The history of the albums

It wasn't until the Hollywood revolution that we found artists who were as comfortable in movies as in mu-sic, obviously we think of the iconic Bill Crosby, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Dolly Parton, up to Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and the list is as long as it is full. However, there are also a large number of hydrid artists who have not known the glory of awards and red carpets, but few of them have known how to mark the history of culture. That's why we're going to study today one of the most memorable counterexamples, better known under the pseudonym of Nico. In fact, the German Nico typically represents the type of artist who is absolutely legendary in the under-ground culture but relatively unknown in the popular culture. For all her various facets, Nico has marked the minds of specialists but without ever succeeding in becoming a star as she would have deserved to be. If we are to pay tribute to this brilliant and influential woman, we must place her as a cultural icon in the same category as Andy Warhol, Lou Reed and John Cale, emblematic associates of her career. Nico is the story of a model who became an actress before being taken under the wing of Andy Warhol, who also saw in her an innate talent for music. After participating in one of the most important albums in the history of music "The Velvet Underground & Nico" (1967), Nico went solo and became one of the most important pioneers of mu-sic, placing herself as a precursor/figure of countless currents/genres such as: Avant-Folk, Gothic, Chamber Folk, Drone, Art Rock, Neo-Medieval Folk or Neoclassical Darkwave. Her legacy is so considerable that we could quote the following artists: David Bowie, Brian Eno, Nick Drake, Blondie, Siouxie, Pattie Smith, Dead Can Dance or encore Portishead. This is absolutely colossal.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/19384-the-marble-index/

The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (no less) is probably one of the albums that clearly impact-ed my musical tastes in my youth! I grew up with it, I wouldn't go as far as to say that I would go on a desert island with it if I had to choose only one album, but clearly it wouldn't be a bad idea. Finally I discovered the rest of the Kinks' discography rather late, I could clearly have been satisfied to listen to this masterpiece ac-companied by a compilation of the singles of the other albums! In fact, not only is this album the best of their repertoire but it is also logically the most solid from start to finish, which in my opinion is a bit lacking in the whole of their other albums, since the whole is often strewn with wonders and simply good songs. The Kinks have since 1966 developed a very British direction which will make their main singularity. Basically no other pop rock band sounds as authentic and true to their roots as they do. From Face To Face (1966) to Arthur (1970), the Kinks have been going through their golden years and it's no coincidence that this singularity combined with their genius will make them one of the most important bands of all time... to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/7029-the-kinks-are-the-village-green-preservation-society/

The period of the White Album strangely coincides with that feeling that comes over us when we watch with admiration and suspense a TV series where we feel that we have to enjoy it thoroughly because the conclu-sion is coming soon. You know that paradoxical feeling of nostalgia, where you say to yourself that it was still great although there is still time. Because basically, the Beatles' adventure in their management was almost irreproachable until now, except for the clumsy sentence about the Christ. Everything they did was good for them, for the fans and for the people. We can finally analyze that the thread that will make the Beatles go slowly to their separation is explained by the death of their manager Brian Epstein in August 1967, the fa-mous big brother, the sixth Beatles if we count George Martins. From this period, the weariness of George Harrison began to grow, vexed to be the last wheel of the coach. The death of Epstein, but also the years spent together almost non-stop has slowly tilted each towards a more and more individualistic conduct and nothing like the White Album to summarize this situation... to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/4100-the-beatles/

It is well known that each geographical area, even within a country, is so different in its culture, customs and roots that this difference is reflected in music. Far from the musical megalopolis like New York, Los Angeles or London, one city has always seduced me by its particular timbre and flavor, I make the case of course to Chicago. Whatever the period studied, the city of Chicago and its regional periphery is such a rich pool that many musical genres/variants were born there, enduring by their singularities and their charm. Take for ex-ample The Impressions, actors and pillars of the Chicago Soul scene that we will study today. The Chicago Soul scene started to distinguish itself in the early 60's, by a mix of Southern roots, Gospel and Motown until it found its authenticity in the early 70's with Curtis Mayfield, Terry Callier or Baby Huey. To achieve this, a trio had to take the lead, simply composed of Jerry Butler, Sam Gooden and Curtis Mayfield himself, redefin-ing the rules of a city that often needs to assert itself in force to be recognized. With more than a dozen al-bums and hit singles, The Impressions are basically a Doo-Wop band that has become so unique and brilliant that many great artists/groups from sometimes so different backgrounds have participated in their legacy such as Parliement, Tyrone Davis, Sly & The Family Stone, Chic, Bob Marley, The Band or The Style Council. Focus today on an absolutely essential phenomenon that the city of Chicago will not soon forget, and even beyond... to continue
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/57253-this-is-my-country/

If in the space of a few months, Jimi Hendrix went from being a strug-gling and totally misunderstood artist to a high profile icon, the 1967 Monterey festival made him a legend, and Electric Ladyland did much more. In my opinion, it is from this last studio album that Jimi Hendrix became one of the icons that characterize the best and worst of Rock n Roll. Fortunately for him, everyone has re-tained only the best, and I will not contradict them. Jimi Hendrix has always been an independent artist, un-controllable, perfectionist, truly eccentric, and it is as if Electric Ladyland symbolizes the moment when no limits constrain him anymore. In December 1967, Jimi Hendrix and his band released Axis, an album that marked an evolution of writing and interpretation, but also the first tensions between him and his producer Chas Chandler. In short, Axis is an album that was released in a hurry to meet the demands of the music in-dustry, which Hendrix did not like at all, especially when one is constantly searching for perfection. Although it was an extraordinary album, Axis was the last straw that broke the camel's back...
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/5706-electric-ladyland/

I discovered while working on this review that Salsa is not that old, nor even that traditional. Although its roots were developed in the 40's, Salsa was mostly created in New York in the 60's by musicians of Cuban and Puerto Rican origins during the so-called exotic period that America was going through in search of new flavors. Personally I was persuaded at the base that the Salsa was a current dating at least of the beginning of the 20th century, but it would seem that not. In the 60's, scenes similar to Jazz were created, creating com-munities so strong that the music industry could not help but get involved. Among its derivatives we find the Boogaloo scene which merges American styles like Rhythms and Blues and Jazz, symbol of a cultural mixture in full boiling. We find very quickly emblematic figures who distinguish themselves in particular Mongo San-tamaria, Joe Cuba, Willie Bobo, Pete Rodriguez but I think that the most important and talented remains Ray Barretto, a virtuoso percussionist, specialist of congas. Ray Barretto is probably the most extravagant, the most experimental and the most passionate of the Boogaloo universe. Not only is he the one who offers the most phenomenal album of this scene with "Acid" in 1968, but he is also recognized for his crazy productivity over more than 40 years..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/76880-acid/

1968 sounds like a pivotal year for the whole "Country" family. Let's scan the horizon to prove my point: First of all, it's impossible to miss the unavoidable and probably the most cult live album of all time with Johnny Cash's "At Folsom Pri-son". We find the creation of the Outlaw Country movement. Then the Country Pop will shine with the general public with "Nancy & Lee" (Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood). The Country will also be confronted with the more progressive approach with the "Progressive Bluegrass" of the Dillards, or the Progressive Country. Finally the most important at this time, the emergence of the Country Rock with the Byrds, The Gosdin Brothers and of course the duo that we will revisit today: Dillard & Clark. This is the story of a duo composed of the icons Doug Dillard and Gene Clark. The first is without question one of the legends of the Banjo, a pioneer of the Bluegrass movement. ... to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/33768-the-fantastic-expedition-of-dillard-clark/

