some folks sayin that 70s music best, some sayin 60s music and some sayin 80's, but i really don't understand them at all and continue to listen and finding great new stuff every day even more than once per day.

"Oh, and old school disco is back! Who doesn't love the Shuggie Otis "Strawberry Letter #23" as covered by the Bros Johnson? :)"

EPIC cover of SL#23

whart- it was the fabulous outfits that made the Brothers Johnson way hip!

I pull that album out now and then when friends "in the know" are visiting.

It was in heavy rotation back in 1977 on the Soul radio station.

How about some Ohio Players for extra funky groove?

Depending on your age, you are going to be impressed with this list of 1971 LP releases, I know I am. Thanks for sharing tony1954, thought provoking.

The year 1971 was the high point in popular music for those coming of age at that time. Not for those who came earlier or later.

I think @ellajeanelle has it right-- to me, it's got a lot to do with your point of entry, when you really engaged. I listen to a wide range of material that goes back earlier- particularly in heavy rock (apropos Alice Cooper, to me, their pinnacle is Love it to Death, but that's subjective, isn't it? And I only appreciated that album decades later- at the time of release I thought it juvenile).

The key in my estimation is exposure. I guess that's one good thing about the current streaming phenomenon-- it gives you the opportunity to hear things without the cost of buying physical media. (that said, I have a hard time finding deep catalog jazz on Qobuz, something I have mentioned elsewhere).

I'm all about the adventure of finding "new to me" music. One of my early "hooks" was UK Island- Chris Blackwell signed some amazing acts. The first Free album is very underproduced (Guy Stevens) but man, Kossoff is just so inside the songs without overplaying. 

A long time favorite is Bad Brains i against i. A fusion band that could turn on a dime, they converted themselves to Rastafarian post punk. Crazy cool. The Repo Man soundtrack has a great sampling of West Coast hardcore. 

It took me years to find my ears for jazz- I was familiar with the standards but it was the post-bop stuff in the '70s that finally struck a chord with me. 

I do think this is a very personal journey and that each of us varies in our taste. 

One of our family friends was a long time sideman for NRBQ, who I saw a bunch of times back in the day. Those guys could rock. Hell, we saw Little Richard when he was about 80-- he didn't have the voice he once did, but still had his piano chops. I could go on--from Glen Campbell to Etta James. There were so many greats.

We went to hear Black Pumas the other night- very good show. Are they the pinnacle for me? I'm not sure I'd say that, but we had a good time. Tomorrow night we go hear Marc Broussard, who I'd characterize as "swamp soul."

Get out there and hear some bands. And for those who are now gone, reach beyond your usual fare. Lots of riches out there to be tapped. 

Oh, and old school disco is back! Who doesn't love the Shuggie Otis "Strawberry Letter #23" as covered by the Bros Johnson? :)

@mikelavigne

Come on Mike, spread you horizons. I admit I should have said more than New Wave for the 80s, but there's a lotta good stuff in the 80's - Bon Jovi, U2, Guns and Roses, Queen, REO, Metallica, Def Leppard, Scorpions, the list goes on and on.

Sorry to disappoint Mike, but my high school years were in the early 70's, you know when KOOL FM was playing tunes from the 50s and 60s. Love me some Platters and Coasters! The 60s & 70s is what I cut my teeth on. Huge amount of good stuff. Even just the 70s - REO, RUSH, Kansas, Journey, Boston, Yes, Black Sabbath, Styx, BTO, etc. etc.

I AM glad your kids have good taste in music!

Even as far as the New Wave you seem to disdain, there a lot of good tunes. Duran Duran, Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, REM, OMD and a bunch more. Gotta admit though, a lot of New Wave seems to have a bunch more of one or two hit wonders, but wonders they are.

If your going to criticize me for anything, please make it that my tastes are quite broad. From true country to crooners, Old blues, R&B, pop, rock, disco, new wave, new age, alt rock, grunge, I love it all - even a small, select amount of rap...

Enjoy your tunes!

That’s a generational thing. For me it was the music of the 80’s. Today people are getting famous with music composed on a $200 workstation while sitting on their couch. The part that burns me up is when I see my own nesses and nephews falling for that.  As each generation says, music is not what it used to be.

@vair68robert 

@stuartk is 99.7% correct that the music between 1967 and 1977 was magical, but the point of my comment was the picking of 1971 as its apex.

Of course I knew that there would be pushback because there is a tendency for people to become emotionally attached to music that they are exposed to when they are in their early teens. The flavour of the day, so to speak. There is also an element of people that just want to disagree with any statement they hear, without spending the time and energy to actually think it through.

"Killer" by Alice Cooper"

Push it out a couple more years-"Billion Dollar Babies" 

1973 had all the usual suspects release more great work.

@gowanus 

Fifty years from now they will still be listening to music from the 60's and 70's. Just like they will still be listening to 50's and 60's jazz.

This is because what lasts is music that contains innovation, creativity, musicianship, dynamics and emotional impact.Properties that are in scarce supply these days. Much easier to copy someone else's hits or stick with a formulaic genre like hip hop or rap.  

I'll agree that for us old folks that 1971 might be the most prolific year for the most popular albums by the groups at the time , ( you forgot my favorite of all time )          David Crosby " If I Could Only Remember My Name " .                                               Out of the 34 albums mentioned I have 17 of them and saw 4 of them in concert .

But you must admit the stuartk has a point .

Fifty years from now, they might be saying that about 2023. 

Here's a list by the way,

through 80s

@elrod

seriously?

what about 80’s music will live forever? culturally more about silly comedy movies than any music. no lasting musical culture came from those years....compared to the 50’s, 60’s or 70’s.

’Thriller’ and ’M-TV’ were the high points......which is relatively a pretty low bar for greatness.

apologies if these were your high school years and so it’s personal. my kids were in H.S. in the 80’s and early 90’s and they preferred my 60’s and 70’s rock to their contemporary 80’s music.

they did like Grunge and Nirvana, a local Seattle band,. but that was 90’s.

Impressive list but the best year was 1976 with the release of 2112 ... sorry, close though 

Impossible to pick a peak. Lotta good years in the 60s through 80s. You got the Vietnam protest era, Good bubble gum, Disco (yes a lot of it is good - just too much at one time), especially AOR, MOR, New Wave. Good times!

For some, no doubt. I can't pick one year between say, '67 and '77... 

@ghdprentice 

Earlier, maybe.

Later, I doubt it.

A creative peak is just that. A peak. There was a build up to it and a fairly sharp decline after it. Since then, there have been fabulous records and fabulous performances, but the overall quality, diversity, musicianship and creative juice from 1969 to 1972 was unique.

Absolutely, if you were born in the 50’s. But if you were born earlier or later then the pinicle would be earlier or later, respectively. 

Can't be. No new NRBQ release in '71.

But I saw ELP "Tarkus" headline Yas "Fragile"

1989.

"Girl You Know It's True." Milli Vanilli.

I rest my case.

'A' high point, maybe; THE high point, 100% subjective... I don't believe in such things. But lots of great music, certainly.  

Not too shabby. BTW, I think I hear record company execs crying.

"Was 1971 the high point of popular music?"

- no