1971 is quite top heavy. I had three solid albums and a surprising battle for number four. After that the other contenders are all very good. Those contenders were David Bowie Hunky Dory, T Rex Electric Warrior, Pink Floyd Meddle, Miles Davis Jack Johnson, ELO, Badfinger Straight Up, Ram, Imagine, Black Sabbath Master of Reality, Kinks Muswell Hillbillies, Led Zeppelin IV and the final cut Traffic Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. The amazing thng is who beat out Traffic for the last spot.
Number one was a no-brainer; Who's Next by The Who. Every track is a classic. My personal favorite is "My Wife", which is a John Entwhistle song. I also love "Won't Get Fooled Again". "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss". Those lyrics were never more true than now. Even though it's overplayed, you can't deny "Baba O'Reilly". Pete Townsend is in my top five guitarists and after reading Tony Fletcher's biography of Keith Moon, he has become my favorite drummer. Moon and Townsend had an amazing chemistry playing off each other. This is a perfect record.
I may have to change my Mt. Rushmore of greatest hits artists. I would put on CCR and take off the next artist, who has now made a couple Mt. Rushmores; Elton John with Madman Across the Water. The title track, "Tiny Dancer" and "Levon" are three of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's greatest songs. I always have to remind myself that Taupin wrote the lyrics. Honky Chateau had bigger hits than Madman Across the Water, but I feel Madman is much for resonant. Elton John's performance on the title track is intense.
Number three is Fragile by Yes. This is a musician's album. My favorite track is "South of the Sky", whch is a masterclass on playing by Steve Howe on guitar and Chris Squire on bass. Howe, in particular stands out on Fragile. He even has an instruental, "Mood For a Day", which is fantastic. He's one of my favorite guitarists, but for some reason his solo abums are all Chet Atkins style chicken pickin', which I don't like. Fragile also includes classic rock standards "Roundabout", "Long Distance Runaround" and "Heart of the Sunrise". One of the great prog rock albums.
Alright, here's the shocker of this whole thought experiment. My number four is an album that literally everyone in the Seventies owned. I had no intention of putting this on my Mt. Rushmore, but after listening to it in it's entirety I couldn't be a dick and leave it off. I am talking about Tapestry by Carole King. Every track on Tapestry is a masterpiece of songcraft. She even rocks out a little bit on "Smackwater Jack". "You can't talk to a man with a shotgun in his hand". I could list all the songs, but it's not necessary. My personal favorites are "So Far Away" and "It's Too Late". I couldn't put it ahead of my other three albums, but it is probably the best singer songwriter album of the Seventies; and that's saying a lot.
Looking ahead to 1970, it's a decent year, but not great. My Mt. Rushmore might be kind of jazzy. I'm still sorting it out. My number one is locked in though. After that I will recap the Seventies and then compile my Mt. Rushmore of live albums. Then we come down the home stretch with the Sixties. I can't believe we're almost done. Peace.
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