Today we're going to visit a very unrecognized classic in a rather concise review compared to usual. I hesitated for a while to write this episode, because there is not much to say about the character's life, but this album is so excellent that I decided to go for it. At that time, no one had added a note to this album, yet for those curious about old school stuff and guitar lovers I strongly advise you to give this product a chance. You have to understand that at the end of the 60's, the blues is omnipresent but mainly in the Blues Rock fusion, as much in the US as in the UK. As recently as my last episode, we were still talking about Blues Rock. It is clearly the dominant movement of this period. In fact, the love affair between Blues and Rock was born at the very beginning of the creation of Rock n Roll in the mid 50's, before becoming more pronounced a few years later during the biggest Blues revival period. In a way, the children and the young people of the end of the Fifties/beginning of the Sixties discovered the Blues heritage at this time. Remember that there was no internet to do research. The Blues revival was thus crucial in order to make discover the most traditional standards, the icons and legend then still unknown at the time and especially this scene of Chicago Blue, known for its electrification of the guitar. At the end of the Sixties, groups deeply marked by the Blues Revival like the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix etc.. knew how to transform and give a new soul to the Blues. Finally in spite of the enormous rise of the Blues Rock, and well it is rare to have on the other hand good album of more traditional Blues. For two reasons, because it was the young public whi ch led the tendencies and because there was not much prolific Blues personality... to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/388738-west-side-soul/

If not the top band in the Bay Area, wouldn't "Cheap Trills" be the best album of the San Francisco Psychedelic Rock band during the 60s? I'd say it's not far off. Among all the Bay Area bands, generally better known as Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead or Quicksilver Messenger Service, the jammers Big Brother & the Holding Company managed to make a place for themselves in a flourishing and innovative scene before becoming internationally renowned. Mainly known by the fact of being composed of exceptional musi-cians/artists/songwriters, first of all the legendary Janis Joplin, but also Sam Andrew, James Gurley, Peter Albin or Dave Getz, BB&THC shone because they are truly outsiders in their fields of predilection, entering the myths of the history of the music. Obviously this group is considered today as cultism because the late Janis Joplin, disappeared in 1970, will inevitably feed the attraction of this group, as if unfortunately it was embellished by this sad disappearance. In fact, BB&THC shone mostly during one year, from the Summer Of Love (1967) until the release of their album "Cheap Thrills" (1968), because before and after it's not really top. However, sometimes it takes only a few moments of grace to make history and this is the case for the time of an album. Without surprises, BB&THC embodies the archetype of the Californian band of the end of the 60's, that is to say a band of Jam origin which surfed on the Psychedelic Rock / Blues Rock / Acid Rock wave to become one of the pillars. For the blow, they are neither pioneers, nor avant-gardists that the history had neglected at the time, it was besides a resounding success.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/7010-cheap-thrills/

Let's imagine that I had to choose only one Jazz album (except Jazz-Rock) in 1968, my heart would lean without hesitation towards "Machine Gun" by The Peter Brotzmann Octet, not only for its avant-garde aspect, but especially because Jazz needed an album like this one that year. As I have already explained a few times in my previous episodes, but Jazz was going through a rather empty year in terms of releases in 1968, because it lacked the arrival of a new wave (Jazz Fusion, Spiritual Jazz, Jazz Funk..). As a proof, one of the best Jazz albums of the year does not come from the motherland USA but from Europe. So today we're going to go back to a classic of European Jazz and one of its most important pillars, the German Peter Brotzmann. European Jazz was not born at the end of the 60's, however, it is at this period that it will distinguish itself as an atypical and distinctive signature of the American model. Jazz began to develop after the first world war but for a long time it was discreet and followed the Americans except for a few exceptions such as gypsy jazz. At the end of the 50's, Americans started to pick up some European influences in classical music as for the Modal structure or the Third Stream genre, but again the real European jazzmen beyond their country or continent. For example, one of the first Europeans to make a name for himself in the 60s was the Polish Krzysztof Komeda who, despite his singularity, was always lumped into the "Avant-Garde Jazz" label. It is necessary to wait for the fracture of Jazz in the heart of the Sixties thanks to Free Jazz so that underground scenes develop, in particular the European Free Jazz with François Tusques, Peter Brotzmann.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/33366-machine-gun/

The end of the Byrds era stops in my opinion after 1968, since the band had known the departures of David Crosby, Michael Clarke, Chris Hillman, that is to say 3 people on 5 compared to the main line-up. Besides the internal tensions, "The Notorious Byrd Brother" and "Sweetheart Of The Rodeo" are commercial failures and the band couldn't find a top 10 single since 1965. Paradoxically, these 2 albums of 1968 are often considered by the fans and the specialists as their best albums. As a reminder, commercial success doesn't necessarily rhyme with popularity. There are sometimes things that can't be explained. Since the single "Turn Turn Turn" (1965), the Byrds were not the best selling band, they had satisfactory results that allowed them to continue to offer a content both artistically free and innovative whatever the musical genre. As early as 1967, the Byrds were one of the first to merge Rock and Country with Buffalo Springfields, seeking to honor the traditions of the Nashville Sound and adapting it to a formula that would appeal to a young audience (an audience that doesn't necessarily buy anymore). All this strategy also stuck perfectly with the roots and the artistic spirit of the band, especially as the Rock was going to evolve quickly in this direction too. The Country Rock and the Blues Rock will become precisely at the beginning of the 70s a very prolific current. Except that the Byrds were always too far ahead of the public and we notice it on all their albums from 1964 to 1968.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/7024-sweetheart-of-the-rodeo/

Who really knows Family ? Probably a few specialists or curious people, but few people will tell you in a conversation about the 60's: "Family was really good, it's as good as the Who or the Stones", no it's not likely. I personally didn't know them before doing my research for the selection of the episodes. Like any band/artist cruelly and criminally forgotten, Family delivers in 1968 one of the most interesting album of the year. So in my humble way, I'll try to put on my vigilante cape for the time of a review to pay tribute to this London band, actor of the "Proto-Prog Rock". First of all, I would like to specify that the "Proto-Prog Rock" genre does not really exist, let's say that it is an imaginary trend that will allow me to illustrate my remarks. We can say in an almost unanimous way that the true first album of Progressive Rock was released in 1969 by the legendary King Crimson, simply because the musical genre was defined mainly by the codes imposed by the group of Robert Fripp. The principle of Prog Rock was to push the limits and boundaries of Rock so far by incorporating other musical genres, breaking the chains of Psychedelia and the conventions of a basic song (3 minutes, verse / chorus / verse / chorus / bridge or solo / verse / chorus, to keep it simple). One can also define Prog Rock as an intellectual attempt to develop a more sophisticated music. But I'll have time to come back to that later in future episodes. For now we will focus on the origins that led to this. For many years, from the Rock & Roll of the 50's until 1966/1967, Rock became more and more omnipresent and dominant in popular music... full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/68680-music-in-a-dolls-house/

While the evolution of Pop Rock was in constant ebullition at the end of the 60's, the year 1968 marks a symbolic advance that will continue to have a considerable influence on the major part of the years to come (until 1976 to be precise). Once the Summer Of Love passed, the psychedelic movements, until now omnipresent, will gradually weaken, leaving place to 2 different branches: the muscles of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, and on the contrary the homage to the traditions with the arrival of Country Rock and Roots Rock in order to widen the sphere Blues Rock. Concretely, all the greatest of the time will go there either in a direct or indirect way. The Americans will try to take back the control of the throne of the tendencies, and the English will adapt in their way by keeping a necessary singularity. It is now time to show the muscles, the hippies are in the process of disappearing and we understand very well that the public needed a change of scene. This is where The Band comes in, a name as explicit as magnificently deserved to assume the role of pillar of this new wave, accompanied by precursors like The Byrds, Gene Clark, Buffalo Springfield or Creedence Clearwater Revival. Thanks to these groups, American music will come back to the level of the English one as if they finally recover their due, hardly lost during the British Invasion. At the top of the list, the Canadians of The Band will become one of the most influential groups in the history of Rock from a stratospheric list of artists, from the Rolling Stones to Wilco. They even managed to make an impression on the Beatles. On the scene since the late 50's, first under the moniker The Hawks, the Canadians became The Band in 1965.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/5609-music-from-big-pink/

