The Smiley Smile Message Board

I've compiled many greatest albums lists in my day and would like to see how others would compile, in their own opinions, their personal greatest albums lists. I chose to share with the board my 1966 list, as Pet Sounds is my favorite album of all and is relevant to this board, in particular. If this thread is relatively successful I have many other lists compiled that I would enjoy sharing. *In no way have I come up with a scientific process to accurately portray these albums in order, aside from perhaps the top 10 or 20, varying from list to list.*

• 1.   The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
  2.   The Beatles - Revolver
  3.   Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde
  4.   The Kinks - Face To Face
  5.   The Rolling Stones - Aftermath
  6.   The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!
  7.   John Coltrane - Ascension
  8.   The Who - A Quick One
  9.   Otis Redding - Complete & Unbelievable
  10.   The 13th Floor Elevators - Psychedelic Sounds
  11.   Cream - Fresh Cream
  12.   Donovan - Sunshine Superman
  13.   Simon & Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme
  14.   Yardbirds - Roger The Engineer
  15.   The Byrds - Fifth Dimension
  16.   Love - S/T
  17.   Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence
  18.   Buffy Sainte-Marie - Little Wheel Spin & Spin
  19.   The Young Rascals - S/T
  20.   The Animals - Best of
  21.   The Mamas & The Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears
  22.   The Rolling Stones - Big Hits
  23.   The Fugs - S/T
  24.   The Small Faces - S/T
  25.   Buffalo Springfield - S/T
  26.   The Beatles - Yesterday & Today
  27.   The Incredible String Band - S/T
  28.   Otis Redding - Soul Album
  29.   The Seeds - S/T
  30.   The Troggs - From Nowhere
  31.   Jefferson Airplane - Takes Off
  32.   The Seeds - A Web of Sound
  33.   John Fahey - The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party
  34.   The Misunderstood - The Lost Acetates
  35.   The Monks - Black Monk Time
  36.   John Mayall w/ Eric Clapton - Blues Breakers
  37.   Nina Simone - Wild is the Wind
  38.   Tim Buckley - S/T
  39.   Roy Harper - Sophisticated Beggar
  40.   Fred Neil - S/T
  41.   The Lovin' Spoonful - Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful
  42.   The Sonics - Boom
  43.   The Supremes - A Go-Go
  44.   The Godz - Contact High
  45.   Sun Ra - Other Planes of There
  46.   The Monkees - S/T
  47.   Lee Hazlewood - The Very Special World of...
  48.   Bert Jansch - Jack Orion
  49.   The Count Five - Psychotic Reaction
  50.   Sam & Dave - Hold On, I'm Comin'
  

Great list man, you must own a lot of music. I'd love to see your top for other years.

Thank you kindly. I do take pride in my collection. Listening to music takes up a substantial fraction of my time. I currently have so far: Top 50 albums of every year from 1965 - 1978 as well as a Top 600 Albums of All Time. The latter is very biased so I've left that on the back burner for now. Everyone feel free to post your own lists, be they Top 5 or Top 50.

The best year ever for music, although much of it was on 45rpm.  However, both the Beach Boys and Beatles released their finest albums in 1966, which says something.

Great list.  I cannot claim to have heard them all, but it was a year of many worthy releases.

I would add, perhaps obviously, Zappa's Freak Out!.  This was to pop music what Ulysses was to fiction, adding a new dimension to the familiar.  Though few have wanted to follow its path, that is their own loss.  66 brought us a lot of great music, both wonderful and yet trivialized by Freak Out!.  Though powerful, I'd even argue this album, which should have been released in 66, was made irrelevant by Freak Out! too:

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/Velvet_Underground_and_Nico.jpg)

Best or not, '66 was a good 'un. I'd add the Sonics' "Boom" to the list, as well.

Jefferson Airplane's Takes Off was 1965, no? Surrealistic Pillow was 1966, making the best year ever even better :)

Well according to wikipedia, which is my main source for information sadly, Takes Off was 66 and SP was 67. I think I'm just going to designate this thread for all years so I'm not flooding the board with these lists. '67 coming up.

