Jason's Top 25 Albums of 1963 | 1963 Deep Dive Week

After months of listening to as many albums from 1963 as possible, Jason is ready to reveal his 25 favorite albums of the year.
What do you think of his picks? Let him know in the comments
#1963 #albumsranked #albumoftheyear #records #top25
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[@iyoungblood2109]

Is it possible we could get a final video at the end with all 3 of you sharing your thoughts on each others lists? I think that’d be a good way of doing this format

[@scentrailstation1780]

Possibly your best presented episode. Well articulated.

[@renetrachet]

I was 13 years old. This is pure nostalgy. Great picks Jason.

[@curly_wyn]

Never thought I would see 1963 in albums! I like this idea of singular segments, Jason, and you’re right: you guys can always go back at anytime. Thank you for the wonderful content you, Kram and Joe helped bring to us all! 🤗🖤

[@brianjackson5541]

These type of lists are why I tune in. Great stuff Jason!

[@ongoinghistoryofprotestmus128]

1963 Albums 25. That Stubborn Kind of Fellow - Marvin Gaye 24. Blood, Sweat and Tears - Johnny Cash 23. Joan Baez in Concert, Part 2 - Joan Baez 22. I Feel the Spirit - Prince Buster 21. We Shall Overcome - Pete Seeger 20. Folk Songs and Blues - Mississippi John Hurt 19. Surfin' USA - The Beach Boys 18. Loretta Lynn Sings - Loretta Lynn 17. Live at Carnegie Hall - Nina Simone 16. Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius - Stevie Wonder 15. Ella and Basie! - Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie 14. Ingredients In A Recipe For Soul - Ray Charles 13. Presenting Dionne Warwick - Dionne Warwick 12. Mr. Soul - Sam Cooke 11. Monk's Dream - The Thelonius Monk Quartet 10. If You Need Me - Solomon Burke 9. In Dreams - Roy Orbison 8. The Impressions - The Impressions 7. Surfer Girl - The Beach Boys 6. Night Beat - Sam Cooke 5. With The Beatles - The Beatles 4. Please Please Me - The Beatles 3. The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus 2. Live at the Apollo - James Brown 1. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan

[@MyargonautsJason]

Nice video! When you mentioned the Johnny Mathis Christmas album, I was instantly transported to a wonderful time in my childhood in the 70s. My parents were huge Mathis fans, and like your grandparents, the first Xmas album every year was Johnny's album. It's so warm and lovely and is so nostalgic for me. Even tho both my parents are gone now, that music brings such warm memories. Great mention!

[@jamesegan2742]

Can’t believe Freewheeling is number 8…behind a Lesley Gore album of all things!!! With A Hard Rain, Blowing in the Wind, Masters of War, Don’t Think Twice, etc.? Wow. Jason certainly expresses his love for the Bob, which is great, but I thought it was a lock at number 2. Still…great list, some real gems, a lot undiscovered, and an unexpected lunch break treat! Keep ‘em coming! Cheers, JPE

[@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek]

Also I do think most of us prefer the other 2 commenting on your album picks ✌️

[@gino88]

I started deep diving Lou Rawls about 15 years ago while vinyl crate digging. I believe Lou Rawls and Charlie Rich are the most vinyl albums I own now.

[@patrickstaresq]

Fantastic episode Jason! A very personal list and multiple inclusions on the list from genres you don't usually cover. Your #24, #16, #13, #6, #4 & #3 picks are truly inspired. Trying to keep this as spoiler free as possible. I thought your reviews of all the albums were right on target, incisive and quite eloquent. You're able to convey just how intentional and personal your listening experience and creation of this list was and that really came across in this episode. Great job!

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

One of the best videos you've ever done on the channel.

[@jamsid33]

i enjoy listening to you talk about artists i never really paid attention to

[@johnw706]

An interesting array of albums . It’s nice to hear your comments on the early albums of the Beatles . I’m astounded at the way a lot of people dismiss the earlier albums in their catalogue . I don’t think that a lot of them realize just how far ahead of the game The Beatles were at that time . I was 10 years old at the time , and the level of energy in their music was palpable . Anyway , it was great to hear you mention it . Thanks for the heads up on the Lou Rawls album . Cheers !

