Best Albums of 1971
Explore the best albums of 1971, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts
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Last updated: 1 hour ago
"This album has some of the best songs ever made. Stairway to Heaven is a magical masterpiece that gets better with each listen and When the Levee Breaks is so loud and heavy it almost makes your ear drums bleed when you are listening through the headphones. One of the most influential albums of i..." Reply
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mayonaise93 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (10 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
36,311
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"Amazing, birthed from Townsend's obtuse and failed lifehouse project. Yet The Who's finest collection of individual original songs. Doesn't have the conceptual grandiosity of Quadrophenia and Tommy, but great deep tracks as well as the classics that I long ago burned out on from overlistening." Reply
Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
20,366
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"96/100 Fav tracks: Changes, Oh you Pretty Things, Life on Mars Personal favorite Bowie album. The first one where his potential really came to fruition." Reply
Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
18,460
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"Amazing album start to finish. No filler, whatsoever telefunker. It's a prime example of an album with no filler - just a one-of-a-kind groove that maintains strong through 9 thematically-related songs. Even the title is genius - What's Going On - question, or answer? Inner City Blues is untoucha..." Reply
Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
18,322
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"An excellent record, easily up there with the Stones’ best work. Brown Sugar was the big hit, Can’t You Hear Me Knocking is very highly rated, Wild Horses is just sublime, and I’m really loving Sway at the moment too. The last 3 tracks are also quite fascinating - Sister Morphine is wonderfully d..." Reply
Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
16,099
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"Blue by Joni Mitchell is my favourite album by any female artist, there isn't a bad track here and particularly my fave three tracks Little Green, A Case Of You and The Last Time I Saw Richard are pretty much genius, every track has wonderful lyrics, and as the album title suggests, a soothing so..." Reply
Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
15,382
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"This album instantly transports the listener into some primal realm where all of your instincts and fears are realized. At times you're dancing around a great bonfire, laughing and having the time of your life, but eventually you find yourself lost on some eerie landscape, desperate to find a for..." Reply
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sageamagoo | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
8,828
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"In my mind, this should be included with DSOTM, WYWH, Animals, and The Wall as another perfect album made by Pink Floyd. Yes, Echoes is far and away the best song on here but it'd be a disservice not to mention Fearless and One of These Days. Seamus gets some hate on here but even that song is pe..." Reply
Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
8,353
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"Definitely their best album, challenged only by their first. Love Her Madly might be their best song, and every other song on the album kicks was too, namely Riders on the storm and the title track, but I also love all the rest as well. Definitely the masterwork of a 5 star band." Reply
Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
7,700
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"Wow, where did this come from? Before listening to it, I was somehow pretty sure I wouldn't be able to connect with this. Totally unexpected, it blew me away. This is what pop heaven sounds like, so many catchy tunes. This kind of albums are usually based on two or three hits and the rest is the ..." Reply
Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
6,432
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100
Best Albums of 1971 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Various Artists | 11 | 1% | |
| Grant Green | 4 | 0% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 4 | 0% | |
| Elvis Presley | 4 | 0% | |
| Fela Kuti | 3 | 0% | |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 0% | |
| Elton John | 3 | 0% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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390 | 39% | |
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245 | 25% | |
 |
52 | 5% | |
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43 | 4% | |
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29 | 3% | |
 |
25 | 3% | |
 |
21 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Best Albums of 1971 chart changes
| Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 4 from 97th to 93rd |
Up 4 from 50th to 46th |
Up 2 from 57th to 55th |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 4 from 87th to 91st |
Down 2 from 29th to 31st |
Down 1 from 33rd to 34th |
