Rock and roll launched in the 1950s, but in the 1960s, the rock LP as an art form came into its own. Artists like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and The Beach Boys are perennial favourites on greatest albums of all time lists.
Rock and pop music became more complex in the mid-1960s, as groups pushed the boundaries of subject matter, chord structures, and studio technology. After the psychedelic era, popular music diversified into many strands, such as heavy metal, progressive rock, and roots music, which would be explored further in the 1970s.
1960s acts I plan to review include Otis Redding and Janis Joplin, as well as prominent rock bands like The Who, The Kinks, The Doors, and Cream. A bunch of acts that started their careers in the late 1960s and went on to further triumphs in the 1970s can be found on the 1970s review page. These include Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, and Joni Mitchell.
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The Band started as The Hawks, backing blues belter Ronnie Hawkins before supporting Bob Dylan on his controversial 1966 electric…
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As a casual music listener, it’s easy to hear The Beach Boys’ sun-drenched hits and conclude that the group were…
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Amazingly, for a band divided into factions since the mid-1960s, it took until 1977 for a solo album to emerge…
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From very early in their career and probably until the demise of Western civilization, Liverpool’s The Beatles will stand unchallenged…
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Buffalo Springfield were a short-lived, but fascinating band. It’s easy to draw parallels with The Byrds. Both were 1960s Californian…
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The Byrds started as a folk band, but their cover of Bob Dylan‘s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ crystallised their distinctive sound,…
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Gene Clark achieved fame and success as an early member of The Byrds. As a solo artist, however, he only…
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1969 and 1970 were flagship years for rock music, with most major 1960s acts still releasing albums, and exciting new…
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I was a teenager during the 1990s but I never went through a rebellious phase. While my cooler peers listened…
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Robert Zimmerman was born in Minnesota in 1941, renaming himself Bob Dylan after Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Dylan started his…
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Fairport Convention are the focal point for British folk-rock of their generation. While they started their career as a sixties…
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Aretha Franklin was the Queen of Soul and, according to Barack Obama, “helped define the American experience”. Success, however, didn’t…
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Welshman Richard Harris originally wanted to become a rugby player. But after a bout of tuberculosis, he became an actor.…
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Given his blatant talents, it’s amazing how long it took James Marshall Hendrix to make an album. Seattle-born Hendrix was…
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The Moody Blues started their career as an R&B band, enjoying a hit with ‘Go Now’, fronted by future Wings…
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Harry Edward Nilsson III successfully balanced commercial appeal and cult success in the 1960s and 1970s. He enjoyed hit singles…
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New York’s Laura Nyro wrote a batch of hit songs in the late 1960s, and is an inductee into the…
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It’s widely acknowledged that The Rolling Stones hit their peak between 1968 and 1972 – right now I’m covering those…
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Simon and Garfunkel met as teenagers in a school play, where Simon played the White Rabbit and Garfunkel the Cheshire…
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Los Angeles teenagers Randy Wolfe, bassist Mark Andes, and vocalist Jay Ferguson formed The Red Roosters in the mid-1960s. The…
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1960s New York band The Velvet Underground have been cited as an influence by a legion of followers. Even if the…
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Scott Walker was born Noel Scott Engel, in Hamilton, Ohio. A former child actor, he left his career as a…
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The Zombies get lost in the shuffle of British invasion bands. But despite their small catalogue, they’re one of the…
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Album reviews of 1950s and 1960s artists who don’t qualify for their own page. Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison 1968,…
Read about the discographies of musical acts from the 1960s to the present day. Browse this site's review archives or enjoy these random selections:
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