The 60's & 70's - What essentials am I missing?

[If you shout...]

What little I've heard of them on the radio, I'm not a big fan.

EPIC WIN.

 

[bono_212]

Zoots have you listened to 70s Springsteen? I'm just curious

 

[Zoots]

EPIC FAIL.

EPIC WIN.

Musical taste is so individual ultimately

But I really do want to give the album another chance, because I absolutely love Cars and Metal!

Bon Scott era AC/DC, Sex Pistols, Machine Head, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, The Jam, The Stranglers

Is Back In Black from that era? I do have that one on CD but kinda lost interest over the years and never ripped it to itunes. Not a fan of Sex Pistols from the one or two listens I gave Never Mind The Bollocks. Aerosmith, I guess I need Rocks. Black Sabbath I love but only have their hits CD, We Sold Our Soul. The others you mentioned I don't know but have heard the names.

Zoots have you listened to 70s Springsteen? I'm just curious

Whatever is on his black and red hits CD. And whatever you guys put in DI lists. That's it. I don't know. Some Springsteen songs I really love and some bore me with the extremely verbose lyrics.

 

[Zoots]

There seem to be too many songs too.

lolol sorry I just now noticed that the official album only has 10 songs! My copy seems to have like 7 bonus tracks. No wonder I thought it was too long.

I'm listening to this album again right now.

 

[joyfulgirl]

You need my two favorite records from 1975:
Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen

You don't have to like them, but a record collection can't be taken seriously without them.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

The Ramones' first four albums are a lot of fun. Some might even call them essential.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Other suggestions that I didn't see mentioned:

You need some jazz - at the very least:
Kind of Blue - Miles Davis (1962)
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane (1964)

The Band - Music from Big Pink (1968)
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left (1969)
Van Morrison - Moondance (1970)
Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey (1971)
Joni Mitchell - Blue (1971)
Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel (1973)
Tom Waits - Closing Time (1973)
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1976)
Elvis Costello - My Aim is True (1977)
Kate Bush - The Kick Inside (1978)
Elvis Costello - Armed Forces (1979)

 

[Zoots]

You need my two favorite records from 1975:
Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen

You don't have to like them, but a record collection can't be taken seriously without them.

Haha yeah I need at least the most important Dylan and Springsteen albums I guess cos right now I only have scattered songs from all over the place.

The Ramones' first four albums are a lot of fun. Some might even call them essential.

I do have their hits package called Mania with 30 songs or something.

Other suggestions that I didn't see mentioned:

You need some jazz - at the very least:
Kind of Blue - Miles Davis (1962)
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane (1964)

Yes!!! Also on my wish list!

Kate Bush - The Kick Inside (1978)

Is that the one with Wuthering Heights?

Thanks for all the great suggestions btw!

 

[joyfulgirl]

Is that the one with Wuthering Heights?

 

[LemonMelon]

Compiled from rateyourmusic:

1960-1962
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
Booker T. & the MGs - Green Onions

1963-1964
Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan - Another Side of Bob Dylan

1965
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas

1966
Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
The Kinks - Face to Face
The Animals - Animalism

1967
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold as Love
Love - Forever Changes
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen
Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
The Kinks - Something Else by The Kinks
Miles Davis - Miles Smiles
The Byrds - Greatest Hits
The Who - The Who Sell Out
Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield Again
Cream - Disraeli Gears
Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow
The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
Moby Grape - Moby Grape

1968
The Kinks - The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
The Band - Music From Big Pink
The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow
Dr. John - Gris-Gris
Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends
Small Faces - Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
Taj Mahal - Taj Mahal
Van Dyke Parks - Song Cycle
Jeff Beck - Truth

1969
Miles Davis - In a Silent Way
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
Neil Young - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
The Band - The Band
The Kinks - Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire
Sly and the Family Stone - Stand!
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willy and the Poor Boys
Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
Tim Buckley - Happy Sad
The Who - Tommy
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash
The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers Band
Chicago - The Chicago Transit Authority
MC5 - Kick Out the Jams
Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline
The Moody Blues - To Our Children's Children's Children
Blind Faith - Blind Faith
Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends

1970
The Stooges - Fun House
Neil Young - After the Gold Rush
The Who - Live at Leeds (look for the deluxe edition, if possible)
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
John Lennon - John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
Van Morrison - Moondance
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (seriously, you don't own this?)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Déja vu
Derek & the Dominos - Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs
Santana - Abraxas
Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
Tim Buckley - Starsailor
The Velvet Underground - Loaded
The Kinks - Lola Versus Powerman and the Money-Go-Round (Part One)
Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die
Free - Fire and Water
Randy Newman - 12 Songs
Paul McCartney - McCartney

