Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Unsure how they didn’t become more of a household name! Really enjoyed this album and impressive they were able to merge genres to sound this tight! Reminds me a bit of the inventiveness and spontaneity of the Grateful Dead.
Oh aight youngblood I fuck witcha
I liiked this
blind spot but i liked it. fits the discovery function of this
Enjoyed this, want to come back to it.
I liked this. It started very Americana-y and had some electric stuff mixed in by the end. Then I heard the song everyone knows by them and was surprised at the Americana part. I should listen to it again, but on first listen, I enjoyed it.
Fiddly jazzy funky rock of that era. Some very Beatles inspired production and bass riffs. None of it was bad, didn’t love it either.
This was great - lovely chill vibe, jammy instrumentals that really flow without getting boring, no weird distracting vocals. It's not transcendant, but it's a pleasant, relaxing listening experience
Not heard of these guys before. Kinda all over the place but you can tell they are talented. I dig.
Very middling album to have as a part of 1001, but hey I enjoyed this album for what it was which is always a surprise from an artist I've never heard of before
A solid release. Their chops aren’t anywhere strong enough for their “jazz” numbers. And it would have been considerably better had they been able to focus. I don't mind the genre-bending; it's the sense that they grew bored with so many of the tracks when they were only half-cooked and so released them instead of honing. That said they produced a great sound. And Darkness, Darkness is a legit classic (albeit in hiding.)
Album #165: The Youngbloods – Elephant Mountain ⭐⭐ Yikes, where do we start with this one? This is so close to the kind of rootsy Americana music that I love that I found it infuriating. I’d never heard of this band or this album, and I don’t really have much desire to look into them any further than this, unless someone can give me a damn good reason to. They’re kind of a genre-bender of a band, which is something I usually like and appreciate if it’s done well. But if it’s not done well, it can be really irritating to listen to. It’s not necessarily different genres as much as different styles with them. They flip between ragtime, psychedelia, rootsy Americana, country, ballads, rock. They’re clearly very, very talented musicians. I mean, on the third track alone, On Sir Francis Drake, they go through all these different styles, sometimes switching from one to another every 30 seconds. It’s impressive. But just because you can do that stuff doesn’t mean you’re making interesting music, in my opinion, and this was very, very uninteresting to me. They’re not committing enough to any one thing. They’re not zany enough for the kooky stuff in the way that a good Michael Hurley or Zappa record can be. They’re not rootsy and country enough on the roots-rock side of things in the way that Creedence Clearwater Revival would be, not by a long shot. They just don’t pull off any one style particularly well or convincingly, even if they can seemingly switch between all of them effortlessly. The sound of the album is also very thin. It lacks muscle, it lacks sway. It’s just a thin-sounding thing. And because everything is so seemingly non-committal, it verges on soft rock. Now, I don’t necessarily have a problem with soft rock, but I don’t think this is trying to be soft rock. It’s just a really confused album, in my opinion. It confused me anyway. I just think the songwriting is more a showcase for their musicianship rather than being in service to the songs themselves. And I found it boring and disappointing. I can’t think of a single song that I’d particularly want to return to, which is actually pretty rare for this list. So yeah, harsh review, I know, but I did not like this one at all.
Background music. Nothing stood out at all.
This is both an interesting blend of styles and an incredibly mediocre album. I have to give credit to the album for at least not sticking to just one thing, which would most probably end in a very tedious and monotone project, but it is also sad how bland and lack of emotion it sounds. So what this album offers is a mixture of folk, country, psychedelic and jazz rock, with each song falling under one of the categories or even making a combination. While the varied palette is appreciated, there is basically not a single interesting idea. The only part that barely grabbed my attention in a good way is the ending track "Ride the Wind" which has a very dreamy jazz vibe. I specified "in a good way" in the previous sentence because the song "On Sir Francis Drake" is not a pleasant experience. Not only the improvisation is boring, but it has very weird rhythms that feel more like blunders than something intended. In the end, an album that just manages to not be a bad experience thanks to its variety and some decent perfomances.
Okay for background music, the first song made me think of Hobbiton for some reason.
The band every stoner hippie wishes they were in.
I've heard an occasional song by the Youngbloods but never listened to one of their albums. This was quite nice, good songs, melody, and harmony. I'm going to have to look for their other albums and have a listen. Very nice.
I loved the sound. Loved it. I just wish I got a whole album of songs. The instrumentals here felt like filler.
not my thing
I only know song from this group and it was not in this album. To me, this was a very typical album of its time.
The instrumentals are good, but unfortunately the singing is not.
This record was pretty good. Every track blends into the next, and it was an enjoyable listen. Favourite Track(s): Darkness, Darkness, Beautiful, Ride the Wind Least Favourite Track(s): Double Sunlight
A little Zeppelin, a little groovy psychedelia.
So close to being really interesting and good. First song is very cool
pretty good, it was a nice chill folk rock/pop album from my favorite era. Can go up on more listens 3.5/5
Starts out promisingly. First three tracks are fascinating in their way. But this ends up being not too far removed from elevator music. Milquetoast but relaxing folk/jazz.
1. darknezz - 2 2. zmug - 1 3. drake - 1 4. zun - 2 5. double - 1 6. beautiful - 0 7. turn - 0 8. rain - 0 9. trillium - 1 10. zand - 1 11. black - 0 12. zham - 0 13. uuind - 2
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
One of the albums of all time. It sure sounds like the 60’s, but there aren’t any standout moments to be found.
Excellent
ok i have listened to less than a minute of the first song but i already love the vibe doing this and not being able to listen to the albums in the order they were intended is an experience. i think i am yet to listen to all the songs from any one of them but i lose track because it randomises. we’re yet to have an album i’ve heard of i think, although i’ve heard of at least one artist wait no i’d defo heard of purple rain oo enjoying the echoey thing going on here this is fun this song alone gets maybe a positive 3 or a low 4 nvm definitely a 4 what even is this instrument i’m still on the first song btw what’s the one doing the solo some kinda kazoo/trumpet/guitar thing ok sunlight cliche song name but maybe it’ll live up slightly less of a fan of this one idk if the octave up is working for bro the lyrics feel like 20 songs i’ve heard before idk “if you wake up screaming” etc needs more power- feels like a melody climax but the power isn’t delivered would not choose to listen to this i liked the first one tho so maybe next one will be better ew spotify ads i will not join queen mary this september smug this one’s kinda silly i kinda like it? might get bored after 2 mins sounds like a somewhat fun drum part trillium i think im gonna like it less when he starts singing but rn its fun is he gonna start singing? maybe this is an instrumental number. feels like the music that a slightly-above-average phone wait list would play at you for 20 mins and it’s fun for the first 5 and then you’re really sick of it and you’re still 267th on the list i feel like this album in general is nice but it’s holding itself back a lot. like it’s scared to be interesting in case people hate what they do with it so it’s playing it safe. black mountain breakdown this is a very vibrant piano part we have here maybe a bit too vibrant oo we’re speeding up who are we running from? i need to get on the train oh that was quick another song came on and i was like “woah this is awesome this is my favourite one so far” and then i looked and its not on the album spotify be playing me random songs of theirs. we got the bad album guys go listen to the other side of this life (song) they’re a lot less scared of themselves here is this defo the same people yeah it is ok so they’re good this album just kinda sucks in comparison i think im done here lmk if i missed a good one the one from Not This Album is getting added to my playlist
I mean yeah this is just some classic folk rock. pure flames. foot tappin blues rhythms, fun lyrics. they even got overdrive for the first song. oh my... francis drake is proper blues. walking bass and all. they did change to an epiano from the rock organ halfway through? entirely different style but I fw it. yeah this is literally trad jazz piano trio when did we get here I feel like Sunlight really demonstrates some musical fluency from theead guitarist. like it wasn't just melodic minor noodling, which is more than can be said for a lot of rock guitarist. same thing w Beautiful. really lovely voicing of those passing chords. god fucking dammit I thought we were getting a bass solo. they're putting their whole soul into this riff and you give them 8 bars accompanied by the rhythm section. what da hell man. oh yeah feel the stevie. hm guys I wonder did the rhythm guitarist write Bring You Down. ok upon reading the wiki they were all guitarists. that's why this album sounds like a guitarist circlejerk apart from when Levinger hops on keys. speaking of, yeah we're back to a piano trio. big fan of what is clearly a bunch of mates making what they think sounds good. good enough welcome back SRV ok the last song is a little bit weaker. I'm sure everyone was vibing hard in the studio. I know, were I on that piano riff, my head would be between my knees looking like I'd overdosed on opium. visions of studio do not, however, a good track make.
