As pop culture fanatics will notice, some years are just incredibly fated with various brilliant and timeless art and entertainment. 1939 is considered the quintessential year for old Hollywood, with classics like Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind, Fleming’s The Wizard of Oz, and Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. In 1991, “Seinfeld,” “Married with Children,” “Twin Peaks” and “The Simpsons” were all some of the now iconic series all on TV at the same time. 1967 was almost like a showbiz renaissance with numerous groundbreaking movies, music, shows and fashion. And as far as music goes, there may be no year with larger impact and influence than 1971.
On the 50th anniversary of the year’s melodic inputs, let’s revisit some of the legendary and essential records still played today by music lovers. By far the biggest albums to come out in 1971 were Led Zeppelin’s untitled 4th album and ‘Who’s Next’ by the Who. Both solidified that hard rock was here to stay for the next decade, and they continue to find fans with each generation. Songs like ‘Black Dog,’ ‘Rock & Roll’ and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ by Zeppelin; and ‘Baba O’Riley,’ ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ from the Who are now staples on rock radio and plenty of soundtracks. Black Sabbath’s ‘Master of Reality’ and Alice Cooper’s ‘Love It to Death’ kept the genre afloat in ’71. For some quality rock music a little less loud, fans also got to appreciate ‘Sticky Fingers’ by the Rolling Stones, ‘LA Woman’ by the Doors and ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’ by Rod Stewart.
Another subgenre in rock music — glam rock — jumped into relevancy with T.Rex’s ‘Electric Warrior’ and David Bowie’s ‘Hunky Dory.’ The younger alternative crowd found anthems in hit singles like ‘Get It On (Bang a Gong)’ and ‘Jeepster’ by T.Rex; and ‘Changes’ and ‘Life on Mars’ by Bowie. Todd Rundgren is an artist who always toddled between glam and pop-rock, and in 1971 he released his sophomore solo record, ‘Runt.’ While ‘Madman Across the Water’ by the king of glam pop himself, Elton John, gave us one of his signature songs: ‘Tiny Dancer.’ Then recently disbanded Beatles, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, also delivered two solo masterpieces with Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ and McCartney’s ‘Ram.’
One thing particularly noteworthy about the music industry in 1971, is that it was not only a landmark year for the singer-songwriter movement, but primarily female singer-songwriters. Joni Mitchell’s ‘Blue,’ Carole King’s ‘Tapestry,’ Carly Simon’s ‘Anticipation,’ Melanie’s ‘Gather Me’ and Buffy Saint Marie’s ‘She Used to Wanna be a Ballerina’ are some of the albums penned by women to instantly receive acclaim and inspire younger female music artists to this day. Mitchell’s ‘A Case of You’ and ‘River,’ and King’s ‘I Feel the Earth Move’ and ‘It’s Too Late’ are the trademark tracks for both respected songwriters. Though not primary writers on their own records, Janis Joplin’s ‘Pearl’ and Joan Baez’s ‘Blessed Are…’ are two albums from the same year that go well alongside those previously mentioned.
On the pop side of 1971 music, fans got Cher’s ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves,’ Olivia Newton-John’s ‘If Not for You,’ the Carpenters’ self-titled LP, Harry Nilsson’s ‘Nilsson Schmilsson,’ the Partridge Family’s ‘Sound Magazine’ and Cass Elliot’s ‘Mama’s Big Ones’ for some seriously catchy tunes; including the title tracks of Cher’s and ONJ’s albums, plus the Carpenters’ ‘Superstar,’ along with Nilsson’s ‘Coconut’ and his cover of Badfinger’s ‘Without You.’ For something a little different, but still groovy, Sly & the Family Stone’s ‘There’s a Riot Goin’ On’ and Funkadelic’s ‘Maggot Brain’ would bring the funk. Folk and country-rock were still riding high in popular music for ’71, proven with Van Morrison’s ‘Tupelo Honey,’ Cat Stevens’ ‘Teaser and the Firecat’ and David Crosby’s ‘If I Could Only Remember My Name’ for the folkies; and Poco’s ‘Deliverin’,’ former Monkee Michael Nesmith’s ‘Nevada Fighter’ and the Flying Burrito Brothers’ self-titled album for the country-rockers.
But wait, that’s not all! Before this article gets long enough to be a Wikipedia page, let me just end by saying there are still plenty more solid and memorable records from 1971 that I haven’t even mentioned yet — you can read more about that year’s greatest hits in this book on Amazon.
Do you have a favorite album from fifty years ago? Did I mention it in my piece? Let us know in the comments!
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