Ten of the most important albums released in 1965.
Except for the first five you may rank them in any order you like. Even
replace them with your own favourites. 1965 was a good year.
The Beatles, Rubber
Soul (Parlophone) - Released: December 3, 1965
“Rubber Soul” felt alien, almost threatening the
first time you heard it. You found yourself in dark and spooky rooms lit
by flickering chandeliers. It is an adult album created by four guys
falling backwards through the universe, in slow motion, giggling.
Widely perceived as a folkrock-album (especially the
American version, which sported a slightly different track listing), but
actually its main influence was contemporary American soul music, Otis
Redding, Wilson Pickett, James Brown and the entire Motown hit factory.
Check the busy and quite awesome bass runs in many of the songs. There
is a reason why they called the album “Rubber Soul”.
The Beatles being the Beatles they don’t copy, they
assimilate, covering their tracks by throwing lots of other ingredients
into the stew, and never for a second do they sacrifice their instinct
for the instantly commercial (with that clever, beatly twist). Even if
the back bone of the album is soul, it is also dope music, folk music,
some country music, even world music (Greek, French, Indian, it’s all
there) – with a dash of comedy thrown in for good measure. Inhaled
pleasures. “Rubber Soul” is a remarkable and timeless work.
Contents: Drive My Car/Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has
Flown)/You Won’t See Me/Nowhere Man/Think For Yourself/The
Word/Michelle/What Goes On/Girl/I’m Looking Through You/In My
Life/Wait/If I Needed Someone/Run For Your Life
Bob Dylan, Highway 61
Revisited (Columbia/CBS) - Released: August 30, 1965
The album starts like a pistol shot. Then the
clattering dancing metal chords arrive over a feisty honky-tonk piano.
When Dylan finally opens his mouth he attacks you with a scornful coyote
howl. “Like A Rolling Stone”. What a song! What a way to start an album!
“Highway 61 Revisited” could in a narrow sense be
called an album of revenge. Dylan would never be so spiteful again over
an entire LP. But the songs both want and achieve more. The album is
contemporary, and it is timeless. It’s about awareness, to dare, to be
one step ahead, it’s about the lonely choices one has to make, it’s
about being an outcast, a Zarathustra and a bum. And not least, it is
about going back to the roots of the original sources, not to live in
the past, but to create the future. All neatly placed in the superior
sound of the electric Bob Dylan, the rattling, impatient guitar, the
rickety piano, the swirling organ and that voice. Something like that.
Contents: Like A Rolling Stone/Tombstone Blues/It
Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry/From A Buick 6/Ballad Of A
Thin Man/Queen Jane Approximately/Highway 61 Revisited/Just Like Tom
Thumb’s Blues/Desolation Row
The Beatles, Help!
(Parlophone) -
Released: August 6, 1965
The most underrated Beatles-album ever and recorded
under extreme pressure while filming their second movie, “Help!” They
only spent 12 days in the recording studio during the months
February-June, but still managed to record 20 tracks of which 14 ended
up on the album, two on single B-sides, one on their next album “Rubber
Soul”, one on the 1966-compilation “A Collection Of Beatles Oldies But
Goldies”, and two in the garbage bin (aka “Anthology 2”). An amazing
burst of creativity.
They even had time for innovative solutions: An
electric piano replaces the rhythm guitar on most tracks, the string
quartet in “Yesterday”, the flute in the 12 string Dylan pastiche
“You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”, the drum pattern and aggressive,
chiming sound and hammer punch of “Ticket To Ride”, the wonderful
interplay between harmony voices and lead vocal in the title track, the
tone pedal that gives “I Need You” its unique fingerprint, Paul’s
raunchy and ragged solo guitar playing in both “Ticket To Ride” and
“Another Girl”, the two amazing country chestnuts “Act Naturally” and
“I’ve Just Seen A Face” and the hidden gems “The Night Before” and
“You’re Gonna Lose That Girl”. “Help!” is a masterpiece.