Listening notes: For reasons I don't fully understand my left ear is very blocked with earwax so I won't be getting the full stereo experience for the next few albums. I thought that car going past was some background effect in the song but no it just seems that every tenth person in mauritius owns a hot rod. Anyway, the music is good While not really the kind of music that makes me the most excited, it was very well done and an enjoyable listen. 4/5 I can feel the olive oil moving around in my ear (I can explain) Fuck I'm here for music criticism aren't I I like it when bass parts are interesting. Hopefully this opinion makes Anish generally less supportive of killing me Having seen the other reviews I fear I'm being commentarymogged. Maybe I just need to carpet bag extra hard Hmm yes the erm... phrasing... is very good here. I enjoy the erm... aeolian texture Well what was the point of that song. It started and then just ended I just noticed is that a massive horse turd at the bottom of the album cover or something Nope that wasn't a sound effect thst was just someone beeping their horn Fun guitar part on this one My attention has been diverted by a youtube video that has been reccomended to me called "the logistics of pissing in your own mouth". Into my watch later playlist it goes Elevator music ahh intro
This started off really strong and got increasingly forgettable. Disappointing. This one's getting ready early in the morning and, for once, feeling refreshed and awake. 3.9/5
This one is weird. Some of the tracks are, like, smooth jazz almost? But others are solid pop/americana or whatever.
had more fun than i expected to! a few really nice ones on here
Very nice; a lot like the Beatles if the Beatles were American and folkier.
I knew I wouldn’t love it just by reading the description. And I didn’t. Some of the songs are alright, most are boring, Quicksand is good. But the last track is horrendous, and made the album a 2 for me
A proper eclectic album, this - in turns rock, psychedelia, blues, jazz, lounge, a smattering of Vaudeville, and even a bit of funk thrown in. As such it’s an uneven listen, but none of it is bad - although the inconsistency makes it a bit hard to get a hold of. It’s fine.
I can't imagine the Youngbloods made the list for any reason other than their single hit Get Together – which, mind you, isn't even on the record. They seem pretty unknown otherwise – certainly not influential enough to spar against the likes of Bowie or Berry or Elvis. Still... you can't fault the opener, Darkness, Darkness. A dark, active, bluesy number with plenty of jamming and covering potential. Great guitar solo. Maybe a little dated compared to some of the cutting-edge stuff on 1969 (King Crimson's debut comes to mind), but still very strong. Smug is also pretty good, though it sort of abandons the hard rock in favour of the tried-and-true pop-psychedelia formula. On Sir Francis Drake... A seven-minute keyboard jazz bar jam is forgivable, I guess. There'd better not be any more of this clogging up my folk-rock record. Sunlight and Double Sunlight – particularly the latter – do extremely little in terms of musical ideas, texture, developing the album's themes... Plus, they're two low-energy tracks after the similarly low-energy On Sir Francis Drake. That's some thoughtless track sequencing right there. At least we end side 1 of the record with the beautiful Beautiful. Very much geared towards fans of big-band music, myself included. Great inoffensive country-groove track in Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down, with a particularly inoffensive bass solo thing in the middle. Trillium, like the earlier On Sir Francis Drake, presents us an extended keyboard solo with a jazz bar ambience. This one is a little more interesting and relistenable given its shorter length. Then we get a genuinely pretty powerful track – at least relative to the others – in Quicksand. I still prefer the Bowie song of the same name, but the energy, grit, and anticipation of glam is palpable here. The Black Mountain Breakdown interlude is completely unnecessary aside from the cool same-tempo transition into the very strong Sham. The musicians have so much gusto here (including the singer), it's almost like they're a completely different band. This could pass as a Jimi Hendrix track with few changes. Ride the Wind is a bit of a mess to end the album on: muffled semi-improvised vocal noises, mostly one chord on piano, a 6:36 track length without any significant changes to the song or any sort of structure. Still, something about it... compels you. 3/5 Key tracks: Darkness, Darkness, Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down, Sham
You know how you ask a little kid what they want to be when they grow up? And inevitably they answer with something like "a teacher, and a farmer, and a firefighter, and a chef, and a dolphin trainer". That's this album. It has no idea what it wants to be when it grows up. Jazz, folk, rock. It as confused as a four year old with their whole life ahead of them. Best track : Sham
I really liked track 1 and from there it was a little hit and miss. I gave it another listen on a better sounding system other than my truck…and I enjoyed it more. Not bad! Some tracks kind of had a rag-time flavor that I didn’t get into that grove. 3-4?
This was a gorgeous little album. It really personified the over cast rainy, but muggy morning. It felt how I imagine the Beatles sound, but to me, less cliche in its portrayal of folk influenced music. It sounded of its time in some places, but fresher in other places. I would listen again.
First impressions this opens really strongly. One of the great opening tracks of albums I've never heard of we've had on here so far. Then settled into some instrumental jazz which I did not expect at all. All sorts in here and it still works together. Blown away by how good this was.
I’m pretty sure I could have gone my entire life without hearing Elephant Mountain by The Youngbloods, but that’s okay. It struck me as fairly cookie-cutter psychedelic country rock at first, though the further I got into the album, the more it settled into a bluesy pop sound that was easier to appreciate. The keyboards even reminded me a bit of The Doors at times, which was a pleasant surprise. It was enjoyable enough, even if it mostly played in the background while I worked. In the end, Elephant Mountain never really distinguished itself from the countless other albums of the era, but it did enough to rise above being completely forgettable.
Straightforward late 60s bluesy rock. Not much here to brag about.
This one troubled me. There were a few absolutely wild moments that I loved, but then some of it felt very particular. Nudging it up to a four from a three because of the historical context, but I think I'd only come back to a few tracks from it.
No le entendí
the folky parts were lovely, but overall the record seems a bit unfocused.
