Albums Released in 1971... Celebrating Their 40th Anniversary in 2011

2010 was a banner year for all things 40th Anniversary Edition! If 2011 is to follow suit, we are all in for a treat. Briefly scanning the list-Alice Cooper-Yes- gave us "killer" albums!

 

Second note, I cannot live without 'Tupelo Honey' and 'Who's Next'!

 

Some real goodies on that list.

About ten years back, I got an e-mail out of the blue from John Stannard of Tudor Lodge. He was surfing the 'net and noticed that I'd played some of his music on my radio programme. He sent me a number of new CDs over the years as he was still active under the Tudor Lodge banner.

 

I roughly counted down the list and... have about 115 or so of these. yikes. Thats just one (great) year.

 

Brilliant year of music, brilliant list by you Chris, thanks for that. No wonder I couldn't buy all I wanted at the time. Of course we all thought this groundbreaking trend would continue of course going forward, need to check what I own from '72 now.

 

Four Partridge Family albums in one year! Woo-hoo!

 

Thanks for the list. That was an incredible year for music.

 

Some great albums. The first one that always comes to mind is the stellar Who's Next.

 

The Morning After...The J Geils Band

 

.

 

Bee Gees - Trafalgar
Carpenters - Carpenters
Grand Funk Railroad - E Pluribus Funk
Grand Funk Railroad - Survival
The Jackson 5 - Goin' Back to Indiana
The Jackson 5 - Greatest Hits
The Jackson 5 - Maybe Tomorrow
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
Michael Nesmith - Nevada Fighter
The Osmonds - Homemade
The Osmonds - Phase III
The Partridge Family - Up to Date
The Partridge Family - Sound Magazine
The Partridge Family - A Partridge Family Christmas Card
Bobby Sherman - Portrait Of Bobby
T.Rex - Electric Warrior

These are some of my faves from that year.

Darryl

 

Partridge Family - Shopping Bag came out in January of '72.

Darryl

 

I agree -- a great year for albums, in my next-to-last year of high school. And, in my naivety, I figured, "wow, every year will always be like this for decades to come!" Didn't happen.

 

Definitely a great year for albums. It was the start of an era where I started thinking in terms of complete albums rather than singles from an artist.

 

I would love to see deluxe 40th Anniversary reissues of this type of material each year.

 

I was thinking the very same thing. I Would Love to See Many of the Albums From 1971 Made into Deluxe Edition 2 Disc Sets. It's amazing how great so many of the albums that were released in the early 70's period that are still well known to this day.

 

The fact that this music & the music before it was created by talent & not by special effects shows how great it still is & how we were so lucky to have grown up at a time when all of it was new.

 

Hard to believe it's been almost 40 years! 1971 was my 4th year working in record distribution, and things were booming for us. In 1970 we had bought a bigger building (a former grocery store) to use as our new warehouse, but we were already outgrowing it. Lots of changes happening with the labels at this time too. The former Kinney labels, previously distributed through regional independents, had gone into self-distribution with a branch system. There was a good buzz about them from the beginning, but WEA soon became the company doing everything right.

Lots of great albums sure came out then. My favorite from 1971 wasn't really a big seller, but it still is one of my all time favorites The Sun, Moon & Herbs (Atco SD 33-362) by Dr. John, the Night Tripper. I was already a big fan, but this album was really special to me. Other than the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's, I can't think of any other album I ever listened to as thoroughly as this one. Lots of great musicians helping out.

I can't remember for certain if this album was in WEA's first batch of new releases or not, but it was somewhere near their very beginning as a distributor. I sure wish I could go back to this time for a week or two. It was a great time to be in the record business.

 

Same here. I have an aching soft spot for 1969, because of "Abbey Road", "Tommy", "Led Zeppelin II", etc. But, especially since I tend towards ecclecticism in music, when I think of 1971, this year presents the striking feature of being still the "classic rock" era while branching out (successfully) in a thousand new directions. For me it's hard to beat!

 

Thanks to everybody who mentioned more titles for the original list. Here is the update including those titles. I put a note next to Fragile by Yes which explains the difference between the UK and US release date. The good news is that it can also appear in the 1972 listing for next year.


