Favourite Rock Albums from the late 60s and early 70s

peterfrederics

I thought it would be interesting to highlight our favourite Rock albums from what many people (including those in their teens, twenties, thirties) regard as Rock's outstanding and most creative era.

I'll start with what I think is the best rock album of all time! "The Doors" s/t first album from 1967.

To quote All Music Guide, "A tremendous debut album, and indeed one of the best first-time outings in rock history, introducing the band's fusion of rock, blues, classical, jazz, and poetry with a knockout punch".

Would be interested to hear everybody else's favourites.



https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-doors-mw0000650088

Melbourne is back into compulsory mask wearing indoors from last night so will be wearing my "The Doors" first album matching mask and t-shirt in honour of this post!

Brighternow

- From the top of my head and one out of many . . .

ETA: These ones are not bad either

peterfrederics

Back on with compulsory masks in Melbourne so here's one of my all time favourites, "Odessey and Oracle" by The Zombies, in the form of matching mask and t-shirt!

Quoting All Music Guide, "Odessey and Oracle was one of the flukiest (and best) albums of the 1960s, and one of the most enduring long players to come out of the entire British psychedelic boom, mixing trippy melodies, ornate choruses, and lush Mellotron sounds with a solid hard rock base".
 


https://www.allmusic.com/album/odessey-and-oracle-mw0000192449

jonahpwll

Really difficult to fully encapsulate the impact Bowie's music had on me as a teen.  These three albums, all from the early-70s, are at or near the top of my list of favorites:

And, really, they affect me no less today.

Lowlife

Before he went to LA produced a classic album.

confused

Well, perfect timing, a thread for old farts. During these co-vid times I've been spending time digitizing some albums as well as some cassettes and exploring the archives. I'll do my best to keep them in that '65-'75 range as I work through the alphabet. I'm not very good at putting things in categories, but they are among my favourites so apologies in advance.
Biff Rose
   
1969                 Children Of Light                        1970                       Biff Rose
 
1972              Uncle Jesus, Aunty Christ

Brighternow

confused

Be Bop Deluxe
I had my first introduction to Bill Nelson on their 1974 album, but that was my pal's and I haven't located my cassette copy of it yet. Unlike my wife who neatly wrote out the artist, album & track names on those little inserts, I used a shorthand system that doesn't make a lot of sense. One of my million things to do after co-vid.
Still one of my favourite album covers.
 
1974                     Axe Victim  
   
1975                    Futurama                                  1978                   Drastic Plastic

peterfrederics

"Forever Changes" and "Da Capo" by Love. Whilst I really like both albums, unlike most people I have a slight preference for "Da Capo", even that close to 19 minute classic of "noodling" (another topic for discussion!?) "Revelation". 

However, when it comes to matching t-shirts and masks, it doesn't get much better than that ultimate classic album cover of "Forever Changes".



https://www.allmusic.com/album/da-capo-mw0000195829

Quoting AMG "The six songs that comprised the first side of this album when it was first issued are a truly classic body of work...".
https://www.allmusic.com/album/forever-changes-mw0000193671

And AMG again, ".. it became recognized as one of the finest and most haunting albums to come out of the Summer of Love....Forever Changes is inarguably Love's masterpiece and an album of enduring beauty, but it's also one of the few major works of its era that saw the dark clouds looming on the cultural horizon, and the result was music that was as prescient as it was compelling".

peterfrederics

@Brighternow In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is one of my favourites too.

I just love the story behind the naming of the album and song, to quote AMG "With its endless, droning minor-key riff and mumbled vocals, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is arguably the most notorious song of the acid rock era. According to legend, the group was so stoned when they recorded the track that they could neither pronounce the title "In the Garden of Eden" or end the track, so it rambles on for a full 17 minutes, which to some listeners sounds like eternity. But that's the essence of its appeal -- it's the epitome of heavy psychedelic excess, encapsulating the most indulgent tendencies of the era". 

Brighternow

^^ Oh Yes . . .

The Small Faces with their psychedelic album from 1968, essential stuff :

