Jimi Hendrix: Recording Sessions (10/22/68 to 12/15/69)

Jimi Hendrix Recording Sessions: 10/22/68 to 12/15/69

The Jimi Hendrix Experience released three albums in 1967 and 1968 before breaking up. Hendrix would finally release Band of Gypsys in 1970, but there was a wealth of unreleased material in between. This page highlights those songs recorded durin that era that would eventually see the light of day on various posthumous releases. Tracks: Click on a song title for more details including recording date, chart data, and album appearances. Look Over Yonder Peace in Mississippi Here He Comes (Lover Man) Gloria Electric Church Red House Sunshine of Your Love Crying Blue Rain The Star-Spangled Banner Let Me Move You Georgia Blues Trash Man Midnight Lullaby for the Summer Hear My Train A Comin’ (aka “Hear My Train”) Ships Passing Through the Night Mannish Boy Crash Landing Things I Used to Do Jam 292 (aka “Jelly 292”) Villanova Junction Blues Easy Blues Izabella $20 Fine Woodstock Jungle Born Under a Bad Sign Spotify Playlist Here’s my Jimi Hendrix: Recording Sessions (10/22/68 to 12/15/69) playlist at Spotify for the above songs. The Songs Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.

Look Over Yonder Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 10/22/68 at TTG Studios in Hollywood, California Released: Rainbow Bridge (soundtrack, 1971), South Saturn Delta (1997) Peak: 33 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.91 streaming About the Song: This song was originally considered for Axis: Bold As Love. It is a reworked version of “Mr. Bad Luck,” a song dating back to Hendrix’s days as Jimmy James. “It’s a high-energy opener from the Experience with Hendrix coaxing a playful riff. The falsetto backing vocals raise the excitement, and the drop in intensity near the close helps to keep the attention.” ES-110

Peace in Mississippi Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 10/24/68 at TTG Studios in Hollywood, California Released: Crash Landing (1975) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.54 streaming About the Song: This is “a rollicking instrumental that makes the title seem ironic.” ES-89 “The piece is partly Hendrix’s response to egregious racism – mush publisher Bumps Blackwell had told Hendrix of the time when he’d worked for Little Richard and had sent out a black employee in a convertible to buy sandwiches. The employee was brought back by the police, but when a white employee explained the situation, the were…told to keep the black people out of Clarksdale, Mississippi. Upon hearing this, Hendrix changed the title of the track from ‘Peace Alone’ to ‘Peace in Mississippi.’ It’s both a hopeful cut and a most powerful and eloquent riposte to hatred.” ES-89

Here He Comes (Lover Man) Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 10/29/68 at TTG Studios in Hollywood, California; 2/16/69 at Olympic Studios; 12/15/69; 12/18/69 or 12/19/69 at Baggy’s in New York City Released: South Saturn Delta (1997), The Baggy’s Rehearsal Sessions (2002), Both Sides of the Sky (2018) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 21.06 streaming About the Song: This was “one of Hendrix’s favourite tracks.” ES-110 He “kept returning to this song but never found what he sought” ES-128 performing “it with all of his bands from The Experience onwards” ES-110 but “no definitive version was made.” ES-128 “Numerous live renditions of Lover Man have been released following Hendrix’s death.” WK “Hendrix is the lover quitting the house before being caught by his lover’s other man. It’s a rollicking blues…that was inspired by B.B. King’s fertile ‘Rock Me Baby’” ES-121 and “Lover Man.” ES-110 “It’s a fiery piece with an effortlessy controlled solo that segues into the Batman theme, adding a sly humour and again merging the ‘mojo man’ of the blues with the cartoon superhero. This is continued towards the end, when there’s a shift, and a new riff emerges, seeming to announce the lover man cometh.” ES-128

Gloria Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Van Morrison Recorded: 10/29/68 at TTG Studios in Hollywood, California Released: July 1978 (single), The Essential (compilation, 1978) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming About the Song: “This is a riotous and raucous version of Them’s ‘Gloria’…flaunting an unrestrained live atmosphere…blending garage rock and blues to create a simply thrilling noise.” ES-88 “Hendrix amplifies the implied naughtiness and goes on to describe his time with Gloria as ‘freaking, smoking and joking.’” ES-88

Electric Church Red House Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 10/29/68 at TTG Studios in Hollywood Released: Blues (1994) Peak: 31 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.82 streaming About the Song: This features Lee Michaels (best known for the 1971 hit “Do You Know What I Mean”) on organ. The song is a composite of two separate jams at TTG Studios.