I stand corrected!

My top 10:

1. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico (life-changing)
2. The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (overrated or not, I still think this is genius)
3. Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding (in many ways the opposite of Blonde on Blonde, but just as good)
4. Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You
5. Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

6. Love - Forever Changes
7. The Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request
8. The Beach Boys - Smiley Smile
9. Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
10. Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow

We're gonna do this up to 2014, no?  :smokin

ad infinitum  :o

I'll give 1967 a shot.
My top seventeen:

01. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
02. Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn
03. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
04. Captain Beefheart - Safe as Milk
05. The Mothers of Invention - Absolutely Free
06. The Kinks - Something Else by the Kinks
07. The Beach Boys - Wild Honey
08. Scott Walker - Scott
09. Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding
10. Sinatra/Jobim - Sinatra/Jobim
11. The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
12. Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen
13. The Monkees - Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.
14. Harry Nilsson - Pandemonium Shadow Show
15. The Beach Boys - Smiley Smile
16. Gene Clark - Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers
17. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?


Tough list, but I'm feeling good about it for the moment.

Slightly out of order, but I live life on the edge, so...
My top 5 for 1966:

1. Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (Did you really expect anything else)
2. The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!
3. The Beatles - Revolver (John's "And Your Bird Can Sing" and "Doctor Robert" really drag this album down for me)
4. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
5. The Kinks - Face to Face

And how! God willing...

 I haven't heard many albums from 1966. I don't buy many albums, don't fileshare, and am just usually slow to try new things. I also just prefer listening to individual tracks on youtube and greatest hits comps. I'll rank what i've heard. 

1. Face to Face (rocking, concise, witty -- i love it)
2. Pet Sounds (peerless production and arrangements but not the lyrics are nothing special)
3. Revolver (tight arrangements but a bit cobbled together -- The Beatles 20/20)
4. Blonde on Blonde - (too much shrieking harmonica ouch)

Despite my love of 1960s Kinks, I can't get into Face to Face at all, apart from Fancy, Dandy and Sunny Afternoon. The albums either side of it seem worlds better to me. Any tips for how I can "get it"?


All my life I have thought Velvet Underground and Nico came out in 1966! Must have read somewhere the year it was recorded and it just lodged in my head.

Its my second favorite after VGPS which probably means its one of my ten favorite albums ever. I'll Remember is such a cute closer, try that one out.

Funny, "I'll Remember" is probably my least favorite off of Face to Face.
You've named most of my favorites with your short list, UR, although I think you're missing out on "Rainy Day in June". The lyrics, sparse arrangement, and sound effects create a cool mood, and the chorus and the way it builds up is great.
"Party Line" and "Holiday in Waikiki" are fun, super-catchy, rollicking songs, and I really love the guitar on "Little Miss Queen of Darkness."

 i also love Session Man, incredible melody and a clever lyric. I like the high voices in the refrain. Too Much On My Mind is a song that touches the heart. Youre Looking Fine is a stupid, but fun blues tune. Dave's vocal sounds good for once. Ill Remember is another simple one, but the sentiment is irressistable. The guitar also sounds cool.

I'll risk another JA-related faux-pas... can we add After Bathing at Baxter's to the 1967 list?

That's my favourite psychedelic album of all time.

Id throw in a classic motown album from 1966 Ive been listening to a lot lately

The Temptations - Gettin Ready

all killer no filler...

Id say the same for the Smokey and the Miracles albums - Going to a go-go (1965) and Make it happen (1967)

The '66 list needs more Garage...

The Shadows of Knight - Gloria

and in '67

The Electric Prunes - s/t

Back by popular demand I, herein, shall resurrect this thread. My lists have not been updated since this thread was started, so in the last 2 years, I'm sure I would have added or removed some from the lists, but I do not have the time to review them all - so I will post as-is. Here goes the neighborhood..

