70/71 was my first year of high school.

DeKay

I can dig the collars-extra starch

@tony1954- interesting album, Lifeboat. It has a lot of the "usual suspects" including Stevie W. (also a Blackwell "discovery" via Spencer Davis) and John Bundrick and early cuts were done by George Peckham (aka "Porky"). 

Chris was one of those few guys who had an "ear" as a label chief and was very attuned to the music itself--he was someone who was considered artist "friendly."

Another outlier is John Martyn's Solid Air- not obscure, but it doesn't get the level of attention it probably deserves. Ditto Roy Harper's Stormcock--"The Same Old Rock" is an opus- with a fully primed Jimmy Page playing 12 string. Highly recommended if you haven't heard it. 

On Elton, I favor Tumbleweed, both for the writing and performance- I have multiple DJM pressings- oddly, the earliest UK cut has the least bombastic bass- some of them are bass monsters.

@tablejockey - throw in Disco Inferno too.

@Berner99- one early cover of "Can't find my Way Back Home" came out of that studio on LI where Bonnie Raitt was scheduled to perform and Lowell George sat  in with her crew. It's a good rendition. It's a shame the original album is a bad recording- the best version I've found is still the OG UK, with the controversial cover art.

To me, the importance is to dig in-- we can disagree about artists--e.g., Shuggie v. Bros. J but it puts us in a place where our brain is thinking about music. For that, I thank Tony1954 for his list. It got me thinking. 

I was barely alive, didn't live through that era per se, but have come to believe the answer to this question is an unequivocal yes.  Watch the movie on apple or read the book "Never a Dull Moment: 1971 The Year That Rock Exploded" and you'll be hard pressed to find a better single year.  

Who's next, LZ IV, Sticky Fingers are peak Rock and Roll.  Joni Mitchell, Carole King and James Taylor led the ascension of the singer songwriter.  Bowie and T Rex kicking glam into high gear.  Fragile, Meddle leading the way for psych rock and prog.  Sly and Marvin releasing some of their best work. 
 

It's an easy answer when you look at it objectively.   I'll add for the record i'm not one of these "they don't make any good music these days" types, in fact i completely scoff at that notion.  But this year truly shines as a transformative moment.  

Tony, I would add Trapeze’s Medusa. Out in US in 1971.

I do disagree with 1971 being the best year. Don’t even think the 67" -77" was the best decade, and I was right there. Lot’s of great music in those days though, and lots of great music before and after 1971.

@whart 

It was September 10, 1973 and Elton was in Vancouver with The Sutherland Brothers as the opening act.

I was pumped and probably reasonably high, only to have 3/4 of the Sutherland Brothers band held at the US border for some reason I can't remember. The two brothers came out and did a few songs "unplugged", but it wasn't the same.

Very disappointing. That is until Elton and his band hit the stage and absolutely killed it for 2+ hours.

1971, the year the music died? I don’t agree, but by the late seventies it had changed quite a bit. Don’t cha just still miss Disco😆😆😆

@curiousjim 

"1971, the year the music died? I don’t agree,"?

Did you even read the question?

I said nothing about music dying after 1971. All I said is that 1971 was a great year for music.

@moonwatcher @tony1954 A lot of people I've met over the years moved on around 1972, or even earlier. some got interested in old blues records, others in appalachian or country, perhaps led there by a lot of the rock albums they began to realize were inspired by music that had come before. Others found jazz. We never gave up our love for the 67-72 music, and when stuff came long later that we'd like, we'd still buy in, whether it was dire Straits, Pearl Jam, Counting Crows, and a long list. a lot of it has to to do with how old you were in your mid-teens and explored your own interest. I have younger friends who swear by 1979--that it all happened then. A few years ago I was reminded about how much all the music i grew up with meant to me and made a series about it called It Was the Music, featuring a lot of the people from that time. But when i look back, even most of the jazz records I bought was music made in the mid-60s and early 70s. Just a productive time in the arts (film, books as well) on a lot of fronts. So, let's hear from all those 1979 folks or later!

@roxy54

For a brief period of time, all the stars lined up and we were gifted some of the best examples of "popular" music in history. 1971 could represent the pinnacle of a concentration of talent and genuius that our great, great grandchildren will be singing, playing, or just chillin’ out to. (our whatever they’re going to cal it in 2093).

