The 51 Greatest Albums of the 1960s
The 1960s contribute 51 of the music canon's all-time entries, led by Abbey Road (1969). Rankings aggregate 9 authoritative lists; every entry links to its full evidence.
1. Abbey Road
Abbey Road is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969 by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded; although Let It Be was released later, it had actually been recorded earlier but delayed due to production issues.
2. Revolver
A revolver is a type of firearm.
3. Pet Sounds
Pet Sounds is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was produced, arranged, and primarily composed by Brian Wilson with guest lyricist Tony Asher. Recorded largely between January and April 1966, it furthered the orchestral sound introduced in The Beach Boys Today!
4. Are You Experienced
Are You Experienced is the debut studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in May 1967. The album was an immediate critical and commercial success, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. It features Jimi Hendrix's innovative approach to songwriting and electric guitar playing, which soon established a new direction in psychedelic and rock music as a whole.
5. White Album
The Beatles (commonly referred to as The White Album) is the ninth studio album and only double album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 22 November 1968. Featuring a plain white sleeve, the cover contains no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed. This was intended as a direct contrast to the vivid cover artwork of the band's previous LP, Sgt.
6. Rubber Soul
Rubber Soul is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 3 December 1965 in the United Kingdom on EMI's Parlophone label, accompanied by the non-album double A-side single "We Can Work It Out" / "Day Tripper". The original North American release, issued by Capitol Records, contains ten of the fourteen songs and two tracks withheld from the band's Help!
7. Blonde on Blonde
Blonde on Blonde is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as a double album on June 20, 1966, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965 with numerous backing musicians, including members of Dylan's live backing band, the Hawks.
8. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released in the UK on 26 May 1967, Sgt.
9. Highway 61 Revisited
Highway 61 Revisited is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 30, 1965, by Columbia Records.
10. The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground is the third studio album by the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Released in March 1969 by MGM Records, it was their first record with multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule, who replaced previous member John Cale.
11. Astral Weeks
Astral Weeks is the second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was recorded at Century Sound Studios in New York during September and October 1968 and released in November of the same year by Warner Bros. Records.
12. Let It Bleed
Let It Bleed is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 28 November 1969 by London Records in the United States and on 5 December 1969 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom.
13. Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin (sometimes referred to as Led Zeppelin I) is the debut studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released in January 1969 in the United States, and on 31 March 1969 in the United Kingdom, through Atlantic Records. The album was recorded in September and October 1968 at Olympic Studios in London, shortly after the band's formation.
14. Lady Soul
Lady Soul is the twelfth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on January 22, 1968, by Atlantic Records. The album stayed at #1 for sixteen weeks on Billboard's R&B album chart, and it hit number 2 on the pop album chart (underneath Paul Mauriat) during a year-long run.
15. I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You is the ninth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on March 10, 1967, by Atlantic Records.
16. Dusty in Memphis
Dusty in Memphis is the fifth studio album by English singer Dusty Springfield, released on 31 March 1969 in the United States by Atlantic Records and by Philips Records internationally.
17. Electric Ladyland
Electric Ladyland is the third and final studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in October 1968. A double album, it was the only record from the Experience with production solely credited to Hendrix.
18. Live at the Apollo
Live at the Apollo may refer to…
19. Bringing It All Back Home
Bringing It All Back Home is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Released by Columbia Records in April 1965, the album was Dylan's first to incorporate electric instrumentation. It was so different from his earlier work that it caused controversy and divided the contemporary folk scene.
20. The Doors
The Doors is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on January 4, 1967, by Elektra Records. Recorded in August 1966 at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood, California, the album was produced by Paul A. Rothchild.
21. A Love Supreme
A Love Supreme is an album by the American jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane. It was recorded in one session on December 9, 1964, at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, with a quartet featuring pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones. A Love Supreme was released by Impulse!
22. Forever Changes
Forever Changes is the third studio album by the American rock band Love, released in November 1967 by Elektra Records. The album saw the group embrace a subtler folk-influenced sound based around acoustic guitars and orchestral arrangements, while primary songwriter Arthur Lee explored darker themes alluding to mortality and his growing disillusionment with the era's counterculture.
23. At Folsom Prison
At Folsom Prison is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, released by Columbia Records on May 6, 1968. It was recorded at Folsom State Prison, California, on January 13, 1968. After his 1955 song "Folsom Prison Blues", Cash had been interested in recording a performance at a prison.
24. Beggars Banquet
Beggars Banquet is the seventh studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 6 December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. It was the first Rolling Stones album produced by Jimmy Miller, whose production work formed a key aspect of the Rolling Stones' sound throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s.
25. Otis Blue
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (often referred to simply as Otis Blue) is the third studio album by the American soul singer and songwriter Otis Redding. It was first released on September 15, 1965, as an LP record through the Stax Records subsidiary label Volt.
