1966 | The Year That Made Rock Music | Psychedelic Edition 

1966 I turned 17. I had a car, and I lived twenty minutes from Hollywood and the Sunset Strip. Sky Saxon and the Seeds, Arthur Lee and Love, the Doors, Buffalo Springfield, Ike and Tina. They all played the clubs in Hollywood. What a fun time!

The Doors' debut album was not released on August 5, btw--it was recorded in late August and early September with an initial release date of late November, but was pushed back to January 4 by the record company, who did not want it to compete with the X-Mas rush. It still is very much The Doors' 1966 album, however, having been recorded that year (the same goes for The Velvet Underground's debut, which was originally supposed to be released in July '66 but had to wait until March of '67). It was actually "Revolver" that came out on August 5, not August 24.

The sixties were truly culturally unbelievable. Not only music, but the entire way we lived. Some of my flashbacks include: The Frisbee. Schwinn Stingray. Icee’s. Ed “Big Daddy” Ross. Great NASCAR races. Bell bottoms. Nehru jackets. NASA. Kreskin. Ed Sullivan. TV wrestling. Roller derby. Dick Clark. Soul Train. Kar Kulture. Woodstock. The Cuban missle crisis. Smoking at school. 16 oz. Pepsi. Dune buggies. Timothy Leary. Hip sitcoms. Pontiac GTO. Ford Mustang. Plymouth road runner. Mini skirts. Scout camp. Hippies. Hare Krishnas. Malls. Corporate fast food. Real hard rock music. Etc. Yes, it was a great decade….Eight tracks and all….what little of it I remember.

I was 11 years old in 1966 and SHAPE OF THINGS by the Yardbirds was an amazing thing to hear coming out of my transistor radio. Definitely opened my head to music that did more than make you want to tap your foot.

The great thing about 1966 is that it's not just the most celebrated bands/albums from that year that are groundbreaking masterpieces (and BOY, are they masterpieces). If you dive deep, you'll find dozens and dozens of obscure bands--mostly on the garage-rock and garage-psych end, but also from other genres--who released brilliant, exciting music that flew under the radar at the time but was finally discovered decades later. Artists like The Oxford Circle, Pat Kilroy, The Music Machine, The Wolves, The Fleur-De-Lys, The Flies, The Black Diamonds, The Dovers, The Sons Of Adam, The Sparrow, The Boots, The Craig, The Mystic Tide, The Blue Things, The Misunderstood, and on and on and on. 1966 *has* to be the year in which music made the biggest exponential leap in all of history, regardless of genre--I mean to go from the likes of "Help Me Rhonda" and "You're Going To Lose That Girl" just the year before into "Good Vibrations" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" is a leap almost incomprehensible to imagine. It seemed like everybody was trying to break new ground, and amazingly, everyone not only did it but did it quite successfully; the seeds of prog were also absolutely planted in this year. There's a reason my channel name is "Spirit of 66"! We need more of that spirit now.

In 1966 I was a 13 year old kid in the midwest of the US. It was still like the 1950s and we would have stayed there, had it not been for one change the US Government made: In 1965 the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled that broadcasters owning FM as well as AM stations in cities with populations of more than 100,000 could not duplicate their AM programming on FM more than 50 per cent of the time. Suddenly a bunch of new programming opened up. Who would fill the new FM radio time? Who can we get who will program for pennies? By 1966 FM radio was amazingly innovative. Other than going to a record store and spending money we didn't have, a kid like me nad no previous way to hear anything new. But it was easy to spin the FM dial. Suddenly: The Seeds, The Mothers of Invention, Beach Boys Pet Sounds, and my parents said: "That sounds horrible!" I was hooked. In retrospect it is interesting that the FCCs 1965 decision to stop wasting valuable spectrum space was perhaps the main impetus for modern rock music.

1966 was an incredible year for music. In that same year Tom Wilson produced an album which is arguably more important than any of the bands you called out in the video. Velvet Underground and Nico was recorded and produced by Tom in mid '66 and released in March '67!

Another important milestone was In early May of 1966 (roughly 3 months before the release of REVOLVER and a couple of weeks before PET SOUNDS), the Beatles released their first true Psychedelic/Rock tune --- RAIN, which was the "B" side of their Paperback Writer single. Rain was a preview of the harder electric psychedelic / rock sound that would feature more prominently in Revolver (mostly on the Lennon and Harrison tunes).

