Music Year 1969

This list was put together retrospectively from database hints in 2012, basically as research for a half-hearted poll. It is done virtually all from memory, which 32 years later may not be such a good idea.

& indicates a record rated based on streaming from Rhapsody (or some other source). [*, **, ***] indicates a B+ record given 1-3 stars, meaning that it was rated much later than most of these records. In many cases the rating was done on the basis of a later reissue, reflected in label with the reissue date in brackets. Not all of these reissues are properly noted, especially where they differ in no significant way (other than that they're on CD).

New Records

Pending

Candidates

These are records that show up on other lists that maybe should be considered.

• Nat Adderley: Calling Out Loud (A&M)
• The Amboy Dukes: Migration (Mainstream)
• Gene Ammons: The Boss Is Back! (Prestige)
• : Collapsing (Metronome)
• : Psychedelic Underground (Metronome)
• Art Ensemble of Chicago: A Jackson in Your House (BYG)
• Art Ensemble of Chicago: Message to Our Folks (BYG)
• Art Ensemble of Chicago: People in Sorrow (Nessa)
• Art Ensemble of Chicago: Reese and the Smooth Ones (BYG)
• Hoyt Axton: My Griffin Is Gone (Columbia)
• Ray Barretto: Together (Fania)
• Gary Bartz NTU Troop: Home! (Milestone)
• Bee Gees: Odessa (Atco)
• William Bell: Bound to Happen (Stax)
• Chuck Berry: Concerto in B Goode (Mercury)
• Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg: Je T'Aime/Beautiful Love (Fontana)
• Bonzo Dog Band: Keysham (Imperial)
• Bread: Bread (Elektra)
• Brewer & Shipley: Weeds (Buddah)
• James Brown: It's a Mother (King)
• James Brown: Mr. Dynamite (King)
• James Brown: The Popcorn (King)
• James Brown: Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud (King)
• Jack Bruce: Songs for a Tailor (Atco)
• Lenny Bruce: The Berkeley Concert (Bizarre)
• Ray Bryant: Sound Ray (Cadet)
• Lord Buckley: A Most Immaculately Hip Aristocrat (Straight)
• Tim Buckley: Happy Sad (Elektra)
• Gary Burton: Throb (Atlantic)
• Jerry Butler: Ice on Ice (Mercury)
• Don Byas/Ben Webster: Don Byas Meets Ben Webster/Ben Webster Meets Don Byas (Prestige)
• Donald Byrd: Fancy Free (Blue Note)
• The Byrds: Ballad of Easy Rider (Columbia)
• The Byrds: Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde (Columbia)
• Glen Campbell: Galveston (Capitol)
• Canned Heat: Hallelujah (Liberty)
• Canned Heat: Living the Blues (Liberty)
• Walter Carlos: The Well-Tempered Synthesizer (Columbia)
• Carpenters: Offering (A&M)
• John Carter & Bobby Bradford Quartet: Flight for Four (Flying Dutchman)
• Gene Chandler: The Two Sides of Gene Chandler (Brunswick)
• Ray Charles: Doing His Thing (ABC)
• Cher: 3614 Jackson Highway (Atco)
• The Chi-Lites: Give It Away (Brunswick)
• Joe Cocker: Joe Cocker! (A&M)
• Joe Cocker: With a Little Help From My Friends (A&M)
• Ornette Coleman: Ornette at 12 (Impulse)
• Judy Collins: Wildflowers (Elektra)
• Alice Cooper: Pretties for You (Warner Bros)
• Chick Corea: Is (Solid State)
• Larry Coryell: Coryell (Vanguard)
• Larry Coryell: Lady Coryell (Vanguard)
