As 2018 draws to a close, here is a recap of The Top 68 Songs of 1968 ... as determined by charts compiled by Billboard Magazine (1968 Year-End Chart), Cash Box Magazine (1968 Year-End Chart), Record World Magazine (1968 Year-End Chart), Dann Isbell's Ranking the '60's book, which ranks EVERY song hitting the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart between January 1st, 1960 and December 31st, 1969, in ranked point order, and Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual, which ranks the hits of 1968 based on each record's peak position achieved that year.
Our chart was compiled based on a combination of ALL this chart information, in order to determine the most complete and accurate rank order.
Thanks to artists like The Beatles (and their "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album) and others who followed suit by recognizing that an LP could be more than just a couple of hit singles surrounded by a bunch of filler, the album became the most viable way for an artist to project exactly what they were all about during 1967.
In fact, the concept of "concept" was first approached that same year by The Moody Blues, whose "Days Of Future Passed" may very well be the very first rock concept album (although as a general consensus, most historians cite “Pepper” with this distinction, simply because of the continuity of the first two and last two tracks ... and, quite honestly, because THEY said it was a concept album!)
Fortunately, other artists like Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix and The Beach Boys and several others embraced the format and the LP now became a very viable outlet to push the envelope a bit farther. As a direct result, underground radio was born … and the FM radio band was utlized to the full extent of its power.
As such, 1968 produced some pretty heavy candidates when it came down to calculating The Top 20 LPs of 1968 …
But that's exactly what we've done here, based on extensive research of Billboard's Album Chart (and a few other key sources)
Our chart was compiled based on a combination of ALL this chart information, in order to determine the most complete and accurate rank order.
| 1 | Hey Jude - The Beatles |
| 2 | Love Is Blue - Paul Mauriat |
| 3 | Honey - Bobby Goldsboro |
| 4 | Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding |
| 5 | People Got To Be Free - Rascals |
| 6 | This Guy's In Love With You - Herb Alpert |
| 7 | Mrs. Robinson - Simon and Garfunkel |
| 8 | Harper Valley PTA - Jeannie C. Riley |
| 9 | Tighten Up - Archie Bell and the Drells |
| 10 | Young Girl - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap |
| 11 | Hello, I Love You - Doors |
| 12 | Judy In Disguise - John Fred and his Playboy Band |
| 13 | Little Green Apples - OC Smith |
| 14 | Those Were The Days - Mary Hopkin |
| 15 | Cry Like A Baby - Box Tops |
| 16 | The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - Hugo Montenegro |
| 17 | Grazing In The Grass - Hugh Masekela |
| 18 | Green Tambourine - Lemon Pipers |
| 19 | Lady Willpower - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap |
| 20 | The Horse - Cliff Nobles and Company |
| 21 | Stoned Soul Picnic - Fifth Dimension |
| 22 | Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf |
| 23 | Mony Mony - Tommy James and the Shondells |
| 24 | Theme from "Valley Of The Dolls" - Dionne Warwick |
| 25 | Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream |
| 26 | I Wish It Would Rain - Temptations |
| 27 | Fire - The Crazy World of Arthur Brown |
| 28 | A Beautiful Morning - Rascals |
| 29 | Simon Says - 1910 Fruitgum Company |
| 30 | Yummy Yummy Yummy - Ohio Express |
| 31 | Jumpin' Jack Flash - Rolling Stones |
| 32 | Love Child - Diana Ross and the Supremes |
| 33 | Midnight Confessions - Grass Roots |
| 34 | MacArthur Park - Richard Harris |
| 35 | Classical Gas - Mason Williams |
| 36 | Light My Fire - Jose Feliciano |
| 37 | Ballad Of Bonnie and Clyde - Georgie Fame |
| 38 | La-La Means I Love You - Delfonics |
| 39 | Lady Madonna - Beatles |
| 40 | Turn Around, Look At Me - Vogues |
| 41 | Girl Watcher - The O'Kaysions |
| 42 | Spooky - Classics IV |
| 43 | Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf |
| 44 | Angel Of The Morning - Merilee Rush |
| 45 | The Look Of Love - Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 |
| 46 | Cowboys To Girls - Intruders |
| 47 | Since You've Been Gone - Aretha Franklin |
| 48 | I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye |
| 49 | Hold Me Tight - Johnny Nash |
| 50 | Dance To The Music - Sly and the Family Stone |
| 51 | Slip Away - Clarence Carter |
| 52 | Bend Me, Shape Me - American Bree |
| 53 | I've Gotta Get A Message To You - Bee Gees |
| 54 | Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan |
| 55 | For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder |
| 56 | Love Is All Around - Troggs |
| 57 | Woman Woman - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap |
| 58 | 1,2,3 Red Light - 1910 Fruitgum Company |
| 59 | Chain Of Fools - Aretha Franklin |
| 60 | Over You - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap |
| 61 | Goin' Out Of My Head / Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Lettermen |
| 62 | White Room - Cream |
| 63 | I Got The Feelin' - James Brown |
| 64 | Hush - Deep Purple |
| 65 | The Unicorn - Irish Rovers |
| 66 | Elenore - Turtles |
| 67 | Nobody But Me - Human Beinz |
| 68 | Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell |
*******
Thanks to artists like The Beatles (and their "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album) and others who followed suit by recognizing that an LP could be more than just a couple of hit singles surrounded by a bunch of filler, the album became the most viable way for an artist to project exactly what they were all about during 1967.