Greatest Albums of 1965

• 1.   Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
  2.   The Beatles - Rubber Soul
  3.   Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
  4.   The Beach Boys - Today!
  5.   The Rolling Stones – Out of Our Heads
  6.   The Who - My Generation
  7.   The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man
  8.   The Kinks - Kink Kontroversy
  9.   The Beach Boys – Summer Days (And Summer Nights)
  10.   Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Going To A Go-Go
  11.   Yardbirds - Having A Rave-Up
  12.   Otis Redding - Otis Blue
  13.   The Beatles - Help!
  14.   The Rolling Stones – Now!
  15.   The Zombies - S/T
  16.   The Temptations - Sing Smokey
  17.   The Impressions - People Get Ready
  18.   John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
  19.   The Sonics - Here Are The Sonics
  20.   The Kinks - Kinda Kinks
  21.   The Supremes - More Hits By The Supremes
  22.   Bert Jansch - S/T
  23.   Patty Waters - Sings
  24.   Miles Davis - My Funny Valentine
  25.   Donovan - What's Been Did & What's Been Hid
  26.   Donovan - Fairytale
  27.   Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Rip, Rig & Panic
  28.   Them - The Angry Young Them
  29.   Buck Owens & His Buckaroos – I’ve Got a Tiger By The Tail
  30.   Johnny Cash - Sings The Ballads of the True West
  31.   Paul Butterfield Blues Band - S/T
  32.   Toots & The Maytals – The Sensational Maytals
  33.   Martin Carthy – S/T
  34.   The Shangri-Las – Shangri-Las-65!
  35.   Temptations - The Temptin' Temptations
  36.   John Fahey – Dance of Death and Other Plantation Favorites
  37.   Miles Davis - ESP
  38.   The Rolling Stones - December's Children
  39.   The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn!
  40.   Skip James - Today!
  41.   The Fugs - First Album
  42.   Nina Simone - Pastel Blues
  43.   John Fahey - Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death
  44.   Jackson C. Frank - S/T
  45.   The Pretty Things - S/T
  46.   Phil Ochs - I Ain't Marching Anymore
  47.   Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds, Volume 1
  48.   B.B. King - Live At The Regal
  49.   Astrud Gilberto - The Astrud Gilberto Album
  50.   Junior Wells’ Chicago Blues Band – Hoodoo Man Blues
  

Greatest Albums of 1968

• 1.   Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
  2.   The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society
  3.   The Beatles - White Album
  4.   Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland
  5.   The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
  6.   Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends
  7.   The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle
  8.   The Band - Music From Big Pink
  9.   The Byrds - Notorious Byrd Brothers
  10.   Cream - Wheels of Fire
  11.   Van Dyke Parks - Song Cycle
  12.   The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo
  13.   The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
  14.   Dr. John - Gris-Gris
  15.   Incredible String Band - The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
  16.   The United States of America - S/T
  17.   The Beach Boys - Friends
  18.   The Move - S/T
  19.   Scott Walker - Scott 2
  20.   Small Faces - Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
  21.   Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets
  22.   Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul
  23.   Os Mutantes - S/T
  24.   Randy Newman - S/T
  25.   Silver Apples - S/T
  26.   The Grateful Dead - Anthem of the Sun
  27.   Big Brother & The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills
  28.   The Who - Magic Bus On Tour
  29.   Donovan - Hurdy Gurdy Man
  30.   The Monkees - Head
  31.   The Pretty Things - SF Sorrow
  32.   The Everly Brothers - Roots
  33.   Lee Hazlewood - Love & Other Crimes
  34.   Otis Redding - Dock of the Bay
  35.   The Mothers of Invention - We're Only In It For The Money
  36.   Magic Sam - Black Magic
  37.   The Soft Machine - S/T
  38.   Caetano Veloso - S/T
  39.   Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Strictly Personal
  40.   The Red Krayola - God Bless The Red Krayola
  41.   Harry Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
  42.   Harumi - S/T
  43.   Dillard & Clark - The Fantastic Expedition
  44.   Gilberto Gil - S/T
  45.   Sly & The Family Stone - Life
  46.   Steve Miller Band – Children of the Future
  47.   The Idle Race - The Birthday Party
  48.   Bruce Haack - Way-Out Album for Children
  49.   Pentangle - Sweet Child
  50.   Pearls Before Swine - Balaklava
  

My old lists are sorta lame.

