Albums of 1971

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1. 1
   Journey in SatchidanandaAlice Coltrane

   Journey in Satchidananda

   Alice Coltrane · 1971 · Jazz

   A serene, modal spiritual-jazz masterpiece of harp, sax and drone. Meditative and beautiful. A singular, beloved record.

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   Live in Cook County JailB.B. King

   Live in Cook County Jail

   B.B. King · 1971 · Blues

   A fiery prison live peak, home to a definitive 'The Thrill Is Gone'. Electric and beloved. A great live record.

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   Just as I AmBill Withers

   Just as I Am

   Bill Withers · 1971 · Soul & R&B

   An intimate debut of acoustic-leaning soul, introducing 'Ain't No Sunshine'. Honest and understated. A quietly perfect record.

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   Master of RealityBlack Sabbath

   Master of Reality

   Black Sabbath · 1971 · Metal

   Down-tuned and even heavier, the record that seeded both doom and stoner metal. Sludgy, dark and pioneering. Essential Sabbath.

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   Tago MagoCan

   Tago Mago

   Can · 1971 · Rock

   A sprawling, hypnotic krautrock landmark of motorik grooves and studio experiment. Influential and strange. A genre cornerstone.

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   AnticipationCarly Simon

   Anticipation

   Carly Simon · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

   Her second album, and the first to show her writing at full stretch — the title track became an unlikely anthem for the unhurried.

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   TapestryCarole King

   Tapestry

   Carole King · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

   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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   MusicCarole King

   Music

   Carole King · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

   The immediate follow-up to Tapestry, quieter and jazzier, a natural exhale after the blockbuster that preceded it.

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   Teaser and the FirecatCat Stevens

   Teaser and the Firecat

   Cat Stevens · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

   A tuneful peak, home to 'Morning Has Broken' and 'Peace Train'. Warm and beloved. A high point.

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    RootsCurtis Mayfield

    Roots

    Curtis Mayfield · 1971 · Soul & R&B

    A lush, socially conscious soul peak. Smooth and acclaimed. A high point.

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    Hunky DoryDavid Bowie

    Hunky Dory

    David Bowie · 1971 · Rock

    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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    FireballDeep Purple

    Fireball

    Deep Purple · 1971 · Rock

    A heavy, energetic early-classic-era peak. Powerful and beloved. A high point.

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    Coat of Many ColorsDolly Parton

    Coat of Many Colors

    Dolly Parton · 1971 · Country & Americana

    A tender, autobiographical country peak of plain-spoken warmth. Beautiful and beloved. A signature record.

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    Madman Across the WaterElton John

    Madman Across the Water

    Elton John · 1971 · Rock

    A lush, piano-led peak, home to 'Tiny Dancer' and 'Levon'. Beautiful and acclaimed. A high point.

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    Getting Ready...Freddie King

    Getting Ready...

    Freddie King · 1971 · Blues

    A fiery Texas-blues peak, home to 'Going Down'. Tough and beloved. A high point.

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    Maggot BrainFunkadelic

    Maggot Brain

    Funkadelic · 1971 · Soul & R&B

    A psychedelic-funk landmark opening with a guitar elegy for the ages. Wild and visionary. A genre cornerstone.

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    Pieces of a ManGil Scott-Heron

    Pieces of a Man

    Gil Scott-Heron · 1971 · Soul & R&B

    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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    Nilsson SchmilssonHarry Nilsson

    Nilsson Schmilsson

    Harry Nilsson · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    A tuneful, eclectic peak, home to 'Without You' and 'Coconut'. Witty and beloved. His commercial high.

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    The London Howlin' Wolf SessionsHowlin' Wolf

    The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions

    Howlin' Wolf · 1971 · Blues

    A star-studded London session pairing Wolf with British rockers. Loose and beloved. A crossover record.

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    ShaftIsaac Hayes

    Shaft

    Isaac Hayes · 1971 · Soul & R&B

    A funky, cinematic soundtrack landmark, home to its Oscar-winning theme. Sleek and influential. A 70s classic.

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    Mud Slide Slim and the Blue HorizonJames Taylor

    Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon

    James Taylor · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    A warm, gentle peak, home to 'You've Got a Friend'. Tuneful and beloved. A high point.

