Retro Albums of the Year 2010's: 2020

[Dave_Manchester]

The first of the truly classic years for album releases (the others being '73, '77 and '91 in my opinion).

1. Pink Floyd - Meddle
2. Genesis - Nursery Cryme
3. The Who - Who's Next
4. Led Zeppelin - IV
5. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
6. Jethro Tull - Aqualung
7. Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
8. Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate
9. Yes - Fragile
10. David Bowie - Hunky Dory
11. John Lennon - Imagine
12. The Doors - L.A Woman

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

For me..

1. Alice Cooper-Killer
2. Alice Cooper-Love It To Death
3. Deep Purple-Fireball
4. Led Zeppelin IV
5. Black Sabbath-Master Of Reality
6. UFO-Flying

I feel like you are forgetting an album..... 


Anyway, 1971 was an extremely exciting year for music. Mostly because Prog Rock was finally in full swing with tons of albums to sate your thirst. Now it may seem cliche at this point, but my number 1 album for 1971 is......

1. Led Zeppelin - IV | (No surprise here for me. This album is a straight 10/10. And while it can be said I've heard all of these songs so many times that they start to get overplayed, I can't deny how perfect of an album this is)
2. Pink Floyd - Meddle | (Perhaps a surprise at #2, but outside of Seamus (which has a certain endearing quality) this album is amazing)
3. Yes - The Yes Album | (the first of 2 outstanding Yes albums in 1971 and my favorite of the 2. Songs like Starship Trooper, I've Seen all the Good People, and Perpetual Change showcase the great songwriting skills of the band)
4. Genesis - Nursery Crime | (For me, the first truly great Genesis album. Peter Gabriel really comes into his own here. Perhaps it was the addition of Phil Collins that pushed them over into greatness. Either way it's a great album)
5. The Mahavishnu Orchestra With John McLaughlin - The Inner Mounting Flame | (This album was introduced to me by my dad when I was a kid and it's been a favorite ever since. One of the best examples of Jazz-Fusion)
6. Yes - Fragile | (The second of the Yes albums of 1971. This one is only held back by perhaps just a little too much self indulgence, but still a great album)
7. David Bowie - Hunky Dory | (Like Genesis, 1971 saw David Bowie release his first truly great album. Many love the song Changes, but it's songs like Life On Mars, Quicksand, and The Bewlay Brothers that show off David Bowie's talent)
8. Jethro Tull - Aqualung | (1971 really was the year of bands coming into their peak and for Jethro Tull with Aqualung it was no different. Led by lead sing Aqualung, this album goes from great song to great song. A true pioneer in Flute based Prog Rock)
9. The Who - Who's Next | (Great classic rock album, 'nuff said)
10. Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink | (A landmark album held back by the final track being a little too long and a couple other lulls throughout the album)
11. Emerson, Lake, & Palmer - Tarkus | (A bit of a step down from their debut album, but still good, especially with the epic track, Tarkus, to start the album. Too bad the rest of the album isn't nearly as interesting)
12. Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson | (A massive step down from the previous couple albums, but somehow still really good. What a massive talent Miles Davis was)
13. Hawkwind - In Search of Space | (Another band that entered their peak in 1971. To me this was the true beginning to Space Rock)
14. Deep Purple - Fireball | (Like Miles Davis, Deep Purple had a big step back from previous albums, but still managed to put out an engaging hard rock album)
15. Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself | (Great hard rock album with touches of Prog and Psych. Highlights being the title track and the 2 epics July Morning and Shadows of Grief)

Honorable Mentions
16. Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste
17. King Crimson - Islands
18. Chicago - III
19. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
20. UFO - Flying

[TAC]

For me..

1. Alice Cooper-Killer
2. Alice Cooper-Love It To Death
3. Deep Purple-Fireball
4. Led Zeppelin IV
5. Black Sabbath-Master Of Reality
6. UFO-Flying

I feel like you are forgetting an album..... 

Oh yes, the first Thin Lizzy album..

Well, I did have Who's Next when I was a kid. Also Uriah Heep.

[MirrorMask]

The list can grow a little bit for me as well!

1971

1. ALICE COOPER - Killer
2. ALICE COOPER - Love it to Death
3. URIAH HEEP - Salisbury
4. JETHRO TULL - Aqualung
5. BLACK SABBATH - Master of Reality

Alice Cooper is the undisputed winner of this year, and you can consider that a double win - I picked Killer for the first position but really, Love it to Death is equally great, these album started the Alice Cooper band's sound as we know it and they were legendary landmarks in the shock rock genre.

Then comes an oddity for me, Uriah Heep - I never really listened to their albums but I did listen to Salisbury and that album is absolutely great. Not only for the legendary Lady in Black, the whole album is great and protoype of modern metal.

