The old timers give the young'ns tips on the 60s.

After reading many of these posts, a simpler answer might be:

Look at the line-up on the 2 Woodstock album sets.

BTW, some different ways to go:

Late period doo-wop shows vocal music morphing into rock. You might consider The Showmen who worked with Allen Toussaint - a pioneer in this process.

Motown compilation. Berry Gordy's attempt to package black bands for the lucrative white audience.

Stax/Volt compilation - as above, but Southern fried and less "dressed up".

Listening to the radio and my brother spinning records during the late 60's and early 70's I grew to dislike a lot of these groups since I heard them over and over and over. One performer who I probably heard a few times but rediscovered a few years back was Tim Buckley. His music is more in the folk rock vein, but there's a sincerity to it without being too sappy.

Re The Blues Project's "Projections," here is a comment someone posted about it at Amazon.com:

The original Blues Project's only studio album "Projections" is easily one of the best rock albums to come out of the 60's. Though it is very hard to find in it's original form, it can easily be obtained by purchasing the "Anthology" CD that is offered by Amazon.com. Disk 2 of the "Anthology" contains the entire "Projections" album in its original song sequence. The rest of "Anthology" is also well worth your money, since it is loaded with their best material live, plus numerous rarities previously not available. Go there NOW to get a copy of one of the top 10 albums to come out of the 60's.

I agree. One of the best "under the radar" rock albums ever, and quintessential 1960's.
-- Al

The exciting thing about this period of music (1965-1975) was how the bands and the blues/rock/soul sound were all inter-related. Musicians would start a band, record solo, or go on to another band. Here are some great bands/albums all related in a Kevin Bacon 'Six Degrees of Separation" kind of way.

Blood Sweat & Tears - Child Is Father to the Man
Electric Flag - A Long Time Comin'
Blues Project - Live at Cafe Au Go Go
Super Session - Kooper, Stills, Bloomfield
Byrds - Fifth Dimension or Younger Than Yesterday
Gene Clark - White Light
Buffalo Springfield - Last Time Around or Retrospective
Stephen Stills - 1st solo album
Manassas

Best regards,

Rich

Agree with all those mentioned. A couple others I loved in the 60s' were Cold Blood - ahhhh Lydia, and Spirit.