Record Albums Released in 1971 (v2.0)
(note that release dates in North American and Europe may vary)

A

The Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East
Amboy Dukes - Survival of the Fittest (Live)
Amon Düül II - Tanz der Lemminge
Lynn Anderson - Rose Garden
April Wine - April Wine
Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel
Asoka - Asoka
Atomic Rooster - In Hearing of Atomic Rooster
Brian Auger - Oblivion Express
Kevin Ayers - Whatevershebringswesing

B

Burt Bacharach - s/t
Badfinger - Straight Up
Joan Baez - Blessed Are...
The Band - Cahoots
Bang - Bang
Barclay James Harvest - Once Again
Count Basie - Afrique
Count Basie - Have a Nice Day
Shirley Bassey - Something Else
The Beach Boys - Surf's Up
The Jeff Beck Group - Rough and Ready
Bee Gees - Trafalgar
Chuck Berry - San Francisco Dues
Birth Control - Operation
Black Oak Arkansas - Black Oak Arkansas
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
Black Widow - Black Widow
Carla Bley & Paul Haines - Escalator over the Hill
Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears 4
Blue Cheer - Oh! Pleasant Hope
Booker T & the MG's - Melting Pot
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Bread - Manna
Edgar Broughton Band - Edgar Broughton Band
James Brown - Hot Pants
James Brown - Sho Is Funky Down Here
James Brown - Super Bad
Jack Bruce - Harmony Row
Jack Bruce - Things We Like
Budgie - Budgie
Eric Burdon & Jimmy Witherspoon - Guilty!
The Byrds - Byrdmaniax
The Byrds - Farther Along


C

Cactus -One Way...Or Another
Cactus - Restrictions
John Cale & Terry Riley - Church of Anthrax
Can - Tago Mago
Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band - Mirror Man (material recorded in 1967)
Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink
Carpenters - Carpenters
Johnny Cash - Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
Johnny Cash - Little Fauss and Big Halsy
Johnny Cash - Man in Black
Johnny Cash - The Man, The World, His Music
Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis - Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis Sing Hank Williams
Ray Charles - Volcanic Action of My Soul
Chase - Chase
Chicago - Chicago at Carnegie Hall
Chicago - Chicago III
Chicken Shack - Imagination Lady
The Chi-Lites - (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People
Gene Clark - White Light
Jimmy Cliff - Another Cycle
Cluster - Cluster
Bruce Cockburn - High Winds, White Sky
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate
Ornette Coleman - Twins
John Coltrane - Sun Ship (recorded 1965)
Judy Collins - Living
Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band - No Roses
Colosseum - Colosseum Live
Rita Coolidge - Nice Feelin'
Rita Coolidge - Rita Coolidge
Alice Cooper - Killer
Alice Cooper - Love It to Death
Chick Corea - Piano Improvisations Vol. 1
Chick Corea - Piano Improvisations Vol. 2
Crazy Horse - Crazy Horse
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 4 Way Street
David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name
King Curtis - Live at Fillmore West
Curved Air - Second Album



D

Dando Shaft - Dando Shaft
Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
Miles Davis - Live-Evil
Deep Purple - Fireball
Delaney & Bonnie - Motel Shot
Sandy Denny - The North Star Grassman and the Ravens
John Denver - Poems, Prayers and Promises
Neil Diamond - Stones
Bo Diddley - Another Dimension
Dion DiMucci - You're Not Alone
Dr. John - The Sun, Moon & Herbs
The Dog That Bit People - The Dog That Bit People
Donovan - H.M.S. Donovan
The Doobie Brothers - The Doobie Brothers
The Doors - L.A. Woman
The Doors - Other Voices
Dust - Dust
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. Ii

E

Earth, Wind & Fire - Earth, Wind & Fire
Egg - The Polite Force
Electric Light Orchestra - The Electric Light Orchestra (aka No Answer)
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition
John Entwistle - Smash Your Head Against the Wall

F

Faces - A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse
Faces - Long Player
Fairport Convention - Angel Delight
Family -Fearless
Faust - Faust
The 5th Dimension - Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes
Ella Fitzgerald - Ella à Nice
Roberta Flack - Quiet Fire
Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head
Fleetwood Mac - Future Games
Flower Travellin' Band - Satori
The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Flying Burrito Brothers
Focus - Moving Waves
Aretha Franklin - Aretha Live at Fillmore West
Aretha Franklin - Aretha's Greatest Hits
Free - Free Live!
Frumpy - 2
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
Fuzzy Duck - Fuzzy Duck

G

Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson
Rory Gallagher - Deuce
Rory Gallagher - Rory Gallagher
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
The J. Geils Band - The Morning After
Gila – Gila
Genesis - Nursery Cryme
Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste
Golden Earring - Seven Tears
Grand Funk Railroad - E Pluribus Funk
Grand Funk Railroad - Survival
Grateful Dead - Grateful Dead (live)
Grateful Dead - Historic Dead Live 1966
Al Green - Al Green Gets Next to You
Grin - Grin
Gordon Lightfoot - Summer Side of Life
Groundhogs - Split
The Guess Who - So Long, Bannatyne
Guru Guru - Hinten

