Top 250 Best Selling Rock Albums (1967 - 1981) (1 Viewer)

[Mr. Mojo]

#19T - THE DOORS - The Doors (1967) (20 million albums)
Notable songs: Light My Fire (#1), Break On Through (#126), The Crystal Ship, Soul Kitchen, 20th Century Fox, Alabama Song, The End, Backdoor Man, End Of The Night

IMO, the best of The Doors albums. Rolling Stone had it as high as #42. Tim had it ranked #49. They were a band that I wasn't that into as a kid, but they've grown on me over the years. I remember them being really popular after The Doors movie came out in 1991, especially at my college. Not sure how long that lasted.


#16 - THE BEATLES - The Beatles ("The White Album") (1968) (24 million albums)
Notable songs: Ob-La-Di Ob-Li-Da, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Back In The U.S.S.R., Martha My Dear, Dear Prudence, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, I'm So Tired, Rocky Raccoon, Birthday, Yer Blues, Mother Nature's Son, Helter Skelter

There are 30 tracks, so I couldn't list all of them. No singles were released from the album in either the US or UK. Rolling Stone had it at #29 vs. #5 for Tim. I like most of it, but there are some tracks that I would have ditched and made a single disc record out of the material. Or I would have configured things differently and made this into 2 or 3 releases. The Super Deluxe version contains 107 tracks . . . and those are the ones that were released. Who knows what else was held back. A lot of their songs were recorded and slotted on a variety of albums, plus they released a ton of non-album singles as well.

The Doors was my first album I got as a kid and still one of my all time favorites. Light My Fire would make my all time top 10 songs and the Crystal Ship is an underappreciated classic.

But the White Album is not one of my favorite Beatle albums. Too much inferior filler like Rocky Racoon for a group of this magnitude. If they took the best songs and pared down to one album, I would feel very differently about it.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Here’s my “short double LP” version of the White Album that I mentioned:

Side 1:
Back In The USSR - 2:43
Dear Prudence - 3:56
Glass Onion - 2:18
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - 4:45
Happiness Is A Warm Gun - 2:47

Side 2:
Martha My Dear - 2:28
Blackbird - 2:18
Don't Pass Me By - 3:51
Julia - 2:57
Hey Jude - 7:12

Side 3:
Birthday - 2:42
Yer Blues - 4:01
Mother Nature's Son - 2:48
Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey - 2:24
Helter Skelter - 4:30

Side 4:
Sexy Sadie - 3:15
I'm So Tired - 2:03
Savoy Truffle - 2:54
Cry Baby Cry - 3:02
I Will - 1:46
Revolution - 3:21

Total time: 68:01

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I saw them on a triple bill with Styx and Def Leppard in 2008. REO opened, and after their set, Kevin Cronin came and sat down next to me eating a Subway tuna sub.

This is the inside info I come here for.

 

[Anarchy99]

I saw them on a triple bill with Styx and Def Leppard in 2008. REO opened, and after their set, Kevin Cronin came and sat down next to me eating a Subway tuna sub.

This is the inside info I come here for.

I save the really good content for my premium subscribers.

 

[zamboni]

I saw them on a triple bill with Styx and Def Leppard in 2008. REO opened, and after their set, Kevin Cronin came and sat down next to me eating a Subway tuna sub.

This is the inside info I come here for.

I save the really good content for my premium subscribers.

You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna sub.

 

[Anarchy99]

A warning in advance that this grouping may cause more rioting in the streets as we cross the 25 million mark . . .

#13T - SIMON & GARFUNKEL - Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track (#1), Cecilia (#4), The Boxer (#7), El Candor Pasa (If I Could) (#18), Bye Bye Love, So Long Frank Lloyd Wright, Keep The Customer Satisfied

I still don't get the warm and fuzzies about calling S&G "rock," but there are some other folky / mellow / not hard rocking artists that were included. Simon back in the day was one of the greatest American singer songwriters of that generation. I dated a girl named Cecilia many years ago, and things worked out pretty similar to the narrative in the song. Rolling Stone had it at #172.

#13T - CAROLE KING - Tapestry (1971) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: It's Too Late / I Feel The Earth Move (#1), So Far Away / Smackwater Jack (#14), You've Goit A Friend, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Beautiful,

If I had qualms and reservations about S&G, then I had even more fear and trepidation including Tapestry. Where I lived, it was so popular that it actually got played on FM rock stations (back in the day of smooth, slow talking DJs that sounded like they had just woken up). The album is solid . . . but is it rock?!? Rolling Stone had it at #25. These two as Top 15 rock albums is . . . less than ideal.

#13T - BOSTON - Boston (1976) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: More Than A Feeling (#5), Long Time (#22), Peace Of Mind (#38), Foreplay, Rock And Roll Band, Smokin', Hitch A Ride, Something About You, Let Me Take You Home Tonight

Much better. The backstory on this one is a demo was recorded in 1973 and pretty much every major record label passed on it (some more than once). Apparently, record company executives didn't think a guitar-driven band would work or gain much popularity. Three years later, they finally got picked up and the rest is history. It was the best-selling debut album for a while, but I believe it got passed up by Appetite For Destruction. I live outside of Boston, and I hear every single one of these songs on the radio all the time.

#12 - THE BEATLES - Abbey Road (1969) (27.6 million albums)
Notable songs: Something / Come Together (#1), Here Comes The Sun, Oh! Darling, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Golden Slumbers Medley, Octopus's Garden, Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Tim had this at #2. Rolling Stone had it at #5. Many (most?) days this is my favorite Beatles album. But there are several other options given the day and my mood. Whenever I listen to this, I openly wonder if they could have been even better if they treated Geroge as an equal and let him do his thing more. Like the Boston album, I still hear all these songs on the radio (some more than others). I think the rest of the band wanted to smash Paul in the head with his silver hammer.

#11 - IRON BUTTERFLY - In-A-Godda-Da-Vida (1968) (30 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track (#30)

I call shenanigans on this one. Someone entered 30 million into a database at some point, and that's what we're stuck with. It's basically a greatest hit album, as the 17-minute title track is pretty much all that this band is known for. Like other albums on the list, the some of the known parts don't come anywhere near close to 30 million . . . not even using "new math." More realistic estimates have the total sales number at closer to 7.8 million copies. But I report on what is listed . . . I haven't heard the title track and years (and I'm not complaining).

