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Best_albums_of_1967.appFooter = "By Michael Ventre";
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Best_albums_of_1967[i++] = new Array("","Intro","","http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/070622_cdcover1_hmed_3p.small.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Capitol", "198", "198", "", "", "", "", "");
Best_albums_of_1967[i-1].body = "The year 1967 is best known for the Summer of Love. Just the mention of the term conjures images of music festivals with hippies throwing flowers at each other while they pass around a joint before returning to the commune for some free love.But they couldn’t have done any of that without the accompaniment of some lively tunes.
That year produced a bumper crop of outstanding albums from some of the most important artists of all time. It was a true cornucopia that established the decade of the 1960s as the most significant era in the history of popular music.
While it’s nearly impossible to select the top 10 from such a wealth of choices, that didn’t stop us from trying. Here are the top 10 albums of 1967, knowing full well in advance that if somebody comes along with a completely different list, the debate that ensued would be as contentious as a meeting among the Beatles and Yoko Ono over the direction of the band:";
Best_albums_of_1967[i++] = new Array("","“Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band\"","","http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/070622_cdcover1_hmed_3p.small.jpg","","\"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band\"", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Capitol", "198", "198", "", "", "", "", "");
Best_albums_of_1967[i-1].body = "The Beatles
Nowadays new fans who discover the Beatles, or even older fans who have been devoted to their music for years but whose memories are a little hazy, might look back and think of the Fab Four’s music as one big magnificent catalog without differentiating between albums. But when this was released in early June of ’67, it was unlike anything that had come before. The Beatles had decided to quit touring and become a studio-only band. For “Sgt. Pepper’s” they experimented with multi-track recordings and eschewed their guitar-based sound in favor of a rich tapestry of strings, horns and exotic instruments. And the songwriting itself is superb, the highlights being “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Lovely Rita” and the climactic “A Day In The Life.” This was also a shining example about how much the sequence of songs matters in compiling a great album.";
Best_albums_of_1967[i++] = new Array("","“Are You Experienced?” ","","http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/070622_cdcover2_hmed_3p.small.jpg","","\"Are You Experienced\"", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Experience Hendrix", "198", "198", "", "", "", "", "");
Best_albums_of_1967[i-1].body = "Jimi Hendrix
As debut albums go, they don’t get much better than this. Jimi Hendrix had become a sensation in England, but was largely unknown in the U.S. save for pockets of underground enthusiasts. “Are You Experienced” helped change all that. It was released in the UK in May of ’67 and did well in Europe. But then Jimi played Monterey in June, and suddenly he was a homegrown superstar. “Are You Experienced” was released in the U.S. two months after his mesmerizing appearance at the Monterey International Pop Festival. It’s loaded with songs that have become Hendrix staples, such as “Hey Joe,” “Purple Haze,” “Foxy Lady,” “Stone Free” and “The Wind Cries Mary.” It helped give Hendrix a permanent spot on the rock and roll map.";
Best_albums_of_1967[i++] = new Array("","\"The Doors\"","","http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/070622_cdcover3_hmed_3p.small.jpg","","\"The Doors\"", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Elektra", "198", "198", "", "", "", "", "");
Best_albums_of_1967[i-1].body = "The Doors
Giving Hendrix a run for his money in the debut department were Jim Morrison and The Doors, whose first album was released in January of 1967 and was helped along by the wildly popular single, “Light My Fire.” But it also included “Break On Through (To The Other Side),” “The Crystal Ship,” “Twentieth Century Fox,” “Back Door Man” and “The End.” Besides the hit single, the Doors’ debut album was also helped along considerably by the reputation of Morrison as a rock and roll rascal capable of just about anything on stage, and he had already made a name for himself on the L.A. club scene. But this album is noteworthy for the various rock-pop-jazz-soul influences masterfully blended together by Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore.";
Best_albums_of_1967[i++] = new Array("","“Surrealistic Pillow”","","http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/070622_cdcover4_hmed_3p.small.jpg","","\"Surrealistic Pillow\"", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "RCA", "198", "198", "", "", "", "", "");
Best_albums_of_1967[i-1].body = "Jefferson Airplane
A subgenre of rock in the ‘60s was known as San Francisco psychedelic, and the development of it was largely attributed to both the Airplane and the Grateful Dead. It was basically the folk-blues movement on acid. This was the Airplane’s second album, but the first to feature lead singer Grace Slick. Released in February of ’67, it stayed on the charts for a year, getting as high as No. 3. Thanks primarily to a duel lead vocal arrangement with Slick and Marty Balin, the songwriting of Paul Kantner and the expert musicianship of guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bass player Jack Casady, the Airplane soared with hits from this album like “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love” (both brought to the band by Slick) as well as “Today,” “Plastic Fantastic Lover” and Kaukonen’s majestic acoustic guitar instrumental, “Embryonic Journey.” Despite limitations in recording technology, it’s a mind-bending masterpiece.";
Best_albums_of_1967[i++] = new Array("","“Disraeli Gears”","","http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/070622_cdcover5_hmed_3p.small.jpg","","\"Disraeli Gears\"", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Polydor", "198", "198", "", "", "", "", "");
Best_albums_of_1967[i-1].body = "Cream
