Tim Buckley
Artist: Tim Buckley
Community Score: 7.00

Buckley's 1966 debut was the most straightforward and folk-rock-oriented of his albums. The material has a lyrical and melodic sophistication that was astounding for a 19-year-old. The pretty, almost precious songs are complemented by appropriately baroque, psychedelic-tinged production. If there was a record that exemplified the '60s Elektra... Read More

Elephant Mountain
Artist: The Youngbloods

Elephant Mountain (1969) is the Youngbloods' third long player and marks their debut as a trio -- featuring Jesse Colin Young (bass/guitar/vocals), Joe Bauer (drums) and Lowell "Banana" Levinger(keyboards) -- after the departure of co-founder Jerry Corbitt (guitar/vocals). Although the band initially formed out of the early 1960s Northeast folk... Read More

Bringing It All Back Home
Artist: Bob Dylan
Community Score: 8.22
Barabajagal
Artist: Donovan
Community Score: 6.50

Donovan was in a tremendously creative phase during the latter part of 1968, owing to both a tour of the United States (which yielded a live album) and the chemical and social stimulation of his surroundings. Amid all of that activity and his subsequent recordings, his European performances, and the slightly late catch-up of his British career... Read More

Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Artist: The Byrds
Community Score: 5.00

The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo was not the first important country-rock album (Gram Parsons managed that feat with the International Submarine Band's debut Safe at Home), and the Byrds were hardly strangers to country music, dipping their toes in the twangy stuff as early as their second album. But no major band had gone so deep into the... Read More

Fifth Dimension
Artist: The Byrds
Community Score: 6.16

Although the Byrds' Fifth Dimension was wildly uneven, its high points were as innovative as any rock music being recorded in 1966. Immaculate folk-rock was still present in their superb arrangements of the traditional songs "Wild Mountain Thyme" and "John Riley." For the originals, they devised some of the first and best psychedelic rock, often... Read More

Turn! Turn! Turn!
Artist: The Byrds
Community Score: 7.33

The Byrds' second album was only a disappointment in comparison with Mr. Tambourine Man. They couldn't maintain such a level of consistent magnificence, and the follow-up was not quite as powerful or impressive. It was still quite good, however, particularly the ringing number one title cut, a classic on par with the "Mr. Tambourine Man" single.... Read More

Mr. Tambourine Man
Artist: The Byrds
Community Score: 6.51

One of the greatest debuts in the history of rock, Mr. Tambourine Man was nothing less than a significant step in the evolution of rock & roll itself, demonstrating that intelligent lyrical content could be wedded to compelling electric guitar riffs and a solid backbeat. It was also the album that was most responsible for establishing folk-rock... Read More

Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield
Artist: Buffalo Springfield

Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield may not be definitive, but it's a good, basic overview of the group's career, containing most of the group's biggest hits and signature songs. Yes, several worthy album cuts are missing, but as a sampler, this works quite well, offering a nice introduction to the group. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine,... Read More

Happy Sad
Artist: Tim Buckley
Community Score: 8.62

Easily Tim Buckley's most underrated album, Happy Sad was another departure for the eclectic Southern California-based singer/songwriter. After the success of the widely acclaimed Goodbye and Hello, Buckley mellowed enough to explore his jazz roots. Sounding like Fred Neil's Capitol-era albums, Buckley and his small, acoustic-based ensemble... Read More

Changes
Artist: Jim & Jean
Community Score: 9.00

The husband-and-wife team of Jim Glover (guitar/vocals) and Jean Ray (vocals) cut three long-players in the mid-'60s, during an era when primarily acoustic-based folk was synthesizing with edgier amplified electric rock. Their second LP, 1966's Changes, noted this juncture as they advanced from the mold established by the likes of Ian & Sylvia... Read More