AllMusic Loves 1968
September 8th, 2008 | 3:15 pm est |
John Bush
Nearly everyone’s second favorite year for music in the ’60s (after 1967), 1968 wasn’t just the soundtrack to a revolution, with a Beatles/Stones/Hendrix triumvirate of apocalyptic madness threatening to tear the fabric of culture. It was the year when psychedelia reached every corner of music culture, usually in bizarre ways — ranging from soul (Sly & the Family Stone) to folk (Incredible String Band) to Latin music (Ray Barretto’s Acid) to world music (Gilberto Gil’s self-titled album) to New Orleans R&B (Dr. John’s Gris-Gris). It was the year when the Summer of Love ripened and rotted, often intriguingly, soundtracked by material like Nancy & Lee’s “Some Velvet Morning” and Richard Harris’ “MacArthur Park.” It was the year when the LP-as-artistic-statement fully matured, furnishing us with some of the best rock albums of all time — Astral Weeks, Beggars Banquet, The Village Green Preservation Society, Odessey and Oracle.
So when you think of 1968, don’t think of all the records that year from the Best Albums of All Time list; think of the exciting detours and fusions and collisions that occurred. Don’t think of the country-rock shibboleth Sweetheart of the Rodeo, think of the vastly superior Dillard & Clark album. If you think the Beatles were pioneering tape experiments in rock music, look into Os Mutantes or the United States of America or Fifty Foot Hose. And if you can only think of 1968 as the year when students were brutally batoned in the streets everywhere from Prague to Chicago, then set your mind adrift and try to think of a time when lines like the following were actually heard on the radio every day, lines like “Someone left the cake out in the rain” and “Some velvet morning when I’m straight, I’m gonna open up your gate / And maybe tell you ’bout Phaedra.”
Van Dyke Parks - Song Cycle
Marcos Valle - Samba ‘68
Miles Davis - Filles de Kilimanjaro
The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society
Bee Gees - Idea
The Incredible String Band - The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter
The Move - The Move
Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes
Dr. John - Gris-Gris
Ray Barretto - Acid
The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends
The Beach Boys - Friends
Harry Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
Dillard & Clark - The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark
Gordon Lightfoot - Did She Mention My Name
The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
The Beatles - The Beatles
The Soft Machine - The Soft Machine
Traffic - Traffic
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Gilberto Gil - Gilberto Gil
Sly & the Family Stone - Life
Biff Rose - “Fill Your Heart” 
Harry Nilsson - “Don’t Leave Me”
Mortimer - “Singing to the Sunshine”
Nancy & Lee - “Some Velvet Morning”
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - “Fire”
Small Faces - “Lazy Sunday”
Gilberto Gil - “Domingo No Parque”
Marcos Valle - “Crickets Sing for Anamaria”
Spanky & Our Gang - “Like to Get to Know You”
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - “If You Can Want”
Sly & the Family Stone - “Dance to the Music”
Gene Chandler - “There Was a Time”
Barbara Acklin - “Love Makes a Woman”
Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Suzie Q”
The Rationals - “I Need You”
Taj Mahal - “She Caught the Katy (And Left Me a Mule to Ride)”
Merle Haggard - “I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am”
Brigitte Bardot & Serge Gainsbourg - “Bonnie and Clyde”
Engelbert Humperdinck - “Quando Quando Quando”
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
1968: Jumping Queues and Making Haste
The necessary disclaimer that a list is a mere snapshot of a particular person’s taste in a particular point in time is doubly true in a year like 1968, when there is simply too much great stuff to be distilled into a mere list. Even if the lists ran as long as 100, 200 singles, there would still be plenty of great stuff left behind — and the same could also be said about LPs in ‘68, as that’s when the long-player truly gelled as an artistic medium for rock bands. But to say that ‘68 was only about album-oriented, often psychedelic, rock is completely wrong: this was a golden age for soul singles, jazz LPs, progressive country, and the birth of bubblegum, among many other things — too many to list in one sentence, or in two lists of singles and LPs.
So, even though there’s a lot here, there’s a lot here that’s missing, from Dr. Lonnie Smith’s Think to Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” Why aren’t they here? Well, when I think of 1968, these are the the 20 albums I can’t live without and the 40 songs I wanted to hear right away… at least that’s how I felt the moment I compiled the list. I’m sure it would change a bit six months from now.
The Band - Music from Big Pink
The Beatles - The Beatles
Jeff Beck - Truth
Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart - I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonite?
The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Cream - Wheels of Fire
The Everly Brothers - Roots
The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society
The International Submarine Band - Safe at Home
Magic Sam - Black Magic
The Move - The Move
Randy Newman - Randy Newman
The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
The Bob Seger System - Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man
Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends
Small Faces - Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake
Joe South - Introspect
Scott Walker - Scott 2
The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
40 singles for the golden age of Top 40
(Caveat emptor: not all 40 singles reached the Top 40)
Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart - “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight”
The Rolling Stones - “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
Nazz - “Open My Eyes”
Merle Haggard & the Strangers - “Mama Tried”
Waylon Jennings - “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line”
Manfred Mann - “Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)”
Archie Bell & the Drells - “Tighten Up”
Donovan - “Hurdy Gurdy Man”
Deep Purple - “Hush”
The Fireballs - “Bottle of Wine”
The Grass Roots - “Midnight Confessions”
The Human Beinz - “Nobody But Me”
Small Faces - “Itchycoo Park”
The Who - “Dogs”
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - “Fire”
The Chambers Brothers - “Time Has Come Today”
Henson Cargill - “Skip a Rope”
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - “I Second That Emotion”
Glen Campbell - “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”
The American Breed - “Bend Me, Shape Me”
The Box Tops - “Cry Like a Baby”
Elvis Presley - “Guitar Man”
The Rolling Stones - “Street Fighting Man”
Kenny Rogers & the First Edition - “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)”
Jerry Lee Lewis - “Another Place, Another Time”
Aretha Franklin - “Think”
Small Faces - “Tin Soldier”
Steppenwolf - “Magic Carpet Ride”
Stevie Wonder - “For Once in My Life”
The Bob Seger System - “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man”
Marvin Gaye - “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
Etta James - “Tell Mama”
The Move - “Fire Brigade”
Johnnie Taylor - “Who’s Making Love?”