What an odd final grouping. Boston and Abbey Road fit the uber elite profile. The other three . . . not so much. Looking at the remaining albums, only one will make people want to puke. There's only one selection left from the 60s and only one left from the 80s. Up next, one of the three remaining double albums.

 

[Joe Schmo]

#11 - IRON BUTTERFLY - In-A-Godda-Da-Vida (1968) (30 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track (#30)

I call shenanigans on this one. Someone entered 30 million into a database at some point, and that's what we're stuck with. It's basically a greatest hit album, as the 17-minute title track is pretty much all that this band is known for. Like other albums on the list, the some of the known parts don't come anywhere near close to 30 million . . . not even using "new math." More realistic estimates have the total sales number at closer to 7.8 million copies. But I report on what is listed . . . I haven't heard the title track and years (and I'm not complaining).

I just had to look this up based on the absurd amount of sales and boy oh boy is this album a poster child for "inflating" stats! This is the Costanza album-it isn't a lie if you believe it! In reading up on this I ran across a couple of debunking sites that show this misinfo has been going around for years. There is a 1985ish article that sites the album as having sold 20 million up to that point but again no evidence other than hearsay. And apparently it sold the most copies of any album in music history up to 1969.(Not!)

I'll leave this here: https://www.ratherrarerecords.com/in-a-gadda-da-vida-sold/

 

[Anarchy99]

#11 - IRON BUTTERFLY - In-A-Godda-Da-Vida (1968) (30 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track (#30)

I call shenanigans on this one. Someone entered 30 million into a database at some point, and that's what we're stuck with. It's basically a greatest hit album, as the 17-minute title track is pretty much all that this band is known for. Like other albums on the list, the some of the known parts don't come anywhere near close to 30 million . . . not even using "new math." More realistic estimates have the total sales number at closer to 7.8 million copies. But I report on what is listed . . . I haven't heard the title track and years (and I'm not complaining).

I just had to look this up based on the absurd amount of sales and boy oh boy is this album a poster child for "inflating" stats! This is the Costanza album-it isn't a lie if you believe it! In reading up on this I ran across a couple of debunking sites that show this misinfo has been going around for years. There is a 1985ish article that sites the album as having sold 20 million up to that point but again no evidence other than hearsay. And apparently it sold the most copies of any album in music history up to 1969.(Not!)

I'll leave this here: https://www.ratherrarerecords.com/in-a-gadda-da-vida-sold/

Unfortunately, it's not just Wikipedia. There are other places that cite the 30 million number. IMO, all the album sales totals for all artists really need some forensic accounting, audits, and either verification or reconciliation. But no one will want to A) pay for it, B) know the actual numbers (labels may end up having to shell out more in royalties with current totals), and C) bands, promoters, and publicists alike can continue to beat the drum and the lore that they were the biggest seller of YEAR X (or whatever claims they want to make). In this day and age, there's way more going on in the digital space than physical media, so the battles that are being fought are on that battleground, not what happened 50 years ago.

 

[zamboni]

A warning in advance that this grouping may cause more rioting in the streets as we cross the 25 million mark . . .

#13T - SIMON & FARFUNKEL - Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track (#1), Cecilia (#4), The Boxer (#7), El Candor Pasa (If I Could) (#18), Bye Bye Love, So Long Frank Lloyd Wright, Keep The Customer Satisfied

I still don't get the warm and fuzzies about calling S&G "rock," but there are some other folky / mellow / not hard rocking artists that were included. Simon back in the day was one of the greatest American singer songwriters of that generation. I dated a girl named Cecilia many years ago, and things worked out pretty similar to the narrative in the song. Rolling Stone had it at #172.

#13T - CAROLE KING - Tapestry (1971) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: It's Too Late / I Feel The Earth Move (#1), So Far Away / Smackwater Jack (#14), You've Goit A Friend, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Beautiful,

If I had qualms and reservations about S&G, then I had even more fear and trepidation including Tapestry. Where I lived, it was so popular that it actually got played on FM rock stations (back in the day of smooth, slow talking DJs that sounded like they had just woken up). The album is solid . . . but is it rock?!? Rolling Stone had it at #25. These two as Top 15 rock albums is . . . less than ideal.

#13T - BOSTON - Boston (1976) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: More Than A Feeling (#5), Long Time (#22), Peace Of Mind (#38), Foreplay, Rock And Roll Band, Smokin', Hitch A Ride, Something About You, Let Me Take You Home Tonight

Much better. The backstory on this one is a demo was recorded in 1973 and pretty much every major record label passed on it (some more than once). Apparently, record company executives didn't think a guitar-driven band would work or gain much popularity. Three years later, they finally got picked up and the rest is history. It was the best-selling debut album for a while, but I believe it got passed up by Appetite For Destruction. I live outside of Boston, and I hear every single one of these songs on the radio all the time.

#12 - THE BEATLES - Abbey Road (1969) (27.6 million albums)
Notable songs: Something / Come Together (#1), Here Comes The Sun, Oh! Darling, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Golden Slumbers Medley, Octopus's Garden, Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Tim had this at #2. Rolling Stone had it at #5. Many (most?) days this is my favorite Beatles album. But there are several other options given the day and my mood. Whenever I listen to this, I openly wonder if they could have been even better if they treated Geroge as an equal and let him do his thing more. Like the Boston album, I still hear all these songs on the radio (some more than others). I think the rest of the band wanted to smash Paul in the head with his silver hammer.

#11 - IRON BUTTERFLY - In-A-Godda-Da-Vida (1968) (30 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track (#30)

I call shenanigans on this one. Someone entered 30 million into a database at some point, and that's what we're stuck with. It's basically a greatest hit album, as the 17-minute title track is pretty much all that this band is known for. Like other albums on the list, the some of the known parts don't come anywhere near close to 30 million . . . not even using "new math." More realistic estimates have the total sales number at closer to 7.8 million copies. But I report on what is listed . . . I haven't heard the title track and years (and I'm not complaining).

