The Revolutionary Albums of 1966: How Music Changed Forever

When you think about the biggest albums of 1966, two records stand head and shoulders above the rest. The Beatles' Revolver and The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds have tended to overshadow everything else released that year.

But the mythology surrounding the albums has also overshadowed the actual music on the records themselves. So, let's dive into the sounds of 66 to get a better understanding for where music was at 60 years ago.

Oh, I almost forgot the obligatory historical context of 1966: Harold Holt was sworn in as prime minister in January (almost two years before his fateful swim), Australian currency went decimal, The Sound Of Music and Doctor Zhivago dominated the Oscars, England clinched its only FIFA World Cup, and St Kilda won its lone AFL/VFL grand final.

The big two of 1966

While there was much more to the music of 66 than just Revolver and Pet Sounds, you can't ignore these records. They literally changed music.

Revolver

The Beatles

Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

Rockin' in the USA

The mid-60s were a strange time in music, particularly in America. Jazz was still big, the crooners (Frank, Tony, Dean and co) still held some sway, and one of the biggest bands in America was Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass.

Meanwhile rock music was 10 years old, the invasion of British bands had started to peter out, folk music was still popular though morphing in new and strange ways, and everyone still wanted to be The Beatles three years on from their worldwide explosion.

Seriously, it's crazy how many albums from 1966 featured a Beatles cover.

But the end result in the US was a wild melting pot of sounds, perhaps best exemplified by these six albums.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme

Simon & Garfunkel

If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

The Mamas & The Papas

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

Buffalo Springfield

Buffalo Springfield

The Monkees

The Monkees

Freak Out!

The Mothers Of Invention

After the invasion

The Beatles had kicked open the door to the US for English acts, and every Tom, Mick and Eric was clambering to follow suit.

But the so-called British Invasion, which saw the US Billboard charts successfully infiltrated by UK bands, had started to wane by 1966.

Regardless, some fascinating sounds were continuing to emerge from the British Isles.

Some of the soon-to-be-biggest bands in the world were taking interesting steps in some intriguing directions.

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

Fresh Cream

Cream

Small Faces

Small Faces

Face To Face

The Kinks

Roger The Engineer

The Yardbirds

A Quick One

The Who

Soul music

Pop, rock, gospel, and rhythm and blues were shifting and swirling together in black communities in America to make something new in the 50s.

By the 60s, it had become soul music and was a juggernaut that dominated black music charts (euphemistically called the R&B charts) and seeped into the white music charts (the "pop" charts), such was its popularity.

Here are three of the big non-Motown soul records of 66 (we'll get to Motown in a minute).

Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul

Otis Redding

River Deep, Mountain High

Ike & Tina Turner

The Exciting Wilson Pickett

Wilson Pickett

Psychedelia

As the late great comedian Bill Hicks pointed out, "the musicians that made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years [were] real … high on drugs".

That's most evident in the emergence of psychedelic rock, strongly influenced by the use of LSD, which was banned in California and Nevada in mid-66, but already had a foothold in the arts, music and "counter-culture" communities.

Some historians point to The Beatles' album Rubber Soul (December 1965) and B side Rain (May 66) as precursors to psychedelic rock, and they were certainly among the musicians letting LSD ooze into their music.

While key Californian acid-soaked bands like The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Aeroplane weren't quite there in 1966, plenty of others were already turning on, tuning in and dropping out to make a groovy new sound.

Sunshine Superman

Donovan

Psychedelic Lollipop

Blues Magoos

The Psychedelic Sounds Of …

The 13th Floor Elevators

Fifth Dimension

The Byrds

Psychedelic Moods

The Deep

Garage rock

Rock'n'roll, or beat music as it was sometimes called, began to diversify and evolve even before anyone coined the term rock'n'roll.

Blues-rock, country-rock, rockabilly, swamp rock — all of these subgenres were getting thrown around long before 66.

But it was only in hindsight that the term garage rock came about, as people tried to find a name for the dirtier rock sound of the mid-60s that would become a bridge to punk, metal, grunge, hardcore, post-punk and a bunch of other alt-rock subgenres.

1966 is littered with great singles and bands that were overlooked in their day.

Indeed, without Lenny Kaye's compilation series Nuggets (1972 onwards), many would have been forgotten.

But here are some of the key acts that helped give rock'n'roll music a grittier sound and a tougher attitude.

Midnight Ride

Paul Revere & The Raiders

Boom

The Sonics

The Seeds

The Seeds

Black Monk Time

The Monks

From Nowhere

The Troggs

Love

Love

The sound of Australia

Pop music in Australia in the 50s and 60s was largely content to copy the sounds of the UK and US.

As a result, the albums, songs and acts that endured in the cultural memory are the ones that had something truly special.

Here are three Aussie bands with big albums in 66 that we still talk about today.

It's 2 Easy

The Easybeats

Spicks & Specks

Bee Gees

Come The Day

The Seekers

Motown

In its early years, Motown Records operated out of a two-storey home in Detroit dubbed Hitsville USA, which was more than fitting; from 1961 to 1971, the label produced 110 Billboard top 10 hits.

Throughout the 60s and 70s, the label pumped out an insane run of world-changing music, and the genres of soul, pop, R&B and funk wouldn't be the same without Motown and its famed backing band, known fittingly as The Funk Brothers.

Here's a taste of just some of the remarkable music that emerged from the Detroit label in 1966.

The Supremes A' Go-Go

The Supremes

Down To Earth

Stevie Wonder

On Top

Four Tops

Gettin' Ready

The Temptations

Watchout!

Martha & The Vandellas

Moods Of Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye

And three more …

This article wouldn't be complete without these world-changing albums.

Wild Is The Wind

Nina Simone

Ascension

John Coltrane

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Ennio Morricone