1968 is such a crazy year that some bands/artists of the top 20/30 albums could have largely conquered for a place in the Top 10 of any other year from 1980. Here are some examples: The United States of America, Silver Apples, Small Faces, Dr.John or The Millennium. In fact, few people in the general public know The Millennium, it's reserved for specialists or underground fans, yet they released an absolutely fantastic album, the one and only under this pseudonym. Without surprise, The Millennium is a group today emblematic of the psychedelic current of the 60s, also a pillar of the Sunshine Pop. However, at the time, the Los Angeles band was too unsuccessful, not accessible enough for the radio, not noble and refined enough according to the underground public (a nice misjudgment), which led to their separation a few weeks after the release of their only album. It's a bit the story of the cursed band, which didn't fall at the right time, or at least ended up in the soft underbelly of a fierce competition. Influenced by the Beach Boys, Mamas and Papas, the Byrds or Left Banke, The Millennium embodied a more sophisticated vision of pop, but I think that the public was already turned to other desires (Hard Rock, Blues Rock etc..), thus closing the door before having really opened it entirely. Fortunately history has come to make up for this setback and do justice to a classic album of the Pop Rock repertoire.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/91645-begin/

The history of music is marked by icons and also eccentric characters who managed to get noticed, where many more conventional artists remained in the shade despite their talent. We notice it even more today in the era of the internet and social networks, many popular personalities manage to break through by their singularity and especially by their shock value. All this becomes even caricatural since it seems that some-times the only way to be known is to play the fool or to embody a kind of extreme fascination. I don't even count the number of energumene who knew a short-lived buzz before disappearing as quickly as they ap-peared. However sometimes there are some exceptions like the crooner Screamin' Jay Hawkins in the 50's or Dr.John and Arthur Brown in the 60's. But strangely enough, none of them really managed to either last or reach the same level of career as some legends. This means that the entertainment aspect is a fundamental part of their image and creation, so that when the phenomenon fades, so does the artist.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/27885-the-crazy-world-of-arthur-brown/

In my opinion (and I don't think I'm the only one), Serge Gainsbourg is the French artist par excellence, no French speaker can match him. Gainsbourg is an absolutely atypical character, he has an absolutely halluci-nating discography, he is endowed with a phenomenal charisma and charm, he is one of the best lyricists, composers and singers even beyond France. He has even created an alter-ego called "Gainsbarre". The cab-bage-headed man also had darker sides, he was a “Don Juan” but also a perfect a**hole when he wanted to be, he was also a phenomenon, polemic, alcohol, drugs, sex and rock n' roll. Gainsbourg didn't know how to stop at music, cinema, literature. But he is known specifically in music for having brought dozens of successful female artists to light. Gainsbourg never had his tongue in his pocket, his art had very little censorship, and he belongs to an era that is no longer the same today. This is why it is imperative to understand Gainsbourg's music in its context. Between genius and weirdness, Gainsbourg was a cursed poet. He was deeply affected by the "ugly man" syndrome, which drove him to make himself heard through provocation and shock value. At heart he was a man who, like many talented artists, was deeply singular, uncontrollable, free as a bird. That is to say, without his flaws, Gainsbourg would not be so great... to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/9721-initials-bb/

Overall, the first phenomenon of popularity of Electronic music (as a whole) can be traced back to the early 1970s. For a long time, Electronic music and the Avant-Garde were one and the same. It was reserved for a niche audience, and composed by pioneers as convoluted as they were brilliant. Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Cage, Jean-Jacques Perrey, Iannis Xenakis, Pierre Henry, Raymond Scott or Morton Subotnick are among the most famous. Sorry for those I forget. However, it took a long process of adaptation and technological advancement for electronic music to become a major part of popular music. In the middle of the 60's it was the Beatles, Brian Wilson or Frank Zappa who first incorporated some Electronic touches/techniques/effects in popular music (and more precisely in Pop Rock). The end of the decade will concretely accelerate things, we see a whole generation of artists very influenced by the revolutionary year. So we see the emergence of the Berlin school, Krautrock, Progressive Rock or Dub. The crowning glory of all this came at the end of the 70s with the New Wave, which incorporated the Electronic heritage almost entirely into its own. Let's also remember that the first successful Electronic song was released in 1972 by Hot Butter, "Popcorn".. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/33766-silver-apples/

Despite a huge career spanning more than 40 years, the legendary Johnny Cash has had several crossings of the desert and there are many gaps in his discography. On top of that, Cash has never had an easy ride; he has always had to excel to prove himself, even in his glory days. First of all, Johnny Cash has such a strong personality that it was difficult to twist him in the way the music industry would like. In those days (but as today in a different way) it was necessary to wait for the expectations and imperatives set. Very quickly Johnny Cash became rather uncontrollable, especially because of his vices (amphetamine addiction, alcoholism...) and these are things that strongly affect the artistic aspect. Cash was capable of the best and the worst. He also knew how to excel where no one expected him to. If one were to describe him in a caricatured way, I would say that Cash is an avant-garde cowboy, as tormented as he is brilliant. For me, Johnny Cash had three peaks, the first being his early days in the 1950s, when he revolutionised country, rock and roll and rockabilly, and was one of the first to think of albums in terms of concept and not just as a compilation. The second is the one we're going to study today, when he managed to come back from the brink at the end of the 60s, which led him to the status of "The Man In Black". And finally, the last period during the 90s/2000 when the new generation discovered the phenomenon with a series of "American" albums, a true revival out of the ordinary. In spite of all these innovations, I think that it is thanks to At Folsom Prison (1968) and At San Quentin (1969) that Cash was able to reach that glass ceiling. He simply revolutionised music (again) and more particularly the concert world.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/7031-at-folsom-prison/

Although Small Faces did not enjoy the same esteem as their peers, the London band was not an outsider, it was one of the best bands of the 60s. In fact, many things worked against them, such as the fact that the Small Faces were part of the second wave of the British Invasion, unknown in the United States where it was imperative to make a name for themselves. For a long time, the Small Faces found themselves with the reputation of a sympathetic band for a teenage audience, where the others had already passed into another dimension. However, even though their career path has failed them, the Small Faces were one of the most popular bands in the country throughout the decade. The band had many hit singles and a decent discography, supported by their masterpiece 'Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake'. We are talking about a group that is used to the charts, capable of reaching the top spot ahead of the Beatles. The Small Faces have the distinction of being the only band to maintain a 'Mod' style even when the movement had lost interest. Today the band has gone down in history, becoming one of the major influences in the birth of Britpop in the 90s with bands like Oasis, Blur or Supergrass. The album 'Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake' symbolises the band's reputation in retrospect, with an album that divides opinions (albeit mostly favourable), as if the Small Faces were still struggling to convince listeners... to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/29420-ogdens-nut-gone-flake/

To make it simple and quick, Brazil entered the dictatorship in 1964 and Tropicalia was born some time later as a protest movement around Art, pushed by essential pioneers such as Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé and Gilberto Gil. Beyond this era, it must be understood that Gilberto Gil is a legend of Brazilian popular music (MPB) with more than 60 years of career, millions of albums sold and almost constant success. He is probably one of the most eclectic Brazilian artists, from traditional values (Afoxé, Bossa Nova, Samba, Baiao etc...), to British psychedelia, passing by the African heritage. He even tried his hand at funk and disco in the 1980s in the midst of New Wave. There is never a dull moment when discovering one of his projects, because he shows a very singular creativity and imagination, even if not everything is essential. However, it was from 1967 to 1977 that the artist was at his most brilliant, from his famous eponymous album to Refevela, as if he had walked on water. In addition to his personal projects, Gilberto Gil was also a considerable influence on his peers, from the old to the new generation, he participated in many renowned projects such as the mythical albums of Gal Costa in 1969. He was exiled in 1969 because of the dictatorship, but Gilberto Gil has always been socially committed, even making a political career and becoming the Brazilian Minister of Culture in the 2000s.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/40075-gilberto-gil/

