#34 Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (May 14, 1969)

Photographer Ryan McGinley named one of his gallery exhibits after this record and I can understand because this is one of my favorite album titles ever. I wish I could say the same about the cover, which looks like a Christmas card from a man who lives alone in the woods with his dog.

I've always loved Neil Young's style because he seems entirely independent; unchanging, despite the generations that come and go around him. He's also concerned only with the quality of his music, never bothering with his image or any other meaningless details. He's simply himself. And his music proves it - minimal but meticulously crafted. No wonder he became a golden god to the apathetic grunge generation.

Like every other album around this time, the guitar is king. "Cinnamon Girl", "Down By the River", and "Cowgirl in the Sand" all devote considerable amount of time to the contributions of Crazy Horse, which strengthen Young's unique songwriting and honest, elemental vocals.

favorite song: "The Losing End (When You're On)"

#33 The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground (March 1969)

This is my third and final colored vinyl. Hey, that rhymed. This record is translucent dark blue, which seems to perfectly characterize this music in terms of chromatic representation. This album is quiet in volume but full of refreshing originality, understated when considering its level of influence. "The Murder Mystery" alone has sparked countless imitations, but none have been so stylistically disordered.

"Pale Blue Eyes" may have been the inspiration for the vinyl's color and it's fitting since that song best captures the overall feeling of subdued isolation. The music has gotten much calmer since their last album, but without sacrificing their defining verve. The songwriting has taken a turn into reflective meditation, mellow yet provokingly hermetic.

Maureen Tucker's vocals on "After Hours" are subtle but very affecting. It's great nighttime music, perfect for that last conscious moment right before you fall into sleep.

favorite song: "Pale Blue Eyes"

#32 Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails (March 1969)

The guitar albums just keep on coming. When I started this blog, I considered including some kind of alert whenever I came across a Bo Diddley beat on any of these albums. There have been a lot so far, mostly because my collection consists of white bands that idolize the great blues artists. Quicksilver Messenger Service went one step further and, instead of just emulating the blues legends, they made an entire album-long tribute to Bo. And since Bo Diddley is my favorite blues musician, I had to buy this.

I can't say I love this record. I rarely play it. Maybe I haven't given it a sufficient chance, but it sounds somewhat dated. Long, drawn-out, acid-influenced semi-live jam sessions have never really appealed to me. They seemed to be popular in the sixties but, with the short attention of today's generation, music like this would have no audience. But then again, kids these days are pretty stupid.

But what I can appreciate is the spontaneous spirit and the raw improvisational talent of the players. This record isn't clean and the style is far from packaged. Like jazz, it has a certain energy that gets back in touch with the idea that music is an expression of impulsive passion, not something to be polished and manufactured as a product. In that way, it gets down to the roots of blues music.

And the monumental and almost cinematic moments of "Calvary" is something I do love.

favorite song: "Calvary"

#31 Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin (January 12, 1969)

When I first compiled the dates for the list, I was surprised this one came out in the 60's. It seems to entirely predict what rock n' roll would become in the 70's. It's heavier than anything that came out at the time. When I think of the stereotypical Stones fan I picture a hip grandpa, but Zeppelin is the choice of frat boys and young stoners alike. Music this weighty could never feel dated.

Thanks to every classic rock station in existence, Led Zeppelin's music has bombarded the airwaves and made their music feel tired. But, when I put the needle to the vinyl, no number of disc jockeys named Bob or Rockin' Ronnie can take away my love for this band. Like The Who, each member of this band is one of the best ever at his instrument. I don't want to say too much now or I won't have anything more to say when I get to their next few albums. Sorry.

favorite song: "Dazed and Confused"

#30 The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet (December 6, 1968)

The first time I remember hearing "Sympathy For the Devil" was when my brother Mike drove me to high school in his '92 Buick. He had made a mix tape of Stones songs. So for Christmas, believing him to be a die hard fan of the band, I bought the compilation Forty Licks on CD for him. It sat unopened on his shelf for two months before I took it for myself. Today it still sits in a CD case on the floor of my Taurus.

Being an idiot at the time, I assumed forty was about the maximum number of good songs a band could have. I turned out to be very wrong, because in a perfect world every song on this album and their next three would have been on that compilation.

It wasn't until I took advantage of the abundance of Stones LPs floating around used record shops that I really started to appreciate them. I have eight of their albums, the most in my collection - tied with The Beatles. That's because they are two incredible bands, undeniably classic yet eternally relevant.

