Albums of the 60s: On the best-selling records of the decade...

The best-selling albums of the 60s in the UK - what are they? Many listeners associate this era with the "Summer of Love": blossoming melodies, the flowering of rock music, the emergence of new names, performers who reached the status of icons... It was during this period that the world learned about the Beatles! So - there is nothing surprising that in today's selection there will be more than one album of this band... Sixties were, are and will be one of the brightest and most romanticised periods in the history of music! Here are the top "best-selling records" of this decade...

G.I. Blues (1961)

G.I. Blues is a record by the legendary king of rock 'n' roll Elvis Presley, which is the soundtrack to the film of the same name. Speaking of the film: the musician played the role of a soldier Tulsa McLean. He was accompanied by the charming Juliette Prowse as the dancer Lily!

Taking the number one spot on the US Billboard, G.I. Blues was Presley's launch into his dazzling 60s career... As the newspapers put it:

"Presley's enthusiasm makes even a gust of wind into music... And it's hard to imagine how anyone would listen to this music seriously if it were performed by a different artist of sound..."

When the album was first released, no singles were released. It was not until the mid 60's that the track "Wooden Heart" was released! In addition, the famous "Blue Suede Shoes" was recorded on this album in a completely new version! This is a rare example of Elvis taking on an already released song... "Tonight's All Right For Love" was never released in America: the track appeared in the USA only in 1974, as part of the compilation "Elvis: A Legendary Performer".

West Side Story (1962)

The famous West Side Story album is also the soundtrack to the film of the same name. After its release, the album remained at the top of Billboard for 54 weeks! In the US, the record was a huge success: it went platinum three times! In 1962, West Side Story was awarded a Grammy Award. It is noteworthy that many critics and listeners prefer the early version of the album: musically, it contains more powerful orchestration...

https://youtu.be/tlzdyUa-wx0

With The Beatles (1963)

With The Beatles is the second studio album from the iconic Liverpool foursome! It was released exactly 8 months after the debut Please Please Me. The record was produced by George Martin. It features seven songs by John Lennon and McCartney, as well as "Don't Bother Me". - Harrison's first solo composition, and 6 covers of famous rock'n'roll and R&B hits. Not only the content, but also the packaging of the album deserves special attention! The cover photo, taken by fashion photographer Robert Freeman, started a trend: over the years other bands copied this for their albums...

Today With The Beatles is included in several prestigious rankings, such as Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and Robert Dimery's "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". By the way: With The Beatles isn't the only Beatles album on our list....

Beatles for Sale (1964)

The Beatles' fourth studio work was also a huge success among listeners and critics! The record marked a departure from the characteristic optimistic tone. Overall - it was due to the band's creative exhaustion after a series of tours that had made The Beatles a phenomenon of the music scene by the mid-60s...

During the recording of Beatles for Sale, the band dared to experiment with sound! For example, timpani, African hand drums and chocalho were used. Listening to the album, one can feel the clear influence of country music and the work of Bob Dylan, whom the band met in August 1964.

The composition "Eight Days a Week" was excluded from the US version of the album. However, in February 1965 it was released in the USA as a single, and brought the Beatles their seventh number one in that country!

The Sound of Music (1965)

The Sound of Music is the official soundtrack to the famous film The Sound of Music! The record is one of the most successful of its kind! In total, it sold 20 million copies worldwide... The album topped the US Billboard charts and held the top spot for a record 109 weeks! The Sound of Music was also a bestseller in the UK, with sales booming in 1965, 1966 and 1968....

Three songs from the original Broadway production ("An Ordinary Couple," "How Can Love Survive?" and "No Way to Stop It") were replaced in the film with two new songs: "I Have Confidence" and "Something Good." For the original Broadway show, the music was written by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The new songs were written entirely by Rodgers, as Oscar Hammerstein died in 1960.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is probably one of the most legendary albums in music history... It showcased innovations in songwriting, production and graphic design. In addition, with Sgt Pepper's Pepper the Beatles bridged the cultural gap between popular music and high art... It reflected the interests of today's youth and counterculture.

During the recording of the record the band continued their daring experiments in the studio... Thus, a good part of the recordings are decorated with sound effects and tape manipulations (prime examples are "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" and "A Day in the Life"). The equally iconic cover, which is adorned with various celebrities and historical figures, is a credit to the artists (artists Peter Blake and Jenn Haworth worked on it)!

As of 2011, over 30 million copies of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band!

Abbey Road (1969)

And closing today's selection is one legendary creation of The Beatles, - the famous Abbey Road record. It was released at the end of the decade. The most interesting thing is that Abbey Road was the only album of the band recorded exclusively with a solid-state transistor mixing console. This largely explains the cleaner and brighter sound (compared to the Beatles' previous works).

It's no secret that during the recording of Abbey Road there was excitement in the studio... Each of The Beatles' members was worried about their personal problems, so the atmosphere was heated... Actually, the final "The End" was the last track that the Beatles recorded together... John Lennon left the band before the record was released. And the further history is known to everyone: with the new decade the cult band was gone....