Best Albums 1949-1964
Submitted by Fastnbulbous on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 12:39
Tags:
- Charles Mingus - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady (Impulse!) 63
- John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (Impulse!) 64
- Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue (Columbia) 59
- Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch! (Prestige) 64
- John Coltrane - My Favorite Things (Atlantic) 60
- Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah-Um (Columbia) 59
- Ornette Coleman - The Shape Of Jazz To Come (Atlantic) 59
- John Coltrane - Crescent (Impulse) 64
- Oliver Nelson - The Blues And The Abstract Truth (Impulse) 61
- John Coltrane - Giant Steps (Atlantic) 59
- John Coltrane - Ole Coltrane (Atlantic) 61
- Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus (Prestige) 56
- Charles Mingus - New Tijuana Moods (Bluebird) 57
- Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus (Atlantic) 56
- John Coltrane - Coltrane Plays The Blues (Atlantic) 60
- Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (Riverside) 56
- Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz (Atlantic) 60
- Palo Congo - Sabu (Blue Note) 57
- Joáo Gilberto - Brazil's Brilliant (Capitol) 60
- Tito Puente - Puente In Love (Tico) 59
- Charles Mingus - Mingus At Antibes (Atlantic) 60
- Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (Columbia) 59
- Charles Mingus - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (Impulse) 63
- Bob Dylan - Another Side Of Bob Dylan (Columbia) 64
- Charles Mingus - Oh Yeah (Atlantic) 61
- Charles Mingus - Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus (Candid) 60
- Charles Mingus - Town Hall Concert (Jazz Workshop/OJC) 64
- The Horace Silver Quintet - Song for My Father (Blue Note) 64
- Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown (Verve) 54
- Dizzy Gillespie - At Newport (Verve) 57
- Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (Milestone) 56
- Anita O'Day - Anita Sings the Most (Verve) 56
- Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain (Columbia) 60
- Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (Columbia) 63
- Albert Ayler - Spiritual Unity (ESP) 64
- Cecil Taylor: Nefertiti (Freedom) 62
- Sun Ra - Other Planes of There (Evidence) 64
- Duke Ellington - Ellington at Newport (Columbia) 56
- Johnny Guitar Watson - Gangster of Love (King) 58
- Lightnin' Hopkins (Smithsonian) 59
- Sonny Rollins - Way Out West (Contemporary) 57
- Ornette Coleman - Change Of The Century (Atlantic) 59
- Tito Puente - Cuban Carnival (RCA) 55
- Tito Puente - Top Percussion (RCA) 57
- Etta James - At Last (Chess) 61
- Charles Mingus - The Great Concert, 1964 (Musidisc) 64
- Duke Ellington with Max Roach and Charles Mingus - Money Jungle (Blue Note) 62
- Martin Denny - Hypnotique (Liberty) 58
- Johnny Burnette - Rock 'n' Roll Trio (Coral) 56
- Johnny Burnette & The Rock 'N' Roll Trio (Coral) 57
- Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (Columbia) 54
- George Russell - New York, N.Y. (Decca) 59
- Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil (Blue Note) 64
- Sun Ra - Jazz In Silhouette (Evidence) 58
- Ray Charles (Atlantic) 57
- Ray Charles - The Genius Of Ray Charles (Atlantic) 59
- Jerry Lee Lewis (Sun) 57
- Buddy Holly - The Chirping Crickets (MCA) 57
- Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Moanin' (Blue Note) 58
- Ornette Coleman - This Is Our Music (Atlantic) 59
- Ornette Coleman - The Art Of The Improvisers (Atlantic) 60
- Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry Is on Top (Chess) 59
- George Russell - Jazz Workshop (Bluebird) 56
- Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim (Verve) 63
