There was no era quite like the 1960s. Countless incredible, long-loved albums were released during this decade. A few albums, though, could be credited with changing the trajectory of pop and rock music for good. Let's enjoy a brief history lesson and look at a few influential albums that changed music in the 1960s!

Just keep in mind that this particular list is far from exhaustive. The 1960s was an incredible era for music, after all.

Few bands embody the energy and history of the 1960s quite like The Beach Boys. And you just can't beat their incredible, massively influential 1966 record Pet Sounds.

After listening to The Beatles' famed album Rubber Soul, Brian Wilson decided it was time to create an album that could match the power of British Invasion bands at the time. They did more than that with Pet Sounds, which has since gone on to become one of the most revered progressive pop records of all time.

One of the most influential proto-punk albums of the 1960s, The Stooges' 1969 debut self-titled album rocked the world in a major way. The Stooges, mainly through the insane on-stage presence of Iggy Pop, created music that bridged the gap between rock music and anarchism in a jarring, often violent way.

In a way, The Stooges' first album is as important as the original lineup's live performances, which teetered on the edge of potentially dangerous performance art.

In The Court Of The Crimson King by King Crimson doesn't get brought up enough in conversations about influential albums from the 1960s. King Crimson isn't exactly underrated, but they certainly deserve their flowers.

This 1969 album turned rock music into an art form all of its own. You can literally hear each member of the band push themselves to a brand new level of artistry. You'll hear a lot of elements on this record, from jazz to blues to classical music to even avant-garde elements.

This would not be a good list of influential albums from the 1960s without mentioning at least one Beatles record.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band earns a spot on this list because there was simply nothing like it at the time of its release in 1966. Psychedelia was definitely at its peak, don't get us wrong. But no band had blended together such beautiful soundscapes in psychedelic rock with pop and art rock like The Beatles did with this beautifully produced album.

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