For music lovers, 1968 was a singular year. Psychedelia ruled. So did protest, Motown, and Johnny Cash’s twang. The Rolling Stones blasted back onto the airwaves with Beggars Banquet. The lads from Liverpool, in spite of their problems, produced one of their most legendary albums, The Beatles, while Jimi Hendrix put the finishing touches on Electric Ladyland, and the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young got together in Laurel Canyon. In this special issue of LIFE EXPLORES, we go behind the music of a seismic year to uncover how its most iconic songs, albums, and bands came to be. With amazing vintage photos and deep reporting, LIFE EXPLORES looks at the relationships and events that produced Cream’s Wheel of Fire, Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel, the Doors’ Waiting for the Sun, Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks, and much more. These recordings captured the emotions and feelings of young and old across the globe. They vented against Vietnam and injustice but also rued love gone wrong and hoped for tomorrow. When Sly Stone appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, he opened by telling the audience, “Don’t hate the black, don’t hate the white. If you get bitten, simply hate the bite,” and concluded with a simple “Thank you for letting us be ourselves.” Rock and roll helped change the conversation in 1968. It also changed the world.
LIFE Explores: Music of 1968
A Year to Remember • Mick Jagger summed it up best: “What can a poor boy do, except to sing for a rock and roll band?”
What’s That Sound? Opener • Rock exploded in 1968, with the Rolling Stones, the Band, and Sly Stone all heading in different directions.
Unbound by Rules • The left-handed guitarist, who played a right-handed instrument upside down, defied musical gravity in 1968 with Electric Ladyland. But it was also the year Hendrix began to spin out of control.
Gritty, Raw, and Loud • With Beggars Banquet, the Stones abandoned psychedelia and returned to their bluesy roots. The results wowed their critics and pointed rock and roll in a new direction.
New Vision • Pete Townshend began working on a concept album about a “deaf, dumb, and blind kid” named Tommy.
A Supergroup Is Born • An impromptu jam session between David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash led to a five-song demo. Then came one of the most famous bands ever.
Leading the Way • At a time when Blacks and whites and men and women seemed to exist in separate orbits, along came an interracial funk band with a woman on trumpet and a message of peace.
Back to Basics • The Band’s seminal album Music from Big Pink has been called the most influential in rock history.
First Wave • Before the Gibb brothers became disco kings, they scored a hit with “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You.”
The Real Thing • Frank Zappa was called the Lenny Bruce of rock and roll. And the Allen Ginsberg. And the Franz Kafka.
Metal’s Moment • In the long-running debate over which was the first heavy metal band, San Francisco’s Blue Cheer often get the nod because they released their first album in 1968. But they had lots of company.
10 Albums That Defined the Year • Long-playing records were just beginning to overtake 45s with fans and in music stores.
Motown Mojo • It was a transitional year for Hitsville U.S.A. as the label’s artists explored more topical, darker material.
Breaking into the Boys’ Club Opener • Women rocked the decade, grabbing the mic and claiming their place center stage.
Larger Than Life • For a brief moment, the Texas-born blues phenomenon shared rock’s spotlight with Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix. Then came the Southern Comfort and heroin.
Songbird • The singer and writer was known for her confessional style and the hits she composed for other artists.
America’s...