Slightly edged out comes another legend, Tull's Aqualung. And Sabbath, well, I know the album and I do like it, but they're kinda filling up the fifth position just to have a top 5, I only remember at the moment Children of the Grave and Into the Void.

Also, it's becoming glaringly obvious, from the list of absent albums, which bands I never really followed 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

For me..

1. Alice Cooper-Killer
2. Alice Cooper-Love It To Death
3. Deep Purple-Fireball
4. Led Zeppelin IV
5. Black Sabbath-Master Of Reality
6. UFO-Flying

I feel like you are forgetting an album..... 

Oh yes, the first Thin Lizzy album..

Well, I did have Who's Next when I was a kid. Also Uriah Heep.

Actually I hadn't even considered Thin Lizzy's first album. For some reason I thought you were a big fan of Uriah Heep's Look At Yourself.

[Dedalus]

1971:

01. Fragile (Yes)

[TAC]

Actually I hadn't even considered Thin Lizzy's first album. For some reason I thought you were a big fan of Uriah Heep's Look At Yourself.

I've never really committed to old Uriah Heep. Actually, I enjoy their most recent albums over the last dozen or so years with Bernie Shaw.

[Big Hath]

1971
Led Zeppelin - IV
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
Chicago - III
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
The Who - Who's Next

[ariich]

1. The Who - Who's Next
2. Pink Floyd - Meddle
3. King Crimson - Islands   
4. Birth Control - Operation   
5. Jethro Tull - Aqualung   
6. Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame   
7. Wishbone Ash - Pilgrimage   
8. Yes - The Yes Album   
9. Yes - Fragile
10. Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts   

[Kwyjibo]

Led Zeppelin IV
Yes - The Yes Album
Yes - Fragile
Genesis - Nursery Cryme
The Who - Who's Next

[jingle.boy]

The best year in music, imo.  In no particular order (except the first one)

Zeppelin IV
Who's Next
Sticky Fingers
Imagine
Master of Reality
Meddle
Surf's Up
Every Picture Tells a Story
LA Woman
Fragile
The Yes Album
Fireball
Aqualung
Nursery Cryme

Not to mention releases from all-time greats that don't quite fall into my wheelhouse.  1971 was an iconic year.

[KevShmev]

I am leaving off some good albums, but here is a top 10 for 1971:

1. Yes - Fragile
2. Yes - The Yes Album
3. Led Zeppelin - IV
4. Jethro Tull - Aqualung
5. The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
6. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
7. The Who - Who's Next
8. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
9. RAM - Paul McCartney
10. Pink Floyd - Meddle

Seems almost like a weird year in that quite a few artists of whom I am a fan released quite a few albums that were far better in the years just before or just after 1971 (Floyd, Sabbath, Bowie, The Who, The Moodies, ELP, Genesis).

[Stadler]

It's just insane to me how much iconic music was made in such close proximity to each other.  Aqualung and Zep IV were recorded IN THE SAME STUDIO. 

[hefdaddy42]

Incredible year for music.

No particular order

Carole King - Tapestry
Booker T & the MGs - Melting Pot
Pink Floyd - Meddle
The Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame
Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
Yes - The Yes Album
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
The Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East
Yes - Fragile
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
Weather Report - Weather Report
Miles Davis - Live Evil

[EPICVIEW]

For me..

1. Alice Cooper-Killer
2. Alice Cooper-Love It To Death
3. Deep Purple-Fireball
4. Led Zeppelin IV
5. Black Sabbath-Master Of Reality
6. UFO-Flying

I feel like you are forgetting an album..... 

Oh yes, the first Thin Lizzy album..

Well, I did have Who's Next when I was a kid. Also Uriah Heep.

 

[SoundscapeMN]

1972

Blurb from my blog

1972, another big year for Classic Rock and Progressive Rock. A decent year for depth certainly, but I suppose the biggest thing that stands out is the TOP HEAVY-NESS of it. Genesis and Tull both put out my favorite record in their respective catalogs. Plus Floyd, Gentle Giant, ELP, Bowie, Deep Purple and Wishbone Ash stood out.

1. Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
2. Genesis - Foxtrot
3. Pink Floyd - Obscured By Clouds
4. Emerson Lake and Palmer - Trilogy
5. Wishbone Ash - Argus
6. Yes - Close to the Edge
7. Deep Purple - Machine Head
8. Michael Nesmith and the Second National Band - Tantamount to Treason Volume One
9. Renaissance - Prologue
10. Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
11. Deep Purple - Made in Japan
12. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
13. Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
14. Gentle Giant - Octopus
15. Nick Drake - Pink Moon
16. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
17. PFM - Per Un Amico
18. Return to Forever / Chick Corea - Return to Forever
19. Neil Young - Harvest
20. Emerson Lake and Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition
21. Styx - Styx

[TAC]

1972!