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    PearlJanis Joplin

    Pearl

    Janis Joplin · 1971 · Rock

    Joplin's posthumous peak of raw, bluesy soul-rock, home to 'Me and Bobby McGee'. Powerful and poignant. Her finest.

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    AqualungJethro Tull

    Aqualung

    Jethro Tull · 1971 · Rock

    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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    Poems, Prayers and PromisesJohn Denver

    Poems, Prayers and Promises

    John Denver · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    Take Me Home, Country Roads appeared here first — Denver's most balanced album.

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    ImagineJohn Lennon

    Imagine

    John Lennon · 1971 · Rock

    A warmer, more melodic solo peak built around its utopian title song. Tuneful and direct. His most beloved record.

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    John PrineJohn Prine

    John Prine

    John Prine · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    A wry, humane debut of perfect songwriting, home to 'Angel from Montgomery'. Warm and beloved. A genre cornerstone.

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    BlueJoni Mitchell

    Blue

    Joni Mitchell · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    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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    Judee SillJudee Sill

    Judee Sill

    Judee Sill · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    A gorgeous, gospel-tinged folk debut of overlooked genius. Beautiful and acclaimed. A cult treasure.

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    In My Own TimeKaren Dalton

    In My Own Time

    Karen Dalton · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    A haunting, soulful folk peak of a singular voice. Beautiful and reappraised. A cult treasure.

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    Led Zeppelin IVLed Zeppelin

    Led Zeppelin IV

    Led Zeppelin · 1971 · Rock

    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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    Songs of Love and HateLeonard Cohen

    Songs of Love and Hate

    Leonard Cohen · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    A stark, intense peak of literary folk, home to 'Famous Blue Raincoat'. Dark and beautiful. One of his best.

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    Coal Miner's DaughterLoretta Lynn

    Coal Miner's Daughter

    Loretta Lynn · 1971 · Country & Americana

    A plain-spoken, autobiographical country classic of working-class pride. Honest and beloved. Her signature album.

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    The Inner Mounting FlameMahavishnu Orchestra

    The Inner Mounting Flame

    Mahavishnu Orchestra · 1971 · Jazz

    A ferocious jazz-fusion landmark of virtuosic intensity. Explosive and influential. A genre cornerstone.

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    MandrillMandrill

    Mandrill

    Mandrill · 1971 · Funk & Disco

    A wild fusion of funk, Latin and rock from the Brooklyn collective. Adventurous and beloved. A cult favourite.

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    What's Going OnMarvin Gaye

    What's Going On

    Marvin Gaye · 1971 · Soul & R&B

    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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    MeddlePink Floyd

    Meddle

    Pink Floyd · 1971 · Rock

    A transitional record building toward their classic era, anchored by the side-long 'Echoes'. Atmospheric and exploratory. A devotee favourite.

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    There's a Riot Goin' OnSly and the Family Stone

    There's a Riot Goin' On

    Sly and the Family Stone · 1971 · Soul & R&B

    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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    Electric WarriorT. Rex

    Electric Warrior

    T. Rex · 1971 · Rock

    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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    At Fillmore EastThe Allman Brothers Band

    At Fillmore East

    The Allman Brothers Band · 1971 · Rock

    A peak of live Southern rock and improvisation, twin guitars soaring. Loose and electric. One of the great live albums.

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    Surf's UpThe Beach Boys

    Surf's Up

    The Beach Boys · 1971 · Rock

    A reflective, ambitious post-Pet Sounds peak of fragile beauty. Underrated and acclaimed. A high point.

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    L.A. WomanThe Doors

    L.A. Woman

    The Doors · 1971 · Rock

    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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    Muswell HillbilliesThe Kinks

    Muswell Hillbillies

    The Kinks · 1971 · Rock

    A warm, music-hall-tinged peak of working-class English songcraft. Charming and acclaimed. A cult favourite.

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    Sticky FingersThe Rolling Stones

    Sticky Fingers

    The Rolling Stones · 1971 · Rock

    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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    Who's NextThe Who

    Who's Next

    The Who · 1971 · Rock

    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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    Tupelo HoneyVan Morrison

    Tupelo Honey

    Van Morrison · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

    A warm, pastoral peak of soulful folk-rock. Gentle and beloved. A high point.

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    FragileYes

    Fragile

    Yes · 1971 · Rock

    A prog peak balancing band epics and solo showcases, home to 'Roundabout'. Intricate and beloved. A high point.

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