1966

Sorry this took so long, but I have been busy with a major family catastrophe and a minor musical one in thinking that the Pretty Things' Get the Picture? came out at least a month later than it actually did.  We may be better off not having to include it on this list...

This is sometimes considered the best year for music of all time.  Considering all the  singles in addition to these albums and the many others that didn't make the cut, there is a good chance that is correct.  Regardless, here are the 10 best:

1.  The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Great as the rest are, this is the Beach Boys' masterpiece.  It's only flaw could also be considered its reason perfection:  It's all Brian.  Well, apart from the vocals.  Everyone else soars to their greatest peaks vocally (except for Dennis, still in his surf punk shell), with even Mike Love capturing Brian's vision on tracks like "Here Today" and "I Know There's An Answer."  This is the best example of what's great about 60s music, at least made by white people.  Each song is a world unto itself, and lighter and instrumental fare is at worst the perfect relief from Brian Wilson's truly nightmarish psyche.  Yes, the only thing that could make this album better would be "Good Vibrations."  Or not.

2.  The Beatles - Revolver
The Beatles and Beach Boys' series of one-upmanship took a break while the Beatles made their own masterpiece.  Admiteddly there is a stinker or two here, but if you don't forget about "Dr. Robert" by the time the vocals start on "Tomorrow Never Knows" (my pick for best Beatles song of all) you weren't listening in the first place.  This is the album  that not only shows the band at their most eclectic, experimental, and cohesive, it is also the perfect length, so all musicians, aim for a good 35 minutes.  If you only want one Beatles record make it this one and you will still get the whole picture.

3.  The Monks - Black Monk Time
Were the other temporary Germans above taking note on this album's cover?  Probably.  Were many other's noticing?  Not likely, but Jimi was, and God knows who else.  This German band of former American GIs is usually mentioned in the context of proto-punk, but proto-krautrock is more accurate.  This is the heaviest, droniest, and most fun record of its time and probably any, as all these so-called "punks" think that organs and banjos are for "faggots."   These people have no sense of humor or music.  Really all I need to say is the first line of lyrics are "Alright, my name's Gary," and it features the first song I know of called "I Hate You," too bad only the Coen Brothers noticed.

4.  The 13th Floor Elevators - Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
The Elevators' flawed debut is known as one of the first records to include the word "psychedelic" and while it achieves much more than that (unlike the Deep's still-worthy Psychedelic Moods) it is a well-deserved honor.  Tommy Hall's vision, Roky Erickson's persona and  energy, and Stacy Sutherland's musicianship add up to a dark, mind-bending ride through Texas, not without the help of a world-class rhythm section.  "You're Gonna Miss Me" is only the beginning and before it got tragic is got much better.

5.  Serge Gainsbourg - Initials B.B.
Serge's symphonic tribute to Brigitte Bardot is if not his best work at least his most accessible.   A set of concise pop songs with the kind of in-depth arrangements he would explore over the following years, this album highlights all of the incomparable artist's strengths.  A guest appearance from the titular leading lady hardly stands out amongst the likes of the title track and "Qui Est 'In' Qui Est 'Out."  Also it's an elementary lesson in the Frech sense of humor and how it transcends language in the likes of "Hold-Up."  Forget the dirty stuff (maybe) and start here on Serge if you haven't already.

6.  The Kinks - Face to Face
Like Brian Wilson, Ray Davies starts to crack here.  His observations on the life of a rock star and those who surround it get darker and more accurate in a way that is as personal as it is universal.  However, on this album, the band stays firmly grounded in the raw and dirty sound that made them the Kinks, even as acoustic guitars and harpsichords grow in prominence.   Even if You're Lookin' Fine, a Dandy hon Holiday in Waikiki you might have Too Much On your Mind on a Sunny Afternoon or Rainy Day in June.  If you're already hip to it, check out Wim Wenders' The American Friend.  It's got Dennis Hopper in it!

7.  The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!
In one fell swoop the world has its first encounter with Frank Zappa, the double LP, progressive rock, and intentionally funny rock music.  With another vocalist int he fold Zappa's composition and guitar skills are most apparent, and while his band mates may not have the same pedigree as his later ones would you have that bar band cohesion that would be absent later, making its record-breaking length work so well.  Avant-gardge, jazz, psych, doo-wop, and proto-punk are all here as is the only way to ever hear "Who Are the Brain Police?" making this album deserve its title much more than other self-describing psychedelic records.

8.  Bob Dylan - Blonde  on Blonde
Well, one day in and I already see how badly I fucked up this list, forgetting Highway 51 Revisted somehow, which I much prefer to the Dylan album listed.  Well, what can you do, but talk about how he outdid that very album the next year.  His electric double album hits as hard for twice as long and mostly, twice as well.  While it can at times get a little too bluesy for my liking as well, it would be just be wrong to complain bout a track like "Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat."  Rockers like "Sooner or Later One of Us Must Know" and "Stuck Inside of Memphis Blues Again" are the real stars with no small contribution from garage guitarist-turned-organ god Al Kooper who continues to steal the show.  Being the perpetual self-competitor, Dyland bests "Desolation Row" with "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands," thanks to a little misinformation given to an extraordinary drummer.

9.  The Music Machine - (Turn On) The Music Machine
More Nuggets from Los Angeles black-clad Music Machine.  A fellow Irish-American Sean Bonniwell leads the band most deserving of that name through his flawless songwriting and powerful, husky voice.  Often derided as a patchy collection of singles, this is another garage masterpiece which if the only thing left behind would keep the Music Machine in the top of the 60s rock pantheon.  Their sole hit "Talk Talk," hardly stands out against songs like "Double Yellow Line" and "Trouble."  Much darker and sexier than the Doors even at their best the Machine may have been the greatest goth band of all time and with 5 virtuosos they had better be.  Particularly essential for rock drummers and male vocalists.

10. Love - Da Capo
This would be Love's best album if the second side were decent instead of a single bland jam.  Side one is 60s Los Angeles perfection in no small part to the addition of harpsichord and woodwinds.  Even bigger though is the addition of the "true" Love Drummer Michael Stuart-Ware, and the growth in quality, and most noticeably, diversity of both Arthur Lee and Bryan MacLean's songwriting.  "Orange Skies" is the classic showtune, "The Castle" is a psychedelic renaissance, "7 and 7 Is" punk as fuck, and "She Comes in Colors" the ultimate hippie love song.  Don't flip it, just play it again and you will get the big deal with LoVE.