NIDJI MUSIC

As great as the other years of the 1960s were for fantastic music, I think it's very possible that 1968 is the greatest year of them all. First of all it features the greatest album ever recorded by anyone: The Beatles White Album. But that's not all. This article features the seven "must hear" albums from this amazing year in music, listed alphabetically by album name. Astral Weeks by Van Morrison - The songs on this album are not as well known in popular music as "Brown Eyed Girl" or the songs on Moondance but in many ways this is Morrison's greatest album. And when I say album, I mean album. This is a piece of musical art that is meant to be listened all the way through. There's no point in picking out individual songs, just listen to the whole thing. Beggars Banquet by The Rolling Stones - With Beggars Banquet The Rolling Stones came into their own. They were no longer chasing The Beatles shadow but instead making their own unique brand of rock n roll that has truly stood the test of time. You cannot go wrong with songs like "Street Fighting Man," "No Expectations," and "Sympathy for the Devil." Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel - Features "America" & "Mrs. Robinson" but the album is a whole lot more than that. Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience - This double album by Hendrix is consider by many Jimi fans to be his greatest work and I too think it is. It's his trippiest album and his most complete "artistic statement" and of course it includes some "can't miss" classics like "All Along the Watchtower" too. The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks - Most Kinks fans think this is their best album. If you are interested in expanding beyond The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, and The Who as far as 1960s music goes then you need to check this out. Music From Big Pink by The Band - The debut album by one of the most underrated bands of the era. While I don't like this album quite as much as their self-titled follow up, it is filled with great tunes such as the legendary "The Weight." The White Album by The Beatles - Yes, I know the official title is The Beatles and not The White Album but everyone knows it by The White Album and I'm not a big fan of the whole self titled album thing anyway, so let's just move on. Alright? It's not just my favorite album of the year, it's my favorite album of all time so it's an obvious choice as a "must hear" album. It's hard for me to take the musical opinion of anyone seriously if they tell me they've never listened to The White Album. This album is that great and it's that essential. To the those who say that it has too many "weak tracks" or "fillers" - I say that you are missing the point. There are no such fillers or weak tracks. This is a journey through almost every musical style that existed up to that point and it's a thrilling journey indeed. All of the 30 songs on this album are a part of what makes it great including "Revolution #9" which I think is mesmerizing, that also includes the songs that are not so great ("Good Night" and "Don't Pass Me By" come to mind ... sorry Ringo.)

About the Author:

Marvin J. Markus recommends listening to these classic albums in their original vinyl format. Or you can just download them to your iPod if you need a quick fix.