The greatest week in rock history
Thirty-four years ago this week (December 2003), 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.
By Eric Boehlert (Read the whole article .)
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……
