Top 10 for 1964

TheBigBlack's Rock Top 10

The Yardbirds
Five Live Yardbirds

Classic Rock | Album; Live | 4 December 1964

'Five Live Yardbirds' is the live debut album by The Yardbirds. It features the group's interpretations of ten American blues and rhythm and blues songs, including their most popular live number, Howlin' Wolf's 'Smokestack Lightning'. The album contains some of the earliest recordings with guitarist Eric Clapton.

Simon & Garfunkel
Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.

Folk Rock | Album | 19 October 1964

The Animals
The Animals [Mono]

Classic Rock | Album | 30 October 1964

'The Animals' is the self-titled debut album by The Animals. It reached No. 6 in the U.K. Albums Chart and spent 20 weeks on the chart.

Bob Dylan
Another Side Of Bob Dylan

Classic Rock | Album | 8 August 1964

The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones [Mono]

Classic Rock | Album | 16 April 1964

The debate of The Beatles vs The Stones has ranged for over half a century, and will no doubt continued unresolved for many years yet. Comparisons are rife, but to be fair - remove the relativity of timing and location, and there really isn't much you can compare. The Beatles debut was full of Rock 'n' Roll with a little bit of R&B, and The Rolling Stones introduced themselves to the world with a little bit of R&B and a whole lot of blues. Most album (and career) openers burst out the speakers untamed, but The Stones instead introduce their debut album with the restrained 'Route 66'. A cover of the King Cole Trio, it is the sound of vintage America wrapped in the comfy blanket of London's swinging 60s. In case you are question the authenticity of white boys playing the blues, next up is the Muddy Waters classic 'I Just Want To Make Love To You' nailed in a wonderful, fast paced rock 'n' roll style that is totally The Stones. Jimmy Reed's 'Honestly I Do' finally puts to bed the comparison's with the Fab Four. Whereas The Beatles would perform a song like this with charm that would cause the teenage girls to faint, the sleaze of The Stones starts to creep in untamed. Mick Jagger isn't singing to school girls, he is singing to women. Bo Diddly's 'Mona' is a pretty faithful rendition, as you can't really perform a Diddly song without that distinctive rhythm. Most of these songs are covers, and the three tracks written by the band quickly reveal why. 'Now I Got A Witness' is a flat instrumental that has no real purpose, and 'Tell Me (You're Coming Back)' manages to redeem itself with a sniff of sixty's charm. 'Little By Little' is the only song of the three that hints at the future potential as a band of songwriters, and although it is credited to the whole band it reeks of that Mick Jagger / Keith Richards style that would become so prominent later. Song after song the album drips with atmosphere that makes it hard to deny. Recorded in and mixed only in true mono, it has a flatness to the sound that gives it an air of authenticity of its purpose, showcasing the great blues of the U.S.A. Slim Harpo's 'I'm A King Bee' is just perfect in its execution, with some great lead work by Brian Jones, and it sets up side 2 to rival the first. Chuck Berry's 'Carol' is played in a very Berry style, and is perhaps a little too. 'sterile' to rival the original. Many of the early Stones recordings suffer from poor sound quality due to the band's insistence of working outside the Decca studios, but this album is pristine in its sonics. It all ends nicely with a fairly basic and almost quaint version of Rufus Thomas' 'Walking The Dog', leaving you with just enough energy to go back to track 1 and start it all over again. Popularity at the time aside (the album topped the U.K. charts for 12 weeks) in hindsight it can be said it is a slow and steady start to a career that would certainly ramp up in the future. There are hints of potential throughout, but you won't find any of that signature Stones swagger that came to be such a identifying trait later. Regardless, it is a wonderful time capsule back to a time when music was simpler, but no less essential.

The Beatles
A Hard Day's Night

Classic Rock | Album | 10 July 1964

'A Hard Day's Night' is the third studio album by The Beatles, with side one containing songs from the soundtrack to their film of the same name. In contrast to the Beatles' first two albums, all 13 tracks were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, showcasing the development of their songwriting partnership. Several of the songs feature George Harrison playing a Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar, a sound that was influential on The Byrds and other groups in the emerging folk rock and jangle pop genres.

Bob Dylan
The Times They Are A-Changin'

Classic Rock | Album | 10 February 1964

The Beatles
Beatles For Sale

Classic Rock | Album | 4 December 1964

'Beatles For Sale' is the fourth studio album by The Beatles. The album marked a departure from the upbeat tone that had characterised The Beatles' previous work, partly due to the band's exhaustion after a series of tours that had established them as a worldwide phenomenon in 1964. It received favourable reviews in the UK musical press, where it held the number one spot for 11 of the 46 weeks that it spent in the Top 20.

| |