I believe John Paul Jones said "Pet Sounds" was the only rock record he owned before he joined Led Zeppelin. So there's your Beach Boys/Led Zeppelin connection

I just picked up Buffalo Springfield and Revolver from my record store. I love the 60s rock music, and folk rock in general.

Great summary. The only thing missing is Happenings Ten Years Time Ago by The Yardbirds with Beck and Page. That was way ahead of its time inspiring Hendrix, Pink Floyd and any number of prog rock bands of the future.

"7&7 Is" my all time favorite ending to a song

Yes 1966....best year ever not only for music, but it was the year I was born!! I always said it was the birth of heavy music(Hendrix , Cream....which turned into Heavy Metal (Sabbath , Priest). Great episode Andy!! As always, keep up the good work!!

I like almost all of Andy’s posts but every so often he absolutely hits the crushing home run, this is that blast out of the park!

Great analysis of a pivotal year in rock. The Doors debut was recorded in Aug 1966 but was not released until Jan.1967. Minor detail but an excellent overview of 1966

Someone on RU-vid described 7 and 7 is as protopunk. So true! I remember as a child riding in the car, willing the song to come on the radio and then cursing the djs who talked over the ending. Thank you for this; 1966 truly was a magical year for music.

I would include Good Vibrations in there. It was released a few months after Pet Sounds and is much better than anything on that album. I remember it having a huge effect on me as a kid.

The two albums I remember buying that year were Aftermath, The Stones, and still one of their finest, and A Quick One by The Who. Not really psychdelic but The Who were definitely experimenting . I was more blown away by Dylan's Highway 61 Revisted the previous year which for me was something totally different. Borrowed from a school friend and played on my grandad's record player in his front room on a hot summer's day. Just made such an impact.

I came here to watch one video. And I saw three. They are all brilliant in their own right. Thanks Andy, highest quality as always. Soul food for thought.

1966 also saw the release of "The Fugs" by The -New York Philharmonic Orchestra- Fugs! "The Fugs are arguably the first underground rock group of all time" - AllMusic

Really enjoyed this. I’ve been interested in this very subject and 1966 for a while now and this really hits the spot.

Great vid! I was 14 going on 15 and was in a pretty serious band and we covered all this stuff it was great music and a challenge to learn as some of it was pretty involved (light my fire)! Great outro as well!

This was a superb video essay! It confirmed that 1966 was a turning point year for the entry of Rock as a genre into popular music. That was made definitive by you, Andy Edwards, by progressing chronologically through the date of release of singles and albums in 1965 into 1966 and after. What I did not know, which you cover from 23:00:00 is the role of jazz, folk, rock and urban blues record producer Tom Wilson. I've been listening to some of your videos for the first time this month. This tops for me all of those. Thank you for all your work.

I love this video. Music history and the chains of influences are so interesting. I've tried to learn as much as I can about the roots of rock and roll too, and I'm forever coming across new info.

I was 10 in 66.Shapes of things by the Yardbirds captivated my fragile mind.I'd keep my transistor radio on day and night to hear this song that the local AM station played once or twice every 24 hrs. I was the only kid in elementary school listening to this type of music.I remember watching the Yardbird's on the Red Skeleton show.What a time to be alive!

I was 16 in 1966 a young mod 66 was musically untouchable but look what was waiting round the corner The summer of love there will never ever be such a rich decade in music again!!!

A really great review! Somebody finally got it right. I have had a thousand arguments with people over the last 50 years who seem to believe that The Beatles came up with Sgt, Peppers out of thin air and changed music forever. Sgt, Peppers was in fact the culmination and summation of other artists’ work and innovations over the preceding two years. There was almost as much change and innovation in popular music between 1965-67 as there was in everything that came out between 1970 - 1990.

I'm glad you included Love's Da Capo in this. Forever Changes gets all the attention, and it deserves it, but Da Capo has a bunch of really incredible songs, like 7 & 7 Is. I think though you have the Hendrix chronology a bit off: by the end of '66 he was recording Are You Experienced. Electric Ladyland was the Experience's 3rd album in Oct. 1968. Otherwise a thoroughly enjoyable trip through the halcyon days of 1966, really a music-changing year.

Thanks for the great video! You’re talking ‘bout my ggggeneration. I also enjoyed the comments ; so many great memories. I’m surprised no one mentioned the Kinks. They were already killing it in 1964. They were the prototype garage band, and had to have been an influence on the Sex Pistols et al.

