Best Albums of 1971

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Explore the best albums of 1971, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts. Last updated: 1 hour ago

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1971 year summaryThe best artists of 1971 were Led Zeppelin, The Who, David Bowie, Marvin Gaye, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, Yes, Can, Pink Floyd and The Doors.

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Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV)

Led Zeppelin

"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

mayonaise93 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (10 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

3,184 charts

Rank Score:

36,234

Rank in 1971:

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Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

90 (4,036 votes)

Comments:

308

Who's Next

The Who

"If not for this album, The Who would be remembered as a British group with some hit singles and an uneven rock opera. In my opinion, they are lucky the crazy Lifehouse idea fell apart and that they could make one tight album instead of a messy double LP." Reply

- Rhett | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

2,216 charts

Rank Score:

20,316

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"Brilliant. This is the beginning of the greatest solo artist in modern music. Where to start? Changes announces the, er, changes in the style. Life on Mars is quite simply one of the greatest songs ever written, takes the structure of the dire My Way and turns it into something magical. Then what..." Reply

- Burttheswimmer | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,879 charts

Rank Score:

18,421

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"I had heard it a few times before, but only now did I notice a ton of details. It’s like three things are happening at once: a voice reflecting on the social situation from a subjective and emotional perspective; a journey through an entire sociocultural identity and a rhythmic vitality (all the ..." Reply

- FelipeBoorkes | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,669 charts

Rank Score:

18,285

Rank in 1971:

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"Stones best album! If you have a friend that never listend to a Stones album, indicate this one!" Reply

- Reppu1976 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,654 charts

Rank Score:

16,127

Rank in 1971:

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Average Rating:

86 (1,941 votes)

Comments:

139

Blue

Joni Mitchell

"There are a few words used to describe music that typically indicate I won't like it. Sparse, intimate, and voice-driven are some of them. And all three of them describe this album perfectly - as others have said, it is the sound of an artist laying their life bare with songs reflecting over thei...""There are a few words used to describe music that typically indicate I won't like it. Sparse, intimate, and voice-driven are some of them. And all three of them describe this album perfectly - as others have said, it is the sound of an artist laying their life bare with songs reflecting over their experiences. But somehow, in this case, it all comes together and creates what I believe to be the most perfect album ever crafted. It's one thing to have a great voice, and it's quite another to be able to use that voice and make it sound honest. If there's one word that describes (nearly) all of the music I enjoy it's honest. And if someone is clearing trying to hit high notes and sing in key that honesty is lost; that's why I often prefer bad singers to good ones. But Joni makes hitting the high notes sound incredibly effortless, and she integrates them perfectly into the rest of the song so that they don't stand out as if she's trying to impress with her voice. It's an album that is so well crafted that the voice is irrelevant, but she still manages to sing perfectly. And the song-writing - the stream-of-consciousness style she writes in is just tremendous. Picture Kurt Cobain if the thoughts in his head actually made sense. There is no pretense, there is no thought. These are the things she is thinking, and she's not manipulating them to sound like poetry. There are moments on this record that are incredibly general and could apply to anyone, and there are moments where the specificity is brilliant ("Richard got married to a figure skater, and he bought her a dishwasher and a coffee percolator"). The songs reflect the era she lived in (Little Green / Blue) and her dreams for the future (River). Even when the lyrics blend into a more manufactured poetry they sound so heartbreakingly beautiful you can't fault it (Case of You). And of course there's a central theme that ties things together nicely - it wouldn't be a true album if the songs didn't feel like they belonged together. Not only is there the general sentiment of heartbreak that is described by colors (Blue and Green, obviously), but each song seems to dwell on a different aspect of the feeling (or the moments leading up to it). The songs also progress nicely, starting off hopeful and glad and then straying into sadness, depression, and what I wouldn't hesitate to call despair. It starts with hopes and dreams (the dream theme culminates in Carey and California) but by the end the illusion is shattered and the truths about love and life come out. My love for this album goes even beyond words, but somehow it's the one I find the most to say about and the most to discover more in. The number of times I've broken down sobbing to this album is not a single digit number." Reply

babyBlueSedan | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,392 charts

Rank Score:

15,348

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Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

84 (1,529 votes)

Comments:

114

Tago Mago

Can

"The first half of the album draws you in with catchy studio jamming, cradling your brain in its fun and cerebral jam-oriented accessibility, just in time for the second half to take your now cradled brain and clamp down on it with a cestus filled with 24-karrot gold dust. It returns to recognizab..." Reply

- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

950 charts

Rank Score:

8,805

Rank in 1971:

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Overall Rank:

156

Average Rating:

83 (1,059 votes)

Comments:

Meddle

Pink Floyd

"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

- mjp11 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,128 charts

Rank Score:

8,324

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"There's athin line between theatricality and pretentiousness. After their first album, which some would say was pretentious (though not I!), they began to cross that line with increasing frequency. So this album feels like a bit of a back to basics for them... and it is a great album as a result." Reply

badfaith | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,049 charts

Rank Score:

7,683

Rank in 1971:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

194

Average Rating:

83 (1,439 votes)

Comments:

10.

Tapestry

Carole King

"It's not too polished and finds its charm in its imperfection. The songwriting is magnificent and speaks for itself" Reply

- lanadeleswift | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

858 charts

Rank Score:

6,417

Rank in 1971:

Rank in 1970s:

Overall Rank:

245

Average Rating:

82 (967 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 1971 composition

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	11	1%
Elvis Presley	4	0%
Grant Green	4	0%
The Rolling Stones	4	0%
Ennio Morricone	3	0%
Melanie	3	0%
Isaac Hayes	3	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	391	39%
	245	25%
	52	5%
	43	4%
	29	3%
	24	2%
	21	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	956	96%
Yes	44	4%

Live?	Albums	%
No	956	96%
Yes	44	4%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	984	98%
Yes	16	2%

Best Albums of 1971 chart changes

Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month
Up 6 from 97th to 91st Tim Maia (1971) by Tim Maia
Up 2 from 86th to 84th Live! by Fela Kuti & Africa 70 With Ginger Baker
Up 2 from 57th to 55th The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys by Traffic

Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month
Down 6 from 87th to 93rd Every Good Boy Deserves Favour by The Moody Blues
Down 2 from 29th to 31st Madman Across The Water by Elton John
Down 2 from 92nd to 94th Teenage Head by The Flamin' Groovies

« View best albums of 1970View best albums of 1972 »

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