• The Country Gentlemen: New Look, New Sound (Rebel)
• Country Joe & the Fish: Here We Are Again (Vanguard)
• Don Covay & the Jefferson Lemon Blues Band: The House of Blue Lights (Atlantic)
• Cream: Goodbye (Atco)
• Sonny Criss: I'll Catch the Sun (Prestige)
• Sonny Criss: Rockin' in Rhythm (Prestige)
• Stanley Crouch: Ain't No Ambulances for No Nigguhs Tonight (Flying Dutchman)
• Karen Dalton: It's So Hard to Tell Who's Going to Love You the Best (Capitol)
• Deep Purple: Deep Purple (Tetragrammaton)
• Jack DeJohnette: The DeJohnette Complex (Milestone)
• Desmond Dekker & the Aces: Israelites (UNI)
• Paul Desmond: From the Hot Afternoon (A&M)
• Lou Donaldson: Hot Dog (Blue Note)
• Donovan: Barabajagal (Epic) - -68 UK
• The Doors: The Soft Parade (Elektra)
• The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation: Doctor Dunbar's Prescription (Blue Thumb)
• The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation: To Mum, From Aynsley and the Boys (Blue Thumb)
• Elephants Memory: Elephants Memory (Buddah)
• Bill Evans/Jeremy Steig: What's New (Verve)
• Fairport Convention: Fairport Convention (A&M) - -68 UK
• Fairport Convention: What We Did on Our Holidays (Island)
• The Firesign Theatre: How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All (Columbia)
• Wild Man Fischer: An Evening With Wild Man Fischer (Bizarre)
• Roberta Flack: First Take (Atlantic)
• Fleetwood Mac: English Rose (Epic)
• Jim Ford: Harlan County (Sundown; Light in the Attic -11)
• Free: Free (A&M)
• Marvin Gaye: Marvin Gaye and His Girls (Tamla)
• Marvin Gaye: That's the Way Love Is (Tamla)
• Genesis: From Genesis to Revelation (London)
• Stan Getz: Didn't We (Verve)
• Gilberto Gil: (Philips; Water -08)
• Grand Funk Railroad: Grand Funk (Capitol)
• Grand Funk Railroad: On Time (Capitol)
• Grateful Dead: Aoxomoxoa (Warner Bros)
• Grant Green: Goin' West (Blue Note)
• Norman Greenbaum: Spirit in the Sky (Reprise)
• The Guess Who: Canned Wheat (RCA)
• The Guess Who: Wheatfield Soul (RCA)
• Arlo Guthrie: Running Down the Road (Reprise)
• Merle Haggard and the Strangers: Pride in What I Am (Capitol)
• Tom T. Hall: Homecoming (Mercury)
• Tom T. Hall: Ballad of Forty Dollars and Other Great Songs (Mercury)
• Herbie Hancock: Fat Albert Rotunda (Warner Bros) - in Warner Bros: Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros Recordings [B]
• Herbie Hancock: The Prisoner (Blue Note)
• Roy Harper: Folkjokeopus (World Pacific)
• Eddie Harris: High Voltage (Atlantic)
• Eddie Harris: Silver Cycles (Atlantic)
• Screamin' Jay Hawkins: I Put a Spell on You (Epic)
• Isaac Hayes: Hot Buttered Soul (Stax)
• Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks: Original Recordings (Epic)
• Andrew Hill: Lift Every Voice (Blue Note)
• Earl Hines: At Home (Delmark)
• Earl Hines and His Quartet: "Fatha" Blows Best (Decca)
• Johnny Hodges: Rippin' & Runnin' (Verve)
• The Hollies: He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (Epic)
• The Hollies: Words and Music by Bob Dylan (Epic)
• Earl Hooker: 2 Bugs and a Roach (Arhoolie)
• John Lee Hooker: Get Back Home in the U.S.A. (Black and Blue)