Jerry Lee Lewis - “She Still Comes Around (To Love What’s Left of Me)”
Glen Campbell - “Gentle on My Mind”
Hank Thompson - “On Tap, in the Can, or in the Bottle”
The Beatles - “Lady Madonna”
The Lemon Pipers - “Green Tambourine”
Elvis Presley - “U.S. Male”
Thom Jurek
I was ten in 1968, but I’d been buying my own records for about four years at that point — seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan turned me on for life. I was able to purchase them for 59 cents at the Singer Sewing Machine Store in Downtown Detroit with allowance money I’d saved. Below are singles from 1968 that I actually bought, and I still had to trim 20 or so titles off! (I got two dollars a week for yard and housework.) It’s a very commercial list, but it is a testament to the power of AM radio in Detroit from stations like WKNR and Windsor’s mega-giant CKLW.
The Amboy Dukes - “Journey to the Center of the Mind”
The Band - “The Weight”
The Beatles - “Lady Madonna”
The Beatles - “Revolution”
James Brown - “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)”
Glen Campbell - “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”
Glen Campbell - “Wichita Lineman”
Johnny Cash - “Folsom Prison Blues”
Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Suzie Q”
Deep Purple - “Hush”
The Delfonics - “La-La (Means I Love You)”
Dion & the Belmonts - “Abraham, Martin and John”
Donovan - “Hurdy Gurdy Man”
Georgie Fame - “Bonnie & Clyde”
The Fifth Dimension - “Stoned Soul Picnic”
The Four Tops - “Walk Away Renee”
Aretha Franklin - “I Say a Little Prayer for You”
Marvin Gaye - “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - “All Along the Watchtower”
Hugh Masekela - “Grazing in the Grass”
Jimmy McGriff - “The Worm”
Sergio Mendes - “The Fool on the Hill”
The Steve Miller Band - “Living in the U.S.A.”
Hugo Montenegro - “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”
Wes Montgomery - “Windy”
Johnny Nash - “Hold Me Tight”
The Rascals - “People Got to Be Free”
Otis Redding - “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - “I Second That Emotion”
The Rolling Stones - “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
The Rolling Stones - “She’s a Rainbow”
Diana Ross & the Supremes - “Love Child”
Simon & Garfunkel - “Mrs. Robinson”
Sly & the Family Stone - “Dance to the Music”
Small Faces - “Itchycoo Park”
The Soulful Strings - “Burning Spear”
Steppenwolf - “Born to Be Wild”
The Stone Poneys - “Different Drum”
The Temptations - “I Wish It Would Rain”
The Temptations - “Cloud Nine”
Stevie Wonder - “For Once in My Life”
Andy Kellman
Dorothy Ashby - Afro-Harping
David Axelrod - Song of Innocence
Albert Ayler - New Grass
Ray Barretto - Acid
Jerry Butler - The Iceman Cometh
The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers
Alice Coltrane - A Monastic Trio
Miles Davis - Filles de Kilimanjaro
Gilberto Gil - Gilberto Gil
Eddie Harris - Silver Cycles
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland
The Mothers of Invention - We’re Only in It for the Money
Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets
Silver Apples - Silver Apples
The Soft Machine - The Soft Machine
The United States of America - The United States of America
Caetano Veloso - Caetano Veloso
The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
Scott Walker - Scott 2
The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
James Brown - “I Got the Feelin’”
Eric Burdon & the Animals - “Sky Pilot”
Cream - “White Room”
The Delfonics - “La-La (Means I Love You)”
The Dells - “Stay in My Corner”
Aretha Franklin - “Chain of Fools”
Marvin Gaye - “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
The Impressions - “Fool for You”
The Impressions - “We’re a Winner”
Hugh Masekela - “Grazing in the Grass”
MC5 - “Looking at You”
The Steve Miller Band - “Living in the U.S.A.”
The Moody Blues - “Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)”
Nancy & Lee - “Some Velvet Morning”
Diana Ross & the Supremes - “Love Child”
The Bob Seger System - “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” YouTube
Sly & the Family Stone - “Dance to the Music”
The Soulful Strings - “Burning Spear”
The Temptations - “Cloud Nine”
Vanilla Fudge - “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”
Uncle Dave Lewis
Albert Ayler - New Grass
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Strictly Personal
Ornette Coleman - New York Is Now!
The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra - Communications
Gary McFarland - America the Beautiful
The Monkees - Head
The Moody Blues - In Search of the Lost Chord
The Red Krayola - God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail with It
Lalo Schifrin - There’s a Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin’ On
Silver Apples - Silver Apples
Spanky & Our Gang - Like to Get to Know You
The United States of America - The United States of America
The Mothers of Invention - We’re Only in It for the Money
Lothar & the Hand People - Presenting… Lothar & the Hand People
Morton Subotnick - Silver Apples of the Moon
Terry Riley - Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band: All Night Flight, Vol. 1
AMM - The Crypt, 12th June 1968: The Complete Session
The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
The Beatles - The Beatles
Strawberry Alarm Clock - Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow
J. Scott McClintock
From the beginnings of the British underground (Soft Machine, Caravan), to the faux-hippie psychedelia making inroads on Top 40 radio (the Lemon Pipers’ “Green Tambourine”), to the burgeoning electronic movement (Wendy Carlos, Jean-Jacques Perrey, Silver Apples, Bruce Haack), to notable debuts from some heavy hitting singer/songwriters (Randy Newman, Neil Diamond, Leonard Cohen), 1968 was a formidable year. Here are some of the least obvious (no White Album, Electric Ladyland, or Beggars Banquet) gems from that year — ones that seem to give out maximum joy but generally receive only a little bit of love.
