Time Machine

1968

by Bill DeVille

July 15, 2023

  Play Now [1:00:50]
The Beatles at St. Pancras Old Church in London on July 28, 1968.
The Beatles at St. Pancras Old Church in London on July 28, 1968. Apple Corps Ltd

The Time Machine visits 1968 this time. It was a banner year for both the Beatles and The Rolling Stones; they both released legendary albums. The Band and Jimi Hendrix were both still with us, and both released masterpieces. Etta James made the best album of her career. Archie Bell and the Drells taught us a dance called the Tighten Up. It was a year full of tragedy: Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated. In lighter news, Rowan and Martin's Laugh In was a popular diversion; it was the top show on TV.

Program playlist

Featured in this episode
9 of 9
Two men in suits and bow ties smiling for a photo
Promotional portrait of Dick Martin (left) and Dan Rowan for their television show, 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In,' circa 1970.
NBC Television/Getty Images
1 of 9
Beatles White Album
The Beatles' self-titled album, aka "The White Album," released November 22, 1968.
Apple Corps Ltd.
2 of 9
A squalid public toilet with lots of graffiti on the wall
'Beggars Banquet' is the seventh British and ninth American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on December 6, 1968.
Decca Records
1968