Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The Best Albums of 1971



Paradoxically, as the albums get better, my lists get shorter.

Sticky Fingers ~ The Rolling Stones
L.A. Woman ~ The Doors
Led Zeppelin IV ~ Led Zeppelin
Who's Next ~ The Who  <--- My pick
At Fillmore East ~ The Allman Brothers Band
Rockin' the Fillmore ~ Humble Pie

Runners up:

Aqualung ~ Jethro Tull
What's Going On ~ Marvin Gaye
Every Picture Tells A Story ~ Rod Stewart
Straight Up ~ Badfinger
Tupelo Honey ~ Van Morrison

Notable Singles in 1971:

American Pie ~ Don McLean
Just My Imagination ~ Temptations
Theme from "Shaft" ~ Isaac Hayes
Me and Bobby McGee ~ Janis Joplin (posthumous hit)
Bang a Gong (Get It On) ~ T. Rex
Ain't No Sunshine ~ Bill Withers
It Don't Come Easy ~ Ringo Starr
I'd Love to Change the World ~ Ten Years After
Hocus Pocus ~ Focus
I Just Want To Celebrate ~ Rare Earth

5 comments:

  1. I don't have any of the albums - I don't have any of the singles, any more, though I know I once owned American Pie and Just My Imagination (I owned the American Pie album at one time, too).

    But 1971 must've been the year I came alive because I have a vivid, fond memory of each of those singles - a place and activity when I heard those songs and the feel-good emotions that come flooding back with each title. I don't know what 1972 has in store but for me this absolutely does it.

    Do I have to pick a favorite? I'll go with Just My Imagination, not because of how it made me feel in 1971 but how it would make me feel in later years when I heard it and how appropriate it seemed to an awkward teenage boy who was too frightened to approach girls.

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  2. I have every Jethro Tull album ever made.

    And my wife never lets me play them.

    Living in the Past, Thick as a Brick, and Minstrel in the Gallery are all superior to Aqualung in my humble opinion.

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  3. I just had someone download a bunch of new songs into the stores ipod.

    I told the wife to pay attention.

    It was Saturday Night Fever soundtrack album.

    We started everyone dancing. Yeah.

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  4. I'd have put T. Rex's entire Electric Warrior album on the list. And the Carpenters' Carpenters album.

    Keep the recommendations coming!

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  5. Living in the Past, Thick as a Brick, and Minstrel in the Gallery are all superior to Aqualung in my humble opinion.

    But those albums didn't come out in 1971.

    I read halfway through the Keith Richards' autobiography on the cruise. Man were those guys self-absorbed. I actually lost a lot of respect for him reading the book so far.
    I may have to write a scathing review after I finish.

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