Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Album Of The Decade: The Sixties

Leading up to the end of the decade I am devoting this blog to discussing the best albums of each of the past five decades. And in time honoured fashion, of course this will mean the best white male rock album of each decade. Because, as we know, white male rock is the only form of music taken seriously for these kind of lists.

So, the 60s. There was the Beatles, of course, who made some classic albums. The Doors, of course, who made some classic albums. And my personal secret band, Spirit, who also made some classic albums.

But the best white male rock album of the 60s just has to be Pink Floyd's The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn.



When I first met Betty I was unaware of the Floyd's early work. When she said she liked the band I imagined going to the Dominion Theatre to see a musical based on The Wall written by somebody extremely unlikely like, say, Ben Elton. Of course I was aware that Roger Waters was largely responsible for the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe. But he wasn't winning me over with his emotional blackmail.

But Betty played me The Piper and I understood everything. Man, what a trip! The Beatles' Penny Lane takes me back to my little comfortable 60s but this album takes me to the sixties. A 60s where middle class white kids were turned on, tuned in and dropped off at psychedelic gigs by their dads. It's a solid gold classic, mate.

What is your favourite white male rock album of the 60s? Pray tell.

13 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:13 PM

    It's Beatles for Sale, which is the record I grew up with.

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  2. Their Satanic Majesties.
    But only if I can save Hot Rats until the 70s. I think it was released in 1969, but I didn't hear it until the next year.

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  3. TV Themes by the Joe Loss Orchestra got quite a bit of needle time in our house in 1967. That was before my dad discovered Nana Mouskouri.

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  4. Seriously - Led Zeppelin's first album (Jan 69).

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  5. Hurry up and get onto a decade where I was alive.

    I think the last time I had to choose a favourite album of the 60s, I picked something by Nilsson.

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  6. Just in at the end of the 60's but white Rock au supreme, my nomination is:

    Let it Bleed - The Rolling Stones

    Still fresh and fruity with icing by Delia Smith!

    Mind you, my ALBUM of the decade without this male group stipulation would be a tie between:


    Pet Sounds - Beach Boys
    Songs to a Seagull - Joni Mitchell
    The Paul Simon Songbook
    Blonde on Blonde - R. Zimmerman
    Bringing it all on Home - ditto

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  7. Bob - Like Donny mixed with Marie, you're a little bit country and you're a little bit rock 'n' roll.

    Vicus - I think you need more drugs to listen to Satanic Majesties than The Piper. I have never heard Hot Rats for which you and MJ will lambast me, I'm sure.

    Malc - You can take the man out of the West Midlands...

    Rol - All the best artists were sober in the 60s, weren't they?

    Rog - I'm not keen on any Stones albums as a whole except, contraversially, for Some Girls. They were a great singles band, though. Dylan's albums of the 60s are great.

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  8. Yes, Vicus... Hot Rats was '69 and Geoff must stop putting it off and purchase it.

    This is the second time this week I've found myself taking Vicus' side in something and frankly, I find that even more disturbing than Geoff's not having listened to Hot Rats.

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  9. Small Boo's trying to persuade me of the charms of The Idle Race, Jeff Lynne's band before he joined the move. But Piper (+ Pet Sounds, BoB, White Album, White Light White Heat, Trout Mask Replica, half a dozen Tamla/Stax/ska comps) does me fine.

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  10. MJ - I promise I will buy Hot Rats with my Amazon vouchers. I promise.

    Tim - That's a fine selection, though I've got to the stage where the Beach Boys don't do it for me any more. I think I need help.

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  11. I loved the transition of the last half of the 60s from the Pop to Rock...the weirder and heavier the better.
    It was Nature's way of telling me the best is yet to come.

    I still listen to all that music because those were my gateway bands.

    Aside from the Zep & Zappa I would add Let It Bleed...Monkey Man is still my favorite Stones song.

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  12. The 60s was some heavy shit, man.

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