Was 1971 Rock Music's Greatest Year? - SPECIAL DOCUMENTARY - If Guitars Could Speak… #26 

If you say so

Love your video re the music, but have to take issue with your attitude to WW2. It DID start before the USA entered, and to insist it's only a "world war" if USA is involved ignores (at least) two things. Firstly, not EVERY country in the world needs to take part for it to be called a "world war". In fact, only 30 countries (even counting the USA) were involved in WW2. And secondly, the pacific theater had already started BEFORE Poland was invaded, with Japan taking Northeast China, etc. Many thousands of people had already died in WW2 before Pearl Harbour was bombed. Many countries were already under occupation before Pearl Harbour was bombed. Your music history has awesome research and great balance between the USA and UK, please don't be an arrogant asshole when it comes to other points of history.

@@PeterReefman You have a point, bud. My responses are a little tongue and cheek I am a huge student of history and I understand what you were went through before America became involved. I gave the Polish, the French, the British and the Russians all the credit in the world for refusing to cow to the Germans. Trust me, I am a student of all history, and I didn’t wanna come off like that. It was just a bit of teasing. But the reality is that December 7, 1941 IS the date that is drilled into American schoolchildren in 3rd grade history class. So forgive me for using that date as the one that I remember in regards to WW2.

Just because Americans were too scared to help their allies in 1939 doesn’t mean it wasn’t a world war.

69' and 70' were better but in the wholee realm of things music wise 69' to 73' were the best years of Rock N' Pop music because they had a myriad of great artists, musicians and songwriters! 🎤🎹🎸🥁

My deepest condolences.

Ward Scott A life well played.

Ward, My Condolences to you. In 1971, I was 20, and dating my Childhood sweetheart, and later married in 1974. Two great sons and 4 Grandchildren later (and One more on the way), life changed Immensely in 2019 thanks to The Chinese COVID plague to the world. Now we have the New Norm. Music Videos like this one, help to provide the diversion from that sad Reality. Be well and Strong. Yes, 1971 was a good year, although I wish this presenter stayed away form calling names on previous Presidents : Tricky Dickie. What we have NOW , an Incoherent idiot, that makes Jimmy Carter look good, is far Worse.....

@@Chiroman527 was dickie not tricky?

@@mytandasouder4485 No one drowned at Watergate. Biden's opening the southern border and the fiasco in Afghanistan are far more impeachable offenses.

BACK AT YA ❤

The Who, Who's Next great album! Mind blowing.

Many things are measured in decades. 10 year periods seem to be a marker and standard of measurement. You have to start with 1964 The Beatles, where modern rock n roll really started. Measure out 10 years and you have the greatest creative period in rock n roll. Greatest bands. Greatest hits. Greatest inventions like lasers, synthesizers, stadium performances, huge sound systems, story lines, better recording techniques, and bands like The Who were leaders in that regard.

Agree with you but I would go back the early 60's to mid 70's. The early 80's was hit and miss for me so I went back to the 60's and 70's. 65 years old now and can't let the music die.

Paul, I am with you.

If we're going for 10 year periods, then it's 66 to 75, for me. I tend to stretch it out and have 65 to 80 as the classic period of modern popular music. :)

@@Codex7777 by 1975 all of the classic rock bands broke up, died, changed members, said all that was to be said, no innovation, or the main members went solo, and others whimped out or went Disco. By 75 it was all done. Bowie, Stewart, Beatles, Stones, Who, Zep. Thousands of others.

Yeah, also 30. From 1991 Nirvana and Pearl Jam!

Me to , class of 76 ?

I was 13 too and SO much appreciate how much this incredible music soothed my soul and helped me through some troubled times

Same. I still have my 45s and all my albums.

Still got these 2 albums bought 50yrs ago time certainly flys

I know how to play "I'm Eighteen" on guitar and sing it. Yeah man , not bragging just saying. Baby's brain and a old mans heart

Yeaaahhh brill

1975 is an important year for me, with ground-breaking futuristic albums by Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, Harmonia, John Cale, Neu!, Van der Graaf Generator, Genesis. 1971 was kind of a holdover of the 60s, but 1975 was pointing us towards a very cool future. Too bad we messed it up totally.

The Vietnam war era was also the best music time!

The Doors lost JM in 1971 but I think they would have rivaled any band in the 70’s in my opinion

I think he chose 1971 because it was a round 50 years ago. They also had super music then.

