POLL: Greatest Albums Of 1971 (Pick Five)

I turned 15 in August of ‘71. We listened to most of these albums in real time. Can’t even imagine 14/15 year olds of today doing that. O’! To be young and have my health!

 

The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers
David Bowie, Hunky Dory
Joni Mitchell, Blue
Nick Drake, Bryter Layter
Pink Floyd, Meddle

 

No need to shout! and you scored 0 out of 5
Obviously:
Led Zep
Joni
Sly
Funkadelic
Rod

 

Others referenced in "Never A Dull Moment," the book I noted earlier in this thread on 1971 rock:

Teenage Head-Flamin' Groovies
Fireball-Deep Purple
Gene Clark-White Light
Humble Pie-Rockin' The Fillmore (which is easily as good as the Allmans' Fillmore)
John Prine-John Prine
Leon Russell-And The Shelter People
Leonard Cohen-Songs Of Love and Hate
Little Feat-Little Feat
Michael Hurley-Armchair Boogie (see my avatar!)
Moody Blues-Every Good Boy Deserves A Favour
The Move-Message From The Country
Elton John-Madman Across The Water
Don McLean-American Pie
Creedence Clearwater Revival-Pendulum

And about 40 others not listed in the poll or in this thread ... pretty incredible year, no doubt.

 

1) From the list , I go with the minority on half the albums I chose.

To start off my list of masterpieces ...Black Sabbath's MOR!


What comes next:

The Who - Who's Next
The Allmans - At Fillmore East
Cat Stevens - Teaser And The Firecat
The Doors - L.A. Woman

2) Not from this thread's poll list, my personal favourite masterpieces begin with ELP's Tarkus:


What comes next:

Le Orme - Collage
Deep Purple - Fireball
Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Popol Vuh - In den Garten Pharaos

 

This one's impossible. Can't limit to five.

 

From the list I chose:
LZ IV
Who's Next
Allmans at Fillmore
Imagine
Sticky Fingers

But these were close:
Ram
LA Woman
The Yes Album & Fragile

And these weren't even listed but should have been:
Tarkus
Broken Barricades
Nursery Cryme
Aqualung
Muswell Hillbillies
Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses)

 

3 of these tower above the rest of the other very good albums.

 

As it happens, I own exactly five of the albums listed, and since these "greatest" polls tend to be thinly-veiled "one's personal, subjective favorites" polls, the albums picked themselves.

In approximate order of how often I listen to each one:

The Yes Album
Ram
Fragile
Who's Next
Meddle

I'll note that I own the two Led Zeppelin box sets, and therefore could assemble the fourth album from its constituent parts, but it still wouldn't make my own top five.

I'll further note that, if it had been listed, Aqualung by Jethro Tull would have kicked Meddle off the podium.

 

Who's Next
Zeppelin IV
Sticky Fingers
Imagine
RAM

Hunky Dory just outside.

 

OMG! Impossible. I couldn’t live without half of the list.

 

Quietly adding King Crimson - Islands to the list in my head....

 

No Electric Warrior - T.Rex?
One the seminal albums of the 70’s.... let alone ‘71??

 

Chosen:

Voted:

Led Zeppelin, IV
Joni Mitchell, Blue
Nick Drake, Bryter Layter
Black Sabbath, Master of Reality
Yes, The Yes Album

 

My picks

Hunky Dory
Ram
Every Picture Tells a Story
Killer
Tago Mago

but.................

Miles Davis- Jack Johnson
Electric Warrior- T. Rex
Kinks- Percy
Humble Pie- Rock On
Thin Lizzy- Thin Lizzy
Trafalgar- Bee Gees
Faces- Nod is as Good as a Wink

 

Imagine
RAM
Who's Next
Sticky Fingers
Surf's Up

 

No listed but great,
Elvis Country

 

S/T - Little Feat
The Point! - Harry Nilsson
The Yes Album - Yes
Tapestry - Carole King
If I Could Only Remember My Name - David Crosby
Love It to Death - Alice Cooper
Jack Johnson - Miles Davis
Aqualung - Jethro Tull
Where I'm Coming From - Stevie Wonder
Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones
Ram - Paul & Linda McCartney
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
Every Picture Tells a Story - Rod Stewart
Tarkus - Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren - Todd Rundgren
Master of Reality - Black Sabbath
Filmore East - June 1971 - The Mothers of Invention
Who's next - The Who
Surf's Up - The Beach Boys
Imagine - John Lennon
Electric Warrior - T.Rex
S/T - Santana
200 Motels - Frank Zappa
S/T (Skull and Roses) - Grateful Dead
Meddle - Pink Floyd
Madman Across the Water
- Led Zeppelin
Live-Evil - Miles Davis
There's a RIot Goin' On - Sly and the Family Stone
Muswell Hillbillies - The Kinks
Fragile - Yes
Killer - Alice Cooper
Nilsson Schmilsson - Harry Nilsson
Straight Up - Badfinger
Hunky Dory - David Bowie

Honorable mentions:
4 Way Street - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
17-11-70 - Elton John
Relics - Pink Floyd
Aerial Pandemonium Ballet - Harry Nilsson
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy - The Who
Pictures at an Exhibition - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
The Concert for Bangladesh - Geroge Harrison and Friends
Hot Rocks 1964-1971 - The Rolling Stones

 

1. The Who, Who's Next
   
   
   
2. *
   Marvin Gaye, What's Going On
   
   
   
3. *
   Joni Mitchell, Blue
   
   
   
4. The Doors, LA Woman
   
   
   
5. The Allman Brothers Band, At Fillmore East
   
   
   No particular order, although I'd lean to the Allman Bros, Marvin Gaye and The Who...

Hon. Mention - Little Feat with Willin' as Song of the Year.

 

You could build a very satisfying record collection just from 1971.

 

Who's Next
Meddle
LA Woman

 

1971 is my favorite year in rock music.

 

Led Zeppelin IV
Sticky Fingers
Fragile
Meddle
Masters of Reality

So many others... Where's Aqualung???

What a year 1971 was!!!

 

The 70's , Beach Boys forever.