1. Alice Cooper-School's Out
2. Deep Purple-Machine Head
3. Black Sabbath- Vol. 4
4. Wishbone Ash-Argus
5. Scorpions-Lonesome Crow
6. Thin Lizzy-Shades Of A Blue Orphanage
7. Elf-s/t

[KevShmev]

01 Yes - Close to the Edge
02 David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
03 Genesis - Foxtrot
04 Emerson Lake & Palmer - Trilogy
05 Black Sabbath - Volume 4
06 Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo
07 The Moody Blues - Seventh Sojourn
08 Blue Oyster Cult - Blue Oyster Cult
09 The Doobie Brothers - Toulouse Street
10 Pink Floyd - Obscured by Clouds

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

1972 didn't have nearly as many breakout albums as 1971. Overall wasn't as strong musically either, but there are still quite a few really good albums.

1. Yes - Close to the Edge
2. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
3. Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
4. Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
5. Genesis - Foxtrot
6. Deep Purple - Machine Head
7. Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill
8. Chicago - V
9. Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per un Amico
10. Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
11. Hawkwind - Doremi Fasol Latido
12. Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Trilogy
13. Gentle Giant - Three Friends
14. Miles Davis - On the Corner
15. Stevie Wonder - Music of My Mind
16. Pink Floyd - Obscured by Clouds
17. Gentle Giant - Octopus

[HOF]

Nice to see a couple votes for PFM! I'll give them two for 1972.

1. Genesis - Foxtrot
2. Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico
3. Yes - Close to the Edge
4. Premiata Forneria Marconi - Storia Di Un Minuto

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Nice to see a couple votes for PFM! I'll give them two for 1972.

1. Genesis - Foxtrot
2. Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico
3. Yes - Close to the Edge
4. Premiata Forneria Marconi - Storia Di Un Minuto

Per un Amico was one of those albums I just bought on a whim about 20 years ago and was blown away by it. It's lost a little of its luster over the years, but it's still a great album. I never did bother checking out any of their other stuff......I mean, I have 5 of their other albums, but never did listen to them more than maybe once.....many years ago...

[HOF]

Nice to see a couple votes for PFM! I'll give them two for 1972.

1. Genesis - Foxtrot
2. Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico
3. Yes - Close to the Edge
4. Premiata Forneria Marconi - Storia Di Un Minuto

Per un Amico was one of those albums I just bought on a whim about 20 years ago and was blown away by it. It's lost a little of its luster over the years, but it's still a great album. I never did bother checking out any of their other stuff......I mean, I have 5 of their other albums, but never did listen to them more than maybe once.....many years ago...

I have their first 3 Italian language ones and a couple of the English language ones. They're all really creative and interesting, though I agree Per Un Amico is the best one. L'Isola Di Nienta has some really cool moments too. I do really like Chocolate Kings, which is an English language one with a different singer who sounds like a cross between Peter Gabriel and Eddy Vedder.

[Dedalus]

1972:

01. Thick as a Brick (Jethro Tull)

[ThatOneGuy2112]

.

[ReaperKK]

Another short year for me:

1. Pink Floyd - Obscured By Clouds
2. Bonnie Raitt - Give It Up
3. Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes
4. David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
5. Simon & Garfunkel - Simon And Garfunkel's Greatest Hits

[KevShmev]

Nice to see a couple votes for PFM! I'll give them two for 1972.

I know the prog community rubs themselves raw over a few of their albums, but aside from a couple of notable songs, their music has never struck me as anything more than nice background music.  Very well done music, yes, but not really music that excites me to where I ever think, "I want to listen to that!"

[ariich]

1. Wishbone Ash - Argus
2. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
3. Genesis - Foxtrot
4. Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
5. Chick Corea - Return to Forever
6. Deep Purple - Machine Head
7. Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
8. Yes - Close to the Edge
9. Pink Floyd - Obscured by Clouds
10. Tower of Power - Bump City

Other albums of moderate interest for me:
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Trilogy   
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition
NEU! - NEU!

[HOF]

Nice to see a couple votes for PFM! I'll give them two for 1972.

I know the prog community rubs themselves raw over a few of their albums, but aside from a couple of notable songs, their music has never struck me as anything more than nice background music.  Very well done music, yes, but not really music that excites me to where I ever think, "I want to listen to that!"

