The Mothers of Invention – Freak Out!

Music began to break the mould in the late sixties. But before Sgt Pepper and Are You Experienced?, Frank Zappa released Freak Out! It was one of the first concept albums, one of the first double albums and brought avant garde music to a world that hadn’t known anything like it before.

The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Known for the ridiculous spectacle of their live performances, the Lips’ albums are equally bizarre. The psychedelic electronica of Yoshimi, as well as telling the story of a Japanese girl fighting off killer robots, deals with some hefty topics like our apparent insignificance in the universe.

The Velvet Underground and Nico – The Velvet Underground and Nico

This album was destined from the outset to make waves. From the involvement of unorthodox artist Andy Warhol, to Lou Reed’s out of the box avant garde ideas to the controversial lyrics which discussed drug abuse and BDSM. Understandably it was a commercial flop, but it was one of the most influential albums of the time.

Primal Scream – Screamadelica

Not content with being a conventional rock band, Primal Scream mixed their sound with the electronic dance music that was popular in clubs at the time. This incredibly unconventional combination was a critical and commercial success and earned them the first ever Mercury Music Prize.