The 25 Best Classic Rock Albums of 1968
Rock goes heavy on A Saucerful of Secrets, Electric Ladyland, Beggar’s Feast and Year of Waiting for the Sun.
The Birds – The Notorious Bird Brothers: Release Date 15 January 1968
The American band’s fifth album had several personnel issues, including the departure of founding member David Crosby. The album included Goin’ Back, Wasn’t Born to Follow and Old John Robertson before Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman took the band in a country music direction.
The Birds – cover art by the infamous Bird Brothers.
Picture: Press
Blue Cheer – Winsubs Eruptum: Release Date 16 January 1968
The San Franciscan band’s debut album featured a hard rock cover of Eddie Cochran’s Summertime Blues and was a major milestone for road heavy metal.
Win Blue Cheer – Eruption album artwork.
Image: Alamy
Canned Heat – Boogie with Canned Heat: Release Date 22 January 1968
The LA blues-rock band’s second album included their UK Top 10 hit On the Road Again.
Canned Heat – Boogie with Canned Heat album artwork.
Image: Alamy
The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat: Release Date 30 January 1968
VU’s second album is the last to feature John Cale and is more art-rock than the first, with the narrative story of The Gift and Sister Ray’s 17-minute ramble, maintaining their highly influential sound on the title track. And here it is. She comes now.
Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat cover art.
Picture: Press
Fleetwood Mac – Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac: Release Date February 1968
Then led by guitarist Peter Green and the only Fleetwood Mac album not to feature the late Christine McVie, this debut album included covers of blues classics such as Hellhound On My Trail and Shake Your Moneymaker, as well as some original songs. .
Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac cover art by Peter Green.
Picture: Press
Steppenwolf – Steppenwolf: Release date February 29, 1968
The LA rockers’ debut album included their all-time classic Born To Be Wild, as well as the singles Sookie Sookie and A Girl I Knew.
Steppenwolf – Steppenwolf album cover art.
Picture: Pres
Zombies – Odyssey & Oracle: Release Date April 19, 1968
The British rock band’s second studio album included one of their finest moments, Time of the Season, as well as Care of Cell 44 and Butcher’s Tale (Western Front 1914).
Zombies – Odyssey and Oracle cover art.
Picture: Press
The Small Faces – Ogden’s Not Gone Flake: Release Date 24 May 1968
The British rock band – fronted by Steve Marriott – took on a psychedelic concept album about Happiness Stan’s quest to find the “lost half” of the moon. Tracks included Afterglow Of Your Love and the hit Lazy Sunday.
Small Faces – Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake cover art.
Picture: Press
Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida: Release Date 14 June 1968
The title track of this classic rock and/or roll album completes side 2 of the Californian band’s second album – the title is a fancy way of saying “In the Garden of Eden”.
Iron Butterfly – In-a-gada-da-vida cover art.
Picture: Press
Pink Floyd – A Saucerful of Secrets: Release Date 28 June 1968
Floyd’s second album saw a decline from their frontman Syd Barrett, whose mental health deteriorated during recording. The finished album contains only one of his songs, while new guitarist David Gilmour makes his debut. Highlights include the four-part title track and set controls for Heart of the Sun.
Pink Floyd – A Saucerful of Secrets cover art.
Picture: Press
The Band – Music from Big Pink: Release Date 1 July 1968
A highly influential album of Americana, recorded by the band who had been backing Bob Dylan for some time, notably on heavily bootlegged tracks known as the Basement Tapes. Tracks included Dylan’s These Wheels on Fire and I Shall Be Released, and Robbie Robertson’s The Wait.
Band – Music from Big Pink cover art.
Picture: Press
Doors – Waiting For The Sun: Release Date 3 July 1968
The band’s third album included the hit Hello I Love You, the controversial anti-war song The Unknown Soldier and the revolutionary Five to One. The song Waiting for the Sun would not appear until 1970’s Morrison Hotel album.
Doors – Waiting for the Sun cover art.
