1969. We're into the Sxities and the Summer of Love. Apparently everybody was too busy with love to make good albums. For me, this was a crap year, except at the very top. It's so bad that one band has two albums on my Mt. Rushmore. I considered three other records, The Band's Brown Album, CCR Green River and King Crimson's Court of the Crimson King, but they were extremely overrated. Even my number four isn't particularly one of my favorites. It does look like the rest of the Sixties will be solid though. 1967 is going to be a slugfest. Anyhow, let's get 1969 over with.
My number one is probably my favorite Beatles album, AbbeyRoad. It was the final album they recorded and they wanted to go out on top. If you watched Peter Jackson's Get Back documentary, the Let it Be sessions were a drain on the band and the producers. In fact, The Beatles really had to convince George Martin to come back for Abbey Road, because he was concerned it would just be a repeat of Let it Be. However, everyone involved got their shit together and recorded a masterpiece. Even George Harrison contributed two of his greatest songs, "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something", rather than keeping them for All Things Must Pass. The standout, for me, is the Abbey Road side two medley. I especially love "Golden Slumbers". It blows me away everytime McCartney sings "Once there was a way to get back home". I sometimes wish they had left the goofy "Her Majesty" off the end of Abbey Road. It takes away from "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make", but their humor is part of what made them great. And then there's the iconic album cover.
Number two and three are Led Zeppelin I and II. Gun to my head, I like Zeppelin II better, but not by much. They came out the same year, so they aren't really that different. They created the template of a hard rock band. The golden god lead singer, the riffmaster lead guitarist. the heavy handed bassist and a pyrotechnic drummer. They ruled rock music for a decade, until the death of drummer John Bonham. The highlight for me is "Heartbreaker / Living Loving Maid".
Number four is Tommy by The Who. My preferred Who is the early power pop and Who's Next. The live stuff and rock operas aren't really my wheelhouse. Of the rock operas, I much prefer Quadrophenia. Tommy is mostly short pieces with just a few actual good songs. "Pinball Wizard" has been too overplayed. I do like "I'm Free" and "We're Not Gonna Take It". I appreciate Pete Townsend's artistic vision, but it's just not my thing. Sorry. Still on the Mt. Rushmore, though.
Looking ahead to 1968, the year the Detroit Tigers won the World Series! Once again very top heavy. I will review the releases, but I already have a solid top four. Number one is also locked in. Peace.
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