Sunshine of Your Love Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, Pete Brown Recorded: 2/16/69 at Olympic Studios Released: Valleys of Neptune (2010) Peak: 24 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 5.30 streaming About the Song: “In 1969, Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love was a concert staple of the Experience, and Hendrix maneuvers through this classic with the meticulousness of a surgeon, his play ranging from bold and brash to restrained and intricate.” MM Hendrix’s “most subversive moments often revolve around his reconstructing/deconstructing others’ work, and this interpretation ranks high amongst them.” ES-120 It “opens with a fast take on the famous riff, with some splashier drums before moving into a loose section where the rhythm alters to a samba…There’s a superb bass solo as Hendrix damps his strings behind it, before the drums return with an almost military-style fill; the track builds until Hendrix’s guitar is once again blazing into an ascending run between arriving at the central riff; now fattened with some trills and lambent notes between.” ES-121 Read more about the original Cream song here.

Crying Blue Rain Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 2/16/69 at Olympic Studios Released: Valleys of Neptune (2010) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.32 streaming About the Song: “Crying Blue Rain” is “an atmospheric piece showing that The Experience were far from moribund at this time.” ES-122 It is “a cool riposte to the heat of ‘Lullaby for the Summer.’ Strictly speaking, Hendrix sings a little, but it’s merely ‘yeah yeah’ here and there.” ES-122 “Opening a little similarly to ‘Voodoo Chile,’ the rhythm then shifts to something more syncopated that creates a sense of anticipation. The guitar tone is fatter, matched by Mitchell’s fills creating the sibilance of wheels through water. The tempo abruptly increases in the second half, and the backing struggle to lock in with this, the drums stammering and lagging somewhat.” ES-122

The Star-Spangled Banner Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Francis Scott Key Recorded: studio: 3/18/69 at the Record Plant in New York City Released: 10/23/71 (B side of “Dolly Dagger”), Rainbow Bridge (soundtrack, 1971), Ultimate Hendrix (compilation, 1992), Experience Hendrix (compilation, 1997) Peak: 6 CL, 2 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.58 streaming About the Song: The national anthem took on a protest spirit when track and field athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the black-power salute while standing on the winners’ podium at the 1968 Olympics. “The anthem was no longer a simple message of unthinking patriotism but a way of holding a nation to account.” ES-89 Jimi Hendrix gave one of the most memorable performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner” with his instrumental interpretation to close out the Woodstock festival in August 1969. “A morning-after victory song was almost perfect for the last bleary hours of Woodstock.” ES-90 It has become “a defining artefact of the 20th century.” ES-91 Read more about the song here.

Let Me Move You Jimi Hendrix with Lonnie Youngblood

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 3/18/69 at Record Plant Studios Released: People, Hell and Angels (2013) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.62 streaming About the Song: “This is an exciting collaboration showing that Hendrix could be a tour de force – even when not being the main man, and even when someone else was singing a song he’d written. Here, Lonnie Youngblood takes the vocal, but it doesn’t suffer like some of the Band of Gypsys cuts where Hendrix skates on the edge of anonymity. There’s a thick sound to this one-off band, in which Hendrix’s guitar seems to cry even louder. Hank Anderson is on bass, with John Winfield on organ, and drummer Jimmi Mayes of the Starliters and later Marvin Gaye’s backing band.” ES-124 “The group was assembled as a kind of celebration because they were able to work on a 16-track for the first time. There’s certainly something triumphant about it.” ES-124

Georgia Blues Jimi Hendrix with Lonnie Youngblood

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 3/19/69 Released: Both Sides of the Sky (2018) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 8.26 streaming About the Song: “Opening with slinking bass and sauntering licks, this is a casually cool blues with Lonnie Youngblood from Curtis Knight and the Squires on vocals, grieving for a lost love. Hendrix’s guitar weeps, wails and whimpers throughout this standout track.” ES-131 Youngblood recounts his misery and asks for help from his mama and God, as his little girl and all of his friends have let him down. Albeit, they are the most cliched of blues lyrics but are given a resonance and pathos through the superior backing. Jimmi Mayes of the Starliters is on drums, with the Squires’ Hank Anderson…on bass and John Winfield on organ.” ES-131 “Admittedly, Youngblood’s saxophone is sometimes a little ill-conceived, and its quacking tone ruptures the atmosphere, but in the main, its rancorous whimper is woeful. It also highlights how tasteful Hendrix’s improvisations are and how elastic his tone is.” ES-131