[@t_albino]

Ooh, this is adventurous! I know a scattering of albums from '63, the BIG ones, so this will be an education for me 😄

[@curly_wyn]

Anyway: My Top 25 for 1963! 1. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman - John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (one of THE best-sounding records I’ve ever heard.) 2. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady 3. Miles Davis - Seven Steps to Heaven 4. Roy Orbison - In Dreams 5. Stan Getz & Luis Bonfá - Jazz Samna Encore! 6. The Beatles - Please Please Me 7. Sam Cooke - Mr. Soul 8. Jorge Ben - Samba esquema novo 9. The Beatles - With the Beatles 10. Antônio Carlos Jobim - The Composer of Desfinado, Plays 11. Luis Bonfá - Plays and Sings Bossa Nova 12. Dionne Warwick - Presenting Dionne Warwick 13. Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan 14. Aretha Franklin - Laughing on the Outside 15. John Lee Hooker - Don’t Turn Me from Your Door: John Lee Hooker Sings His Blues 16. Horace Parlan - Up & Down 17. Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue 18. Joe Henderson - Page One 19. Sandy Bull - Fantasias for Guitar and Banjo 20. Paul Desmond - Take Ten 21. Sheila Jordan - Portrait of Sheila 22. Link Wray & the Wraymen - Jack the Ripper 23. Sam Cooke - Night Beat 24. Solomon Burke - If You Need Me 25. The Ventures - Surfing

[@D.Boon1]

In Dreams is absolutely my favorite song of all time

[@Footjones]

Separately you're all great. Together, you're the best trio on KZbin.

[@Skroskznik]

Very nice top 25 Jason, I have some new things to later check out on my own now thank you, also thought this format of the series went over well and let's hope for a good rest of the week too! .

[@normhiscock14]

Nice to see a lot of female artists on the list. And nice mix of genres.

[@RandyforRoyals]

I was glad to see Bobby "Blue" Bland make your list as he has one of my favorite voices and his album Two Steps From The Blues is one of my top albums of all time.

[@charlesandbettesson7229]

I thought I would miss the interaction between the three of you more than I did. A number of these are genres I don't like but it was so interesting to hear you discuss what each meant to you and the obvious enjoyment you get from them. It's that passion for music that made me come back after watching the first episode I came across on KZbin a few years ago. Well done, really looking forward to the others. You set the bar pretty high,,,

[@bgbe7119]

The comments and energy that bounce around between the three of you are always fun, but that solo outing was a coherent, informed, impassioned and tightly scripted run-through of your favourites of 1963. Really good to see Sam Cooke and Roy Orbison in there. Nothing wrong with early Beatles (my preference). How much of it will I get to make time for? God knows, but this list will be a great starting point when the mood strikes me. Look forward to the rest.

[@gregdale1066]

I listened and i learned , pre 66 is my biggest blind spot musically

[@mightytaconerds7919]

Very interesting list! I’m gonna go check out quite a few of these records

[@bengthertzman9918]

A great episode Jason! Very personal and inspiring with a lot of interesting information. I had hardly started listen to music in 1963 but have listen to some of the albums later. I wrote down some of your choices to check them out.

[@shortsleave]

With you all the way on the Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts LP. It's in my top 10 for this year as well.

[@UlyssesJonah]

My current top 25: Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Sam Cooke - Live At The Harlem Square Club, 1963 Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin Bob Dylan John Coltrane - Impressions Duke Ellington - Money Jungle Antônio Carlos Jobim - The Composer Of Desafinado, Plays Nina Simone - At Carnegie Hall The Beatles - Please Please Me (remastered) Jorge Ben Jor - Samba Esquema Novo Sun Ra - Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy Sandy Bull - Fantasias for Guitar and Banjo Gerry Mulligan - Night Lights (Expanded Edition) Sam Cooke - Night Beat Stan Getz - Jazz Samba Encore! Curtis Amy - Katanga Roy Orbison - In Dreams Jacques Brel - Les bigotes Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream Barbara - Chante Brassens Et Brel Jackie McLean - Let Freedom Ring Eric Dolphy - Iron Man Sun Ra - When Sun Comes Out Hedy West - Accompanying Herself On The 5 String Banjo Dick Hyman - Moon Gas Various Artists - The Iron Muse

[@aortavalve]

Looks like we have 6 in common!

[@UlyssesJonah]

@@aortavalve nice!

[@aortavalve]

@@UlyssesJonah looks like we're the only two with Coltrane - Impressions and Dick Hyman and Mary Mayo. Both gems.

