4 Highly Influential 60s Albums That Didn’t Get Much Love When They Were First Released
Four albums that made little commercial impact on release are now recognised for their influence on rock. The article argues that their artists’ willingness to take musical risks initially alienated listeners but helped shape later genres and landmark records.
The albums are the Beach Boys’ *Pet Sounds* (1966), which inspired the Beatles’ *Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band*; the Kinks’ *Something Else* (1968), a touchstone for 1990s Britpop; the Zombies’ *Odessey and Oracle* (1968), rediscovered after “Time of the Season” gained attention in the United States; and the Byrds’ *Sweetheart of the Rodeo* (1968), which helped lay the groundwork for country-rock.
- Four 1960s albums were overlooked at first.
- Each took its band in a new musical direction.
- Their influence became clearer in later decades.