Record Collecting: 1965 (other notable records)

The contenders (Miles Davis, The Who, Archie Shepp, and more), the bubble, and your inclusions

Apr 22, 2025

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 1965. “Folk rock” is popularized in the American press. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is conceived in a Clearwater, Florida hotel room and dominates the charts before the year’s end. Country goes patriotic in response to growing anti-Vietnam War protests. Arlo Guthrie is arrested in Stockbridge for dumping trash. Symphony of the New World, the first racially integrated orchestra in the United States, performs in Carnegie Hall. Two French pop icons—France Gall and Serge Gainsbourg—win Eurovision representing Luxembourg. Maria Callas gives her final operatic performance. Nat King Cole dies of lung cancer, and Alan Freed succumbs to the effects of alcoholism. Jimi Hendrix and Dolly Parton sign as solo acts. The Beatles play Shea Stadium. Dylan goes electric.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

See all of the 1960s selections

See all selections listed by artist

1965

Part 4

The Contenders

the final cuts to the 30 selections

Miles Davis - E.S.P. (Columbia)

Davis’s second great quintet releases their first statement. Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams help Davis find his voice in the mid-60s American jazz idiom. Impressionistic but still grounded, nods gently toward the avant-garde with an oft-somber blues feel.

Add it to your collection

Archie Shepp - Fire Music (Impulse!)

Shepp, in all his radical, soulful, quirky glory. “New Thing” jazz, freely exploratory and urgent in its conversation with the cultural moment. Three originals and two standards, including an idiosyncratic take on “The Girl from Ipanema.”

Add it to your collection

Davy Graham - Folk, Blues & Beyond… (Decca)

The British folk guitarist wunderkind displays his varied interests: folk (Dylan), blues (Lead Belly), jazz (Mingus), standards (“Ain’t Nobody’s Business What I Do”), and Middle Eastern sounds (“Maajun (A Taste of Tangier)”). Masterful musicianship throughout, coffee house vibes all around.

Add it to your collection

Roger Miller - The Return of Roger Miller (Smash)

Miller crosses over with an album of solidly built but often silly country-pop. “King of the Road” is an absolute smash: easygoing, twangy, sitting on the line perfectly between pop and novelty, echoes of country but consumable by anyone and all.

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Wynton Kelly Trio / Wes Montgomery - Smokin’ at the Half Note (Verve)

Montgomery and his vigorously stylish electric guitar give the audience at NYC’s Half Note quite a show backed by Miles Davis’s rhythm section, aka the Wynton Kelly Trio: Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. Dynamic, engaging, and, yes, smokin’. Jazz to please the whole family.

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The Who - My Generation (Brunswick)

The Who are out of the gates with a bang. That bang being the simultaneous explosion of Keith Moon’s snare hit and Pete Townshend’s powerful strum. The title track is an anthem for the ages, and their sound—aggressive, hooky, sloppy in the best way possible—previews all sorts of future styles.

Add it to your collection