfunkel created on songs like “Scarborough Fair” is unparalleled, and their more upbeat songs like “Cecilia” sound just as great. Not every album on this list has aged well, but Simon and Garfunkel has stood the test of time.

Favorite Tracks: “Scarborough Fair/Canticle,“ “Mrs. Robinson,” “Cecilia”

Sly and the Family Stone, Stand! (1969)

Funk and soul are two of my biggest musical weak spots, and I couldn’t have asked for a better crash course than Stand! Every single track on this album sounds fantastic, but that isn’t all Stand! has going for it. While the music on here is energetic and jubilant, the lyrics are heavy with social commentary. If you can only listen to one album from this article cover-to-cover, make sure it’s this one.

Also, it’s outside this date range, but since we’re on the subject: There’s A Riot Goin’ On (1971) is just as good.

Favorite Tracks: “Stand!” “I Want To Take You Higher,” “Everyday People”

Van Morrison, Astral Weeks (1968), Moondance (1970)

For years (and God knows how many listens of “Brown Eyed Girl”), I thought I hated Van Morrison. But as the sweet strumming of Astral Weeks’ titular opening track faded into my headphones, I realized how badly I’d misjudged him. From the gorgeous folk instrumentation to the slow-building undercurrent of energy to Morrison’s passionate vocals, everything about the album hit with me. And while I found the poppier Moondance a bit less endearing, I still respected the hell out of his compositional skill, and quite a few songs from both albums have made it into my regular rotation.

Favorite Tracks: “Astral Weeks,” “Sweet Thing,” “And It Stoned Me”

Deep Purple, Deep Purple in Rock (1970)

If you’re not familiar with Deep Purple, yes you are. They’re responsible for one of the most (in)famous guitar riffs of all time: “Smoke on the Water.” And believe it or not, they actually have albums and albums full of other songs! In Rock is probably my least favorite on this list of favorites, but I thought it was worth including just because of how much it surprised me. I had no idea how much influence Deep Purple had on heavy metal until I heard this album. They’re almost like a less gloomy Black Sabbath. Which, admittedly, is a low bar. This one’s a must for rock/metal historians.

Favorite Tracks: “Bloodsucker”

After wrapping up this installment of the 1001 Albums Challenge, I’m even more convinced that five year chunks are the way to go for this series. I had trouble remembering my favorite songs from the most notable albums, and there were even a few records that I just plain did not recognize. This is a hell of a commitment, but if I’m going to do it, I want to do it right. So while I want to keep my listening pace high, I’m going to make sure that I have a more careful ear and consistent writing schedule.

See you next time.

Lyle B.

 
 

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