I've been listening to a lot of 60s rock lately, so I was looking to compile a list of the must have albums from the period. I'll start the list with these two: Beatles - Revolver (although every Beatles album belongs on the list) Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
It should be assumed that anything by Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix be included in this list. Heavy Metal is born: Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath - 1970 Black Sabbath - Paranoid - 1971
Oh lord.... Forever Changes - Love The Great Conspiracy - Peanut butter Conspiracy. Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street - The Rolling Stones The Band – The Band Boston – Boston Bayou Country - Credence Clearwater Revival Moon dance - Van Morrison Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen Who’s Next – The Who Mr Tambourine Man - The Byrds Blue - Joni Mitchell 13th Floor Elevators – 13 Floor Elevators Ashes Are Burning – Renaissance In Search of the Lost Chord – The Moody Blues Without Rhyme or Reason – Spanky and Our Gang Brain Salad Surgery - Emerson, Lake And Palmer Close To The Edge - Yes Lost Dreams - Electric Prunes No Way Out - The Chocolate Watchband Honorable mention Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 - Various Artists That should get you started…
High Voltage (1976) Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976) Let There Be Rock (1977) Powerage (1978) Highway to Hell (1979)
You could browse through this book and get a sense of a significant spectrum of the rock of the 1960's - More later.
Don't forget the Kinks. From "Something Else," "Village Green Preservation Society," to "Arthur (or the decline and fall of the British Empire") and "Lola vs. Powerman," they had one of the best runs of great albums in a row ever. Every David Bowie album in the seventies is essential, too. You obviously must get every Bob Dylan album through "Blood on the Tracks."
Gong est mort...Vive Gong! - Gong (1977) Monster Movie - Can (1968) Entertainment! - Gang of Four (1979) Hawkwind - Hawkwind (1970) Marquee Moon - Television (1977) Talking Heads: 77 - Talking Heads (1977) Damned, Damned, Damned - The Damned (1977) Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo! - Devo (1978) The Ventures in Space - The Ventures (1964) Surfer's Choice - Dick Dale and his Del-Tones (1962) of course... Led Zeppelin through Physical Graffiti Pink Floyd through The Final Cut KISS through Destroyer 13th Floor Elevators Black Sabbath through Masters of Reality actually...I give up...there are too many "essential" rock albums from the aforementioned decades. good luck.
Agreed re: Kinks and Bowie. But with Dylan, why stop just before "Desire?" I'd include "Street Legal" too, but "Desire" is essential. I'd say "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," "Self Portrait," "Dylan" (which was never even released on CD) and maybe even "New Morning" are less so. My essential Dylan from 60s and 70s goes like this: "Bob Dylan" "Freewheeling Bob Dylan" "Times They Are A'Changing" "Another Side of Bob Dylan" "Bringing it all Back Home" "Highway 61 Revisited" "Blonde on Blonde" "The Basement Tapes" "John Wesley Harding" "Nashville Skyline" "New Morning" "Planet Waves" "Before the Flood" "Blood on the Tracks" "Desire" "Hard Rain" "Street Legal"
The Velvet Underground and Nico -- Velvet Underground Rock 'n' Roll Animal -- Lou Reed Eat a Peach -- Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East -- Allman Brothers Rockin' The Fillmore -- Humble Pie
Ziggy Stardust- David Bowie Hunky Dory- David Bowie T. Rex- T. Rex A New World Record- Electric Light Orchestra Out of the Blue- Electric Light Orchestra The Evil One- Roky Erickson and the Aliens (actually released in early 80's it was recorded in '79 and should still very much be the type of rock you are looking for)
Keeping it trimmed down as much as possible, everything of course is my opinion only: Led Zep I-IV, Houses of the Holy The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon Rumours Toys in the Attic Bridge over Troubled Water Born to Run Yellow Submarine Are You Experienced Exodus