Bonzo Dog Band - The Doughnut in Granny’s Greenhouse
Caravan - Caravan
Chad Stuart & Jeremy - The Ark
Neil Diamond - Velvet Gloves and Spit
The Family Tree - Miss Butters
Vince Guaraldi - Oh Good Grief!
John Hartford - Gentle on My Mind and Other Originals
The Idle Race - The Birthday Party
The Monkees - Head
The Moody Blues - In Search of the Lost Chord
Dudley Moore - Bedazzled
The Move - The Move
Nazz - Nazz
Randy Newman - Randy Newman
Harry Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
Laura Nyro - Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
Silver Apples - Silver Apples
The Soft Machine - The Soft Machine
Scott Walker - Scott 2
The Mothers of Invention - We’re Only in It for the Money
The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
Jean-Jacques Perrey - The Amazing New Electronic Pop Sound of Jean-Jacques Perrey
Roger Nichols & the Small Circle of Friends - Roger Nichols & the Small Circle of Friends
Wendy Carlos - Switched-On Bach
Bruce Haack - The Way-Out Album for Children
A few no-contest, perfect pop singles that are holding up pretty darn well — 40 years down the road.
Eternity’s Children - “Mrs. Bluebird”
Classics IV - “Spooky”
The Lemon Pipers - “Green Tambourine”
The Rascals - “A Beautiful Morning”
The Turtles - “Elenore”
(Eternity’s Children keyboardist/vocalist Bruce Blackman and lead guitarist Johnny Walker later went on to form Starbuck in the ’70s, making a smash with their marimba-heavy hit “Moonlight Feels Right” — possibly the first yacht-rock song ever.)
James Christopher Monger
Scott Walker - Scott 2
The Everly Brothers - Roots
Neil Diamond - Velvet Gloves and Spit
Pentangle - Sweet Child
The Moody Blues - In Search of the Lost Chord
Randy Newman - Randy Newman
Shirley Collins - The Power of the True Love Knot
Caetano Veloso - Caetano Veloso
The Temptations - Wish It Would Rain
Donovan - The Hurdy Gurdy Man
Bee Gees - Idea
The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society
The Incredible String Band - The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter
The Mothers of Invention - We’re Only in It for the Money
The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland
Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman
Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets
The Beatles - The Beatles
Heather Phares
The Beatles - The Beatles
The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Wendy Carlos - Switched-On Bach
Leonard Cohen - The Songs of Leonard Cohen
Bruce Haack - The Way-Out Album for Children
The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society
The Moody Blues - In Search of the Lost Chord
The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
Silver Apples - Silver Apples
The United States of America - The United States of America
The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
The Who - Magic Bus
The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
Archie Bell & the Drells - “Tighten Up”
Glen Campbell - “Wichita Lineman”
Henson Cargill - “Skip a Rope”
The Chambers Brothers - “Time Has Come Today”
The Delfonics - “La-La (Means I Love You)”
Donovan - “Jennifer Juniper”
The Equals - “Baby, Come Back”
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - “You’re All I Need to Get By”
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - “All Along the Watchtower”
Manfred Mann - “Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)”
The Moody Blues - “Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)”
Kenny Rogers & the First Edition - “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)”
The Rolling Stones - “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
The Rolling Stones - “She’s a Rainbow”
The Rolling Stones - “Street Fighting Man”
Diana Ross & the Supremes - “Love Child”
Sly & the Family Stone - “Dance to the Music”
Small Faces - “Itchycoo Park”
The Temptations - “Cloud Nine”
Stevie Wonder - “For Once in My Life”
Tammy Wynette - “Stand by Your Man”
Tim Sendra
1968 was indeed notable for revolution. The bubblegum revolution. You can take your Zappa, your White Album, your Scott Walker, and toss them all away. All hail the Kasenetz-Katz machine! Three cheers for faceless groups like the Ohio Express, the 1910 Fruitgum Company, and the Archies, the operators like Andy Kim and Paul Revere, and the washed-up garage rockers like the Shadows of Knight! Give it up for the decidedly non-rocking Cowsills and the mighty, mighty rock of the Equals (easily the most underrated band of the 1960s)! And never ever ever forget the Banana Splits!! I admit, grudgingly, that there is a place for experimentation, but let’s not forget the utterly stupid, juvenile, and thrilling kick these songs provide, even forty years later. These are the 20 bubblegum platters that mattered in 1968!
The Archies - “Bang-Shang-A-Lang”
The Banana Splits - “The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)”
Boyce & Hart - “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonite”
The Cowsills - “We Can Fly”
The Equals - “Baby Come Back”
Fun & Games - “Elephant Candy”
Tommy James & the Shondells - “Do Something to Me”
Jay & the Techniques - “Strawberry Shortcake”
Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus - “Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run)”
Andy Kim - “How’d We Ever Get This Way”
The Lemon Pipers - “Green Tambourine”
The 1910 Fruitgum Company - “1, 2, 3, Red Light”
The 1910 Fruitgum Company - “Goody Goody Gumdrops”
The 1910 Fruitgum Company - “May I Take a Giant Step (Into Your Heart)”
The 1910 Fruitgum Company - “Simon Says”
Ohio Express - “Yummy Yummy Yummy”
Ohio Express - “Chewy Chewy”
Ohio Express - “Down at Lulu’s”
Paul Revere & the Raiders - “Cinderella Sunshine”
The Shadows of Knight - “Shake”
Sean Westergaard
Wow. 1968 was a really great year for rock, jazz, blues, and just plain weirdness. I’d bet that I’ve played something from every album on this list in the last year or two on my radio show and/or at home. Special mention has to go to the two Mothers of Invention albums. I recorded them both onto an 8-track courtesy of a friend’s older brother in about 4th grade and it was my favorite tape for years. Cruising with Ruben & the Jets is a lot of fun, but We’re Only in It for the Money is an undisputed masterpiece that truly helped shape my cynical outlook. Do I lose cool points for listing classic-rock albums?