Thanks for the info on Tom Wilson. I'd heard of him but I didn't realise how much he contributed. Excellent overview.

Congratulations man! And kudos again for the reference to the great Tom Wilson! Tom Wilson opened the great roads for rock music to walk and unfortunately he didn't get the recognition he deserved.

Happy Jack was the first single I ever bought. What a song! And yes, Love Seven and Seven Is. Wow. I love what you're doing.

As a 13 year old in 1966 I was musically enlightened by my older sister who was hanging out with the same crowd that soon formed around the local band MC5. I wasn't much of a music fan until she started playing all the latest rock bands and I never looked back! When she played me Freak Out I Freaked Out permanently. I used to leave my radio on real low at night I remember waking up to Like A Rolling Stone when it was released thinking wow what is this? Sadly I agree the age of rock and roll has passed.

Absolutely, TRUE... 1966.. I was 13 years old ... Absolutely amazing time for me. Correct: an explosion in society. Fashion, Music, is a fascinating new universe. The beginnings of a new generation. I'm glad I was there. Fantastic and Fascinating. Thanks for your comments. Good time for you. Fabulous

I have an intense interest in the general cultural events and changes - by specific month and year - in the 1960s, and this is far-&-away the best rock history/editorial channel I have found. Thanks.

Iron Butterfly started in 1966 and wrote many of their best experimental "heavy gloom&butterflies" tunes in the beginning and only later came on albums. They were really a live band which is why their impact is hard to estimate other than their late 60's obvious huge impact.

Fantastic video. 👍👍👍👍👍 Your enthusiasm and deep familiarity with the material make your presentation captivating. I subscribed right away.

Absolutely. I was 14 years old and experienced Beatlemania, The Stones, The British Invasion, etc. In 1966 Blonde on Blonde was released and totally impacted my world. I actually was able to buy the double vinyl (or acetate whichever is was). of Blonde on Blonde. I still listen to that amazing album to this day. It totally changed my approach to music.The Beach Boys who I have been listening to since 1963 gave birth to Brian Wilson's genius and he was. Any in depth listening to the music he was behind will uncover some of the best music ever recorded. Most talk of classic rock. My saying is before classic rock there was magic.

This is a brilliant analysis of this musical era. Simply one of the best I've watched. If I may point out though, I think the first Doors album was recorded in August 1966 rather than released then. I distinctly remember how breathtaking that album was spring/summer of 1967. Your point still stands however, something was in the air during the period in question.

Really good that Andy. Spot-on analysis of rock's year zero. It all started here.

great video topic. I was amazed so much great music came out that year. it's like music exploded then

Really Good!! The end segment is epic!!

International Artists, the Label who released Thirteen Floor Elevators, was lead and Directed by Lelan Rogers. He also released Red Krayola, had a Label called Silver Fox which released the first Album by Maceo Parker. He also released Records by African American Country Musicians and was the Brother of…. Kenny Rogers! The best Psychedelic Record ever was Electric Music for Body and Mind by Country Joe and the Fish.

Andy Edwards! You might be 8 or 10 years older than me. Your charisma, love and enthusiasm for the music made me stop and listen for a while. As an amateur musician, I realized how many bands I missed when the Internet wasn't around in the 1990s and I was stuck in The Beatles, Doors, Rolling Stones, Byrds and Cream to name my absolute favourite bands. Its very refreshing to listen to you these days when the musicians are almost, like walking dead (Not the band) or dolls in the mainstream?

Every year from 1963 was critical - my elder brothers had really no idea about the critical importance of rock music to our lives. 1966 Revolver prepares us for the future .. many missed that bus.

Onya Andy. 22 mins of absolute gold content then your passion came through again with the best talk about Tom Wilson- unscripted, but importantly full of passion. You have to get this all out of your head before dementia kicks in! Let’s hope those meds are working well for you😝. Love your work, Dude!

Great info and explanations. Loved it.

In 1966 I was 7 years old. The music I listened to was the Beatles and my aunt played piano and loved Blueberry Hill and she was learning songs by Jerry Lee Lewis. I didn’t know Simon & Garfunkel until I got this album in the very early 70s and by then I was into Rod Stewart and radio hits ranging from the Jackson Five to Tommy James and the Shondells. Of the music mentioned here I only knew a couple of songs by The Beach Boys and lots of Beatles songs because my older sisters were in love love love!

