Top 21 Music Albums of 1971
by 
Mother Nature's Son 
My favourite albums of 1971.
- Chart updated: 11/04/2017 20:15
- (Created: 09/16/2013 00:42).
- Chart size: 21 albums.
There are 3 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 21 Music Albums of 1971 has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 2 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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David Bowie ch-ch-ch-ch-changes musical direction (again). It's not the weird David Bowie yet, but still quite experimental with the weird "The Bewlay Brothers" and the spacey intro of "Andy Warhol", not to mention the fuckload of different musical influences. Especially love the album's old-fashioned style. And then there is "Life on Mars?", a total classic.
Favourite tracks: "Changes", "Oh! You Pretty Things" & "Life on Mars?" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
Favourite tracks: "Changes", "Oh! You Pretty Things" & "Life on Mars?" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,655
Rank in 1971:
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Comments:
Is it a greatest hits album? It could be, but surprisingly it's not. One song is inarguably more famous than the others, "Stairway to Heaven". What do you think about that? A stairway to heaven! Doesn't that sound heavenly?
Favourite tracks: "Stairway to Heaven" & "When the Levee Breaks" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
Favourite tracks: "Stairway to Heaven" & "When the Levee Breaks" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
37,256
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I fell in love with the title-track before I had even really fallen in love with The Beatles' music. Loved and still love how emotionally beautiful it is and the lyrics were some of the first in a song that I really payed attention to. What has always appealed to me about John Lennon is, no matter how bad critic he got for his music, he still sounded relevant (not sure that I can say that about any other Beatle). Of course, this is one of his better albums. "Imagine" remains my favourite John Lennon song.
Favourite tracks: "Imagine", "Jealous Guy" & "Oh My Love" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
Favourite tracks: "Imagine", "Jealous Guy" & "Oh My Love" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,683
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"Echoes" might be the best song in Pink Floyd's whole career and "Seamus" might be the worst. And they decided to put those two songs right next to each other! Hmm...
To those who say the album's all about "Echoes": "One of These Days" is a great atmospheric instrumental, "A Pillow of Winds" is one of the most soothing folk songs out there, "Fearless" has a great riff and "San Tropez" is a delightfully breezy jazzer.
Favourite tracks: "A Pillow of Winds" & "Echoes" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
To those who say the album's all about "Echoes": "One of These Days" is a great atmospheric instrumental, "A Pillow of Winds" is one of the most soothing folk songs out there, "Fearless" has a great riff and "San Tropez" is a delightfully breezy jazzer.
Favourite tracks: "A Pillow of Winds" & "Echoes" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,520
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Relatively straight to the point, Badfinger seem to deliver one pretty emotionally wrenching ballad after another on this album with a few rocking moments for good measure. If there's a Badfinger album that deserves straight A's, then this is the one!
Favourite tracks: "Name of the Game" & "It's Over"
Favourite tracks: "Name of the Game" & "It's Over"
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
668
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Comments:
It may not be the very best of Paul McCartney's songwriting, but it's his most infectious. Full of joy and optimism! It's nearly impossible not to smile away when listening to this album, an album that portrays Paul as the Beatle who had moved on the most after the breakup of The Beatles while John was still sounding like a midlife crisis.
Favourite tracks: "Too Many People" & "Smile Away" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
Favourite tracks: "Too Many People" & "Smile Away" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,887
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Songs of love and hate, two ingredients that result in what is possibly Leonard Cohen's darkest album. Restless fingerpicking, gorgeous strings and an exceptionally creepy vocal performance. A truly haunting and sad experience!
Favourite tracks: "Avalanche" & "Last Year's Man" [First added to this chart: 01/19/2015]
Favourite tracks: "Avalanche" & "Last Year's Man" [First added to this chart: 01/19/2015]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,418
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Jim Morrison had been down so long (often while being high) at this point that it would prove to be the last album recorded with him. Mainly back to the roots blues rock with lightly psychedelic touches and a few jazzier moments, it's a raw and worthy portrait of Jim's blues side. Great replayability, sublime performances also by the rest of the band and a perfect ending to the Jim Morrison days of the band with the ultimate swansong, the gorgeous mystic epic, "Riders on the Storm".
Favourite tracks: "The Changeling" & "Riders on the Storm" [First added to this chart: 12/25/2013]
Favourite tracks: "The Changeling" & "Riders on the Storm" [First added to this chart: 12/25/2013]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,793
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Comments:
A surprisingly dark feel flows throughout this Beach Boys album, only spoiled by a few songs including the giant misstep of "Student Demonstration Time". "'Til I Die" is one of the gloomiest songs they've ever recorded and it's far from the only depressing song on the album. At this point, they were as far away from the sunshine hits as they had ever been!
Favourite tracks: "'Til I Die" & "Surf's Up" [First added to this chart: 11/22/2013]
Favourite tracks: "'Til I Die" & "Surf's Up" [First added to this chart: 11/22/2013]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,234
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Comments:
What's going on? Marvin Gaye is flyin' high in the friendly sky with his most well-rounded, spiritual, grandiose, soulful album ever, that's what's going on!
Favourite tracks: "What's Going On" & "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" [First added to this chart: 03/26/2014]
Favourite tracks: "What's Going On" & "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" [First added to this chart: 03/26/2014]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,709
Rank in 1971:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 21. Page 1 of 3
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Top 21 Music Albums of 1971 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Yes | 2 | 10% | |
| Paul McCartney | 1 | 5% | |
| Sly & The Family Stone | 1 | 5% | |
| Leonard Cohen | 1 | 5% | |
| Electric Light Orchestra | 1 | 5% | |
| The Doors | 1 | 5% | |
| Can | 1 | 5% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 21 Music Albums of 1971 chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 5th to 6thRam by Paul & Linda McCartney |
| Down 1 from 6th to 7thSongs Of Love And Hate by Leonard Cohen |
| Down 1 from 7th to 8thL.A. Woman by The Doors |
| New entries |
|---|
| Straight Up by Badfinger |
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Top 21 Music Albums of 1971 ratings
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Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/20/2019 06:53 | Johnnyo | 2,617 | 80/100 |
| ! | 10/27/2013 10:29 |  Antonio-Pedro | 562 | 90/100 |
Top 21 Music Albums of 1971 favourites
Top 21 Music Albums of 1971 comments
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From Johnnyo 08/20/2019 06:53 | #241430
I may not agree with all of the entries but you can't argue with the quality of the albums here. Very nice chart indeed.
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From Mother Nature's Son 10/27/2013 13:11 | #89445
Mother Nature's Son 10/27/2013 13:11 | #89445
You're welcome!
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From Antonio-Pedro 10/27/2013 10:29 | #89406
Antonio-Pedro 10/27/2013 10:29 | #89406
Now with whos next thanks
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