H

Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around the Country
Tom T. Hall - In Search of a Song
Peter Hammill - Fool's Mate
John Hammond - Source Point
Roy Harper - Stormcock
George Harrison and Friends - The Concert for Bangladesh
Keef Hartley Band - Overdog
Richie Havens - Alarm Clock
Hawkwind - In Search of Space
Isaac Hayes - Black Moses
Isaac Hayes - Shaft
Jimi Hendrix - The Cry of Love
Jimi Hendrix - Rainbow Bridge
Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks - Where's the Money?
The Hollies - Distant Light
Honey Cone - Soulful Tapestry
Honey Cone - Sweet Replies
John Lee Hooker - Goin' Down Highway 51
John Lee Hooker - Mad Man Blues
John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat - Hooker 'n Heat
Hot Tuna - First Pull Up, Then Pull Down
Howlin' Wolf - The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions
Humble Pie - Performance Rockin' the Fillmore
Humble Pie - Rock On


I

If - If 3
Incredible String Band - Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air


J

The Jackson 5 - Goin' Back to Indiana
The Jackson 5 - Greatest Hits
The Jackson 5 - Maybe Tomorrow
Jade Warrior - Jade Warrior
Jade Warrior - Released
James Gang - James Gang Live in Concert
James Gang - Thirds
Jefferson Airplane - Bark
Waylon Jennings - The Taker/Tulsa
Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Billy Joel - Cold Spring Harbor
Elton John - 11-17-70 (aka 17-11-70)
Elton John - "Friends" Soundtrack
Elton John - Madman Across the Water
Tom Jones - Tom Jones Sings She's a Lady
Janis Joplin - Pearl
Joy of Cooking - Closer to the Ground
Joy of Cooking - Joy of Cooking

K

Eddie Kendricks - All By Myself
B.B. King - Live in Cook County Jail
Carole King - Music
Carole King - Tapestry
King Crimson - Islands
The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies
The Kinks - Percy
Kluster - Eruption (live)
Kluster - Zwei-Osterei
Gladys Knight & The Pips - If I Were Your Woman
Gladys Knight & The Pips - Standing Ovation
Kris Kristofferson - The Silver Tongued Devil and I
Fela Kuti - Live! (with Ginger Baker)
Fela Kuti - Why Black Man Dey Suffer?

L

The Last Poets - This is Madness
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
Leaf Hound - Growers Of Mushroom
John Lennon - Imagine
Lindisfarne - Fog on the Tyne
Little Feat - Little Feat
Jon Lord - Gemini Suite

M

Taj Mahal - Happy Just To Be Like I Am
Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame
The Mamas & the Papas - People Like Us
Man -Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In?
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Soul Revolution
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Soul Revolution II
John Martyn - Bless the Weather
May Blitz - The 2nd Of May
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live!
Curtis Mayfield - Roots
Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney - Ram
MC5 - High Time
Don McLean - American Pie
Melanie - Gather Me
Melanie - The Good Book
Steve Miller Band - Rock Love
Mr. Fox - The Gypsy
Joni Mitchell - Blue
The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey
Mott the Hoople - Brain Capers
Mott the Hoople - Wildlife
Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride
The Move - Message from the Country
Mungo Jerry - Electronically Tested
Mungo Jerry - You Don't Have to Be in the Army
Anne Murray - Talk It Over in the Morning

N

Graham Nash - Songs for Beginners
Nazareth - Nazareth
Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band - Rudy the Fifth
Willie Nelson - Yesterday's Wine
Michael Nesmith - Nevada Fighter
Randy Newman - Randy Newman Live
New Riders of the Purple Sage - New Riders of the Purple Sage
Olivia Newton-John - If Not for You
The Nice - Elegy
Harry Nilsson - Aerial Pandemonium Ballet
Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson - The Point!
Laura Nyro - Gonna Take a Miracle

O

Ocean - Put Your Hand in the Hand
Yoko Ono - Fly
Le Orme - Collage
Osibisa - Osibisa
Osibisa - Woyaya
The Osmonds - Homemade
The Osmonds - Phase III
Gilbert O'Sullivan - Himself