There was no shortage of good psychedelic albums emerging from England in 1967-1968, but Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake is special even within their ranks. The Small Faces had already shown a surprising adaptability to psychedelia with the single "Itchycoo Park" and much of their other 1967 output, but Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake pretty much ripped the envelope. British bands had an unusual approach to psychedelia from the get-go, often preferring to assume different musical "personae" on their albums, either feigning actual "roles" in the context of a variety show (as on the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album), or simply as storytellers in the manner of the Pretty Things on S.F. Sorrow, or actor/performers as on the Who's Tommy. The Small Faces tried a little bit of all of these approaches on Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, but they never softened their sound. Side one's material, in particular, would not have been out of place on any other Small Faces release -- "Afterglow (Of Your Love)" and "Rene" both have a pounding beat from Kenny Jones, and Ian McLagan's surging organ drives the former while his economical piano accompaniment embellishes the latter; and Steve Marriott's crunching guitar highlights "Song of a Baker." Marriott singing has him assuming two distinct "roles," neither unfamiliar -- the Cockney upstart on "Rene" and "Lazy Sunday," and the diminutive soul shouter on "Afterglow (Of Your Love)" and "Song of a Baker." Some of side two's production is more elaborate, with overdubbed harps and light orchestration here and there, and an array of more ambitious songs, all linked by a narration by comic dialect expert Stanley Unwin, about a character called "Happiness Stan." The core of the sound, however, is found in the pounding "Rollin' Over," which became a highlight of the group's stage act during its final days -- the song seems lean and mean with a mix in which Ronnie Lane's bass is louder than the overdubbed horns. Even "Mad John," which derives from folk influences, has a refreshingly muscular sound on its acoustic instruments. Overall, this was the ballsiest-sounding piece of full-length psychedelia to come out of England, and it rode the number one spot on the U.K. charts for six weeks in 1968, though not without some controversy surrounding advertisements by Immediate Records that parodied the Lord's Prayer. Still, Ogdens' was the group's crowning achievement -- it had even been Marriott's hope to do a stage presentation of Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, though a television special might've been more in order.

- AMG.

rostasi

As far back as I can remember, my music taste was all over the map,
so it’s pretty difficult to narrow it down to favorite rock albums of that time.
But, I do remember an early album that I had sent my grandmother out
to get because it was really a “must have” for me at the time (and continued
to be played incessantly afterwards). This was 1969. I’ve since read reviews
of the album where the reviewers either hated or just plain disliked the
lengthy drum solo. It was actually the highlight of the album for me and
I played just that part alone - also incessantly - more than any other part
of the album. I still think that it’s a brilliant display of a drummer actually
listening to the sound of his own drum set and constructing a percussive
composition right in the middle of a blues-rock song instead of just whaling
away at the skins in order to be flashy. Just two guys: organ/vocals and drums,
they were a powerhouse when seen live.

peterfrederics

Watching the Elton John bio movie “Rocketman” the other day reminded me that he got his name “Elton” from one Elton Dean, a fellow band member of Long John Baldry’s Bluesology and later to be a key member of Soft Machine (SM). 

This, together with seeing @Germanprof’s post regarding a 30% discount at MoonJune Records which features SM amongst its artists and has a special dedication to SM band members, meant that I really did have to re-visit the Softs. Key tips for SM records on MoonJune are Grimes (ironically recently on sale at 50% off on Cuneiform!) and the NYP album “MoonJune Years” from SM Legacy. Grimes is one of their best if not the best live album.

https://softmachine-moonjune.bandcamp.com/

However what made SM special to me and introduced me to the fabulous Canterbury Scene were their first three albums Volume 1, Volume 2 and Third.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/soft-machine-mn0000753685/biography

P.S. Many thanks to @Brighternow and @rostasi for taking me back to the Small Faces “Ogden Nut Gone Flake” and Lee Michael s/t which are sitting ready to be played on my virtual turntable!

confused

Well, this is one of my favourite Live albums. Great covers and lots of energy!
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
   
  Recorded "Live"At Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan
           -- September 4th & 5th, 1975
                            Live Bullet

rostasi

I was extremely close to mentioning "Third" as an all-time favorite. One day, my half-brother comes home with a couple of albums and tells me that his friend Frank hated them, but "your brother would probably like them cause he likes this weird stuff." They were those first two Soft Machine albums (originals on "Probe" records). I did love them - still do! A couple years later, I came home from a percussion summer camp and discovered that the mangy little poodle that we had, decided to get into my records and chew up a couple of covers. One of them was "Volume Two." Went out and immediately got another. Still have at least both of those.

Brighternow

(only the title track)

One of England's prime jazz-rock -- or, more accurately, rock-jazz -- outfits, most of the members of Colosseum had apprenticed in blues bands, and it shows very strongly on some of the material here. Both "The Kettle" and "Butty's Blues" are essentially tarted-up 12-bar blues, although they work well in a grander context; in the latter case much grander, as a brass ensemble enters for the last part, drowning out everything but the guitar, an indication that this recording is in dire need of remastering. "Elegy" is a fast-paced, minor-key blues that stretches guitarist James Litherland's vocal abilities. Things do get far more interesting with "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice," which offers solo opportunities to organist Dave Greenslade and sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith before re-emerging in what can only be called a proto-industrial style, all heavily treated clattering percussion. The album's real joy comes with "The Valentyne Suite," which takes the band out of their bluesy comfort zone into something closer to prog rock. Bandleader Jon Hiseman is a stalwart throughout, his busy drumming and fills owing far more to jazz than the studied backbeat of rock. Greenslade proves to be a largely unsung hero, his only real solo in the suite something to offer a challenge to vintage Keith Emerson, but with swing. As to criticism, bassist Tony Reeves has very little flow to his playing, which severely hampers a rhythm section that needs to be loose-limbed, and Litherland's guitar playing is formulaic, which can be fine for rock, but once outside the most straightforward parameters, he seems lost. In retrospect this might not quite the classic it seemed at the time, but it remains listenable, and for much of the time, extremely enjoyable.