1971
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
The Who - Who's Next
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate
Sly and the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
T. Rex - Electric Warrior
Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Yes - Fragile
John Lennon - Imagine
Paul McCartney - Ram
Carole King - Tapestry
Janis Joplin - Pearl
Elton John - Madman Across the Water

1972
Nick Drake - Pink Moon
Yes - Close to the Edge
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St.
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
Can - Ege Bamyasi
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Genesis - Foxtrot
Randy Newman - Sail Away
Neil Young - Harvest
Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
The Allman Brothers Band - Eat a Peach
Lou Reed - Transformer
Neu! - Neu!
Todd Rundgren - Something / Anything?
Big Star - #1 Record (later packaged with "Radio City")
Elton John - Honky Château

1973
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
Genesis - Selling England by the Pound
The Stooges - Raw Power
Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-Nerd-Skin-Nerd
Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, A True Star
Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
Wings - Band on the Run
ZZ Top - Tres Hombres
New York Dolls - New York Dolls
Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Waylon Jennings - Honky Tonk Heroes
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery

1974
King Crimson - Red
Neil Young - On the Beach
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark
Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs
Randy Newman - Good Old Boys
Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic
Big Star - Radio City (later packaged with "#1 Record")
Willie Nelson - Phases and Stages
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Second Helping
Blue Öyster Cult - Secret Treaties
David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard

1975
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
Brian Eno - Another Green World
Parliament - Mothership Connection
Patti Smith - Horses
Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger
KISS - Alive!
Steely Dan - Katy Lied
Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow
Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

1976
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
Ramones - Ramones
The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
Rainbow - Rising
David Bowie - Station to Station
Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
Aerosmith - Rocks
Boston - Boston
Rush - 2112
Genesis - A Trick of the Tail
AC/DC - High Voltage
Heart - Dreamboat Annie
Eagles - Hotel California
Al Stewart - Year of the Cat
Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive!

1977
Television - Marquee Moon
David Bowie - Low
Ramones - Rocket to Russia
Wire - Pink Flag
The Clash - The Clash
Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Kraftwerk - Trans Europa Express
Steely Dan - Aja
Iggy Pop - Lust for Life
Iggy Pop - The Idiot
AC/DC - Let There Be Rock
Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
Electric Light Orchestra - Out of the Blue
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell

1978
Elvis Costello - This Year's Model
Wire - Chairs Missing
Van Halen - Van Halen
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
The Cars - The Cars
Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy
Funkadelic - One Nation Under a Groove
Blondie - Parallel Lines
The Rolling Stones - Some Girls

1979
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps
Gang of Four - Entertainment!
AC/DC - Highway to Hell
Joe Jackson - Look Sharp!
Supertramp - Breakfast in America

OK, that'll do for now. If you have any requests, just drop me a PM.

 

[Zoots]

Oh geez! I'm gonna be broke before I even finish buying all these albums!

Thanks for posting such a detailed list, ElMel. Yeah I looked at RYM too. So these albums are the ones YOU think are essential, correct? Not what RYM thinks. Damn, there are too many essential albums!

 

[LemonMelon]

Oh geez! I'm gonna be broke before I even finish buying all these albums!

Thanks for posting such a detailed list, ElMel. Yeah I looked at RYM too. So these albums are the ones YOU think are essential, correct? Not what RYM thinks. Damn, there are too many essential albums!

Indeed you will. Unless you utilize yer interwebz. (Or buy used CDs, which I'm getting into and fully support).

My choices were a mixture of RYM's taste, my own, and what's so absurdly popular that you should at least give it a chance to see what you think. I feel it's a very good, diverse primer.

 

[Zoots]

Indeed you will. Unless you utilize yer interwebz. (Or buy used CDs, which I'm getting into and fully support).

Oh I do utilize the interwebz... quite a bit. But I dunno... nothing like holding the physical CD in your hand with liner notes and all. Cannot compare! Used CDs =

 

[the tourist]

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon - Imagine
Paul McCartney - Ram On

 

[Zoobaby14]

You are in need of some more Bowie, and some Roxy music

 

[intedomine]

The Kinks - The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
.

In all fairness, that album is probably more enjoyable than any of the Beatles albums. It's just soo accomplished, and flows quite magically. Lyrically, it's more conceptual as well.

Quite essential.


Maybe a Shadows compilation might compliment the 60's stuff. That's who so many of those gun 60's bands were listening to.

