By 1969, pop music singles were uncool. Albums were hip. To recognize this I decided to nominate best album for the next couple decades or so through the 1980s. MTV had the effect of reinventing the single and so did internet music exchange (Napster) and the iPod/iTunes revolution reinforced it. The trend was countered beginning in the 80s by the introduction of the CD format. When this series gets up to the 90's (I only have 4 more months to finish the whole thing) I'll probably switch back to singles format.
The nominees for best album of 1969 in no particular order are:
The nominees for best album of 1969 in no particular order are:
Abbey Road ~ The Beatles
Let it Bleed ~ The Rolling Stones <-- my pick!
Chicago Transit Authority ~ Chicago*
Tommy ~ The Who
Santana ~ Santana*
Stand! ~ Sly & The Family Stone
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere ~ Neil Young & Crazyhorse
In The Court Of The Crimson King ~ King Crimson*
The Stooges ~ The Stooges*
__________
*Debutantes
Also released as singles that year:
Honky Tonk Women ~ The Rolling Stones
Stand! ~ Sly & The Family Stone
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere ~ Neil Young & Crazyhorse
In The Court Of The Crimson King ~ King Crimson*
The Stooges ~ The Stooges*
__________
*Debutantes
Also released as singles that year:
Honky Tonk Women ~ The Rolling Stones
My Way ~ Frank Sinatra
Suspicious Minds ~ Elvis Presley
Venus ~ Shocking Blue
Someday We'll Be Together ~ Diana Ross & the Supremes
Lay Lady Lay ~ Bob Dylan
Aquarius / Let The Sun Shine In ~ The 5th Dimension
Sugar, Sugar ~ The Archies
Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town ~ Kenny Rogers & the First Edition
Leaving On A Jet Plane ~ Peter, Paul & Mary
Both Sides Now ~ Joni Mitchell
House of the Rising Sun ~ Frijid Pink
Both Sides Now ~ Joni Mitchell
House of the Rising Sun ~ Frijid Pink
This transported me back.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can pick a favorite -- because it's almost transcendental to listen to music from that era. It evokes memories I thought to be long dead.
I have to go with Santana.
ReplyDeleteIt is the one album I still listen to today.
I'll go with the obvious: Abbey Road. If you have to end a phenomenal run what better album to go out with?
ReplyDeleteI'll go with the obvious: Abbey Road. If you have to end a phenomenal run what better album to go out with?
ReplyDeleteSo I guess were disappointed with Let It Be?
I have to go with Santana.
ReplyDeleteI once read somewhere that Carlos et al. started out as a straight ahead blues band but they switched to Latin rhythms when they saw how it made girls dance at their shows--lots more hip gyration.
See that's the great thing about music. The choices are so good, and the costs to listen or even to buy, so low, that we never really need to pick "just one".
ReplyDeleteInstead we can select "this one" now and then "this one" for later today. Tomorrow we can begin anew...and with the same old songs, if that's what we feel like doing tomorrow.
69 was a VERY good year, and you do it justice, chickelit.
While it's difficult, you did ask us to pick only one, so, at least tonight, my album choice is Led Zep I. Of all the wonderful albums noted, that's the one that got the most airplay in my apartment in 1969.