This track listing has no weak link. Every song is gritty, bluesy, and unapologetic; the beginning of a revolutionary and defining era for the Stones. I just wish I had the original cover.

favorite song: "Street Fighting Man"

#29 The Beatles - The Beatles [The White Album] (November 22, 1968)

Each original pressing of this album had its own serial number. Mine is A1606169. It's little things like that which feed my vinyl record addiction. Luckily, my fix only cost me six dollars this time. And for a double album!

This is something I'm particularly happy to have on vinyl. It encompasses the whole range of The Beatles career - every spot on the genius-meter; from the most sugar-coated, ("Ob-La-Di, Ob-La Da") to the most experimental, yet somehow attracting, bits of insanity ("Revolution 9") and everything in between. Even songs like "Piggies" and "Savory Truffle" sound great in their own deviant way.

When there are so many diverse songs on one album, it's hard to pick a favorite. Sometimes I prefer the quiet beauty of "Blackbird" and other times I prefer songs like "Helter Skelter", chaotic rock that proves The Beatles were as cool as the Stones.

favorite song: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

#28 Van Morrison - Astral Weeks (November 1968)

One of my all time top five. But I don't listen to it very often. I think that's because it's not an every day kind of record and it works poorly as background music. It's an album that demands the right mind-set and the listener's undivided attention. If you have those two things, it's an amazing album.

I bought a CD copy of this in high school without having heard any of the songs. Rolling Stone or some other publication told me it was great and I'm a sucker for the persuasiveness of arrogant, yet irrelevant critical opinion. It took me a little time to warm up to the style and the orchestral song-structure, but I easily got hooked on the songwriting and Van Morrison's ornately painful vocals. By the time I got it on vinyl, it was already one of my favorite albums.

The first side is entitled "In The Beginning" and the second side, "Afterwards", is jump-started by the energetic "Young Lovers Do", the only song on the album even remotely danceable. Everything else has a sort of isolated mysteriousness, both compelling and uncertain. "Cyprus Avenue" and "Madame George" are poetically epic and their sometimes quizzical lyrics are full of enigmatic beauty.

favorite song: "Madame George"

#27 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (September 16, 1968)

I searched for a Hendrix record for a long time but all the ones I found usually included the phrase "Smash Hits." I've never been too interested in greatest hits collections simply because I enjoy the historical context of an album. So I was happy when I finally stumbled upon a used copy of Electric Ladyland. It's not just a mix-tape of singles; instead the long guitar jams are left intact and offer just a tiny glimpse of the drugs he was on at the time.

It took listening to Hendrix to get me to really love the guitar. It helps to appreciate an instrument when you witness someone performing on a completely different level than any other human being ever. Hendrix played guitar as naturally as the rest of us breath. That's if we're breathing on acid while riding a unicorn through space. The solo in "Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)" is a form of aural intoxication and more evidence that Hendrix has not just solidified the title of Greatest Guitarist of All Time but has carved it in stone and placed it on a mountain so high, Moses couldn't retrieve it.

favorite song: "Burning of the Midnight Lamp"

#26 Big Brother & The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills (August 12, 1968)

Back from the dead. It's been almost ten days since my last update. I was being paid to rewrite a script, and since this blog provides no monetary reward (just a buttload of self-satisfaction), I had to prioritize.

Though it's a crime that my collection has up to this point lacked any estrogen, it's somewhat fitting that the first female voice I hear belongs to Janis Joplin. She had one of the greatest voices of rock n' roll in the sixties, period. Not just for her gender. I still have Pearl coming up so I'll reserve the rest of my thoughts on Janis for that, since on that album she won't be sharing the stage with such dominant guitarwork.

This is another album with an insanely awesome cover. Back when LPs were the sole form of musical property, artists still gave a shit about what the product looked like. It helped that the covers were bigger and provided a larger canvas on which to visually capture and forever label the sounds heard within. It's hard to listen to an older album without associating it with that image. In the digital world, album artwork is as disposable as the quality of the music. But I'm sure I sound like a bitter grandpa, so I will cease my bitchin' now.

Up until the past few years, I had never been one for music that primarily emphasizes the guitar. Maybe it had something to do with my inability to play one, but I had found it boring. I'm not sure when that changed but I'm certain it had something to do with listening to records like this. Songs like "Summertime" and "Ball and Chain" have turned the guitar into an instrument I not only admire but sincerely enjoy.

favorite song: "Piece of My Heart"

#25 The Who - The Who Sell Out (December 15, 1967)

This is another record I really loved when I first got into it, but now it only makes it on to my turntable at best, once every few months.