The Beatles - The Beatles
Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills - Super Session
Sandy Bull - E Pluribus Unum
Dr. John - Gris-Gris
Don Ellis & His Orchestra - Autumn
Booker Ervin - The In Between
John Fahey - The Voice of the Turtle
Buddy Guy - A Man and the Blues
Harumi - Harumi
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland
J.B. Hutto & His Hawks - Hawk Squat
Skip James - Devil Got My Woman
Magic Sam Blues Band - Black Magic
The Moving Sidewalks - Flash
Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes
Terry Riley - Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band: All Night Flight, Vol. 1
The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
The United States of America - The United States of America
The Mothers of Invention - We’re Only in It for the Money
The Mothers of Invention - Cruising with Ruben & the Jets
Although a few songs in these lists were released in 1967, they peaked in the U.S. in 1968.
Previously
AllMusic Loves 1977
AllMusic Loves 1984
AllMusic Loves 1999
I first listened to the white album just a few years ago. It started off with “back in the USSR” and I thought that it was business as usual. Then came “dear prudence” which was the kind of dronin bouncy pop that seems to come so easy to British bands, and from there on I was hooked. I had never imagined that Beatles could be so down-to-earth and come up with such a masterpiece. It was as if they pared down the production to show that they didn’t need to rely on it to soar. Note the rawness of “i’m so tired” and its crazy drumming, listen to the pitch perfect flow of melody and story in “rocky raccoon”, endlessly obssess over the free-verse multi-part “warm gun”, strum along to the unadorned/beautiful “julia”. There is something amazing about each song here. And you know what! I haven’t gone past the first CD yet. I’m going to relish this as long as I can before I breakdown for the second one. Stuff like this doesn’t come along much.
1968 was indeed a year of joy and sadness. The assassinations of MLK and RFK left an indeliable void in society that to this day has yet to be filled. The Vietnam war raged on. And the racial and social ills of everyday life in America were as strong as ever. But the music of that time brought hope to even the darkest of situations. The Beatles continued to be the voices of a generation. Jimi Hendrix mesmerized with his guitar playing while opening minds at the same time. Sly and the Family Stone made great strides with their album ‘Life’, but their real impact would be felt the following year. The Rolling Stones’ rebellious style was the perfect antithesis to the aforementioned Beatles. In my hometown of Detroit, as The Tigers celebrated a World Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals in a thrilling seven games, Motown began to get tackle issues that mattered to everyday people without sacrificing commercial appeal with their two main groups, first the Temptations under the guidance of Norman Whitfield with ‘Cloud Nine’, and then the now billed Diana Ross and the Supremes with ‘Love Child’. Stevie Wonder was starting to prove he wasn’t so little anymore and began to take more control of the direction of his career, a move that would have great benefits just 4 years later. But unquestionable the biggest triumph of Motown that year was Marvelous Marvin Gaye’s reading of ‘I Heard it through the Grapevine’, which had been a hit for labelmates Gladys Knight and the Pips the previous year. Gaye’s emotional version helped it go to No. 1 on the charts and stay their for weeks and become Motown’s biggest selling single of the decade. Good or bad, there’s just not years like ‘68 anymore.
1968 was a great year… I covered it in my flashback series on my blog and you guys hit a lot of my faves.Heather Phares, as usual your picks rule!
One of the major albums to listen to at the time was Wheels Of Fire. It was played non-stop on all my friend’s turntables(i didn’t own a stereo then) and a certain herb really enhanced it. also Steppenwolf II, the first Quicksilver and Cheap Thrills. Spirit had two great singles around then, Mechanical World and I Got a Line on You. Waiting for the Sun is still my favorite Doors album and Five to One is right up there with the MC-5 in my books for telling the man to start worrying…
Nice list as always, good to see the Banana Splits get some love.
But could one of you explain what’s so great about Switched On-Bach? Sure, it’s the first synth album take on classical music, but someone would have done it eventually anyway. To me it’s sound is straightforward and trite, and the execution is far too rigid to be interesting or fun.
I guess it’s technically impressive given the tech of the time, but when listening to it do you really find it inspiring or stimulating?
certainly a great year. of all those albums Im with beggars banket, a saurceful of secrets, we’re only in it for the money and green river
loves 1968
fantastic resumen love 1968
Kudos for Heather Phares for being the only one with either good enough taste or memory to mention Leonard Cohen’s first album. I won’t pretend to know as many albums from 1968 as the critics here, but it is my guess that Cohen’s album would have to be in any good top 10 or at least top 20 album list of that year, unless one has any special sort of bias against the Canadian composer.
Other than that, I have to second the choice of Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks” (best album of the year, for me) as well as - there’s no way around it - the Beatles’ white album and the Stones’ “Beggars Banquet”.
Very good albums that seem to have been forgotten: “Bare Wires” and “Blues from Laurel Canyon” by John Mayall. And Jeff Beck’s “Truth”.
Well, I suppose “Waiting for the Sun” (Doors), “Crown of Creation” (Jefferson Airplane) and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s debut should be mentioned as well, at least as good/relevant albums.
