Rocking the Holidays

1968 was turning out to be a rough year. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy had been assassinated, three days of riots in Washington DC had left 13 dead and thousands injured, and the Vietnam War was escalating. America was definitely in need of something like the calming message delivered by the Apollo 8 astronauts in a live broadcast as they orbited the moon on Christmas Eve 1968.

Comings and Goings

In the world of rock music, the holiday season was a time of new beginnings. Graham Nash left The Hollies and teamed up with The Byrds' David Crosby and Buffalo Springfield's Stephen Stills to form one of rock's first supergroups, Crosby Stills and Nash. At the same time, Nash and singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell moved into the cottage in Laurel Canyon (near Los Angeles) that would become the inspiration for the group's famous song, "Our House."

Two more Buffalo Springfield members, Richie Furay and Jim Messina, struck off to form Poco, and in November 1968, that group made its debut at The Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Apples and Acrobats

The holiday season was a time of firsts for The Beatles' fledgling Apple Records. In December, the label signed its first non-Beatle, a young American named James Taylor. The signing came just one day before the Beatles' White Album became the first Apple album to reach #1 on the UK charts.

It took two days in December to shoot the Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus. The film featured an eclectic variety of acts that included acrobats, clowns, The Who, Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Jethro Tull.

What's Hot

Atlantic Records celebrated the holiday season by announcing the signing of a "hot new English group" that called itself Led Zeppelin.

Deep Purple's Kentucky Woman, Canned Heat's Going Up the Country and The Beatles' White Album (aka The Beatles) were in the top 20 on Louisville's Radio WKLO Kentuckiana Countdown for Christmas week 1968.

1968 Holiday Season Album Releases

The Beatles - The Beatles (aka The White Album)
Big Brother & the Holding Company - Cheap Thrills
Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band - Strictly Personal
Donovan - The Hurdy Gurdy Man
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Jefferson Airplane - Crown of Creation
The Kinks - The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society
Steve Miller Band - Sailor
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Rolling Stones - Beggar's Banquet
Traffic - Traffic
The Who - Direct Hits (reissued as Portrait of The Who)