Seven Essential Albums Of 1966

1966 has to be one of the greatest years for music ever. Not only is the music from '66 timeless in that it still sounds amazing today. It also laid the groundwork for almost everything we hear today. All of the sounds of the late '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and today were being laid down for the first time during this period. That's what was so exciting about popular music at that time, it was actually evolving right there for everyone to hear. These seven albums best represent the evolving sounds of 1966.

Aftermath by The Rolling Stones - This is the very first Rolling Stones album to feature only original songs. It includes the classic songs "Mothers Little Helper" & "Under My Thumb." Clearly the Stones were moving forward artistically at an extremely fast rate.

Blonde on Blonde by Bob Dylan - I think this is my very favorite Dylan album. Sure everyone knows "Rainy Day Woman #12 & #35" but really I think that's one of the least interesting songs on the album. I'm all about "Visions of Johnanna" & "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again."

Face to Face by The Kinks - Including the classic "Sunny Afternoon," Face to Face is considered to be the Rubber Soul of The Kinks career. It marked an expansion of their songwriting talents and also hinted at things yet to come.

Fifth Dimension by The Byrds. It includes the classic song "Eight Miles High". Overall this is an album that really started to push the limits a bit. It was not just pretty like their earlier music was, it was psychedelic too.

Freak Out! by Frank Zappa - Zappa's debut album was proof positive that things were starting to get really weird. I'm not sure there was a more strange album that came out in 1966. This double album showcased Zappa's combination of insanity and genius for the first time. "Who Are The Brain Police?" indeed. In some ways this is still my favorite Zappa album (although if pushed I'd probably go with Uncle Meat as my all time favorite.)

Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys - Easily The Beach Boys greatest album and certainly one of the best albums of the entire decade (and century for that matter.) If you doubt Brian Wilson's genius please listen to this album with an open mind. It's absolutely beautiful. It's stunning. I can't find enough words to accurately describe this music.

Revolver by The Beatles - Revolver is considered the the greatest album The Beatles ever released by many music critics and Beatles fans. While I'd go with The White Album if I had to choose just one Beatles album, I do think the argument for Revolver being the greatest Beatles album is very strong and I definitely respect that opinion. And it's clearly another huge step forward for The Beatles. They could have easily rested on their laurels and come out with another Rubber Soul but instead they came out with Revolver with it's myriad of different styles from the classical sound of "Eleanor Rigby" to the avant-garde sound of "Tomorrow Never Knows" to the Indian inspired "Love You To." This album has it all covered and more. Definitely an essential album.