You can probably count on one hand the number of so-called “supergroups” – i.e., a band comprised of musicians who are at the very tops of their fields – in the history of popular music. Cream – guitarist Eric Clapton, bass player Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker -- definitely qualifies, and “Disraeli Gears” is arguably their best album. Released in November of ’67, it was Cream’s second album and catapulted the band to stardom in the U.S. It contains two hit singles, “Strange Brew” and “Sunshine of Your Love” as well as “Tales of Brave Ulysses.” It marked Cream’s transition from traditional blues to a more psychedelic sound. This is old school rock that still holds up.";
Best_albums_of_1967[i++] = new Array("","“The Velvet Underground and Nico”","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/070622_cdcover6_hmed_3p.small.jpg","","\"Velvet Underground and Nico\"", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Polydor", "198", "197", "", "", "", "", "");
Best_albums_of_1967[i-1].body = "The Velvet Underground
This is yet another staggering debut by a band that had the backing of Andy Warhol (he did the banana cover art). A German singer named Nico accompanied the Velvet Underground for this one album, at Warhol’s urging, and then she left the band. But this release established the Velvet Underground as avant-garde knockout artists who, while having had only limited appeal at the time commercially, influenced many in the punk-new wave movement. Their sound is an acquired taste, and some music lovers still don’t know what all the fuss was about. Yet the band, consisting of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker, proved that pop music didn’t have to be slaves to mainstream sensibilities and predictable hooks. Listening to “Venus in Furs” and “Heroin” especially is like taking a decadent trip into the New York underbelly of the ‘60s.";
Best_albums_of_1967[i++] = new Array("","“More of the Monkees”","","http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/070622_cdcover7_hmed_3p.small.jpg","","\"More of the Monkees\"", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Rhino", "178", "198", "", "", "", "", "");
Best_albums_of_1967[i-1].body = "The Monkees
In 1967 the Monkees – a made-for-TV band consisting of Davy Jones (vocals), Mike Nesmith (guitar), Peter Tork (bass, keyboards) and Micky Dolenz (drums) – ruled the charts. They had four albums released that year that reached No. 1. They sold more records that year than the Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined. “More of the Monkees,” their second album, stayed at No. 1 from Feb. 11 until June 10. The highlights include “I’m A Believer” (written by Neil Diamond), and both “(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone” and “She,” both penned by the band’s primary songwriting sources, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. The album is notable also for contributions by music luminaries such as Glen Campbell, Carole King, Neil Sedaka and Carole Bayer Sager. And yes, the Monkees played their own instruments, but they had to fight music supervisor Don Kirshner in order to do so.";
Best_albums_of_1967[i++] = new Array("","“Younger Than Yesterday”","","http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/070622_cdcover8_hmed_3p.small.jpg","","\"Younger Than Yesterday\"", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Sony", "197", "198", "", "", "", "", "");
Best_albums_of_1967[i-1].body = "The Byrds
The folk-rock pioneers were anchored by Roger McGuinn, who was a guitarist extraordinaire as well as an incandescent songwriter. The band’s sound is most notable for McGuinn’s 12-string Rickenbacker axe, and together with David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke and Gene Clark they created a memorable mash of what McGuinn once described as a cross between John Lennon and Bob Dylan. “Younger Than Yesterday” was recorded before a simmering rift between Crosby and other band members erupted into irreconcilable differences, which caused Crosby to leave the Byrds not long after this album’s release. Some of the songs that have now become classics include “So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N Roll Star” and “Have You Seen Her Face” as well as their cover of Dylan’s “My Back Pages.”";
Best_albums_of_1967[i++] = new Array("","“Days of Future Passed”","","http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/070622_cdcover9_hmed_3p.small.jpg","","\"Days of Future Passed\"", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "UME Imports", "174", "198", "", "", "", "", "");
Best_albums_of_1967[i-1].body = "The Moody Blues
The band started out as many did in the UK, as a devotee of blues-rock. But with “Days,” their second album, they quickly served notice that they had grander ambitions. This was a concept record designed to tell the story of one average man’s typical day, and although they began recording before the Beatles released “Sgt. Pepper’s” it is believed they got wind of what was going on with the Fab Four and used that as inspiration to push their musical boundaries. The Moody Blues used accompaniment by the London Festival Orchestra to establish a new direction in progressive rock. And even though this is a tightly crafted thematic work, it still produced a couple of excellent singles that received massive airplay, “Tuesday Afternoon” and “Nights in White Satin.”";
Best_albums_of_1967[i++] = new Array("","“Something Else By the Kinks”","","http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/070622_cdcover10_hmed_3p.small.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Reprise", "196", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Best_albums_of_1967[i-1].body = "The Kinks
During the ‘60s, the British bands that receiv ed the most acclaim were easily the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Who. But musically, the Kinks were on par with all of them. They’re one of the most underrated bands of the last half-century. “Something Else” is the Davies brothers at their best. Ray was the artistic soul and producer while Dave was the virtuoso guitarist. Together they created some sparkling compositions, including “David Watts,” “Death of a Clown” and “Love Me Till the Sun Shines.” But the centerpiece is “Waterloo Sunset,” one of the finest songs to come out of England by anybody. The Kinks may have been too idiosyncratically British to have enormous commercial appeal in the U.S. But their musical genius is still evident 40 years later.";
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