I agree! 64 to 74 is the best decade for music. Everything from Lenny Welch to Al Green, from the Beatles to Queen,. from the Stones to the ABBA. From the Yardbirds to the Steely Dan. Who could argue with that? I'm sure there's a plethora of people who could. Anyone who likes Duran Duran or Keane!!

WONC, North Central College's (of Naperville, IL) radio station came to the same conclusion a few years ago and runs a program called "Vintage Rock" nightly for two hours featuring music exclusively from this decade.

Agreed. I think it really peaked from '69 to '74. Disco started becoming a little too hard to ignore in about '75, and that's where things started going downhill...

Analog wins again!

@@cornfilledscreamer614 except for that's when Talking Heads started yippee

Hey....me too 21/71

Rite in there with you 19/71

True. IMO, the golden years are 1964-72.

And 1976-'83 was the last, though some will go for 1990-'95.

I will argue for 1973 instead of 71. Ronnie Van Zant and company made their LP debut that year. 1972 is also chock full of classics as well.

Not to be a sharpshooter but 66-71 is 6 years if you count 71. I think anywhere between 1966 and 1973 could be the best 5 year period. Anywhere between 83-93 could be considered. I would also throw in 83-87 as almost being on par with any 5 year period.

64 to 74 = the best 10 years for modern music

If you can get a good Master.

Who's Next really showed the world the talent of the Who.

As for the best none-live Who album. I equivocate on a regular basis between Who's Next, Quadrophenia, and The Who Sell Out. That is why it is best to have all three albums on hand at all times to minimize inner inner turmoil.

Not 'nuff for me. Who's Next isn't even their third-best album. It goes Quadrophenia, Tommy, Sell Out. Just dropped by to correct the record.

@@kevanbrown7620 Interesting about Quadro. I put that as their greatest of all time. A better rock opera (musically and lyrically, not conceptually) than Tommy, and the recording was absolutely stunning after what Townshend considered the disastrous sound on Tommy. I'll never forget the first time I heard Love Reign O'er Me driving my car down Pacific Ave in Stockton California and KUOP played that song. I had to pull over to take it in.

Amazing how many of those albums my ex-wife stole of mine including the '76 Kenwood stereo system and Technics turntable.

Live at Filmore East not only my favorite album of that year. It's my favorite album of all time ! Boy were we the lucky ones.. muscle cars, classic & southern rock. I was 15 in 69, in High School in 71. We didn't know how good we had it !

Linda Ward : Same. 15 in ‘71.

✌️&🤘Linda Ward , I still love Live at the Fillmore East and miss the Allman Brothers Band, from Duane, Gregg, Dickie,and all of them. Keep rocking sister. Brother Gary

I nearly fell off my chair when he said this. Talk about lack of credibility!

@@arthurgordon6072 he’s talking from an American perspective, relax and be cool or next time y’all can’t make nice with your neighbors we won’t help. Ungrateful punk.

If we’re looking at WW2 from an international viewpoint, you can also say that it started in 1937 when Japan invaded China.

@@richardmurrell Indeed!

@@richardmurrell We could even go back to 1935 when Italy invaded Ethiopia.

Agreed

1964

London Calling is 79

@@randywhite3947 Well yes...December 79...almost 1980!

i have said the exact same thing, the same years.....it will never be duplicated , theres so much you cant even remember it all.....i never run out of music from those years to reach back to..

my vote is Black Sabbath.

We were looking at my Concert Ticket Stubs and they cost 3.50- 5.50...

The list I was going off of must not like Alice Cooper!

@@TheGuitarHistorian Killer what a rock album

@@TheGuitarHistorian I thought that you were the Guitar Historian not just a reader....

Thank you!! It's about time someone mentioned them.

Alice Cooper tonight in Detroit, DTE with Ace.

Marcus, agreed.... Isn't it Ironic, that 30 years later at the World Trade Center Concert that Paul McCartney helped to put together, the Who performs : "Won't Get Fooled Again"... evoking great emotions. SOB, we did get Fooled again, by the Idiot in the White House. Imagine Trusting the Taliban ..... Think about that statement made be Idealistic Dreamers , so Naive it's truly Incredible. Somebody's making Big Bucks here !!! Always Follow the Money !!! Notwithstanding losing precious Military Lives (13 ) , leaving Americans Behind with voracious LIES to the Loving Liberal media, Uncle Joey, You left $85 BILLION of weaponry and ammunition AND a State of the Art Air Force Base to the Taliban. It's Incredulous !!