As for 1968’s being “nearly everyone’s second favorite year for music in the ’60s (after 1967)”, well, I’d have to say that there’s actually a chance that 1969 was better than those 2 years. At least for me. But then there’s people who prefer ROCK music and there’s people who prefer POP or FLUFF. To each its own. :-)
PS: Note to John Bush: if I’m not mistaken, CCR’s “Green River” is from 1969.
Stunning lists. Thanks, this was a great read. And I would like to add Serge Gainsbourg’s Initials B.B., George Benson’s Shape Of Things To Come & Dana Gillespie’s Foolish Seasons, they might not be as great as a lot of the stuff you post but definitely very favorites of mine.
Greetings.
Hey pop music nerds….
Lots of great records on that list…
but CCR’s Green River is from 1969.
and how come Aretha’s “Lady Soul” is not mentioned?
> but CCR’s Green River is from 1969
Good catch — their debut was from 1968, but I don’t like it quite enough to make the list. If I had to substitute one it’d be Laura Nyro or Grateful Dead.
Hello AMG,
Can you tell me when did you guys start writing real-time reviews? I see that nowadays reviews come almost instantaneously with an album release but since there are so many historical reviews on the site (even albums from the 1950’s are covered, maybe even earlier ones are covered too) therefore I wanted to know when did the real-time reviews start. I guess AMG was established in early 90’s but don’t know when the real-time thing started happening.
BTW, great job in compiling all the stuff.
Cheers,
The glaring omission here is Desmond Dekker’s “The Israelites”, which did not reach the top 10 until the following year but was in heavy play on jukeboxes and urban radio by the summer of ‘68.
Also, although we all wince to think about it now, anyone who was over the age of 12 in 1968 is in repression if he/she denies the significance of “In-a-gadda-da-vida” at that time.
Good list, as ever, but I’d include three singles, all #1 pop songs, that aided in their own way the cause of musical freedom.
Paul Mauriat’s “Love Is Blue” was the rare late-era 1960s instrumental that seemed to transcend the roots of easy-listening. It was beautiful music, but it was modern, it sounded younger and had one of those melodies that was just inescapable. And, being #1 so close to spring in March of ‘68, it was one of those signs of spring, where even the music (admittedly judging by the charts alone) sounded alive.
Jeannie C. Riley’s “Harper Valley P.T.A.” struck an early blow for women’s lib and anti-hypocrisy, all thanks to Tom T. Hall’s able storytelling. Plus, in the year of “Stand By Your Man”, it was kinda like the other side of the coin from the traditional country sound of the time. Even with just a widowed protagonist, it was a story of a woman who wouldn’t take crap lying down. “SBYM” is still timeless in a different way, but this wasn’t just aware, it had a funky country twang to it.
And the anti-”Do You Know The Way To San Jose” is Herb Alpert’s version of Bacharach’s “This Guy’s In Love With You”. It’s a rarity to hear Herb sing, and hearing it we can tell why he didn’t do that so much, but forget his singing voice. It’s Burt Bacharach and Hal David at their best, and with Herb singing, it comes across as the most honest of love songs, the sound of a guy so in love he’d do things he wouldn’t ordinarily do, and sounding both scared of vulnerability and over the moon in love.
Top 40 radio must have been heaven back then. All those songs, plus things like Aretha’s “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone” and “The House That Jack Built”, The Doors’ “Hello I Love You”, and even the ditzy, hippy-dippy, incredibly earnest yet highly catchy “Reach Out Of The Darkness” from Friend & Lover, made one schizoid playlist, which is infinitely superior to today’s fragmented radio.
And then there’s Bobby Goldsboro’s “Honey”. But that’s a depressive episode for another time.
lot’s of white stuff! 1968 was also in the hey days of Soul. Aretha Frankling, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, James Brown. The ist is very long. If you look at the lists it looks like 1968 was only the priod of good white hippe music.
“1968 was also in the hey days of Soul. Aretha Frankling, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, James Brown.”
Yeah, but back in 1968 black artists were known mainly through singles, isn’t it? Albums didn´t yet have any special quality about them - as far as I understand they were mainly compilations of 45’s and maybe some extra-filler thrown together in more or less random manner… Anyway, if anyone has a more informed opinion, please go ahead and state it. I actually would like to listen to really good albums from 60’s black artists (well, jazz not included, of course - great albums in that field are many and well known).
You guys forgot to mention The Beach Boys’ album “Friends”.
Great lists. I too bought 59 cent 45s at Singer Sewing Machine Centers…though a couple of time zones to the West.
One glaring omission (and recommendation): “The Battle of The Bands” by The Turtles. A comedic Sgt. Pepper’s. The ultimate style parody LP.
I was going to mention CCR’s “Green River” being from ‘69, but notice it has been brought up.
I’d be happy just seeing music reviewers, commentators, and DJs everywhere get the following right:
An album named “Gilberto Gil”, for example, after an artist of the same name is NOT a “self-titled” album, since albums can’t title themselves. What it is is a namesake album.
Psychedelia may have peaked in 1968, but in retrospect, I’m glad it was starting to fade. That remarkable era had so many things going on at once, but the resurgence of simpler, more heartfelt songs (Dylan’s “John Wesley Harding” album), out-of-this-world singing (Aretha, Sam & Dave, Sly, Temptations) or BOTH (The Band’s “Music From Big Pink”) made it stellar.
Celebrated releases such as The Stones’ “Beggars Banquet” (with many of their most underrated tracks, like “Jigsaw Puzzle”), The Beatles’ White Album and Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks” deserve all the accolades they get. But the pervading attitude that I still see when rating old music even now–”whites make great albums, blacks make great singles”–has got to stop.