1968
01. The Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks
02. White Light/White Heat by The Velvet Underground
03. Odessey and Oracle by The Zombies
04. We're Only in It for the Money by The Mothers of Invention
05. Astral Weeks by Van Morrison
06. Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
07. Sweetheart of the Rodeo by The Byrds
08. Friends by The Beach Boys
09. The Beatles by The Beatles
10. Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel
11. At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash
12. Beggars Banquet by The Rolling Stones
13. Gris-Gris by Dr. John
14. Ariel Ballet by Harry Nilsson
15. Lumpy Gravy by Frank Zappa

Man, 1968 is one of my favorite years for music.

It's cool that some of you can do / are doing this. It's the sort of thing I used to spend absurd amounts of time trying to do, but these days I just think it's Sisyphean: I start debating what I even mean by "greatest," realize it's just my own impression, start wondering who's going to think what about my life, change my mind about this or that, start debating which genres to include (as my jazz collection comes to mind), etc.

But what I love about these lists is that when I see someone else's, I sometimes get ideas from albums I don't have, haven't heard, have ignored for too long, etc. That's the real value for me: discovery or conversation starters. So while I won't participate for reasons like those above, I do want to say thanks for your lists.

I suspect I don't take this task quite as seriously as you seemed to.
Anyway, it seems like we enjoy this sort of the thing for the same reason. This thread was fun the first time around.

My name is Luther and I have a problem...

Hah I feel ya man. When I was compiling these a couple years back it turned pretty hectic when I began contemplating those same issues. I tried remaining impartial but it's nearly impossible, especially when it comes to my favorite decade of music. I love jazz but I love pop/rock far more so I tried tagging some in during peak years, and of course, there's the controversy of albums from other countries/in foreign languages that are often ignored in these kinds of lists, so I also tried throwing in some non-english albums as well. Brazilian bands were particularly impressive during this period.

And yes, I too find lists like these, by others, to be very useful, especially back in the day when I was a mere fledgling obsessive.

Once again, keep in mind this hasn't been updated in 2 years. That aside, it would most likely be fairly similar, but tastes change; a few additions/subtractions would be inevitable. Hope these lists help you in your rabbit holes.

The Greatest Albums of 1969

1.   The Beatles - Abbey Road
2.   The Velvet Underground - S/T
3.   The Band - S/T
4.   The Kinks - Arthur (or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
5.   The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
6.   The Stooges - S/T
7.   Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica
8.   Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
9.   Creedence Clearwater Revival Band - Willie And The Poor Boys
10.   Neil Young - Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
11.   Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis
12.   The Who - Tommy
13.   King Crimson - In The Court of the Crimson King
14.   Led Zeppelin - S/T
15.   Pentangle - Basket of Light
16.   Miles Davis - In A Silent Way
17.   Fairport Convention - What We Did On Our Holidays
18.   Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking
19.   Fairport Convention - Liege & Lief
20.   Led Zeppelin - II
21.   Crosby, Stills & Nash - S/T
22.   The Flying Burrito Brothers - Gilded Palace of Sin
23.   Sir Douglas Quintet - Mendocino
24.   Sly & The Family Stone - Stand!
25.   Creedence Clearwater Revival Band - Green River
26.   MC5 - Kick Out The Jams
27.   Alexander "Skip" Spence - Oar
28.   Silver Apples - Contact
29.   Scott Walker - Scott 4
30.   Townes Van Zandt - S/T
31.   Scott Walker - Scott 3
32.   Bee Gees - Odessa
33.   Shirley & Dolly Collins - Anthems in Eden
34.   Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
35.   Soft Machine – Vol. 2
36.   Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
37.   Can - Monster Movie
38.   Nico - The Marble Index
39.   White Noise - An Electric Storm
40.   The Shaggs - Philosophy of the World
41.   The Temptations - Cloud Nine
42.   Donovan - Barabajagal
43.   Pink Floyd - Ummagumma
44.   Wendy & Bonnie - Genesis
45.   Townes Van Zandt - Our Mother The Mountain
46.   Grateful Dead - Aoxomoxoa
47.   Grateful Dead - Live/Dead
48.   Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers
49.   Buffy Sainte-Marie - Illuminations
50.   Youngbloods - Elephant Mountain