Trash Man Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 2/14/69 at Olympic Studios; 4/3/69 at Olmstead Studios in New York Released: Midnight Lightning (1975) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.39 streaming About the Song: “A sort of ‘Purple Haze’ without the psychedelic trappings, this is an electrifying instrumental with some wild but simultaneously controlled guitar, and a shift in the second half to a dreamier refrain and slower tempo.” ES-122

Midnight Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 4/3/69 at Olmstead Studios Released: War Heroes (1972), South Saturn Delta (1997) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.84 streaming About the Song: This is “a brooding track…with a lighter middle section, as if caught between night and day. It was previously called ‘Midnight Lightning,’ hinting at this blending of light and dark. The guitar tone has a forked, flashing feel about it, and The Experience provide an implacable backing, with Redding’s bass a gloomy cloud behind the streaking riffs.” ES-113

Lullaby for the Summer Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 4/7/69 at the Record Plant Released: Valleys of Neptune (2010) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.73 streaming About the Song: “The Experience recorded this embryonic version of ‘Ezy Ryder’ in New York. At this point it’s an instrumental that takes some inspiration from ‘Fire’ in terms of its rhythm as well as the call and response between bass and guitar with Redding’s bass looking ahead to Billy Cox’s work in Band of Gypsys.” ES-121 “It’s notable for the guitar distortion…which is getting closer in parts to the synth sound from the studio version of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’ The track is a fruitful blend of R&B rhythms and phrasing, with a range of rock trilling and bending on the lead guitar licks that thread over one another in true Hendrix fashion.” ES-122

Hear My Train A Comin’ (aka “Hear My Train”) Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: studio: 4/7/69 and 4/9/69 at the Record Plant; live: 1/1/70 at Fillmore East in New York City; live: 5/30/1970 at Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley, California Released: Band of Gypsys (1970), Rainbow Bridge (soundtrack, 1971), Aug. ’73 (single), Midnight Lightning (1975), Blues (1994), Valleys of Neptune (2010), People, Hell and Angels (2013), Both Sides of the Sky (2018) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 40.62 streaming About the Song: “The bluesy Hear My Train A Comin’,” MM is “a concert favorite turned in with studio precision.” JZ “The first studio release…was a heavily-edited recording on 1975’s Midnight Lightning, while a live version was originally featured on Rainbow Bridge (and later Blues) and an acoustic version on Blues.” WK “Most listeners will already be familiar with the 12-string acoustic version of this song, but being plugged in and backed here by a full band allows Hendrix the amplitude to reach additional emotional levels both vocally and on guitar.” MM The Experience had worked on the track but the first in-studio recording was from the first recording session by the Band of Gypsys. ES-124 “Its atmosphere is cooly controlled, sounding like a blues classic that has already been around for at least a decade.” ES-128

Ships Passing Through the Night Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 4/14/69 at the Record Plant Released: Valleys of Neptune (2010) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.72 streaming About the Song: “This embryonic version of ‘Night Bird Flying’ was lost for a time but is a very interesting discovery.” ES-121 It “is captivating in its own right. It also shows that Hendrix could probably have taken The Experience sound further.” ES-121 “The tempo is slower here, with a feeling of The Move’s ‘Brontosaurus’ in the bass riff, and some sudden pauses and shifts in rhythm not troubling the rhythm section at all. Different guitar licks pass each other like those ships.” ES-121

Mannish Boy Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Muddy Waters, Mel London, Ellas McDaniel Recorded: 4/22/69 Released: Blues (1994), Both Sides of the Sky (2018) Peak: 28 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 20.81 streaming About the Song: “As Charles Shaar Murray pointed out, Muddy Waters’ ‘Mannish Boy’ from 155 is much more than a macho brag, with the racist overtone of the term ‘boy’ being implicitly addressed here. Waters built on Bo Diddley’s ‘I’m a Man’ (also from 1955) with both songs spelling out their humanity – M, A, N – regardless of race.” ES-127 “This shift from sexual bragging and innuendo is an acknowledgement of the halted potential of people of colour. Furthermore, Waters also adds that he’s ‘a rolling stone,’ in defiance of vagrancy laws. Not that Waters eschews the libidinous completely, and he would sometimes enhance the song’s performance by using a beer bottle as a phallus.” ES-128 “Hendrix’s version is certainly an adult interpretation, with a change to the tempo that lends a self-assured power. Indeed, this is a poised performance; it isn’t at all obvious that it’s from the Gypsy’s first session, with a strongly controlled vocal from Hendrix and some unironic falsetto that adds a pure joy to his proclamation.” ES-128

