1964’s Best Rock Albums

1964's Best Rock Albums

Photo: Ben Merk (ANEFO) / CC0

1964’s Best Rock Albums list defines a year that saw the debut albums of The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Manfred Mann, The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies, The Yardbirds, Dusty Springfield, and Simon & Garfunkel. 1964 also presented rock fans with two new Beatles albums and a Beatles motion picture that revolutionized filmmaking and left a legacy behind as the film that would influence music video making twenty years later. Bob Dylan released two more brilliant albums. The Beach Boys and The Four Seasons both released multiple new albums. If we just stop there,1964 stands as an incredible year for music. However, there were so many more great records released by many artists in what was truly a year to remember.

1964’s most historic moment was when The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. For millions of Americans, it was the first time they ever saw The Beatles. The impression the group left on the world from that performance was simply immeasurable. Countless rock stars and musicians have expressed multiple times throughout their lives how witnessing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show changed their lives.

The impact that The Beatles arrival in the United States had was unprecedented. The group was so popular that at one moment in time during the first week of April 1964, The Beatles managed to seal up the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 in the following order…. number one, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” number two: “Twist and Shout,” number three: “She Loves You,” number four: “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and number five “Please Please Me.” That was the first time any artist ever held the top five spots on the United States Billboard top 40. It has never been done again. That’s how big the Beatles were.

Complicating are placement of The Beatles 1964 albums on our 1964’s best album list is the fact that Capitol Records released different versions of Beatle albums in the United States and in the United Kingdom. The official new Beatles studio albums were released in the United Kingdom, but in between those albums, The Beatles released singles.  The United States Capitol Records took different songs from the original UK Beatles albums and combined them with the singles to create the Beatles U.S albums. To be fair to the other artists who released albums in 1964, we chose the Beatles UK  original albums to place on our 1964’s Best Rock Albums list. At the end of the list, we created an addendum just to showcase all The Beatles albums released in 1964. Capitol Records actually released five Beatles studio albums in 1964.

The Rolling Stones also released slightly different albums in the U.S. than they had in the U.K. We included both on our 1964’s Best Rock Albums list. Pop culture varied greatly between the US and the UK in the 1960s. There were many bands that made it big on either side of the Atlantic that didn’t make it big on the opposite side. Mass communication between the two countries was limited to basic newspapers and the nightly news. It’s one of the reasons why The Beatles arrival in the United States in 1964 was met with total pandemonium.

The British Invasion of 1964 fired up the competitive nature of many of the American Legends of Rock and Roll whose careers began in the 1950s. Great new albums by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley were also released in 1964. Instrumental music was still popular brand new albums by Dick Dale and The Safaris. Of course, the Motown label kept turning out great new records by their own artists like The Supremes. 1964 also saw the debut album of The Temptations. One cannot fail to mention how the music of Burt Bacharach began to dominate radio with his brilliantly written songs performed by Dionne Warwick.

Our 1964’s best rock albums list only includes rock, pop, and soul, but historically we must mention that jazz continued to sell well. Crooners like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Dean Martin all released big-selling albums. And of course, the music of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass continued to fill the airwaves. If one is going to write the history of classic rock, one cannot fail to mention the other music that competed against it.

