Abbey Road (The Beatles)

Abbey Road
The Beatles (1969)

Top Tracks: “Come Together”, “Here Comes the Sun”, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”

Funny thing that the first Beatles entry on this list (alphabetically) is also perhaps my least favorite. There are points where it feels contrived and that the band is functioning more as a collection of individuals than a cohesive unit (because that’s exactly what was happening). That being said, can I do a Top Albums list and leave off Abbey Road? No, of course not. That would be stupid. Personal note: it was the first Beatles album to come out after I was born (May 2020).

Chicago Transit Authority (Chicago)

Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago (1969)

Top Tracks: “Beginnings”, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”, “Questions 67 and 68”

It was probably pretty short sighted to name your band and first album Chicago Transit Authority… because there’s an actual Chicago Transit Authority that authorizes transit in Chicago (which, to this day, they still do). So that wasn’t going to work out longterm for the band name, so they shortened it to Chicago and all was well after that. This debut album is fucking outstanding, though. Progressive and jazzy but still friendly and pop-oriented, it introduced the signature sound of this band to the world and it still holds up today (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).