• John Lee Hooker: That's Where It's At (Stax)
• Howlin' Wolf: Evil (Chess)
• Howlin' Wolf: The Howlin' Wolf Album (Cadet Concept)
• Freddie Hubbard: A Soul Experiment (Atlantic)
• Humble Pie: As Safe as Yesterday Is (Immediate)
• Humble Pie: Town and Country (Immediate)
• Dick Hyman: The Age of Electronicus (Command)
• Dick Hyman: Moog: The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman (Command)
• The Incredible String Band: Changing Horses (Elektra)
• The Isley Brothers: Get Into Something (T-Neck)
• It's a Beautiful Day: It's a Beautiful Day (Columbia)
• Stonewall Jackson: A Tribute to Hank Williams (Columbia)
• Willis Jackson: Gator's Groove (Prestige)
• Etta James: Etta James Sings Funk (Cadet)
• Tommy James & the Shondells: Crimson & Clover (Roulette)
• James Gang: Yer' Album (Bluesway)
• The Jazz Crusaders: Lighthouse '69 (World Pacific Jazz)
• Jefferson Airplane: Bless Its Pointed Little Head (RCA)
• Waylon Jennings: Just to Satisfy You (RCA)
• Jim and Jesse: Saluting the Louvin Brothers (Epic)
• Jethro Tull: This Was (Reprise)
• Jethro Tull: Stand Up (Reprise)
• Elvin Jones: Poly-Currents (Blue Note)
• George Jones & Melba Montgomery: Sing the Great Country Duets of All Time (Musicor)
• Tom Jones: Live in Las Vegas (Parrot)
• Tom Jones: This Is Tom Jones (Parrot)
• Barney Kessel: Feeling Free (Contemporary)
• Barney Kessel: Swinging Easy! (Black Lion)
• B.B. King: Live & Well (Bluesway)
• King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King (Atlantic)
• The Kinks: The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (Reprise)
• The Kinks: Arthur or the Decline the Fall of the British Empire (Reprise)
• Roland Kirk: Left & Right (Atlantic)
• Eric Kloss: In the Land of the Giants (Prestige)
• Lee Konitz Quintet: Peacemeal (Milestone)
• Leo Kottke: 12 String Blues (Oblivion)
• Yusef Lateef: Expression! (Prestige)
• John Lennon/Yoko Ono: Wedding Album (Apple)
• John Lennon/Yoko Ono: Unfinished Music No. 2: Life With the Lions (Zapple)
• Jerry Lee Lewis & Linda Gail Lewis: Together (Smash)
• Charles Lloyd: Soundtrack (Atlantic)
• Lonesome Sundown: Lonesome Sundown (Excello)
• Love: Four Sail (Elektra)
• Love: Out Here (Blue Thumb)
• Love Sculpture: Blues Helping (Rare Earth)
• Loretta Lynn: Woman of the World/To Make a Man (Decca)
• Loretta Lynn: Your Squaw Is on the Warpath (Decca)
• Mama Cass: Bubble Gum, Lemonade and . . . Something for Mama (Dunhill)
• Mama Cass: Make Your Own Kind of Music (Dunhill)
• Herbie Mann: Memphis Underground (Atlantic)
• Manfred Mann: Chapter Three (Polydor)
• The Marvelettes: In Full Bloom (Tamla)
• Hugh Masekela: Masekela (UNI)
• John Mayall: The Turning Point (Polydor)
• Fred McDowell: Fred McDowell and His Blues Boys (Arhoolie)
• Brother Jack McDuff: Down Home Style (Blue Note)
• Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry: A Long Way From Home (Bluesway)
• Melanie: Melanie (Buddah)
• The Meters: The Meters (Josie)
• The Meters: Look-Ka Py Py (Josie)
• Lee Michaels: Lee Michaels (A&M)
• Lee Michaels: Recital (A&M)
• The Steve Miller Band: Brave New World (Capitol)
