4 Outstanding Albums From 1969 That Broke the British Rock Stranglehold

It was difficult to escape the ubiquity of the British rock bands dominating the music world in the late 60s. Luckily, a few non-British acts managed to muscle their way into the picture and deliver albums every bit as memorable as what their English counterparts were doing.

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In the year 1969, several bands that didn’t hail from England came through with outstanding LPs. These four albums, in particular, left an impact still being felt on the rock world.

‘The Band’ by The Band

An album made by four Canadian members (out of five in the group) at a makeshift studio in Southern California captured the heart of the American South as well as any record ever made. The Band left behind their first album’s reliance on Dylan songs, knowing that Robbie Robertson was flourishing as a songwriter. These five guys could get serious and tragic (“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”) one minute, boisterous and rollicking (“Rag Mama Rag”) the next. They could hit on overarching issues with songs like “King Harvest (Has Surely Come)” and then deliver something deeply personal like “Whispering Pines”. Not enough superlatives exist to describe this record.

‘Crosby, Stills & Nash’ by Crosby, Stills & Nash

We’ll forever wonder what this trio might have done if they just could have coexisted better and produced more music. Because they certainly started off on fire with this album and Déjà Vu, the latter their first collaboration with Neil Young. You can hear the different qualities each brings to the table as a lead on this album. Stephen Stills shows off his adventurous musical spirit on “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”. Graham Nash’s engaging pop smarts come to the fore on “Marrakesh Express”. And David Crosby offers his haunting inscrutability on “Long Time Gone”. When those voices come together, as they often do throughout the LP, it’s a magical meld.

‘Green River’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Did these guys move fast or what? We could have easily chosen Bayou Country or Willie And The Poor Boys, also released by CCR in 1969, to represent the band on this list. Green River gets the nod over the others by an edge, if only because there was just a little bit more greatness to be found on that one. The title track epitomizes the swamp rock that most people immediately imagine when thinking of the band. “Bad Moon Rising” manages to sound somehow both apocalyptic (in the lyrics) and reassuring (in the music) all at once. Let’s not forget “Lodi”, one of the finest ballads about the heartbreak of the rock and roll life.

‘The Velvet Underground’ by The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground was an ever-changing collective. First, Nico, who had helped define the sound of their debut album, departed. Then the band also shed John Cale prior to the making of their self-titled third album. Even with those two figures out of the way, the band continued to experiment with ways to deviate occasionally from Lou Reed’s deadpan vocals. Which was probably a mistake in retrospect, because this collective was always the most compelling when Reed’s no-BS narratives were at the heart of the proceedings. Songs like “Pale Blue Eyes” and “I’m Beginning To See The Light” make this plain.

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