Here are my next ten albums, for the top 30 of 1965.
The Next 10 Albums, for My Top 30 Albums of 1965
Note: Some of this commentary is adapted from that in No Hype No Trends Music’s 200 Best Albums of the 1960s.
As always, you can jump to the playlist at the bottom of each post to listen while you read.
Within each tier (Top 6, Next 6, Next 8, Next 10, etc.), all albums are listed roughly chronologically (all release dates from Wikipedia, unless otherwise noted).
The Rolling Stones
No. 2 [UK]
The Rolling StonesReleased 1965/01/15
The narrative on the early Stones is that they were still finding their voice; it would be a couple years before their artistic identity reached fruition. And there’s truth to that.
But their youthful brashness still shines through, especially when you compare them not to their later work but to their contemporaries—listening to the early Stones alongside the first Hollies album, for example, makes the Hollies (and early Beatles, too) sound like a bunch of lily-white mama’s boys. There’s a snide snarl to Mick Jagger’s voice that set them apart, even at this early stage. This album, while certainly not as essential as their later work, is still worth many a listen.
Listen to more Rolling Stones.
Read more in my top 200 of the decade.
Notable Critical Mentions:
- Acclaimed Music top albums of the ’60s, No. 133
- Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003), No. 181
Shirley Collins & Davy Graham
Folk Roots, New Routes
Released 1965 (sources differ; some say ’64 some ’65)
Prominent English Folk Revivalist Shirley Collins teams up with guitarist Davy Graham (whose influences went beyond folk and blues into jazz and world music). The results are stunning, Graham’s guitar providing a rich, eclectic backdrop for Collins’ pure vocal talent.
Note: I have had difficulty discovering when this was released with absolutely certainty. Some sources say 1964, others 1965. (One description on Discogs.com stated that the record label lists 1965 and the cover 1964.) I assumed it was one of those albums which was essentially completed one year but not released until the next. So here I’ve placed it, in 1965.
Notable Critical Mentions:
- Acclaimed Music, bubbling under the top 3000 albums of all time
The Shangri-Las
Leader of the Pack
Released 1965/02
Projecting a tougher, more street-smart image than their other girl-group contemporaries, the Shangri-Las infused their songs with tales of teenage melodrama. The title tracks here is considered a classic song of teenage tragedy (also sometimes called a “death disc” or splatter platter”). The opening conversation and climactic motorcycle crash lend it a cinematic quality that sets it apart from the work of their peers. Side one of their debut album is superb, side two mostly an afterthought. Their follow-up Shangri-Las-65!, released later the same year (obviously, given the title), was more consistent, although with fewer truly great moments.
Playlist Note: Neither of the Shangri-las studio albums seem available on Spotify, but almost all the tracks from them are available on various compilations, including my selections.
Notable Critical Mentions:
- Paste 60 Best Albums of the 1960s, No. 046
The Kinks
Kinda Kinks [UK]
Released 1965/03/05 (UK)
A very good early Kinks album, a shade below their greats, Something Else and Face to Face. But only a shade.
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach BoysReleased 1965/03/08
Perhaps the best Beach Boys album pre-Pet Sounds. (All Summer Long and Summer Days and Summer Nights are just about as good, too.)
Notable Critical Mentions:
- Acclaimed Music top albums of the ’60s, No. 131
- 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005)
- Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003), No. 270
Booker T. & The MG’s
Soul Dressing
Released 1965/03
It can’t boast an instantly recognizable classic like “Green Onions,” but this may be a better album than their debut—more consistent, at least. Great, tuneful instrumental grooves from the Stax Records house band.
Notable Critical Mentions:
- Acclaimed Music, bubbling under the top 3000 albums of all time
France Gall
Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son [Fr]
Released 1965/04
Possibly the best album from France (the country)’s best teeny-bopper pop star, although all her ‘60s albums are worth a listen.
Playlist Note: France Gall’s 1960s output, by a wide margin the best of her career, as far as I’m concerned, seems completely neglected in Spotify. The album Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son was unavailable, and I only found one track on a compilation. That’s one track more than I found from her debut. I guess this should be no surprise, given she’s a French pop star, whom hardly anyone in the U.S. knows about. But something odd is up, since her less impressive post-‘60s career seems well-represented, and no one here has heard of that stuff, either.
The Sonics
Here Are the Sonics!!!
Released 1965
Prototypical garage rockers and proto-punks from Washington State, The Sonics crank out some flat-out frenzied classics. Lead singer Gerry Roslie belts out these tunes with reckless abandon (I suspect mental health issues, frankly), saxophonist Bob Lind tears into the songs to back him up with fire, and the band just adds to the maelstrom. Terrific stuff.
I wish there were fewer covers, though, because the originals are just killer. Although, to be honest, they attack some of the covers like their lives depended on it, too, so it’s not as if they’re necessarily bad. I just object to tons of covers on principle. (Back then, though, that was the norm, so I shouldn’t be so damned picky.)
Their follow-up, Boom, had a few great originals, too, but the covers were less impressive, I feel. Unfortunately, their major label debut, Introducing the Sonics, was a bit of a dud; a professional studio just didn’t know what to do with these guys. Muted, they didn’t have the same power. Even though there were several new originals, the album as a whole is their least worthwhile.
Notable Critical Mentions:
- Acclaimed Music top albums of the ’60s, No. 121
- 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005)
- SPIN: The Top 100 Alternative Albums of the 1960s, No. 034
Nina Simone
Pastel Blues
Released 1965/10/01
Worth the price of admittance for the spellbinding “Sinnerman” alone, a career highlight. Simone rounds out the album with a selection of blues and jazz standards (plus one original, by her husband at the time), with performances ranging from good to excellent (“Strange Fruit”). One of her best, most consistent albums.
The Yardbirds
Having a Rave Up with The Yardbirds [US]
Released 1965/11/05 (US)
Another great album from the Yardbirds, this one also a US-only release, like the earlier For Your Love. Side one collects some excellent studio tracks, better even than most of those on For Your Love, and side two collects some of the highlights from their UK release, the live Five Live Yardbirds. I prefer the studio side, although the live album is considered by many critics to be among the best of its time. Great stuff all around.
Read more in my top 200 of the decade.
Notable Critical Mentions:
- Acclaimed Music top albums of the ’60s, No. 220
- Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003), No. 353
Here’s the complete 1965: The Year in Review playlist for you—three tracks per album. Enjoy!
Playlist Notes:
- Neither of the Shangri-las studio albums seem available on Spotify, but almost all the tracks from them are available on various compilations, including my selections.
- The ‘60s work of France Gall seems mostly unavailable on Spotify. I could only find one track from my selections.
More 1965, The Year in Review
More Years in Review of the 1960s…
Cover Art Citations:
- No. 2 [UK]: By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16985512
- Folk Roots, New Routes: Source: Discogs.com
- Leader of the Pack: By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28587249
- Kinda Kinks [UK]: By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14070022
- The Beach Boys Today!: By Photograph, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11634664
- Here Are the Sonics!!!: By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10573349
- Pastel Blues: By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7439423
- Having a Rave Up with The Yardbirds [US] : By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4222955
- Soul Dressing: Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12442355
- Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son [Fr]: By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65858808
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