Long Shot's Top 60 Albums of 1963
This year strikes me as a sort of "calm before the storm", with few albums treading into proper "remarkable" territory but there still being a sense that the musical landscape is about to change dramatically. There is one extreme exception to the former condition, the first proper 5.0 I've given in this entire Deep Dive. And don't miss the first list appearances of Dylan, The Beatles and The Beach Boys -- all at various stages of breaking through into the limelight. |
1 | | Charles Mingus The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
5.0
Track pick: "Track C - Group Dancers" |
2 | | Sandy Bull Fantasias For Guitar and Banjo
4.6
Track pick: "Blend" |
3 | | Max Roach, Charles Mingus, and Duke Ellington Money Jungle
4.4
Track pick: "Fleurette Africaine" |
4 | | Bob Dylan The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
4.3
Track pick: "Masters of War" |
5 | | Dayle Stanley A Child of Hollow Times
4.3
Track pick: "Child of Hollow Times" |
6 | | Thelonious Monk Monk's Dream
4.2
Track pick: "Monk's Dream" |
7 | | John Coltrane Impressions
4.1
Track pick: "Impressions" |
8 | | The Beatles With the Beatles
4.0
Track pick: "Please Mister Postman" |
9 | | The Beatles Please Please Me
4.0
Track pick: "A Taste of Honey" |
10 | | James Brown Live At The Apollo
3.9
Track pick: "Lost Someone" |
11 | | Duke Ellington and John Coltrane Duke Ellington and John Coltrane
3.8
Track pick: "In a Sentimental Mood" |
12 | | Thelonious Monk Criss-Cross
3.8
Track pick: "Rhythm-A-Ning" |
13 | | Dave Van Ronk Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger
3.8
Track pick: "Cocaine Blues" |
14 | | Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
3.7
Track pick: "Self Portrait (Of the Bean)" |
15 | | Grant Green Feelin' the Spirit
3.7
Track pick: "Go Down Moses" |
16 | | John Coltrane Ballads
3.7
Track pick: "Say It (Over and Over Again)" |
17 | | Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie Ella and Basie!
3.7
Track pick: "Dream a Little Dream of Me" |
18 | | Dayle Stanley After the Snow
3.7
Track pick: "After the Snow" |
19 | | Oscar Peterson Night Train
3.7
Track pick: "Hymn to Freedom" |
20 | | Roy Orbison In Dreams
3.7
Track pick: "In Dreams" |
21 | | Bill Evans Interplay
3.6
Track pick: "Interplay" |
22 | | Sam Cooke Night Beat
3.6
Track pick: "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" |
23 | | John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
3.6
Track pick: "Lush Life" |
24 | | Dexter Gordon Our Man in Paris
3.6
Track pick: "A Night in Tunisia" |
25 | | Joan Baez In Concert, Part 2
3.6
Track pick: "Queen of Hearts" |
26 | | Frank Sinatra Sinatra–Basie: An Historic Musical First
3.6
Track pick: "My Kind of Girl" |
27 | | Freddie Hubbard Hub-Tones
3.5
Track pick: "Lament for Booker" |
28 | | Solomon Burke If You Need Me
3.5
Track pick: "If You Need Me" |
29 | | Kenny Burrell Midnight Blue
3.5
Track pick: "Midnight Blue" |
30 | | Frank Sinatra The Concert Sinatra
3.5
Track pick: "Ol' Man River" |
31 | | Paul Desmond Take Ten
3.5
Track pick: "Nancy" |
32 | | Joe Henderson Page One
3.5
Track pick: "Recorda Me" |
33 | | Francoise Hardy Le premier bonheur du jour
3.5
Track pick: "Le premier bonheur du jour" |
34 | | Stan Getz Jazz Samba Encore!
3.4
Track pick: "Menina Flor" |
35 | | Pete Seeger We Shall Overcome
3.4
Track pick: "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" |
36 | | The Beach Boys Surfer Girl
3.4
Track pick: "In My Room" |
37 | | Jorge Ben Samba Esquema Novo
3.4
Track pick: "Mas, que nada" |
38 | | Jimmy Smith Back At The Chicken Shack
3.4
Track pick: "Back at the Chicken Shack" |
39 | | Phil Spector A Christmas Gift For You
3.4
Track pick: "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" |
40 | | Sam Cooke Mr. Soul
3.4
Track pick: "I Wish You Love" |
41 | | Antonio Carlos Jobim The Composer of Desafinado Plays
3.4
Track pick: "The Girl from Ipanema" |
42 | | Albert Ayler My Name Is Albert Ayler
3.4
Track pick: "Summertime" |
43 | | Judy Collins Judy Collins 3
3.4
Track pick: "Farewell" |
44 | | Jackie McLean Let Freedom Ring
3.4
Track pick: "Melody for Melonae" |
45 | | Sheila Jordan Portrait of Sheila
3.4
Track pick: "Am I Blue" |
46 | | Bo Diddley Bo Diddley's Beach Party
3.4
Track pick: "Road Runner" |
47 | | The Ventures The Ventures In Space
3.3
Track pick: "Out of Limits" |
48 | | Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane
3.3
Track pick: "Why Was I Born?" |
49 | | Peter, Paul and Mary Moving
3.3
Track pick: "Puff, the Magic Dragon" |
50 | | Ike Quebec Blue & Sentimental
3.3
Track pick: "Blue and Sentimental" |
51 | | Gerry Mulligan Night Lights
3.3
Track pick: "Night Lights" |
52 | | John Coltrane Dakar
3.3
Track pick: "Dakar" |
53 | | Lee Hazlewood Trouble Is A Lonesome Town
3.3
Track pick: "Long Black Train" |
54 | | Sun Ra When Sun Comes Out
3.3
Track pick: "The Rainmaker" |
55 | | Miles Davis Seven Steps to Heaven
3.3
Track pick: "Seven Steps to Heaven" |
56 | | Dick Dale King Of The Surf Guitar
3.2
Track pick: "Mexico" |
57 | | Herbie Hancock My Point of View
3.2
Track pick: "A Tribute to Someone" |
58 | | The Beach Boys Little Deuce Coupe
3.2
Track pick: "Ballad of Ole' Betsy" |
59 | | Judy Henske Judy Henske
3.2
Track pick: "Wade in the Water" |
60 | | Aretha Franklin Laughing on the Outside
3.2
Track pick: "If Ever I Would Leave You" |
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