By: Greg Rector
The Classic Rock Era always sparks great debates. For those of us who lived in the era of AM radio dominance, people listening to full albums, Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and Don Cornelius’ Soul Train on TV as the best way to see the artists in person, it was a far different world from the music scene of today. No MTV, Spotify, or Amazon Music was even thought of. Vinyl ruled the world of music unless you had an 8-track player (Man they were awful), in your car or preferably your Chevy van. What made those years in the early 1970s was the sheer volume of incredible music in all genres. On any given day or week, a Motown artist (Marvin Gaye) could top the Billboard charts, only to be quickly followed by more of a hard rock song (The Doors) or a more easy-listening singer/songwriter such as John Denver or James Taylor. In the case of Denver, he crossed over often to the country charts, while a country artist like Jerry Reed could also move into the rock side of the world.
The two years that always seem to end up being pitted against one another though are 1971 and 1974 as possibly the best years for all music, not just for the singles that were staples of AM radio, but the albums as well. Personally, I have never been able to make a decision because like I am in the sports realm and the never-ending GOAT debates when it comes to music I feel the same way. It’s truly subjective. For me, there’s no wrong decision. I just look back at each of these years and can’t say that either one is better than the other. What I do know is both years were absolutely loaded with music that has stood the test of time.
Here are the Top 40 1971 songs by sales.
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/PV45rpm/billboard-top-40-songs-1971/
For me, the year will always be highlighted by Marvin Gaye and his seminal album “What’s Going On,” listen to any song from that album today, especially the title track and tell me it doesn’t still relate to the world we are in today. Gaye had to battle Berry Gordy the boss man of Motown to make the record he wanted to release. It broke the mold of the Motown sound and formula. Just an absolute masterpiece. Gaye had lost his duet partner the beautiful and oh-so-talented Tammi Terrell one year earlier. Between that loss and the events of the time, Gaye was a changed man, so much more aware of the world around him.
Hard Rock fans will point to Led Zeppelin IV which many consider their best work. Since I despise the over-played “Stairway to Heaven,” this album has my two favorites Led zeppelin songs “Black Dog,” and “Rock and Roll,”
“Hey hey mama said the way you move
Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove
Ah, ah, child, way you shake that thing
Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting.”
To this day I get a chill when I hear Robert Plant sing “Black Dog.”
Singer/Songwriters
Carole King’s Tapestry has been a staple since its release. If you had older sisters, or female cousins, and were anywhere with them in 1971 it was an absolute guarantee a song from that album if not the whole album was getting a listen. If you’ve never listened to Carole King, you’re missing one of the greatest songwriters that have ever been involved in rock music. Then you have James Taylor, John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot, and many others. This genre featured artists who for the first time brought very personal themes into their music. It wasn’t boy meets girl, boy dances with girl, boy and girl fall in love or breakup.
1974 was as well simply put loaded with masterpiece after masterpiece. “Little Stevie Wonder,” was long gone by 1974. Replaced by a man in the midst of winning the second Album of The Year Grammy Award in a row for “Fulfillingness’ First Finale.” The new kings of Motown though were “The Jackson 5,” by this time. They were everywhere. Some decry the era as “bubblegum pop,” but not me. So many songs that to this day that word for word you sing (mostly terribly) and you still want to move to the groove. Aretha Franklin, The Stylistics, The Spinners, and a group who would become huge in Kool and the Gang who gave us “Jungle Boogie,”
In the hard rock genre, two future behemoths debuted in Kiss and Judas Priest. David Bowie left behind Ziggy and The Spiders From Mars and released “Diamond Dogs.” Lynryd Skynard, Deep Purple, Queen (2 albums), and the likes of Supertramp (Crime of the Century) and another British export Sweet (Desolation Boulevard) all with classic albums and songs for the genre. Three guys from Toronto also made a self-titled album, future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Rush.
While 1971 gave us Paul McCartney and Wings and George Harrison (My Sweet Lord), by 1974 it was Ringo Starr who was the hitmaking former Beatle with his cover of “You’re Sixteen,” and “Oh My My,” The singer/songwriters though were still cranking out classics led by Jim Croce “Time in a Bottle,” even though he had passed away tragically a year before.
What separates these two years from the music world today? It’s the variety and the way no one really cared as much as they do now about what category they belonged in. Artists could move freely without a huge amount of criticism from one genre to another. As long as what they were singing and writing about was good or as the kids each week on Bandstand still said in the 70s as they first did in the 50s “You can dance to it and it has a great beat,” it was all good. While real “critics,” can continue their debate all I know is all these years later both 1971 and 1974 were unbelievably good years in music history. Timeless albums and singles. If you’ve never done so go to YouTube and search Billboard Top 100 Songs for each year. You’ll be amazed at the number of songs you know, can sing along with, or even want to get up and dance to. That’s the true joy of music, no matter what you listen to.
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