1966 was best year in rock music

In 1965, Australian proto punk band The Missing Links, released raucous songs, a backwards track, and were wreaking destruction in their stage performances. Of course, at that time, nobody in Europe or North America would have heard of them.

Ian Macdonald who authored the finest overview ( IMHO) of The Beatles and the 1960s. His decade long calendar at the back of the book atomizes almost daily the major events related to all the artistic disciplines, political events- it goes on and on and is positively mesmerizing reading. Andy to my ears you speak as Ian Macdonald wrote. Thank you.

I was 11 at the time and remember watching Jimi Hendrix on Top of the Pops. Bizarre and brilliant

I was born in '64 in the US - I am quite familiar with the music you mentioned (except the Seeds, and the song "7 is as 7 is" which I am thankful to you to have turned me on to), but your discussion regarding TOM WILSON and his influence on rock music was a first for me; I am glad to have learned something new, Andy. Cheers to you and your channel, mate; I enjoy each and every episode. 🍻

In 1966, I was 10 years old, with no money to buy 45's or albums. I lived in the rural plains of the USA, which was very much rooted in country music. My father had some Hank Williams 45's. Radio was also limited to mostly country music. My introduction to the music discussed here was through my older cousin who got a weekly allowance for working in his father's grocery store. He was able to use that money to accumulate a collection of 45's and he let me borrow. Thank God! This music was so foreign yet attractive and it pulled me in.

Thank you! Thank you! For years I've been telling anyone who would listen that 64-68 was the greatest four years in rock history, with 66 as the High Tide. I was 13. These were the songs of my coming of age. I still count "Paint It Black" and "Light My Fire" as two of the greatest rock songs ever. So many more. Garage Rock rocked. The only other period that comes close is Grunge/Alternative of the early 90s, which unfortunately tolled the beginning of the end of real rock music.

This earned a Subscribe from me. Your focus on Tom Wilson was an eye opener. Looking forward to more!

Wilson was just incredible

The year I was born. Now, fortunate to have been born that year that reaches back and forward. The best music IMHO. I Got a good appreciation for 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and 2000's Let's not forget, American country, and Motown too. Modern Music needs to take a lesson from them all. Great music is timeless. Never gets old Andy!

Great content, l live this period in real time and you nailed it. I subbed you and hit the bell.

Brilliant video, never heard of Tom Wilson and I love how you bring these people some recognition like Howard Szobel also , that they sorely deserve. Thanks as I always learn something from your talks. How about a video on The Doors.....?

In September, Laura Nyro, aged 18, released the 7 inch Wedding Bell Blues/ Stoney End. One side about a girl wishing a guy would pop the question, the other side about suicide ideation. The 5th Dimension had a No.1 with Wedding Bell Blues in 1969, and Barbra Streisand had a No.6 with Stoney End in 1971 which saved her career. From her album Stoney End.

A particularly strong episode! Your enthusiasm is infectious, not just concerning individual songs/artists/albums, but in this case the bigger picture in terms of the music. The segment on Tom Wilson was particularly interesting. I don't know how much research you did for this episode compared to others, it's hard to imagine this was all spontaneous. Anyway, it worked very well! Have you considered maybe writing a book? While the impact of your engaging delivery would be missing, gathering your ideas and insights in one place could be invaluable. It wouldn't be easy, though... I was 10 at the time and have heard almost all of the songs mentioned, but in most cases only later. Paint It Black must have been on German radio in 66, as were the Beatles' singles Paperback Writer and Yellow Submarine, maybe also Eleanor Rigby. Not sure when I first heard Eight Miles High, but it is one of my all time favorites.

Because he got a bit silly at times, people tend to overlook Donovan but he was totally there at the forefront of the switch from folk rock to psychedelia. Sunny Goodge Street is a drug referencing, jazz influenced song from 1965!

July 1966: Paul Butterfield Blues Band "East-West", that instrumental is cited as heavy influence on so much improvised music to follow, eg. jam bands. Thank you for the primer on Tom Wilson, I was not familiar.

Great year. I was born the day after the release of Sounds of Silence. I love Yardbirds, Kinks and all the ofhers you talk about. Roger the Engineer. Freak Out by Zappa… all that music. The Seeds… etc

I was born in 1961, but 1966 was the first year I was aware of being in, at age 5.

I graduated from high school in 1966. I loved the Yardbirds and Shapes of Things.

