The chart of the 25 best albums of 1966, turning 60 in 2026, courtesy of Ultimate Classic Rock

Sixty-year-old masterpieces. 2026 will see many landmark albums turn 60. The magazine Ultimate Classic Rock has picked its 25 favorite albums of 1966 in this new ranking. "The fertile period of the mid-Sixties, when every year brought developments in rock and pop destined to influence generations to come, reached its peak in 1966 - the magazine notes in its introduction - The best records of the year, whether singles or albums, seemed to cross a line, real or imagined, that divided the decade. As the list below of the 25 best albums of 1966 shows, that year was as much a turning point as a sign of what was to come. Every milestone credited to 1967 - the emergence of psychedelia, the blurring of boundaries between genres, the development of the album as a genuine art form - had its roots in 1966: from the Beatles charting the course toward 'Sgt. Pepper's' to the Rolling Stones questioning the very definition of the blues. Over the course of 1966, rock and pop LPs found new modes of expression. While many of the year's best records reorganized the language of pop according to a new model, more open to risk-taking and pushing limits, the album began exploring the possibilities of the long-playing format, breaking free from the constraints of the two-and-a-half-minute pop single... 1967 would not have become a landmark year for rock and pop without the paths laid down just twelve months earlier. In many respects, 1966 fully lived up to it", UCR concludes.

So here is the ranking of the 25 best albums of 1966 according to Ultimate Classic Rock (full feature here). We recently brought you another UCR ranking as well, that of the best 40 albums turning fifty, released back in 1976.

25. Wilson Pickett – “The Exciting Wilson Pickett”

24. The Mamas And The Papas – “If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears”

23. Donovan – "Sunshine Superman"

22. Buffalo Springfield – "Buffalo Springfield"

21. Monks – "Black Monk Time"

20. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band – “East-West”

19. Love – "Da Capo"

18. The Who – “A Quick One”

17. Simon And Garfunkel – “Sounds Of Silence”

16. Otis Redding – “Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul”

15. John Coltrane – "Ascension"

14. Cream – "Fresh Cream"

13. Yardbirds – “Roger The Engineer”

12. The Byrds – “Fifth Dimension”

11. Nina Simone – “Wild Is The Wind”

10. Ike And Tina Turner – “River Deep — Mountain High”

9. The Kinks – “Face To Face”

8. The 13th Floor Elevators – “The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators”

7. The Mothers Of Invention – “Freak Out!”

6. John Mayall – “Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton“

5. Simon And Garfunkel – “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme”

4. The Rolling Stones – “Aftermath”

3. Bob Dylan – "Blonde On Blonde"

2. The Beatles – “Revolver”

1. The Beach Boys – “Pet Sounds”

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