It’s finally happened. I’ve made it to the end of the 60s and am finally going to be starting music in the 70s. It only took me a little over three years to do. Quite the journey it has been too, it was great seeing the beginnings of rock music as we know it today, shaping and forming and evolving as time went on. Listening to the slow departure of jazz stylings and in studio orchestral accompaniments and the introduction of rock groups playing all their own instruments and music they wrote themselves. I got to see the beginnings of genres, psychedelic, British Invasion, Jazz Rock, Hard Rock, Prog Rock and even the planting of seeds of genres yet to come, proto-punk, proto-metal. The 60s was a great decade of music with a nice variety of music, although at times it was a little monochromatic sonically with the same style appearing over and over and bands kind of blending together, there were a lot of standouts with their own unique voices and sounds that really made a difference. Even albums I didn’t enjoy offered a great look into music history and the development of various genres and gave me a better understanding of why certain bands or albums were considered in such high regard. Listening to it all chronologically really helps with that!
Here’s a list of personal standout albums that i either loved or left an impact on me:
Miriam Makeba – Miriam Makeba
Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Phil Spector – A Christmas Gift For You
Sam Cooke – Live at the Harlem Square
Jerry Lee Lewis – Live at the Star Club, Hamburg
The Sonics – Here are the Sonics!!!
Bob Dylan – Bringing it all Back Home
Otis Redding – Otis Blue
Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
The Who – My Generation
The Monks – Black Monk Time
Paul Revere and the Raiders – Midnight Ride
The Mothers of Invention – Freak Out!
The 13th Floor Elevators – Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
The Yardbirds – Roger the Engineer
Captain Beefheart – Safe as Milk
Moby Grape – Moby Grape
Love – Da Capo
The Who – The Who Sell Out
The Doors – The Doors
Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced
The Electric Prunes – I had Too Much To Dream Last Night
The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat
The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet
Traffic – Traffic
The Kinks – The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society
Os Mutantes – Os Mutantes
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland
Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison
Blue Cheer – Vincebus Eruptum
Big Brother and the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills
Dr. John – Gris Gris
Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
The Pretty Things – S.F. Sorrow
Small Faces – Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake
Caetano Veloso – Caetano Veloso
Scott Walker – Scott 2
Frank Zappa – We’re Only in it for the Money
Neil Young – Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
Captain Beefheart – Trout Mask Replica
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bayou Country
Blood, Sweat and Tears – Blood, Sweat and Tears
Johnny Cash – At San Quentin
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River
The Who – Tommy
Quicksilver Messenger Service – Happy Trails
MC5 – Kick Out The Jams
The Temptations – Cloud Nine
Sly and the Family Stone – Stand!
Chicago – Chicago Transit Authority
The Youngbloods – Elephant Mountain
Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul
The Kinks – Arthur: or the decline and Fall of the British Empire
King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King
The Stooges – The Stooges
Frank Zappa – Hot Rats
Quite an extensive list and seeing it all listed there makes me wonder how it took me so long to get through all of them. I guess personal life does get in the way at times and productivity comes in waves. At times I feel I can crank these out one a day and then sometimes feels like I haven’t cranked one out in months. If it took me over three years to get through the 60s, how long will it possibly take me to get through the 70s? The 60s only had 151 albums, comparatively to the 70s which has 279, that more than 100 albums than the previous decade. Might take me a good five years if I’m not productive enough. I won’t let that bring me down though, I will see this until the end, no matter how long it takes me.
Am I looking forward to tackling the 70s? You better believe. My all-time favourite decade of music is 1975 – 1985. The 70s is host to my favourite genres, favourite bands and some of my all-time favourite albums as well. The 70s was such a colourfula nd vibrant time for music, I see this journey not only being met with some great highs but also a large variety of musical genres and styles to keep me on my toes and entertained. I feel it will be difficult getting bored in the 70s because it’ll never be too many albums in a row that sound way too similar, comparatively to the period of psychedelic albums I was going through in the 60s. The 70s was full of experimentation and development of new sounds, with the introduction of the synthesizer as a main instrument in rock music. I am beyond excited to make my way through it and can’t wait for all the new discoveries I will make along the way!
Here’s to the next decade of music!
Goodbye 60s, make way for the 70s!
Favourite Album: The Monks – Black Monk Time
-Bosco
Bosco's Modern Life 