I graduated in 66. North of Detroit. Muscle cars. Dance clubs everywhere. Motown. It was a fun time.

The era of late sixties and early seventies was a test. I graduated high school and went to college in 1967. When I got to college, I realized that I could tell which people were in my generation or the previous generation by clothes and music. I was astonished that people my age or a year older could be so different. They believed in living a life like their parents had lived. They didn't like this new music and made fun of appearances that were different. I then realized that I was the one who was out of line. I loved the music of Hendrix, Cream, Donovan, and so many others. Each new album was a test of which side of the divide you belonged to. It wasn't a test in which you decided intellectually which generation you wanted to be a part of. The music that resonated with you informed your choice.

This is absolutely spot on Andy, especially the influence of Coltrane on the Byrds. Many years ago I read Crosby's autobiography Long Time Gone. It's a very harrowing book in parts that makes most rock memoirs seem like Enid Blyton in comparison. In their early days before they even had a record deal Crosby talks about travelling in a van through the California hills on the way to early gigs listening to Coltrane and how much an influence he was on Eight Mles High. As far as Revolver is concerned I remember playing it to someone and they asked me if it was a greatest hits, it's that great as a collection of songs. Imagine hearing Tomorrow Never Knows in 66, it must have been like the aliens had landed. Indedd I saw an interview with Phil Lesh who said hearing Tomorrow Never Knows made him realise there was an audience for what the Dead were doing. I always say to younger people who question why they were so influential is that you've got to take what they did over the eight years they were around and put it into the context of the times and how revolutionary it was at the time. I was born in 1961 so when I was 15 in the mid 70's and into rock, soul anything that was good basically I questioned why the Beatles were so popular myself, from a standpoint of what I was listening to at the time, I oreferred the StonesThe only Beatles album my parents owned was Hard Days Night. I realised then when I started listening to it what brilliant songwriters they were even back in 64, and that was a soundtrack album, usually hastily cobbled together especially then. As far as Blonde On Blonde is concerned I love Dylan but I've never really got on with it really, heresy to most Dylan fans I know. I find it a bit dull to be honest, although I appreciate it's influence. The two preceding albums are brilliant and I think the longer songs on Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 work in a way I feel the ones on BOB don't for me. Finally great to hear you mention Love. I was lucky enough to see Arthur Lee backed by a band called Baby Lemonade who were all Love aficionados and knew the stuff backwards. They did all of Forever Changes from start to finish. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

I am glad I found this channel..!!!

I love it. I love your hypothesis and enthusiastic instruction. I am equally fascinated by this phenomenon. I’ve been on the exact wavelength for years as it pertains to 1966 being the year that birthed “Rock” and murdered the previous generation. Absolutely. And yes! Tom Wilson! Absolutely. Crucial producer and overall figurehead in shaping 1960s culture.

What a great video, Andy. I wasn't even born in 1967 and my parents were only dating...Still.....This is a year that I keep going back to, and I'm so glad you've made that statement that this is the turning point of Rock'n roll to Rock. 1962 is the beginning of this wheel turning. The anti-pregnancy pill just reached the drugstores, and this changed everything. It's amazing what 1964-1965 had to say and then 1966 came along. I've been studying bands like "The Seeds" for years, and I've been championing them forever. I'm amazed that this band got your attention and RPs. The band under Sky Saxon was a true gem and they were quite different from the hippie SFO counter culture movement. The seeds are so important. Incredible band with a great run of 3.5 albums. I love the idea of the albums coming out week after week and blowing everyone's brains during that 1965-1967 era. Of course, I'm a huge VU fan as well as all things psychedelic in the US and the UK. 1967 was the explosion with everyone coming in, but 1966 is just so interesting. Remarks: 1. I think Fresh Cream was released in the UK on Dec 9, 1966. They have to be on this list. 2. Syd Barrett's - Vegtable man was released late in 1966. Pink Floyd were already recording material in 1966. 3. Velvet Underground and Nico was already recorded in 1966 but released in March 1967. 4. Just like the 13th floor elevators and The Seeds, 1966 was a huge year for garage rock with albums coming out by Shadows of Knight, The Sonics, The Standells, Majic Ship, Q65, The Charlatans (US), The Misunderstood, The Squires. Really great stuff. 5. In Jamaica - Toots and the Maytalshad their Ska breakthrough. 6. In the UK the Incredible String band released their debut album. Bert Janch released Jack Orion. 7. Folk and Blues were already big in 1965, but in July the Newport Folk Festival introduced Bukka White, Skip James and other resurrecting blues artists along a massive show by Ali Akbar Khan. Imagine Indian, folk and blues on the same stage at the same day. 8. I love the Who, the Kinks and all the UK Mod scene. One must not forget the Animals in 1966. They were even greater then most. In 1964 they were just as influential as The Beatles or The Stones or The Who. In 1966 their Best Of The Animals was released in the US with the full length of 4.5min of the House of the Rising Sun re-arranged after the Dylan version (They recorded this monumental version in 1964!). The full length version was expansive and opened the door to other longer and expanded tracks. 9. Wow....Tom Wilson! What a character. The list of artists he produced is just mind blowing. Thanks for this commentary. If you talk producers, one might also want to explore John Hammond who was instrumental to the revival of Blues music in the 60s as well as a great Jazz producer. What a year! Thank you! I always love a list. But a chronological list like that is SUPER!

