Best Album on My Favourite Albums of......1969

Its between In a Silent Way and Karma for me

Roberta Flack's First Take seems like an obvious omission, it's among the top 10 records of 1969 IMO.

What is your fave out of what is there?

I picked "Let It Bleed," but I really like all these:

Archie Shepp - Yasmina, A Black Woman
Art Ensemble of Chicago - A Jackson In Your House
Don Cherry - "mu" First Part ,
Donald Byrd - Fancy Free
George Russell - Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature
Led Zeppelin - II,
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin,
Pharoah Sanders - Karma ,
The Beatles - Abbey Road
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground

plus a few more I guess, and I'll have to check out a few I never heard.

I know 60s fetishism is lame and boring but this really is an insane volume of very-good-to-great records for one single year.

Hot Buttered Soul, Velvets or Scott 4 for me.

There's about 10 albums I'd happily vote for...
Another '69 album with Art Ensemble of Chicago involvement that'd be on my list is Fontaine/Areski/AEC's Comme À La Radio

Don't know that one

In A Silent Way.

On a 1969 shortlist, I'd also include Mickey Newbury - Looks Like Rain, Sir Douglas Quintet - Mendocino, and Gal Costa - Gal Costa (Não Identificado)

Voted for The Band

filles de kilimanjaro is my fav miles, so

Lots of great records here but In a Silent Way is an all-time top 10 album for me.

I know 60s fetishism is lame and boring but this really is an insane volume of very-good-to-great records for one single year.

Is 60s fetishism even half as rife as it was a wee while back? I can't remember the last time I heard anyone who wasn't an absolute fogey romanticising the 60s. Maybe it's just so long ago now that it's escaping the collective memory: People are more interested in mining the 80s and 90s for inspo

but yeah, too many great albums on here. Went for Scott 4

I think 60s fetishism was more a UK thing whereas US critics prefer the 70s?

Lots of late teens/early 20 folk are into the beatles and co. Dont think that's going to die out any time soon

on ILM though the 1980s is king

I didn't see Basket of Light in there, that's a definite contender.

it's right there under 'The Pentangle'

Trout Mask Replica

wasn't until the album after that they dropped the 'the' xp

In a Silent Way just over Rainbow in Curved Air, just over Memphis Underground but damn, what a list.

in the UK, I hardly ever hear anyone eulogising the Beatles any more. They're ancient history, mined for all they're worth, not even a lot of people's grandparents' music any more. They tried to revive Britpop and it didn't work - kids repping 90s fashion aren't wearing buckethats and Union flags, so there's no appetite for that kind of British 60s-inflected pop from where I'm standing.

must be a fair few of your faves there sund4r

'Oar' is an album I try out once in a blue moon and remember very little about. I like the idea of it though.

dog latin in Scotland they do

Oar is great. One of those instances of a lost classic actually being a classic.

How long til Tom D posts that he disagrees?

i don’t get oar and prob never will but god bless those who do

Maybe it's my move to Bristol, where 90s revivalism is very much rooted in bass music, trip hop, d'n'b etc that makes me think that 60s culture isn't as praised as it used to be. Still, I think da kids are more interested in remembering Courtney Love and Saved By The Bell than, say Dodgy.

nobody gave a fuck about dodgy in the 1990s either. But I can assure you that beatles, stones, who, kinks, beach boys, velvet underground etc are still loved by teens who discover them on youtube or spotify.

I think teens are way more open minded than we were too. I was very sniffy about old music until I was 16 or 17 and pretty sure my friends and schoolmates were the same.

My cousins kids will listen to anything as do their friends apparently.

Computer games soundtracks certainly help

I feel like I have to vote for TMR.

a lot of incredible records here but i'm gonna vote for

Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul ,

alternately memphis underground

Voted Johnny Cash. The two prison albums are must-own material no matter what your taste in music is.

my gut vote here is "happy sad"

Obligatory list of overlooked personal favorites:

Kinks- Arthur
The other 2 CCR records from this year
The self-titled Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil albums
Jethro Tull- Stand Up

Green River vs. Karma vs. In A Silent Way is very difficult, I might as well roll dice

Either In a Silent Way or In the Court of the Crimson King.

Others:

Buffy Sainte-Marie - Illuminations
Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis
Ike & Tina Turner - The Hunter
Laura Nyro - New York Tendaberry
The Meters- The Meters (debut LP)
Peggy Lee - Is That All There Is?
5th Dimension - The Age of Aquarius
Sandie Shaw - Reviewing the Situation

Leonard Cohen- Songs from a Room
Karen Dalton- It's So Hard to Tell Who's Going to Love You the Best

Good call on not including Beck-Ola, which I heard earlier today.

No less than three of my favorite albums ever made appear here.

Imagine a year when In a Silent Way and Abbey Road were contemporaries.

Either In a Silent Way or In the Court of the Crimson King.

^^^ my sentiments exactly. KC extremely influential to young me, Miles the one I play the most now.

It's a tribute to strength of the year and the list, and no slight on the record, that In the Court of the Crimson King didn't make my top three.

I need to hear Memphis Underground.

a lot of 1969 music feels a lot more like it comes from the early 70s, or at least it informs that period more than stuff from 67 or 68 does

A quick addendum regarding Beck-Ola: 'Rice Pudding' is solid proto-metal and benefits from Rod Stewart's absence.

Voted Trout Mask Replica, I have strong memories of my Dad playing that in the car when I was a kid. Which may explain a few things.

Your dad sounds pretty cool. Mine was heavily into King Crimson at the time, so that also explains a few things.