To reduce 1968 to a bad year for jazz would be both completely wrong and disrespectful of a handful of delightful works. However, it must be acknowledged that the tragic death of John Coltrane the year before plunged jazz into a kind of creative impasse. This was felt in terms of the number of major works and innovations. The great figures of Jazz continued to exhaust Post-Bop to the end, like draining a well to the last drop. On the other hand, the very avant-garde artists continued to isolate themselves in the shadows. We will realize that this was only ephemeral since 1969 will resound like a new breath with the arrival of Spiritual Jazz and Fusion. But in the meantime, some underground personalities, reserved for the specialists, were discovered and were able to take advantage of this moment of floating and the first example is Sonny Criss. It is difficult to understand the background of the Memphis native, Sonny Criss, an alto saxophonist, faithful heir to Charlie Parker and Benny Carter. Criss was a renowned sideman of the Bebop and Hard bop era for almost 10 years from 1945 to 1955 before going through a slump where he literally disappeared from the radar for years before bouncing back in the 60s as a leader this time. Until his death in 1977 from cancer, Sonny Criss released a dozen albums without ever achieving any significant success. Only among all these, the Memphis native released in 1968 an extraordinary album called Sonny' Dream (Birth of The New Cool), a hidden nugget that should not be missed.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/163222-sonnys-dream-birth-of-the-new-cool/

What is really impressive with this New York duo that we almost don't need to introduce is that you will always find someone who will prefer a different album than yours. Indeed, Sounds of Silence (1966) to the last Bridge Over Troubled Water is a real no-fail that spans 4 albums of breathtaking quality. Here's why it's impossible to make a choice that would suit everyone. In January 1966, the duo Simon & Garfunkel came out of a kind of coma where nothing had worked for them so far. They were hit by the British Invasion wave and it wasn't until the genius idea of their producer Tom Wilson that the song Sounds of Silence became a launching pad with its Folk Rock version. Despite the number 1 on the Billboard charts, the first and significant album that logically bears the same name as the single will be less successful, which does not confirm all the doubts that there were about the duo. However, Simon & Garfunkel had at least one foot established in the music industry, they just had to ensure the second round, which they eventually succeeded in doing. It's a story of conviction and good choices. Simon & Garfunkel didn't waste any time, after the release of Sounds of Silence, the duo worked on their next album "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" for a few months to release it in October 1966. This time, the duo wanted to have more musical and artistic control and there is a certain extra mastery that distinguishes itself from the creative urgency of the previous album. As the duo was very far from being stupid, they simply kept the same formula as Sounds Of Silence, while progressing on their singularity. That is to say that "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" is once again oriented on a Folk Rock soul, which is essential, especially when Pop Rock continues to gain in trend and market share. The same goes for the contribution and the revisiting of the acoustic .. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/10010-bookends/

As you know (or not yet), I'm a real fan of musical anecdotes to the point of sometimes finding more interest in the story than in the content of a record. So imagine the dream for me to manage to com-bine these 2 criteria, which gives you Odessey And Oracle, one of my favorite records. We all know legendary artists who became successful, famous or rich after their death, like Van Gogh, Vermeer, Monet or Nick Drake. You can largely add The Zombies to your list, since Odessey And Oracle is the absolute example of the most neglected album in the world when it was released, to know a retrospective success only from the 90's with the re-release of Rhino, that is to say more than 20 years later. It is important to understand that the band was disbanded before the album was released in April 1968. What's amazing is to first try to understand how Odessey And Oracle managed to be ignored despite its greatness. Especially since one of the singles from that album, "Time of the Season", was a commercial success the following year in the United States, but did not help the album to get any exposure. Amazing in itself. In another sense, it suggests that there are still many unrecognized treasures that history will eventually reward..
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Full review: https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/6014-odessey-and-oracle/

The album Nancy & Lee is so quiet and delicate that it is perfect while waiting for Santa Claus to arrive, with your feet under the fire by the fireplace. Although we are focusing on this delightful album today, it is im-portant to say that Nancy & Lee is not only the story of a collaboration, it is the magic of an alchemy that extends beyond this famous project. One might also think that Nancy is a daddy's girl, since her father is none other than Frank Sinatra, the legendary crooner, but that's not quite true. Nancy Sinatra is more than that, she's probably one of the first Pop icons as we know them today. She is the ancestral mother of Ma-donna, Britney Spears and many more. In an exceptional career that spans over 40 years, Nancy has created her legend on screen but also in music with the cult classic "These Boots Are Made for Walkin" (1966), an absolutely irresistible standard. It was necessary to have guts and courage to succeed in proving that she was not in the shadow of her father and it is by crossing the road of Lee Hazlewood, singer/producer/songwriter who will become her close collaborator that Nancy will confirm all the promises of her success. At the same time, Lee Hazlewood will also take advantage of this collaboration by leaving the shadow to pursue a very remarkable career thereafter. Focus on one of the most unlikely duet in the history of music, on one side a young singer who had everything for her and on the other the one nicknamed the "cowboy psychedelia".. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/10789-nancy-lee/

Ooh la la the United States... born from its independence in 1776, the world superpower, the country of Uncle Sam, the Grand Canyon, Madison Square, Hollywood, Central Park, Macdonnald or even Kanye West. There is one thing that makes me so jealous and so fascinated at the same time, it is that the American culture is still the most influential in the world. But in reality it is class incarnate and there is no doubt in my mind. Besides, what country can boast of having a rock band that represents it? The United States of America, a band from Los Angeles created in 1967 and disappeared as fast as the speed of light, but which managed to mark the history of music (more than its own country) forever. An explanation is necessary. It is necessary to realize that in 1968, pop rock music was composed only of guitars, bass, per-cussion, piano but sometimes accompanied by an orchestra. The most experimental and avant-garde were then at work of technological innovation in the studios especially by the creation of effects, of textures which considerably impacted the future of the music. On the other hand, the pioneers of electronica were still very isolated and little recognized (Steve Reich, Terry Riley for example), although it is undeniable that their influences were also crucial. And then The United States Of America (I'm talking about the band) appeared with unconventional techniques in order to participate in the great era of the musical revolution by becoming the first "Pop Rock" band not to use any guitar, replaced by electronic instruments/techniques like the synthesizer and the ring modulator. Never seen before. The worst thing is that The United States Of America released only one album, before dissolving shortly after their success due to internal problems between the members.. to continue.. Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/53170-the-united-states-of-america/

When the western countries were living the counterculture era, articulated around the baby-boomer generation and the peace and love tones, Brazil entered in 1964 in dictatorship. This one takes a radical turn in 1967, depriving the freedom of expression and oppinion, for almost 21 years until 1985. Like any bloody dictatorship, Brazil will see the birth of opposed and oppressed groups (of the left) to denounce the authority of the oppressor. It is then that the country is going to know the second act (after the Bossa Nova/Samba) the most important of its contemporary musical history with the arrival first of the MPB then of the Tropicalia movement, launched by the painter and artist Hélio Oiticica, which sounds like an answer of the oppressed part. If the Tropicalia takes musical shape in 1967 in Bahia with Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, it is especially the following year that the movement will know its apogee but also its fall, since the dictatorship in place will force the Tropicalia artists to go into exile outside the country. However, this movement will last in a distant way until 1971/1972 before being confused with its cousin MPB. So we will study several times some key moments of the Tropicalia year, starting with one of the pioneer and icon of the movement: Caetano Veloso, a monument whose career continues to this day. Caetano Veloso, it is more than fifty albums (studio/live), so dozens of classics, as well as multiple appearances and contributions for other artists, not to mention what he did outside music (writer, theater, poetry, politics). His peak extends from 1967 until the early 80's, becoming one of the main actors and creative leaders of Tropicalia.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/17332-caetano-veloso/

