1. Sgt. Pepperr's Lonely Hearts Club Band- Beatles (rel. 1967)
According to Ringo Starr, this was the peak. To most music critics, this is the album that influenced the life of a generation. Music wise, Sgt. Pepper's (which was released sometime in the summer of love of 1967) broke the line that separated pop from rock music.
2. Pet Sounds- Beach Boys (rel. 1966)
Brian Wilson wanted to top Beatles' "Rubber Soul." This was the fab four's inspiration in making Sgt. Pepper's. This was the mark of the end of innocence in the sixties as it made farewell to beach music and similar stuff.
3. Revolver- Beatles (rel. 1966)
George Harrison thought that Rubber Soul and Revolver could have been volume one and two. Only, the latter was more adventurous and psychedelic. After they had stoppped touring, Beatles created a sound from what it could use in the studio. In fact, the studio had become their new stage. Exceptional tracks: Tomorrow Never Knows, Taxman and Eleonor Rigby.
4. Highway 61 Revisited- Bob Dylan (rel. 1965)
Bruce Springsteen has described the beginning of "Like a Rolling Stone," the opening song on Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, as the "snare shot that sounded like somebody'd kicked open the door to your mind." The same song that challenged the Beatles to write more creatively. This was the mark of his break away from the pure folk sound, and the start of his music becoming more amplified.
5. Exile On Main St.- Rolling Stones (rel. 1972)
Rolling Stone Magazine wrote: "...is the Stones' greatest album and Jagger and Richards' definitive songwriting statement of outlaw pride and dedication to grit." Some say that it's the first grunge record. Combining rock n roll, rnb and blues, the Stones made a statement that they could deliver the "music" no matter what (and no matter where).