Garage bands were a "thing" back in the day. We matured (truly a subjective term) from riding bikes, fishing, playing baseball, and spending time with our parents to whatever creative element was available at the time -- playing music. Our generation was not distracted by "bits" or "bytes", cable news, social media, or video gaming. They just casually got together and spent h-o-u-r-s defining, and redefining, their craft. Then, a few Battle(s) of the Bands and Sock Hops later, they realized this hobby was a passion backed up by real talent all around them and within them. "Gigs" and local concerts evolved into real musical events and recording contracts. Then, fame. Followed by wealth. More productivity. And, more fame.

It wasn’t just the epic performances, break out talent and creativity that ear marked (literally) this era. IMHO, it was the shear magitude of GREAT bands that produced GREAT music during this period. This period is unique in history. We’ll never be presented with the opportunity to have this massive number of individuals brfeak away from other activities and assign a time period to be actively engaged in the production of popular music.

Whlle I love the complexity of classical pieces, I’m a sucker for a good melody. If that melody includes poetic genius, carefully contructed musical accompaniment, innovation, and a memorable cadence and rhythm, I’m in musical heaven. And, back in 1971.

Some of you have made a good point that our personal musical peak is related to our age. Breakthrough performances that align with OUR time, and OUR culture can be quite powerful. Thus, devaluated or dismissed when part of someone else’s (our parent’s?) culture.

It was 1972. Meatloaf was the last album during the mid 1970s bat out of hell, that made sense. And then everything fell apart.

@waytoomuchstuff

I understand what you are saying very well, and I agree that there were some very good bands making some memorable popular, and even progressive music at that time, but for me, it was also a somewhat sad time, because the explosion of wild creativity that characterized the 1960’s (Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix are examples) was over. Now it was time to take those design cues, polish and perfect them. That certainly had its good points, but the magic was gone. Periods of spontaneous creativity like what happened in the 1960’s are rare and depend on a confluence of social factors, all of which came together at that time.

Again, not to take away or minimize the early 70’s. There were some very good  music created during that time as well.

@emergingsoul Thanks for your crazy comment.

@tony1954

yeah, I read your question. And the list of albums to. And I understood it to mean you’re saying there will never be a year where music was good as in 1971.

Am I missing something?

@curiousjim 

"And I understood it to mean you’re saying there will never be a year where music was good as in 1971. Am I missing something?"

Yes you are.

I said that, up to now, "in my opinion", 1971 had the highest number of great albums.

I never said there would never be a better year ever.

@elrod 

+50!!

@roxy54 

My reference to "a brief moment in time" was intended to be a little broader than 1971 -- perhaps a 20 year period (+/-) from the fifties to the early seventies. I am in agreement with you that some of the pioneers of popular music had produced their greatest works and did, in fact, hit the exit button (or, died) before 1971. My premise is that there was a unique time in history when a massive quantity of participants in the art of making music could devote nearly 100% of the brain power into the production of such. Thus, the suberb examples you listed for 1971 ... and before.

As long as somebody thinks 'their' year is the best, then it is.

For them. I'm 72 and have been tired of much 60's and 70's music for decades now. I try to keep up with what is going on currently, to greater or lesser success. My favorite genre tends to be post-punk style, from any decade, but that's just me. If there's music out there that I don't know about or that I don't happen to care for, that's on me, not the artists involved. As long as people make music that other people enjoy and get something out of, it's all good to me.... 

@waytoomuchstuff 

I believe that we are in total agreement. That long period was like a comet. It came into view, burned bright and slowly faded. Fortunately, there are still some interesting things happening here and there in new music, and we still have all of the good old stuff to listen to. 

@roxy54 

Absolutely!

And thanks for the topic/posts.

Very enjoyable conversation.

I am 75 and was into music from the age of 15 in 1963.  For me music evolved, as did my tastes.  I remember watching a good deal of live jazz in the mid 60s, then discovered blues, both early, then the rock blues based bands.  It was a terrific time that also included blue grass.  The late 60s resonated greatly with me and  there was so much great music that it could make you poor buying albums.

I somehow managed season tickets to the Pittsburgh Symphony with Andre Previn conducting in the 70s.  All that said, 1971 rates particularly high in my memory of great years for music.  Probably due to my one and only time sweing Suane Allman live.  My absolute favorite artist in my long history of seeing live music.

I forgot one more:

NRPS New Riders of the Purple Sage.  One of the best that year!

With all due respect, what about every Steely Dan album from 1972-1980? There will never be a ‘ band’ like them. They are what musicians listen to. After all why would they listen to something they could do ? If you’re unaware of SD and you’re open to music that is accessible and sophisticated you’ll be rewarded handsomely. 

No. Reason being is that Philly was only just getting started..