What an odd final grouping. Boston and Abbey Road fit the uber elite profile. The other three . . . not so much. Looking at the remaining albums, only one will make people want to puke. There's only one selection left from the 60s and only one left from the 80s. Up next, one of the three remaining double albums.

Another great rack, but yeah, that 30 million figure of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida seems bizarre for sure. I doubt many people know any songs outside the title track, and even this music nerd who owns it had to struggle to remember what else is on that album.

Unless they're counting 30 million people that have seen the Simpsons parody I've posted before.

 

[Bogart]

#24T - JEAN-MICHEL JARRE - Oxygene (1976) (18 million albums)
Notable songs: Oxygene 4, Oxygen 2


#24T - MIKE OLDFIELD - Tubular Bells (1973) (18 million albums)
Notable songs: Mike Oldfield's Single / Tubular Bells (#7)

Both of these albums walked, so Pure Moods in the 90's...could also walk, slower. But it had a moment.

 

[Bogart]

If you were a white kid into music in the mid-70s, you had to own the Frampton LP. It was like a law or something. I don't think I can explain why this album became the phenom it did. None of these songs were big hits in their original versions. I think it's pretty flaccid overall - our hero doesn't have much soul - but this thing was everywhere.

Comes Alive did seem to come out of nowhere. After Frampton left Humble Pie in 1971, he had a basically middling solo career for the next several years before the alive album just exploded.

Hard to explain - maybe people confused him with Leif Garrett.

His manager and label promoted the hell out of it. Which means plenty of DJs got cocaine, hookers, whatever to feature it. Frampton's manager, Dee Anthony, had a model for all his acts which involved making four studio albums followed by a double live album, which would in theory solidify and intensify its fanbase and boost sales. There was no empirical evidence that this worked consistently, but for Frampton, it did.

Driving back from Tulsa yesterday, was listening to Sammy Hagar's autobiography. The first few chapters made me want to learn a lot more about Dee Anthony.

 

[Anarchy99]

The remaining albums combined have sold 396.1 million albums (allegedly). I own vinyl copies of 8 of them (plus some I also have on CD, 8-track, and cassette). I would be a little surprised if there were many folks that owned all of them (but some of you guys might surprise me).

 

[Grace Under Pressure]

#13T - BOSTON - Boston (1976) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: More Than A Feeling (#5), Long Time (#22), Peace Of Mind (#38), Foreplay, Rock And Roll Band, Smokin', Hitch A Ride, Something About You, Let Me Take You Home Tonight

Boston IMO is a great, borderline incredible album. The songs mentioned were all staples on rock stations in the NYC area as well.

Tom Scholz is a genius, and part of his vision for the music was crisp vocals, and on that front Brad Delp certainly delivered.

While all of the songs are each standouts, I'm partial to Hitch A Ride. But to be honest, More Than A Feeling is their biggest song and probably their best song.

The thing about the album is Scholz spent years, literally, perfecting those songs. Thousands of takes by himself in a basement. It was going to be tough for them to ever re-create that, just from a time spent perspective. It was unlikely they were ever going to be able to produce many albums given that approach.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

A warning in advance that this grouping may cause more rioting in the streets as we cross the 25 million mark . . .

#13T - SIMON & GARFUNKEL - Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track (#1), Cecilia (#4), The Boxer (#7), El Candor Pasa (If I Could) (#18), Bye Bye Love, So Long Frank Lloyd Wright, Keep The Customer Satisfied

I still don't get the warm and fuzzies about calling S&G "rock," but there are some other folky / mellow / not hard rocking artists that were included. Simon back in the day was one of the greatest American singer songwriters of that generation. I dated a girl named Cecilia many years ago, and things worked out pretty similar to the narrative in the song. Rolling Stone had it at #172.

#13T - CAROLE KING - Tapestry (1971) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: It's Too Late / I Feel The Earth Move (#1), So Far Away / Smackwater Jack (#14), You've Goit A Friend, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Beautiful,

If I had qualms and reservations about S&G, then I had even more fear and trepidation including Tapestry. Where I lived, it was so popular that it actually got played on FM rock stations (back in the day of smooth, slow talking DJs that sounded like they had just woken up). The album is solid . . . but is it rock?!? Rolling Stone had it at #25. These two as Top 15 rock albums is . . . less than ideal.

#13T - BOSTON - Boston (1976) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: More Than A Feeling (#5), Long Time (#22), Peace Of Mind (#38), Foreplay, Rock And Roll Band, Smokin', Hitch A Ride, Something About You, Let Me Take You Home Tonight

Much better. The backstory on this one is a demo was recorded in 1973 and pretty much every major record label passed on it (some more than once). Apparently, record company executives didn't think a guitar-driven band would work or gain much popularity. Three years later, they finally got picked up and the rest is history. It was the best-selling debut album for a while, but I believe it got passed up by Appetite For Destruction. I live outside of Boston, and I hear every single one of these songs on the radio all the time.

#12 - THE BEATLES - Abbey Road (1969) (27.6 million albums)
Notable songs: Something / Come Together (#1), Here Comes The Sun, Oh! Darling, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Golden Slumbers Medley, Octopus's Garden, Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Tim had this at #2. Rolling Stone had it at #5. Many (most?) days this is my favorite Beatles album. But there are several other options given the day and my mood. Whenever I listen to this, I openly wonder if they could have been even better if they treated Geroge as an equal and let him do his thing more. Like the Boston album, I still hear all these songs on the radio (some more than others). I think the rest of the band wanted to smash Paul in the head with his silver hammer.

#11 - IRON BUTTERFLY - In-A-Godda-Da-Vida (1968) (30 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track (#30)

I call shenanigans on this one. Someone entered 30 million into a database at some point, and that's what we're stuck with. It's basically a greatest hit album, as the 17-minute title track is pretty much all that this band is known for. Like other albums on the list, the some of the known parts don't come anywhere near close to 30 million . . . not even using "new math." More realistic estimates have the total sales number at closer to 7.8 million copies. But I report on what is listed . . . I haven't heard the title track and years (and I'm not complaining).