Among the most influential artists in history, we find the lyricist, songwriter, singer and pianist Laura Nyro, one of the queens of Pop Soul and Singer-Songwriter. She was known for merging the introspection of folk with R&B (as a whole), Jazz and Rock, which shook up the way of writing and broke the stylistic boundaries that were very closed at the time. That is to say that at the time, to caricature, there was the rock band, the Soul/Rhythm and Blues icon, the folk/blues singer with his/her guitar and the Jazzmen in their corners, but the hybrid aspect that we find omnipresent today almost did not exist. On top of that, her vocal performances built around a three-octave mezzo-soprano vocal range and her piano skills helped embellish this modern formula. However, despite her enormous legacy, highlighted by many artists such as Elton John, Carol King, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Patti Smith or Todd Rundgren (The Who), the New York artist is still very little recognized and not very popular (only 100,000 listeners per month on Spotify for example), especially because her greatest hits were interpreted by other artists. It is high time to pay tribute to one of the most brilliant female composers and singers of all time through an album as classic as it is irresistible: Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, released in 1968... to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/34674-eli-and-the-thirteenth-confession/

To summarize, The Mothers Of Invention, led by the legendary Frank Zappa, had just released a first album that was a commercial failure, despite what it would become afterwards, that is to say a classic and pioneering album. The Californian band created their own style, the very opposite of counter-culture, constantly drawing satires on an Experimental Rock background of which they are one of the precursors. Despite the failure and the lack of means proposed by the label, Zappa and his band recorded in November 1966 a second album "Absolutely Free" (which will be released in May 1967) in an almost impossible timing. As a result, Zappa will do everything to push his formula to its paroxysm by accentuating the experimentation and the shock-value to make it more reserved and sophisticated. He introduces 3 additional musicians in the group Don Preston, Bunk Gardner and Billy Mundi. He then relegates Ray Collins to secondary singer, becoming the main one and develops notably new musical directions what makes Absolutely Free, the first Jazz-Rock album of all times. We find there notably excellent songs like Plastic People or Brown Shoes Don't Make It. An important and fabulous album as a whole, but I preferred to tell you about We're Only In It For The Money (1968) because it seems to me more significant.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/6383-were-only-in-it-for-the-money/

2001: A Space Odyssey is a soundtrack as classic as it is exceptional, comparable to the best film music of all time. Beyond the pure content and success of the film, this soundtrack has forged its legend by being totally different from what was usually done. Indeed 2001: A Space Odyssey is known for revolutionizing the use of music in a film and also for its unique way of choosing compositions. Prior to 1968, film music focused primarily on 2 models. The first one is best known as the Show Tunes, also used in theater and musicals, with songs/musical parts that are an integral part of the story. The Film Score is the second widespread model for which composers and artists compose an original music on a global theme that fits the film. We found there notably Ennio Morricone, the inventor of the Spaghetti Western, Bernard Hermann, John Barry, Michel Legrand, Maurice Jarre or The Beatles, Elvis Presley in a popular register. However, in 1968, the history of cinema music will change forever, with the arrival of the "Soundtrack" that 2001: A Space Odyssey will highlight as the main precursor. The difference that the Soundtrack offers compared to the Show Tunes or Film Score, is that a soundtrack includes songs or artists licensed, often external to the creative process of the film and whose songs / compositions already existed before. Today we even find soundtracks inspired by the film with songs that do not even appear in the film... to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/74719-2001-a-space-odyssey/

Let's face it, R&B hasn't had such a zany and eccentric popular personality since Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Dr. John is something of an anomaly in music history although he absolutely deserves his place. Malcolm John Rebennack Jr, a.k.a Dr. John, is one of the few white artists to make a place for himself in the Rhythms and Blue music pantheon. Obviously it is difficult to compare Dr. John to some legends like James Brown, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin or Beyoncé because he is a UFO who is mostly recognized by the specialists. Known mainly for his stagecraft and his eclectic and atypical musical style, Dr. John has built an amazing career to get famous titles, from the Grammy Awards to his place among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Over a 50+ year career, Dr. John made history with his eponymous persona, a sort of voodoo singer/musician who was his most important concept. Originally from Lousiana, Rebennack developed a fascination for a local religion called Lousiana Voodoo. In a few words, I could say that it is a religion of African origin that merges several principles of different religions practiced by groups or sects rather self-taught and isolated. Rebennack therefore created a fictional voodoo character who acted as a seller of gris-gris to his followers to protect them. Thus was born the concept of one of the classics of R&B/Rock music, "Gris-Gris" released in January 1968.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/17381-gris-gris/

Today we are not going to make a guided tour of an Indian monument, we are going to dive into the analysis of an icon of the Contemporary Blues which bears the same name: Taj Mahal. At the end of the Sixties, the movement of the Blues Revival had of course considerably faded because its inheritance is from now on completely incorporated, like the DNA, in the Pop Rock with in particular the Blues Rock, the Hard Rock, the Acid Rock, the Psych Heavy etc... unlike the Country which will know it a kind of period of rebirth. However a great number of excellent albums categorized as Chicago Blues label will be born in the middle of the Sixties until the New Wave at the end of the Seventies. This is the case of the eponymous album of Taj Mahal. Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Taj Mahal has built his legend around several points that distinguish him from others. First of all for his atypical way of applying the fingerpicking, and especially because he is recognized as one of the precursors of the opening of the Blues towards the fusion with the music of the world. Ironically, Taj Mahal has mostly known success in the 90's by winning Grammy Awards, thanks to his more international vision of the Blues, while the album that we are going to study today is literally opposite, in a more traditional register. However, it must be said that this eponymous album is in my opinion the best project of his repertoire, which explains why we revisit it now... to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/61835-taj-mahal/

Through a seminal album Vincebus Eruptum by Blue Cheer, we're going to take a look today at both a pioneering Bay Area band and also at the history of Heavy Psych, a rather short underground musical trend that spans only 4 years (from 1968 to 1972) but whose influence is very important for the future. I don't know if we can define Heavy Psych exactly as a big cousin or rather as one of the spiritual fathers of Heavy Metal or Stoner Rock/Metal, but it is certain that there is a link. The first traces of Heavy Psych go back to the year 1967, with bands like The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, Vanilla Fudge or Blue Cheer that set the ingredients of this musical style. The psychedelic era gave birth to many derivatives like Hard Rock, Acid Rock and then Heavy Psych, all influenced by Blues Rock which could be confused by their many similarities. Let's say that Heavy Psych can be simply translated by its name, that is to say crushing psychedelia, articulated around riff and very languid improvisation. Whereas Hard Rock is more raw and energetic, and Acid Rock offers more surrealistic sounds. You will have understood the difference between Heavy Psych and Acid Rock is almost derisory. Anyway, the influence of Heavy Psych started to be felt directly and quickly on the Metal birth scene, and then more indirectly on the Punk, Alternative and more contemporary Metal scenes (especially Doom Metal). Blue Cheer is also recognized as the leader of the Heavy Psych (and that's probably why we made the difference with the other close styles) because the band had an absolutely atypical signature. To go further, the band's music was so deafening and loud for its time that Blue Cheer is often considered as the pioneer of heavy metal since 1968. Despite their impact, the Blue Cheer experience will really spread from 1968 to 1971, ... to continue
full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/7317-vincebus-eruptum/

What better way to start the year 1968 than with an ultimate classic offered by one of the greatest bands of all time: White Light / White Heat by the famous Velvet Undergound. Small reminder for those who need, The Velvet Underground are today cultissism notably by their genius and their enormous influences, but it is necessary to repeat that this New York group, composed in other base by Lou Reed, John Cale, Nico and managed by Andy Warhols in person was so underground and in margin of the others that their first album was a commercial failure. Not only that, the first self-titled album was accompanied by legal and internal problems. Apart from the musical content, the situation was not going to get any better. In fact, despite the leadership of Lou Reed and John Cale, the Velvet Underground drew its success at the time from the figure of Nico, artist and model who also had a solo career in parallel. It can be said quite clearly that a large part of the listeners of the time found that the attractiveness of the group was based mainly on Nico. Anyway, the members of the band end up having a falling out with Andy Warhols, firing him for his lack of involvement, which leads Nico to leave in his turn to follow another career direction. In 1968, The Velvet Underground was thus a group metamorphosed compared to their beginning, and will be also a group different from the one which will come from the following album. The album White Light / White Heat is already unique by this fact. After several tours, the album will be recorded in September 1967 on 2 days of sessions and released in January 1968, accompanied by the famous producer Tom Wilson (Bob Dylan, Mother of Inventions..) who strongly believed in the potential of avant-garde band... to continue..
full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/6359-white-lightwhite-heat/