Greatest Albums of 1970

1.   The Velvet Underground - Loaded
2.   Randy Newman - 12 Songs
3.   Creedence Clearwater Revival Band - Cosmo's Factory
4.   Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead
5.   Van Morrison - Moondance
6.   Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
7.   Derek & The Dominoes - Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
8.   George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
9.   Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
10.   The Stooges - Fun House
11.   Soft Machine - Third
12.   Neil Young - After The Goldrush
13.   The Beach Boys - Sunflower
14.   Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
15.   John Cale - Vintage Violence
16.   Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs
17.   Grateful Dead - American Beauty
18.   The Kinks - Lola Versus Powerman And The Money-go-round
19.   Linda Perhacs - Parallelograms
20.   David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World
21.   Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
22.   The Temptations - Psychedelic Shack
23.   Black Sabbath - Paranoid
24.   Led Zeppelin - III
25.   John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - S/T
26.   The Beatles - Let It Be
27.   MC5 - Back In The U.S.A.
28.   Flamin' Groovies - Flamingo
29.   Badfinger - No Dice
30.   The Carpenters - Close To You
31.   Santana - Abraxas
32.   The Allman Brothers - Idlewild South
33.   The Who - Live at Leeds
34.   T. Rex - S/T
35.   Van Morrison – His Band and The Street Choir
36.   Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon
37.   Vashti Bunyan - Just Another Diamond Day
38.   The Doors - Morrison Hotel
39.   Funkadelic - S/T
40.   Syd Barrett - Barrett
41.   Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother
42.   Funkadelic - Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow
43.   Tim Buckley - Starsailor
44.   Bill Fay - S/T
45.   Bob Dylan - New Morning
46.   Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman
47.   James Taylor - Sweet Baby James
48.   Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu
49.   The Meters - Look-Ka Py Py
50.   Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Lick My Decals Off, Baby

Greatest Albums of 1971

1.   Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
2.   Sly & The Family Stone - There's A Riot Goin' On
3.   David Bowie - Hunky Dory
4.   The Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head
5.   The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
6.   The Who - Who's Next
7.   Led Zeppelin - IV
8.   T. Rex - Electric Warrior
9.   Pink Floyd - Meddle
10.   Can - Tago Mago
11.   John Lennon - Imagine
12.   Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
13.   Paul & Linda McCartney - Ram
14.   Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
15.   Miles Davis - A Tribute To Jack Johnson
16.   Roy Harper - Stormcock
17.   The Beach Boys - Surf's Up
18.   Joni Mitchell - Blue
19.   Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate
20.   Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire De Melody Nelson
21.   The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies
22.   Faces - A Nod is As Good As a Wink To a Dead Horse...
23.   Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story
24.   The Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame
25.   Amon Duul II - Tanz der Lemminge
26.   John Prine - S/T
27.   Todd Rundgren - Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren
28.   Miles Davis - Live/Evil
29.   Little Feat - S/T
30.   Carole King - Tapestry
31.   The Doors - L.A. Woman
32.   Faces - Long Player
33.   Janis Joplin - Pearl
34.   Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
35.   Robert Wyatt - End of An Ear
36.   Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey
37.   Gene Clark - White Light
38.   Soft Machine - Fourth
39.   The Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East
40.   Cat Stevens - Teaser and The Firecat
41.   David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name
42.   Delaney & Bonnie - Motel Shot
43.   Stevie Wonder - Where I'm Coming From
44.   Alice Cooper - Love It To Death
45.   Aphrodite's Child - 666
46.   Jethro Tull - Aqualung
47.   Bill Withers - Just As I Am
48.   Badfinger - Straight Up
49.   Yes - The Yes Album
50.   Al Green - Gets Next To You

Good stuff, Yonder - -I think I've owned around 80% of your listed LPs and heard most of the rest.

1972 is coming next and I expect to see Blue Oyster Cult's debut near the top!