In fact, the concept of "concept" was first approached that same year by The Moody Blues, whose "Days Of Future Passed" may very well be the very first rock concept album (although as a general consensus, most historians cite “Pepper” with this distinction, simply because of the continuity of the first two and last two tracks ... and, quite honestly, because THEY said it was a concept album!)
Fortunately, other artists like Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix and The Beach Boys and several others embraced the format and the LP now became a very viable outlet to push the envelope a bit farther. As a direct result, underground radio was born … and the FM radio band was utlized to the full extent of its power.
As such, 1968 produced some pretty heavy candidates when it came down to calculating The Top 20 LPs of 1968 …
But that's exactly what we've done here, based on extensive research of Billboard's Album Chart (and a few other key sources)
So may I present to you …
THE TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 1968!!!
THE TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 1968!!!
| 1 | Graduate - Soundtrack / Simon and Garfunkel | ||
| 2 | Bookends - Simon and Garfunkel | ||
| 3 | Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles | ||
| 4 | Time / Peace - The Rascals' Greatest Hits - The Rascals | ||
| 5 | Blooming Hits - Paul Mauriat | ||
| 6 | Cheap Thrills - Big Brother and the Holding Company | ||
| 7 | Feliciano! - Jose Feliciano | ||
| 8 | Disraeli Gears - Cream | ||
| 9 | Lady Soul - Aretha Franklin | ||
| 10 | Are You Experienced - Jimi Hendrix Experience | ||
| 11 | Greatest Hits - Diana Ross and the Supremes | ||
| 12 | Wheels Of Fire - Cream | ||
| 13 | Beat Of The Brass - Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass | ||
| 14 | Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme - Simon and Garfunkel | ||
| 15 | Waiting For The Sun - The Doors | ||
| 16 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles | ||
| 17 | Their Satanic Majesties Request - The Rolling Stones | ||
| 18 | John Wesley Harding - Bob Dylan | ||
| 19 | Electric Ladyland - Jimi Hendrix Expereince | ||
| 20 | Axis: Bold As Love - Jimi Hendrix Experience |
Honorable Mention:
| The Doors - The Doors | |
| Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd. - The Monkees | |
| The Birds, The Bees And The Monkees - The Monkees | |
| Second - Steppenwolf | |
| Ninth - Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass | |
| Vanilla Fudge - Vanilla Fudge | |
| Aretha Now - Aretha Franklin | |
| Realization - Johnny Rivers | |
| In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly | |
| The Sound of Music - Soundtrack | |
| Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell | |
| The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Soundtrack / Hugo Montenegro | |
| The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding | |
| By The Time I Get To Phoenx - Glen Campbell | |
| Time Has Come - Chambers Brothers The Beatles (White Album) - The Beatles Farewell To The First Golden Era - The Mamas and the Papas Gentle On My Mind - Glen Campbell Greatest Hits - The Temptations Steppenwolf - Steppenwolf The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown - The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown Crown Of Creation - Jefferson Airplane Wild Flowers - Judy Collins Greatest Hits - Four Tops Golden Hits - The Turtles To Russell, My Brother Whom I Slept With - Bill Cosby Doctor Zhivago - Soundtrack God Bless Tiny Tim - Tiny Tim Greatest Hits, Volume 2 - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles Strange Days - The Doors Once Upon A Dream - The Rascals | |