1. John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band, "Imagine"
Apple 1840 (11 October 1971) b/w "It's So Hard"recorded 23 June, 5 July 1971, Ascot, England and New York, NY
It's a testament to Lennon's songwriting that a pampered millionaire could put across such a perfectly encapsulated view of secular humanism (and, some say, communism). But it's not as if the endlessly contradictory John didn't have his mouth where his money was -- it's his personal conviction, along with a few bricks from Spector's Wall Of Sound, that makes it so timelessly appealing.
2. Marvin Gaye, "What's Going On"
Tamla 54201 (21 January 1971) b/w "God Is Love"recorded June 1970, Los Angeles, CA
A heavenly chorus of Marvin Gayes was the perfect balm for a world which had become defined by its polarization, and his call for peace and understanding (in that order) had much the same effect as ones given by any black leader of the day. Given the exciting new jazz-flavored, multitracked groove Gaye had fought to attach to his sentiments, though, one might argue that it was even more powerful.
3. The Who, "Won't Get Fooled Again"
Decca 32846 (25 June 1971) b/w "I Don't Even Know Myself"recorded May 1971, London, England
You of course need to track down the album-length cut (almost nine minutes!) to get the full effect of what may be this arena-rock progenitor's greatest work. An anthem against revolution, its bitter see-for-miles clarity was perfectly backlit by squalling Keith Moon drums, Pete Townshend's guitar heroics, and a synthesizer breakdown that remains the most pensive interlude in all of rock history.
4. Isaac Hayes, "Theme from Shaft"
Enterprise 9038 (October 1971) b/w "Cafe Regio's"recorded July 1971, Memphis, TN
A landmark record that presaged the disco movement by a full half-decade, this king of all "blaxploitation" crossovers takes funk into an area that can only be described, in function and form, as orchestral. The entire decade became a fruitless attempt to match the majesty of this streetwise symphony. Which only makes this a joke to people who don't know any better. That Shaft is a bad mother...
5. The Rolling Stones, "Brown Sugar"
Rolling Stones 19100 (16th April 1971) b/w "Bitch"recorded 9th, 10th and 18th December 1969, Muscle Shoals, AL
Only the Stones could keep it real with a song about the white man's tendency to have sex with the help. It may be a sick joke, but it's a brilliant one, tracing its forbidden subject from the Dark Continent straight through to Mick's own, uh, tastes. Featuring one of Keith Richard's tastiest chord sequences and what could arguably be considered the best saxophone solo in history.
6. Rod Stewart, "Maggie May" b/w "Reason To Believe"
Mercury 73224 (July 1971)recorded March 1971, London, England
Two of Rod the Mod's high points, convieniently located on one platter: one of rock's great story songs was originally on the flip, but even when DJs discovered it, the ballad still got played. Rod somehow seemed sweet while kicking an old groupie out of bed and understanding while confronting a faithless lover with their own machinations. It's that sense of humanity which endeared him to generations.
7. Chicago, "Colour My World" b/w "Beginnings"
Columbia 4-45417 (11 June 1971)recorded 27-30 January, August 1969, Los Angeles, CA
A sweet, classical-jazz haiku backed by an epic Latin-flavored ode to renewal, these represented only two of several hits in Chicago's breakthrough year of '71. Indeed, "Beginnings" had flopped the first time around, but two years on, the trends had turned towards jazz, progressive rock, ethnicity, and urban renewal. Chicago's greatest two-sided hit fit neatly into all those categories at once.
8. The Temptations, "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)"
Gordy 7105 (14 January 1971) b/w "You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth"recorded 24 November, 3 December 1970, Detroit, MI
A song that sighs almost audibly with romantic longing, this ballad proved that the Temps' alliance with producer Norman Whitfield was still bearing fruit; a dreamlike paean that kept pinching itself painfully, it managed to enjoy the exquisite beauty of its fantasy while grounding itself in the pain of reality. How do some people live in denial? Like this.
9. Carole King, "It's Too Late" b/w "I Feel The Earth Move"
Ode 66015 (10 February 1971)recorded January 1971, Los Angeles, CA
"Tapestry" was the biggest record of all time, because it was arguably the first pop record to explore what it means to be a woman -- not the political concerns of a gender, just the particular way a world looks through distaff eyes. And these two songs, perhaps the best tracks on the album, found new, multiple, complex levels of viewing both romantic dissolution and sexual obsession.
10. King Floyd, "Groove Me"
Atlantic 2091-051 (September 1970) b/w "What Our Love Needs"recorded 17 May 1970, Jackson, MS
Recorded at the same session as Jean Knight's "Mr. Big Stuff" (!), this New Orleans-Mississippi hybrid was a milestone in Southern soul, a reggae-inflected funk number that kept stopping and starting in the oddest of places. A closely-miked (and badly underrated) Floyd wailed like a Gulf Coast Wilson Pickett, but it's that burbling bass that anchors this sweet tale of (sexual) fidelity.