The instrumentals on this are quite good. Some of the "bigger" songs like the opener and Sunlight are decent if a bit vocally flat. And then there are songs that don't seem to belong and feel like they just half-assed it. The album would have been better without, for example, Don't Let The Rain Bring You Down. As it stands, it's a 3-star album with just a few too many 1-2 star additions. So while I award 3 I may be feeling generous here but the rhythm section has a nice feel to it so I'm OK with that.
fangt eaasy guet ah findi geil. das isch uuhuere kreativ wow. super song de zweit. blöser, hinderschi abgspielti crashbecki und so hööö? on sir frances drake isch etz chli gedudel. meega fest. sunlight findi seeehr schön.
ohh cool ich glaub das passt mega zum byrds album vo gester ui überhaupt nümme zueglost, aber sunlight hani no cute gfunde hmm beautiful hetmi ane anderi band erinneret aber hans nöd recht chönne fasse OMG WO ISCH SHAM DIE GANZ ZIIT GSI WOW BANGEER jz bini chli verwirrt, de letschti song hani au superschön gfunde ich loses nomal, momentan isch es es wohlwollends 3 wills ok isch aber würkli wenig mit mier gmacht het oke natürlich gfallt mier jz darkness, darkness mega und on sir drancis drake isch ultra smooth dasmal ghör ich au meh die jazzy element jöö quicksand isch huere cute, so mega sanft iwie? ride the wind isch würkli en super schluss jz bim zweite mal lose hetsmer echt guet gfalle, ide mitti hets paar songs wo so naja sind aber hans rig sehr gnosse. bruchts dad album uf de liste?
Dreadfully boring. Every song was just a lesser version of other 60s/70s pop rock groups and I can hardly recall any memorable melody, instrumental moment or production choice
listened to this while i was trying not to fall asleep. did not help. pretty good tho.
Funny mix! 40% pretty great “sweetheart of the rodeo” esque hippy country, 60% uncomfortable “jazz” instrumentals and sickly sweet mid century pop
Really good jazzy 60s pop - definitely not lazy hippie shit. Some great spanish guitar. I don't think I will actually listen to this album again but it was definitely quality and I might listen to some songs.
Against all available evidence and despite the presence of weird crackly voices and an overlong track, Elephant Mountain won me over with its Mad Men energy. It sounds like Don Draper nursing a whisky neat while contemplating both the future of advertising and his third existential crisis of the quarter.
Kinda of dull this one
Not quite a 4 on first listen, but a lot of good songs I was entirely unaware of.
Actually quite good, varied sound, never felt bored.
Liked this a whole bunch, reminds me of America - great jams. Favorite track(s): Ride the Wind, Double Sunlight
I dug this. Especially Quicksand.
Not a album listen for me. Just decent stuff to listen to, has that hopeful folk lyrics, some psychedelic rock elements. Nothing to through beef with it, it does play it by the ideal theme and gives an interpretation of this said theme that are just everpopulated on any other folk song. It's an ok for me. I guess I can choose sham, and Ride the Wind.
The album seems to wade in a couple stream without making interesting use of the genres I do like some of the last few songs.
This record was lucky to escape 1 territory. Not my cup of tea. “On Sir Francis Drake” might be one of my least favorite songs from this album journey so far; “Trillium” sucked too. The more mellifluous, albeit inoffensive tracks that surrounded these tracks protected this album’s score from reaching rock bottom, but not by much. I just didn’t really care about these songs. Very 60s, psychedelic, organ-heavy, Doors-adjacent groovy rock. I think I’m just tired of the abundance of albums in this list that share this album’s style, which could be biasing me against it. Weak two. STAND-OUT SONG: “Sunshine” HONORABLE MENTIONS: “Quicksand”, “Darkness, Darkness”
Some brilliant songs here.
a bit of everything, way more mixed and varied than I could have anticipated just by the way it’s tagged. I liked Sham
eu quando jogo na roda de generos musicais e escolho todos
quero o vinil
A bit interesting for various reasons but pretty ho-hum.
Not bad. Pretty chill.
Track 1: Fiddles. Track 2: Twang. This did not get off to a great start. Fuzz organ on track 3 had me holding out hope though even if it did just lead to a standard 12-bar blues jam. Beautiful was a competent attempt at soul, complete with a li'l funk. Sure, it seemed based more on the swing of the metronome than feeling any vibes, but I think that really might be where this album peaked. The rest continues on as if they just wanted to challenge themselves to play a different style of music for each song. This mostly stinks.
Unnecessarily pretentious
348/1001 The Youngbloods - Elephant Mountain Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❓ This took my surprise somewhat, as I was kind of expecting a more country album than I was anticipating. It's got a bit of psych, a bit of jazz, a bit of folk mixed in with the country. Whilst i enjoyed my time with it, I'm not sure when I'd go back to it...
2.7/5
I actually enjoyed this a lot! I saw the country tag and the general vibe and cringed, but it's very folky and chill, right up my alley.
The Youngbloods are listed both as a Folk band and as a Psychedelic Band. While I hear both, I also hear Jazz, Blues, and Bluegrass. They are inoffensive, but also don't have a lot to hold my attention.
As músicas cantadas são incríveis, as instrumentais são chatas
I had no idea what to expect, but really enjoyed this album. I could get by without hearing it again, but I know if I see it in an oldies bin, I'll buy it. Nice choice!
It was fine. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.
Late 60s psych country rock. Folk rock.
Started out strong before turning into bland 60s rock by track 3
3.5 - Good
This tootles by pleasantly enough. I kind of zoned in and out and nothing has particularly stuck with me. The switches between rock and jazz are a bit odd, like they are unsure what they want to be. I’m really damning with faint praise here lol. 2.5
This was an okay album - very chill vibe. While I enjoyed it, unlikely to listen again. I give this a 2.
It was much better than I thought it would be. Darkness Darkness, Sunlight, and Don’t Let the Rain Bring You Down were all great songs. Not a bad song on it and probably one of the most vibey albums I’ve listened to. Overall, I would give it a solid 4.1/5! 🐘🍃🌱🌷🥀🐘
What the duck is this?
I enjoyed this album, I listened mostly as background music, but overall it was a pleasant listen. I was a bit skeptical after the first couple of songs, but then I really got into it as the album went on. This would be a great album to have as vinyl while hanging out with friends.
I took a chance on this album in a record store bin over 20 years ago, back when it was easy to pick up a stack of great or interesting albums on vinyl for about $3-4 each. I've loved it ever since. It sits happily on the shelf among other old-school favorites like Bryter Layter, Desire, Led Zeppelin IV, and Let It Bleed.
I've seen The Youngbloods described as one of the forgotten bands of the 60s, and on the basis of this they deserved to be forgotten. This is nothing. I've described some albums as basically musical wallpaper, and this doesn't even fit that vibe, this is the musical equivalent of the landlord special of off-white painted walls. There's just nothing to grab on to. I can't even point out particular good or bad tracks, it's all just a bland mush of sameness. It's not one star because it's not actively bad, it's just not actively anything.
3.5
Not good. Generic.