Plus Stevie’s all time best album, Songs in the Key of Life didn’t even come out until 1976. 
 

Both Motown and Philly put out tons of top selling music after ‘71. And Disco didn’t even begin until ‘74. The Bee Gees album Saturday Night Fever sold 25 Million albums between 1977-1980, and was one of the biggest selling in history. 
 

And Earth Wind & Fire didn’t even start selling top albums until 1972. :)

Thanks for the topic, tony1954

Born in 1946, having perpetual music, live and recorded, in the house, the 1950's included c&w, crooners, jazz large and small, folk, r&b, rock, movie themes and varied sub-genres.  That's reaching pretty high. 

1950s Rock and Roll: A Decade of Music That Changed the World (rollingstone.com)

My theory is that EXCESSIVE drug use was damaging overall to popular music into the 1970's, choosing to explore other genres during much of this time.  Of course, there WAS great music created during this stretch, however, I found pop too inconsistent.  

As music lovers, yes, our birth year greatly affects our preferences...and we can debate deep into the night...hopefully while flipping Ray Charles early 1950's jazz mono vinyl.        More Peace     Pin    (bold print for old eyes)

I agree the early 70s was amazing and it was the diversity of popular music impressed me.  Today pop music tends to follow a similar path.  For a while everyone sounded like Ariana Grande, now it's Taylor, Olivia Rodriguez, etc.  BUT the diversity is still there but because of no record companies, artists put their own music out, there is not nearly the clear path to expose the masses to this new music. You must hunt now.

Anyone listen to Holly Humberstone?  Or Missy Higgins from Australia (she's been around a long time)?  Or how about Jacob Collier?     

Brad

How about 1970?
We can point to something akin to the “invention” of this music (I get it, I get it…there are always predecessors, but these things below arguably crystallized these types of music like nothing prior)

Hip hop
The Last Poets - The Last Poets
Gil Scott-Heron - Small Talk at 125th and Lenox

Punk
The Stooges - Fun House

More overtly aggressive, nasty, loud and confrontational than the previous LP, The Stooges, or anything The Sonics did prior, with perhaps only Monks’ Black Monk Time (‘66) and Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat (‘68) to compare.
Listening to Fun House now and comparing it to those others reveals it to have a strong case for first punk LP.

Metal
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Led Zeppelin - “Immigrant Song” single

While not necessarily music for which a strong argument could be made as to its “invention” in 1970, the music being released by a plethora of jazz and classical artists in 1970 was very often extremely inventive and original.

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Steve Reich - Four Organs / Phase Patterns
Pharoah Sanders - Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun)
György Ligeti - Chamber Concerto
Art Ensemble of Chicago - Les Stances a Sophie soundtrack
Alice Coltrane - Ptah, the El Daoud
Karlheinz Stockhausen - Opus 1970
Sonny Sharrock - Monkey-Pockie-Boo
McCoy Turner - Expansions

Then 1970 gave us whatever the heck ya call this music:

Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band - Lick My Decals Off, Baby
Kraftwerk - Kraftwerk
Nico - Desertshore
Armando Sciascia - Impressions in Rhythm & Sound
The Group - The Feed-back (featuring a young Ennio Morricone)
Can - “Don’t Turn the Light On, Leave Me Alone,” “Tango Whiskeyman,” “Mother Sky”

Popular music was doing pretty well.

Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed & Delivered
Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Sings Newman
James Brown - Sex Machine
Randy Newman - 12 Songs
The Delfonics - The Delfonics
The Velvet Underground - Loaded
Minnie Ripperton - Come to My Garden
Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
Band of Gypsys - Band of Gypsys
Frank Sinatra - Watertown
Donny Hathaway - Everything is Everything
Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon
The Chi-Lites - I Like Your Lovin’ (Do You Like Mine?)
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
Neil Young - After the Gold Rush
Performance soundtrack
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo’s Factory, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”
David Bowie - The Man Who Sold the World, “Conversation Piece,” “The Prettiest Star”
Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection, “Border Song,” “Your Song”
John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band, “Instant Karma!”
Gladys Knight & the Pips - “If I Were Your Woman”
The Jackson 5 - “ABC,” “I’ll Be There”
The Carpenters - “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “(They Long to Be) Close to You”
Edison Lighthouse- “Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes”
The Spinners - “It’s a Shame”
The Temptations - “Ball of Confusion”
The Four Tops - “Still Water”
Don McLean - “Castles in the Air”
Led Zeppelin - “Hey Hey What Can I Do”
Beatles - “Let it Be,” “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)”