Albums of 1969
The records from 1969 that made our lists.
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1Completely WellB.B. King
Completely Well
A peak that produced the immortal 'The Thrill Is Gone'. Smooth and powerful. An essential record.
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2Nashville SkylineBob Dylan
Nashville Skyline
A gentle country turn of warm, simple songs, home to 'Lay Lady Lay'. Mellow and beloved. A surprising pivot.
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3Green RiverCreedence Clearwater Revival
Green River
A peak of lean, swampy roots-rock, home to its title song and 'Bad Moon Rising'. Tight and beloved. A high point.
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4Crosby, Stills & NashCrosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash
A harmony-rich debut that defined a soft-rock era. Beautiful and beloved. A landmark.
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5Liege & LiefFairport Convention
Liege & Lief
A landmark that invented British folk-rock. Bold and influential. A genre cornerstone.
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6UnhalfbrickingFairport Convention
Unhalfbricking
A pivotal record bridging folk and rock, home to 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes?'. Beautiful and influential. A landmark.
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7Hot RatsFrank Zappa
Hot Rats
A dazzling jazz-rock instrumental record of virtuosic playing and 'Peaches en Regalia'. Inventive and warm. His most accessible.
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8Hot Buttered SoulIsaac Hayes
Hot Buttered Soul
A radical, expansive soul record of long, orchestral reinventions that changed the genre's scope. Lush and bold. A landmark.
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9The Turning PointJohn Mayall
The Turning Point
An acoustic, drummer-less blues peak of intimate invention. Bold and acclaimed. A creative high.
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10At San QuentinJohnny Cash
At San Quentin
A raw, charismatic prison live record, home to 'A Boy Named Sue'. Electric and beloved. A live landmark.
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11Johnny WinterJohnny Winter
Johnny Winter
A blistering blues-rock debut of Texas guitar fire. Hot and acclaimed. A genre highlight.
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12Second WinterJohnny Winter
Second Winter
A blistering blues-rock peak of Texas guitar. Hot and beloved. A high point.
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13CloudsJoni Mitchell
Clouds
An early folk peak, home to 'Both Sides, Now'. Beautiful and beloved. A high point.
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14In the Court of the Crimson KingKing Crimson
In the Court of the Crimson King
The album that launched progressive rock, dark and majestic from '21st Century Schizoid Man'. Ambitious and influential. A genre cornerstone.
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15Led Zeppelin IILed Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin II
The album that defined heavy rock, built on Page's riffs and Bonham's thunder, from 'Whole Lotta Love' on. Loud, swaggering and hugely influential. The blueprint for hard rock.
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16Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
A thunderous debut welding blues to heavy riffing, announcing a new kind of band. Raw and electrifying. The start of a legend.
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17Kick Out the JamsMC5
Kick Out the Jams
A ferocious live proto-punk document of revolutionary energy. Loud and raw. Hugely influential.
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18Okie from MuskogeeMerle Haggard
Okie from Muskogee
A live peak built around its famous, much-debated title song. Tuneful and iconic. A genre landmark.
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19In a Silent WayMiles Davis
In a Silent Way
A serene, proto-ambient fusion landmark of hushed electric textures. Spacious and influential. A pivotal record.
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20Fathers and SonsMuddy Waters
Fathers and Sons
A warm summit pairing Muddy with younger rock-blues players. Loose and beloved. A high point.
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21Everybody Knows This Is NowhereNeil Young
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
The first with Crazy Horse, ragged and electric, home to 'Cinnamon Girl'. Loose and powerful. A landmark.
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22Five Leaves LeftNick Drake
Five Leaves Left
A gorgeous, string-laced debut of melancholy English folk, understated and beautifully arranged. A grower that becomes essential. One of the genre's most affecting records.
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23Basket of LightPentangle
Basket of Light
A peak of British folk-jazz fusion of intricate playing. Beautiful and beloved. A genre classic.
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24KarmaPharoah Sanders
Karma
A transcendent spiritual-jazz statement built around the side-long 'The Creator Has a Master Plan'. Ecstatic and immersive. A genre cornerstone.
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25Stand!Sly and the Family Stone
Stand!
Joyful, integrationist funk-soul at its peak, idealistic and irresistible. 'Everyday People' anchors it. A high point of the era.
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26Stand by Your ManTammy Wynette
Stand by Your Man
A peak of classic country balladry, home to its iconic title song. Powerful and beloved. A landmark.
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27The BandThe Band
The Band
The 'brown album' of vivid, lived-in songs about an older America, beautifully played. Timeless and warm. Often called their masterpiece.
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28Abbey RoadThe Beatles
Abbey Road
The Beatles' last recorded album and arguably their most polished, balancing Lennon's bite, McCartney's melody and a side-two medley that ties loose song fragments into one sweeping finale. Harrison contributes two of his finest in 'Something' and 'Here Comes the Sun'. A warm, confident farewell from a band at the peak of its studio craft.
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29The Gilded Palace of SinThe Flying Burrito Brothers
The Gilded Palace of Sin
A foundational country-rock landmark led by Gram Parsons. Beautiful and influential. A genre cornerstone.
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30Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)The Kinks
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
A witty, melodic concept album on British life. Sharp and beloved. A high point of their run.
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31Let It BleedThe Rolling Stones
Let It Bleed
A dark, swampy classic bookended by 'Gimme Shelter' and 'You Can't Always Get What You Want', capturing the Stones at their most ominous and assured. Country, blues and gospel all feed in. A peak-era essential.
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32The StoogesThe Stooges
The Stooges
A primal proto-punk debut of raw riffs and boredom, home to 'I Wanna Be Your Dog'. Crude and influential. A genre origin point.
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33Cloud NineThe Temptations
Cloud Nine
A psychedelic-soul pivot toward funk and social themes. Bold and influential. A turning point.
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34TommyThe Who
Tommy
The rock opera that proved the form could carry a full narrative, following a 'deaf, dumb and blind' pinball prodigy. Ambitious and occasionally overwrought, it remains a landmark of scale and intent. Townshend's songwriting holds it together.
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35Happy SadTim Buckley
Happy Sad
A jazzy, exploratory folk peak of fluid beauty. Adventurous and acclaimed. A high point.
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36Townes Van ZandtTownes Van Zandt
Townes Van Zandt
A spare, devastating record of peerless songwriting. Beautiful and beloved. A genre cornerstone.