The first three months of the year were a truly dry season. There was nothing to get excited about. It wasn't until 9 April that I found my first favorite song of the ongoing year. This happened when Bob Dylan released a new album called Nashville Skyline, which contained the dreamy, mellow ballad Lay Lady Lay. I enjoyed it immensely and it became my soundtrack for that spring, as there was little else on offer. (I even liked Ministry's cover version made nearly 30 years later.)
The next truly significant albums didn't come out until June, after I had already celebrated my sixth birthday. On the 13th, Pink Floyd released their first collection of songs intended for film soundtracks (9 August in the US). The album in question was Soundtrack from the Film 'More'. Most of the songs composed for Barbet Schroeder's film were not particularly impressive, but I could easily pick two instant favorites. Of them, Cymbaline seemed to be a fan favorite as well, because Pink Floyd kept it in their concert set list for at least two years afterwards. A great song in my opinion, as well.
However, it nearly pales in comparison with the masterpiece that opens the album. Cirrus Minor is the definitive film soundtrack song and it stands as the absolute number one on my list of Best Songs of the 1960's. The almost unbearably beautiful, pastoral track has no use for drums and completes its serene soundscape with bird sound effects. I was unable to find a satisfactory link to the song only, so above you can check out the entire album and as already mentioned, Cirrus Minor is its very first song. You can also check out Cymbaline there, it is track number six.
Also in June, Procol Harum finally made good on the promise of their first recordings. I would call their third album A Salty Dog an instant classic. While the masterful title track is probably the best known song from that album - perhaps even from the group's entire output - it is definitely not the only great track on the album. If you can, check out also the lovely Too Much Between Us as well as the memorable closing track Pilgrim's Progress. Below, you can check out the title track.
11 July saw the single release of Space Oddity by David Bowie. The new, rising talent was already a recording artist: his self title debut had come out on the same day with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. This was the first single release from his forthcoming second album, which would get its release on 4 November and carry the same title. At age six, I was fascinated with anything to do with space and listened to Bowie's masterful song in awe. The single release was in touch with the times: Apollo 11 was launched only five days later, and the first moon landing took place on the 20th.
25 July arrived, and the first album by future prog giants Yes was available in well equipped stores. The album was way better than the first effort by Genesis, but still, nothing special really. Slightly challenging art rock with some pop songs thrown in for good measure. On their next albums, the comparison between Genesis and Yes became much more interesting. We will return to that already the following year. My favorite track on this album is the B side opener Harold Land, but I guess I am in a minority here.
And then, summer was over. We were well on the way towards winter, when the next couple of interesting albums were released, actually on the exact same date. On 10 October, the one and only Frank Zappa released Hot Rats, whose opening instrumental Peaches en Regalia got me immediately hooked. It is probably one of, if not the best known track ever recorded by the immensely productive artist. The sudden style changes were a bit much on the first listen, but repeated attempts were rewarded.
The other album that came out on 10 October was of course In the Court of the Crimson King, by King Crimson. This was the album that finally launched the British prog invasion. Most people probably consider it the greatest prog album of the sixties, instead of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn that is my favorite. They may be right, but while Crimson King is an impressive piece of work, I always tend to doze off (or at least lose a significant amount of interest) when someone places nearly ten minutes of improvisation in the middle of an album whose total running time is under 45 minutes.
Yes, I have a problem with the latter part of Moonchild. Its opening The Dream is the most beautiful sequence on the entire album, but the overlong instrumental The Illusion is a bit boring - while I do admit that its inclusion on the album was a genuinely groundbreaking thing to do in the first place.
On 7 November, Pink Floyd released already a second album during the same year. The double vinyl Ummagumma contained one disc of live material and one of studio recordings composed, and I guess also mostly performed, solo by all members of the band. The live version of A Saucerful of Secrets truly kicks ass. Of the solo efforts, David Gilmour's The Narrow Way and particularly Richard Wright's incredible Sysyphus are masterpieces. You can listen to The Narrow Way below, and read more about Sysyphus here.
On 22 November, Fleetwood Mac became a household item by releasing their classic instrumental Albatross as a single. This was quite a pleasant way to start waiting for Christmas, and shortly after that, a new decade. Also, its peaceful melody gave me nice moments of welcome relaxation after listening to the more aggressive sequences of, say, Sysyphus.
And now, there is only one masterful song left to be mentioned, before we leave the sixties and enter seventies. South African born Manfred Mann became famous already at the time of my birth by leading a pop band that used his name and recorded drivel such as Do Wah Diddy Diddy. That group's recording career lasted from 1963 to 1969. After they split, Mann started gravitating towards jazz and prog, forming first Manfred Mann Chapter Three and still later, Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
Manfred Mann Chapter Three released only two albums in 1969 and 1970. The first one, released in November, contained one of the most astonishingly profound songs I had heard in my then young life. Where Am I Going? was not only a beautiful piece of songwriting. Its lyrics actually made you think. While I listened to the song, mesmerized, I also started to worry. "It's hard to be a man." It is? At age six and a half, I became a little nervous. And as I know now, it really is.
ALBUMS OF THE YEAR:
King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King
Procol Harum: A Salty Dog
UNMISSABLE TRACKS OF THE YEAR:
Pink Floyd: Cirrus Minor
Pink Floyd: Sysyphus
Procol Harum: A Salty Dog
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