Enjoyable enough folk rock would be improved by taking a slightly more focused approach 3.5*
Ok
Judging by the artist and album name and the cover art, I thought this album was much more recent than its 1969 release year ever suggested. The music included here is a nice mix of that classic folk, country and blues-influenced rock sound that would come to define what most would define as "dad rock." There's a nice medley of everything here, from jammy pieces like "On Sir Francis Drake," a relaxed proto-yacht rock song in "Sunlight" and a driving multi-section opener in "Darkness, Darkness." And that' just the A side! There's lots of classic jaunty, bouncing grooves mixed with twangy guitars and slides; it honestly wouldn't be out of place on a CSNY or Creedence release if either of those bands ever covered one of the songs here. The B side isn't all that interesting outside of the big, sax-heavy ballad "Quicksand," another early example of the ultra-commercial rock sound that would swallow up all pop music by the mid-70s. The B side closer, the drifting, chime heavy "Ride the Wind" is the only other notable song on the second half, but it does a very good job of putting a near little bow on this surprisingly eclectic album. I must say I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly impressed with this offering. There's so much to be excited about and it's definitely a grower of an album. Though it might sound cliche and dated today, most of this album's many musical choices would be commercialized by the next decade through no fault of their own (based on what I searched about them, they never really made it big.) I think you could get a lot of mileage out of this album if you go into it considering its eclecticism as ahead of its time rather than a sign of the 70s schlock to come. Key Tracks: Darkness Darkness, Quicksand, Ride the Wind
Dull folk rock.
Darkness, Darkness - 4/5 Smug - 3/5 On Sir Francis Drake - 4/5 Sunlight - 3/5 Double Sunlight - no rating Beautiful - 2/5 Turn It Over - no rating Rain Song - 2/5 Trillium - 1/5 Quicksand - 3/5 Black Mountain Breakdown - no rating Sham - 3/5 Ride the Wind - 3/5 Average score: 2.8/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Interesting from a music history standpoint, but not actually enjoyable to listen to, for me at least. Mostly this is just unusual, but not in an engaging way. Too often i found myself reaching for the skip track button. The singing is not for me, the instrumentation is more it but it was mostly that it was often making me think of other bands which it sounds like or influenced. The track On Sir Francis Drake especially meanders between sounding like the Kinks, Led Zeppelin and cool jazz double bass. The jazz is really amped up in Beautiful and then the 13-second (!) Turn It Over. The B-side starts with another jazzy / blues/ country number, all very weird, but not necessarily in a good way.
This was decent. Some of these 60s bands make me laugh with the alternating between rockin' jams and some sort of Shakespeare-like poetry with harps and shit.
How do they even find these albums. I mean it only reached 118 on the billboard 200 in 1969, I've never really heard of these guys, and I doubt anyone else here really has either. This was the most middle of the road album, I was playing chess while listening to this and completely forgot there was even music playing. It is just the most average 60's rock album. Low 3.
1969.
A little boring at times but also found it pleasant and enjoyable overall
Hmm, a sprinkle of jazz here with some poppy undertones. But nothing too new. Can't hold it against that since it's quite an old album, but it was a'ight.
Psychedelic guitars and good voice. I am a simple man, I don't ask for much more. The occasional 60's pop production influence aside, it's good for driving and thus gets the sign of approval.
Only knew these guys from the flower power song Get Together, which isn’t on this. This is more trippy than hippy dippy.
Fine country, not really psych tho.
I liked the first song and about 50% of the ones with lyrics but I down right hated the only musical ones. Unfortunately those seemed to come more often so this album is a thumbs down.
More 🥱 😴. Another album that just confuses me: how is this essential listening? It's at most pleasant and inoffensive.
This is such a kind and nice album. While listening I felt genuinely warm and content — it’s melodic, lovely, and has this gentle, feel-good tone running through the whole record. The lyrics aren’t super deep or complicated, but they’re meaningful and carry a happy, peaceful vibe that’s really refreshing. The sound is beautiful — soft folk-rock with great harmonies, lovely guitar work, and excellent group vocals that blend together perfectly. Everything feels natural and easy on the ears. Elephant Mountain has this laid-back, positive energy that makes you smile without trying too hard. It’s not trying to change the world, it just wants to make you feel good. A really lovely and underrated album from that era.
Another surprise- never heard of this band, absolutely loved the album - another full album download
Wanha :D
gorgéous album opener but otherwise not super for me
Album #180 The Youngbloods: Elephant Mountain This is the album that has inspired me to reform my rating process. I’ve found myself slowly edging my way up when it comes to my standard score for a ‘decent’ album; I think that I have become too soft. My 3 stars have become filled with mediocrity, when it really should be a category for truly enjoyable albums. See Elephant Mountain is a perfect fine album, insofar that it has some enjoyable tracks and is overall inoffensive; therefore I have little qualms with it. But then again, the opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference, and I’m very indifferent to this. Thus, it will rank amongst the other unnotable, but not offensive; the lowly 2s. Best Songs: Sunlight, Darkness, Darkness, Quicksand Worst Song: On Sir Francis Drake Score out of 10: 5
Not the best of the 80s but some great nostalgic tunes here.
New to me, but very listenable folk rock. I'd throw this on for a roadtrip.
I have heard of Yungblud, Diddy bluds, and bloods and crips but I have never heard of the band The Youngbloods before and was quite excited to see what this underrated Folk Rock album has to offer, and honestly if you aren't super into the genre this definitely won't be anything special. This project has a nice blend of different kinds and feels of Folk Rock and they all come out in such beautiful ways. Yes there are plenty of short spurts you can call "interludes" but feel more like quick little warm ups. I am not huge on them, but for some reason I am soft to them and did enjoy hearing them even if they didn't make my final cut for songs I liked. I don't understand the hate for Sunlight as that is one of my favorite tracks here. There are plenty of gems here I feel go under-appreciated but as a whole I think this album needs much more love and attention. Elephant Mountain may not be a Folk masterpiece, but it is still a really solid project I am glad I checked out thanks to this 1001 albums to hear before I die list.
3.69
who? Ah god why is the bagpipe shit so prominent. why is the lagging vocal so poorly timed. This is awful. Smug is listenable and even maybe good. Brokeback mountain or wtv is p lit and wejrd Sham is good too… i dont think tjis album is bad not really my cuppa but i liked some of it the first track REALLY just put me off. like 2.5? i really like ride the wind. upon further reflection i think it’s a 3.5. some solid stuff i was just majorly offput
There's a lot of individual things that I like, but they're not put together well
Decent listen.
Highlights: Darkness Darkness, Sunlight and Quicksand. 2.7
Generic 60’s rock
Meh, not bad, but not amazing.
Elephant Mountain is best described as pleasant and enjoyable, i think. It brings together nice vocals and groovy instrumentation, mixing elements of psychedelic rock, folk and country. The instrumental songs are not really note-worthy in my opinion and overall the album loses some steam in the second half - except for Sham, which is just great fun.
Kinda not pop, but more alternative or chill. It's unique.
Started out liking it but then as it went on I felt like it was just more of the same over and over and not that sonically different between each track.
6/10 Best songs: Darkness, Darkness, Sham Late 60s folk-rock that mixes together some rather disparate influences: from jazz/blues to that peculiar 60s medievalism trend. The album has its ups and downs - the good songs are very, very good; the bad songs are just big nothings. I feel like this band had potential but didn't manage to narrow in on their strengths before recording (and releasing) this album. Oh well.
eh, alright
It's certainly an album that exists.
