5 Fantastic Albums Released 55 Years Ago This Month

What was going on in October 1969? Well, we don’t have enough space in this humble article to give you a world overview from that time. But we can come up with a microcosm of the music scene by looking at five excellent albums released that month.

These five albums rum the gamut from undeniable classics to cult favorites. Let’s look back and marvel at the music from 55 years ago this month.

Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin

Striking while the iron was hot, the hard-rocking quartet released their second album only nine months after their debut. They certainly showed no signs of a sophomore slump, as the follow-up displayed advancement in just about every possible area. It wasn’t nearly as beholden to blues standards, and there was something cool sonically going on in just about every track. Jimmy Page’s inventiveness is all over the thrilling “Whole Lotta Love,” the rhythm section storms through “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman),” and on “Thank You,” Robert Plant shows he can croon as well as he bellows.

Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) by The Kinks

You give an album a title as lofty as that, and you better come with the goods. The Kinks did just that. Their strategy throughout the album is to deliver stirring music that suggests pageantry and grandeur, and then they undercut all that through Ray Davies’ candid lyrics about the struggles faced by ordinary citizens, such as losing loved ones to war (“Some Mother’s Son”) or battling poverty (“She Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina”). Peaks on the album include “Victoria,” a rocker for a long-ago Queen, and “Shangri-La,” a requiem for the dreams of the common man.

In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson

This is one of those albums where you can’t imagine a genre developing in the same way if it hadn’t existed. The genre in question is prog rock, and King Crimson paved the way for many followers with their musical flights of fancy. It’s also quite impressive when you consider this was their debut, in that they were innovating without having yet established their musical footing—quite the brave move. Each of the five elongated tracks are wondrous, but special mention is reserved for the stingingly prescient “21st Century Schizoid Man” and the elegiac closer “The Court of the Crimson King.”

Willie and the Poor Boys by Creedence Clearwater Revival

What a contrast from the previous album on this list, right? CCR wasn’t afraid to play long songs like King Crimson, as the closing track “Effigy” approaches the 6 ½-minute mark. But when they did so, it was more to show off their churning, live-in-the-studio instrumental chemistry. More often than not, they were all about punchy, engaging singles with just a little bit of Southern rock twang ladled on top. “Down on the Corner” nails an effortless back-porch vibe, “Fortunate Son” is John Fogerty at his fiercest, and “Cotton Fields” and “The Midnight Special” prove that these guys could cover anything and make it their own.

Turtle Soup by The Turtles

It was a big month for Ray Davies at record stores in October 1969. Not only did he have Arthur coming out with the Kinks, but he also produced what would turn out to be The Turtles’ final album. Part of the reason it did turn out to be the band’s swan song is because it lacked any hit singles. That’s surprising, because there are seven or eight tracks on this record that sound like they should have been welcome on radio. Songs like “House on the Hill” and “How You Love Me” make the case that this record should have springboarded The Turtles to bigger things, instead of acting as their last hurrah.

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