Albums of 1971
The records from 1971 that made our lists.
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1Journey in SatchidanandaAlice Coltrane
Journey in Satchidananda
A serene, modal spiritual-jazz masterpiece of harp, sax and drone. Meditative and beautiful. A singular, beloved record.
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2Live in Cook County JailB.B. King
Live in Cook County Jail
A fiery prison live peak, home to a definitive 'The Thrill Is Gone'. Electric and beloved. A great live record.
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3Just as I AmBill Withers
Just as I Am
An intimate debut of acoustic-leaning soul, introducing 'Ain't No Sunshine'. Honest and understated. A quietly perfect record.
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4Master of RealityBlack Sabbath
Master of Reality
Down-tuned and even heavier, the record that seeded both doom and stoner metal. Sludgy, dark and pioneering. Essential Sabbath.
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5Tago MagoCan
Tago Mago
A sprawling, hypnotic krautrock landmark of motorik grooves and studio experiment. Influential and strange. A genre cornerstone.
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6TapestryCarole King
Tapestry
The album that defined the confessional singer-songwriter era, warm and tuneful from 'It's Too Late' to 'You've Got a Friend'. A massive, enduring seller. Comfort itself.
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7Teaser and the FirecatCat Stevens
Teaser and the Firecat
A tuneful peak, home to 'Morning Has Broken' and 'Peace Train'. Warm and beloved. A high point.
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8RootsCurtis Mayfield
Roots
A lush, socially conscious soul peak. Smooth and acclaimed. A high point.
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9Hunky DoryDavid Bowie
Hunky Dory
A songwriter's album of wit, warmth and ambition, from the shape-shifting 'Changes' to the tender 'Life on Mars?'. It arrived just before Ziggy made him famous and many devotees quietly prefer it. Piano-led, melodic and endlessly replayable.
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10FireballDeep Purple
Fireball
A heavy, energetic early-classic-era peak. Powerful and beloved. A high point.
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11Coat of Many ColorsDolly Parton
Coat of Many Colors
A tender, autobiographical country peak of plain-spoken warmth. Beautiful and beloved. A signature record.
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12Madman Across the WaterElton John
Madman Across the Water
A lush, piano-led peak, home to 'Tiny Dancer' and 'Levon'. Beautiful and acclaimed. A high point.
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13Getting Ready...Freddie King
Getting Ready...
A fiery Texas-blues peak, home to 'Going Down'. Tough and beloved. A high point.
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14Maggot BrainFunkadelic
Maggot Brain
A psychedelic-funk landmark opening with a guitar elegy for the ages. Wild and visionary. A genre cornerstone.
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15Pieces of a ManGil Scott-Heron
Pieces of a Man
A foundational fusion of soul, jazz and spoken word, home to 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised'. Sharp and influential. A proto-rap landmark.
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16Nilsson SchmilssonHarry Nilsson
Nilsson Schmilsson
A tuneful, eclectic peak, home to 'Without You' and 'Coconut'. Witty and beloved. His commercial high.
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17The London Howlin' Wolf SessionsHowlin' Wolf
The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions
A star-studded London session pairing Wolf with British rockers. Loose and beloved. A crossover record.
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18ShaftIsaac Hayes
Shaft
A funky, cinematic soundtrack landmark, home to its Oscar-winning theme. Sleek and influential. A 70s classic.
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19Mud Slide Slim and the Blue HorizonJames Taylor
Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon
A warm, gentle peak, home to 'You've Got a Friend'. Tuneful and beloved. A high point.
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20PearlJanis Joplin
Pearl
Joplin's posthumous peak of raw, bluesy soul-rock, home to 'Me and Bobby McGee'. Powerful and poignant. Her finest.
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21AqualungJethro Tull
Aqualung
A heavy, folk-tinged prog landmark of religion and the dispossessed, with Anderson's flute up front. Distinctive and ambitious. Their best-known record.
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22ImagineJohn Lennon
Imagine
A warmer, more melodic solo peak built around its utopian title song. Tuneful and direct. His most beloved record.
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23John PrineJohn Prine
John Prine
A wry, humane debut of perfect songwriting, home to 'Angel from Montgomery'. Warm and beloved. A genre cornerstone.
