Top 10 Closing Tracks From 1960s Rock Albums

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Top 10 Closing Tracks from 1960s Rock Albums looks at a decade in which music pretty much turned the world upside down. With the arrival of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in 1963, rock music, pop culture, and society changed forever. While that may sound a little dramatic, it’s pretty much true. Rock music affects everything—clothing, dance, politics, family, economics—it’s all influenced by the impact that music can have on a culture. The ’60s were a tumultuous decade filled with protest, unrest, and so much more.

# 10 – Waterloo Sunset – Something Else – (The Kinks)

We open up our top 10 closing tracks from 1960s albums with a song from The Kinks’ album Something Else entitled “Waterloo Sunset.” I think most classic rock fans are very familiar with this extraordinary Kinks song. The Kinks were one of the most loved bands of the classic rock era. The group released their first album in 1963 and their final one in 1996. In between, the band released 24 studio albums along with four live albums.

The group was led by brothers Ray Davies and Dave Davies. Along with Mick Avory and Bob Henrit on drums, Peter Quaife, John Dalton, Andy Pyle, and Jim Rodford on bass, John Gosling, Gordon John Edwards, and Ian Gibbons, Mark Haley on keyboards. The band released so many of the most classic rock songs of all time including great ones like “Lola,” “You Really Got Me,” “Tired of Waiting for You,” “A Well-Respected Man,” “Sunny Afternoon,” “Where Have All the Good Times Gone,” “Celluloid Heroes,” and so many more. Of course, one of our all-time favorites was “Waterloo Sunset” that closed the album Something Else.

# 9 – Caroline, No – Pet Sounds – (The Beach Boys)

One of the most challenging aspects of putting this list together was considering bands like The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones, who released so many epic albums throughout the decade. It was very difficult to pick just one album from each of these groups to represent a closing track on this list. Nonetheless, when talking about The Beach Boys, we had to go with one of their most loved and possibly recognized as Brian Wilson’s crowning achievement, Pet Sounds. This album was just a phenomenal work, considered to be one of the most important albums in rock and roll history. And as far as closing tracks go, it had a great one: “Caroline, No.” Even Brian Wilson has been quoted as saying this may very well be the greatest song he ever composed.

# 8 – Liberation – Chicago Transit Authority – Chicago

Unless you’re a big-time Chicago fan, the song “Liberation” may be the sleeper on this list. However, if you’ve never heard this one before, take a listen and you’ll understand why we placed it here on our top 10 closing tracks of the 1960s albums list. This one is simply a stunning rock and roll track, fueled by the incredible guitar work of Terry Kath. It features one of the greatest guitar solos we have ever heard in our lives. It’s an extended cut, but it’s worth every second. The song was released on Chicago’s debut album Chicago Transit Authority, which was released in 1969.

# 7 – “We’re Not Gonna Take It” – Tommy – (The Who)

The Who’s Tommy was a groundbreaking album. It was not the only rock opera ever written, but it was definitely one of the most influential. Tommy was The Who’s fourth studio album, following My Generation from 1965, A Quick One from 1966, and The Who Sell Out from 1967. The Tommy album’s two-record set is filled with wondrous songs showcasing the genius of Pete Townshend and the incredible talents of all four musicians who made up one of the greatest rock bands of all time. We couldn’t leave this one out; the album’s closing track, “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” is one of the best songs on the record.

# 6 – How Many More Times – Led Zeppelin I – (Led Zeppelin)

Here we have another tough choice. Led Zeppelin released their first two albums in 1969, both featuring fantastic closing tracks. The first album showcased “How Many More Times” as its closer, while on their second album, their rendition of Willie Dixon’s “Bring It On Home” served as the album closer. We could have gone with either one; it was pretty much a flip of the coin.

# 5 – Whipping Post – The Allman Brothers Band -(The Allman Brothers Band)

Not only is the Allman Brothers’ song “Whipping Post” one of the greatest closing tracks on 1960s albums, but it’s also one of the greatest rock and roll jams ever released. The stunning guitar lines that Duane and Dickey lay down, while the rest of the band follows along, are simply breathtaking. Cover bands have been having fun playing this one for years.

The album The Allman Brothers Band was the group’s debut and was released in 1969. At the time, the band consisted of Gregg Allman on organ and lead vocals, Duane Allman on slide guitar and guitars, Dickey Betts on lead guitar, Berry Oakley on bass guitar, Jai Johanny Johanson on drums, and Butch Trucks also on drums. Sadly, the only remaining member of the original lineup still alive is Jai Johanny Johanson. One of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time.

# 4 – Voodoo Child (Slight Return) – Electric Ladyland – (Jimi Hendrix Experience)

As we continue with this list, we feature a song from arguably the most influential guitar player of all time. There are a few contenders, but Jimi Hendrix is right up there. The Jimi Hendrix Experience only released three albums, with Electric Ladyland being their final release. Therefore, it is fitting to include one of the band’s most exciting songs and the last song by The Jimi Hendrix Experience ever to be placed on vinyl.

# 3 – The End – The Doors – (The Doors)

This was another tough pick for this list. We pretty much knew that we would be going with “The End” as The Doors’ choice for the best closing track on a ’60s album. However, the closing tracks from their other ’60s albums like “When the Music’s Over” from Strange Days, “The Soft Parade” from The Soft Parade, and “Five to One” from Waiting for the Sun gave “The End” a run for its money. Nonetheless, when we look back at the impact that certain songs have had on culture, there’s no arguing that “The End” had a lasting impact, featuring in films such as Apocalypse Now and so much more. It’s just one of those songs that you never forget the first time you hear it.

# 2 – You Can’t Always Get What You Want – Let It Bleed – (The Rolling Stones)

The Rolling Stones released 15 studio albums in the 1960s. However, some of those albums were UK versions and US versions. So it’s not really 15 studio albums in total, but there are 15 different variations to choose from. We kind of skipped over many of the albums from the beginning of the decade that had different releases, such as The Rolling Stones, released in 1964, which was a different version from the US release England’s Newest Hit Makers. It just made for a lot of confusion, so we went towards the end of the decade where that stopped happening and picked a real classic from maybe the best Rolling Stones album of all time, or at least top three, called Let It Bleed. You can’t go wrong with the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

# 1 – TIE – A Day In The Life – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The End/Her Majesty – Abby Road – (The Beatles)

We just could not do it; it was impossible to pick only one Beatles album to be placed on this list. Every Beatles album is simply legendary. We’re talking about the original 13 UK albums here. How could we just pick one? Even settling on just two albums was still difficult. Of course, there was no way to leave out “A Day in the Life.” The closing track from The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album is considered by many to be the greatest Beatles song ever written. Of course, that’s going to be argued furiously among Beatles fanatics; everyone has their own subjective point of view, which is what this is all about. But it’s a pretty safe choice and was the first one we thought of.

Of course, how could we leave out “The End” from The Beatles’ final album Abbey Road? Yes, I know Let It Be came out after Abbey Road, but we all know that Abbey Road was recorded after the Let It Be sessions. And of course, if we’re going with “The End,” we can’t forget that hidden track, that little Paul McCartney tune, “Her Majesty.” So, those two kind of go hand in hand. It was tough to leave off “Tomorrow Never Knows” from Revolver. And of course, there’s “Run For Your Life” from Rubber Soul. Yet, this is the way we decided to end it: with a tie between two albums from the greatest musical act of all time.