Top 10 Albums of Each Year Part 6 - 1965

The start of the real top 10 begins here in 1965. Starting with 1965 we get a bit more jazz and Bob Dylan and finally some rock with The Beatles!

A Love Supreme - John Coltrane

Number 1 for 1965. Number 26 overall.
Just really consistently excellent jazz. Everyone goes at it hard yet it's both exciting and relaxing at the same time. Amazing solos, amazing horns, amazing bass, amazing everything. And that last track, good lord, it's transcendental. Absolutely incredible. Give this album a listen too.
My Rating: 10/10
RYM Rating: 4.31 from 19,565 ratings.
Genre: Spiritual Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz, (Modal Jazz, Post Bop)

Highway 51 Revisited - Bob Dylan

Number 2 for 1965. Number 37 overall.
There is much more going on here, and it's much more my speed. Way more rock-y, with more variety. Bob Dylan's vocals are very fitting again and I really am a fan of the more varied instrumentation. My big problem is that most songs fall into the trap of 'verse - instrumental bit with Harmonica usually - verse - instrumental bit - etc' and it can feel a bit samey. It's a great album overall though and well worth a listen, especially for its importance.

Sidenote: Somehow "Desolation Row" is absolutely fantastic despite being the longest song here (11 minutes!). It doesn't feel samey really at all and is probably my favourite song on this album.
My Rating: 8/10
RYM Rating: 4.19 from 21,965 ratings.
Genre: Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter, (Blues Rock, Contemporary Folk)

Rubber Soul - The Beatles

Number 3 for 1965. Number 68 overall.
The first Beatles album of the series. Drive My Car has a nice driving (haha) bassline and a cool piano part in the chorus to keep it from feeling too bland, Norwegian Wood has a nice psychedelic, folky twang and a great central melody and You Won't See Me has great backing vocals throughout. From just the first 3 songs we see a lot of variety. I had assumed that pre-Sgt Peppers Beatles was mostly just bland pop rock but there's some interesting things here. These small details really help to create a sense of variety, (the bluesy backing guitar on Michelle is another great one, and the combination of the beautiful harmonies and guitar that comes in every so often on Girl, for example). I also find that the songs are a bit too short overall, all but one of them are shorter than 3 minutes, which I find absolutely nuts. I enjoyed this album a lot but I think I just don't really get it? Why is this so amazing?
My Rating: 8/10
RYM Rating: 4.06 from 27,464 ratings.
Genre: Pop Rock, (Folk Rock, Psychedelic Pop)

Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan

Number 4 for 1965. Number 90 overall.
More Bob Dylan. Very similar to Highway 51 Revisited and I have pretty much the same thoughts about it. It's great but not my favourite type of music around.
My Rating: 8/10
RYM Rating: 4.14 from 14,190 ratings
Genre: Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Folk, (Electric Blues)

Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul - Otis Redding

Number 5 for 1965. Number 280 overall.
God this guy has an incredible voice. This album is so warm and beautiful, it's just so nice. I really love Change Gonna Come and Wonderful World (so upbeat!). This version of the Rolling Stones' (Can't Get No) Satisfaction is also really cool. This isn't among my favourite genres so I don't adore the album but it's really great overall.
My Rating: 8/10
RYM Rating: 4.02 from 5,572 ratings.
Genre: Deep Soul, Southern Soul, (Rhythm & Blues, Soul Blues, Blues)

A Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi

Number 6 for 1965. Number 321 overall.
A very bittersweet, jazzy interpretation of Christmas and some carols. It's endlessly charming and sweet, stylish and sad, and as funny as it sounds, it's quite an emotional album. It seems like it would be a great fit for Christmas time. I much preferred the instrumental tracks here as well.
My Rating: 8/10
RYM Rating:
Genre: Christmas Music, Cool Jazz, Television Music, (Carols)

Pastel Blues - Nina Simone

Number 7 for 1965.
I wasn't a massive fan of this one. I found the instrumentation fairly dull on most songs and while the singing is great, it isn't my favourite style, so I didn't love this album a whole lot. Chilly Winds Don't Blow is really great though.
My Rating: 7/10
RYM Rating: 3.96 from 3,540 ratings.
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, (Blues)

Song For My Father - The Horace Silver Quintet

Number 8 for 1965. Number 503 overall.
Just a really solid jazz album. Not one of my favourites, but still a worthwhile, especially for the opener.
My Rating: 8/10
RYM Rating: 3.99 from 2,629 ratings.
Genre: Hard Bop, (Latin Jazz)

Jackson C. Frank - Jackson C. Frank

Number 9 for 1965. Number 552 overall.
An incredibly melancholic and bluesy folk masterpiece, with a beautiful and mellow atmosphere. A true hidden gem. The B side made this a masterpiece, is really quite beautiful throughout. The structure is simple and the composition relatively empty (only vocals and acoustic guitar) but it makes this a very sad and effective album.
My Rating: 9/10
RYM Rating: 3.93 from 4,055 ratings.
Genre: Contemporary Folk, Singer/Songwriter, (Acoustic Blues)

Help! - The Beatles

Number 10 for 1965. Number 610 overall.
I just don't really like this that much. The majority of songs are enjoyable enough but so samey and unmemorable. You're Going to Lose That Girl, Ticket to Ride and Yesterday are really good but the rest are just so...fine?
My Rating: 6/10
RYM Rating: 3.71 from 17,015 ratings.
Genre: Pop Rock, (Merseybeat, Folk Pop, Film Soundtrack)

And that's the first of the proper top 10s done. Some really awesome stuff this year (John Coltrane) and some less awesome stuff (Help! by the Beatles). I'm excited for the rock takeover that starts soon in 1967!