[@Vanessa.P]

Great episode, as always. Lots of very impassioned and well-explained reviews. I am far from an early Beatles detractor and consider myself a defender but now I feel bad for my placements haha😅. Your comparison of what The Beatles were doing to what The Searchers were doing really drives that point home because yeah, the differences between their albums and The Beatles are staggering. I think maybe sometimes it's easy to take them for granted. I know I have a different times, maybe I still do to some degree. Even though I listened to 100 albums for 1963 I did miss a few of these you mentioned - Bobby Bland and Buddie Emmons so I will have to go back. Ultimately it was really fun and educational to dive into a year that I knew relatively little about and didn't have as many "comfort zones" as I normally do. Here's my list - all 4 to 4.5 stars 1.Various Artists - A Christmas Gift For You from Philles Records 2. Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue 3. Curtis Amy & Dupree Bolton - Katanga! 4. Jackie McLean - Let Freedom Ring 5. Roy Orbison - In Dreams 6. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady 7. Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan 8. Sam Cooke - Night Beat 9. Ella Fitzgerald - Sings the Jerome Kern Song Book 10. Sam Cooke - Mr. Soul 11. The Beatles - Please Please Me 12. The Beatles - With the Beatles 13. The Crystals - He's a Rebel 14. Willie Nelson - Here's Willie Nelson 15. Duke Ellington and John Coltrane - Duke Ellington and John Coltrane 16. Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys - Hard Travellin' 17. Nat King Cole - Where Did Everyone Go? 18. Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie - Ella and Basie! 19. LaVern Baker - See See Rider 20. Lesley Gore - Sings of Mixed Up Hearts 21.Lou Rawls - Black and Blue 22. Dexter Gordon - Our Man in Paris 23.The Dillards - Back Porch Bluegrass 24. Brenda Lee - All Alone Am I 25. Ray Price - Night Life

[@aortavalve]

8 in common!

[@Vanessa.P]

@@aortavalve awesome!

[@willem-janageling3907]

I like the dynamics of the three of you.

[@pete3105]

Really nice one! Didn't know too many of these albums, but you gave really good reviews of all of them. Of the ones I've heard, Please Please Me would be my no. 1 as well.

[@cabinessence8565]

I have to say there is only one GOAT tier album for me this year, but lots of good ones as well 1. A Christmas Gift for You - this is the ultimate masterclass of music production, superseded later only by the great Brian Wilson, and even then not by much. Perfect album where every song is brought to its fullest potential by the lively, punchy, thick Wall of Sound that surrounds it. 2. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan 3. Please Please Me 4. Little Deuce Coupe 5. Surfer Girl

[@joachimb5721]

Wow, thanks. That was really very interesting, I learned so much great music in this video!

[@Sir_Eyeball]

Here's my Top 10 (I listened to only 10 albums): 4 Stars: 1. The Beach Boys - Surfer Girl 2. Joanie Sommers - Sommers’ Seasons 3,5 Stars: 3. The Beatles - With The Beatles 4. Judy Collins - #3 5. Lesley Gore - Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts 6. The Beatles - Please Please Me 7. The Beach Boys - Little Deuce Coupe 3 Stars: 8. Lesley Gore - I’ll Cry If I Want To 2,5 Stars: 9. The Beach Boys - Surfin’ USA 2 Stars: 10. Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

[@marilynquinsaat315]

That was a tough year!

[@brianjames5685]

Sam Cooke makes me melt man. I'm a 48 year old straight guy but all the same if he sung a note to me I'd embarrass myself lol.

[@pete3105]

So I've listened to every album on each of your lists plus a couple of albums on none of your lists. All in all, I listened to 50 something albums, and these are the 25 (plus 5 honorable mentions) I ended up with. I shared 15 albums with Jason and Joe, and 12 with Kramzer. Out of all the lists, I probably liked Jason's the best because his top 8 albums made my list, and the two Beatles albums were very underrated on the other lists. It's probably easy to take them for granted, but as Jason said, The Beatles were streets ahead of basically every other pop and rock artist at the time, and even a lot of the lesser known songs on Please Please Me like Misery would be the career highlight of many other early rock 'n' roll bands, but in the Beatles' catalogue it's basically not even mentioned when magazines list their 100 greatest songs. I also think it's very well sequenced with I Saw Her Standing There and Please Please Me opening/closing side A, while Love Me Do and Twist and Shout opening and closing side B. Too many other albums then (and later too) put all the big songs at the beginning, but whatever the intent, I think it's cool that The Beatles didn't do that with Please Please Me. Rubber Soul may have really started the album era, but The Beatles made cohesive and accomplished albums from the start. And that's in a year where they released non-album singles like I Want to Hold Your Hand, She Loves You and From Me to You. In general I was surprised by how many good albums that were released in 1963. I basically knew around 10 albums from that year, and thought it would be really hard to find even 20 albums worthy to include on the list, but that obviously wasn't the case. Honourable mentions: The Everly Brothers - Sing Great Country Hits ★★★ Frank Sinatra - Sinatra's Sinatra ★★★ James Brown - Prisoner of Love ★★★ Ray Charles - Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul ★★★ The Ventures - Surfing ★★★ 25. The Beach Boys - Surfer Girl ★★★ 24. Brenda Lee - Let Me Sing ★★★½ 23. Brigitte Bardot - Brigitte ★★★½ 22. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - The Fabulous Miracles ★★★½ 21. Dionne Warwick - Presenting Dionne Warwick ★★★½ 20. Françoise Hardy - Le premier bonheur du jour ★★★½ 19. Solomon Burke - If You Need Me ★★★½ 18. Marvin Gaye - That Stubborn Kinda' Fellow ★★★½ 17. Wilson Pickett - It's Too Late ★★★½ 16. Lou Rawls - Black and Blue ★★★½ 15. Aretha Franklin - Laughing on the Outside ★★★½ 14. Brenda Lee - All Alone Am I ★★★½ 13. Lesley Gore - I'll Cry If I Want To ★★★★ 12. Loretta Lynn - Loretta Lynn Sings ★★★★ 11. Ray Price - Night Life ★★★★ 10. Sam Cooke - Mr. Soul ★★★★ 9. The Caravelles - You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry ★★★★ 8. Lesley Gore - Sings of Mixed Up Hearts ★★★★ 7. Various Artists - A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector ★★★★½ 6. James Brown - Live at the Apollo ★★★★½ 5. Roy Orbison - In Dreams ★★★★½ 4. The Beatles - With the Beatles ★★★★½ 3. Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan ★★★★★ 2. Sam Cooke - Night Beat ★★★★★ 1. The Beatles - Please Please Me ★★★★★ ★★★★★ - Masterpiece ★★★★½ - Really great ★★★★ - Great ★★★½ - Really good ★★★ - Good ★★½ - OK ★★ - Bad ★½ - Really bad ★ - Awful ½ - The worst Shared albums: Jason: 15 albums Joe: 15 albums Kramzer: 12 albums