- Bill Evans Trio - Waltz For Debby (Riverside/OJC) 61
- Elvis Presley (RCA Victor) 56
- Tito Puente - Dance Mania (RCA) 58
- Harry Belafonte - Calypso (RCA Victor) 56
- Erroll Garner - Concert By the Sea (Columbia) 55
- John Coltrane - Coltrane (Impulse) 62
- Roy Orbison - Oh Pretty Woman (London) 64
- Sonny Rollins - A Night At The Village Vanguard, Vol. 2 (Blue Note) 57
- Thelonious Monk - Misterioso (Riverside) 58
- The Rolling Stones - 12 X 5 (Abko) 64
- Jacques Brel - Jacques Brel, Vol. 6 (Barclay) 64
- The Gil Evans Orchestra - Out of the Cool (Impulse!) 60
- Freddie Hubbard - Open Sesame (Blue Note) 60
- Jackie McLean - Let Freedom Ring (Blue Note) 62
- Charlie Parker - Bird And Diz (Verve) 50
- King Curtis - Soul Serenade (Capitol) 64
- Jimmy Smith - The Sermon! (Blue Note) 58
- Dizzy Gillespie - The Champ (Savoy) 53
- Modern Jazz Quartet - Django (Prestige/OJC) 55
- Lee Konitz - Subconscious-Lee (Prestige/OJC) 50
- Serge Gainsbourg - Du Chant a la Une (Philips/Polygram) 58
- Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (ABC) 62
- Major Lance - Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um (Okeh) 64
- 10-
- John Coltrane - Ballads (Impulse) 61
- Johnny Cash - Bitter Tears (Ballads of the American Indian) (Columbia) 64
- Miles Davis - Birth Of The Cool (Capitol) 50
- John Coltrane - Africa/Brass (Impulse) 61
- The Impressions (Paramount) 63
- The Louvin Brothers - Satan Is Real (Capitol) 60
- Sarah Vaughan - In the Land of Hi-Fi (Emarcy) 55
- Sarah Vaughan - Swingin' Easy (Trip/Emarcy) 54
- Johnny Guitar Watson (King) 63
- Django Reinhardt - The Great Artistry of Django Reinhardt (Clef) 54
- Little Willie John - Fever (King) 56
- Wanda Jackson - Rockin' With Wanda (Capitol) 60
- Gene Vincent - Bluejean Bop! (Capitol) 56
- Larry Williams - Here's Larry Williams (Specialty) 59
- John Coltrane - John Coltrane With Johnny Hartman (Atlantic) 63
- Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin' (Columbia) 64
- Thelonious Monk - Thelonious With John Coltrane (Riverside) 57
- T-Bone Walker - I Get So Weary (Imperial) 61
- T-Bone Walker - Great Blues Vocals and Guitar (Capitol) 63
- Muddy Waters - Folk Singer (Chess) 64
- Django Reinhardt - Django Reinhardt et Ses Rythmes (Blue Star) 53
- Count Basie - Count Basie Swings -- Joe Williams Sings (Verve) 55
- Tito Puente - Tambo (RCA) 60
- Cal Tjader - Latin Kick (Fantasy) 56
- Wanda Jackson (Capitol) 58
- Hank Williams - Hank Williams Sings (MGM) 52
- Ernest Tubb - The Daddy Of 'Em All (Decca) 57
- Dizzy Gillespie - New Wave (Philips) 62
- Dizzy Gillespie - Something Old, Something New (Philips) 63
- The Miracles - Hi, We're The Miracles (Motown) 61
- Duke Ellington - Ellington Uptown (Columbia) 53
- Fats Domino - The Fabulous Mr. D (Imperial) 58
- Bobby Bland - Two Steps From the Blues (MCA) 60
- Harry Belafonte - Belafonte at Carnegie Hall (RCA Victor) 59
- John Coltrane - Impressions (Impulse) 63
- John Coltrane - Coltrane Live At Birdland (Impulse) 63
- Dizzy Gillespie with Roy Eldridge (Verve) 54
- Yma Sumac - Mambo (Capitol) 55
- Little Richard - Here's Little Richard (Specialty) 57
- Count Basie - Atomic Mr. Basie (Roulette) 57
- Muddy Waters - At Newport (Chess) 60
- Jacques Brel - Jacques Brel 1 (Jacques Brel et Ses Chansons) (Philips) 55
- Joao Gilberto - Gilberto and Jobim (Capitol) 60
- Elvis Presley - Elvis (RCA Victor) 56
- Patsy Cline (MCA) 57
- Willie Bobo - Bobo's Beat (Blue Note) 63
- Sarah Vaughan - No Count Sarah (Polygram) 58
- James Brown - Live At The Apollo (Polydor) 62
- Sonny Boy Williamson - Down And Out Blues (Chess) 59
- Dizzy Gillespie - Gillespiana (Verve) 61
- Maya Angelou - Miss Calypso (Scamp) 57