Picture: Pres
Family – A Doll’s House Musical: Release Date July 19, 1968
Leicester prog rock band featuring Roger Chapman released their debut album, produced by Traffic man Dave Mason and featuring string and brass arrangements by Mike “Wombles” Batt.
Family – Music in a Doll’s House album cover art.
Picture: Press
The Moody Blues – In Search of the Lost Chord: Release Date 26 July 1968
The Birmingham R&B band’s third album saw them move into more psychedelic territory with this series of far-fetched songs about the universal chord (that becomes “Om”). Singles included Voice in the Sky and Ride My See-Saw.
Moody Blues – In Search of the Lost Chord Cover Art.
Picture: Press
Jeff Beck – The Truth: Release Date July 29, 1968
The guitar legend left the Yardbirds and released his first solo outing, which included Shapes of Things, You Shook Me and Beck’s Bolero.
Jeff Beck – Art Covering the Truth.
Picture: Press
Cream – Wheels of Fire: Release Date 9 August 1968 (UK)
The blues rock trio of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce released their third album, which included The White Room and a cover of Albert King’s Burn Under a Bad Sign.
Cream – Wheels of Fire cover art.
Picture: Press
Big Brother and the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills: 12 August 1968
The San Franciscan band’s final album to feature singer Janis Joplin, their second album included the classics Ball and Chain and Piece of My Heart.
Big Brother and the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills Album Artwork.
Image: Alamy
Deep Purple – Shades of Deep Purple: Released September 1968
The debut album by the hard rock quintet of Rod Evans, Richie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Nick Simper and Ian Pace included their hit Hush.
Shades of Deep Purple album artwork.
Image: Press
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland: Release Date October 17, 1968
The final studio album and the final experience Hendrix would release before his death in 1970, this double set sums up the musician’s talents: from the apocalyptic Voodoo Chile (A Little Comeback) and All Along the Watchtower to Have You Ever Been to the more chilling sounds of (To Electric Ladyland) and Burning of the Midnight Lamp. The UK edition featured a cover depicting several naked women, while the US edition was a bit more restrained and featured the man himself.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland cover art.
Image: Press
Neil Young – Neil Young: Released November 12, 1968
The singer-songwriter’s first solo album since leaving Buffalo Springfield featured the singles The Loner and Sugar Mountain, as well as I’ve Been Waiting for You, later covered by the Pixies.
Neil Young – Neil Young Album Cover Art.
Picture: Press
The Kinks – The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society: Release Date 22 November 1968
Ray Davies’ tribute to Britain’s mythical golden age was the band’s sixth album and their best collection of songs. Tracks included Big Sky, Picture Book, Johnny Thunder, and – copies in Europe – Single Days.
Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society cover art.
Image: Press
The Beatles – The Beatles: Release Date 22 November 1968
The Fab Four’s only studio double album was an eclectic selection of songs written while studying meditation with the Maharishi in India. From Rock of Back in the USSR, Helter Skelter and While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Dear Prudence, the balladry of Blackbird to the avant garde noise of Revolution 9, this is their most diverse album yet, featuring songs written by all four members. . The self-titled record earned its nickname by having a completely blank cover – apart from the band’s name, which was subtly embossed on the sleeve.
The Beatles – The Beatles Cover Art.
Picture: Press
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks: Release Date 29 November 1968
Morrison’s second solo album is perhaps his most famous, with the Northern Irish singer-songwriter writing songs such as Sweet Thing, Cypress Avenue and The Way Young Lovers Do.
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks album cover art.
Image: Alamy
The Rolling Stones – Beggar’s Feast: Released December 6, 1968
After a complicated year of legal problems and psychosis with their Satanic Majesties plea, the Stones were back on fire in ’68 with a revolutionary attitude that could be found in songs like Sympathy for the Devil and Street Fighting Man. This toilet cover was an original design, nixed by thir label Decca over the years.
The Rolling Stones – Beggar’s Feast cover art.
Image: Press
The Pretty Things – SF Sorrow: Release date December 20, 1968
The Kent-based rock band’s fourth album claims to be one of the first rock opera albums, following the life of the title character.
The Pretty Things – SF Sorrow cover art.
Image: Press
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