P

Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colors
The Partridge Family - A Partridge Family Christmas Card
The Partridge Family - Sound Magazine
The Partridge Family - Up to Date
Pentangle - Reflection
Pink Floyd - Meddle
Pink Floyd - Relics
Poco - Deliverin'
Poco - From the Inside
Michel Polnareff - Polnareff's
Elvis Presley - C'mon Everybody
Elvis Presley - Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas
Elvis Presley - Love Letters from Elvis
Elvis Presley - You'll Never Walk Alone
John Prine - John Prine
Procol Harum - Broken Barricades

Q

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Quicksilver

R

Bonnie Raitt - Bonnie Raitt
The Rascals - Peaceful World
The Rascals - Search and Nearness
Renaissance - Illusion
REO Speedwagon - REO Speedwagon
Emitt Rhodes - The American Dream
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - One Dozen Roses
The Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks 1964-1971
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
Diana Ross - Surrender
Todd Rundgren - Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren
Leon Russell - Leon Russell and the Shelter People
Mitch Ryder - Detroit

S

Buffy Sainte-Marie - She Used to Want to Be a Ballerina
Pharoah Sanders - Thembi
Mongo Santamaria - Afro Roots
Santana - Santana III
Savoy Brown - Street Corner Talking
Boz Scaggs - Boz Scaggs & Band
Boz Scaggs - Moments
Second Hand - Death May Be Your Santa Claus
Carly Simon - Anticipation
Carly Simon - Carly Simon
Valerie Simpson - Exposed
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra & Company
Sir Lord Baltimore - Sir Lord Baltimore
Skid Row - 34 Hours
Sly & the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On
Soft Machine - Fourth
Sparks (as Halfnelson) - Halfnelson
Spirogyra - St. Radigunds
Jimmie Spheeris - Isle of View
Status Quo - Dog of Two Head
Steeleye Span - Please to See the King
Steeleye Span - Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again
Cat Stevens - Teaser and the Firecat
Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story
Stephen Stills - Stephen Stills 2
Dennis Stoner - s/t
Stoney & Meat Loaf - Stoney & Meatloaf
Barbra Streisand - Barbra Joan Streisand
Barbra Streisand - Stoney End
The Stylistics - The Stylistics
Sun Ra - Pictures of Infinity
Supertramp - Indelibly Stamped
Sweet - Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be

T

Tangerine Dream - Alpha Centauri
James Taylor - James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine (recorded ‘66-'67)
James Taylor - Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon
Kate Taylor - Sister Kate
Livingston Taylor - Liv
The Temptations - Sky's the Limit
Ten Years After - A Space in Time
Thin Lizzy - Thin Lizzy
Three Dog Night - Golden Bisquits
Three Dog Night - Harmony
Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Traffic - Welcome to the Canteen (live)
T.Rex - Electric Warrior
Tudor Lodge - Tudor Lodge

U

UFO - UFO 2: Flying
The Undisputed Truth - Face To Face With The Truth
Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself
Uriah Heep - Salisbury

V

Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts


W

War - All Day Music
War - War
Dionne Warwick - The Dionne Warwicke Story
Muddy Waters - They Call Me Muddy Waters
The Way We Live - A Candle For Judith
Weather Report - Weather Report
Jimmy Webb - And So: On
Tony Joe White - Tony Joe White
The Who - Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
The Who - Who's Next
Andy Williams - Love Story
Wings - Wild Life
Edgar Winter - Edgar Winter's White Trash
Johnny Winter and - Live
Wishbone Ash - Pilgrimage
Bill Withers - Just as I Am
Stevie Wonder - Where I'm Coming From
Link Wray - Link Wray

Y

Yes - Fragile (released 11/71 in UK, 1/72 in US)
Yes - The Yes Album

Z

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Fillmore East, June 1971
Frank Zappa - 200 Motels Soundtrack
ZZ Top - ZZ Top's First Album

 

Tim Hardin's "Bird on a Wire" was released in "71" according to All Music
so was Rita Coolidge's first S/T album
and Lee Michaels "Fifth"
and Linda Ronstadt"s self titled album

 

The Rita Coolidge is already on the list. If those other dates are correct, I'll need to do a v3.0 of the list at some point.

Cheers,
Chris

 

I thought ZZ top came out in 1970????

 

Sorry I looked in the R's, not C's for Rita. I'll make it up by adding
Pearls Before Swine "Beautiful Lies You Could Live" and "City of Gold" and
John Stewart "Lonesome Picker Rides Again" and "Sunstorm".

 

1971 - The year I graduated from high school. I have many on the list that I bought that year and play them often.