- Freddie Hubbard - The Artistry Of Freddie Hubbard (Impulse) 62
- Sonny Rollins - Tenor Madness (Prestige) 56
- Tito Puente - Let's Cha Cha (RCA) 56
- Stan Kenton - New Concepts Of Artistry In Rhythm (Capitol) 52
- Ornette Coleman - Tomorrow Is The Question! (Contemporary) 59
- Mongo Santamaria - Watermelon Man (Milestone) 63
- Red Garland Trio - Groovy (Prestige/OJC) 57
- Chuck Berry - St. Louis to Liverpool (Chess) 64
- Sun Ra - Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy (Evidence) 63
- The Louvin Brothers - Tragic Songs Of Life (Capitol) 56
- John Coltrane - Live At The Village Vanguard (Impulse) 61
- John Coltrane - Newport '63 (Impulse!) 63
- Esquivel - Exploring New Sounds in Stereo (RCA Victor) 58
- Marlene Dietrich - Lili Marlene (Columbia) 59
- Martin Denny - Quiet Village (Liberty) 59
- Bo Diddley (Checker) 57
- John Coltrane & Don Cherry - The Avant-Garde (Atlantic) 60
- Otis Redding - Pain In My Heart (Stax/Atlantic) 64
- Sun Ra - Interstellar Low Ways (Evidence) 60
- Sun Ra - Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow (Evidence) 62
- Sun Ra - Visits Planet Earth (Evidence) 58
- John Coltrane - Blue Train (Blue Note) 57
- Howlin' Wolf (Chess) 62
- Gene Vincent - Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps (Capitol) 57
- George Jones - White Lightning And Other Favorites (Mercury) 59
- Charles Mingus - Reincarnation of a Lovebird (Candid) 60
- Sonny Boy Williamson - Help Me (Chess) 64
- Cal Tjader - Tjader Plays Mambo (Fantasy) 54
- Bo Diddley - Go Bo Diddley (Chess) 59
- The Rolling Stones (Abko) 64
- Sam Cooke - Night Beat (Abko) 63
- Miles Davis - Miles & Coltrane (Columbia) 58
- Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (Capitol) 55
- Peggy Lee - Beauty And The Beat! (Capitol) 59
- Nat King Cole - Penthouse Serenade (Capitol) 52
- Fats Domino - Let the Four Winds Blow (Imperial) 61
- Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Ella And Louis (Verve) 56
- Charles Mingus - Mingus (Candid) 60
- Jacques Brel - Jacques Brel 3 (Philips) 58
- Miles Davis - Workin' (Prestige) 56
- Etta James - The Second Time Around (Chess) 61
- Anita O'Day - Anita O'Day and the Three Sounds (Verve) 62
- Anita O'Day - All the Sad Young Men (Verve) 61
- Anita O'Day - This Is Anita (Verve) 55
- John Coltrane - Coltrane's Sound (Atlantic) 60
- John Coltrane - Coltrane Jazz (Atlantic) 59
- Miles Davis - Steamin' (Prestige) 56
- Miles Davis - Cookin' (Prestige) 56
- Miles Davis - Relaxin' (Prestige) 56
- The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go? (Motown) 64
- Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles (Blue Note) 64
- Fats Domino - Walking to New Orleans (Imperial) 63
- Sarah Vaughan - It's You Or No One (Musicraft) 47
- Mongo Santamaria - Sabroso! (Fantasy) 59
- Miles Davis - Miles Ahead (Columbia) 57
- Sun Ra - Angels And Demons At Play (Evidence) 60
- Sun Ra - Holiday For Soul Dance (Evidence) 60
- Charlie Parker (& Gillespie/Roach/Mingus/Powell) - Jazz At Massey Hall (Debut) 53
- Lightnin' Hopkins - Lightnin' and the Blues (Herald) 60
- Miles Davis - Milestones (Columbia) 58
- Anita O'Day - Pick Yourself Up with Anita O'Day (Verve) 56
- Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours (Capitol) 54
- Charles Mingus - The Clown (Atlantic) 57
- Peggy Lee - Things Are Swingin' (Capitol) 59
- Sun Ra - Super Sonic Jazz (Evidence) 56
- Nina Simone - In Concert (Philips) 64
- Sun Ra - The Nubians of Plutonia 58-59 (Evidence) 59
- Johnny Cash - The Fabulous Johnny Cash (Columbia) 58
- Serge Gainsbourg - Gainsbourg Percussions (Philips Fr) 64
- Nat King Cole - Sings For Two In Love (Capitol) 55
- Sonny Rollins - Freedom Suite (Contemporary) 58
- Sonny Rollins - A Night At The Village Vanguard, Vol. 1 (Blue Note) 57
