There are plenty more worthy albums beyond my top 30 of the year. So to round out my Year in Review playlist here are…
More Albums from my 1966 Year in Review
As always, you can jump to the playlist at the bottom of each post to listen while you read.
Blues rock had plenty of fine moments in 1966, including one of the finest performances of the decade, the 13-minute instrumental title track of the Paul Butterfield Band’s classic East-West. The transcendent guitar solo by Mike Bloomfield that takes up the first half of the song is absolutely not to be missed. It truly sounds like electric blues guitar possessed by a raga, and it is said to be one of the most significant songs in the development of psychedelic music. I believe it. The rest of the album consists of solid but unremarkable blues-rock numbers. To my ears, Butterfield seems to have been more successful as a band leader than as a singer; his voice is competent but doesn’t have much character.
A far better blues belter, Eric Burdon of the Animals, released perhaps the two best albums of his career in one year, the different-but-similarly-titled UK release Animalisms
and U.S. release Animalism. The U.S. release Animalization was pretty good, too. The Animals were mostly known for covers, writing very little of their own material. (By my count, only 7 of the 36 tracks on these three albums from 1966 list band members in the song credits.) But many of their versions are considered definitive.
Some original blues masters got in on the action, too. Howlin’ Wolf contributed perhaps the best entry in Chess Records’ fine Real Folk Blues series. The best tracks are the classic “Killing Floor” and the songs in which he comments happily on his weight. John Lee Hooker also released a Real Folk Blues entry, but even better was his It Serve You Right to Suffer
, which boasts a great selection of songs of varying tempos and moods, from his casual, humorous kiss-off “Bottle Up and Go” to the stark, spacious, brooding title cut.
? and the Mysterians weren’t the only garage-rock one-hit wonder to show themselves worthy of more attention in 1966—the Count Five and the Standells each released good albums, Psychotic Reaction and Dirty Water. Both album have plenty of other fiery tracks, beyond the title tracks for which they are known. Other notable garage releases include the sophomore release from Love, Da Capo, which features the side-long jam “Revelation” and the minor hit “Seven & Seven Is.”
Davy Graham continued his excellent run of ‘60s folk guitar albums with Midnight Man
, featuring his brilliant folk-and-blues-and-jazz acoustic guitar and his so-so singing (but also with more character than Paul Butterfield). “The Fakir” features yet more of his captivating excursions into Eastern sounds. The Incredible String Band’s eponymous debut shows them at ease in a traditional folk style laced with mere hints of the psychedelia and experimentation that would soon lift them to new heights. Most notable is the Dylanesque “October Song.” The fact that it sounds like the Godz had far more fun recording Contact High than it is to listen to it doesn’t entirely diminish the irreverent joy of their noise-folk. It’s aptly titled, actually. Some of the fun rubs off—but they still enjoy it more than we do.
It’s quite fair to say the Lee Hazlewood’s career would amount to nothing more than a footnote in the vast ‘60s musical pantheon—but what a curious footnote it is. Best known as a collaborator with and writer for Nancy Sinatra, his solo work shows off his eccentric sensibilities just as well. His deeply resonant voice always seems laced with at least a touch of irony, and when his arrangements grow lush with strings, they almost feel intentionally over the top. He never fit in with the country crowd, or the singer-songwriter crowd, or the in-crowd pop acts, but he deserves better recognition. On The Very Special World of Lee Hazlewood
(even his album titles are sarcastic!), he gives his own version of his songs “These Boots Are Made for Walking” (with commentary inserted) and “So Long, Babe”—both done better by Nancy but still more than worth a listen–plus several other excellent songs.
A Quick One enjoys a fine reputation among Who fans. It’s most known for the extended musical suite “A Quick One, While She’s Away,” a precursor to the rock opera of Tommy; but by far the best track is John Entwistle’s amusing “Boris, the Spider. Stevie Wonder’s 1960s work is best known for his singles, but many of his albums of the time were fine selections of poppy soul tunes; best of the bunch is possibly Up-Tight, Everything’s Alright, featuring the title track and more. Astrud Gilberto released Look to the Rainbow
, building on the success of her star turn in “The Girl from Ipanema,” a song I can’t help but find both eternally cheesy yet strangely captivating. The songs here are in the same vein, featuring her detached, often haunting vocal style.
Not only does the album title (taken from the traditional song “Scarborough Fair”) help me remember which seasonings to include in my Thanksgiving recipes, but Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme happens to be one of Simon & Garfunkel’s best albums. If I weren’t afraid of being labeled a softie or a square, I’d probably rate it higher. (Plus, they already have one album in this year’s top 12.) The album boasts a terrific set of folky pop songs—like the sort-of title cut, “Homeward Bound,” and “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy),” all of which are likely to be familiar to anyone with ears. I’m normally not much for name-dropping, but the rocking Dylanesque “A Simple Desultory Philippic” is a great Who’s Who of ‘60s cultural figures.
Meanwhile, the Mamas and the Papas followed up their excellent debut [link] with their solid eponymous sophomore album, and the Lovin ‘Spoonful got even better for their sophomore album, Daydream. The Bobby Fuller Four had a light pop-rock sound that was already probably seeming a little dated in 1966. The title track rendition of Sonny Curtis’s I Fought the Law was a big hit, but the rest of the album is full of fine pop-rock tunes. The Monkees were a bit of a joke, a television-show product. But their albums are actually pretty good Beatles-inspired pop, far better than what their reputation would lead you to believe. They aren’t particularly deep on their eponymous debut, but they’re good fun.
Here’s the complete 1966: The Year in Review playlist for you—three tracks per album. Enjoy!
More 1966, The Year in Review
More Years in Review of the 1960s…
Cover Art Citations:
- East-West: By The cover art can be obtained from Elektra., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13560996
- Animalisms: By The cover art can be obtained from Decca., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6167751
- It Serve You Right to Suffer: By https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/john-lee-hooker-it-serve-you-right-to-suffer/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65845228
- Midnight Man: Source, Discogs.com
- The Very Special World of Lee Hazlewood: Source, Discogs.com
- Look to the Rainbow: By http://www.bossa.net/image/A/Astrud_Gilberto/LookToTheRainbow-thumb.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41824755
- I Fought the Law: By Retrieved from: http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the_bobby_fuller_four/i_fought_the_law/buy, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32917058
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