Half full or half empty?

People can’t go to the pub yet so they’re still drinking at home instead and often drinking more than they usually would. I was amused by this short letter in a recent issue of The Times newspaper:

“I am restricting myself to one drink per day. Today I have reached the 20th of July 2033”.

100 Great Albums of the Sixties part one

1960
Elvis Presley – Elvis is back!

1961
The Ventures – Another Smash

1962
Joey Dee and the Starliters – Hey let’s twist
Ray Charles – Modern sounds in Country and Western
Booker t and the MGs – Green Onions

 

1963
Cliff Richard and the Shadows – Summer Holiday
Beatles – Please please me
James Brown – Live at the Apollo
Bob Dylan – The freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Phil Spector – A Christmas gift to you
Beatles – With the Beatles
Joan Baez – Joan Baez in Concert part 2

1964
Bob Dylan – The times they are a changin
Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones
Beatles – Hard days night
Johnny Cash – I walk the line
Beach Boys – All summer long

1965
Animals – Animal tracks
Bob Dylan – Bringing it all back home
Them – Them
Bob Dylan – Highway 61 revisited
Otis Redding – Otis Blue
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles – Going to a Go-Go
Beatles – Rubber Soul
Paul Butterfield Blues Band – Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Lovin Spoonful – Do you believe in magic?
Who – My Generation

So the first half of the 1960s only contains 27 “great albums” by 21 different artists.

100 Great Albums of the Sixties part two

So what are the other 73 “great albums”?

1966

Simon and Garfunkel – Sounds of Silence

Mamas and Papas – If you can believe your eyes and ears

Various Artists – Solid Gold Soul

Rolling Stones – Aftermath

Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde

John Mayall – Bluesbreakers

Beatles – Revolver

Ike and Tina Turner – River deep mountain high

Monkees – Monkees

Roy Orbison – Roy Orbison sings Don Gibson

Rolling Stones – Big Hits High Tide and Green Grass

Temptations – Greatest Hits

 

1967

Love  – Da Capo

Byrds – Younger than yesterday

Doors – Doors

Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow

Velvet Underground and Nico – Same

Beatles – Sgt Pepper

Country Joe and the Fish – Electric music for the mind and body

Pink Floyd – Piper at the gates of dawn

Four Tops – Greatest Hits 

 

 

1968

Diana Ross and the Supremes – Greatest Hits

Buffalo Springfield – Again

Moody Blues – Days of future passed

Who – Sell out

Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding

Canned Heat – Boogie with Canned Heat

Fleetwood Mac – Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac

Leonard Cohen – The songs of

Blood Sweat and Tears – Child is father to the man

Simon and Garfunkel – Bookends

Stevie Wonder – Greatest Hits

Small Faces – Ogdens nut gone flake

Cream – Wheels of fire

Jeff Beck – Truth

Big Brother and Holding co – Cheap Thrills

Byrds – Sweetheart of the rodeo

Doors – Waiting for the sun

Hollies – Greatest

Bloomfield Kooper Stills- Super session

Van Morrison – Astral weeks

Jimi Hendrix – Electric ladyland

Kinks – Village green preservation society

Beatles – Beatles (white album)

Steve Miller Band – Sailor

Judy Collins – Who knows where the time goes

Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet 

 

1969

Four Seasons – Edizone D’Oro

Donovan – Greatest Hits

Sly and Family Stone – Stand

Dusty Springfield – Dusty in Memphis

Who – Tommy

Joe Cocker – With a little help from my friends

Crosby Stills Nash – Same

Joni Mitchell – Clouds

Neil Young – Everybody knows this is nowhere

Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking

Aretha Franklin – Aretha’s Gold

Blind Faith – Same

Grateful Dead – Aoxomoxoa

Jethro Tull – Stand up

Beatles – Abbey Road

Creedence Clearwater – Green River

Various Artists – Easy Rider

The Band – Same

Bee Gees – Best of the Bee Gees

Captain Beefheart – Trout Mask Replica

King Crimson – Court of the crimson king

Led Zeppelin – 2

Frank Zappa – Hot Rats

Rolling Stones – Let it bleed

 

1970

Various Artists – Woodstock

 

Forty six

I was forced to run the gauntlet recently for the first time in eight weeks to collect my repeat prescription. I found it quite stressful visiting the local town. The only shop open was the Chemists with one lady in full hazmat uniform. Returning to the car parked on the oddly empty street it seemed like I was walking through a once-familiar place that had now been abandoned due to a zombie invasion. Got a letter asking me to go for my annual blood test. Not looking forward to that. The future sure ain’t turning out like I expected it would.

2020 has been an odd year in many ways. It’s the first year I’ve never read/purchased any new/old comics. My credit card expired last december and I decided not to give Amazon/Ebay my new card details. And as I can’t go shopping during lockdown there aren’t (m)any options to buy anything at all. I have been listening to some old LPs thanks to a book I unearthed (see another post around here somewhere). Sitting in the garden in the unseasonably warm weather, with some great old music and a few drinks has helped lighten my mood. Hence yet another music mix is right here for a short time/forever/who knows.

PS: “run the gauntlet” is an odd phrase isn’t it? It’s something I’ve always assumed refers to carrying out a difficult task but it seems to mean other things too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_the_gauntlet

OTT