They’re a bit like King Crimson for me. When I’m in the mood for that kind of music it really hits the spot. A lot of it is closer to classical music than rock (with a good bit of jazz as well as Italian folk elements), and I’m guessing the lyrics being in Italian might make them less of an active listen for some. But I do think they are an underrated prog act. The king of stuff they were doing was on as high of a level musically as any of the bigger names in prog.

[Big Hath]

1972
Yes - Close To The Edge
Chicago - V
Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick

[MirrorMask]

I almost feel ashamed in having nothing to offer for this year  I mean, it's not that I never hard of these albums mentioned for 1972 and I heard at least some songs here and there, but as far my actual list of albums I know and enjoy, I have nothing else to offer than....

1 ALICE COOPER - School's Out 8 (and it's not even my fav album of the band era)
2 BLACK SABBATH - Master of Reality (and again, not one of my favorite albums of them)

So yeah, I suck 

[SoundscapeMN]

Nice to see a couple votes for PFM! I'll give them two for 1972.

I know the prog community rubs themselves raw over a few of their albums, but aside from a couple of notable songs, their music has never struck me as anything more than nice background music.  Very well done music, yes, but not really music that excites me to where I ever think, "I want to listen to that!"

They’re a bit like King Crimson for me. When I’m in the mood for that kind of music it really hits the spot. A lot of it is closer to classical music than rock (with a good bit of jazz as well as Italian folk elements), and I’m guessing the lyrics being in Italian might make them less of an active listen for some. But I do think they are an underrated prog act. The king of stuff they were doing was on as high of a level musically as any of the bigger names in prog.

I see them as the most well-known if not the best of the Italian Prog bands from the 70's. Banco, Le Orme, Il Balletto Di Bronzo, Area and few others also had success, but it seems PFM became the most (relatively) famous.

[HOF]

Nice to see a couple votes for PFM! I'll give them two for 1972.

I know the prog community rubs themselves raw over a few of their albums, but aside from a couple of notable songs, their music has never struck me as anything more than nice background music.  Very well done music, yes, but not really music that excites me to where I ever think, "I want to listen to that!"

They’re a bit like King Crimson for me. When I’m in the mood for that kind of music it really hits the spot. A lot of it is closer to classical music than rock (with a good bit of jazz as well as Italian folk elements), and I’m guessing the lyrics being in Italian might make them less of an active listen for some. But I do think they are an underrated prog act. The king of stuff they were doing was on as high of a level musically as any of the bigger names in prog.

I see them as the most well-known if not the best of the Italian Prog bands from the 70's. Banco, Le Orme, Il Balletto Di Bronzo, Area and few others also had success, but it seems PFM became the most (relatively) famous.

Yeah, I’ve heard a few of those other bands but I’m not super familiar with any of them. There definitely was an interesting prog scene in Italy back in the 70s (maybe still is).

[Dedalus]

Nice to see a couple votes for PFM! I'll give them two for 1972.

I know the prog community rubs themselves raw over a few of their albums, but aside from a couple of notable songs, their music has never struck me as anything more than nice background music.  Very well done music, yes, but not really music that excites me to where I ever think, "I want to listen to that!"

They’re a bit like King Crimson for me. When I’m in the mood for that kind of music it really hits the spot. A lot of it is closer to classical music than rock (with a good bit of jazz as well as Italian folk elements), and I’m guessing the lyrics being in Italian might make them less of an active listen for some. But I do think they are an underrated prog act. The king of stuff they were doing was on as high of a level musically as any of the bigger names in prog.

Possibly.
For me, it increases the beauty, because the Romance languages are wonderfully beautiful (but I am biased!  ).

[HOF]

Nice to see a couple votes for PFM! I'll give them two for 1972.

I know the prog community rubs themselves raw over a few of their albums, but aside from a couple of notable songs, their music has never struck me as anything more than nice background music.  Very well done music, yes, but not really music that excites me to where I ever think, "I want to listen to that!"

They’re a bit like King Crimson for me. When I’m in the mood for that kind of music it really hits the spot. A lot of it is closer to classical music than rock (with a good bit of jazz as well as Italian folk elements), and I’m guessing the lyrics being in Italian might make them less of an active listen for some. But I do think they are an underrated prog act. The king of stuff they were doing was on as high of a level musically as any of the bigger names in prog.

Possibly.
For me, it increases the beauty, because the Romance languages are wonderfully beautiful (but I am biased!  ).

I hear you. It doesn’t bother me. They definitely add to the atmosphere even if I don’t have any clue what the words are saying!

[Kwyjibo]

1972:

Yes - Close To The Edge
Mahavishnu Orchstra - Birds Of Fire
Genesis - Foxtrot
Tower Of Power - Bump City
ZZ Top - Rio Grande Mud
Gentel Giant - Octopus