The Best Albums of 1963
During 1963, the Beatles and other beat groups, such as the Searchers and the Hollies, achieved great popularity and commercial success in Britain itself. Dylan had begun to reach a mainstream audience with hits including “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963) and “Masters of War” (1963), which brought “protest songs” to a wider public, but, although beginning to influence each other, rock and folk music had remained largely separate genres, often with mutually exclusive audiences. By 1963, garage band singles were creeping into the national charts in greater numbers, including Paul Revere and the Raiders (Boise), the Trashmen (Minneapolis), and the Rivieras (South Bend, Indiana). In this early period, many bands were heavily influenced by surf rock and there was a cross-pollination between garage rock and frat rock, sometimes viewed as merely a subgenre of garage rock. Here are all of the 1963 albums ranked.
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10. Night Train (The Oscar Peterson Trio)
“This is the classic version of the trio with Beterson backed by Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums. They literally cooked on every track, and Peterson gave Brown and Thigpen plenty of space. Indeed, Brown’s bass is not merely playing rhythm, but it complementing the melody and at points adding harmony. Thigpen’s drumming on both brushes and sticks is breathtaking (at least to me).”
9. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (Duke Ellington & John Coltrane)
“Overall this is a musically wonderful album. But as with just about any music involving Coltrane, it has a quality about it that simply isn’t always easy to put into words. The opening “In A Sentimental Mood” is one of the most entrancing melodies in jazz and,in this particular version,is one of my favorite jazz pieces. But it’s appeal goes beyond romanticism. Its the way Ellington lightly touches the keys of the piano, the way Coltrane holds the last note of each melodic phrase like a musical mantra. On “Take The Coltrane” the two musicians swing hard together in Duke’s classic style. Still ‘Trane’s playing maintains his own soul searching quality on contrast to Duke’s concentration on the rhythm and melody.”
8. A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector (Various Artists)
“Spector’s ‘A Christmas Gift for You’ is a compilation of arguably some of the best studio sessions in music history. Recorded over just a few weeks in 1963 in Los Angeles, the album had the misfortune of being released on the very same day that Oswald assassinated JFK. It was then re-released in the early ’70s and started to garner the attention it deserved.”
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7. Monk’s Dream (The Thelonious Monk Quartet)
“This is a thoroughly enjoyable listen from start to finish. No new ground being broken here or new frontiers explored, just great musicianship all around. Definitely among his more accessible works, this would be an ideal place to start for the newbie jazz listener not familiar with Monk’s unique and rather unorthodox style.”
6. Night Beat (Sam Cooke)
“This album is not a collection of hit singles but more of a thematic album, which makes it all the more special. “Night Beat” is a moody, downbeat classic that veers more toward blues, as evidenced by the covers of Willie Dixon’s “Little Red Rooster,” Charles Brown’s “Trouble Blue,” and the traditional “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”. Whatever the inspiration, this is a deeply heartfelt album that flows seamlessly. With an absence of lightweight pop tunes, it didn’t rocket up the charts, but the mournful, passionate songs stirred a cauldron of emotions within the souls of many listeners, making this album a favorite for many Sam Cooke fans.”
5. With The Beatles (The Beatles)
“Before they were the super-nova, iconic rock band of all time, the Beatles were just four very young and talented boys from Liverpool. The simple themes of love and lost love are layered into deceptively complex arrangements that showcase the brilliance of Lennon and McCartney’s songwriting and highlight George Harrison’s exceptional playing as well as Ringo’s always tight drums. The guys were having a ball in their early days and you can feel the enthusiasm in every note. If you want a change from the more popular yet equally outstanding latter Beatles catalog, this early masterpiece is quintessential Beatlemania at its best.”
4. Live At The Apollo (James Brown)
“Plenty of highlights, start with the introduction, it’s probably the greatest of all time. More amazing still, The Godfather lives up to it. Check out I’ll Go Crazy, it surely set hips twitchin’, and Think, way too excited to behave. The closer, Night Train, is especially tasty, with some rhythmic intensity that’s undeniable. These funk jewels showcase how tight the back-up band is, and those Famous Flames. Brown was, and is, a stern perfectionist, known for firing musicians who arrived at rehearsals late.”
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3. Please Please Me (The Beatles)
“The recording that changed popular music for all time, this was the first Beatles release and according to producer George Martin, was just their regular Cavern Club set recorded live in an EMI studio in one 12-hour recording session on Feb 11, 1963. From the opening count of “I Saw Her Standing There” to the last note of “Twist and Shout,” this CD version of The Beatles first record album is not just a trip down memory lane, but a testament to the staying power of The Beatles music, even the early stuff which I had once dismissed as a few hit singles mixed in with a lot of back room filler.”
2. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (Bob Dylan)
“One of the striking things about this classic Dylan CD is that some of the least known songs are still great. I still enjoy listening to “Talkin’ World War III Blues” to this day. The story of his expropriating a Cadillac; his listening to Rock-a-Day Johnnie singing “Where’s your ma, where’s your pa; Our love’s a gonna grow, ooh-ahh, ooh, ahh”; his conversation with a telephone operator; etc. “Oxford Town” is a great couple minutes that lays out the key underlying aspects of the racism of the South that called for a Civil Rights movement.”
1. The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady (Charles Mingus)
“This is a great jazz album some consider the best, many will agree or disagree which is fine. I think it comes close but not as good as Coltrane’s A Love Supreme or Miles Davis Kind of Blue. But there really isn’t a need to compare. It’s like an abstract painting, pushing your thoughts and imagination to new heights. It feels lively, frantic at times and raw and gritty at others, definitely does not feel over produced. This is a master contemplative piece, some will hate it or not get it which is fine, but don’t say people are stupid or pretentious if they like it, for each his own, don’t force your view on mine because I didn’t force mine on you! The piano parts are wonders.”