Crash Landing Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 4/24/69 Released: Crash Landing (1975), People, Hell and Angels (2013) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.49 streaming About the Song: “This is Hendrix working through the ideas for what would become ‘Freedom.’ Some falsetto singing from him is effective. Isaac’s drumming has a nervous energy about it and it’s clear it’ll burst into something, but it’s not there yet. The organ – uncredited – bleats in to try and vary the track, but it becomes momentous.” ES-125

Things I Used to Do Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Guitar Slim Recorded: 5/7/69 Released: Both Sides of the Sky (2018) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 6.36 streaming About the Song: “Hendrix was inspired by Guitar Slim’s distortion innovations…Hendrix’s interpretation is less weary and resigned than the original and is a very grown-up, measured blues. He also includes a snippet from Bo Diddley’s ‘Before You Accuse Me.’” ES-130 “Johnny Winter joins on astute slide guitar, along with Crosby, Stills & Nash drummer Dallas Taylor.” ES-130

Jam 292 (aka “Jelly 292”) Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 5/14/69 at the Record Plant in New York City Released: Loose Ends (1974), Blues (1994) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.62 streaming About the Song: This is an uptempo jam based on Duke Ellington’s “Dooji Wooji.” It is known both as “Jam 292” (the first take of the song) and “Jelly 292” (the second take of the song.

Villanova Junction Blues Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 5/21/69 at Record Plant Studios Released: People, Hell and Angels (2013) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 2.59 streaming About the Song: “This is a snippetof the piece that Hendrix would play at Woodstock, backed by the Band of Gypsys. It’s a fragment that rounds off the [People, Hell and Angels] album almost casually for Hendrix, it was this easy.” ES-125

Easy Blues Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 5/21/69 at Record Plant Studios Released: People, Hell and Angels (2013) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.77 streaming About the Song: “This instrumental showcases some great playing by Cox and Mitchell’s jazz-like fills are tightly controlled, with Hendrix’s playing a squalling rhythm attack, and then behind that, some buzzing licks.” ES-124

Izabella Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 8/28/69 and 8/29/69 at the Hit Factory in New York City Released: 4/13/70 (B side of “Stepping Stone”), War Heroes (1972), First Rays of the New Rising Sun (1997), People, Hell and Angels (2013) Peak: 46 CL, 18 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.93 streaming About the Song: “Izabella comes from the root name Elizabeth, meaning ‘God is my oath’; a suitable switch for a song about vowing to fight on…The lyrics recount how the speaker’s ‘fighting a war’ for Izabella and the children of the world.” ES-98 The song “makes effective use of damping the strings to imply impatience, and there’s a powerfully squalling solo.” ES-98 The version on People, Hell and Angels “lacks the intensity that the lyrical content requires…However, old friend Larry Lee – who’s on rhythm guitar and would go on to play with Al Green and Albert King – had recently returned from Vietnam lending the lyrics more weight, and possibly inspiring the content in the first place.” ES-124

$20 Fine Jimi Hendrix with Stephen Stills

Writer(s): Stephen Stills Recorded: 9/30/69 Released: Both Sides of the Sky (2018) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 4.59 streaming About the Song: “A Stephen Stills composition with some effective flares of organ, this song demonstrates the band working as one. As well as Stills on vocals and organ, there’s Duane Hitchings from The Buddy Miles Express…on piano and Mitchell on drums. But, surprisingly, the weak link is Hendrix: his licks and solo are almost pedestrian, as though he’s struggling for ideas. This isn’t aided by him forgoing his usual mastery of sustain, and playing a series of short notes around some repetitive licks that can’t help but be sunk by the organ. This is rectified towards the end when the damping, scratch strumming and note bends spring alive.” ES-129 “There’s an ear-catching opening riff – a Hendrix trademark of course – with prints of ‘Under My Thumb.’…Overall, the song is fairly engaging and has a memorable chorus hook, but it fails as a Hendrix collaboration.” ES-129

