The Rolling Stones 1969 Let it Bleed (remastered)

Let It Bleed was released in late November 1969, as the '60s were winding down. It was the second album in the Rolling Stones' career-best run that stretched into the early '70s and also included Beggars Banquet (1968), Sticky Fingers (1971) and Exile on Main St. (1972). In a way, the album represented the end of the long, hard decade, as themes of disillusionment and a looming apocalypse prevail.

The Top 100 '60s Rock Albums represent the moment when popular music came of age. In the earliest part of the decade, bands were still regularly referencing earlier sounds and themes. By the middle, something powerful and distinct was happening, which is why the latter part of the '60s weighs so heavily on our list. A number of bands evolved alongside fast-emerging trends of blues rock, folk rock, psychedelia and hard rock, adding new complexities to the music even as the songs themselves became more topical. If there's a thread running through the Top 100 '60s Rock Albums and this period of intense change, it has to do with the forward-thinking artists who managed to echo and, in some cases, advance the zeitgeist. Along the way, legends were made.