Baba O'Reilly is one of my favourite songs. It's up there with A Day in the Life and Gimme Shelter. Just 3 of my favourite tracks. There's so many, but those 3 are definitely high up on my own personal list. Baba O'Reilly has to be one of the Who's greatest moments.

@@Chiroman527Yeah, I remember that. Is that when McCartney sang Freedom. Or was that another Concert. I know McCartney sang Freedom in New York, not long after 9/11.

What an incredible leap of logic that you go into the situation in Afghanistan from someone commenting on songs… 🤔

@@TheGuitarHistorianI'm sorry i was just asking if that was the concert when Paul McCartney played his song Freedom, that's all. I had no intention of getting into Afghanistan whatsoever. My question was purely musical. I didn't even mention Afghanistan.

I agree. It’s still mind blowing. Nothing to this day sounds like it.

Like everyone today you are thinking in albums. If you want to understand the period you have to realise that before 1967, popular music for a young audience was centred on singles. There were some albums of course, but they consisted of mainly two or three hit singles and the rest was largely fillers. The Beatles gradually changed that, but it took some time, and even after that had happened, the 7" vinyl single returned as the prime format during the punk years and then again during the 90s Britpop period. The fact that singles today are largely ignored even by collectors is bordering on the absurd and certainly not a true reflection of history.

I was born in '67; my brother in '72. I'm actually cool with being an 80s teen; after all, I had Rush's Moving Pictures through Power Windows as one of the foundations of my high school soundtrack. I still had all that great 60s and 70s music in regular rotation on the radio, and if we're being honest, the 80s were different but still really good in many ways, musically. But there is a part of me that would have liked to have been a decade older; I sort of feel like I showed up the day after the world's best party, which was still going on, but all the really great stuff happened the night before.

Unmatched an still fresh to this day.

I AGREE'.OPps.Gonna go pay it right now.

That album was recorded a week after Hendrix passed! There has never been a better One Two punch than Sky Dog & Betts! Sadly it just wasn't meant to be! Shout out to Layla Clapton & Duane of Guitars

I was there

They were on a hot streak there. 1971 was my birth year--so I came of age as Warren Haynes brought some of that twin-guitar fire back to their shows 20 years later. But what a rousing album back then by my favorite band

Ah hell man I put them stupid looking bell bottoms on

Disco still sucks.

Good ones!

Loved everything by Nilsson. And no mention of Santana 3 or Malo with Jorge Santana in 1971?

Don't forget JA... Bark!

@@9211goat JA, pretty

I believe that Nilsson schmilsson was actually released in 1972. Great record.

Absolutely- all great! Don't forget CACTUS-Restrictions

I had the calendar that came with AC's killer album on my wall. Great period for rock music !

Alice Cooper and T.Rex. 👍

When did Fragile by Yes get released? And After the Gold Rush by Neil Young? 1971 if I'm not mistaken. To my mind, these were both great albums. Not background music. You sat around a great stereo and listened with your friends. Like we did to Sgt Pepper in 67.

Johnny Winter And Live - I wore out my copy pretty quickly. And then he disappeared only to return "Still Alive and Well" a bit later

The best advice that you can offer as someone who has already been there. Absorb the sounds and sights, let them invade your senses, and pay attention. Just like when you are at a live show. We can talk later on the ride home...

@@obbor4 And put down the DAMN DEVICE!!!

“Dwight Fry” was a GREAT record on number of fronts.. Alice Cooper did a VERY GOOD job on the recording. The engineers outdid themselves, as the quality of that recording was VERY hard to beat in those days, And it remains so to this day.TRULY full-frequency, and VERY high fidelity, despite the distortion in the guitars. In fact, I had a speaker cabinet that stood 4.5 feet tall. I would park this BEAST in my living room, pointed out my front door, through the screen. And just to “heat up” the voice coils in the speeakers, before I did anything else with them, I’d play “The Ballad of Dwight Fry” from a tape deck, through this monster 150 watt guitar amp, at about 120 dB (I didn’t yet have a dB meter…I do NOW, of course), and I’d walk most of a block down the street to see how my laboratory test speakers were doing. Of course, the State Marshal that lived across the street from me, on the days he was home, took a dim view of all this. But then,:when I built an electric switchboard for electrically setting off buried explosives from a safe distance, (you could bury up to 15 small charges and connect them to the switchboard, then just run your hand up the side of.the front panel to set them off in sequence to make things look like there was a strafing run happening in the Continental U.S. in 1965 (!). He took an even dimmer view of that. Let’s face it - the guy was just no fun. And I could be wrong about this, but as I recall, his daughter ended up pregnant at 16, and his son was sentenced to a long stretch in prison for dealing mass quantities of every kind of dope! So you tell me. Which was worse? My audio lab or what he did to his kids to make them turn out the way they did?????? I turned what I did back then into several careers. They turned what THEY did into an unwanted pregnancy and 5 to LIFE at San Quentin…