Woodstock Jimi Hendrix with Stephen Stills

Writer(s): Joni Mitchell Recorded: 9/30/69 Released: Both Sides of the Sky (2018) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.25 streaming About the Song: “This has Stephen Stills on vocals and organ and Hendrix on bass.” ES-131 Of course, Stills recorded the Joni Mitchell song with Crosby, Stills & Nash but “Less well known is how Hendrix was also a big fan of Joni Mitchell, even asking if he could record one of her gigs in Ottawa. Mitchell agreed and Hendrix crouched by the stage with his recorder for her entire performance.” ES-132 “The song doesn’t gain much from being reworked as a straight-up rock track – some of Stills’ phrasing suffers, and the organ jam at the end is rather dull with Hendrix’s bass cocking impatiently behind it.” ES-131 Stills said of working with Jimi, “A little wisp of a guy. Very soft-spoken…But he was funny and he taught me a great deal about playing lead…Very dear, a dear soul.” ES-132

Jungle Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix Recorded: 11/14/69 Released: Both Sides of the Sky (2018) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 38.01 streaming About the Song: “Only Hendrix and Buddy Miles appear on this initially laid-back instrumental. Rustling cymbals highlight a gently picked riff with some precise Uni-Vibe effects, and it has the feel of a nocturnal animal slinking low in the undergrowth. Miles’ drumming shifts to a more native feel before the second half picks up speed with a scratchier riff that fades out too quickly. This is another fine example of Hendrix creating evocative soundscapes that didn’t need to be delineated by lyrics.” ES-130

Born Under a Bad Sign Jimi Hendrix

Writer(s): Booker T. Jones, William Bell Recorded: 12/15/69 at Record Plant in New York City Released: Blues (1994) Peak: 29 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 18.99 streaming About the Song: This is an instrumental jam of a blues song made famous by Albert King.

Resources/References: AM Amazon.com review of Valleys of Neptune MM Matt Melis, Consequence of Sound ES Emma Stott (2022). On Track…Every Album, Every Song. Sonic Bond Publishing: United Kingdom. WK Wikipedia page for Valleys of Neptune JZ Jonathan Zwickel, The Seattle Times review of Valleys of Neptune Related DMDB Pages: First posted 7/31/2026; last updated 8/1/2026.

Jimi Hendrix: Top 50 Songs

Jimi Hendrix Top 50 Songs

Legendary psychedelic-blues/rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix on 11/27/1942 in Seattle, Washington. He was only 27 when he died of a drug overdose in London on 9/18/1970 but his is one of rock music’s greatest legacies. He first worked as a sideman with Rosa Lee Brooks (1964), Isley Brothers (1964), Buddy & Stacey and the Upsetters (1965); Little Richard, Curtis Knight, and Ronnie Youngblood. He formed Jimmy James and the Blue Flames in 1965. The next year he was discovered by the Animals’ Chas Chandler at New York City’s Café Wha? He went to London and formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience (1966-1969) with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. He also helmed the Band of Gypsys with drummer Buddy Miles and bassist Buddy Cox from 1969 to 1970. His albums Are You Experienced (1967) and Electric Ladyland (1968) are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time. His cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” (1968) is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era 1954-1999.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. 1. All Along the Watchtower (1968) 2. Purple Haze (1967) 3. Hey Joe (1966) 4. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (1968) 5. The Star Spanged Banner (live, 1969) 6. Foxey Lady (1967) 7. Little Wing (1967) 8. Over the Rainbow (1968) 9. The Wind Cries Mary (1967) 10. Crosstown Traffic (1968) 11. Fire (1967) 12. Are You Experienced? (1967) 13. Red House (1967) 14. Dolly Dagger (1970) 15. Stone Free (1966) 16. Manic Depression (1967) 17. If 6 Was 9 (1967) 18. Freedom (1970) 19. Angel (1970) 20. Third Stone from the Sun (1967) 21. Burning of the Midnight Lamp (1967) 22. Up from the Skies (1967) 23. Izabella (1970) 24. Castles Made of Sand (1967) 25. Stepping Stone (1970) 26. Like a Rolling Stone (live, 1967) 27. Gloria (live, 1968) 28. Wild Thing (live, 1967) 29. I Don’t Live Today (1967) 30. Spanish Castle Magic (1967) 31. Gypsy Eyes (1968) 32. Have You Ever Been to Electric Ladyland? (1968) 33. Johnny B. Goode (live, 1970) 34. Drifting (1970) 35. Love or Confusion (1967) 36. Bold As Love (1967) 37. May This Be Love (1967) 38. Earth Blues (1969) 39. Sunshine of Your Love (1968) 40. Here He Comes (Lover Man) (1968) 41. Hear My Train A-Comin’ (1967) 42. Power of Soul (1969) 43. Ezy Ryder (1969) 44. Hound Dog (live, 1967) 45. Night Bird Flying (1970) 46. Blue Suede Shoes (1970) 47. Day Tripper (live, 1967) 48. Message to Love (1969) 49. The Stars That Play with Laughing Sam's Dice (1967) 50. Machine Gun (1970) Resources and Related Links: First posted 5/21/2019; last updated 7/30/2026.