The Quebec native is without question one of the greatest musical legends of all time, a monument that no one will forget. This is the story of Leonard Cohen, poet and novelist before one of the most marvelous voice and pen. Even before being known, Leonard Cohen was a case apart, a UFO of the UFO, he will remain so forever. Great traveler, innate vagabond, Leonard Cohen flourished in the curiosity and the culture that he stored up. With his intellectual genius and his way of analyzing the world, Leonard Cohen broke taboos by never shying away from expressing an idea in his work. He acted like a psychoanalyst poet, never afraid to touch a sensitive point. While only starting out in music at the age of 33, Leonard Cohen revolutionized Folk music (and music as a whole) by offering sophisticated and complex poetry like never before, while embodying a new style of crooner/songwriter whose signature remains unmatched. To understand it, we have to go back to his beginnings in 1967, in the middle of the revolutionary years for the "Pop Rock". Only Bob Dylan and Paul Simon really resisted the rise of Rock, even Jazz was going through a delicate transition period at that time. The arrival of Cohen was a major turning point in the history of music, with a personality capable of rivaling Dylan, a UFO among the popular competition. Moreover, even Dylan (who is his major influence) will fall in total admiration of him. Obviously Leonard Cohen is also a huge career, a repertoire of songs and albums absolutely divine. His influence will be amazing and omnipresent, with notably Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Scott Walker, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Nick Drake or Joni Mitchell. We will revisit today one of his most symbolic works, his first album Songs Of Leonard Cohen, released in December 1967.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/6079-songs-of-leonard-cohen/

In the space of a few months, Jimi Hendrix went from a struggling and utterly misunderstood artist to an icon of high standing. In mid 1967, Hendrix released Are You Experienced, a near perfect debut album that showed just how much he had concretely revolutionized the world of guitar and beyond by establishing himself as one of the pioneers of new musical genres such as hard rock. Once you know all this, you can finally get into Axis: Bold as Love, a second album released at the very end of 1967, as if one album wasn't enough. It is certain that 1967 remains the pivotal year for Hendrix and his comrades Noel Redding / Mitch Mitchell that the album Are you Experienced will be a consistent commercial success that dominated the charts, except Sgt Pepper's of the Beatles but it must be said that it was mission impossible for a young band of this caliber. Hendrix's strength has always been his respect for the legends, this cult of tradition and influences allowed him to learn and shine in his turn. Thus, Hendrix decided some time after the release of Sgt. Pepper's to pay tribute in his own way by covering the eponymous song in front of the Beatles themselves. Paul McCartney was so enamored with the guitar hero that he lobbied hard to have The Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Monterey Pop Festival, the big festival of the day, the event that changed a career forever. Of course, the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival was a huge springboard for Hendrix, so much so that the band's performances made it a legend. Imagine for two seconds what that means. In the middle of Summer Of Love, Hendrix not only embodied this trend but also represented the black community to the world (and let's not forget that in Pop Rock.. to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/5705-axis-bold-as-love/

In the middle of 1966, Bob Dylan was affected by a kind of burn out, totally exhausted from the life of an artist. At the same time, Dylan had imposed his leadership for 5 years, revolutionizing the music world several times. Blonde On Blonde (1966), the third part of his holy trilogy, symbolizes the moment when the Dylan of his heyday began to be lost, and it coincides with his personal life when he was close to a nervous breakdown. Unlike all the bigger bands of the time, with 2 or even 3 iconic members in the same unit, Dylan was alone and the weight of the pressure was much more difficult to bear. Like any human, Dylan ended up being weary, and only methamphetamine could ease his pain. That's why Dylan's motorcycle accident, which he miraculously survived in July 1966, sounded like a real revelation, allowing him to begin a long, much more discreet period where he would just concentrate on his artistic and personal life. A change of life meant artistic reinvention. Dylan took advantage of the visit of his live band Hawks (later known as The Band) to work on new songs, as well as a film project with D. A. Pennebaker. They then isolated themselves for a few months in Dylan's house which will give birth to a collection of songs self-produced and published only from 1975 on The Basement Tapes. We can distinguish then the evolution of Dylan for a more Roots and Country sound, as well as a more introspective writing and rooted precisely in some things of more traditional. The work provided on The Basement Tapes are in fact the premises of the new stylistic period of Dylan which extends concretely until Infldels (1983) when he tries another approach closer to the sounds of the 80s.. https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/5681-john-wesley-harding/

In The History of The Albums, it is necessary to know how to make choices and Their Satanic Majesties Re-quest is the perfect example. Simply, because Their Satanic Majesties Request is without question the most controversial album in the Stones' repertoire since it divides opinions. You could say that's part of the reason for this choice. In fact, I think that most of the band's fans would have rather chosen Between The Buttons, released the same year, and I can't really prove them wrong. However Their Satanic Majesties Request is a UFO that symbolizes many things and this is what I will try to show you. The album Aftermath (1966) marks the time when the Stones pass in their second career period, the Stones have finally concretized their music on the LP format, conquered America with Satisfaction/ Pain It Back and finally we can see an artistic progression as remarkable as palpable. So far, the Stones continue to play brilliantly as (almost) direct competitors with their friends the Beatles and the future seems ultra promising. Frankly, everything was going well for the Stones, the singles were successful, always placing high in the UK and US charts, no shadow on the horizon. However, at that time, everything was changing very quickly and the Stones were forced to continue to grow and to meet the expectations of a more and more demanding public. The phenomenon of counter-culture, especially psychedelia, was so omnipresent that the majority of popular bands of the time were interfering in this inevitable sphere. The Stones will then really begin their psychedelic transformation with Between the Buttons, released in January 1967, a crossever Pop Rock album quite clever that ensures the transition between Blues Rock and Psychedelic Rock, showing that the Stones could also adapt to the air of time.. to continue..
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/5443-their-satanic-majesties-request/

In the middle of the sixties, the psychedelic scene gave birth to three music groups called Kaleidoscope, and when you look at them without paying attention, there is a lot of confusion. In reality there is a world of difference between them. If a similar situation would happen nowadays, we would find it a bit crazy, as if three bands with the same name released an album within a few months of each other in the same musical genre. Fortunately for the time, these bands were so far apart geographically that nobody had heard of each other. The first Kaleidoscope was an American band from Southern California, formed in 1966 and led mainly by multi-instrumentalist David Lindley and Chris Dar-row. Although they released some interesting singles and albums, the Californians were mostly known on the local folk circuit and left a memorable mark, since the band was able to offer such an eclectic music that crossed many borders. Let's just say that the passion that animated them was a rich, uninhibited, creative folklore. On the other hand, the American band was very attached to the authentic and to their roots, accomplished and talented musicians who became studio references later on. The second Kaleidoscope is a relatively short-lived band from Santo Domingo in terms of record releases. Particularly energetic, their music was very distorted and surrealistic, which can be found on their only eponymous album. However, the band and the album we're looking at today will be British, heading to London because it's probably the most sensible choice. The London quartet is a treasure of the psychedelic era, known only by specialists and the underground, yet it is highly recommended not to make the mistake of missing it. In a few words, if you are building a psychedelic record collection, Tangerine Dream is clearly a must have.. to continue..
full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/139546-tangerine-dream/

