Albums of 1971
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In my efforts to make myself feel old while writing columns for Weekend Notes, I like looking back at the music from when I was, quite literally, a baby. And so we come to 1971, 50 years ago.
1971 was an interesting year for music. The 60s were well and truly over and their last remnants had passed by, but what we came to know as classic rock was on the rise and fast. Disco was still just a glint in the Philadelphia eyes of Gamble & Huff. Punk was yet to emerge from garage. The singer-songwriter was coming to the fore. And way too many great musicians died.
The thing about 1971 and its music is that what appeals to me is pretty much in one genre. So I need to apologise for that from the word go. But the other thing is that so many of the albums released in 1971 were
awesome! Some of these albums have already appeared in my columns and I could not reduce it to a simple 10. The music of 1971… was it the greatest year for music ever? Quite possibly.
So, with that all put aside, here we go. One album per artist. Released first in 1971, so no re-issues. Further, no compilations, no live albums, no half live/half studio albums, no EPS, no soundtrack albums (even if by one artist). I also included 3 key songs for each. No album was a struggle to find 3 good songs, but quite a few it was hard to cut down to only 3.
Get ready to sing along, play air guitar and lift a cigarette lighter to the air. 1971!
(In order of album title.)
A Nod Is As Good As A Wink... To A Blind Horse by Faces
Okay, I am starting with a cheat, and you'll see why in a few more albums. This is a great album by the English mod rockers, and it was apparently one of their best charting albums, which could well explain why I was exposed to it. Rod Stewart's vocals are great, the band is as tight as ever and this is just good rock record.
Key songs: '
Stay With Me', '
Debris', '
Memphis'
American Pie by Don McLean
A song known for its title track, but is so much more than that. This is a singularly beautiful album. Primarily McLean and his guitar, he has a tight backing band and utilises strings well when necessary. McLean is a masterful songwriter and his use of language and metaphor and allusion is almost unsurpassed. I say it again – beautiful.
Key songs: '
American Pie', '
Vincent ', '
Winterwood'
Aqualung by Jethro Tull
Sort of almost maybe a prog-rock album. I really can't make up my mind. The fact is, after the glory that is
Thick As A Brick, this is my second favourite Jethro Tull album. There seems to be a theme of religion throughout the tracks, and there is a mix of rock, blues, prog and everything in between. And that flute playing is
always awesome!
Key songs: '
Aqualung'. '
Hymn 43', '
Locomotive Breath'
Daddy Who?... Daddy Cool by Daddy Cool
Here's an unpopular opinion – I am not the hugest fan of Daddy Cool. When it comes to leader Ross Wilson, I prefer his later Mondo Rock, and I found some of the songs annoying, probably because Australian radio played them to death. But I was given a copy of this, their debut, in the late 90s and I understood it better – it's a love letter to the 50s. And it has my favourite Daddy Cool song on it: not '
Eagle Rock', but '
Bom Bom'. Yeah, I have grown to appreciate this album.
Key songs: '
Daddy Cool', '
Eagle Rock', '
Bom Bom'
Electric Warrior by T.Rex
The second album as T.Rex (they had a few beforehand as Tyrannosaurus Rex) is getting close to their peak. The guitars chug along and the lyrics are verging on crude. Glam rock started here, and only grew bigger and bigger, and yet the underlying hard rock is hard to ignore. Guitars dominate, drums are right up in the mix and Bolan's voice soars. The reissue has a heap of extra tracks, but I am only looking at the original on vinyl (which is sitting right beside me).
Key songs: '
Cosmic Dancer', '
Jeepster', '
Get it On'
Every Picture Tells A Story by Rod Stewart
This is where the cheat comes in because I could not leave out this magnificent album, from the lead singer of The Faces. This rocking album is one of the reasons why Stewart is still regarded as one of the best singers of this time, even if the most well-known song is a sort of ballad about a young guy singing to a much older woman he is sleeping with. However, the thing for me is that the title track of this album is my favourite Stewart song and one of my favourites ever. But every song here is worth your time.
Key songs: '
Every Picture Tells A Story', '
Maggie May', '
(Find A) Reason To Believe'
Fragile by Yes
Yes released two albums in 1971, and this is, in my opinion, the better of the two. It is very prog rock and it soars and sails. There is a reworking of a Brahms piece that Rick Wakeman has since dismissed, but I like, but there is so much good music here. The band were showing that their musicianship was the equal to, and the superior of, many of their peers. This album is almost a musicians' album. It is still great.
Key songs: '
Roundabout', '
Long Distance Runaround', '
Heart Of The Sunrise'
Hunky Dory by David Bowie
One of
David Bowie's best albums with some of his very best songs, this is one beloved by fans and non-fans alike. To me, this was the first album where his experimentation really paid off and he started making consistently good music on his albums, with intelligent lyrics, great musicianship, and amazing production. The opening song, '
Changes' is a masterpiece.
Key songs: '
Changes', '
Oh! You Pretty Things', '
Life On Mars?'
Imagine by John Lennon
After the break-up of
The Beatles , people were expecting Lennon to come out with all guns blazing, but instead, we get this thoughtful and intelligent and loving and peace-filled album ('
How Do you Sleep?' aimed at McCartney notwithstanding). The title track has gone down as an all-time classic (who would have thought the Communist manifesto would be so popular?) but the album is far more than that. It is another beautiful release.
