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The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “The Sound…

The #1 Albums: “The Sound of Music”

The #1 Albums:…

The #1 Albums: “Help!” by the Beatles

The #1 Albums:…

The #1 Albums: “Out of Our Heads” by the Rolling Stones
Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: Neil Young’s “Harvest”

Every conversation we have over dinner should turn out as well as the one Neil Young had with a record producer during a 1971 trip to Nashville.Every conversation we have over dinner should turn out as well as the one Neil Young had with a record producer during a 1971 trip to Nashville.

By | March 12, 2012
Forty years ago this week, Neil Young's album Harvest hit #1. Widely considered not just his greatest record but one of the greatest of all time, its creation was, like the creation of so many rock classics, a happy accident. How So? Read more »
The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “Beatles VI”

It's hard to believe that many people saw these four pleasant-looking guys, as pictured on the cover of "Beatles VI," as a bad influence on American youth.It's hard to believe that many people saw these four pleasant-looking guys, as pictured on the cover of "Beatles VI," as a bad influence on American youth.

By | March 12, 2012
Another Beatles release, another #1 album, yada yada yada. Some people must certainly have felt that way in 1965, but it wasn't Capitol Records, record-store owners, or record buyers. Beatles VI was another patchwork collection compiled for… Read more »
The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “Mary Poppins” and “Goldfinger”

"Mary Poppins" stars Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews celebrated the release of the movie's 40th anniversary DVD in 2004. (Getty Images/Kevin Winter)"Mary Poppins" stars Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews celebrated the release of the movie's 40th anniversary DVD in 2004. (Getty Images/Kevin Winter)

By | March 5, 2012
It seems like the British Invasion of 1964 changed everything with one stroke of mop-topped lightning, but the Billboard album chart didn't get the memo. In 1965, with Beatlemania at full boil, two movie soundtracks of the style that routinely topped… Read more »
The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “Beatles ’65″

This cover image from "Beatles '65" is one of our favorite photographs of the band.This cover image from "Beatles '65" is one of our favorite photographs of the band.

By | February 28, 2012
The album Beatles '65 could have contained anything by the Beatles and it would have still sold gazillions. Capitol Records knew this, and so, for the American market at Christmas 1964, they elected to parcel out some, but not all, of the new… Read more »
The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: Elvis Presley’s “Roustabout”

Elvis, From the Cover of the "Roustabout" SoundtrackElvis, From the Cover of the "Roustabout" Soundtrack

By | February 27, 2012
On the first Billboard chart of 1965, the soundtrack album to the Elvis Presley movie Roustabout reached #1 for a week. It didn't contain a hit single, and it runs only about 20 minutes, so in the pantheon of Elvis albums, it barely registers.… Read more »
The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “Beach Boys Concert”

The Beach Boys in Concert, 2007 (Getty Images)The Beach Boys in Concert, 2007 (Getty Images)

By | February 20, 2012
The Beach Boys had smashed onto the scene in 1963 with several iconic hits, and they managed to withstand the British Invasion in 1964 with several more: "Fun Fun Fun," "I Get Around," and "Dance Dance Dance" among them. At the end of the year,… Read more »
The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “People” by Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand, who's won eight Grammys and a Lifetime Achievement Award, is seen here performing at the 2011 show. (Getty Images/Mark Ralston/AFP)Barbra Streisand, who's won eight Grammys and a Lifetime Achievement Award, is seen here performing at the 2011 show. (Getty Images/Mark Ralston/AFP)

By | February 13, 2012
Sometimes it seems like the Beatles came to destroy what pop music (and pop culture) had been and replace it with something new. We've probably said that a time or two here ourselves, but it's not entirely true. Exhibit A: In 1964, the last year… Read more »
The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “A Hard Day’s Night”

Four large Beatle heads appeared on the American cover of "A Hard Day's Night."Four large Beatle heads appeared on the American cover of "A Hard Day's Night."

By | February 6, 2012
There must have been moments in 1964 when people wondered if the Beatles could get any bigger than they were. The answer: yes. They had conquered TV in February on The Ed Sullivan Show and the singles chart in April with the top 5 songs in the… Read more »
The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “Hello Dolly!”

Detail From the Cover of the "Hello Dolly" Original Cast Album, 1964Detail From the Cover of the "Hello Dolly" Original Cast Album, 1964

By | January 31, 2012
Soundtrack albums featuring the songs from Broadway shows dominated the album chart from the beginning of the rock era in 1955. Some of the most famous shows in the history of the American theater come from the years 1955 through 1964: Oklahoma!, My… Read more »
The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “The Beatles’ Second Album”

Detail From the Cover of "The Beatles' Second Album"Detail From the Cover of "The Beatles' Second Album"

By | January 30, 2012
The scope of Beatlemania in the spring of 1964 remains a wonder to behold as the years go by. In April, the Beatles held the top five spots on the Hot 100 (and 12 hits in all), plus the top two spots on the album chart, and scored similar… Read more »