Music from 1965 and older

[Bloopy]

I doubled the number of albums from 1966 I've heard just by checking out Nancy Sinatra's 4 albums from the year (one has incorrect primary on RYM). With a small miracle I could get to 10. I'd struggle to scrape 5 together for any of the earlier years but I'll see what I can find.

 

[CiG]

Damn 1966 is that rough for you? I have a healthy amount of favourites from 1965 onwards.
I'm looking at what I have between 1960-1964 and it's definitely slim. I won't even be able to make a 1960 RYM list out of what I have.

 

[Bloopy]

I was content with knowing 3 decent albums from '66 until the obsessive-compulsive wolfcub in me started to yip. I'm just picky as fuck and like particular vocalists + music with bite that makes me feel something. Either bubbly levels of energetic, sassy, or dark/moody/dissonant. So much music is just too soft for me (relaxing instrumental jazz, mellow folk, jangly hand-clapping garage rock or poppy lovey-dovey stuff etc.). Though when artists like Nancy Sinatra have everything from bubbly to dark & moody I don't mind a bunch of soft songs in between. Now getting acquainted with some more musique concrète to plug the gap with dissonant/weird shit.

 

[CiG]

I feel you. 1965 and '66 are odd years because of the transition into the psychedelic era, and hard rock didn't really exist yet. Probably tough to find something for a guy like you that truly hits the spot.

Have you ever checked out Monks? Scratchy noisy garage rock played by American GIs while stationed in Germany, with Friar Tuck haircuts.



Their sole album Black Monk Time is definitely a '66 top 10er for me.

 

[Bloopy]

Can't remember, but that's not bad. Vocals are marginally annoying, but ultimately I think the issue is it's registering in the ballpark of jangly/trebly and I'm just wired for a more bassy/well-rounded sound along the lines of The Who or Cream as far as '65-'66 rock goes. Doom metal genes.

Meanwhile, here's a 1965 track from an artist I'm digging this weekend:

 

[CiG]

Sorrynotsorry for hijacking your thread Bloop. That Rosa Maria tune was cool btw.

My best of 1960:

1. Max Roach - We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite
2. Johnny Cash - Ride This Train
3. James Brown and The Famous Flames - Think!
4. John Coltrane - Giant Steps
5. Muddy Waters - Muddy Waters Sings "Big Bill"
6. Eric Dolphy Quintet - Outward Bound
7. Ewan MacColl - Chorus from the Gallows
8. Joan Baez - Joan Baez
9. The Shirelles - Tonight's the Night
10. Charles Mingus - Mingus Dynasty
----------some EP's-------------------------------------------------
Eddie Cochran - Somethin' Else
Johnny Kidd - Shakin' All Over
The Shadows - Apache
Slim Dusty - Any Old Time

Abbey Lincoln's vocals on that Max Roach record are, at times, unhinged. Sometimes she literally just screams!
I feel pretty detached from this top 10, besides the top 3, so if anybody has any recommendations for 1960 please hit me up.

 

[Bloopy]

Unhinged is right up my alley so sounds like that one will be making my list. Not a hijack - great content for the thread!

I figured it was more natural for me to dig into 1965 again and work backwards. I gathered a few, but I also ran into trouble as I enjoyed the 2 tracks below but can't find the full albums they're from. So I guess '65 is on pause until I actually buy the records or something. I also haven't found the rest of the tracks from the Rosia Maria release above and its past Discogs prices are eye-watering, but it's only an EP so not such a loss.





Casey Anderson's 1960 album Goin' Places is on YouTube in full so give that a try.

Also discovered I like some Dinah Washington, but the tracks turned out to be from a 1957 album originally:

 

[Bloopy]

Ok, have some lists. Just aiming for at least 5 albums per year here as 10 would be impossible for me. I'll skip '62 and dive back into '63 & '64 next.

1960
1. Desmond Leslie - Music of the Future
2. Julie London - Julie ...at Home
3. Max Roach - We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite
4. Casey Anderson - Goin' Places
5. Toni Harper - Night Mood
6. Pearl Bailey - Naughty but Nice!
7. Tom Dissevelt & Kid Baltan - Electronic Music

1961
1. Mildred Anderson - No More in Life
2. Arbee Stidham - Tired of Wandering
3. Wanda Jackson - There's a Party Goin' On
4. Arbee Stidham - Arbee's Blues
5. Tod Dockstader - Eight Electronic Pieces

Dunno if it's relevant to your ears @CiG, but Mildred's vocals here reminded me a bit of Abbey Lincoln on We Insist, though without the unhinged factor. It's almost a whole album of torch songs. She also has an album from 1960 but it doesn't quite grab me.

 

[CiG]

That track was fantastic, she was really cooking. I'll have to add that to my '61 listening list, which I finally started yesterday with some John Coltrane. Glad to see you enjoyed that Max Roach record enough to include it. I'll probably jam the others in your 1960 list to see if anything appeals to me.

 

[CiG]

Bumped Link Wray out of my 1960 list for Muddy Waters. Stupidly put off listening to Muddy Waters Sings "Big Bill" because it's a cover album, but I should've known it's a banger because Big Bill Broonzy is great so how could Muddy covering him also not be great? I dread to think the other gems I ignored.

 

[Bloopy]

The years of early electronic music are a bit of a mess online. I submitted a couple of corrections on RYM so far. I also had Tom Dissevelt & Kid Baltan - The Fascinating World of Electronic Music as my fav album of 1959, but after seeing Discogs comments and scrutinising more closely, I think it's actually from 1962. It's also sort of a compilation including a mix of new/abridged tracks and a track from a single, plus this EP which can go on my 1960 list even though RYM hasn't managed to date it correctly. Musique Concrète is probably also from 1962, and although it's called a compilation of two EPs, those had abridged versions of the tracks.

Including those may be my only chance of listing 5 releases from '62. Other years will be ok apart from '63, which is looking truly grim.