Top 40 Psychedelic Rock Acts

Psychedelic Rock: Top 40 Acts

Psychedelic rock emerged in the mid-‘60s as music inspired, influenced, or representative of the experience of taking hallucinogenic drugs, most notably LSD. The Summer of Love in 1967 and the Woodstock Festival in 1969 were major cultural events which have been tied to the psychedelic rock movement. This list was created by aggegating 13 lists focused on the best psychedelic rock acts of all time. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre. Pink Floyd 1. Pink Floyd 2. Jimi Hendrix 3. The Doors 4. Grateful Dead 5. Cream 6. Jefferson Airplane 7. Tame Impala 8. The 13th Floor Elevators 9. The Beatles 10. The Byrds 11. Love 12. the Yardbirds 13. Iron Butterfly 14. The Rolling Stones 15. Hawkwind 16. Quicksilver Messenger Service 17. Strawberry Alarm Clock 18. The Velvet Underground 19. The Moody Blues 20. Frank Zappa 21. T-Rex 22. Syd Barrett 23. Captain Beefheart 24. Steppenwolf 25. The Zombies 26. The Brian Jonestown Massacre 27. Spirit 28. Moby Grape 29. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard 30. The Seeds 31. The Who 32. Janis Joplin /Big Brother & the Holding Company 33. The Animals 34. Traffic 35. The Hollies 36. Procol Harum 37. The Flaming Lips 38. Can 39. Status Quo 40. The Small Faces Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Top 50 Psychedelic Rock Albums Dave’s Music Database: Top 100 Psychedelic Rock Songs Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre First posted 7/3/2026.