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24BlueJoni Mitchell
Blue
An intimate, confessional landmark of singer-songwriter craft, spare in arrangement and emotionally fearless. Mitchell's melodies and open tunings are extraordinary throughout. Routinely named one of the greatest albums ever made.
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25Judee SillJudee Sill
Judee Sill
A gorgeous, gospel-tinged folk debut of overlooked genius. Beautiful and acclaimed. A cult treasure.
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26In My Own TimeKaren Dalton
In My Own Time
A haunting, soulful folk peak of a singular voice. Beautiful and reappraised. A cult treasure.
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27Led Zeppelin IVLed Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin IV
Untitled and adorned only with runic symbols, this is the band's most complete statement, from the folk delicacy of 'The Battle of Evermore' to the slow build of 'Stairway to Heaven'. Bonham's drum sound on 'When the Levee Breaks' alone has been sampled for decades. Heavy, mystical and endlessly influential.
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28Songs of Love and HateLeonard Cohen
Songs of Love and Hate
A stark, intense peak of literary folk, home to 'Famous Blue Raincoat'. Dark and beautiful. One of his best.
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29Coal Miner's DaughterLoretta Lynn
Coal Miner's Daughter
A plain-spoken, autobiographical country classic of working-class pride. Honest and beloved. Her signature album.
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30The Inner Mounting FlameMahavishnu Orchestra
The Inner Mounting Flame
A ferocious jazz-fusion landmark of virtuosic intensity. Explosive and influential. A genre cornerstone.
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31MandrillMandrill
Mandrill
A wild fusion of funk, Latin and rock from the Brooklyn collective. Adventurous and beloved. A cult favourite.
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32What's Going OnMarvin Gaye
What's Going On
A seamless song-suite on war, poverty and the environment, Gaye's defiant break from Motown's hit factory. Lush, jazzy and politically urgent, it reframed what soul could address. Often called the greatest soul album ever.
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33MeddlePink Floyd
Meddle
A transitional record building toward their classic era, anchored by the side-long 'Echoes'. Atmospheric and exploratory. A devotee favourite.
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34There's a Riot Goin' OnSly and the Family Stone
There's a Riot Goin' On
A murky, exhausted masterpiece that answered the optimism of the 60s with funk's dark night of the soul. Dense and influential. A radical, essential record.
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35Electric WarriorT. Rex
Electric Warrior
The album that defined glam rock, all boogie riffs and cosmic cool, anchored by 'Get It On'. Sexy and stylish. A genre cornerstone.
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36At Fillmore EastThe Allman Brothers Band
At Fillmore East
A peak of live Southern rock and improvisation, twin guitars soaring. Loose and electric. One of the great live albums.
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37Surf's UpThe Beach Boys
Surf's Up
A reflective, ambitious post-Pet Sounds peak of fragile beauty. Underrated and acclaimed. A high point.
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38L.A. WomanThe Doors
L.A. Woman
A loose, bluesy late peak recorded just before Morrison's death, home to 'Riders on the Storm'. Relaxed and assured. A fitting farewell.
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39Muswell HillbilliesThe Kinks
Muswell Hillbillies
A warm, music-hall-tinged peak of working-class English songcraft. Charming and acclaimed. A cult favourite.
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40Sticky FingersThe Rolling Stones
Sticky Fingers
Loose, sleazy and superb, home to 'Brown Sugar', 'Wild Horses' and the slow-burning 'Can't You Hear Me Knocking'. The playing is greasy and confident throughout. One of their two or three best.
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41Who's NextThe Who
Who's Next
Salvaged from the abandoned Lifehouse project, it became the Who's most powerful studio record, pairing Townshend's pioneering synthesizer sequences with Daltrey's roar and Moon's chaos. 'Baba O'Riley' and 'Won't Get Fooled Again' bookend it with genuine grandeur. A high-water mark for arena rock done with brains.
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42Tupelo HoneyVan Morrison
Tupelo Honey
A warm, pastoral peak of soulful folk-rock. Gentle and beloved. A high point.
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43FragileYes
Fragile
A prog peak balancing band epics and solo showcases, home to 'Roundabout'. Intricate and beloved. A high point.