[@stuartmoore1064]

Really great list, Jason. My mother loved Lou Rawls, and as a result I grew up listening to a lot of his music. Everly Brothers album is sensational. Several on here that I need to either listen to again, or for the first time, but I'll probably skip Surfer Girl...even though I'm almost positive I had that vinyl album as a kid!

[@jeffjohnson1413]

Wow! Great deep dive. I'll be hitting this up for recs for sure. Completely agree with your take on that Everly Brothers album. It'll be in my Top Ten for 1963 easy.

[@nickmoss2046]

The concept of an album was still being worked out in 63. Not a lot that I really reach for other than some jazz. 1) Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady 2) Sandy Bull - Fantasias for Guitar and Banjo 3) Ellington/Mingus/Roach - Money Jungle 4) Freddie Hubbard - Hub-Tones 5) Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' 6) The Beatles - Please Please Me

[@kangvolcano9171]

Yeah that Mingus album!

[@lubilou64]

A Christmas Gift For You is the first Christmas album on every year in our house. Definitely the best Christmas album ever 😃 Ronnie Spector is one of my all time favourite female singers for sure.

[@weirddebbiem1619]

Here it goes: 1. "Please Please Me" - The Beatles 2. In Dreams - Roy Orbison 3. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan 4. Black and Blue - Lou Rawls 5. Surfer Girl - The Beach Boys 6. Live at the Apollo - James Brown 7. With the Beatles - The Beatles 8. Blues in My Heart - BB King 9. Night Beats - Sam Cooke 10. Leslie Gore Sings of Mixed Up Hearts - Leslie Gore 11. A Christmas Gift For You From Phillies Records - Various Artists 12. Little Town Flirt - Del Shannon 13. The Fabulous Miracles - The Miracles 14. Return of the Gunfighter - Marty Robbins 15. Bo Diddley's Beach Party - Bo Diddley 16. He's a Rebel - The Crystals 17. Right Now! - The Righteous Brothers 18. My Boyfriend's Back - The Angels 19. Heatwave - Martha and the Vandellas 20. In the Wind - Peter, Paul, and Mary 21. All Alone Am I - Brenda Lee 22. I'll Cry If I Want To - Leslie Gore 23. It's Too Late - Wilson Pickett 24. Laughing on the Outside - Aretha Franklin 25. Loretta Lynn Sings - Loretta Lynn

[@bengalgangster]

great list💜💜

[@weirddebbiem1619]

@@bengalgangster Thank you, bengal. 🎶💜💜

[@pauljohnson5925]

Trio please. It's what makes TLM stand out from the vinyl community crowd. Groucho, Harpo, Chico Larry, Curly, Moe Three Dog Night....ok we get it Jason, Joe and Kramzer Three is a magic number 👍

[@davidbeckman7925]

Phil, Mike & Tony ... 😊 Yes I agree

[@UlyssesJonah]

Informative, passionate and inspiring! Loved it and took notes to check what I've missed, thank you :)

[@michelewiese48]

Jason, I appreciated your enthusiasm and kudos for Lesley Gore, Brenda Lee, Dylan, and Orbison. Your description of The Lonely Surfer piqued my interest, and I’m also now curious about the Wanda Jackson and Loretta Lynn records. I’m surprised you didn’t mention Patsy Cline (maybe I’ll see one of her ‘63 singles in your songs list). I realize The Patsy Cline Story is a compilation released posthumously, but it is the perfect collection of songs for me to put on and do just about anything while listening, and that’s why it’s my favorite for the year. Thanks for your perspective. Looking forward to Joe’s and Kramzer’s lists.