• The Steve Miller Band: Your Saving Grace (Capitol)
• Blue Mitchell: Bantu Village (Blue Note)
• Joni Mitchell: Clouds (Reprise)
• Willie Mitchell: The Many Moods of Willie Mitchell (Hi)
• Moby Grape: Moby Grape '69 (Columbia)
• Moby Grape: Truly Fine Citizen (Columbia)
• Wes Montgomery: Willow Weep for Me (Verve)
• The Moody Blues: To Our Children's Children's Children (Threshold)
• The Moody Blues: On the Threshold of a Dream (Polydor)
• Moondog: Moondog (Columbia Masterworks)
• Mother Earth: Make a Joyful Noise (Mercury)
• The Mothers of Invention: Burnt Weeny Sandwich (Bizarre)
• The Mothers of Invention: Uncle Meat (Bizarre)
• Sunny Murray: Big Chief ()
• Sunny Murray: Sunshine (BYG)
• Nazz: Nazz Nazz (SGC)
• New Art Jazz Ensemble [John Carter/Bobby Bradford]: Seeking (Revelation; Hat Art -91; Hatology -06)
• The Nice: The Nice (Columbia)
• Nilsson: Harry (RCA)
• NRBQ: NRBQ (Columbia)
• Laura Nyro: New York Tendaberry (Columbia)
• Phil Ochs: Rehearsals for Retirement (A&M)
• Carl Oglesby: Carl Oglesby (Vanguard)
• The Johnny Otis Show: Formidable (Ember)
• Buck Owens & His Buckaroos: Tall Dark Stranger (Capitol)
• Dolly Parton: In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad) (RCA)
• John Patton: Accent on the Blues (Blue Note)
• Pearls Before Swine: These Things Too (Reprise)
• Duke Pearson: Now Hear This (Blue Note)
• Duke Pearson: How Insensitive (Blue Note)
• Ann Peebles: This Is Ann Peebles (Hi)
• Pentangle: Basket of Light (Reprise)
• Houston Person: Goodness! (Prestige)
• Houston Person: Soul Dance! (Prestige)
• Wilson Pickett: Hey Jude (Atlantic)
• Poco: Pickin' Up the Pieces (Epic)
• Elvis Presley: Elvis Sings "Flaming Star" (RCA)
• Elvis Presley: From Elvis in Memphis (RCA)
• Elvis Presley: From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis (RCA)
• Charley Pride: In Person (RCA)
• Charley Pride: The Sensational Charley Pride (RCA)
• Procol Harum: A Salty Dog (A&M)
• Rare Earth: Get Ready (Rare Earth)
• The Rascals: Freedom Suite (Atlantic)
• The Rascals: See (Atlantic)
• Jimmy Reed: Down in Virginia (Bluesway)
• Terry Reid: Terry Reid (Epic; BGO)
• Martha Reeves & the Vandellas: Sugar n' Spice (Gordy)
• Charlie Rich: The Fabulous Charlie Rich (Koch)
• Linda Ronstadt: Hand Sown . . . Home Grown (Capitol)
• Rotary Connection: Rotary Connection (Cadet Concept)
• Jimmy Ruffin: Ruff'n Ready (Soul)
• Mitch Ryder: The Detroit-Memphis Experiment (Dot)
• Pharoah Sanders: Jewels of Thought (Impulse)
• Savoy Brown: Blue Matter (Parrot)
• Savoy Brown: A Step Further (Parrot)
• Seals & Crofts: Seals & Crofts (T-A)
• Wayne Shorter: Super Nova (Blue Note)
• Alan Silva: Skillfullness (ESP-Disk)
• The Horace Silver Quintet: You Gotta Take a Little Love (Blue Note)
• Sonny Simmons: Manhattan Egos (Arhoolie)
• Nina Simone: To Love Somebody (RCA)
• Frank Sinatra: A Man Alone & Other Songs by Rod McKuen (Reprise)
• Nancy Sinatra: Nancy (Reprise)
• Sir Douglas Quintet: Mendocino (Smash)
• Jimmy Smith: Groove Drops (Verve)
• Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery: Further Adventures of Jimmy & Wes (Verve)
• Lonnie Smith: Think! (Blue Note)
