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Thursday, Nov 26, 2009
Thirty-four years ago this week, the Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Temptations, Santana, Crosby Stills and Nash, and Creedence Clearwater all shared top billing on the Billboard album chart. There's never been another lineup quite like it -- and there will never be again.
Dec 19, 2003 | 1969 had it all. From Woodstock and Nixon's inauguration to the Manson murders, the Miracle Mets, Chappaquiddick, the man on the moon, Butch and Sundance, the Chicago Eight conspiracy trial, the Beatles' farewell performance, and "Vietnamization," the year was drenched in milestones:
And in late December, 1969 also boasted the greatest week in rock history -- seven days when revolutionary rock 'n' roll, powerhouse R&B, and shimmering pop creations all shared top billing as they never have before or since.
Singling out one week in rock history might seem absurd. Rock's about to turn 50 years old (whether you date its birth on July 9, 1955, the day Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" hit No. 1, or on July 5th, 1954, the day Elvis Presley recorded the legendary Sun Sessions) and more than 2,500 weeks have passed since. But there's a unique way to systematically rate rock's past and try to uncover the best single week: simply chose the one that had, album-for-album, the 10 best entries atop the Billboard 200 album chart. A week when the top 10 had no fluff filler, no disposable pop creations, and no dreadful trend imitators. A week that boasted the best collection ever assembled at the pinnacle of the charts at any given moment. Not the 10 best albums of all time, necessarily: that would be too much to hope for. But the week when record buyers produced a lineup of albums unmatched, taken as a whole, for quality, originality and longevity.
The method is subjective, of course, because sales charts aren't perfect barometers of quality. For instance, Bob Marley and the Wailers' reggae landmark, "Catch a Fire," only climbed to No. 171, while the Replacements' post-punk classic, "Let it Be," never charted at all, like hundreds of other worthy titles. And, of course, the charts are full of Barry Manilow, United Fruit Company and Iron Butterfly titles whose vinyl originals now repose in thrift store bins and moldy dumpsters across America. Yet over the years the charts (i.e. consumers) have proven to be a remarkably reliable way of tracking superior work -- mainly because great rock has often also been successful rock. When Rolling Stone magazine editors recently named the 500 greatest albums of all time, nine of the magazine's first 10 choices had peaked inside Billboard's top 10. (The lone exception was the Clash's "London Calling," which only reached as high as No. 27.)
That's why, for me, Dec. 20, 1969, represents rock's summit:
No. 1, "Abbey Road," the Beatles
No. 2, "Led Zeppelin II," Led Zeppelin
No. 3, "Tom Jones Live in Las Vegas," Tom Jones
No. 4, "Green River," Creedence Clearwater Revival
No. 5, "Let It Bleed," the Rolling Stones
No. 6, "Santana," Santana
No. 7, "Puzzle People," the Temptations
No. 8, "Blood Sweat & Tears," Blood Sweat & Tears
No. 9, "Crosby, Stills & Nash," Crosby, Stills & Nash
No. 10, "Easy Rider" soundtrack (featuring the Byrds, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Steppenwolf)
Simply having three masterpieces together in the same week -- the Beatles' final studio gem, "Abbey Road," the revolutionary heavy-metal precursor "Led Zeppelin II," and the Stones' audacious, apocalyptic "Let It Bleed" -- would be enough to mark Dec. 20, 1969 as a special chart entry. (All right, I know Led Zeppelin isn't quite in the same league as the Beatles and the Stones, and I already hear the shrieks that C,S & N was the week's third masterpiece. But I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green.)
But add in the historic debuts by Latin-rock guitar virtuoso Carlos Santana and the tight, high harmonies of CS&N, a classic Creedence album from a quintessential American band at its creative and commercial peak, a daring new "psychedelic soul" offering from the greatest male vocal group of all time, the Temptations, a groundbreaking movie soundtrack, jazz-rock pioneers Blood Sweat & Tears, and pop powerhouse Tom Jones, and you get a week in rock that's gone unmatched since.
