The ‘60s are often dubbed rock music’s Golden Age, but if you think about it, the ‘70s have made more of a lasting impact for classic album lovers. It’s the likes of Rumours, Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin IV and Who’s Next, that still hoovers up all the airplay, pop culture references and bedroom posters. When people talk about albums from the '60s, they’re usually not even discussing the whole decade – well-known landmark records are virtually non-existent ‘til 1965, and it’s only from 1967 on that you start to consistently notice them.

On one level, people’s selective ‘60s-love makes sense: rock ‘n’ roll spent the first half of the decade “growing up”, and the era’s best bands all took varying amounts of time to reach full maturity. On the other hand, rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t designed to be “mature” music in the first place. And those who ignore the hidden glories of 1963 through to 1966 are really missing out. All the ‘70s albums I just mentioned were brought out by bands who released far less remembered debuts in the ‘60s. Led Zeppelin I gets all the kudos today, but it’s arguably 1965’s My Generation that took more risks and broke more rules. In fact, it’s one of the most groundbreaking albums of the decade.

This is the record that brought all The Who’s previous innovations - the crunch of “I’m the Face”, the anarchic noise of “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”, the all-out chaos of the title track - together in one LP, a format that was already well on the way to becoming rock ‘n’ roll’s version of a novel or a feature-length film. It was one of the first albums to feature the power chord, which went on to become the building-block of basically all classic rock and punk (turns out the two halves of the ‘70s have something in common after all).

It’s also the first album to show off what feedback could really do – yes, The Beatles technically beat the Londoners to the punch with “I Feel Fine”, but there’s no comparison between the Fabs’ five seconds of toe-dipping and the no-holds-barred wildness of “The Ox". It became the inspiration for The Velvet Underground and Nico, Hendrix's Are You Experienced, and all guitar music that eschews traditional soloing in favour of dissonance and noise.

If the album revolutionises guitar music, it’s no less groundbreaking in its approach to the rhythm section. The title track features rock’s first – and perhaps best – bass solo, but bassist, John Entwistle,  shines on every cut, playing fat, slinky lines that are mixed about as high as contemporary recording equipment can take. Then there’s that pummelling, pounding, bashing, battering percussion. Drummer, Keith Moon’s incessant jungle-like tom-tom-fills serve as maximum Rhythm and Blues. Nicky Hopkins’ stellar piano work also deserves a shout out. OK, he isn’t technically a member of the band, but as one of rock’s great session players he always manages to give each song exactly what it needs. Since rock ‘n’ roll never sounded quite like this before, it follows that the piano never sounded quite like this either. Listen to the balls-to-the-wall aggression of the introduction to “It’s Not True”, or the viciousness of “The Ox”. These parts are the precursor to the atonal battering of The Velvet Underground’s coda to “Waiting for the Man”.

Lead vocalist Roger Daltrey was still several years and many opera lessons away from the holler he’d perfect by 1971, but his vocals in 1965 are actually more innovative. By taking the arrogant sneer pioneered by Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan and adding a healthy dose of street thuggishness (unlike the other two, this guy could actually knock you out cold), he invents punk singing ten years before punk. Throw in the power chords and the angry generation-gap lyrics of “My Generation” and you’ve got yourself a recipe that the Pistols were to inherit ready-made. This said, calling My Generation the “first punk album” doesn’t do it justice. It has a lot more going for it than that. Take “La-La-La-Lies” and the gorgeous “The Kids Are Alright”, among the first examples of power pop and the power ballad respectively. It’s as if the band vowed to see The Beatles' “It Won’t Be Long” and “Any Time At All” and raise them a couple of ferocious midsections and an insane drummer. Or “The Good’s Gone”, which takes the ominous drone of “Ticket to Ride” and adds more ominousness and droning - the song’s almost psychedelic.