Led Zeppelin I

anyone mention Burning Spear's self-titled yet? that's a monster

reggae is a blind spot of mine

actually that might not be 1969 anyway. reggae releases are such a mess

ok lol I was way off with that (1973). What a crazy year: I would have a hard time picking my favorite Fairport Convention release

voted foIn A Silent Way, it's a brimstead desert island disc

runners up:

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left

led zeppelin ii is the only one of these i've ever owned on 8-track

"filles de kilimanjaro" is also a very good pick, but most of these are, that's the thing

for a long time "uncle meat" was my favorite 1969 record, and it's still one of zappa's best, but i think i'm probably past it now

I thought it was gonna be an easy vote for Captain Beefheart but then I kept reading and saw Miles, Sly, etc. Probably still Beefheart, but still.

Few more rock nuggets from '69.

Grateful Dead- Live Dead
CCR- Willy and the Poor Boys
The Who- Tommy
Jefferson Airplane- Volunteers (also put out live record "Bless It's Pointed Little Head" in 69 too).
Santana, Allman Brothers, Mott the Hoople- s/t debuts
Free's s/t from '69 was their 2nd lp and they also put out Tons of Sobs that year).
Grand Funk Railroad- Grand Funk (aka red album)

lesser known favorites of mine:
Spirit- The Family that Plays Together & Clear
Leslie West- Mountain
Spooky Tooth- Spooky Two
Humble Pie- As Safe As Yesterday Is & Town and Country

here are some other great cult '69 records:

clare fischer - thesaurus
dave bixby - ode to quetzlcoatl
dick hyman - moog: the electric eclectics of dick hyman
doris duke - i'm a loser
high tide - sea shanties
howlin' wolf - this is howlin' wolf's new album
the mandrake memorial - puzzle
mark eric - a midsummer's day dream
the masters of deceit - hensley's electric jazz band & synthetic symphonette
morgen - s/t
the open window - s/t
phil upchurch - upchurch
ramsey lewis - mother nature's son
Le Seigneur Rochereau et l'orchestre African-Fiesta National "Le Peuple" - l'afrique danse no. 4
rahsaan roland kirk - volunteered slavery
ruth white - flowers of evil
third ear band - alchemy
white noise - an electric storm

Either Beefheart or In a Silent Way, I don't know. Both are very important albums.

xp very cool list, thank you!

geez also there’s love’s “four sail”

1969 is about the point where modern mic’ing and multi-tracking become widely deployed, so you’ve got a lot of records with overall ambience that hasn’t dated as much as, say, the Spector wall-of-sound ideal that was preponderant a few years before. The idea of the LP as a cohesive statement had really sunk in. And labels would take a stab at promoting just about anything, so artistic leeway was at a high tide.

The Who- Tommy

Not a favorite of mine, thought it has some incredible moments. During recording, Townshend planned on adding electric guitar overdubs to toughen up the sound, but was told by Kit Lambert that all the tracks were full. When Townshend dug up the multitracks for a remix in the '90s, he found that every reel had two or three empty tracks.

xp very cool list, thank you!

― sleeve

thanks, i love when i manage to shoehorn in the opportunity to recommend records i love that i can't really talk about to anybody outside the internet

i found a really nice looking copy of the "touch" s/t on deram in a local thrift store, it was $40 but honestly in the discogs age that wasn't terribly inflated given what they were charging for old journey records

i don't have a record player though so i didn't get it. nice record. unfortunately the album cover bears a striking resemblance to goatse.

the high tide was one of the albums i had to leave off for this poll as it only allows 50 options

and the 2 Spirit albums

I really hope some of you check out that Donald Byrd album btw. What a run he made

Voted for Abbey Road just over Led Zeppelin II.

Oar is shite.

Your posting is shite, and you just keep doing it.

So, I'll just continue to enjoy Oar and talk about how great it is.

Well go on, then!

sorry dicky but yer wrong about oar

Hehehe... it's fine - I know we agree on a lot of other things. Good to see you back!

'Shite' is overstating it tbf.

I cant wait for the 1975 poll where everone posts about how 1975 are shite
xp

this poll is about the 1969

I'm sure anyone that would do that would do so when they reach the Top 10 of the EOY albums poll?

(xp)

it's 1969 okaaaayy

I made a rule about the EOY poll I only comment on albums I like

... Oar across the USA (xp)

1969 in the sunshine

In a Silent Way for me and you...

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

the beatles are going to win this, aren't they?

somebody mentioned a gut vote, which is the only way to get through this onslaught of manna---so I'll go with Black Woman: Sonny and Linda Sharrock are both the most tenacious beauty and the beast, still right here, right now, and transcendent in both/all directions.

down to terry riley vs in a silent way vs stooges for me

Chucking Düül a vote cos Miles doesn't need any more.

a lot of great stuff here but went Beefheart in the end

I hope we get over 100 voters like last time

THere's a new version of Alchemy by the Third Ear Band coming from Esoteric imminently. I'm just listening through the Elements 3cd from them on Spotify.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

hesitated and missed the vote but would have voted for terry riley, i think

i'm happy tim buckley got a vote but sad nobody but me voted for him

my top three prediction was:

IASW
stooges s/t
lz 2

kinda surprised stooges didn’t get more votes tbh

sort of funny, ILM doesn't really change:

Acclaimed Music Top 25 Albums from 1969 poll

23 Miles Davis - In a Silent Way 11
1 The Beatles - Abbey Road 9
13 The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground 7
21 Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul 6
6 Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis 6

heh

ok going to start the 1970 poll in a few

Have fun
Best Album on My Favourite Albums of......1970

100+ votes again! Thanks for voting!

This is my top 5 played from '69 since I started keeping track of my listening.

Miles Davis- In A Silent Way (#1 most played overall)
Rolling Stones- Let It Bleed
Led Zeppelin- I/II
The Stooges- The Stooges
Grateful Dead- Live Dead