There are artists or bands that have changed the history of music forever, but remain far less known and renowned than their spiritual children, the importance is not to ignore it. Moody Blues is this kind of pioneer band, as generally many of the sixties generation that established significant foundations, thus drawing the Pop Rock we know today, simply by their innovative and creative vision. In the middle of a revolutionary period, the Moody Blues succeeded in the feat (see the miracle) of placing themselves next to visionaries and geniuses like the Beatles, Brian Wilson, Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd or Frank Zappa, that is to say in this high category of artists whose common qualifying adjective is based on this sufficiently explicit term: "Art". It is necessary to understand that 1967 is a year deeply marked by the psychedelic movements and also by the emergence of the Hard Rock as a prediction of the future, what makes of Moody Blues a true UFO, simply because it is a pop group mainly articulated around a sophisticated orchestration. Although Moody Blues is more logically classified as a Baroque Pop band, their singularity, their avant-garde vision and their genius have simply allowed the band to leave a crucial mark as one of the precursors of Progressive Rock, Symphonic Rock (and Symphonic Prog), Rock Opera and Progressive Pop. On the contrary, the Moody Blues participated in the conceptual, philosophical and spiritual evolution in the writing and composition of the songs, thus complexifying the work of structures of the latter. Their influences are therefore titanic (even if they are not the only ones responsible), including absolute examples like Yes, ELO, Genesis, Deep Purple, Supertramp, Queen, Jethro Tull, Alan Parsons, Barclay James Harvest, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Renaissance, Gentle Giant and even later with Arcade Fire or Radiohead... to continue..
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/36238-days-of-future-passed/

Some time after the release of their first successful album My Generation, driven by the eponymous song, the most sulphurous popular band of the moment was about to enter a pivotal year 1966, where they could have clearly lost their skins. That is to say that their behavior was very close to triggering an irrecoverable explosion. First of all, the Who had to face the label problems with Talmy/Brunswick. An artistic conflict had erupted, causing the Who to rush the production and completion of their first album because of the need to quickly capitalize on the emerging success. After weeks of legal battles, The Who signed with Reaction and released a first single Substitute in March 1966, a strong symbol of the artistic independence that the Londoners advocated. Despite this new start, the internal conflicts within the group become more and more pronounced and violent, leading regularly to fights, including the assault of Townshend on Moon with his own guitar. On the verge of breaking up, fate would bring Moon back to find another opportunity, but nothing presented itself to him. To remedy this, the Who's manager imposed on the band to establish a minimum threshold per album of 2 songs per member. Then the band had to face the cancellation of the television show Ready Steady Go where they had a significant place and notoriety that allowed them to feed their popularity. If the Who is again a national success with Substitute, the group must imperatively launch out to con-quer the American public if it wants to follow in a first time, to pass a course in a second time. The Who will thus participate in the famous Monterey Pop Festival. Against all expectations, the Who succeeded in winning the festival and went on an American tour.... to continue..
full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/5611-the-who-sell-out/

Although they had abandoned live performances and tours to focus on their creativity, the Beatles never stopped working. You have to realize how incredible 1967 was for them, with one of the best albums of all time, Sgt. Pepper's, a handful of miraculous singles and finally a movie and album called Magical Mystery Tour. It's just a few statospheric things that are basically beyond us. In a burst of creativity, the Beatles were already working on 2 movies and their soundtracks (Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine), the day Sgt. The 4 boys had no time, they had to prepare the future. Let's go back a little to understand it... We are at the end of April 1967, the album Sgt Pepper's was finished only a few days before the Beatles started to work on the music of Magical Mystery Tour, dedicated to a movie imagined and thought by Paul McCartney. Moreover for the annecdote, it is the eponymous song of opening of the film which will be worked in very first as symbol of this new project. Especially pushed by the 2 leaders Lennon/McCartney, the Beatles were going through an era of productivity and creativity without precedent. Magical Mystery Tour is an absolutely mysterious film that doesn't really make sense. The idea was to follow a band on a bus, surrounded by strange characters, where every situation is even stranger. Basically the creative process of this film was to make sure that "no one would know in advance what will happen". Despite the massive ratings when it first aired, this overly experimental and amateurish film sounds like a real turnip. However, if you are a fan of cinematic delirium, I strongly advise you to take part in the adventure. What is important to specify is that this film translates in a certain way the current phenomena of psychedelism, the use of hallucinogenic drugs as well as the Summer Of Love through an experimental attempt too messy.. to continue..
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/8935-magical-mystery-tour/

Improvisation is like an organ for Jazz music, it is even crucial to the beauty and complexity of this genre. If we continue with human comparisons, improvisation can be compared to the emo-tional state of an individual, as versatile as sometimes uncontrollable, but in any case it trans-lates into an atypical attitude that is different from control. I think that one of the first great revolutions in jazz took place in the post-war period when improvisation, no matter how important, was literally introduced as a natural element. Since then, Jazz has been able to surpass the limits to become one of the most refined and subtle music of all time. It is now possible to understand how improvisation is present in a work and to what degree, with the help of a few simple notions. On the one hand you have a mostly controlled, almost dictatorial jazz where the composer (and usually the frontman as well) gives all the elements to his collaborators, with a few specific liberties. This form has faded a lot with time, especially in the Post-Bop period in the 60s. On the other hand, the emergence of the Avant-Garde Jazz currents has of course opened up new possibilities for artists, such as Free Jazz, which overall offers more artistic freedom than constraints. At the extreme, Free Improvisation (which is not limited to Jazz) developed in the 60's for this time a 99,99% free content. However there is a last classification which will emerge in the years 70/80 named Conducted Improvisation, that is to say a kind of Free Improvisation directed by a conductor, a composer or/and a frontman in order to be able to control and make evolve the work towards precise points. Once again, this method does not avoid (and it is... to continue..
full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/244773-intents-and-purposes-the-jazz-artistry-of-bill-dixon/

¡Jazz Flamenco! is an obscure treasure reserved for certain purists and some specialists of Spanish music. Let's say that above all it is the kind of work that has a mainly national notoriety. A surprising discovery that I wish to share with you through a dedicated episode. As its name indicates, this album is the precursor of a new musical style called without detour Flamenco Jazz that gave birth after to the Nuevo Flamanco, whose characteristics are just as simple to understand. Without real surprise, this current was born by the pioneers Pedro Iturralde and Paco de Lucía at the end of the 60's, when they decided to give a new life to the traditional Flamenco style by incorporating Jazz styles, such as Post-Bop, Afro-Cuban and the arrival of Jazz Fusion. In itself, this new style can also be defined simply as the modern evolution of Flamenco, as a necessary intermediary to traditional music nowadays, with significant nuances but not revolutionary. The Jazz Flamenco developed from the end of the 60's until the 70's before taking a more amplified turn in the 90's with the explosion of the Nuevo Flamenco. Without ever having really found its place on album or single format, the Flamenco Jazz blossoms especially in live or on the radio, however there are a handful of very interesting references to be remembered, of which this precursory album that we will study today... to continue..
full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/361936-jazz-flamenco/

This episode is probably one of the most significant of the 60's for popular music, not in the purely musical sense, nor in the album format, but in the role of the music and entertainment industry. While Rock and Roll definitely changed the music of young people around the world in the 1950s, the music industry regularly looked for innovative approaches to capitalize on the money and create highly profitable products. The phenomenon of Beatlemania in the 60's totally gave the music industry a run for its money, offering multitudes of opportunity and collateral business ambition. Throughout their existence, the Beatles have always controlled the leadship despite the competition, becoming the first group of artists 100% artistically free but under contract. Otherwise, the others were almost all subject to constraints and obligations for whatever reason, or conversely some recognized in retrospect had no success at all at the time. It is those who have the money who pull the strings, it is as old as the world. Today, this is still more or less the case, this time with the independents. In an effort to provide a parody and spectacle for the general public, The Moonks are a totally prefabricated group to become the American Beatles' television darling. Ironically their success was so incredible that they managed to become part of music history with members who were mostly actors, rather than musicians or singers. This phenomenon is a revolution in itself, since The Monkees is the first iconic prefabricated group, and certainly the first one created for television, anticipating all the phenomena of the 80's with MTV until now with the reality shows. A pure fiction that ended up becoming real over time as the Monkees became competent musical artists...
to continue.. full review https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/11138-pisces-aquarius-capricorn-jones-ltd/