Aretha’s “Lady Soul,” Sam & Dave’s “I Thank You” and Otis Redding’s posthumous “Dock Of the Bay” include cut after cut of
wonderful, fully realized tracks. The way Redding transforms the corny old song “The Glory of Love” into blood and guts (aided by
a horn chart he likely came up with himself) makes him the equal of any artist I’ve already listed.
I was 13 in 1968, soaking up just about everything without a lot of perspective. Back then, I thought the Doors were as good as Hendrix, which is pretty laughable–Jim and company sound so overwrought to me now. Janis Joplin was over the top, too, yet the blasting, almost punk energy of Big Brother & the Holding Company matched her approach perfectly. I loved the MC5’s noise rock masterpiece, “Looking At You” (the original A-Square version, not the later Atlantic one), as well. The country rock thing was starting to brew, though it took me awhile to pick up on that movement. But I was digging to pieces the Kinks’ “Village Green Society” and Jimi’s underrated “Axis: Bold as Love.” Was “The Who Sell Out” from late
‘67 or early ‘68? Either way, it’s full of power, humor and endless invention. What a year.
@J.J. Syrja:
Here is a quote from the AMG review of ““Dock Of the Bay”:
“Dock of the Bay is, indeed, a mixed bag of singles and B-sides going back to July of 1965, one hit duet with Carla Thomas, and a pair of previously unissued tracks from 1966 and 1967, respectively. There’s little cohesion, stylistic or otherwise, in the songs.”
This is the kind of thing I was talking about. I admit however that I haven’t yet listened to the album to be able to properly judge it as an album…
My comment however was not meant to be a white artists vs. black artists in general, it was just meant as a comment regarding 60’s pop/rock. I suppose Hendrix’s albums can be considered an exception here, even though I still think they are a bit overated (Hendrix was the best rock guitarist ever but as a composer he had ups and downs).
Anyway, if we move into the 70’s, we easily find that black artists like Gil Scott-Heron made albums that deserve indeed being called great. And if we keep moving forward in time we will be able to find great albums by black artists in the fields of hip-hop, trip-hop, techno, drum&bass, etc, etc.
> Can you tell me when did you guys
> start writing real-time reviews?
The first edition of the All Music Guide was published in 1992, so we had started writing reviews of current music expressly for the guide during 1991-92. Then, by early 1993, we were reviewing multiple albums by date of release each week.
Just for trivia’s sake, there were 79 writers who contributed to the first book, including quite a few who still review a lot for us — Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Bruce Eder, William Ruhlmann and Michael G. Nastos.
Well, “music fan” is right…”Dock of the Bay” was assembled from
many sources, but it hangs together like one great album for me.
I’m astonished by Redding’s consistency. Every year when I get some tunes ready to play on my community radio show to honor his
birth anniversary, I’m struck by the way the masterful, emotional quality of this material keeps Redding really high (Top Ten) on my all-time favorite artists list. The four-CD “Otis!” box on Rhino has practically no filler, and individual releases like the recently expanded “Otis Blue” are wondrous as well.
Was there a better year for top 40 radio than 1968? Pictures of Matchstickmen Status Quo,Love is all around The Troggs,The People doing a Zombies cover I Love You,Hush Deep Purple, of coure Jumpin Jack Flash on the blue London 45\Child of the Moon.and that Strawberry Alarm Clock Wake up its Tomorrow was a overlooked nugget.I know Iggy liked 1969,but 1968 was all right and a boo hoo.
1968 is by far the year of ” Astral Weeks”, the most wonderful album ever made, alongside with “Kind of Bue”. Nothing compares the beauty of this record. Absolutely timeless and essential.The jewel of the crown.
Best Albums recorded and released in 1968
Tom Rush - The Circle Game
The United States of America - The United States of America
Johnny Cash - Johnny Cas at Folsom Prison
Harper’s Bizarre - The Secret Life of …
Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes
Small Faces - Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake
The Beach Boys - Friends
Dr. John, the Night Tripper - Gris-Gris
The Band - Music from Big Pink
Blue Cheer - Outsideinside
The Byrds - Sweet Heart of the Rodeo
THe Jeff Beck Group - Truth
Pentangle - Sweet Child
The Beatles - The Beatles “White Album”
The Kinks - The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society
The Smoke - The Smoke
The Beau Brummels - Bradley’s Barn
I was fortunate to be living near NYC and had the best of both worlds: WABC/WMCA for the 45s and WNEW-FM for the LPs. Blasting hot hits in the car, mellowing out with headphones. Incredible music on both fronts. Herewith, some of the LPs that didn’t make any of the previous lists and were special to me (and remain so to this day):
Big Brother & The Holding Co - Cheap Thrills
Blood, Sweat & Tears - Child Is Father To The Man
Brian Auger Trinity w Julie Driscoll - Open
Buffalo Springfield - Last Time Around
Donovan - Donovan In Concert
Family - Music In A Doll’s House
Harvey Mandel - Cristo Redentor
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold As Love
Joni Mitchell - Songs To A Seagull
Judy Collins - Who Knows Where The Time Goes
Kaleidoscope - A Beacon From Mars
Phil Ochs - Tape From California
Procol Harum - Shine On Brightly
Richie Havens - 1983
Rotary Connection - Rotary Connection
Spirit - Spirit
The Fugs - It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest
The Steve Miller Band - Children Of The Future AND Sailor
Traffic - Heaven Is In Your Mind (Mr Fantasy)
And, thanks for giving me some new (to me) sounds to try out!
