NationStates Jolt Archive

Random? Yes, but inspired by a few threads referencing classic rock today - especially the Hendrix vs. Zeppelin thread (I went into this thread thinking that Hendrix and Zep debuted in the same year but found I was wrong - '67 still rules). Arguments can be made for any year but I feel that 1967 had so much to offer. The releases in this year changed the music landscape forming the base for progressive rock, classic rock, heavy metal, reggae, and disco (no year is perfect) amongst others.

The Beatles experimented with drugs and released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club – that may be enough to say it was the greatest year for music ever. I would end right there but there was so much.

Debut albums galore in ’67:
Jimi Hendrix – Are you Experienced? (later that year – Axis: Bold as Love)
The Doors – The Doors (later that year – Strange Days)
Pink Floyd – Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Traffic – Mr. Fantasy
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico
David Bowie – David Bowie
Van Morrison – Blowin’ Your Mind (his first solo album)
Frank Zappa – Lumpy Gravy (his first solo also)
Also Procul Harum, Vanilla Fudge, Tammy Wynette (for you country fans)

Other Groups/Artists that formed in ’67:
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Ted Nugent
Sly & the Family Stone
Blue Oyster Cult
George Clinton
Chicago
Jethro Tull


Other notes about ’67 (in no particular order):
-The Who releases The Who Sells Out
-Between the Buttons and Flowers released by the Rolling Stones
-Genesis formed and released its first single in ’67 (Gabriel’s Genesis was the best one hands down).
-Mickey Hart joined the Grateful Dead and they released The Grateful Dead album.
-The Beach Boys released Smile.
-Arlo Guthrie dropped Alice’s Restaurant.
-Ten Years After drops Ten Years After.
-The Kinks released Something Else.
-Nefertiti released by Miles Davis.
-The Zombies dropped their final album Odessey and Oracle.
-Grace Slick joined The Jefferson Airplane and they released their best album, Surrealistic Pillow.
-Cream released Disraeli Gears – their best also.
-The Byrds also peaked with Younger than Yesterday.
-Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme released by Simon and Garfunkel.
-Jimmy Page joins The Yardbirds and they release their final album Little Games (soon Zeppelin arrives!)
-The Supremes perform as Diana Ross and The Supremes for the first time.
-The Rolling Stones perform on the Ed Sullivan Show and change the lyrics of Let’s Spend the Night Together to Let’s Spend Some Time Together and are doomed to obscurity from then on.
-The Doors perform on The Ed Sullivan Show and do not edit themselves for the network censors and are subsequently banned from the show and are doomed to obscurity from then on. Girl we couldn’t get much higher.
-BBC radio 1 has its first broadcast.
-First issue of Rolling Stone published.
-Otis Redding dies (bummer).
- The Who destroyed their instruments while performing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
-The Who plays its first US concert.
- One of the first Reggae songs, 54-46 That’s my Number, is released by Toots and the Maytals. Right now, somebody else has that number.
-The summer of ’67 is also known as the Summer of Love.
-The Monterey International Pop Festival occurred. The first large scale outdoor concert. (This is where Hendrix performed an awesome show and lit his guitar on fire – also Janis Joplin gained notoriety after her phenomenal performance at the festival).

Born in ’67:

Dave Matthews, Kurt Cobain, Scott Wyland, Dave Navarro and Serj Tankian to name a few.

That is my argument for 1967. This thread may die a quick death, but I enjoyed putting it together anyhow.

I have to agree. 67 pwnzorz allz 0f teh o7h3rs!!!!

I'm sure you meant 'Disraeli Gears' instead of 'Disraeli Blues' for the Cream album :p

But yeah, 1967 was a kickass year for music. Quite easily the best.

You win.

Aye ... but don't discount 1987.

I'll back that up later.

'67 was an incredible year for music ... no two ways about it.

I like 1982. Men At Work


Who can it be knockin' on my door?" ttt ttt tttt....

*nods*

cream and hendrix do it for me... the rest is bonus in that year :p

The fact that Pink Floyd had their debut that year is enough of an argument. Everything else is just bonus material.

Most definitely not. By 1967, most good music was pretty much already dead. I'd say the high point of music (in the West, at least) was probably sometime in the late 1800s to 1910, with Mussorgsky, Debussy, etc. After the end of the Romantic period, Western music entered a slow and painful death through the agony of atonality followed by the dementia of minimalism.

Wow, just the first three artists had me soiling my britches in excitement. :p

Mussorgsky, Debussy

Mussorgsky was flowery drivel designed to be played by a child's orchestra and Debussy couldn't avoid parallel fifths to save his life.

Bleh.

No

Mussorgsky was flowery drivel designed to be played by a child's orchestra and Debussy couldn't avoid parallel fifths to save his life.

Bleh.

Damn you stole my arguement! (actually, I really didn't have one)

I'm sure you meant 'Disraeli Gears' instead of 'Disraeli Blues' for the Cream album :p

But yeah, 1967 was a kickass year for music. Quite easily the best.

Yep, I didn't notice that. I'll edit it now.

Wow, just the first three artists had me soiling my britches in excitement. :p

I'll have to mention those artists over and over again then. :)

It's certainly up there.

Mussorgsky was flowery drivel designed to be played by a child's orchestra and Debussy couldn't avoid parallel fifths to save his life.

Bleh.

As opposed to the sledgehammer basslines and gimmicky powerchords in your music? At least Mussorgsky and Debussy didn't drop the rhythm on you like an anvil.

(Damn, I knew I should have cited better composers. Careless me, oh well. Those copies of Pictures at the Exhibition and so on just took too long to download for me to get a full view of Mussy and Deb. Bad move judging them as good based on such small sample sizes.:headbang: )

As opposed to the sledgehammer basslines and gimmicky powerchords in your music?

You've never heard my music.

Damn, I knew I should have cited better composers.

Yes ... try Charlie Parker and Felix Mendholsson.

Yes ... try Charlie Parker and Felix Mendholsson.

Hmm, good point. I really need to listen to more music. This will sound really silly, but I honestly thought Mussorgsky and Debussy were good because I had only listened to a relatively small amount of their stuff, apparently their only good stuff. (damn, no embarrassed smily) Well, at least I won't make the mistake of buying/downloading more of their stuff only to be disappointed with crap.