[@bengalgangster]

patsy wasnt eligible from what was told me ,, so i skipped listening , but maybe i should have listened and i may have cheated on my top pick anyway, not sure

[@RostyslavLogachov]

3 stars 25. Checkered Flag - Dick Dale 24. The Impressions - The Impressions 23. Reminiscing - Buddy Holly 22. Blood, Sweat And Tears - Johnny Cash 21. T'Aint No Big Thing But He Is... Jimmy Reed - Jimmy Reed 20. Buck Owens Sings Tommy Collins - Buck Owens 19. Blues In My Heart - B.B. King 18. Boss Guitar - Wes Montgomery 17. John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman - John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman 16. Surf City - The Lively Ones 15. Do The Bossa Nova With Herbie Mann - Herbie Mann 14. Baby Workout - Jackie Wilson 13. Walk Right In! - The Rooftop Singers 3.5 stars 12. Walking The Dog - Rufus Thomas 11. Dakar - John Coltrane 10. Portrait Of Wes - Wes Montgomery Trio 9. Ruby Baby - Dion 8. Monk's Dream - The Thelonious Quartet 7. On Campus - John Lee Hooker 6. Conflict - Jimmy Woods Sextet 5. The Big Soul Of John Lee Hooker - John Lee Hooker 4. Seven Steps To Heaven - Miles Davis 4 Stars 3. Feelin' The Spirit - Grant Green 2. The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady - Mingus 4.5 stars 1. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan

[@UlyssesJonah]

Jazz samba encore!! hell yea love it, totally agree Stan doesn't get enough love

[@wesleyorser4451]

Please Please Me is a top 3 favorite Beatles album. So endlessly relistenable. It is the end result of the years' worth of experience they gained from playing in clubs and finding their chemistry. Those years of development allowed them to come out of the gate with their studio sound fully realized, and it only continued to get better. There are countless great artists from the 60s, but it makes sense to think they were all just trying to follow in the Beatles' footsteps 90% of the time.

[@aortavalve]

Hey Jason, great video, as always! I really enjoyed doing the '63 deep dive and it was cool to see how divergent our lists are. I'm a massive fan of surf music, so that occupied a lot of space on my list. From your list, the record I'm most excited to check out is Pedal Steel Jazz- seems like it'd be right up my alley! I guess I'll drop my top 25 in the comments of all three videos and see who I end up aligning with most. 1. Link Wray - Jack the Ripper 4.5 2. The Ventures - Surfing 4.5 3. The Crystals - He’s A Rebel - 4.5 4. The Ventures in Space 4.5 5. Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan - 4.5 6. Beach Boys - Surfer Girl - 4.5 7. Sarah Vaughn - Sarah Sings Soulfully - 4.5 8. Dick Hyman and Mary Mayo - Moon Gas - 4.5 9. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - 4.5 10. John Lee Hooker - The Big Soul of John Lee Hooker - 4 11. The Chantays - Pipeline - 4 12. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley’s Beach Party - 4 13. The Atlantics - Now It’s Stompin’ Time - 4 14. John Coltrane - Impressions - 4 15. Sam Cooke - Night Beat - 4 16. Dexter Gordon - Our Man in Paris - 4 17. Ray Price - Night Life - 4 18. Duane Eddy - Dance with the guitar man - 4 19. Duke Ellington - Money Jungle - 4 20. Roy Orbison - In Dreams - 4 21. Prince Buster - I Feel the Spirit - 4 22. The Atlantics - Bombora - 4 23. The Surfaris - The Surfaris Play - 4 24. LaVern Baker - See See Rider - 4 25. A Christmas Gift For You - 4

[@bengalgangster]

i only posted half of my top 25 today , but we will have like 7 or 8 matches, including your #1🐯

[@aortavalve]

@@bengalgangster not enough love for Link Wray!

[@Svein-Frode]

Great list! Still a year in which most pop music has escaped me, but I will rectify that! For me the era before 1965 or so is all JAZZ, but there are gems outside of that genera for sure!

[@patrickshawl7189]

Enjoyed the list , can't dispute the picks, my nit pick is that the those Beatle LPs were 1964 releases in the USA which I think should have been mentioned, the cultural explosion didn't happen in the US until 64; but as far as I'm concerned they could be #1&2 in both 63 & 64

[@markreilly7052]

Informative and entertaining. Nice work Jason.