Eclectic collection from a band I didn't know.
A nice little surprise. Despite my deep dive of 60's albums years ago, The Youngbloods just never reached my awareness. It's a delightful album that smoothly switches between Folk Rock, Blues Rock, Ragtime, and Jazz Rock. It was a nice soundtrack on a rainy summer day. 3.5/5, rounded down.
Meh
Some good stuff musically, but couldn't get past the vocals.
It was..fine? It seems like a perfectly inoffensive example 1969 folk-rock (borrowing Rolling Stone’s description.) I’m not sure why it made the list
Pleasant enough. I found it unremarkable.
Pleasant enough, kind of boring. Reminds me of how burned I felt when I let the Rolling Stone Record Guide talk me into buying a Bread album, despite the obvious reasons to be wary about doing so. That is a mistake that Time can never wash away. This is ok, but ... so forgettable.
It's nice to hear a bit more from the musical world dominated by the Dead... but not necessary in my life now.
This album is fine or technically okay or whatever, but the reason for its inclusion here is unclear. This album had little commercial success. It was not particularly well-reviewed at the time of its release fifty-some years ago. It has not been rediscovered and cherished since, nor grown in popularity in later years. It is not considered a major influence on a genre or group of musicians. It is not an underappreciated release from a group with other massive smash records. It's just an album of its time that is mildly enjoyable. It's not objectionable. It could be used in a soundtrack to great effect. A few songs are distinctive, most are very derivative. Elephant Mountain could have stayed in the record bin for the rest of eternity and we could have been listening to something else.
Not sure why this album is considered essential - whilst pleasant enough, there is nothing that interesting or notable going on here. Slightly noodly, psychedelic folky leanings, and wibbly keyboards, but I found it hard to say anything left any mark on me after listening. File under 'Forgotten 60s artists who there is probably a reason they have been forgotten'.
This was either a 3 or 4. I've opted for 3 because while it's certainly pretty good sounding, I can't really recall and specific songs I'd revisit. 3.5/5
a lovely peaceful album to listen to on a sunny day. favourite song: trillium.
Jazzy instrumental stuff much better than the folk singing drivel. Wasn't boring, but heard this kind of music elsewhere and much better.
A very lovely album with a unique blend of sounds. There's a lot to love here with the stripped-back folk rock. I've never heard anyone talk about this album before, which tells me a lot of people are missing out on something great. Favorite track: "Sunlight"
First I've heard of them but solid folky psych rock, similar to Love in places
3/5
Kinda really enjoyed this jazz mix of things and vibes, in a great mood so that helps. 3+ for music +1 for vibes and mood brings us to 4 + here. But just kinda sounds like they had a good time making this and everyone got musical input? Just the vibe I get with it all being so different. A cohesive collective made this
Possibly one of the quaintest albums I’ve ever heard. It could probably stand to be a little less quaint honestly, but there’s little doubting that it’s a pleasant listen.
Good musicianship. Songs are just ok.
I like this album cover a lot - and the album is good too but didnt stand out as really good
Enjoyed this. Creative.
Not bad.
Missing get together. Spotify did me dirty on playing that song next making me think it was this one
I dunno, not objectionable, but kinda blah
This was awesome! The only Youngbloods song I knew before today was "Get Together" (which isn't even on this album), but I really loved almost every song on this. The energy and effortless mesh of their voices and instruments really makes this a delight to listen to. I heard a little early Traffic and CSNY in there at times, both of which are acts I love. I listened to it twice. Five stars.
Some nice folk/rock music that I have never heard before today. Nothing really stood out for me but I liked listening to it. Nice and relaxing with good vibes. Something I would listen to again when I'm in a chilled out mood.
Uhh, it was OK. Not great. Some songs had to be skipped, others were vaguely enjoyable.
Cool! 3.5+/5
This is like “if Neil Young made jazz”… and it’s kinda awesome? From the first track, I couldn’t have predicted where this album would end up. We get psychedelic rock, folk/country rock, bluesy jam band stuff, and then just pure jazz? What. The. Hell. (In a good way) If I’m going to complain (I am), it’s that I wish there was a little more cohesion. I don’t know if that means doing less, or doing more. Like, would a longer album give them more space to link up all the pieces and transition more smoothly between styles? Maybe it’s supposed to feel like each side is a different album and it just feels weird in the post-vinyl world. Either way, what a ride!
kinda cool, liked the last song Will I listen to again: 25%
nice enough
Day 47 — The Youngbloods — Elephant Mountain (1969) Listened: May 21–23, 2026 Genre: Psychedelic Folk Rock / Blues Rock / Country Rock Vibe: Pastoral and unhurried — bluesy sixties rock with a loose, outdoor feel that bridges the gap between late 60s folk and early 70s country rock. Highlights: • Darkness, Darkness • On Sir Francis Drake • Sunlight • Beautiful • Don't Let the Rain Get You Down • Trillium ★ Quicksand • Sham Impression: Nothing really jumped out and grabbed me but the overall feel was solid throughout. I liked the blues edge underneath the sixties pop sound — you can hear the transition happening in real time from that era into something harder and more rootsy. A grower that I'd return to in the right mood. Rating: 3.0/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes
Not sure what is exceptional about this album....
Mid
Fav- beautiful 4/5
Good listen.
Not bad, but kinda just went in one ear and out the other
no me fue muy trascendental, pero como para tenerlo de fondo y bastante distinto por los géneros que explora 6.5/10
Fun listen
A somewhat forgotten 60s band. There wasn’t anything I really disliked about the album, but there wasn’t much I loved either. No songs that really stood out, either way. Just a nice album.
Pretty decent. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either, just very mid
meh
Like a Temu version of the Beatles
Surprisingly good. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed it.
This was a good album. Nothing amazing but I enjoyed listening to it! 3.5
Not bad. Pretty chill overall. 3/5
Probably the best country/folk/rock album I've heard on this list so far. Some really great tunes.
buen album muy chill pero interesante
Elevator music
nice and gentle without being boring
Typical lost in the British Invasion mid sixties band. Good band overshadowed by their peers.
Decent enough to listen to, but nothing really stood out as fantastic. I do enjoy when a band full of people who can play a kajillion instruments doesn’t use all of them all the time. This would be 3.5 if I could.
Oh wow, what a cool late 60s rock album. The instrumentals on here are nice! Surprised I had never heard of them until this book, they're really damn good
"Elevated jug band music." With no jugs? Whatever. This album was a tight half hour, and we love that shit.
Number: 131 Date: 05/14/2026 Artist: The Youngbloods Album: Elephant Mountain Year: 1969 Style: Folk Rock Familiarity: None (1) Rating: Before: ======= So my first thought upon seeing the band name, album title, and cover with big pile of poop front and center was some sort of subversive hip-hop or rap, then I saw the date, 1969. So I have no clue what to expect now. During: ======= 4 Darkness, Darkness 3 Smug 3 On Sir Francis Drake 4 Sunlight 3 Double Sunlight 4 Beautiful 3 Turn It Over 4 Rain Song 3 Trillium 3 Quicksand 3 Black Mountain Breakdown 3 Sham 4 Ride The Wind ----------------------------------------------------- 3.53 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After : ======= It is a pleasant enough album and a fine example of this type of music from the late 60's - early 70's but nothing really unique or special about it. I'm sure there are dozens of albums out there that could compete for the same slot in a 1001 albums you must hear list. 4 my personal rating 3 suitability for this list 2 impact ----------------------------------------------- 3 composite rating
This album does a lot of stuff. Most of it very well.
