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Best albums of 1971

Records got quieter and more personal at exactly the moment rock was getting louder, and both sides made some of their best work without noticing the other. Singer-songwriters could sell out arenas by then, which is the part that reads oddest now.

According to Riffiter listeners, the best album of 1971 is What's Going On by Marvin Gaye, rated 4.7/5 by 17 listeners.

  1. What's Going On cover№ 1What's Going OnMarvin Gaye · 19714.4Weighted score4.7 avg · 17 ratings
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  1. 2Who's Next coverWho's NextThe Who · 19714.2 score · 4.5 avg · 13 ratings
  2. 3Master of Reality coverMaster of RealityBlack Sabbath · 19714.2 score · 4.3 avg · 21 ratings
  3. 4Led Zeppelin IV coverLed Zeppelin IVLed Zeppelin · 19714.2 score · 4.2 avg · 308 ratings
  4. 5L.A. Woman coverL.A. WomanThe Doors · 19714.1 score · 4.1 avg · 32 ratings
  5. 6Maggot Brain coverMaggot BrainFunkadelic · 19714.1 score · 4.1 avg · 19 ratings
  6. 7Imagine coverImagineJohn Lennon · 19714.0 score · 4.0 avg · 41 ratings
  7. 8Blue coverBlueJoni Mitchell · 19714.0 score · 4.0 avg · 13 ratings
  8. 9Meddle coverMeddlePink Floyd · 19713.9 score · 3.9 avg · 13 ratings
  9. 10Sticky Fingers coverSticky FingersThe Rolling Stones · 19719 ratings
  10. 11All Day Music coverAll Day MusicWAR · 19717 ratings
  11. 12Hot Rocks 1964-1971 coverHot Rocks 1964-1971The Rolling Stones · 19716 ratings
  12. 13Stand by Your Man coverStand by Your ManCandi Staton · 19716 ratings
  13. 14Just As I Am coverJust As I AmBill Withers · 19715 ratings
  14. 15Ram coverRamPaul McCartney · 19715 ratings
  15. 16Hunky Dory coverHunky DoryDavid Bowie · 19715 ratings
  16. 17Tago Mago coverTago MagoCAN · 19714 ratings
  17. 18Stones coverStonesNeil Diamond · 19714 ratings
  18. 19I Wrote a Simple Song coverI Wrote a Simple SongBilly Preston · 19714 ratings
  19. 20Black Moses coverBlack MosesIsaac Hayes · 19714 ratings
  20. 21Pearl coverPearlJanis Joplin · 19713 ratings
  21. 22Electric Warrior coverElectric WarriorT. Rex · 19713 ratings
  22. 23Islands coverIslandsKing Crimson · 19713 ratings
  23. 24Surf's Up coverSurf's UpThe Beach Boys · 19713 ratings
  24. 25The Morning After coverThe Morning AfterThe J. Geils Band · 19713 ratings
  25. 26Something Else coverSomething ElseShirley Bassey · 19713 ratings
  26. 27Sho Is Funky Down Here coverSho Is Funky Down HereJames Brown · 19713 ratings
  27. 28Histoire de Melody Nelson coverHistoire de Melody NelsonSerge Gainsbourg · 19712 ratings
  28. 29Madman Across the Water coverMadman Across the WaterElton John · 19712 ratings
  29. 30John Prine coverJohn PrineJohn Prine · 19712 ratings
  30. 31American Pie coverAmerican PieDon McLean · 19712 ratings
  31. 32Coat of Many Colors coverCoat of Many ColorsDolly Parton · 19712 ratings
  32. 33There's a Riot Goin' On coverThere's a Riot Goin' OnSly & The Family Stone · 19712 ratings
  33. 34Judee Sill coverJudee SillJudee Sill · 19712 ratings
  34. 35The Undisputed Truth coverThe Undisputed TruthThe Undisputed Truth · 19712 ratings
  35. 36In London coverIn LondonB.B. King · 19712 ratings
  36. 37Barbra Joan Streisand coverBarbra Joan StreisandBarbra Streisand · 19712 ratings
  37. 38First Utterance coverFirst UtteranceComus · 19712 ratings
  38. 39Hot Pants coverHot PantsJames Brown · 19712 ratings
  39. 40Fragile coverFragileYes · 19712 ratings
  40. 41Construção coverConstruçãoChico Buarque · 19711 rating
  41. 42America coverAmericaAmerica · 19711 rating
  42. 43Freedom Flight coverFreedom FlightShuggie Otis · 19711 rating
  43. 44A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... To a Blind Horse coverA Nod Is as Good as a Wink... To a Blind HorseFaces · 19711 rating
  44. 45Carpenters coverCarpentersCarpenters · 19711 rating
  45. 46At Fillmore East coverAt Fillmore EastThe Allman Brothers Band · 19711 rating
  46. 47Ela coverElaElis Regina · 19711 rating
  47. 48Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves coverGypsys, Tramps & ThievesCher · 19711 rating
  48. 49Workin' Together coverWorkin' TogetherIke & Tina Turner · 19711 rating
  49. 50Acquiring the Taste coverAcquiring the TasteGentle Giant · 19711 rating

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Best albums of 1971 by genre

The genres that carried the period here, each with what listeners rate highest inside it.

The artists of 1971

Everyone who put a record out then, ordered by how listeners rate their catalog rather than by that one release.

Every artist of 1971, ranked →

1971, month by month

Not everything that came out, just where the weight fell. Some months carried a year; some were quiet and worth knowing about.

FAQ

What are the best albums of 1971?
On Riffiter, the highest-rated album of 1971 is What's Going On by Marvin Gaye (4.7/5). The ranking below orders the year's releases by community rating.
How is the 1971 ranking decided?
By Riffiter listeners. Each album's community rating sets its place. Until a release has enough ratings, its popularity stands in, and the order shifts as more people rate.
Does the best-of-1971 list change?
Yes. It's built from live community ratings, so the order updates as people rate 1971 releases. The page refreshes a few times a day.