BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

50 Years Later - How 1969 Changed Rock Music Forever And How It May Propel 2019 Album Sales

This article is more than 5 years old.

For music fans, 2019 may turn out to be a classic rock gold mine and for record companies the year could end up being one of the greatest album reissue years in history as some of the greatest albums in music history turn 50 in 2019.

By the late 1960s the music scene in the U.S. and England was in a state of limbo. The British Invasion had come and taken both sides of the Atlantic by storm but by 1969 the glory days of Herman's Hermits, The Dave Clark Five, and Gerry and the Pacemakers were long gone. The Summer of Love which enveloped the U.S., and in particular the San Francisco Bay Area, was two years in the rear view mirror, leaving acts like Country Joe and the Fish, Donovan and, heaven help us, Strawberry Alarm Clock, in a veritable musical wasteland. Music fans had had enough of psychadelica and were looking for a more cynical, harder edge sound to correspond to the images of violence in the streets and the horror of the Vietnam War that permeated the evening newscasts. This social maelstrom would ultimately prove responsible for the birth of what we now consider "classic rock", a guitar laced infusion of high octane energy sorely missing in most 1960s bands which produced some of the greatest albums in rock music history.

Half a century later, record companies are salivating at the prospect of so many exceptional albums celebrating their 50th birthdays. Consider the list of recording acts who released some of their greatest musical work during the year. The Beatles released the final album they would record, Abbey Road, The Rolling Stones put out Let It Bleed, The Who sprung their rock opera Tommy on an unsuspecting musical public, Led Zeppelin would release not just one but their first two albums during the year and Creedence Clearwater Revival would contribute three albums in 1969. Still, no artist proved as prolific as the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, with his four albums that year. 1969 also saw contributions from such rock giants as Cream, The Band, The Kinks, Moody Blues, Bob Dylan,Jefferson Airplane, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin and Sly and the Family Stone. All of these albums turn 50 this year.

What is also noteworthy is the list of artists whose debut albums were released in 1969. That list includes Santana, Black Sabbath, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Chicago, The Allman Brothers, The Jackson 5, Yes and The Stooges. All of those acts have been inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

For record companies and music fans, these 50 year celebrations could not have come at a better time as vinyl has made a significant impact on record sales worldwide and the nostalgia of vinyl should prove to be a major factor in reissue album sales . The sector grew nearly 12% in 2018 with 9.7 million albums sold and expect this year, with the aforementioned classic album reissues, to be the highest selling year in recent memory for vinyl albums.

Not lost in the nostalgia is the 50th anniversary of the seminal concert event of all-time, Woodstock. The three-day event, which took place in August 1969 at Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, featured some of the most memorable live performances of all-time including sets from Jimi Hendrix, Santana, The Who, Joe Cocker and the festival opening set from then little-known Richie Havens. This August, the 50th anniversary of Woodstock will be celebrated by original organizer Michael Lang, who will return to Upstate New York, this time to Watkins Glen, for the Woodstock 50 Music Festival. Rumored acts include Jay Z, Chance the Rapper, Imagine Dragons, The Killers, The Lumineers, and the Black Keys. The official lineup has not yet been released.

This seems like as good a time as any to spring for a new turntable needle.