Record Collecting: 1966 (other notable records)
The contenders (Wayne Shorter, Merle Haggard, Ennio Morricone, and more), the bubble, and your inclusions
Welcome to my series on record collecting, where we select 30 albums to target for each year between 1960 and 2020. You can find the manifesto here, including links to other entries. In short, as I map my own thinking on how to invest in building a record collection, I hope it will be a useful guide in thinking about yours. The goal is a personal collection that doubles as a modern art musical library with, you know, killer tunes. Apologize in advance for the massive gaps in my musical knowledge. That’s what the comment section is for.
The year is 1966. The psychedelic sound captures the imagination of young rock, as does the idea of the album as an album. Herb Albert has five records simultaneously in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Pop Album Chart. The Monkees TV show premieres, and “I’m a Believer” tops the charts in the United States. David Jones changes his name to Bowie so not to be confused with Davy’s new popularity. WOR in New York City becomes the first FM rock music station. Džuboks debuts in Yugoslavia, the first rock music magazine to be released in a socialist country. Stockhausen composes the tape loop-focused Solo as well as Telemusik, which mixes traditional ethnic music with electronic sounds. Charley Pride signs to RCA. Hendrix arrives in London. Lennon meets Ono. Mississippi John Hurt passes, and Bud Powell loses to his demons. “We’re more popular than Jesus now.” “Judas!”
See all of the 1960s selections
See all selections listed by artist
1966
Part 4
The Contenders
the final cuts to the 30 selections
Wayne Shorter - Adam’s Apple (Blue Note)
“Footprints.” Not quite as sensational as Shorter’s 1964 sessions, but still solid and all-around interesting post-bop. This is about the first appearance of “Footprints” though, one of the great jazz standards.
Ennio Morricone - Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo (Colonna Sonora Originale) (Eureka)
Doo-dee-doo-dee-doo wah-wah-waaaaaaaaah. Morricone’s soundtrack to The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly remains influential and instantly recognizable today. Pretty good for a two-note melody. The record holds up as a good listen apart from the visuals, which not many film scores can say, especially in this era.
Robert Pete Williams - Louisiana Blues (Takoma)
Acoustic country-blues released on John Fahey’s label, which means you come for the guitar playing as much as the blues storytelling. Williams sews together punchy, twirly runs of guitar flourish into hypnotic rhythms. Great jacket art on the early issues.
John Coltrane - Meditations (Impulse!)
Coltrane’s classic quartet absorbs a second drummer in Rashied Ali and an acolyte in Pharoah Sanders. More breathing room than Ascension, but the core blues- and spiritual-imbued free jazz stays hot.
Merle Haggard & the Strangers - Swinging Doors (and The Bottle Let Me Down) (Capitol)
Haggard finds stardom with the two lead singles on this record. He also introduces the Strangers, a Bakersfield country band that helps give rollicking life to Haggard’s fine storytelling.
Percy Sledge - When a Man Loves a Woman (Atlantic)
Sing it with me! Wheeen a maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan loooooves a woooooooommmmaaaannnnn! You must be dead inside to not swoon immediately. The rest of the album never reaches that high point again (what does?), but it is still a solid set of country-soul from top to bottom.
The Bubble
other records that rose above the crowd
John Handy - The 2nd John Handy Album (Columbia) post-bop jazz
The Supremes - A’ Go-Go (Motown) pop-soul
Mulatu Astatke & his Ethiopian Quintet - Afro-Latin Soul (Worthy) Afro-Latin jazz
Jacques Brel - Ces Gens-là (Barclay) French pop
Bobby Hutcherson - Components (Blue Note) post-bop jazz
The Statler Brothers - Flowers on the Wall (Columbia) country-pop
Cream - Fresh Cream (Reaction) blues-rock
The Fugs - The Fugs (ESP-Disk) garage rock
Sam & Dave - Hold On, I’m Comin’ (Stax) deep soul
The Supremes - I Hear a Symphony (Motown) pop-soul
Sun Ra - The Magic City (Saturn) avant-garde jazz
Don Friedman - Metamorphosis (Prestige) post-bop jazz
Joe Henderson - Mode for Joe (Blue Note) hard bop jazz
The Monkees - The Monkees (Colgems) AM pop
Junior Walker & the All-Stars - Road Runner (Soul) soul
Lee Morgan - Search for the New Land (Blue Note) hard bop jazz
The Seeds - The Seeds (GNP Crescendo) garage rock
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands (Reprise) vocal pop
Skip James - Skip James Today! (Vanguard) acoustic blues
Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence (Columbia) folk-pop
Gabor Szabo - Spellbinder (Impulse!) crossover jazz
Larry Young - Unity (Blue Note) interstellar hard-bop
Stevie Wonder - Up-Tight Everything’s Alright (Tamla) soul-pop
The Crowd
your inclusions that I sorely overlooked, updated as suggestions come in
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