If the second half of the 60's overshadowed Jazz because of Pop Rock, that doesn't mean that some legends were not born there. Pianist McCoy Tyner is the perfect definition of a crucial influence of this period but also afterwards for modern Jazz. In my opinion, McCoy Tyner is even more than that, he is without question one of the greatest pianists in the history of Jazz, just like Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Art Tatum, Bill Evans, Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, or even Herbie Hancock, without having the same popularity, nor the same myth. Yet McCoy Tyner was simply out of this world. He excelled because of his distinctive personality, his technical innovations, and his vision of the game that placed him among the exceptions who forced others to sit down and learn from him. With his hypnotic aura, McCoy Tyner handled elegance and purity with such mastery that rarely have I felt such comfort, such beauty when listening to a jazz record. I will even say that he is perhaps the most elegant pianist of all time. Sincerely, it transcends me so much that it compensates systematically when its author offers us more forgettable works. Contextually, McCoy Tyner was not as famous as Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea, but it is necessary to specify that they drew some of their fundamentals from the former. For those who don't know, we are referring to absolutely important references in the history of jazz. Before becoming an accomplished leader and frontman, McCoy Tyner made a name for himself by working with John Coltrane as a valuable sideman, an essential element in the quartet's success. After this fluctuating adventure, McCoy Tyner first made an indelible mark with The Real McCoy, one of the masterpieces of the Post-Bop period.. to continue..
full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/33322-the-real-mccoy/

Cream is the embodiment of a legendary trio shaking up the codes of Rock forever. Disraeli Gears remains as its spokesman. Formed by guitarist Eric Clapton, singer and bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker, Cream is known first and foremost for being the very first "Supergroup" of all time, a term given to a group made up of already famous musicians. Clapton was already considered one of the best guitarists with his experiences in the Yardbird and John Mayal's band (Bluesbreakers). The other two came up through one of Alexis Korner's underground groups before forming The Graham Bond Organization. Not to mention that Bruce was even a member of the Manfred Mann. In itself, I think the term Supergroup is a bit of an exaggeration, since only Clapton had a significant popular following. On the other hand, if the history will know more prestigious "supergroups" if we base ourselves only on the line-up, Cream remains the symbol of this new phenomenon. The Cream adventure will have lasted only 2 years, since the group will end up not getting along anymore because of a too overloaded common lifestyle, but the British brought so many things beyond their content. One thinks inevitably of their way of playing very strong, amplified in disproportionate ways for the time which owes them the nickname of Power Trio. Cream knew how to reformulate a mixture of Blues Rock and Psychedelic Rock to become one of the major pioneers of Hard Rock. To illustrate my point, you only have to look at all the Blues Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal artists/bands from the late 60's to the 80's to see Cream in their genes as a fundamental base... to continue
Full review : https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/7019-disraeli-gears/

AMMMusic is a significant sonic adventure for the history of music, in the sense that this work is the founder of Free Improvisation on album format (LP). Of course, the history of Free Improvisation was not born with AMM, but a few years before. This genre is actually based on a fusion between Indeterminacy and Free Jazz. The first one is a sub-genre of contemporary classical music and Avant-Garde, led by Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Cage from the 50's onwards, which already consisted in using destructuring, unpredictability and improvisations in which their compositions took shape. The second one also appeared in the 50's, when some jazzmen left the codes and influences of "bop", "swing" to deliver a freer music, even without any constraint. If you mix these 2 roots, you get Free Improvisation whose exact origins are often attributed to the English guitarist Derek Bailey in the mid 50's, but it is especially at the beginning of the following decade that the genre started to take a form stable enough to be qualified as such. Although this movement is globally, it is especially in Europe that the main pioneers emerged, including Derek Bailey, Tony Oxley, Gavin Bryars, Alan Watts or the French Jean Dubuffet. They are the ones who created the first works in album format, but in my opinion it was AMM who knew how to turn the genre around so that it could grow as an entity in its own right...
.. to continue.. https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/112951-ammmusic/

Sometimes you shouldn't trust appearances, especially when they are deceiving. As its name suggests, Forever Changes changed the history of music forever, as a major element of the musical revolution, however it must be understood that this masterpiece was a huge commercial failure when it was released in 1967. Love is about love, but mostly about failure and breakup. Love sounds like the perfect band for the summer of 1967, but it's mostly its dramatic vision. Before Forever Changes was revered for its true value, it had all the makings of a curse. In fact, the failure of this one is the trigger of the end of the band, at least of the original line-up, since only its leader Arthur Lee will continue until 1975, what for finally. Instead, Arthur Lee will continue his descent into hell, ending very quickly in oblivion. At least that's what we thought. Certainly, Love never really knew success, even with its singles, it was above all a misunderstood, innovative, wild, exotic group for which only an underground public was ready to welcome them as it should. Not to mention the fierce competition, the fact that Love didn't like to leave the Californian scene for tours and finally that the band was multi-racial, a real brake in this sad context of the time. However if the life of all the members of Love changed after this album, Forever Changes directly marked the blow with more prominent artists like Pink Floyd, Traffic or Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. But it is especially later towards the years 80/90 that the artists of the second psychedelic wave (and to the dela) will dig up Forever Changes like a relic absolutely vital to their development and their inspirations..
.. to continue.. https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/6270-forever-changes/

Today we are going to dive into the Portuguese music through one of the most important albums in my opinion: Guitarra Portuguesa. Released in 1967, this album is like the cornerstone that will lead to the peak years of the musical style. Traditional Portuguese music is of course distinguished by several sub-styles, of which Fado is one of the most widespread and popular. To understand it, we have to go back to the Baroque period when Portugal obtained its independence from Spain in the 17th century. Lulled then by a mixture of medieval music like polyphony, Arabic music and several Spanish folkloric styles, Portugal will logically decade after decade develop its own style that will give Fado, a folkloric music played on the guitar (or several guitars), sometimes accompanied by singing. Some music historians compare Fado as a kind of folk/blues fusion in the soul, notably because it embraces nostalgia and by the way it is played. Since the 19th century, Fado has become an essential part of the country, mainly in the big cities of the country, including the capital Lisbon. However, it is in the 20th century that the Portuguese music will know a new significant evolution because of the historical and political context of the country, then affected by the dictatorship from 1926 to 1974. Like Brazil, Argentina, Cuba and the surrounding countries, the 60's marked the emergence of committed and protesting music that was called "Música de Intervenção", directly from the roots of Fado and its cousin "Fado de Coimbra". One of the most popular and protagonist of this movement is known as Carlos Paredes, one of the greatest Portuguese guitarists in history, although he always dissociated music and politics from its content...
.. to continue.. https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/66087-guitarra-portuguesa/

The adventure was only temporary, only 2 years and 1 month, but Buffalo Springfield is an ultimate reference of West Coast Rock, as much for the band as for the members who founded it. Influential actor of Folk Rock, Country Rock and Psychedelic, the Californian group is a mix of Americans and Canadians who initiated the beginnings of Stephen Sills, Neil Young or Richie Furay. The latter will mark the history in a more significant way in various formations thereafter, like "Crosby, Stills & Nash", "Neil Young and The Crazy Horse", and "Poco". Although Buffalo Springfield is the premise of a brighter future, it is important to note that their impact is far from negligible. The band relied on a crystalline sound invented by the Byrds to further develop the Californian sound that would later become timeless. Thanks to this, Buffalo Springfield knew how to leave a heritage and a basic content for the history of the rock. Besides, the group did not delay to know directly the success the year of their formation in 1966 with For What It's Worth, a cult standard. However it is especially with their second album Buffalo Springfield Again in 1967 that the group will really mark the spirits before dissolving the following year, because of internal conflicts marked by problems of uncontrollable addictions and by the animosity of the egos. This is obvious when a band is composed of 3 talented composers like Stills, Young and Furay, which reminds us of the similar scenario that the Byrds experienced with the departure of Crosby...
.. to continue.. https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doublez/album/29514-buffalo-springfield-again/