# 50 – Etta James Rocks The House – Etta James

Etta James Rocks The House - Etta James

# 49 – A World Without Love – Peter & Gordon

A World Without Love - Peter & Gordon

# 48 – Folk Singer- Muddy Waters

Folk Singer- Muddy Waters

# 47 – Joan Baez/5Joan Baez

Joan Baez/5 - Joan Baez

# 46 – Surfin Bird – The Trashmen

Surfin Bird - The Trashmen

# 45 – At the Whiskey A Go Go – Johnny Rivers

At the Whiskey A Go Go - Johnny Rivers

# 44 – Under The Boardwalk – The Drifters

Under The Boardwalk - The Drifters

# 43 – Sweet and Sour Tears- Ray Charles

Sweet and Sour Tears- Ray Charles

# 42 – Wish Someone Would Care – Irma Thomas

Wish Someone Would Care - Irma Thomas

# 41 – Presenting the Tams – The Tams

Presenting the Tams - The Tams

# 40 – Hey Little Cobra & Other Hot rod hits – The Rip Chords

Hey Little Cobra & Other Hot rod hits - The Rip Chords

# 39 – Something Else – Jackie Wilson

Something Else - Jackie Wilson

# 38 – Ain’t Nothing You Can Do – Bobby Bland

Ain't Nothing You Can Do - Bobby Bland

# 37 – Keep On Pushing – The Impressions

Keep On Pushing - The Impressions

# 36 – Live At the Star Club Hamburg- Jerry Lee Lewis

Live At the Star Club Hamburg- Jerry Lee Lewis

# 35 – Rock and Soul – Solomon Burke

Rock and Soul - Solomon Burke

# 34 – Little Richard Is Back – Little Richard

Little Richard Is Back - Little Richard

# 33 – Make Way for Dionne Warwick – Dionne Warwick

Make Way for Dionne Warwick - Dionne Warwick

# 32 – Some Blue Eyed Soul – The Righteous Brothers

Some Blue Eyed Soul - The Righteous Brothers

# 31 – Hit City 64 – The Surfaris

Hit City 64 - The Surfaris

# 30 – Together – Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells

Together - Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells

# 29 – Soul Serenade – King Curtis

Soul Serenade - King Curtis

# 28 – Summer Surf – Dick Dale

Summer Surf - Dick Dale

# 27 – The Dave Clark Five Return!The Dave Clark Five

The Dave Clark Five Return! - The Dave Clark Five

# 26 – Pure Dynamite – James Brown

Pure Dynamite - James Brown

# 25 – Shut Down Volume 2- The Beach Boys

Shut Down Volume 2- The Beach Boys

# 24 – St Louis To Liverpool – Chuck Berry

St Louis To Liverpool - Chuck Berry

# 23 – Ain’t That Good News – Sam Cooke

Ain't That Good News - Sam Cooke

# 22 – The Five Faces of Manfred Mann – Manfred Mann

The Five Faces of Manfred Mann - Manfred Mann

# 21 – Rag Doll – Four Seasons

Rag Doll - Four Seasons

# 20 – Pain In My Heart – Otis Redding

Pain In My Heart - Otis Redding

# 19 –Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying – Gerry & The Pacemakers

Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying - Gerry & The Pacemakers

# 18 – Coast to Coast  – The Dave Clark Five

Coast to Coast  - The Dave Clark Five

# 17 – Where Did Our Love Go – The Supremes

Where Did Our Love Go - The Supremes

# 16 – Viva Las Vegas! – Elvis Presley

Viva Las Vegas! - Elvis Presley

# 15 – A Girl Called DustyDusty Springfield

A Girl Called Dusty - Dusty Springfield

# 14 – Stay With The Hollies – The Hollies

Stay With The Hollies - The Hollies

# 13 – Meet The Temptations – The Temptations

Meet The Temptations - The Temptations

# 12 –Dawn (Go Away) and 11 Other Great Songs – The Four Seasons

Dawn (Go Away) and 11 Other Great Songs - The Four Seasons

# 11 – Another Side Of Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan

Another Side Of Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan

# 10 – All Summer LongThe Beach Boys

All Summer Long - The Beach Boys

#  9 – Glad All Over – The Dave Clark Five

Glad All Over - The Dave Clark Five

#  8 – The Kinks UK / You Really Got Me- U.S.- The Kinks

You Really Got Me The Kinks

#  7 – The Animals – The Animals

The Animals album

#  6 – Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.Simon & Garfunkel

Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. - Simon & Garfunkel

#  5 – 12 X 5The Rolling Stones

12 X 5 - The Rolling Stones

#  4 – England’s Newest Hit Makers – U.S – The Rolling Stones

England's Newest Hit Makers - U.S - The Rolling Stones

#  3 – Beatles For Sale – The Beatles

Beatles For Sale - The Beatles

#  2 – The Times They Are A Changin’ – Bob Dylan

The Times They Are A Changin' - Bob Dylan

#  1 – A Hard Day’s NightThe Beatles

A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles

 

A look at the U.S Beatles albums released in 1964

Introducing… The Beatles – Vee Jay Records – January 10, 1964

Introducing... The Beatles

Meet the Beatles! – US Capitol Records – January 20, 1964

Meet the Beatles!

The Beatles’ Second Album – US Capitol Records –  April 10, 1964

The Beatles' Second Album

A Hard Days Night – U.S Version – June 26. 1964

A Hard Days Night

Something New – U.S. Capitol Records  –  July 1964

Something New

Beatles 65 – U.S. Capitol Records – December 1964

Beatles 65

All album covers in this article are Amazon affiliate links and are not stored on the ClassicRockHistory.com server.

Best Albums of The Year Series

1970’s Best Classic Rock Albums List

1971’s Best Classic Rock Albums List

1972’s Best Classic Rock Albums List

1973’s Best Classic Rock Albums List

1974’s Best Classic Rock Albums List

1975’s Best Classic Rock Albums List

1976’s Best Classic Rock Albums List

1977’s Best Classic Rock Albums List

1978’s Best Classic Rock Albums List

1979’s Best Classic Rock Albums List

1980’s Best Rock Albums List

1981’s Best Rock Albums List

1982’s Best Rock Albums List

1983’s Best Rock Albums List

1984’s Best Rock Albums List

1985’s Best Rock Albums List

1986’s Best Rock Albums List

1962’s Best Rock Albums List

1963’s Best Rock Albums List

Updated May 21, 2023

1964’s Best Rock Albums article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023

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