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The universe of rock and roll continued to expand in 1968, as rock and roll edged closer towards maturity.
*1968 Album of the Year + Double Album Review
Below are further descriptions of each album, in the order that we reviewed them. |
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November 3, 2013 |
The Beatles waited until their ninth studio album to use the eponymous title, commonly known as “The White Album”. Although the album was written and recorded during a period of turmoil for the group and many of the songs were “solo” recordings, It is still a highly esteemed recording from late in the band’s career.
Review of The Beatles |
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November 7, 2013 |
An incredible confluence of working band experience, style, and circumstance brought the newly christened group The Band to Woodstock, NY in 1967, where they wrote and arranged the material for Music from Big Pink along with Bob Dylan. Half a century later it is still considered one of the most influential albums ever.
Review of Music from Big Pink |
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November 11, 2013 |
Steppenwolf arrived like a heavy rock storm in 1968 and produced their most indelible songs on the two albums released that year – Steppenwolf and The Second. With a blend of heavy blues and sonic overload, the band has been credited as the origin of the genre they coined – “heavy metal”.
Review of Steppenwolf and The Second |
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November 14, 2013 |
Although it was probably the weakest of the band’s career, The Doors third album Waiting For the Sun is still a minor masterpiece. After the once the intended side-long composition of “Celebration of the Lizard” was abandoned for the record, the resultant project features short and sweet moments of brilliance from the band at the zenith of their popularity.
Review of Waiting For the Sun |
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November 19, 2013 |
The Pretty Things produced what was arguably the first true rock opera in 1968 with SF Sorrow. Due to lack of label support, being overshadowed by concurrent British releases, and the dark nature of this album’s content, this has unfortunately become a mainly forgotten masterpiece from the late 1960s.
Review of SF Sorrow |
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November 23, 2013 |
Classic Rock Review only covers studio albums, not compilations or live albums. But there will be one exception to this rule –At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash. This totally unique and legendary record, by one of the legendary founders or rock and Americana, may be the most honest album of all time.
Review of At Folsom Prison |
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November 26, 2013 |
The only Pink Floyd to include all five members is 1968’s A Saucerful of Secrets. This was due to the album being recorded both before and after the departure of guitarist and songwriter Syd Barrett, whose sad demise is hauntingly documented in real time on this classic album.
Review of A Saucerful of Secrets |
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November 30, 2013 |
Arriving on the music scene in 1968, Deep Purple was incredibly prolific in establishing their repertoire and rapidly writing and recording their first two albums, their debut Shades of Deep Purple and the follow-up The Book of Taliesyn. Both albums offer a unique fusion of hard rock jams, original songs, and original interpretations of cover songs.
Double review of Deep Purple’s 1968 Albums |
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December 5, 2013 |
The Zombies second and final original studio albums during their heyday in the 1960s was the slightly-psychedelic, pre-prog-rock classic Odessey and Oracle. Released in 1968 after the group had actually disbanded, this album contains twelve succinct but richly arranged tracks of top notch production done independently by group members.
Review of Odessey and Oracle |
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December 9, 2013 |
This double album Wheels of Fire by Cream consists of one studio LP and one live LP, and it would go on to become the first ever platinum-selling double album. With wild diversity and eclectic rock, this album would be the creative apex of the short-lived English power trio.
Review of Wheels of Fire |
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December 13, 2013 |
Astral Weeks was the second solo album by Van Morrison, and blended of folk, blues, jazz, and classical music, in a complete departure from anything Morrison had done previously. This impressionistic, stream-of-consciousness album of the music has received critical acclaim for four and a half decades and counting.
Review of Astral Weeks |
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December 17, 2013 |
The group Jimi Hendrix Experience were a formidable power trio for a short but important period. Electric Ladyland was the last of three albums by the Experience and this double LP was their creative and musical apex. The only album to be produced Hendrix himself, the recordings spanned over a year in duration and were made on two continents using different technologies.
Review of Electric Ladyland |
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December 21, 2013 |
On their 1968 album In Search of the Lost Chord, the members of The Moody Blues played approximately 33 different instruments, exploring eclectic sounds from the Indian sitar and tambura to the orchestral oboe, flute, harp, and cello. But at its core, this is still a rock album.
Review of In Search of the Lost Chord |
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December 26, 2013 |
After dabbling with psychedelia in 1967, the Rolling Stones returned to their roots with the 1968 album Beggars Banquet, and entered the highest quality period of their long career. While this album may be their finest ever, it is sadly the last on which Stones founder and visionary Brian Jones played any significant role.
Review of Beggars Banquet |
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December 30, 2013 |
 Although it barely made a ripple critically or commercially upon its release, the concept album The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society would go on to become one of the most influential in rock history. And, despite the plethora of great albums during the year, we chose this Kinks work as our 1968 Album of the Year.
Review of The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society |
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January 22, 2018 |
 The Byrds had a very transitional year in 1968, in terms of both musical approach and lineup changes. During that year, the group released two albums, The Notorious Byrd Brothers and Sweetheart of the Rodeo, which each have their own distinct sound.
Review of The Notorious Byrd Brothers & Sweetheart of the Rodeo |
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February 20, 2018 |
Fleetwood Mac‘s debut has long been considered a highlight of the late-’60s British blues boom, featuring the inspired playing and vocals of Peter Green along with the heavy slide of Jeremy Spencer and a solid, consistent rhythm section. The group’s second 1968 album, Mr. Wonderful, continued the momentum and added some brass and keyboards to the mix.
Review of Fleetwood Mac & Mr. Wonderful |
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August 4, 2018 |
Jeff Beck‘s 1968 debut album, Truth, was a groundbreaking and influential record which previewed the sounds of numerous players who would rise to superstardom in the 1970s. The album features a diverse set of tracks consisting of dramatic vocalizing, a thunderous rhythm section and Beck’s blistering lead guitar.
Review of Truth |
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Final 1968 Poll Results |
Q: What is the best album of 1968?
1 |
The Beatles (white album) by The Beatles |
35% |
2 |
Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience |
18% |
3 |
The Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks |
16% |
4 |
Beggars Banquet by The Rolling Stones |
13% |
5 |
Music from Big Pink by The Band |
11% |
Conducted on our site, November-December, 2013 |
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