Bringing It All Back Home (Bob Dylan)

Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan (1965)

Top Tracks: “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”, “Mr. Tambourine Man”, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”

Again, indisputably one of the greatest and most important and influential albums in history here. Think of it this way: before this album came out in 1965, the Beatles were doing songs like “Can't Buy Me Love”, and immediately afterwards it was “Girl”. You don’t take that kind of turn without something pulling you sharply in a new direction, and that something was Dylan. If you want to hear something funny, note that through my entire teen years, I did not get Dylan at all. I didn’t understand his appeal or his voice or anything about him. But I was so much older then... (June 2020).

Buffalo Springfield Again (Buffalo Springfield)

Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield (1967)

Top Tracks: “Rock & Roll Woman”, “Mr. Soul”, “Expecting to Fly”

This was kind of the quintessential band that became immediately huge and then exploded almost as quickly in spectacular fashion. One thing BS did, beyond putting together some great and distinctive music, is to bring together Neil Young and Stephen Stills. Despite having members from all over North America, this is definitely an LA band (June 2020).

Crosby, Stills & Nash (Crosby, Stills & Nash)

Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)

Top Tracks: “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”, “Wooden Ships”, “Guinnevere”

God, this is an incredible album. Definitely one of the finest debuts ever, if you can consider the first album of a supergroup to be a debut. You have Steven Stills, fresh out of Buffalo Springfield; David Crosby, who’d walked away (or was fired, I can’t remember) from the Byrds, and kind of the oddball with English musician Graham Nash of The Hollies. And somehow, those voices and vibes blended in a way that really defines this era for me (June 2020).