What an odd final grouping. Boston and Abbey Road fit the uber elite profile. The other three . . . not so much. Looking at the remaining albums, only one will make people want to puke. There's only one selection left from the 60s and only one left from the 80s. Up next, one of the three remaining double albums.

The first four albums in this stack are among the best of their era, regardless of how you want to label them, and have very few weak tracks between them (none on the Carole King and Boston selections).

As for the Iron Butterfly, how many of those 30 million copies are still in collections as opposed to landfills?

While I agree that the 30 million number is probably bogus, I can see it serving the same function in the 60s as DSOTM did in the 70s. Stoners wore out their copies from playing them during countless weed/LSD sessions, and were constantly having to purchase the album again.

 

[Gr00vus]

That Iron Butterfly number is crazy.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

That Iron Butterfly number is crazy.

Well, you know what they say: "a butterfly flapping its wings in-a-godda-da-vida can lead to 30 million records sold worldwide"

It's science.

 

[zamboni]

That Iron Butterfly number is crazy.

Well, you know what they say: "a butterfly flapping its wings in-a-godda-da-vida can lead to 30 million records sold worldwide"

That sounds like rock and/or roll.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

What an odd final grouping. Boston and Abbey Road fit the uber elite profile. The other three . . . not so much.

Given how this list has broken down, two of the other four make sense. Iron Butterfly doesn't.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

#13T - BOSTON - Boston (1976) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: More Than A Feeling (#5), Long Time (#22), Peace Of Mind (#38), Foreplay, Rock And Roll Band, Smokin', Hitch A Ride, Something About You, Let Me Take You Home Tonight

Boston IMO is a great, borderline incredible album. The songs mentioned were all staples on rock stations in the NYC area as well.

Tom Scholz is a genius, and part of his vision for the music was crisp vocals, and on that front Brad Delp certainly delivered.

While all of the songs are each standouts, I'm partial to Hitch A Ride. But to be honest, More Than A Feeling is their biggest song and probably their best song.

The thing about the album is Scholz spent years, literally, perfecting those songs. Thousands of takes by himself in a basement. It was going to be tough for them to ever re-create that, just from a time spent perspective. It was unlikely they were ever going to be able to produce many albums given that approach.

Top 5 favorite album all time for me.

 

[zamboni]

#13T - BOSTON - Boston (1976) (25 million albums)
Notable songs: More Than A Feeling (#5), Long Time (#22), Peace Of Mind (#38), Foreplay, Rock And Roll Band, Smokin', Hitch A Ride, Something About You, Let Me Take You Home Tonight

Boston IMO is a great, borderline incredible album. The songs mentioned were all staples on rock stations in the NYC area as well.

Tom Scholz is a genius, and part of his vision for the music was crisp vocals, and on that front Brad Delp certainly delivered.

While all of the songs are each standouts, I'm partial to Hitch A Ride.

Hitch A Ride is my favorite as well - probably the only one I haven't gotten tired of hearing. That outro solo is superb.

"Long Time" as a single must have sounded weird without "Foreplay" preceding it.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

I have one friend who actually saw Iron Butterfly in concert.
I swear that he's got bragging rights for life...

 

[Anarchy99]

I have one friend who actually saw Iron Butterfly in concert.
I swear that he's got bragging rights for life...

Iron Butterfly has an odd performance history. According to setlist.fm, they have performed 764 shows from 1966 up to as recently as 2019 (367 of them 1970 or earlier). They've played in 47 different years, mostly performing a handful of gigs each year. None of the original band members have been in the band for years, but they list 65 people as having been band members at some point. Very Spinal Tap-esque.

 

[Bogart]

I have one friend who actually saw Iron Butterfly in concert.
I swear that he's got bragging rights for life...

Iron Butterfly has an odd performance history. According to setlist.fm, they have performed 764 shows from 1966 up to as recently as 2019 (367 of them 1970 or earlier). They've played in 47 different years, mostly performing a handful of gigs each year. None of the original band members have been in the band for years, but they list 65 people as having been band members at some point. Very Spinal Tap-esque.

This. Their Wikipedia Personnel page is..... something. LINK

 

[massraider]

As for the Iron Butterfly, how many of those 30 million copies are still in collections as opposed to landfills?

And yet perfectly preserved by all the surrounding shag carpeting

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I have one friend who actually saw Iron Butterfly in concert.
I swear that he's got bragging rights for life...

Iron Butterfly has an odd performance history. According to setlist.fm, they have performed 764 shows from 1966 up to as recently as 2019 (367 of them 1970 or earlier). They've played in 47 different years, mostly performing a handful of gigs each year. None of the original band members have been in the band for years, but they list 65 people as having been band members at some point. Very Spinal Tap-esque.

Lots of '60s and '70s second-and-below-tier bands are like that, if you peruse their histories on Wikipedia.

 

[zamboni]

I have one friend who actually saw Iron Butterfly in concert.
I swear that he's got bragging rights for life...

Iron Butterfly has an odd performance history. According to setlist.fm, they have performed 764 shows from 1966 up to as recently as 2019 (367 of them 1970 or earlier). They've played in 47 different years, mostly performing a handful of gigs each year. None of the original band members have been in the band for years, but they list 65 people as having been band members at some point. Very Spinal Tap-esque.

Lots of '60s and '70s second-and-below-tier bands are like that, if you peruse their histories on Wikipedia.

No shortage of combustible drummers out there.

 

[Bogart]

I have one friend who actually saw Iron Butterfly in concert.
I swear that he's got bragging rights for life...

Iron Butterfly has an odd performance history. According to setlist.fm, they have performed 764 shows from 1966 up to as recently as 2019 (367 of them 1970 or earlier). They've played in 47 different years, mostly performing a handful of gigs each year. None of the original band members have been in the band for years, but they list 65 people as having been band members at some point. Very Spinal Tap-esque.

Lots of '60s and '70s second-and-below-tier bands are like that, if you peruse their histories on Wikipedia.