[@matthewashman1406]

great choice .

[@MemphianSounds]

Always love these deep dives - but getting feedback from the other guys is half the pleasure

[@david.leikam]

You guys have an unique magic together though doing individual sessions are cool too, and understand the need for space at times. 👏

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Just scheduling conflicts lately! Can’t get on track. - Joe

[@david.leikam]

@@TastesLikeMusic Yeah, space is good too, scheduling wise. Keep up the great work guys!

[@martinlarsson5254]

Great selections Jason! 🙌

[@suartgilmour4540]

Hey, interesting watch, thanks. I have to confess i dont know much about '63 as most of the music i'm into was released after. So it was informative. Only complaint i would have is 4*s for Freewheelin'?? Thats crazy. About 5 or 6 of the songs on it are immortal classics. Its social and cultural importance alone are enough to make it 5*s, imo. But at least you said Dylan is your 2nd fav artist so i'll let it go lol. Stuart

[@violetsboogie9156]

Missing significant R&B, soul and even some gospel & ska. But great & thoughtful summary.

[@UlyssesJonah]

I listened to Buddy Emmons and loved his playing and like you said the album wasnt gimmicky

[@nightowl1851]

Rawls = Coverdale? Yes, I will check that out! ... Each of you giving your lists individually provides a better perspective on the albums, if this is any indication, but I do miss the interaction. Maybe each go solo and then have another video where you comment on each others' selections?

[@davidellis5141]

Bob Dylan with a 45 minute album of classic original songs is the runaway # 1 in 1963. Check out the grooves for the 2 " bonus " tracks !

[@TastesLikeMusic]

45 minutes in 1963 is like 6 hours in today’s time. - Joe

[@robertdimartino5794]

Depends on your age. I was 7 and definitely not into Bob Dylan😂

[@davidellis5141]

Congratulations to Robert on his first ever comment / Reply on Tastes Like Music 🎶 ! ..😕

[@rafaelandrade7627]

Hey Jason, sorry in advance if this comes off as being pedantic, but just want to make a few corrections. Bossa Nova isn't a subgenre of Jazz, but a subgenre of Samba. It was created in Rio de Janeiro in the late 50s as a modernization of Samba. What happened is that, upon discovering Bossa Nova, american jazz artists started to merge Jazz and Bossa Nova together. Also, 100% agree with your Beatles takes. It's insane how ahead of the pack they were in the early to mid sixties.

[@jean-marieboucherit4518]

Yes cultural Big Bang.the most important LP in history.

[@bababooey666]

Thought you might have Surfin' U.S.A & Little Deuce Coupe.

[@MomLAU]

A lot of good things were birthed in 1963. Including me. :)

[@UlyssesJonah]

Can't wait to check that Aretha and Lou Rawls records!

[@billkeon880]

That’s the way I like to look at an innovative album like #1 and 2… compare to others released at the time. Beatles were light years ahead

[@mirasolbalaga5616]

You know, Jason, The Beatles have always been my favorite band, but I’ve never really listened to all their albums thoroughly, until I watched your channel. Although I’ve always really enjoyed a lot of their early songs, I kind of didn’t expect that their early albums would be so good. Please Please Me is fantastic! Love that you mentioned their exuberance! I feel bad putting all this attention on The Beatles, when you just gave an amazing list of artists. I love your passion for them and music, in general ❤.

[@gagemartin7207]

Surfer girl is the best pre today beach boys album their first moment of greatness

[@michelewiese48]

Patsy Cline is my Queen of ‘63 Rest In Bliss, resilient songbird The Patsy Cline Story is my AOTY The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan is runner-up: “Like Judas of old You lie and deceive A world war can be won You want me to believe” It’s always about LOVE & WAR ❤️🪖

[@guillembg9535]

What the hell where in the world isnt here The black saint and the sinner lady!? Mingus forever

[@ihavenoquarrelwithyou3249]

Maybe it is time to go solo? I put the video on to run while I work and pretty soon the work wasn't getting my attention. Without interruption or having to play to anyone else in the video you were on a 30-minute flow that was a fascinating deep dive into a year that I obviously hadn't given enough time. I knew the majority of these artists, but largely from compilations. You made so many compelling arguments for your picks that I am most likely going to have to use this list as a guide to fully introduce myself to 1963. Are live albums verboten? One of the few albums I know in full from 1963 is James Brown's Live At The Apollo and I can't imagine it not making my top 25 of the year.