Key songs: '
Imagine', '
Jealous Guy', '
Oh Yoko!'
L.A. Woman by The Doors
My favourite Doors album. I own it on cassette, as when I discovered classic rock in my teens, this was one of the first albums I knew I had to buy. A mixture of blues and rock with the incredible lyrics of Jim Morrison right at the forefront, the Doors were such a tight outfit that even Morrison's alleged issues did not affect this. Some of their best known songs feature here and yet as a whole, the album flows so well.
Key songs: '
Love Her Madly', '
L.A. Woman', '
Riders On The Storm'
Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
I have written an
entire column about this album , and I am not going to repeat that here, but every song is brilliant and this is one of the peaks of rock. Music has rarely reached these heights again. One of the best albums ever made.
Key songs: '
Black Dog', '
The Battle Of Evermore', '
Stairway To Heaven'
'Meddle' by Pink Floyd
Before they really hit their world straddling strides with the 1-2 punch of
Dark Side Of The Moon and
Wish You Were Here , Pink Floyd showed their intentions with this album that still holds up today. Much like Mike Oldfield years later, side two is one track ('
Echoes'), but the songs on side one are still really strong as well. With the value of hindsight, you can see where they were going and when they got there… wow. But this as a prelude, yes. Great.
Key Songs: '
One Of These Days', '
Fearless', '
Echoes'
Nilsson Schmilsson by Nilsson
Before he and John Lennon started to work together, Harry Nilsson released this, his finest album. Laidback rock,
power ballads , straight up rock, this album has a bit of everything. He is an under-rated songwriter and singer and this album shows what he was truly capable of. Apparently, he was a classically trained tenor with some amazing range, and some of his later albums showed some interesting experimentation, but this is just an album of good songs well-delivered.
Key songs: '
Without You', '
Coconut', '
Jump Into The Fire'
Pearl by Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin's last album, finished and released
after her death , and recorded with the Full Tilt Boogie Band. She had a unique voice and she could belt out a track, but she could also sing and make you really feel. This album features some of her absolute finest tracks, and her passing deprived the world of a true talent. However, even without the morbid undertones, this is still such a good album by a talented performer.
Key songs: '
Cry Baby', '
Me And Bobby McGee', '
Mercedes Benz'
Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones hit the 1970s running. With one of the best ever live albums in 1970, they then released this one, and showed they were still there. It was as though they saw the demise of The Beatles and decided they had a mantle to take on. This album, blues-rock and powerful as anything, led them into the 70s. Yes, their 80s and 90s output may not have been the best, but their more recent releases have been great. They're back. Can they match this? Who knows, but if they do, they will once again rule the roost.
Key songs: '
Brown Sugar', '
Wild Horses', '
Sister Morphine'
Tapestry by Carole King
Oh, come on – you knew this one was going to be here! This is considered one of the greatest albums of the 70s by many critics, and it is easy to make an argument for that. King wrote some great songs for this, her voice is beautiful, and it still stands the test of time. After re-listening to the album for this column, it is so easy to see where Taylor Swift's
folklore album got its inspiration. 50 years on the album is still inspiring great music in its wake. That is the strength and power of
Tapestry. It is inspirational.
Key songs: '
I Feel the Earth Move', '
You've Got A Friend', '
Will You Love Me Tomorrow?'
Teaser And The Firecat by Cat Stevens
The fourth or fifth album by Cat Stevens, he really hit his peak in not only song-writing but also musicianship. His guitar playing had improved and the message of a desire for peace permeates everything. That might seem twee looking back with the hindsight of 50 years, but you want to believe him. He
means what he is singing.
Key songs: '
Morning Has Broken', '
Moonshadow', '
Peace Train '
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
Okay, I am going to be honest – a few of the tracks here don't do it for me. But I am not going to let an album this important – a pure protest album, one of the strongest ever recorded up till that time, maybe with very few to match it since – stay off this list. This album spoke to people and made people take notice of the state of the world. Unfortunately, recent years have shown us that little has changed, but listening to this you have to wonder why it did not change. The power here, the passion here, it is tangible.
Key songs: '
What's Going On', '
Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)', '
Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)'
The Marvin Gaye estate releasing this updated video really does show that things have not changed…
Who's Next by The Who
Another album I have written
an entire column about already , this album from The Who is, in my opinion, their very best, with not a bad track there. All the songs are good or better and it is one of the best albums ever recorded.
Key songs: '
Baba O'Riley', '
Behind Blue Eyes', '
Won't Get Fooled Again'
As I said, some critics argue that 1971 was the greatest year in music. Looking at these albums, and considering those I did not mention because I did not like enough tracks on them, it is easy to put forward a strong case. It might be 50 years ago, but every single one of these albums would still stand up today. They stand the test of time, if you will.
Please feel free to add your own in the comments section. 1971 was a great year and you might like the releases from James Taylor, The Beach Boys, Stephen Stills, Paul McCartney, Sly And The Family Stone more than I did. Great. This is all subjective. But I hope you enjoyed this list.
Happy listening!
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84400 - 2023-06-11 06:54:01