Customer Reviews

Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits: 1971

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Every one of these songs is a classic and it shows the high quality of rock music in the early 1970s. The proper rock tracks include Joy To The World by the versatile Three Dog Night, Maggie May (Flipside of Reason To Believe) by Rod Stewart when he was still a rock artist, the Raiders impressive version of Indian Reservation and Black Magic Woman by Santana. One Bad Apple reminds one that teenpop was doing well in 1971 with The Osmonds, Michael Jackson, The Partridge Family and David Cassidy, while Knock Three Times by Dawn is still a brilliant pop song with a killer hook and enthusiastic vocals. Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves by Cher and Dragging The Line by Tommy James are two further pop classics with great melodies, while Treat Her Like A Lady by the obscure Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose brings back good memories. One would have liked to see Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin and It's Too Late by Carole King included too, but these Billboard compilations seem to be restricted to ten tracks. Still a formidable collection that guarantees listening pleasure.

Hard to believe when you look at the ten songs included in "Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1971" that this is not their "Soft Rock" collection for that same year. After all, that one had Neil Diamond and Tom Jones and this one has The Osmonds and Dawn. But as long as you can trot out Rod Stewart, Santana, and Sly & the Family Stone, you are on much safer ground. Do not expect to find anything that represents really cutting edge rock'n'roll from that year, but you will find an excellent representation of what was on the charts in '71. As you probably know full well by now, the rule of thumb is whether a collection like this can give you five or more songs you would like to have around. For me this is pretty much a moot point because I already have half these tracks and while I like having "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" and "Indian Reservation," especially back-to-back, not only can I live without "One Bad Apple" and "Knock Three Times," I have done so quite successfully for years. Still that adds up to most of these songs being worth having if you were listening to Top 40 music way back in 1971. The strength of these albums is always as nostalgia more so than music appreciation.

A few of these tracks are worth the price of the CD, simply because most music lovers don't want to shell out a lot of money on anthologies of the Osmonds, Tommy James, or the Raiders; on the other hand, a lot of these tracks are so common on radio, it's doubtful that many people don't already know them backwards and forwards by now. All original hits.

great cd - I played it at my parents 50th wedding anniversary party and everyone loved it.

"I know it's only rock & roll but I like it, like it, yes I do". End of quote.

I loved listening to the song i grew up with all over again