• The Soft Machine: Volume Two (Probe)
• Joe South: Games People Play (Capitol)
• Otis Spann: The Biggest Thing Since Colossus (Blue Horizon)
• Otis Spann: Sweet Giant of the Blues (Flying Dutchman)
• Alexander Spence: Oar (Columbia)
• Spooky Tooth: Spooky Two (A&M)
• Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys: Hills of Home (King)
• The Staple Singers: We'll Get Over (Stax)
• Mavis Staples: Mavis Staples (Stax)
• Jeremy Steig: This Is Jeremy Steig (Solid State)
• Steppenwolf: At Your Birthday Party (ABC)
• Connie Stevens: Songs of Hank Williams (Harmony)
• Morton Subotnick: Touch (Columbia)
• John Surman: Anglo-Sax (Deram)
• Bettye Swann: Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me? (Capitol)
• Bettye Swann: The Soul View Now! (Capitol)
• Horace Tapscott: The Giant Is Awakened (Flying Dutchman)
• Johnnie Taylor: Raw Blues (Stax)
• Koko Taylor: Koko Taylor (Chess)
• The Temptations: Cloud Nine (Gordy)
• The Temptations: Puzzle People (Gordy)
• Ten Years After: Stonedhenge (Deram)
• Leon Thomas: Spirits Known and Unknown (Flying Dutchman)
• The Clifford Thornton New Art Ensemble: Freedom & Unity (Third World; Atavistic -01)
• Three Dog Night: Captured Live at the Forum (Dunhill)
• Three Dog Night: Three Dog Night (Dunhill)
• Three Dog Night: Suitable for Framing (Dunhill)
• Traffic: Last Exit (United Artists)
• Ike & Tina Turner: The Hunter (Blue Thumb)
• Ike & Tina Turner: In Person (Minit)
• Ike & Tina Turner: River Deep Mountain High (A&M)
• McCoy Tyner: Expansions (Blue Note)
• Tyrannosaurus Rex: Unicorn (Blue Thumb)
• Vanilla Fudge: Near the Beginning (Atco)
• Vanilla Fudge: Rock & Roll (Atco)
• Townes Van Zandt: Townes Van Zandt (Poppy; Tomato -84)
• Townes Van Zandt: Our Mother the Mountain (Poppy; Tomato -03)
• Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton: Always, Always (RCA)
• Jr. Walker and the All Stars: Home Cookin' (Soul)
• Jr. Walker and the All Stars: What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) (Soul)
• Dionne Warwick: Soulful (Scepter)
• Muddy Waters: Fathers and Sons (Chess)
• The Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band: In the Jungle, Babe (Warner Bros)
• Leslie West: Mountain (Windfall)
• Tony Joe White: Black and White (Monument)
• Hank Williams Jr.: Songs My Father Left Me (MGM)
• The Tony Williams Lifetime: Emergency! (Polydor)
• Gerald Wilson Orchestra: Eternal Equinox (World Pacific Jazz)
• Nancy Wilson: Son of a Preacher Man (Capitol)
• Reuben Wilson: Blue Mode (Blue Note)
• Reuben Wilson: Love Bug (Blue Note)
• Stevie Wonder: My Cherie Amour (Tamla)
• Yes: Yes (Atlantic)
• Larry Young: Heaven on Earth (Blue Note)
• Neil Young: Neil Young (Reprise)
• The Youngbloods: Elephant Mountain (RCA)
• Zager & Evans: 2525 (Exordium & Terminus) (RCA)

Compilations

Candidates

• Judy Collins: Recollections (Elektra)
• Marianne Faithfull: Greatest Hits (1964-69, London)
• Art Hodes: Sittin' In: Volume I (1944-45, Blue Note)
• Percy Sledge: The Best of Percy Sledge (1966-69, Atlantic)
• Sonny Boy Williamson: Bummer Road (1957-60, Chess)
• Guitar Wizards 1926-1935 (1926-35, Yazoo)