 

[LemonMelon]

In all fairness, that album is probably more enjoyable than any of the Beatles albums. It's just soo accomplished, and flows quite magically. Lyrically, it's more conceptual as well.

Quite essential.

Personally, I'd put it above about half of the Beatles' discography, and sometimes higher, depending on my mood. Definitely essential. I almost put an asterisk next to it because it's so damn essential.

 

[Zoots]

I just added a shit load of 60's albums to my amazon wish list! On to the Used section now.

 

[toscano]

You are in need of some more Bowie, and some Roxy music

Speaking of which, Be-Bop Deluxe !

 

[Zoots]

Listening to CCR's Chronicle Vol. I after quite some time and man... what a great fucking band! So many 5 star songs!

 

[phillyfan26]

Station to Station and Aladdin Sane by Bowie should be high on your list. Space Oddity is great, too, but that's probably more of a personal favorite than anything.

 

[namkcuR]

Station to Station and Aladdin Sane by Bowie should be high on your list. Space Oddity is great, too, but that's probably more of a personal favorite than anything.

Personally I'd put Hunky Dory, Heroes, and The Man Who Sold The World above Aladdin Sane.

 

[Zoots]

Life On Mars is probably my favorite Bowie song. So Hunky Dory perhaps?

 

[LemonMelon]

Life On Mars is probably my favorite Bowie song. So Hunky Dory perhaps?

Life On Mars does not sound anything like the rest of Hunky Dory, which is supremely eclectic (and, to be honest, a bit of a mixed bag quality-wise), so keep that in mind before purchasing.

Station To Station and Aladdin Sane are his best, in my opinion.

 

[phillyfan26]

My 60s and 70s list is even weaker, Zoots:

1960-1964
N/A

1965
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
The Beatles - Rubber Soul

1966
The Beatles - Revolver

1967
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Who - The Who Sell Out

1968
The Beatles - The Beatles (The White Album)

1969
David Bowie - Space Oddity
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
The Beatles - Abbey Road
The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed

1970
David Bowie - The Man Who Sold the World
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III

1971
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
Pink Floyd - Meddle
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
The Who - Who's Next

1972
Bruce Springsteen - Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ
David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St.

1973
Billy Joel - Piano Man
Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
The Who - Quadrophenia

1974
David Bowie - Diamond Dogs

1975
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
Chicago - Greatest Hits Vol. 1
David Bowie - Young Americans
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Queen - A Night at the Opera

1976
David Bowie - Station to Station

1977
David Bowie - Low
David Bowie - "Heroes"
Pink Floyd - Animals
Steely Dan - Aja
The Clash - The Clash

1978
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town

1979
David Bowie - Lodger
Pink Floyd - The Wall
The Clash - London Calling

Shit's weaksauce. My list can be critiqued, also, but it will be pretty much the same everyone recommends to Zoots, I imagine.

 

[LemonMelon]

No, Pfan, your list is not weaker. There are more albums there, and better variety. But yeah, you're still missing a ton. The list I posted earlier is so eclectic that it would probably suit anyone's tastes to an extent, so go with that.

 

[namkcuR]

Just a tip...most if not all of these well-known records are up in full on Youtube. It's a fast way to listen to full albums, albeit in youtube sound quality - so you can know if you like them or not before taking the time to torrent/buy them.

 

[phillyfan26]

No, Pfan, your list is not weaker. There are more albums there, and better variety. But yeah, you're still missing a ton. The list I posted earlier is so eclectic that it would probably suit anyone's tastes to an extent, so go with that.

I didn't think I had as many as he did. Shows my math talent.

 

[LemonMelon]

I didn't think I had as many as he did. Shows my math talent.

It's damn close. By my count, you have 46 and he has 45.

I should count how many I have, but it would take forever. Probably around 150 or so. That's not counting my parents' vinyl collection, which amounts to around 100.

 

[Popmartijn]

Here are some more suggestions I didn't see mentioned:
1962:
James Brown - At The Apollo

1965:
The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man

1969:
The Stooges - The Stooges
Johnny Cash - At San Quentin

1970:
Sly and The Family Stone - Greatest Hits (or just go all the way and get A Whole New Thing (1967), Dance To The Music (1968), Life (1968), Fresh (1973) and Small Talk (1975) too in addition to Stand! and There's A Riot Going On.

1973:
Lou Reed - Berlin

1978:
Van Halen - Van Halen

When I get home and look at my collection I might come up with some more great titles from those two decades.