Rolling Stone: Top 100 Albums of All Time

Rolling Stone: The Top 100 Albums

This is not an official Rolling Stone magazine list; rather it is an aggregate of nine major lists published by the magazine. (See the specific links at bottom of page). The best resource for reading more about these albums is Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time book, published in 2005 by Wenner Media, LLC. The list differs slightly from the original 2003, which was updated again in 2012 and 2020. It underwent very slight modifications in 2023. You can click on an album title to go to a DMDB page for more about that album. Also, check out Rolling Stone’s annual picks for album of the year. They have made such picks since 1978. However, the DMDB has expanded the list back to 1965 based on the lists aggregated here. Check out other publications and organizations’ best-of album lists here. 1. The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) 2. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971) 3. Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) 4. The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972) 5. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966) 6. The Beatles Abbey Road (1969) 7. The Clash London Calling (1979) 8. The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968) 9. Nirvana Nevermind (1991) 10. Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975) 11. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975) 12. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967) 13. The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965) 14. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982) 15. The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed (1969) 16. Van Morrison Astral Weeks (1968) 17. The Who Who’s Next (1971) 18. Ramones Ramones (1976) 19. Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977) 20. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971) 21. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland (1968) 22. The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers (1971) 23. Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home (1965) 24. Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965) 25. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) 26. Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966) 27. Joni Mitchell Blue (1971) 28. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977) 29. Patti Smith Horses (1975) 30. Carole King Tapestry (1971) 31. The Band The Band (1969) 32. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973) 33. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band (1970) 34. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984) 35. The Doors The Doors (1967) 36. Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979) 37. The Clash The Clash (1977) 38. Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971) 39. Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970) 40. Aretha Franklin Lady Soul (1968) 41. The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (1968) 42. Van Morrison Moondance (1970) 43. Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) 44. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II (1969) 45. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984) 46. Various Artists (Jimmy Cliff et al) The Harder They Come (soundtrack, 1972) 47. Pretenders Pretenders (1980) 48. The Beatles Revolver (1966) 49. Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow (1967) 50. James Brown Live at the Apollo Volume 1 (live, 1962) 51. Neil Young Tonight’s the Night (1975) 52. Stevie Wonder Innervisions (1973) 53. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) 54. The Band Music from Big Pink (1968) 55. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987) 56. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987) 57. Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967) 58. Miles Davis Bitches Brew (1970) 59. Elvis Costello & The Attractions This Year’s Model (1978) 60. U2 Achtung Baby (1991) 61. Stevie Wonder Talking Book (1972) 62. Television Marquee Moon (1977) 63. Talking Heads Remain in Light (1980) 64. Dusty Springfield Dusty in Memphis (1969) 65. David Bowie Hunky Dory (1971) 66. Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992) 67. Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962) 68. Black Sabbath Paranoid (1970) 69. The Who Tommy (1969) 70. John Lennon Imagine (1971) 71. The Smiths The Queen Is Dead (1986) 72. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Trout Mask Replica (1969) 73. R.E.M. Automatic for the People (1992) 74. Derek and the Dominos Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) 75. The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968) 76. Velvet Underground Loaded (1970) 77. Rod Stewart Every Picture Tells a Story (1971) 78. Sly & the Family Stone Greatest Hits (1970) 79. Pearl Jam Ten (1991) 80. R.E.M. Murmur (1983) 81. Elvis Costello My Aim Is True (1977) 82. Prince Dirty Mind (1980) 83. New York Dolls New York Dolls (1973) 84. Oasis (What’s the Story) Morning Glory (1995) 85. Randy Newman Sail Away (1972) 86. Madonna Like a Prayer (1989) 87. Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959) 88. Various Artists Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era (compilation: 1965-68) 89. Creedence Clearwater Revival Willy and the Poor Boys (1969) 90. Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York (recorded live 1993, released 1994) 91. Bob Dylan & The Band The Basement Tapes (recorded 1967, released 1975) 92. Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976) 93. The Flying Burrito Brothers The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969) 94. Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) 95. Bob Marley & the Wailers Legend (compilation: 1973-83, released 1984) 96. Chuck Berry The Great Twenty-Eight (compilation: 1955-64, released 1982) 97. Paul Simon Graceland (1986) 98. Elvis Presley The Sun Sessions (archives: 1954-55, released 1976) 99. Neil Young & Crazy Horse Rust Never Sleeps (1979) 100. AC/DC Back in Black (1980) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Best-of Album Lists by Publications/Organizations 8/27/1987: “The 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years” 5/16/1997: “The Definitive Library of the Best Albums Ever Made” Dec. 1997: “Top 100 Albums” (German edition of Rolling Stone) 10/17/02: “Reader’s Poll of the 100 Greatest Albums” Nov. 2003: “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” This list was created from the results of a poll of more than 270 artists, producers, industry executives, and journalists. This links to the original list and the commentaries on the album. Genius.com (2003): “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” List only of the 500 albums appearing on the 2003 “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” 2005: 500 Greatest Albums of All Time This book was based on the 2003 list with slight modifications. Some compilations were eliminated if they repeated material found elsewhere on the list. The two volumes of Robert Johnson’s King of the Delta Blues Singers were also combined in the more readily available Complete Recordings. MusicBrainz.com (5/31/2012). “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” This is a link to the list only of the 2012 version of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” 9/22/2020: “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” This fourth edition of the list was started from scratch. More than 300 artists, producers, critics, and music industry people were surveyed, each sending in a list of top 50 albums. The latest version offers 86 albums from the 21st century and 154 albums that didn’t appear on the 2003 or 2012 lists. The list was slightly modified in 2023 with seven new albums being added but they just replaced seven previous titles on the list. Otherwise the remaining 493 titles are ranked in the same positions. Wikipedia (1/1/2024). “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” A list of all 500 albums featured in the 2020 ranking. “40 Most Groundbreaking Albums of All Time” Lists albums in reverse chronological order from 2008 to 1940. Commentary on each album. No date given for publication of article. First posted 11/30/2003; last updated 11/21/2024.