- AMG.

peterfrederics

First year at university and who should be playing one weekend but Pink Floyd featuring the one and only Syd Barrett! That first album of theirs “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” was the start for me of a life-long passion for progressive rock.

AMG says “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn captures both sides of psychedelic experimentation - the pleasures of expanding one’s mind and perception, and an underlying threat of mental disorder and even lunacy.......ranks it as one of the best psychedelic albums of all time”

https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-piper-at-the-gates-of-dawn-mw0000191309

confused

I wasn't really a big Beatles fan but I do have 3 albums in the library, 1 worn out, 1 replacement & a white vinyl album of my wife's. This album really had it all- Rock, Pop, Folk, Experimental and perfect for some psychedelics. (I think) 
  
1968                   The Beatles

Brighternow

Muggsy

+1 on the Bowie albums, for sure. The Man Who Sold the World is probably a cut below those three, but still on my short list.

Muggsy

This may seem obvious but it's an astonishing four year run.

peterfrederics

What I’m really loving about this is you all giving me my daily playlist. So a big “Thank You” to you all!

The album that really introduced me to the best of creative, innovative and then so called “underground” rock was "The Rock Machine Turns You On”. This came out in 1968 at the extraordinary price of 14 shillings and 11 pence, half the price of a normal album. It was the first ever bargain priced sampler album.

It included great tracks from Bob Dylan, Spirit, Moby Grape, The Zombies, Blood Sweat & Tears, Electric Flag, Simon & Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, The Byrds, Tim Rose, Taj Mahal, Peanut Butter Conspiracy, The United States of America, Roy Harper and Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera. It came out well before many of these groups/artists were even vaguely well-known. And what an embarrassment of riches!

To quote the write-up on the back of the album cover “THE ROCK MACHINE IS A MACHINE WITH SOUL. The Rock Machine isn’t a grind-you-up. It’s a wind-you-up. The sound is driving. The sound is searching. The sound is music. It’s your bag. So it’s ours. It’s the Super Stars. It’s the Poets. It’s the innovators and the Underground. It’s the Loners and the Lovers. And it’s more. Much more....”. So didn’t I feel super cool!

And to quote Wikipedia “The Rock Machine Turns You On influenced a whole generation of music fans”.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rock_Machine_Turns_You_On

greg

Before scrolling down the list I'd already decided that this would be a key one



I've got an LP, a CD, a de-luxe double CD and the Live Concert CD!  (I do not recommend the last of these!)

greg

Others include

  









I'm sure I'll add more! I'm still playing all of thee regularly

stewrat

I have tried to do this now 3-4 times and find it an impossible task.  I will persist.

greg

Peterfrederics - I still have that Rock Machine LP somewhere> wish I could get a CD or even a download!

greg

Another one I played a lot way back then. As a student I couldn't afford to buy full albums. This was the way to hear a range of rock music - no streaming then!!

rostasi

Lowlife

listened to Tapestry by Carole King today, still finding new things on listening to it.

Germanprof

(A tangent:

I was four years old in 1970, so all these albums are a bit before my time, and though I've been exploring the early 70s more lately, I don't have a visceral or nostalgic connection. My intentional-taste-forming listening started to get underway in about 1977-1978 - perhaps not wholly the best of starting points, with hindsight :-). I am tempted to say I've been recovering ever since. Though Giorgio Moroder has a LOT to answer for in my musical life history.

But this thread did make me wonder what I WAS listening to in the early 1970s, and that sent me internet diving, and I was reminded that this album was getting very heavy rotation for me in the early 1970s. It was the first LP I owned. Other Brits might know it, as it featured Jon Pertwee:

I still know those versions of those songs note for note.

OK, it's not rock. Sorry for interrupting.)

rostasi

For me, the very best Giorgio Moroder album was the one that he hates the most
(I have a history of that kind of thing - e.g. Pink Floyd comes to mind).
This was another one that I played a lot in the 70s. I used to use the track
"Basslich" behind my voice on the radio show back then.