Contents: Help!/The Night Before/You’ve Got To Hide
Your Love Away/I Need You/Another Girl/You’re Going To Lose That
Girl/Ticket To Ride/Act Naturally/It’s Only Love/You Like Me Too
Much/Tell Me What You See/I’ve Just Seen A Face/Yesterday/Dizzy Miss
Lizzy
Otis Redding, Otis
Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (Volt/Atco) - Released: September 15, 1965
The greatest studio-recorded soul album of all time
turned Otis Redding into a pop star. Recorded during quite an inspired
24 hour session in July 9/10. The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” had
just been released, Steve Cropper brought a copy with him to the studio
and copied what he thought were the lyrics, Otis (who’d never heard the
song before) took one glance at the paper and then threw it on the
floor, making the words up as he went along instead. An overwhelmingly
strong album it is. Three Redding-involved originals, including “I’ve
Been Loving You Too Long”, the rest a balanced choice of covers,
including three by Sam Cooke.
Contents: Ole Man Trouble/ Respect/Change Gonna
Come/Down in the Valley/I’ve Been Loving You Too Long/Shake/My
Girl/Wonderful World/Rock Me Baby/Satisfaction/You Don’t Miss Your Water
The Byrds, Mr.
Tambourine Man (Columbia/CBS) - Released: June 21, 1965
You won’t find any album more ‘summery’ than this.
The harmony voices float like a breeze through the curtains, riding on
the chiming Rickenbacker, the Roger McGuinn-drawl, the hypnotic Gene
Clark ramblings, the soaring god-like tenor of David Crosby. All crucial
parts of the Byrds-sound. They were new, they were different, and
embracing the spirit of Dylan they solely created folk rock.
Contents: Mr. Tambourine Man/I’ll Feel a Whole Lot
Better/Spanish Harlem Incident/You Won’t Have to Cry/Here Without
You/The Bells of Rhymney/All I Really Want to Do/I Knew I’d Want
You/It’s No Use/Don’t Doubt Yourself, Babe/Chimes of Freedom/We’ll Meet
Again
Bob Dylan, Bringing It
All Back Home (Columbia/CBS) - Released: March 27, 1965
The one that shook the world, shocked the folk
purists and gave birth to the rock’n’roll Dylan. Don’t follow leaders,
watch the parking meters!
Contents: Subterranean Homesick Blues/She Belongs to
Me/Maggie’s Farm/Love Minus Zero/No Limit/Outlaw Blues/On the Road
Again/Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream/Mr. Tambourine Man/Gates of Eden/It’s
Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)/It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
The Who, My
Generation (Brunswick) - Released:
December 3, 1965
The most brutally exciting album any band has made
ever. Four brats out of control, heading for feedback heaven. It’s a
legal matter from now on.
Contents: Out in the Street/I Don’t Mind/The Good’s
Gone/La-La-La-Lies/Much Too Much/My Generation/The Kids Are
Alright/Please, Please, Please/It’s Not True/I’m a Man/A Legal
Matter/The Ox
Them, Them (Decca) -
Released: June 11, 1965.
Enter the Belfast Gypsy. Electric, haunting, intense, as
good as anything the Stones did, and it’s got “Gloria” on it.
Contents: Mystic Eyes/If You and I Could Be As
Two/Little Girl/Just a Little Bit/Don’t Look Back/I Gave My Love a
Diamond/Gloria/You Just Can’t Win/On Home Baby/I Like It Like That/I’m
Gonna Dress in Black/Bright Lights, Big City/My Little Baby/(Get Your
Kicks On) Route 66.
The Rolling Stones,
Rolling Stones No. 2 (Decca) - Released: January 15, 1965
Partly recorded in Hollywood and Chicago, the Stones
sound better and more confident than on their debut.
Contents: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love/Down Home
Girl/You Can’t Catch Me/Time Is on My Side/What a Shame/Grown Up
Wrong/Down the Road Apiece/Under the Boardwalk/I Can’t Be Satisfied/Pain
in My Heart/Off the Hook/Susie-Q
The Rolling Stones,
Out Of Our Heads (Decca) - Released: September 24, 1965
Their last album as a mainly cover-band takes the
Stones closer to Stax and Motown, with impressive results.
Contents: She Said “Yeah/Mercy, Mercy/Hitch
Hike/That’s How Strong My Love Is/Good Times/Gotta Get Away/Talkin’ Bout
You/Cry to Me/Oh, Baby (We Got a Good Thing Going)/Heart of Stone/The
Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man/I’m Free