Once saw Quiet Riot in 2012 play in front of about 150 people, maybe 50 paid. Of the "classic lineup" there was only Frankie Banali on drums (his kit took up 80 percent of the stage). Keith St. John was on lead vocals and using a music stand to remember the lyrics. My buddy was like "this is the most realistic cover band ever."

 

[Mr. Mojo]

I have one friend who actually saw Iron Butterfly in concert.
I swear that he's got bragging rights for life...

Iron Butterfly has an odd performance history. According to setlist.fm, they have performed 764 shows from 1966 up to as recently as 2019 (367 of them 1970 or earlier). They've played in 47 different years, mostly performing a handful of gigs each year. None of the original band members have been in the band for years, but they list 65 people as having been band members at some point. Very Spinal Tap-esque.

I didn't realize that they have continued the name for so long.
My friend saw them in the 60s.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Iron Butterfly has an odd performance history. According to setlist.fm, they have performed 764 shows from 1966 up to as recently as 2019 (367 of them 1970 or earlier). They've played in 47 different years, mostly performing a handful of gigs each year. None of the original band members have been in the band for years, but they list 65 people as having been band members at some point. Very Spinal Tap-esque.

I didn't realize that they have continued the name for so long.
My friend saw them in the 60s.

Ask him if they have finished playing In-a-Godda-Da-Vida yet.

 

[UncleZen]

I like Boston but I always hated Scholz's over processed guitar sound. No doubt those were some good songs though.
Simon without Gargamel is more rock than with him. Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints are 2 amazing albums that I could listen to almost every day.

 

[zamboni]

Simon without Gargamel is more rock than with him.

What the smurf is that all about?

 

[pacman_fl]

#11 - IRON BUTTERFLY - In-A-Godda-Da-Vida (1968) (30 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track (#30)

I call shenanigans on this one. Someone entered 30 million into a database at some point, and that's what we're stuck with. It's basically a greatest hit album, as the 17-minute title track is pretty much all that this band is known for. Like other albums on the list, the some of the known parts don't come anywhere near close to 30 million . . . not even using "new math." More realistic estimates have the total sales number at closer to 7.8 million copies. But I report on what is listed . . . I haven't heard the title track and years (and I'm not complaining).

I just had to look this up based on the absurd amount of sales and boy oh boy is this album a poster child for "inflating" stats! This is the Costanza album-it isn't a lie if you believe it! In reading up on this I ran across a couple of debunking sites that show this misinfo has been going around for years. There is a 1985ish article that sites the album as having sold 20 million up to that point but again no evidence other than hearsay. And apparently it sold the most copies of any album in music history up to 1969.(Not!)

I'll leave this here: https://www.ratherrarerecords.com/in-a-gadda-da-vida-sold/

Honestly, I would have thought there was only 1 copy sold and that was the one my dad had. Boy, did he play the crap out of that. My ears still burn today. As for the rest of this category, no qualms with any of them. The Boxer is my 2nd favorite S&G song (behind I am a Rock) and I consider it to be a rock song. We saw the traveling Broadway production of the Carol King story and i gained an additional appreciation and dug back in. For Boston, Notable Songs: Everything.

 

[Hastur]

Simon without Gargamel is more rock than with him.

What the smurf is that all about?

If you don't smurf what he is smurfin' about, you have no business smurfin' this smurf! Know what I'm smurfin'?

 

[Anarchy99]

#10 - ELTON JOHN - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) (31 million albums)
Notable songs: Bennie & The Jets (#1), Title Track (#2), Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (#12), Candle In The Wind (#1 in 1997), Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, All The Girls Love Alice, Grey Seal, Harmony, Social Disease, Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)

Rolling Stone had it at #112. Tim had it at #36. Since I am a sucker for epic, extended rock songs not named In-A-Godda-Da-Vida, I have always been a fan of Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding. Elton started the show with this on one of the shows I went to, and they started playing in the dark, with subtle spotlights eventually being added to the soloists in the instrumental parts but never showing Elton. Then they used some fancy lighting to light up the audience timed with the music (but ignored the stage). Then finally 5+ minutes in when Elton started singing, they blacked out the entire arena again with only a spotlight on him. It was really cool. As mentioned in Tim's thread, George Harrison had just passed away, and Elton dedicated the song (and later Your Song) to his friend.

I don't recall how I took possession of the vinyl album, but I have had it since it was released and is in my house somewhere. I remember going to Sam Goody to purchase the album Rock Of The Westies when I was 9. I would have been too young to go get Yellow Brick Road. Maybe one of my siblings got it for me (or it was a hand me down). I really like the popular songs and don't mind roughly half of the rest of the album. I was big into Elton as a kid. I can't really explain why other than my brother really liked him. As with many other double albums, a single disc version of this would have been killer.

Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics for the entire album in two and a half weeks. Elton composed most of the melodies over a 3-day stretch while in Jamaica. The album had various working titles including "Vodka and Tonics" and "Silent Movies, Talking Pictures" and was recorded in two weeks. Harmony was going to be the fourth single, but by then the album Caribou was about to drop (with Don't Let The Sun Go Down As Me as the lead single before the album was released). GYBR was the 3rd of 7 consecutive #1 albums for John in the U.S. in the early to md-70s. The album spent 8 weeks atop the charts and was the best-selling album in the U.S. for all of 1974. I can't decipher why, but it ranked as the #12 album in the UK . . . in 2014.

Up next, the only album remaining that did not have any singles released from it.

 

[Hastur]

#10 - ELTON JOHN - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) (31 million albums)
I can't decipher why, but it ranked as the #12 album in the UK . . . in 2014.

My first thought was who in the UK died that year that was beloved/famous(due to 'Candle in the wind'). Bob Hoskins, Richard Attenborough, and Rik Mayall(one of my personal favorites). Yeah, not sure.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

#10 - ELTON JOHN - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) (31 million albums)
Notable songs: Bennie & The Jets (#1), Title Track (#2), Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (#12), Candle In The Wind (#1 in 1997), Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, All The Girls Love Alice, Grey Seal, Harmony, Social Disease, Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)

Rolling Stone had it at #112. Tim had it at #36. Since I am a sucker for epic, extended rock songs not named In-A-Godda-Da-Vida, I have always been a fan of Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding. Elton started the show with this on one of the shows I went to, and they started playing in the dark, with subtle spotlights eventually being added to the soloists in the instrumental parts but never showing Elton. Then they used some fancy lighting to light up the audience timed with the music (but ignored the stage). Then finally 5+ minutes in when Elton started singing, they blacked out the entire arena again with only a spotlight on him. It was really cool. As mentioned in Tim's thread, George Harrison had just passed away, and Elton dedicated the song (and later Your Song) to his friend.