It's about as conceptual as a concept album gets, each song dedicated to this theme that The Who have sold their souls to the corporate world. And even with faux commercials linking each song, it never feels like a gimmick. Although, the release date does seem somewhat ironic considering it's only ten days before the most consumer-oriented holiday.

But there are some really great songs on here. "I Can See For Miles" may have been the only hit, but that's most likely do to its ability to stand alone. In fact, it's one of my least favorite songs on the album. I prefer the humorous triumvirate composed of "Odorono", "Tattoo", and "Our Love Was."

favorite song: "Our Love Was"

#24 Cream - Disraeli Gears (November 2, 1967)

The first record I ever bought. I found it in a stack of classical LP's in the corner of a bookstore that no longer exists. I bought it before I even had a player to play it on, almost as a promise to myself that I would one day get one. Unlike normal people, my parents owned no records from which I could inherit and form my own collection so, as dorky as it sounds, my first vinyl purchase was important to me.

As far as Clapton bands go, I prefer Derek and the Dominos, but Cream is a lot more than just Clapton. Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker helped the trio pave the way for hard rock and solidify its spot in the future of pop music. "Sunshine of Your Love" has one of the most famous guitar riffs, while "Strange Brew" and "Tales of Brave Ulysses" are just more evidence that drugs were the greatest thing to happen to music.

The cover is an explosion of the craziest shade of pink I've ever seen. Maybe the bright colors are what drew me to this record in the first place. I judged a book by its cover, not realizing it was just the first of many dollars I would waste on vinyl records.

favorite song: "Blue Condition"

#23 Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Safe As Milk (September 1967)

Before I go any further, I must mention that while searching for the photo for the last album, I stumbled upon the Spanish version of myself. Our tastes are so similar, I'm scared there's a version of me in every country. But what better way to vent about your lack of individuality than on a blog!

This is my second color vinyl, this time it's white. It successfully provokes the unsettling wholesomeness of the word "milk" (think Clockwork Orange) but it also means that I have to wipe the Cheetos crumbs from my fingertips before handling the vinyl. My jeans work nicely.

I'll save most of my Beefheart sentiments for his masterpiece, Trout Mask Replica, but that shouldn't imply that this is a lightweight. The relative sanity is evidence that the Captain was at one time, concerned with being commercially successful (he tried again in the middle of his career but that time, failed miserably). It works on this album, mostly thanks to the young guitar virtuoso Ry Cooder.

"Where There's Woman" and "Dropout Boogie" are forgettable but the delightfully bizarre "Electricity" is a prime example of Captain Beefheart's gritty growl, like Howlin' Wolf on acid.

favorite song: "Yellow Brick Road"

#22 Tim Buckley - Goodbye and Hello (August 1967)

If you've been paying close attention (and why would you pay close attention to a blog?) you've perhaps noticed two things about my collection:
a.) Despite my own bronze complexion, the musicians are mostly white.
b.) This is a sausage fest.
I wish I could say these things will soon change, but this mostly remains the case for the rest of the trip. I've never really noticed it before and I wish I had an explanation that didn't end with me seeming subconsciously racist and sexist but I can't think of one. I guess I'll just have to diversify my portfolio.

I am guilty of not listening to this record much. In fact, I left it at my parents' house until this past Christmas. I'm not sure why, I like Jeff Buckley and his father's music and voice are not much different. And now listening to it for maybe only the third time, it's all starting to click. His voice is of another time, like a medieval troubadour.

This is like music from a fairytale -- folk with a hint of insanity. Even the cover reinforces this idea, proclaiming "He will sing for you his ten tales and then wander till spring." But regardless of his peculiar style, he's a talented poet and the ornate music makes me feel like I'm barefoot in a field on the Shire. I have to listen to this album more.

favorite song: "Pleasant Street"

#21 Moby Grape - Moby Grape (June 1967)

Poor Moby Grape. They were one of the strongest American bands of that period and today they're less known than the Starland Vocal Band. It probably didn't help that this album came out the same month as Sgt. Pepper's.

"Hey Grandma" may be my favorite song title ever. I used to play this record a lot senior year of college and my stoned roommate, Zach, would be terrified of the song "Sitting By the Window." I'm not sure why. I think he believed there was actually someone sitting by our window.

The previous owner of this record has torn off a sticker that read "Includes Giant Full Color Poster" (unfortunately, the poster is missing) to reveal that in the band photo, Don Stevenson is flipping off the camera. He's also holding a giant spoon. Awesome cover.

This is a great guitar album. But a lot of the bands at the time had great guitar. The difference between them and Moby Grape was their concern for melody. This is a band that wasn't just interested in making a lot of noise, unless it sounded really good.

favorite song: "Mister Blues"