Great perspective and commentary, although there is one minor mistake. Electric Ladyland by Hendrix was his band’s third studio album and wasn’t released until 1968, as was Voodoo Child. In 1966 the band started working on Are You Experienced, which was released in 1967.

I was born in 1966. It was absolutely the birth of "Rock". TV was half black and white and half color. The Velvet Underground were percolating, The Doors LP wasn't released until early '67, but they were recording. Pink Floyd were playing at the UFO and blowing minds... 'Revolver", 'Blond On Blond', The Who, Kinks, Yardbirds, beginnings of Jefferson Airplane, Henrdix was forming the Experience, Byrds etc... Motown, Stax... it was crazy. Rock has been declared dead over and over again. So has punk. So has civility. Some of us are keeping it going. Nothing ever dies. Quantum Physics tells us that there is no such thing as time. It's all happening at once. It's still happening.

As someone who was vaccinated with a phonograph needle I feel for that you that you were born too late. You had to come to music though the influence of mediocre metal and hair bands. I was 13/14 in 1966. The sounds that exploded out of our AM transistor radios sent chills up our spines but we didn't know how good we had it. The Beatles, Sunshine Superman, California Dreamin, I Saw Her Again, Good Vibrations, Wouldn't it Be Nice, Sloop John B, God Only Knows, Caroline,No, Sunny Afternoon, Eight Miles High, Reach Out I'll Be There, Love is Like a Itching in My Heart, I'm a Roadrunner, Good Lovin, Secret Agent Man, I Fought the Law, Lies, Lightning Strikes, Sure Gonna Miss Her, Hanky Panky, Friday on My Mind, When A Man Loves A Woman, Bus Stop, Summer in the City, DayDream, Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind, Younger Girl, Pretty Flamingo, Devil With A Blue Dress, Try a little Tenderness,I'm Your Puppet, Walk Away Renee, Baby Scratch My Back, B-A-B-Y, Working In The Coal Mine, River Deep Mountain High, It's a Man's Man's World, Rainy Day Women, Just Like a Woman and I Want You. Don't forget edgier classics like Kicks, Hungry, 96 Tears, Wild Thing, Don't Bring Me Down, Time Won't Let Me, Gloria, Shapes of Things, Over Under Sideways Down, 7 and 7 is, Talk Talk, Little Girl, Pushing too Hard, We Ain't Got Nothing Yet, Diddy Wah Diddy, Dirty Water, Psychotic Reaction, I Had Too Much to Dream, Paint it Black And 19th Nervous Breakdown. Light My Fire was the song of the summer,1967.

Great! I was 15 into 16 in 1966 and rode all of that revolutionary, evolutionary and sensational music through the year - yes, a great year, especially summer, setting up the next summer as the summer of love, then Woodstock a couple of years after, rock's most impressive blast.

a few things happened in that era... the music started to change from American pop and British invasion, to several distinct types that included a parting from top 40 to distinct darker shades like Moody Blues, Jefferson Airplane, or Rolling stones (Light Years form Home is a good example) and similar. Combine that with the FCC changing the requirements of FM broadcast in the USA and we now have a huge experimental time in history.