I don't recall how I took possession of the vinyl album, but I have had it since it was released and is in my house somewhere. I remember going to Sam Goody to purchase the album Rock Of The Westies when I was 9. I would have been too young to go get Yellow Brick Road. Maybe one of my siblings got it for me (or it was a hand me down). I really like the popular songs and don't mind roughly half of the rest of the album. I was big into Elton as a kid. I can't really explain why other than my brother really liked him. As with many other double albums, a single disc version of this would have been killer.

Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics for the entire album in two and a half weeks. Elton composed most of the melodies over a 3-day stretch while in Jamaica. The album had various working titles including "Vodka and Tonics" and "Silent Movies, Talking Pictures" and was recorded in two weeks. Harmony was going to be the fourth single, but by then the album Caribou was about to drop (with Don't Let The Sun Go Down As Me as the lead single before the album was released). GYBR was the 3rd of 7 consecutive #1 albums for John in the U.S. in the early to md-70s. The album spent 8 weeks atop the charts and was the best-selling album in the U.S. for all of 1974. I can't decipher why, but it ranked as the #12 album in the UK . . . in 2014.

Up next, the only album remaining that did not have any singles released from it.

This is a really good album. I'm actually surprised it didn't sell more than 15.5mm copies.

 

[Grace Under Pressure]

#10 - ELTON JOHN - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) (31 million albums)
Notable songs: Bennie & The Jets (#1), Title Track (#2), Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (#12), Candle In The Wind (#1 in 1997), Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, All The Girls Love Alice, Grey Seal, Harmony, Social Disease, Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)

Elton's a legend obviously. Have seen him twice, once solo and once with Billy. The entertainment value of his show is extremely high IMO. Standout songs, sung well and played clearly.

I personally enjoy Funeral/Love Lies Bleeding the most, but it's kinda long. The quad of Bennie, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night and Candle In The Wind is amazing. For any artist, if they had 4 songs that were that successful, that would be a monumental career. Elton is truly spectacular.

All that said he's not really my thing. But I respect the artist, the songs and the career.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Elton was as good a melody writer as R&R has ever had, and to crank them out as fast as he did is amazing. Taupin's lyrics are mostly junk (some aren't even real words), but he knew how to write to Elton's voice.

I'd guess that there weren't a total of 5 or 6 weeks between 1972 and 1975 when Elton John didn't have a charted single.

 

[Anarchy99]

Elton was as good a melody writer as R&R has ever had, and to crank them out as fast as he did is amazing. Taupin's lyrics are mostly junk (some aren't even real words), but he knew how to write to Elton's voice.

I'd guess that there weren't a total of 5 or 6 weeks between 1972 and 1975 when Elton John didn't have a charted single.

I couldn't easily find an answer to that last part (ie, how many consecutive weeks did Elton have a single on the singles chart). But I did find that he went 31 consecutive years with a song hitting the Hot 100 from 1970-2001.

As far as consecutive weeks on the singles chart, I did see that Drake holds the record at 431 weeks from 2009 to 2017. He had 157 songs chart in that time. Mind you, the way they do things is totally different now, as the formula now blends in downloads, streaming, airplay, and sales. It's no wonder he's making million-dollar bets on sporting events.

 

[Joe Schmo]

Elton was as good a melody writer as R&R has ever had, and to crank them out as fast as he did is amazing. Taupin's lyrics are mostly junk (some aren't even real words), but he knew how to write to Elton's voice.

I'd guess that there weren't a total of 5 or 6 weeks between 1972 and 1975 when Elton John didn't have a charted single.

I couldn't easily find an answer to that last part (ie, how many consecutive weeks did Elton have a single on the singles chart). But I did find that he went 31 consecutive years with a song hitting the Hot 100 from 1970-2001.

As far as consecutive weeks on the singles chart, I did see that Drake holds the record at 431 weeks from 2009 to 2017. He had 157 songs chart in that time. Mind you, the way they do things is totally different now, as the formula now blends in downloads, streaming, airplay, and sales. It's no wonder he's making million-dollar bets on sporting events.

I'm not sure I know even one unless it's used in a commercial or something.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

#10 - ELTON JOHN - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) (31 million albums)
Notable songs: Bennie & The Jets (#1), Title Track (#2), Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (#12), Candle In The Wind (#1 in 1997), Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, All The Girls Love Alice, Grey Seal, Harmony, Social Disease, Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)


Up next, the only album remaining that did not have any singles released from it.

IV?

 

[Anarchy99]

#10 - ELTON JOHN - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) (31 million albums)
Notable songs: Bennie & The Jets (#1), Title Track (#2), Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (#12), Candle In The Wind (#1 in 1997), Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, All The Girls Love Alice, Grey Seal, Harmony, Social Disease, Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)


Up next, the only album remaining that did not have any singles released from it.

IV?

Black Dog hit #15 and Rock And Roll went to #47 on the U.S. charts.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Elton was as good a melody writer as R&R has ever had, and to crank them out as fast as he did is amazing. Taupin's lyrics are mostly junk (some aren't even real words), but he knew how to write to Elton's voice.

I'd guess that there weren't a total of 5 or 6 weeks between 1972 and 1975 when Elton John didn't have a charted single.

I couldn't easily find an answer to that last part (ie, how many consecutive weeks did Elton have a single on the singles chart). But I did find that he went 31 consecutive years with a song hitting the Hot 100 from 1970-2001.

As far as consecutive weeks on the singles chart, I did see that Drake holds the record at 431 weeks from 2009 to 2017. He had 157 songs chart in that time. Mind you, the way they do things is totally different now, as the formula now blends in downloads, streaming, airplay, and sales. It's no wonder he's making million-dollar bets on sporting events.