26. Odessey and Oracle
Odessey and Oracle is the second studio album by the English rock band the Zombies. It was released on 19 April 1968, by CBS Records in the UK and on 15 July 1968, by Date Records in the US. The album was recorded primarily between June and August 1967 at EMI (now Abbey Road Studios) and Olympic Studios in London.
27. Stand!
Stand! is the fourth album by American soul-funk band Sly and the Family Stone, released on May 3, 1969. Written and produced by lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, Stand!
28. Music From Big Pink
Music from Big Pink is the debut studio album by the Canadian-American rock band the Band. Released on July 1, 1968, by Capitol Records, it employs a distinctive blend of country, rock, folk, classical, R&B, blues, and soul.
29. Axis: Bold as Love
Axis: Bold as Love is the second studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was first released by Track Records in the United Kingdom on December 1, 1967, only seven months after the release of the group's highly successful debut album, Are You Experienced. In the United States, Reprise Records delayed the release until the following month.
30. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was released on May 27, 1963, through Columbia Records. The record marks the beginning of Dylan's writing contemporary lyrics to traditional melodies.
31. Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music is a studio album by the American singer and pianist Ray Charles. It was recorded in February 1962 at Capitol Studios in New York City and United Western Recorders in Hollywood, and released in March of that year by ABC-Paramount Records.
32. Tommy
Tommy may refer to…
33. Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night may refer to…
34. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is the debut studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 4 August 1967 by EMI Columbia.
35. The Band
The Band, also known as The Brown Album, is the second studio album by the Canadian-American rock band the Band, released on September 22, 1969, by Capitol Records. According to Rob Bowman's liner notes for the 2000 reissue, The Band has been viewed as a concept album, with the songs focusing on people, places and traditions associated with a traditional view of Americana.
36. Disraeli Gears
Disraeli Gears is the second studio album by the British rock band Cream. It was produced by Felix Pappalardi and released on Reaction Records in 1967. The album features the singles "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love".
37. Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Sweetheart of the Rodeo is the sixth studio album by the American rock band the Byrds, released in August 1968 by Columbia Records.
38. Songs of Leonard Cohen
Songs of Leonard Cohen is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released on December 27, 1967, on Columbia Records. More successful in Europe than in North America, Songs of Leonard Cohen foreshadowed the kind of chart success Cohen would go on to achieve. It spent nearly a year and a half on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 13.
39. Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash is the debut studio album by the folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN), released on May 29, 1969, by Atlantic Records. It is the only release by the band prior to adding Neil Young to their lineup. The album spawned two Top 40 singles, "Marrakesh Express" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", which peaked respectively at No.
40. White Light/White Heat
White Light/White Heat is the second studio album by the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Released on January 30, 1968, by Verve Records, it was the band's last studio album with multi-instrumentalist and founding member John Cale.
41. Live at the Regal
Live at the Regal is a 1965 live album by American blues guitarist and singer B. B. King. It was recorded on November 21, 1964, at the Regal Theater in Chicago. The album is widely heralded as one of the greatest blues albums ever recorded and was ranked at number 141 in Rolling Stone's 2003 edition of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, before dropping to number 299 in a 2020 revision.
42. The Who Sell Out
The Who Sell Out is the third studio album by the English rock band the Who. It was released on 15 December 1967 by Track Records in the UK and Decca Records in the US. A concept album, The Who Sell Out is structured as a collection of unrelated songs interspersed with fake commercials and public service announcements, including the second track "Heinz Baked Beans".
43. Kick Out the Jams
Kick Out the Jams is the debut album by American rock band MC5. A live album, it was recorded at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit over two nights, October 30 and 31, 1968, and released in February 1969, by Elektra Records. The album peaked at No.
44. Trout Mask Replica
Trout Mask Replica is the third studio album by the American musician Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, released as a double album on June 16, 1969, by Straight Records. The music was composed by Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) and arranged by drummer John "Drumbo" French.
45. Aftermath
Aftermath may refer to…
46. Mr. Tambourine Man
Mr. Tambourine Man is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Byrds, released on June 21, 1965, by Columbia Records. The album is characterized by the Byrds' signature sound of Jim McGuinn's 12-string Rickenbacker guitar and the band's harmonies.
47. From Elvis in Memphis
From Elvis in Memphis is the tenth studio album by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released by RCA Records on June 2, 1969. It was recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis in January and February 1969 under the direction of producer Chips Moman and backed by its house band, informally known as the Memphis Boys.
48. Cheap Thrills
Cheap Thrills may refer to…
49. Younger Than Yesterday
Younger Than Yesterday is the fourth studio album by the American rock band the Byrds, released on February 6, 1967, by Columbia Records. It saw the band continuing to integrate elements of psychedelia and jazz into their music, a process they had begun on their previous album, Fifth Dimension.
50. Gris-Gris
Gris-Gris (stylized as GRIS-gris, , named for a kind of talisman) is the debut album by American musician Dr. John (a.k.a. Mac Rebennack).
51. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere is the second studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released in May 1969 on Reprise Records, catalogue number RS 6349.