[@bengalgangster]

hey . it was fun discovering these old albums today is part 1 1 sam cooke/ live at the harlem square club 4.5 2bo diddley/bo diddley beach party 4.0+ 3 the beatles /with the beatles 4.0+ 4 roy orbinson /in dream 4.0+ 5 bb king /blues in my heart 4.0+ 6 the kingsman/ the kingsmen in person 7 lonnie mack/the wham of that memphis man 4.0 8 james brown/live at the apollo 4.0 9 leslie gore/ill cry if i want to 3.5 + 10 the crystals/ hes a rebel 3.5+ 11wilson pickett / its too late 3.5+ 12 bb king /mr blues 3.5+ 13 bo diddley/bo diddley and company/ 3.5+ 14 john lee hooker/big soul of john lee hooker 3.5+ 15 the righteous brothers/right now 3.5+ part 2 to come 16-thru 26 with HMS fun stuff Cheers!! great job jason 🐯🐯

[@weirddebbiem1619]

Excellent list, bengal. 🎶💜💜

[@bengalgangster]

@@weirddebbiem1619 thanx deb💜💜

[@weirddebbiem1619]

​@@bengalgangsterYou're welcome, bengal.🎶💜💜

[@TimeToGetAlone]

Looks like 8 matches today by my count. I can't argue against either Beatles impact-wise, though for me I've just always enjoyed Please Please Me a good bit more. They're also the records I've been living with the longest by a considerable margin, so I guess that can work in either direction. At any rate, if I wasn't included certain kinds of comps, we'd have even more in common. I need to check out the Lou Rawls one. Bold = Jason Match *1. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan* *2. In Dreams - Roy Orbison* *3. A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records - Various Artists* 4. The Shadows' Greatest Hits - The Shadows 5. Surf Rider! - The Lively Ones 6. Philles Records Presents Today's Hits *7. Please Please Me - The Beatles* 8. He's a Rebel - The Crystals 9. IX. Symphonie - Berlin Philharmonic / Herbert von Karajan 10. Monk's Dream - The Thelonius Monk Quartet 11. The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus 12. Bo Diddley's Beach Party - Bo Diddley 13. Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 - Elvis Presley *14. I'll Cry If I Want To - Lesley Gore* *15. Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts - Lesley Gore* *16. Surfer Girl - The Beach Boys* 17. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane 18. 'Live' at the Apollo - James Brown 19. (Moving) - Peter, Paul & Mary 20. Sinatra-Basie - Frank Sinatra & Count Basie 21. Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash 22. Money Jungle - Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, & Max Roach *23. Night Beat - Sam Cooke* 24. Samba esquema novo - Jorge Ben 25. If You Need Me - Solomon Burke

[@stevehoran5595]

I would put With The Beatles at #1 but otherwise I agree with you that their two LPs from 1963 should be at #1 & #2. With The Beatles is just more consistent than PPM. Just because we Americans weren't hip to the Beatles at this point doesn't mean the 2nd Big Bang (after Elvis & Little Richard and the other first wave of rockers) hadn't already happened. Also, I know that Peter Paul & Mary fell into disfavor with music critics after the apparently more "real" Dylan came along but their In The Wind album has more musically appealing versions of two big songs from Freewheelin', as well as other arguably better songs. Their harmonies were excellent. Barbra Streisand's excellent debut was released in 1963 too.

[@rockingbirdey]

I've grown to really love With The Beatles. That's my #1 of the year. "All I've Got To Do" has become one of my favourite Beatles songs (the melody is superb), and then there are songs like "It Won't Be Long", "All My Loving", "Please Mister Postman", "Don't Bother Me", "Till There Was You", "Hold Me Tight", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Not a Second Time", "You Really Got a Hold on Me", all songs I love. I really like "Little Child" even though most people don't. For me, it's superior to Please Please Me, but both albums are fantastic.

[@mirasolbalaga5616]

Man, when you list all those songs like that, it’s so damn impressive. Lot of great songs. I’ve grown to love some of these songs, too. It Won’t Be Long has go to be one of the coolest songs ever. Hold Me Tight has become one of my favorites (thanks to the movie, Across The Universe). I’ll never not adore Till There was You, it’s hard for me to consider that a cover.

[@wibre8753]

My only problem with 1963 is that Sinatra didn't come out with an LP of new material. He was killing it in the early part of the decade.

[@ArmandoMPR]

Man, I feel bad for those Beatle guys 💔 I hope they get the recognition they deserve.

[@UlyssesJonah]

Talking about your top two makes me want to give them the same rating haha just brings me the same exuberant emotions I felt listening to them the first time (and the first songs I heard were the early songs)

[@phillipanderson7398]

Even by 1963 Ricky Nelson is the more mature " Rick Nelson".

[@paulok2153]

I love the Beatles!!

[@nikosvault]

Siegfried - Georg Solti and the Wiener Philharmoniker (Decca).