I remember when he hit 30 consecutive years, but wasn't sure how far past that he got.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Elton was as good a melody writer as R&R has ever had, and to crank them out as fast as he did is amazing. Taupin's lyrics are mostly junk (some aren't even real words), but he knew how to write to Elton's voice.

I always thought Taupin had the best job in music. Write the lyrics, send them to Elton, then sit back and collect the royalties.

 

[Anarchy99]

#09 - THE BEATLES - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) (32 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track, With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Getting Better, Fixing A Hole, She's Leaving Home, Being For The Benefit For Mr. Kite!, Within Without You, When I'm Sixty-Four, Lovely Rita, Good Morning Good Morning, A Day In The Life

Fitting that this one comes in at . . . Number Nine. There were no singles released from the album. Tim had it at #19. It spent 15 weeks atop the Billboard album chart in the U.S. and again hit #3 in the U.S. when it was re-released in 2017. The album won a Grammy as Album of the Year and spent 27 weeks as the #1 album in the UK. Rolling Stone ranked it as the best album of all-time. Another one that I have the original pressing of the vinyl album sitting in my house. Pretty sure I didn't buy it . . . I was 6 months old when it was released. I didn't get another Beatles album until Live At The Hollywood Bowl came out 10 years later. Not sure how often I played Sgt. Pepper's as a wee one, but it had to be some. I guess this one was a hand me down from my siblings.

There's no denying the mastery of the album, but IMO there are times when I think it was overproduced with a lot of effects, overdubs, and add-ons layered over the basic tracks. That's not really a knock, but if people listen to the basic tracks without everything that was added to it, most people would get bored pretty quickly. But the album ended up produced, edited, and mastered the way it turned out, and that was pretty special and popular back in the day. I like some of their other albums better, but the album is solid throughout. I haven't listen to it straight through in years, but there's a 50/50 chance I know all the lyrics.

Paul initially had the idea for the title track on a flight home to London from Kenya, which grew into the concept for the album. The label was eager to put out a new single, so Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane were released as a double A-side single (or those songs would have also appeared on Sgt. Pepper's). Not sure the songs would have fit on the album or what would have had to have fallen off to get those tracks included.

Lots was going on for the band around this time. Paul finally took his bandmates' advice and tried LSD, rumors swirled that Paul Was Dead, that George was leaving the band, and John declared the bans as more popular than Jesus. They also had decided they were done touring and performing live and would concentrate on studio work only. Within and hour of completing the final mix of Sgt. Pepper's, the band moved forward to record songs for the Yellow Submarine soundtrack.

I can't remember if I mentioned this in here or not, but my mother saw a Sgt. Pepper's Happy 40th Birthday card when the album was released, and she saved it for my 40th birthday. I thought that was pretty cool, as we had moved across the country multiple times over the years, and she kept it the entire time and gave it to me decades later. That was the most unlikely thing she ever did, and it was completely unexpected.

Up next, one of the albums from the only band with two albums left.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

#10 - ELTON JOHN - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) (31 million albums)
Notable songs: Bennie & The Jets (#1), Title Track (#2), Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (#12), Candle In The Wind (#1 in 1997), Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, All The Girls Love Alice, Grey Seal, Harmony, Social Disease, Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)

Rolling Stone had it at #112. Tim had it at #36. Since I am a sucker for epic, extended rock songs not named In-A-Godda-Da-Vida, I have always been a fan of Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding. Elton started the show with this on one of the shows I went to, and they started playing in the dark, with subtle spotlights eventually being added to the soloists in the instrumental parts but never showing Elton. Then they used some fancy lighting to light up the audience timed with the music (but ignored the stage). Then finally 5+ minutes in when Elton started singing, they blacked out the entire arena again with only a spotlight on him. It was really cool. As mentioned in Tim's thread, George Harrison had just passed away, and Elton dedicated the song (and later Your Song) to his friend.

I don't recall how I took possession of the vinyl album, but I have had it since it was released and is in my house somewhere. I remember going to Sam Goody to purchase the album Rock Of The Westies when I was 9. I would have been too young to go get Yellow Brick Road. Maybe one of my siblings got it for me (or it was a hand me down). I really like the popular songs and don't mind roughly half of the rest of the album. I was big into Elton as a kid. I can't really explain why other than my brother really liked him. As with many other double albums, a single disc version of this would have been killer.

Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics for the entire album in two and a half weeks. Elton composed most of the melodies over a 3-day stretch while in Jamaica. The album had various working titles including "Vodka and Tonics" and "Silent Movies, Talking Pictures" and was recorded in two weeks. Harmony was going to be the fourth single, but by then the album Caribou was about to drop (with Don't Let The Sun Go Down As Me as the lead single before the album was released). GYBR was the 3rd of 7 consecutive #1 albums for John in the U.S. in the early to md-70s. The album spent 8 weeks atop the charts and was the best-selling album in the U.S. for all of 1974. I can't decipher why, but it ranked as the #12 album in the UK . . . in 2014.

Up next, the only album remaining that did not have any singles released from it.

An absolutely killer double with only one dud ("Jamaica Jerk-off"). I can't fathom how John and Taupin wrote so many quality songs so quickly. (Yes, cocaine, but lots of artists have written terrible songs under the influence of that.)

I think 2014 was when I got my CD of this -- it included some live tracks, and covers of some of the songs by contemporary artists. Perhaps that's what prompted the sales resurgence in the UK.

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

An absolutely killer double with only one dud ("Jamaica Jerk-off"). I can't fathom how John and Taupin wrote so many quality songs so quickly. (Yes, cocaine, but lots of artists have written terrible songs under the influence of that.)