The album’s diversity doesn’t always work in its favour. The James Brown covers prove that soul and Daltrey’s voice don’t have much to do with each other, and his delivery is equally awkward on “I’m a Man” – although it’s worth suffering through his vocals to get to the second half of the song, where the musicians forget the blues and tear it up Who-style. These are small complaints. For most of the album the band knows exactly what it’s doing, and practically all the major Who elements are already in place here: memorable riffs, melodic beauty, group jamming, gorgeous harmonies, and those streetwise, funny lyrics, which are already as jaded as they would ever be:

"I don't mind other guys dancing with my girl / that's fine, I know them all pretty well / but I know sometimes I must get out in the light / better leave her behind with the kids, they're alright / the kids are alright."

Along with other lyrical greats of the time like Dylan, Lennon and Ray Davies, Townshend projected the world-weariness of an eighty-year-old drifter in his early twenties. But there’s nothing weary about the music. If one thing sums up My Generation, it is the energy: the unhinged, catchy, heavy, poppy, infectious energy. 

My Generation is available via Amazon & iTunes.

The Hot Five – My favourite new tracks of the week, usually rounded off with a classic, obscure or alternate track from my music collection.

Track of the week: Thom Yorke – ‘A Brain In A Bottle’

Thom Yorke clearly doesn’t lead a boring life. There I was, sat watching the Ryder Cup on relaxing Friday when the news breaks: there’s a new Thom Yorke album, it’s called Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, and it’s out now via BitTorrent. With a recent history of unusual album releases and a series of mysterious tweets from the studio where Radiohead have recently regrouped, many fans were right to be on their guard. Thom Yorke’s solo material generally takes a slightly different route to that of Radiohead. Sometimes this more electronic-based composition style is unfairly criticized, but Thom Yorke will demonstrate time and time again his natural talent for creating delicate melodies over a variety of innovative sonic backdrops.

Lorde – ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’

I can’t imagine there are many people that haven’t heard of The Hunger Games or Lorde, so I’ll keep this one short and sweet. ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’ is the lead song from the soundtrack to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. It’s been 12 months since Lorde’s critically acclaimed debut Pure Heroine. In that time she has firmly established herself as one of the most vibrant and current female artists in music today, with her latest track only adding to a reputation that I’m sure will continue to grow.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 will be released in cinemas worldwide on November 21, 2014.

The Who – ‘Be Lucky’

The Who are kicking off their 50^th anniversary celebrations with ‘Be Lucky’, their first new track since 2006. With WHO HITS 50, the new greatest hits album, being released on 3rd November to coincide with the band’s anniversary tour of the same name, it’s sure to be a big year for The Who. ‘Be Lucky’ is an old school track with modern cultural references to Daft Punk and AC/DC. The track was produced by Dave Eringa, who recently worked with Roger Daltrey on his 2014 album with Wilko Johnson, Going Back Home. In keeping with their ongoing support for Teenage Cancer charities, the band have donated their royalties from the song to Teen Cancer America, a charity founded in 2011 by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend.

ETCHES – ‘Ice Cream Dream Machine’

‘Ice Cream Dream Machine’ is the brand new second single from Liverpool band ETCHES. I’m going to be frank for a minute: The song title is weird. The video is a bit weird. The music? Well, it’s bloody great. The vocal has character, and I love the atmospheric production of the track. ETCHES are demonstrating great potential, it’ll be good to see what they come up with next. ‘Ice Cream Dream Machine’ is released on October 13^th via CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH with supporting shows at St Pancras Old Church, London (Oct 1) and East Village Arts Club, Liverpool (Oct 2).

Hidden track of the week: Nine Below Zero – ‘Eleven Plus Eleven’

To mark the re-release of their two critically acclaimed A&M studio albums from the 1980s, Don’t Point Your Finger and Third Degree, the original line-up of Nine Below Zero have reformed for a special UK tour this autumn. The original band line-up famously appeared on the very first episode of BBC sitcom The Young Ones, which starred Rik Mayall and Ade Edmundson. ‘Eleven Plus Eleven’ was released in 1982 and appeared on Third Degree. Nine Below Zero will be touring the UK until the end of November, performing songs from the band’s first three albums only.

You can follow Tom on twitter @tom_fake.