[@frodofraggins]

I know it will be a long way out, but do you know which year you will be doing a deep dive for next?

[@TastesLikeMusic]

2003

[@frodofraggins]

@@TastesLikeMusic TYVM!

[@dumb-angel]

i would rank beach boys above the beatles ones because they invented a new scene, they deserve more credit

[@scottanthonyweidner8692]

"Best Albums of 1963" is kind of like "The Best iPhones of 1985." It was really The Beatles who created "the album" as we know it today. That said, I loved your commentary on The Beatles in this one - pay no attention to Echoes Myron, consider the source - and it was spot on. Those records, plus the Bob Dylan, Beach Boys, and Phil Spector record, are the only ones on your list I've heard, but I also loved your commentary on Aretha, Leslie Gore, and Sam Cooke, and will be checking out the Lou Rawls album after what you had to say about the record. My only disagreement on your Beatles comments is that I would place With the Beatles at 4.5 stars. It really desperately needed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and especially "She Loves You." The Please Please Me album had the benefit of including the singles, unlike the rest of their non-soundtrack albums pre-Pepper.

[@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek]

Please do better years for these individual deep dives😅

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Jason’s fault

[@TastesLikeMusic]

We’re doing all the years eventually. 2003, 1973, and 1984 are the next ones up.

[@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek]

​@TastesLikeMusic great years. Loved the 82 and 72 videos, got plenty of great recommendations from them and loved hearing you talk about my favourite albums. I became a Patreon recently🫶

[@fourseasons4105]

Beatles fanboy alert

[@echosmyron1278]

I see 1963 (and any other year in the first half of the 60s) in the same way that some viewers of TLM see 1998. I hate the tinny, weak “mono” production that was the norm in this era, and there is almost nothing interesting going on lyrically at the time. Perhaps that’s because music at the time was still viewed as a “single-only” medium. I suppose jazz would have been the most forward-thinking genre at the time…but it’s not one I’m ever really in the mood for. I don’t have a list for this year, but here are my ratings for the only two ‘63 albums that I own (both by the Beatles, unsurprisingly): Please Please Me (a very, very light 3.5); With the Beatles (light 3 - a bottom four album by this band). Each album contains 6 covers, many of which are not that memorable. Not sure how some people can justify giving these early Beatles albums such high grades.

[@aidanphr1446]

My friend, mono is the exact opposite of what you say. It is the format of clear, powerful sound distilled into a great mix. It is in fact stereo that is the weak format, with its total lack of punch in the mix

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

MY TOP 25 STUDIO ALBUMS, 1963: 1. The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady -Charles Mingus 2. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan -Bob Dylan 3. Please Please Me -The Beatles 4. Surfer Girl -The Beach Boys 5. Night Beat -Sam Cooke 6. Monk's Dream -The Thelonius Monk Quartet 7. Night Train -The Oscar Peterson Trio 8. Midnight Blue -Kenny Burrell 9. Jazz Samba Encore! -Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfa 10. John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (s/t) 11. Page One -Joe Henderson 12. With the Beatles -The Beatles 13. In Dreams -Roy Orbison 14. Mr. Soul -Sam Cooke 15. Buhaina's Delight -Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers 16. Seven Steps to Heaven -Miles Davis 17. The Pink Panther -Henry Mancini 18. The Impressions (s/t) 19. Blues in My Heart -B.B. King 20. Call On Me/That's the Way Love Is -Bobby "Blue" Bland 21. The Lonely Surfer -Jack Nitzsche 22. Black & Blue -Lou Rawls 23. The Big Soul of John Lee Hooker -John Lee Hooker 24. Boss Guitar -Wes Montgomery 25. Folk Songs & Blues -Mississippi John Hurt MY TOP 3 LIVE ALBUMS, 1963: 1. Live at the Apollo Theater -James Brown 2. At Carnegie Hall -Dave Brubeck Quartet 3. Impressions -John Coltrane MY BAND OF THE YEAR: The Beatles MY ARTIST OF THE YEAR: James Brown For a year that technically predates the "album era," there are quite a few standout LPs. However, none of them get to 5 stars for me except the James Brown and Dave Brubeck live albums. I think they're two of the most compelling live performances ever recorded in their respective genres. In terms of studio albums, my top 3 (Mingus, Dylan, Beatles) get 4.5 stars, everything else gets 4 or less. James Brown edges out Charles Mingus, Bob Dylan, and Sam Cooke for my "Artist of the Year" award, partially based on Brown's early-1960s run of hits that culminated in Live at the Apollo. Of course, Dylan comes to dominate the award in subsequent years. The Beatles slightly outdistance The Beach Boys for my band award, which launches The Fab Four's own run of dominance in that category.