- Sonny Rollins - Newk's Time (Blue Note) 58
- The Beatles - With The Beatles (Capitol) 63
- Ornette Coleman - Ornette! (Atlantic) 61
- Hank Mobley - Soul Station (Blue Note) 60
- Sonny Rollins - The Bridge (Bluebird/RCA) 62
- Serge Gainsbourg - Number 4 (Philips Fr) 62
- B.B. King - Singin' The Blues (Crown) 56
- Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk (Prestige) 54
- Quincy Jones - This Is How I Feel About Jazz (Paramount/GRP) 56
- Ornette Coleman - Ornette On Tenor (Atlantic) 61
- Hank Ballard & the Midnighters - Singin' & Swingin' (King) 59
- Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley Is A Gun Slinger (Chess) 63
- The Beatles - Please Please Me (Capitol) 63
- Frank Sinatra - Come Fly with Me (Capitol) 57
- Miles Davis - Seven Steps To Heaven (Columbia) 63
- Mary Wells - Mary Wells Sings My Guy (Motown) 64
- John Coltrane - Soultrane (OJC/Prestige) 58
- Dizzy Gillespie - Jambo Caribe (Verve) 64
- John Coltrane - Black Pearls (OJC/Fantasy) 58
- Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash With His Hot & Blue Guitar (Sun) 56
- Serge Gainsbourg - Confidentiel (Philips Fr) 63
- Thelonious Monk - Alone In San Francisco (Riverside) 59
- Miles Davis - Round About Midnight (Columbia) 56
- Cannonball Adderly Quartet - Somethin' Else (Blue Note) 58
- Frank Sinatra - A Swingin' Affair! (Capitol) 57
- Mongo Santamaria - Yambu (Fantasy) 58
- Les Baxter - Tamboo! (Capitol) 54
- B.B. King - The Blues (Crown) 60
- Mary Wells - Two Lovers (Motown) 62
- Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue (Get Back) 57
- Nina Simone - Nina Simone & Her Friends (Bethlehem) 57
- Miles Davis - Porgy and Bess (Columbia) 58
- Solomon Burke (Apollo) 62
- Etta James - Rocks The House (Chess/MCA) 63
- John Coltrane - Duke Ellington and John Coltrane (Impulse) 62
- Sun Ra - When Sun Comes Out (Saturn) 63
- Johnny Cash - Now, There Was a Song! (Columbia) 60
- Charles Mingus - Mingus Dynasty (Columbia) 59
- Arthur Lyman - Taboo: The Exotic Sounds of Arthur Lyman (Rykodisc) 58
- Charles Mingus - Blues and Roots (Atlantic) 59
- Arthur Lyman - Hawain Sunset (Hi Fi) 59
- Les Baxter - Ritual Of The Savage (Capitol) 52
- Joe Williams - Me And The Blues (RCA) 64
- Martin Denny - Afro-Desia (Liberty) 59
- Pee Wee Crayton (Crown) 59
- Les Baxter - Space Escapade (Capitol) 58
- Patsy Cline - Sentimentally Yours (MCA) 62
- Anita O'Day - Anita O'Day Sings the Winners (Verve) 58
- Frank Sinatra - Nice 'N' Easy (Capitol) 60
- Sonny Rollins - Work Time (Prestige) 55
- Miles Davis - '58 Sessions (Columbia) 58
- Ornette Coleman - Twins (Atlantic) 61
- Ornette Coleman - To Whom Keeps A Record (Atlantic) 61
- Bob Dylan (Columbia) 62
- Eartha Kitt - That Bad Eartha (RCA) 55
The albums below are hardly representative of all good music from 1949-1965. The list is restricted to LPs, which were introduced by Columbia Records in 1948 to replace 78s. The 33-1/3 RPM "microgroove" records (named for the narrower grooves that required a smaller stylus) changed the way music was heard, and conceptualized. They were issued in 10" format until the mid-50s, when they graduated to 12". Another concurrent post-war innovation improved sound quality in recordings by switching from gramophone recording to 1/4" magnetic tape recording.
Better sound and longer playing time shifted the emphasis from single three minute tunes to longer playing times. But because RCA Victor introduced the 7" 45 RPM records in 1949, pop music, blues, country and rock 'n' roll still focused on the single song format. So largely the only genre that really sunk its teeth into the LP as an artform unto itself before 1965 was jazz. Hence, below you'll find mostly jazz.