Soft spots in the lineup? Some people might point to Jones, the sweaty pop swinger, or Blood Sweat & Tears. But I think they're worthy entries, although they bring up the all-star week's rear. There's something authentic and enduring about Jones' unabashed, swiveling-hips bravado. And forget the fact that middle-aged women later took to throwing their underwear at him -- the man from Wales could flat-out belt. "What's New Pussycat" still stands as one of pop's great guilty pleasures. And have you listened to "It's Not Unusual" lately?
As for Blood Sweat & Tears, the nine-piece band in '69 was arguably bigger than the Beatles, eventually selling 3 million album copies (an unheard-of tally back then) and racking up huge hits with "Spinning Wheel," "And When I Die," and "God Bless The Child." With David Clayton-Thomas' locomotive vocals and the horn section blasting out slick three-part harmonies, the Greenwich Village group captured, however fleetingly, something distinctive on that album. (The band's co-founder, Al Kooper, left before the band's meteoric rise in '69. During the week of Dec. 20, though, he was right alongside his band-mates in the top 10, playing French horn on the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What you Want" from "Let It Bleed.")
Regardless, just imagine the mix tape possibilities from that single '69 week. "Come Together," "Whole Lotta Love," "The Weight," "It's Not Unusual," "Green River," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Wooden Ships," "Gimme Shelter," "I Can't Get Next to You," "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," "Here Comes the Sun," "Evil Ways," "And When I Die," "Bad Moon Rising," "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," and "Born to Be Wild."
Seven of the acts from that December week have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And if you include the appearances of the Byrds and Jimi Hendrix on the "Easy Rider" soundtrack, as well as songwriting credits by Bob Dylan and The Band's Robbie Robertson, that's 11 Hall of Famers side-by-side in one week. Not to mention some of rock's most inventive guitarists: Keith Richards, Roger McGuinn, Jimmy Page, George Harrison, Carlos Santana and, of course, Jimi Hendrix.
And just FYI, no, this week does not represent some sort of a nostalgic trip back in time for me; in Dec. '69, I had just turned 4 years old. Later, during my key record-buying years, I had no patience for backward-looking classic rock. And in high school I managed to avoid going through a Who, Zeppelin, or Doors phase. (My lone '60s/'70s indulgence was the Kinks.)
But these '69 albums have weathered time as if coated with Armor-All. If you can somehow wipe away the countless times you've heard them on monotonous classic rock radio, or being piped into the dairy aisle in your local grocery store, and you can start fresh and hear the songs on a top-flight sound system, most of the albums still crackle with excitement, 34 years later. (I'd concede, though, that portions of the "Easy Rider" soundtrack, "Blood Sweat & Tears," and "Santana" can sound a bit dated.)
Using the Billboard album chart as the benchmark, there have been other great weeks in rock history. For instance, on Sept. 4, '65, the Rolling Stones' "Out of Our Heads," the Beach Boys "Summer Days (And Summer Nights)," "Beatles VI," Dylan's "Bringing it All Back Home," and "Sinatra '65" were all bunched together in a one-of-a-kind top 10. Unfortunately, the week also featured the soundtracks to "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music" -- albums, for all their undoubted virtues, that would have a hard time going mano-a-mano with "Satisfaction."
Other weeks worthy of mention include March 23, '68 (Aretha Franklin, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan ("John Wesley Harding"), the Beatles ("Magical Mystery Tour"), Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and the Supremes and Otis Redding); Nov. 23, '74 (the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, David Bowie and Lou Reed); Sept. 8, '79 (The Knack, Supertramp, The Cars, Chic, Neil Young, the Commodores, and Led Zeppelin); Oct. 24, '92 (Garth Brooks, REM, Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Mary J. Blige); Oct. 17, '98 (Jay-Z, Outkast, Tribe Called Quest, Lauryn Hill, Sheryl Crow, Kirk Franklin, and Shania Twain), and Sept. 28, 2002 (Dixie Chicks, Eminem, Nelly, Bruce Springsteen, Norah Jones, Coldplay, and James Taylor).
Using the same album-for-album chart criteria, I'd nominate Sept. 2, 1989 as the Worst Week in Rock History.