Interesting! Here are some additions:
Official Albums:
Arthur Brown - The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
Buddy Guy - A Man And The Blues
Canned Heat - Boogie With Canned Heat
Fifty Foot Hose - Cauldron
Jefferson Airplane - Crown Of Creation
Kaleidoscope (U.S.) - A Beacon From Mars
Moby Grape - Wow / Grape Jam
Pearls Before Swine - Balaklava
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Quicksilver Messenger Service
Spirit - Spirit
Spirit - The Family That Plays Together
Taj Mahal - Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal - The Natch’l Blues
The C.A. Quintet - Trip Thru Hell
The Chocolate Watch Band - The Inner Mystique
The Doors - Waiting For The Sun
The Electric Prunes - Mass In F Minor
The Grateful Dead - Anthem Of The Sun
The Incredible String Band - The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter
The Index - The Index
The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow
Tomorrow - Tomorrow
Soundtracks:
2001: A Space Odyssey
C’era una volta il West
Bootlegs & Live Recordings:
Cream - 1968-06-15 - Oakdale Music Theatre - “Big Black Loading Zone”
H.P. Lovecraft - 1991 - Live At The Fillmore May 11, 1968
Jefferson Airplane - 1968-09-15 - Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Jimi Hendrix - 1968-10-10/11/12 - Winterland - “The Winterland Reels”
Jimi Hendrix & B.B. King & Paul Butterfield Blues Band - 1968-04-015 - Generation Club, New York - “The King’s Jam”
Pink Floyd - 1968-05-06 - Piper Club, Rome, Italy - First European International Pop Festival
Santana - 1968-05-13 - Avalon Ballroom
Santana - 1997 - Live At The Fillmore ‘68
Simon & Garfunkel - 1968-08-23 - Hollywood Bowl - Voices Of Intelligent Dissent
The Beach Boys - 1968-12-08 - Astoria, Finsbury Park, London, England
The Byrds - 1968-11-02 - Avalon Ballroom
The Doors - 1968-05-10 - The Chicago Coliseum, Chicago
The Doors - 1968-07-09 - Dallas Memorial Auditorium, Dallas
The Doors - 1968-09-20 - Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden
The Grateful Dead - 1968-02-14 - Carousel Ballroom
The Grateful Dead - 1968-08-21 - Fillmore West
The Grateful Dead - 1968-10-13 - Avalon Ballroom
The Grateful Dead - Dick’s Picks, Vol. 22 [1968-02-23&24 - Kings Beach Bowl]
The Who - 1968-04-06 - Fillmore East
Vanilla Fudge - 1968-09-09 - Portland
I didn´t see any reference to the relevant Lovin’ Spoonful’s fourth album, Everything Playing, and its top hit, “Six O’Clock”. I would also add the The Guess Who´s album Wheatfield Soul and the hit “These Eyes” .
gregory mentioned blue cheer’s ‘outsideinside,’ but you can’t forget ‘vincebus eruptum,’ which came out early in ‘68. looking through my collection, i have found that several more of my favorite records from this era were released in 1967 or 1969…
where is best of 1972????
John, thank you.
Cheers,
Great lists all of them.
No one’s mentioned Eloise by Barry Ryan,Those were the Days by Mary Hopkin (on the Apple label) and Floyd’s A Saucerful of Secrets.1968 is far the best year of the sixties for music.1968
also saw the demise of the New Yardbirds and the birth of Led Zep!!!
I’m sad to see that Blood, Sweat and Tears’ “Child is Father to the Man” isn’t on any of these lists… but I’m pleased to see it listed in one of the comments!
Great lists regardless with excellent albums.
I noticed that two of Steppenwolf’s singles were mentioned, but not their first two albums, both of which were released in 1968. Both Steppenwolf and Steppenwolf II were great albums. However, I of course appreciate the inclusion of the White Album, Beggars Banquet, Electric Ladyland, Wheels of Fire, etc. Altogether great year and good picks for this article.
I love you guys, but I am a bit disappointed that you forgot about The Millennium’s “Begin”, easily one of (if not) the best of 1968. If you haven’t heard this album yet, start with the Sundazed three disc collection. I know you will love it and the next time you make a list of the best records of 1968, you will put The Millennium at the top. I’m sure of it. Here is a link to your review. The album rating is wrong. It should be 5 stars. Good Night and Good Luck, AMG.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:d9fyxqw5ld6e
I see The Beatles’ “Revolution” mentioned, but nothing about its flip side. Remember it? A little ditty called “Hey Jude.”
What’s the matter? Too obvious?
Wow, 10 year old Tom Jurek had amazing taste in music! And Tim Sendra, I think it’s a bit mean categorising The Equals as ‘bubblegum’.
Congratulation guys!, very good list. I was 18 years old at that year.
I’d include one single #1 pop tune, Classical Gas by Mason Williams.
This selection was one of the repertoires of guitarists that try to show his skill. Seem as exercise to “heat” fingers before a real performance. From this take the name Classical “gasoline” {fuel for fingers}
In fact this hit was made lately ’67, as Mason Williams said, but until august ’68 reach top ten; that year gets 3 Grammy awards (Instrumental Best Composition & Best Performance goes to Mason Williams and Instrumental Best Arrangement goes to Mike Post). Nowadays you can get two versions of this tune; the original one with Mason Williams from 1968 version; and the second one with Mason Williams and Mannheim Steamrollers a 1987 version.
To all of you that enjoy acoustic lead & rhythm guitar, you have to listen it!.
Electric Flag - A Long Time Comin’
Electric Flag - The Electric Flag: An American Music Band
“Yeah, but back in 1968 black artists were known mainly through singles, isn’t it? Albums didn´t yet have any special quality about them - as far as I understand they were mainly compilations of 45’s and maybe some extra-filler thrown together in more or less random manner…”
I used the believe this conclusion, based on all the “rock” journalism i have digested over the years, but now I think its bullshit.
the black music industry is a whole different mode of production, one that rock (fail) journalists to recognize as a legitimate, and noteworthy creativity process that differs from the privileged one of rock artists, except from the usual exceptions (jimi, sly, sretha, miles).
what they don’t note that is is black music, whether music is composed, produced, or arranged by the artist, or not, still continues influence white artists, and the industry, performance-wise which still constitutes as artistic vision. even it is a solo artist, or vocal group, or some kind on non-band act, someone, or maybe a community had created such work.