Beautiful variety of styles. My favourite was Ride the Wind.
Good find - never really explored this artist before
Highlights: Darkness Darkness, Smug, Sunlight, Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down, Trillium, Quicksand A chill and pleasant listen, but nothing that would truly stand out for that time period. Nevertheless, it is rather interesting because at moments it sounds so tropical while also being your standard 60s rock. I don't see the point of the interludes. They don't add any additional value and sometimes even feel quite out of place. I guess that their muteness contributes to the laid-back feel of the record, but a lot of the tracks are quite laid-back on their own, and the interludes are too short to leave an actual impression. Even though I went ballistic on these interludes, I did like the record. It felt a bit more mature than what I expected, which was a welcome surprise.
fairly uninteresting
The first track started really well with the violins giving it quite an atmospheric folky vibe - I bit like the excellent Nick Cave soundtack for Jesse James. Sadly rest of the album is a bit meh and gets a bit Byrdy, jazzy and bland.
Starts strong, thinking this would be a 60s folk rock album, and then drifts all over the genres. Not sure what it is, but not the best in any category
I like this better when no one is singing.
You can just tell when a band has great synergy, and this is a perfect example of it. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
You know what? I’m at a 10. It’s just that good, genuinely. It might not be as instrumentally dazzling as some other albums, but the strength behind this one is a perfect mix of natural charm meeting great songwriting, and just finding a charismatic effervescence that feels lovely to listen to. I know it’s a little odd to say that about an album that starts with someone accepting the darkness of sleep as a paradise to hide from the horrors of the real world, followed by a track about catching a cheater in the act, but I promise, the darkness that opens the album quickly gets met by sunlight, and the album just continues to glide. Jesse Colin Young sounds quite a bit like Neil Young, and as someone who’s enjoyed almost all of the Neil Young albums on the list so far, that comparison is a big benefit to this album. He’s got a natural lift to his voice that just enhances some of the lyrics further, and really pairs well with the twinkly instrumentation here. A lot of these are based on country instrumentals, but with bass, piano, xylophone & electric guitar added, creating a folksy psychedelica soundscape that can feel like anything from the Beatles to CSNY to the Pogues to the Byrds to Bob Dylan without really changing all that much. I’d even argue this album hits on some funky Stevie Wonder-esque stuff at times, particularly on “Beautiful” & more softly on the closer, “Ride the Wind”. The variety of this album is one of its biggest strengths, and for a band I’d never heard of until today, I’m really deeply impressed by their proficiency. A lot of this album is instrumental, and while that may hurt it for other people, I just think it adds a charm to the whole thing. Instrumental tracks, when performed well, can feel just as imaginative as a track with perfect writing, and this album does them VERY well. There’s maybe one or two that feel a touch long, and a handful that feel too short, but they keep the album in a good flow. I got a good kick out of “Turn it Over” being a little piano medley to indicate flipping the vinyl over. A relic of the era, sure, but part of that natural charm all the same. The most dull one is probably “Trillium”, but I think it still has its own place. Overall, I’m just really impressed. The Youngbloods feel like a band that could’ve been bigger, and while I got the sense this might be a “favorite band’s favorite band” sort of thing with its presence on the list & a very loose one-hit wonder status, I wasn’t expecting it to be so consistently great. The songwriting is sharp, the instrumentals all feel as great, and everything just clicks to create a smooth 40 minutes. Looking at the Wikipedia page, I suppose the revelation that Charlie Daniels of “The Devil Went to Georgia” fame was the producer here makes a lot of sense. If there’s one thing Charlie Daniels does on that track perfectly, it’s his ability to create a believable world from just the soundscape alone. I know that devil is going down to Georgia because the fiddle & the pulse of the track just tells me it’s true. That same believability applies to a lot of these tracks, just with a bit more poppy & folksy hope behind it. It’s a good recipe when it’s all put together, and it makes for one of the best discoveries we’ve gotten on the list so far. Hence, a 10, and a well deserved one. I’m very glad this is on the list.
its fine. i heard far more interesting jazz rock tho. and the folk stuff on here is kind of odd and out of place tbh
This has some good moments but not enough that I would want to relisten
Interesting and strange. Didn't sound like an album at all, but instead a selection of songs the algorithm might have chosen after playing a psychedelic country rock crossover landmark like Sweetheart of the Rodeo. I was open to this being better than Sweetheart, even, which has never quite lived up to its legend or its cover art in my mind. So I thought, "Cool, here we have a collection of songs in similar style but without the Dylan covers or Gospel songs." Thing is, I never would have imagined they were all by the same band, though I might have guessed one of the bands was the crew behind "Get Together." I might have imagined some of these songs were by the Beegees or the Monkees or the Zombies or any number of bands ending in an E sound from the 60s and 70s. So in the end I liked some of the songs a lot but felt kind of meh about the album. And after I finished the algorithm went straight into "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," the first track of Sweetheart of the Rodeo...
Meh. I liked some songs, skipped through others. It’s between a 2-3 for me but I’m going to round down to 2.
Not at all familiar with this group, though I recognize one song not on this album that Nirvana quoted at the beginning of one of the Nevermind tracks. I don’t know what to make of this album -1 it sounds like a recorded identity crisis. The opening song sounds like square dancing class in gym. The second song sounds like it’s trying to be Bossa Nova but doesn’t quite get there. There are a couple of instrumental keyboard tracks that are okay like Trillium and On Sir Francis Drake. I don’t know what Don’t Let the Rain Get You Down is trying to be but I just found it irritating. Sham sounds like an attempt at the blues. And there are a couple short instrumental transitions… like they had these unfinished ideas that the didn’t know what to do with. I appreciate artists that take different styles and fuse them into something new and different — like Santana did so well on yesterday’s album. But this just seems like a hodgepodge of disparate styles in each song without any cohesion… and none of the styles done particularly well.
Solid folk rock that I found to be more interesting than not. A few highlights help to counterbalance some of the less exciting moments well enough to find myself in favor of the project. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Darkness, Darkness, Quicksand
Expectation: -> I assumed this was a 90s band by name. Which means this '69 album will be completely new to me. After listening: -> This is perfectly average. Transports me back to the 60s-70s. Nothing awe inspiring and nothing cringy. Five of 13 songs are instrumentals and of those only 11 seconds long. Why bother? There are a lot of older bands/albums I would reach for before this. Track ranking: Quicksand Darkness Beautiful Smug Sunlight Sham Rain Wind Drake Trillium Double Black Turn
60s but I enjoyed it. Was pleasantly surprised. Nothing remarkable about this one though.
A really enjoyable listen.
