Suggested Recordings
The following albums represent the simplest, most direct, and most enjoyable route into the consciousness of the sixties. In making selections I excluded fifties artists who did not prefigure or influence the sixties, sixties shlock, and all seventies music except that which comments upon or directly reflects the mindset of the sixties.
Joan Baez, Joan Baez, Vanguard VSD 79078—Come from the Shadows, A&M SP 4339
The Band, Music from Big Pink, Capitol SKAO 2955—Rock of Ages, Capitol SABB 611045
The Beach Boys, Close Up, Capitol SWBB 253—Pet Sounds, Capitol DT 2458
The Beatles, Meet the Beatles, Capitol T 2047—Rubber Soul, Capitol ST 2442—Revolver, Capitol ST 2576—Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Capitol MAS 2653—Magical Mystery Tour, Capitol MS 2835— The Beatles (the white album), Apple SWBO 101—Abbey Road, Apple SO 383
Chuck Berry, Chuck Berry’s Golden Decade, vol. 1, Chess 2CH 1514
Big Brother and the Holding Company, Cheap Thrills, Columbia KCS 9700
Blood, Sweat, and Tears, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Columbia KCS 9720
James Brown, Nothing But Soul
Buffalo Springfield, Retrospective, Atlantic SD 33-283
The Byrds, Greatest Hits, Columbia CS 9516
Ray Charles, Yes Indeed, Atlantic 8025—What’d I Say, Atlantic 8029
The Coasters, Greatest Hits, Atlantic 33-111
Joe Cocker, Joe Cocker!, A&M SP 4224
Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen, Columbia CS 9533—Songs from a Room, Columbia CS 9767
Judy Collins, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, Elektra EKS 74033 The Concert for Bangla Desh, Apple STCX 3385
Country Joe MacDonald and the Fish, Greatest Hits, Vanguard VSD 6545
Cream, The Best of Cream, Atlantic SD 33-291
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cosmo’s Factory, Fantasy 8402
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Déjà vu, Atlantic SD 7200—So Far, Atlantic SD 18100
Bo Diddley, Have Guitar Will Travel, Checker 2974
Fats Domino, Million Sellers by Fats, Imperial 12195
The Doors, The Doors, Elektra EKS 4007—L.A. Woman, Elektra EKS 75011
Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, Columbia CS 8786—The Times They Are A-Changin’, Columbia CS 8905—Another Side of Bob Dylan, Columbia CS 8993—Bringing It All Back Home, Columbia CS 9128—Highway 61 Revisited, Columbia CS 9189—Blonde on Blonde, Columbia K2S 841—John Wesley Harding, Columbia CS 9604—New Morning, Columbia KC 30290—The Basement Tapes, Columbia CBS 88147—Blood on the Tracks, Columbia PC 33235—Desire, Columbia PC 33893
The Everly Brothers, The Everly Brothers’ Original Greatest Hits, Columbia BGP 350
Aretha Franklin, Aretha’s Gold, Atlantic SD 8227
The Grateful Dead, Workingman’s Dead, Warner WS 1869
Arlo Guthrie, Alice’s Restaurant, Reprise RS 6267
Woody Guthrie, The Greatest Songs of Woody Guthrie (performed by various artists), Vanguard VSD 35/36 George Harrison, All Things Must Pass, Apple STCH 639
Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced? Reprise RS 6261
Buddy Holly, Buddy Holly: A Rock and Roll Collection, Decca DXSE7-207
Jefferson Airplane, Surrealistic Pillow, RCA LSP 3766—After Bathing at Baxter’s, RCA LSP 4545—Crown of Creation, RCA LSP 4058—Volunteers, RCA LSP 4238
Janis Joplin, Pearl, Columbia KC 30322
B. B. King, B. B. King Live at the Regal, ABC-Paramount ABC S-509
King Crimson, In the Court of the Crimson King, Atlantic SD 8245
The Kinks, Greatest Hits, Reprise R 6217
John Lennon, Live Peace in Toronto, Apple SW 3362
Jerry Lee Lewis, Original Golden Hits, vols. 1 and 2, Sun 102/103
Little Richard, Little Richard’s Greatest Hits, Columbia OKS 14121—Little Richard’s Grooviest 17 Original Hits, Specialty SPS 2113
Mamas and Papas, Farewell to the First Golden Era, Dunhill 50031 MC5, Kick Out the Jams, Elektra EKS 74042
Joni Mitchell, Clouds, Reprise R 6341
Moody Blues, In Search of the Lost Chord, Deram DES18017
The Mothers of Invention, Freak Out! Verve V6-5005-2X—Absolutely Free, Verve V/V6-5013X
Graham Nash, Wild Tales, Atlantic SD 7288 Newport Folk Festival (1960), Vanguard VSD 2087/88
Harry Nilsson, Nilsson Sings Newman, RCA LSP 4289
Phil Ochs, All the News That’s Fit to Sing, Elektra EKS 7269—Pleasures of the Harbor, A&M SP 4133—Tape from California, A&M 4148—Rehearsals for Retirement, A&M SP 4181—Chords of Fame, A&M 4599
Tom Paxton, Ramblin’ Boy, Elektra EKS 7277
Peter, Paul, and Mary, Peter, Paul and Mary, Warner WS 1449—In the Wind, Warner WS 1607
Wilson Pickett, The Best of Wilson Pickett, Atlantic SD 8151
Elvis Presley, The Sun Sessions, RCA AFM 1-1675—Elvis’ Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits, vol. 1, RCA LPM 6401
Procol Harum, Procol Harum, Deram DES 18008
Otis Redding, History of Otis Redding, Atlantic SD 33-261
The Rolling Stones, Their Satanic Majesties Request, London NPS-2—Beggar’s Banquet, London PS 539—Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out, London NPS-5 —Sticky Fingers, Rolling Stones COC 59100—Hot Rocks, 1964-1971, London 2PS 606/7—Exile on Main Street, Rolling Stones COC 2-2900—Some Girls, Rolling Stones COC 39108
Pete Seeger, We Shall Overcome, Columbia CS 8901—Dangerous Songs!?, Columbia CS 9303
Paul Simon, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, Columbia KC 32280
Simon and Garfunkel, Sounds of Silence, Columbia CS 9269—Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, Columbia CS 9363—Bookends, Columbia KCS 9529—Bridge over Troubled Water, Columbia KCS 9914
Sly and the Family Stone, Stand! Epic BN 26456
The Weavers, Travelling On, Vanguard VSD 2022
The Who, Tommy, Decca DXSW 7205—Who’s Next, Decca DL 79182— Quadrophenia, MCA MCA2-10004
Woodstock, Atlantic SD 3-500
Neil Young, After the Goldrush, Reprise 6383
