5 Classic Rock Albums From 1967 That Are Perfect From Start To Finish

I think the following five classic rock albums from 1967 are perfect pieces of work from beginning to end. You might just agree with me after revisiting these total classics.

Videos by American Songwriter

‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ by The Beatles

To the surprise of absolutely no one, this classic from The Beatles makes it to our list. And how could it not? Many consider Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to be the Fab Four’s best album. And considering it’s home to hits like “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” and “A Day In The Life”, I’d have to agree with that notion.

‘Surrealistic Pillow’ by Jefferson Airplane

More than any other album out there, when I think of the psychedelic rock boom of 1967 and the Summer of Love, I think of this very album from Jefferson Airplane. Grace Slick’s vocals are on a totally different level, and few collections embrace and, in turn, define the counterculture movement of the 1960s quite like this record. “White Rabbit” still makes fans out of young listeners today, but the whole of this album is quite good as well.

‘The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn’ by Pink Floyd

Nothing beats The Dark Side Of The Moon. However, I’ll always have affection in my heart for Syd Barrett’s one true whole contribution to Pink Floyd, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. This was the band’s debut album, written almost entirely by Barrett, along with some of his improvisational pieces. There’s so much whimsy to be found on this album, and it has a psychedelic feel without getting too dark. He really was ahead of his time. “Astronomy Diminé” and “Interstellar Overdrive” are essential listening.

‘Are You Experienced’ by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Few albums are as closely tied to a year, nay, a whole decade quite like Are You Experienced. The debut album of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, this record has stood the test of time in ways that similar bands could only dream of. And the whole of the record is driven by Jimi Hendrix’s soaring guitar riffs and otherworldly compositions. This whole dang thing’s essential listening from start to finish.

‘John Wesley Harding’ by Bob Dylan

John Wesley Harding isn’t underrated by any folk rock standard. However, I think this Bob Dylan release could stand to get more love in retrospect. It’s the home of “All Along The Watchtower”, a song that Jimi Hendrix would repopularize in 1968. It’s a perfectly semi-acoustic record with serious folk influences, and Dylan was quite brave to release this particular record during the year of psychedelia. And without much publicity, either. This is one of the finest and most perfect folk rock albums of 1967, in my opinion.

Courtesy of Capitol/UMe/Apple Corps Ltd.