Woah! Knocked out by this one. I only knew "Get Together" and literally nothing else. I was very, very surprised by this. Definitely a snapshot of its time, I was impressed with this. Would go great with the Grateful Dead or the Allmans on a playlist. Will absolutely be searching out their other material. favorite tracks: Darkness, Darkness / Smug / Sunlight / Quicksand
The instrumental songs didn't do much for me, but most of this was good. Interesting for sure. I enjoyed this. This was an easy listen. The songs flowed well into each other Liked Songs: "Darkness, Darkness" , "Sunlight" , "Beautiful" , "Trillium" , "Quicksand" , "Sham"
Very good
I always try to refrain from using thought-terminating clichés in my writing, but I struggle to come up with words to describe this other than, as they now say, "mid". the middest of mid to ever mid. if you've heard a West Coast folk rock album from the late 60s or early 70s, you'll find nary a surprise within the music of the Youngbloods. well, okay, that's not totally fair; there's a few diversions into jazz, country and psych that serve to mix things up a bit. but, on the whole, I think there's plenty of other music from this scene that probably deserves a closer look in a book of (again) "Must Hear" albums. hey, at least there's the opener and closer, which are pretty good. light 5/10.
I don't know what to say about this album. It was fine. I felt like I had heard all of the songs before, and none of them at the same time. I didn't actually know any of them but they sounded familiar. Maybe it just sounds like generic late 60s rock?
Unremarkable folk rock from the 60s. A couple decent tracks, but overall, not a memorable addition to the genre from an era with several.
Very interesting stuff here!
Pleasant album. Lot more jazzy and bluesy than I expected. Good guitar but no real memorable songs
Kind of generic to me, but they could still play.
Aight
Не это твердая четверка. Мягкая, солнечная, теплая музыка. Ничего не понял в словах, конечно, но звук мне очень понравился.
A great album with incredible musicianship.
not another random 60s album. we hate the boomer who compiled the list for this. i could ignore the surplus of average synthpop and indie and britpop but this is unforgivable.
Blind album and artist. Some parts were definitely cool, especially the opening track, but the rest wasnt phenomenal or anything outstanding so I'll have to give it a 3.
chill. didn't stay with me though...
Decent rock album!
Man. Great all around.
3.5
6/10 Felt like background music.
War morgens im Auto bei Sonnenaufgang ein ziemlich passender Soundtrack.
Mochte die jazzigen Sachen.
Pleasant but a bit forgettable.
Didn’t know these guys but really enjoyed the sound.
Again, another fairly inoffensive, but dull album. Did nothing for me. Some of my kinda music as well, so was pretty disappointed. Not bad, just nothing outstanding.
No soy mucho del Country pero este me gustó, aparte los interludios están buenos.
I really had not come across Youngbloods before although heard quite a few of their contemporaries. They sound like really tight musicians and I appreciated the melodic acoustic sound on this album combined with some nice jazz and folk type influences. Have been described as very ‘laid back’ which is an apt description. And bonus I finally realized what Kurt was going on about during unplugged: ‘come on people now …’ (though, not on this album)
Easy listen
Variously described as folk-rock, country-rock and late stage psych-rock, there's a lot about this that could still fit on a record, today. It's got some weird production touches (some funny echo effects on the lead vocals in places, or else a really strange echo-like backing vocal) and otherwise still bears the strong influence of Blues on rock music ('On Sir Francis Drake' is just a light Blues jam, mostly). There's an exploration joke there, I assume. The bits of (actual published) reviews that I read circled around ideas of the various proportions of psych, folk and country in the rock music on offer by The Youngbloods, here. There's always a discussion to be had about that but those things were always part of the makeup of rock & roll (Chuck Berry once quipped that he'd have been in the country genre if he hadn't been black). Opinions abound but the fundamental roots of rock music were country (itself an adaptation of traditional Celtic music with some other things), blues (a descendant of African music) and Cuban (again, African and Spanish, run through a colonial blender). Plus some other stuff; it's always been a highly-synthesized genre, glomming bits and pieces all the time. To me, the phrase 'country-rock' is a bit like saying 'rum and coke with rum added'; it does describe the particular blend but it's a little redundant. Not wrong, just funny. Anyway, the album is pretty good. I think it peaked at the first track, 'Darkness, Darkness', which could really do with a modern cover, but overall it's a fun listen. It reminds me of a much less harmony-obsessed Grateful Dead (which, yes, is a bit like saying a crustless pizza) but there wasn't anything wrong with it. 'Trillium' was also really cool: great bass groove to the intro. Must I have listened to this before I died? Yeah, I guess. Which translates to a strong 3/5
Never heard of these guys before surprisingly. Sounds like a decent 60s folk rock album, probably right in the middle of the street for me with 3 stars. Not terrible, not great either
Yet another late ‘60s/early ‘70s psychedelic-influenced folk album on this list. It probably felt especially unremarkable to me because of that similarity, but it’s not a bad album by any means. It’s a perfectly fine listen, but nothing that stuck in my mind. One of the most 3y 3s you’ll ever find.
This was a perfectly enjoyable album to listen to - though it didn't feel particularly innovative or original. It's 60s psychedelic-tinged folk rock, which was the style at the time. The songs I enjoyed best were the more jazz influenced tracks like 'Sunlight', 'Trillium' and album closer 'Ride the Wind'.
Because I generally really like this sort of 60s folky/country/psychedelic music I did enjoy this album. That said, it’s mostly perfectly pleasant but pretty lightweight stuff. The positives: ‘Darkness, Darkness’ was a cool, bluesy opener and probably the best track, ‘Beautiful’ was a refreshing change of pace for being a bit more lively, ‘Rain Song’ was a nice jazzy track (with slide whistle), and ‘Sham’ had some cool guitar work. However, ‘On Sir Francis Drake’ and ‘Ride the Wind’ weren’t interesting enough to justify their long durations, and ‘Trillium’ similarly felt a bit superfluous. Enough for 3 stars.
Ah, first hit of folk is nice. This is what I'm here for. Gets quite bluesy and rocky too which is cool. Even some country influence? And jazz in On Sir Francis Drake. Fun hooks in Smug Funk/soul on Beautiful! Really a genre-spanning album. Instrumental sections are excellent, I'd like to hear them stretched out into longer jams! Oooh Trillium answers this beautifully Middle instrumental section on Ride the Wind is amazing. Generally instrumentals are amazing, vocals and string section date it a bit but not too much. Best track - Darkness, Darkness, Sunlight, Beautiful, Trillium, Quicksand 4 or 5 stars - constantly surprising and decent songwriting, with some great standout tracks. Call it 4, some great tracks and some amazing passages in others.
I was worried at first when it said there was a bit of country rock. However, turned out fine. Folky like other albums of its time.
Solid folk rock album
2.8 2x
This was a little bit funky, a little bit psychedelic, a little bit country, and a little bit guitar solo. And I liked it a little bit, maybe even more than a little bit, but nothing particularly struck me enough that I think I would ever go back to it. Like so many others it was enjoyable in the moment but not that impressionable overall.
Agradable album, lindo de escuchar. Onda Beatlera, muy influenciado. No los conocía para nada. Me gustó
Some great tracks & a bunch of filler. 3.5
This was an interesting listen. Starts out as folk/country, but branches out into more jazz, psychedelia, and electric piano solos at points. Very fitting for 1969 I guess! But just another "huh, neat" album at the end of the day.