We didn't have "devices" in 1971. We had large record players with stereo speakers and vinyl records, with snap and crackle joining Messrs Page, Plant, Jones & Bonham.

Frank Zappa at the Fillmore East.

If one didn't know, they would assume that Who's Next was a greatest hits album. I especially like listening to Bargain, but they are almost all classic songs.

Baba O'Reilly is just awesome. Ahead of its time.

2nd best! Zep 4

@@stickman1742 I'm partial to Love Ain't For Keeping myself, but Won't Get Fooled Again is my favorite of the better-known songs.

@@michaelnelson9140 close but love WHo's next

You are absolutely right....powerful...

_Love It to Death_ also came out that year.

"KILLER" is my all time fav Alice Cooper album

right@@ComeOnIsSuchAJoy

I had the same thought, what no Alice Cooper?

67 was very strong for all the albums you mentioned. 67-72 was the peak. Great stuff before and after those years, but the pure mass of brilliance during that time boggles the mind. A quick look at the charts now shows how much our musical culture has deteriorated since that time. Where did I park that time machine?

1967 was preparation for 1971

I'll second that motion ! I guess we will all agree and disagree about a question like this. But I think that MOST of musicians can agree that from 1967 to the early 1970's is the best time of music EVER ! -You know what really messes with my brain is that a tune like "RUNAWAY" by Del Shannon was written in 1961 ! - Not for nothing - but you could have told me that this was written in 1968 and I would have believed you. The tune is "Psychadelich before Psychadelic".

Buffalo Springfield's album in 1967 was "Again". "Rides Again", you're thinking of James Gang in 1970...which is another great. Has "The Bomber" on it.

@@RichardMNixon-zh6uz You're right and 70 was another great year!

Tapestry is a well woven album. One of the best albums ever recorded.

Uh the Kinks?

@@meyerdude Which album?

I’m with you!

Can you really claim those dead stars to be big releases?

You missed out on a lot of the developmental Rock of the mid to late 60's

Who knows, maybe they will(?) -- A lot of kids aren't satisfied with currrent music and are diving into that era, many of them becoming good musicians in the process.

Grand Funk Live was also a great live album. Pure energy.

I was 16 in 71, Drivers License, first date to the Drive In Movie. But growing up in a small country town, that had "Both Kinds of Music, Country & Western," I had to wait a month to get my Black Sabath album shiped in.

I have finally fullifilled my life musical goal of taking the swing version of Jethro Tull Bouree and applying it to the "B" section of bachs opus. An incredible lurching and staggering syncopation results with such random glitchyness I may never play it the same twice

Yup I turned 15 in Sept 1971 and it was a great time to have lived through.

I saw The James Gang perform in '71. They were awesome. Joe Walsh was - and still is one of the best guitarists I've ever seen and heard.🎸

And plenty of disposable income!

Agree. I was thinking 69 or 70 as well.

Same as me. 16 in 71.

'67 through '71...easily the greatest 5-year stretch of rock, perhaps music overall. If you were a teenager in that period and loved music, Christmas came every single month.

Or, as they said on SNL's The Cork Soakers, "Was it '68?" "No... I think it was '70."

Marshall Tucker band was one of the greatest concerts I ever saw those boys could play

yeeeeees

Let's get real here, Zeppelin have like 6 best albums

@@carlneoh5843 Rite on, Brotha!

I'm with you on that, except I'd go from '66 - Nowhere near as rich as '67 but there were a few very significant albums, like Revolver, Sounds of Silence and Parsley, S, R, & Thyme, Fresh Cream, Love by Love, Pet Sounds, Zappa's debut with Freakout, a couple of albums from The Animals and The Kinks, plus a few others. There were also a lot of landmark jazz and folk albums released in '66.

@@daevpaeldruid8200 Yes I should have included 1966.

@@alanthorne3921 Ha! Revolver to Physical Graffiti - Never has been, and never will there be such a mind-blowing period of creativity.