The power lies in the media (influenced by the labels) of who is to be championed, and for how long (it is 1968 after all, a time of change, and still a time of racism as well).
even the music critics at this website (who i respect, and i expect are well-seasoned) fail to list any other black albums besides the selections that are on the rolling stone lists. i don’t think its intended to be like that, but its not a coincidence, or fact, but its evidence that there is not a lot of dialogue on the contributions of these artists, except for that ideology that i had quoted above.
anywho, here is one album that i think should make the list (i’m at work, otherwise I would dish it out, maybe later:
The Impressions - This Is My Country
“what they don’t note that is is black music, whether music is composed, produced, or arranged by the artist, or not, still continues influence white artists”
I think that any respectable critic aknowledges that black musicians have been influencing white musicians for a very long time… Musicians such as Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis or Prince (to speak only of a few of the most obvious) have all received their due praise many many times.
The question here was not about the merit of black artists on general terms, but a very specific one: did black artists produce GREAT ALBUMS in the 60’s? There might me a few good affirmative examples, but I doubt that there are many.
Anyway, before “Sgt. Peppers” even the albums by the most famous white musicians didn’t seem to be respected as integral art objects: in the USA the discographies of The Beatles and the Stones were completely butchered by their American labels until early 1967…
Can it be true that I am the first person here to mention “Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac?”
Hey, is anybody from outside the US writing here? White music versus black music, huh? Sounds like very American discussions to me, but the US is a large country so I’m sure that there are some Americans who will agree with me. Let’s limit ourselves to music and the music we like and realise that music is about listening, about emotion and about enjoying it. I myself can’t hear any black or white in music (which, as we all know, are no colours), I can, though, hear many different colours when listening to music in general, and 1968, remains indeed a great year in popular music and to me it epitomises the sixties. Being 7 years old for most of that year, living in Spain at the time but born in South America and now living for more than 30 years on the shores of the North Sea, music reached my mind and stayed in my memory through the radio and my father’s taperecorder. Radio being the medium, it were (hit)singles which fill my 1968. And checking my favorite albums I don’t see many from the sixties, ‘Pet Sounds’, ‘Sgt Pepper’, ‘Let It Bleed’ and the Doors forming the exceptions. Apparently it takes a more mature age to appreciate albums (and buy them in the first place), so for me the best albums were made in the ’70s and in the ‘80s. The list below is an excerpt from my personal top one thousand and more favourite singles of all time (well ok, it starts in 1957). Some of the singles I may have heard for the first time only in 1969 and even many years later but according to my sources they were brought out in 1968. No, I really was into Jefferson Airplane or Os Mutantes in 1968…
So let’s hear them:
1. Nights in white satin - Moody Blues
2. Mrs Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel
3. Spooky - Classics IV
4. Eloise - Barry Ryan
5. La bambola - Patty Pravo
6. Lazy Sunday – Small Faces
7. MacArthur Park - Richard Harris
8. Those were the days - Mary Hopkin
9. Can I Get There By Candlelight – David McWilliams
10. A little bit of peace in my heart - Golden Earring
11. I close my eyes and count to ten - Dusty Springfield
12. This Wheel’s On Fire - Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & the Trinity
13. Il est cinq heures, Paris s’eveille – Jacques Dutronc
14. La vida sigue igual – Julio Iglesias
15. Some velvet morning - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
16. Dock of the bay - Otis Redding
17. Scarborough Fair/Canticle - Simon & Garfunkel
18. All along the watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
19. Callow La Vita – Raymond Frogatt
20. With A Little Help From My Friends – Joe Cocker
21. Elenore - Turtles
22. Prikkebeen - Boudewijn de Groot
23. Jumping Jack Flash - Rolling Stones
24. Rain and Tears - Aphrodite’s Child
25. Classical Gas - Mason Williams
Great blog by the way!
Oops, forgot a ‘not’ in the last sentence before the list, obviously: “… was not into …”
Great, Christiaan van Hasselt mentioned Jacques Dutronc, his album is amazing. Thanks for the reminder.
Here are my favorites
Beatles - White Album (best album by anyone any year)
Steppenwolf - The Second
Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Rolling Stones - Beggar’s Banquet
Moody Blues - In Search of the Lost Chord
Moby Grape - Wow/Grape Jam
Miles Davis - Filles De Kilimanjaro (I love the second quintet)
Miles Davis - Miles in the Sky (I love the second quintet)
The Kinks - Are The Village Green Preservation Society
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Jefferson Airplane - Crown of Creation
Electric Flag - Long Time Comin’
Dillard and Clark - The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard and Clark
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Debut album
Cream - Wheels of Fire
Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding
Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul
Great fun reminiscing. I was born in ‘52. Mind still smokefree, memory still clear of how Itchycoo Park prevailed over all singles. Electric Ladyland & live Cream “Crossroads” every night,full blast on the Kreisler. But it was Bob & Cohen that still stand just above Big Pink 40 years on. Janice, Doors, V.U.,S/wolf, & how good was Traffic? What a time to be sixteen!
The Kinks- Village Green Preservation Society
The Beatles- The Beatles
The Band- Music From Big Pink
The Rolling Stones- Beggars’ Banquet
Jimi Hendrix Experience- Electric Ladyland
The Byrds- Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Velvet Underground- White Light/White Heat
Small Faces- Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake
Bob Dylan- John Wesley Harding
Creedence Clearwater Revival- Creedence Clearwater Revival
Good lists. Only really missing Gal Costa, Jr. Walker and the All Stars, and Diana Ross & the Supremes - “Reflections” from what I can tell.