I think 2014 was when I got my CD of this -- it included some live tracks, and covers of some of the songs by contemporary artists. Perhaps that's what prompted the sales resurgence in the UK.

and though I don't love it ...I don't even mind "Jamaica Jerk-off"

 

[Pip's Invitation]

#09 - THE BEATLES - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) (32 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track, With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Getting Better, Fixing A Hole, She's Leaving Home, Being For The Benefit For Mr. Kite!, Within Without You, When I'm Sixty-Four, Lovely Rita, Good Morning Good Morning, A Day In The Life

Fitting that this one comes in at . . . Number Nine. There were no singles released from the album. Tim had it at #19. It spent 15 weeks atop the Billboard album chart in the U.S. and again hit #3 in the U.S. when it was re-released in 2017. The album won a Grammy as Album of the Year and spent 27 weeks as the #1 album in the UK. Rolling Stone ranked it as the best album of all-time. Another one that I have the original pressing of the vinyl album sitting in my house. Pretty sure I didn't buy it . . . I was 6 months old when it was released. I didn't get another Beatles album until Live At The Hollywood Bowl came out 10 years later. Not sure how often I played Sgt. Pepper's as a wee one, but it had to be some. I guess this one was a hand me down from my siblings.

There's no denying the mastery of the album, but IMO there are times when I think it was overproduced with a lot of effects, overdubs, and add-ons layered over the basic tracks. That's not really a knock, but if people listen to the basic tracks without everything that was added to it, most people would get bored pretty quickly. But the album ended up produced, edited, and mastered the way it turned out, and that was pretty special and popular back in the day. I like some of their other albums better, but the album is solid throughout. I haven't listen to it straight through in years, but there's a 50/50 chance I know all the lyrics.

Paul initially had the idea for the title track on a flight home to London from Kenya, which grew into the concept for the album. The label was eager to put out a new single, so Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane were released as a double A-side single (or those songs would have also appeared on Sgt. Pepper's). Not sure the songs would have fit on the album or what would have had to have fallen off to get those tracks included.

Lots was going on for the band around this time. Paul finally took his bandmates' advice and tried LSD, rumors swirled that Paul Was Dead, that George was leaving the band, and John declared the bans as more popular than Jesus. They also had decided they were done touring and performing live and would concentrate on studio work only. Within and hour of completing the final mix of Sgt. Pepper's, the band moved forward to record songs for the Yellow Submarine soundtrack.

I can't remember if I mentioned this in here or not, but my mother saw a Sgt. Pepper's Happy 40th Birthday card when the album was released, and she saved it for my 40th birthday. I thought that was pretty cool, as we had moved across the country multiple times over the years, and she kept it the entire time and gave it to me decades later. That was the most unlikely thing she ever did, and it was completely unexpected.

Up next, one of the albums from the only band with two albums left.

This isn't my favorite Beatles album -- it doesn't rock enough -- but it's masterfully recorded and constructed. Their minds were ahead of the technology of the time. This was the one Beatles album in my parents' (mostly classical) collection.

 

[timschochet]

#09 - THE BEATLES - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) (32 million albums)
Notable songs: Title Track, With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Getting Better, Fixing A Hole, She's Leaving Home, Being For The Benefit For Mr. Kite!, Within Without You, When I'm Sixty-Four, Lovely Rita, Good Morning Good Morning, A Day In The Life

Fitting that this one comes in at . . . Number Nine. There were no singles released from the album. Tim had it at #19. It spent 15 weeks atop the Billboard album chart in the U.S. and again hit #3 in the U.S. when it was re-released in 2017. The album won a Grammy as Album of the Year and spent 27 weeks as the #1 album in the UK. Rolling Stone ranked it as the best album of all-time. Another one that I have the original pressing of the vinyl album sitting in my house. Pretty sure I didn't buy it . . . I was 6 months old when it was released. I didn't get another Beatles album until Live At The Hollywood Bowl came out 10 years later. Not sure how often I played Sgt. Pepper's as a wee one, but it had to be some. I guess this one was a hand me down from my siblings.

There's no denying the mastery of the album, but IMO there are times when I think it was overproduced with a lot of effects, overdubs, and add-ons layered over the basic tracks. That's not really a knock, but if people listen to the basic tracks without everything that was added to it, most people would get bored pretty quickly. But the album ended up produced, edited, and mastered the way it turned out, and that was pretty special and popular back in the day. I like some of their other albums better, but the album is solid throughout. I haven't listen to it straight through in years, but there's a 50/50 chance I know all the lyrics.

Paul initially had the idea for the title track on a flight home to London from Kenya, which grew into the concept for the album. The label was eager to put out a new single, so Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane were released as a double A-side single (or those songs would have also appeared on Sgt. Pepper's). Not sure the songs would have fit on the album or what would have had to have fallen off to get those tracks included.

Lots was going on for the band around this time. Paul finally took his bandmates' advice and tried LSD, rumors swirled that Paul Was Dead, that George was leaving the band, and John declared the bans as more popular than Jesus. They also had decided they were done touring and performing live and would concentrate on studio work only. Within and hour of completing the final mix of Sgt. Pepper's, the band moved forward to record songs for the Yellow Submarine soundtrack.

I can't remember if I mentioned this in here or not, but my mother saw a Sgt. Pepper's Happy 40th Birthday card when the album was released, and she saved it for my 40th birthday. I thought that was pretty cool, as we had moved across the country multiple times over the years, and she kept it the entire time and gave it to me decades later. That was the most unlikely thing she ever did, and it was completely unexpected.

Up next, one of the albums from the only band with two albums left.

This isn't my favorite Beatles album -- it doesn't rock enough -- but it's masterfully recorded and constructed. Their minds were ahead of the technology of the time. This was the one Beatles album in my parents' (mostly classical) collection.

Interesting that I’ve never encountered anyone who regarded this as their favorite Beatles album (except perhaps the guy who threatened to confront @krista4 ’s husband and beat him up!)

 

[timschochet]

An explanation of my last post- I’m going on memory here so @krista4 or somebody else can correct me if I got it wrong:

We were doing the Greatest Works draft. Each category had its own judge, the judge for “greatest albums” was Krista’s husband @Oliver Humanzee. Someone drafts Sgt Pepper and Oliver ranks it low behind several other albums, says it’s overrated. The dude who made the choice blows his top, says “I am coming to Chicago for a charity golf tournament next month; give me your address and I will come to your house and I dare you to tell me that Sgt Pepper is no good to my face, if you have the guts!” Or something like that. Greatest FFA tough guy post ever.