Cool album. Liked the beginning but then the rest just kinda turned into background noise
Hippie band discovers Jazz chords; blues at 11.
Weirdly enjoyable - a mix between psychedelic and east coast mellow rock. I like it
Surprisingly refreshing and funky with bluesy undertones. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would!
7 - GOOD
It took me a second to get this album, but I ended up enjoying this album solidly enough!
Great sound, easy listening, nothing too pretentious but creative enough to be interesting
I never really heard songs I knew as The Youngbloods - "Darkness, Darkness" sounds familiar. This was actually pretty good. Not that Psychie or Folksie and had some real nice songs. "Ride the Wind". Only a 3 but a strong 3. did it for me
I wasn’t familiar with this band. Opens strong with “Darkness, Darkness.” Not as much into “On Sir Francis Drake,” but can tell the band was full of talented musicians.
There was nothing really special about this, but it was an enjoyable listen.
Not my thing.
Good
6.5/10
Much better than I expected but still nothing special
Behageligt og let plimmene lyt. ikke noget jeg husker imorgen dog.
Et virkelig rodet album der vil alt muligt. Når det bliver psych-blueset virker det rigtig fint. Men country, bossanova osv. gider jeg ikke.
Decent
A group I have never heard of before. Did enjoy this, would certainly investigate more of The Youngbloods
Good album.
From their own Spotify page: "The Youngbloods could not be considered a major 60s band" I agree. Are there any bands that released an album in 1969 that aren't on this list? Didn't hate it. Won't listen to it again.
just about enjoyable. maybe cool 70's rock is saturated for me right now but it wasn't a standout. the keyboard jam sessions were a bit excessive. favorite song is Smug or Sham
Rating: 4/10 Pretty boring, just kinda noodling along and nothing memorable really stuck out. Forgetting this one
Pretty nice 60s rock with enough original ideas to keep me happy. I liked the first half of the album a little more in general, but overall a good 6.6/10
Really enjoyed the jam sessions
Unexciting, bland, can’t imagine what makes this exemplary enough to make this list. A couple okay songs, but how does that qualify it?
Didn't expect to like this, but is melodic, emotive and easy to like.
Tämäkin bändi/albumi oli ennestään tuntematon. Ensimmäinen kappale nosti odotuksia, mutta lopulta kokonaisuus jäi vähän keskinkertaiseksi. Monet muut saman aikakauden artisteista (esim. The Doors ja Neil Young) osaavat tehdä samantyylistä musaa paljon paremmin. Ei kuitenkaan yhtään huono levy, mutta ei välttämättä kuulu tälle listalle.
Bland, boring and the tricks it was trying in 1969 already sound dated. It's like a band who just threw as much shit from 60s pop-culture and hoped some of it will stick. Bad jams, boring psychedelia, banal white boy blues, bollocks sunshine pop and laughable attempts at McCartney granny music. Genuinely have no idea why this is in here. Best Tracks: Darkness Darkness; Sunlight; Quicksand
If i was a data scientist doing this project, i'd include a variable called 'personal mood on the day' rated 1-5. This would help me account for the subjectivity i bring. If i was on a 2 or 3 on the mood score, id have said this was standard of the time, overly jazzy and pretty dull. However, i was on a mood score of about 234 yesterday so i thought this was great and tapped along to the beat, nodded enthusiastically to the noodly bits and felt like the king of the world.
cool! surprised i hadn't heard of em
Don't know what to expect here. Youngbloods lol a term that makes me think of g funks. 1969.... I liked the violin intro. Interesting, it's like country 60s rock...Hm, these guys do Get Together. Cmon people now smile on your brother...not on this album though. It has a beatles vibe to it. It's nice chill music. I don't know how some of the albums make it on to this list. This is one of them. I mean it's not shitty music but it's not like amazing you know. I like the attitude on Sham. and the guitar on it. Lot's of great instruments being used, like the xylophone on the last track, the piano through out. 3 stars.
I can imagine listening to this back in the day and having my mind blown, kinda like that tweet about Sabrina carpenter, men used to see one woman this beautiful in their lifetime and carpet bomb each other in her name, now you see 20 step sisters stuck in dryers before breakfast.
Little Bitta this little Bitta that ah record. The outro was quite nice
This album felt all over the place to me, some of it sounded like children’s album? There were a few simple songs that felt like they had potential, but overall this felt like a bit of a mess.
Didn’t get this one felt really dated, a bit all over the place. Was happy for it to end mostly.
9/10
I liked this one. it was a fun mix of rock and banjos and blues. i liked it best when that guy wasn't singing but what can you do. would probably relisten
Started real strong. Fun album!
Meh
Pretty good
Some of this is really good. Some of it is just 60s/70s instrumental noodling (but good). I wish the album was more cohesive, but it’s a showcase of different sounds. It’s a 3.
6/10
Good, but not great
Cool album. A few standout tracks, including Darkness, Darkness and Sunlight. There were a few throw-aways as well, but overall this album surprised me in a positive way.
Now THIS is more like it! A nice mix of 70's early country rock, jazz, jam band action and a big ball of fun. I must say, I'm not the biggest modern jazz fan in the world, but this does seem to do a pretty good job of skirting the biggest issues I have will jazz-influenced rock and keeps things moving and not too heady, very well.
A strange blend of styles. I liked the jazzy outro of "On Sir Francis Drake".
tentei ouvir há um tempo, chato 2/10
Meh
Sweet, another psychedelic rock band I haven't heard of before. This is the reason I like this list and put up with all the trash new wave. Starts off super strong with Darkness, Darkness. Definitely has a Jefferson Airplane vibe. The whole album isn't even, but it's pretty good. I'll probably go back to this one as I just gave it a passive listen while working. 4/5
This was all over the place. Nothing awful, nothing great. Blues heavy to my ear, which is a good thing normally.
sometimes fun, sometimes cringe, sometimes pleasant.
Not really into the folk music
This is genuinely a fun album. There are so many sounds and parts that I really like. My biggest critique is that I'm not exactly sure the Youngbloods themselves knew what they were going for. It's all over the place, sometimes to its detriment. But I really enjoyed the goofiness of it while also maintaining really beautiful chords. Feels like a forefather of yacht rock at times. Highlights: On Sir Francis Drake, Quicksand
Never heard of The Youngbloods before this one, and after listening, I’m not sure I’m any more motivated to explore them further. Track 1 (“Darkness, Darkness”) starts off promising—a moody, slightly folky atmosphere with a decent groove—but it never really goes anywhere. Unfortunately, that becomes the theme of the whole album. Everything is competent but strangely flat, like they had all the ingredients for something interesting but couldn’t quite turn it into a flavour worth remembering. The songs drift by pleasantly enough, but nothing sticks, nothing surprises, and nothing ever builds on that mildly intriguing opener. By the halfway point, it turns into background music—perfectly listenable, totally forgettable. Not bad, just… bland.
This is not terrible by any means but I can't see that it's a must-listen.
ok
A very chill and beautiful album. I enjoyed it a lot... from the soft vocals to the instrumental breaks. Never heard of them but it's nice to find something new via this site.