I really liked this and agree with almost all of your choices. I don't know how old you are, but you look much younger than me. I was 11 years old in 1966 so I didn't hear most of these records until later. Of course, I heard the Beatles and sometimes the Byrds. I remember thinking that Jefferson Airplane was a funny name for a band, but it was time when bands tried to come up with absurd names. For me, 1967 was the tipping point. Rock music probably went from 1966-1976; after that it splintered into too many genres. By the way, I love your description of the change in music from when bands dressed up and wore ties to when they became real "hippies." Psychedelic folk rock is my favorite.

Astute commentary and information on a revolutionary year.

Great video! You and I seem to love the same music, and I have long admired the work of Tom Wilson. It's refreshing to see a video that documents 60's rock progression without crediting everything to The Beatles. I'm a fan of the Fab Four, but I've seen too many videos that try to create the impression that no one else but them mattered.

I'll agree that 1966 was the watershed year, but there were earlier songs that are "rock" rather than "rock and roll." In my opinion, the first "rock" hit was The Animals House of the Rising Son. In fact Eric Burdon said they needed something that wasn't rock and roll because they were on the Chuck Berry tour and you weren't going to out rock and roll Chuck Berry, so they worked up an arrangement from the first Dylan album. They followed it up with five top 40 US hits in 1965, including "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "We've Got To Get Out of This Place." Then there were The Kinks with "You Really Got Me Now", also in 1964. And the harpsichord and tabla on "For Your Love" sure as heck didn't sound like anything else in 1965!

Yes! "Rock" music is different from "Rock-n-Roll" music!!! Thank you for acknowledging that!

As you said "back in 1966 they didn't know what was going on!" I was 18, Born January 1948. Mum would be the first up every morning, Turn on the radio and put on the kettle for tea. The radio would play till after the news at 11pm. We lived through it all, just surfing the waves as they came! In hind sight of 1967-69, it was very apparent that 1966 was a water shed year. Excellent v-blog! Peace and Love

Slight correction: Revolver was released August 5 (UK) and August 8 (US).

Great vid!! .... Sarg Pepper opened the floodgates to Prog Rock... The Moody Blues have described in interviews that the release of SPLHCB essentially GAVE them permission to create their own conceptual album that they had been ITCHING to do, which is "Days of the Future Passed" in '67. How it was produced is another GREAT story. I always love to hear '60s bands totally CLAIM that psychedelic substances "had NOTHING to do with inspiring (plug-in psychedelic song here). A shout-out to those who don't deny it. The Moody Blues owned up to their "experimentation".

Love the video and channel. But the Doors debut was recorded in August of 1966, but it wasn't released until Jan 1967.

1966 : Also the breakthrough of Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66

I was 13 that year and heard "The Planets" by Gustav Holst played by the Berlin Symphony in stereo with headphones for the first time in my life. I almost saw stars! That period was the most exiting time to be a teen and the music altered and accelerated my intellectual development.

Well done, at last you have mentioned Tom Wilson. I always knew you were Hip! it was a tangible feeling. Bravo for inserting Wilson into the narrative, It's high time the world celebrated his instincts and his muse. Of course he was an avant garde jazzman but had the good sense to realise which way the wind was blowing. His relationship with Dylan is really fascinating, both collaborator and competitor, he actually produced the Velvet Underground and Nico and gifted Andy Warhol the production credits at the request of Nico. He was the eminence grise to Terry Melcher over in L.A and had Frank Zappa's back when the record execs baulked at "Freak Out". Paul Simon has been one of the voices championing his elevation in popular music history. He was and is a titan of modern times.

This video is doing rather well for you... well done

Excellent post! I turned 14 that year and remember the music very well. One correction: the first Doors album was released January 4, 1967. But that's close enough.

After Hey Joe, Jimi Hendrix did his first debut album, Are You Experienced,1967.

Well said Andy. For more: Tobias Churton - The Spiritual Meaning of the Sixties and Richard Tarnas - Cosmos and Psyche.

The birth of Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators the finest psychedelic band to ever exist. The 1st LP which came out in 1966 and its subsequent follow up 'Easter Everywhere' are mindbending masterpieces of pure lysergic bliss.

66 was for me as you so rightly said 😮😮 this was the year it all seemed to HAPPEN I was 17 and in love with music life and fun what a fantastic line up of the greatest bands ever xx.

Fab video Andy, totally agree, especially about Ike Turner and Tom Wilson.

Plus, I was astounded that he mentioned the great Kenny Dorham and the also great Cecil Taylor.

Favorite rock song from 1966, “Psychotic Reaction” by the Count Five.

What a fantastic video have a good weekend Andrew ❤❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊😊