Best Albums Of The 1960s, Pt. 2

#20
Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
1968

For being one of the most acclaimed rock albums in history, Astral Weeks has surprisingly little resembling rock or roll. Instead, Van Morrison created a breezy mix of traditional Irish melodies, flutes and folksy acoustic guitars. In fact, the only thing tying the album to rock at all is Morrison’s bellowing vocals. No one was sure what to make of Astral Weeks back in 1968 and nothing’s really changed since. It’s still a fantastically confusing, dream-like adventure, exploring corners of music untouched by rock’s greasy fingers.

#19
The Beatles (The White Album)
The Beatles
1968

By 1968, the Beatles were the most popular band on Earth. They also started to hate each other. One band wasn’t big enough for three distinct songwriters to survive together. So, for The White Album, they didn’t try compromising. They just jammed the album full of every idea in sight. The final product was a monolithic, thirty-track behemoth, lacking any level of cohesion and unity. But, in many ways, that was the point. It’s the sound of a band being torn in three different directions, inviting the listener to pick allegiances for the future.

#18
In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
1969

Long before “prog rock” became a dirty word, there was King Crimson. Under the careful control of guitar fiend Robert Fripp, King Crimson proved that you could mix rock & roll, free jazz and classical precision without too many adverse effects. But the reason In The Court succeeds is because it draws on genuine emotion, ranging from the explosive “21st Century Schizoid Man” to the creeping calm of “Moonchild”. All that future prog rock bands would see was the self-imposed, artsy seriousness, missing the album’s unsettling atmosphere and inherent sadness entirely.

#17
Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones
1969

This album should be on this list just for “Gimme Shelter” alone, which stands as one of the finest, most transcendent moments of the Stones’ fine, transcendent career. But the album as a whole should not be ignored, as it takes the listener on a thrilling ride through the very last moments of the 1960s. Just a month after Let It Bleed’s release, the Stones would preside over the tragedy at Altamont, ending the 60s dream with five stabs of a knife. But, for the brief forty-two minutes of Let It Bleed, the 60s were allowed their final moment in the spotlight.

#16
Disraeli Gears
Cream
1967

Cream had three things that made them stand out from the flood of white English blues bands: Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. Seldom in the history of music have three more talented musicians existed within a single group. Disraeli Gears manages to capture Clapton while he still had some bite to his guitar and Ginger Baker essentially reinvented rock drumming on the album. But the highest accolades should be reserved for Jack Bruce, who has one of the bluesiest voices to ever come out of a white man. Raw and wounded, his majestic vocals are what truly made Cream great.